Wednesday, May 26th, 2021
Covid Origin Debate, Amazon Sued & Supermoon Eclipse
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Stamps.com (Listen for the discount code) and BetterHelp.com/newsworthy
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want reading about the latest happenings…
Moderna Shot Effective for Adolescents
Moderna now says its vaccine was 100% effective at protecting against COVID-19 in a study with adolescents ages 12 to 17 and the study didn’t report any serious safety concerns. The two-dose vaccine is already authorized for adults in the U.S., so now the drugmaker plans to ask the FDA to give the okay for the shots to be offered to younger people, too. If the FDA agrees, it will become the second COVID vaccine available to kids 12 and up. This comes after the Pfizer vaccine got authorization earlier this month.
Read More: CNBC, Axios, Moderna
Half of U.S. Adults Fully-Vaccinated
The U.S. hit a major milestone with COVID-19 vaccinations. The CDC says that half of U.S. adults are now fully vaccinated against the virus. That means nearly 130 million Americans 18-and-older have gotten both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna shots or one dose of the Johnson-and-Johnson vaccine. COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to decline as more Americans become vaccinated.
Read More: ABC News, NPR, Fox News, CDC
Covid Origin Investigation
This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra called for a follow-up investigation into the origins of COVID-19 that’s more independent and transparent. However, the Chinese government says the case is closed. China let a World Health Organization team in to study the origins of COVID-19 earlier this year, but many international leaders say the study wasn’t good enough since it didn’t name a definite cause. The report said it was “likely” the first humans who got COVID-19 got it from an animal, but some people are skeptical since the WHO team wasn’t independent in the study as they had to work with the Chinese government every step of the way.
Read More: WaPo, CNBC, Fox News, BBC, WSJ
Grand Jury in Trump Investigation
Several news outlets cite sources who say Manhattan’s district attorney has put a grand jury together to look into the Trump Organization. The prosecutor has been looking into whether the company might have committed bank, tax, and insurance fraud. This investigation has been going on for years and it’s been looking into business dealings from before Trump was president. Now, sources say the new grand jury will meet three times a week for six months to hear evidence that’s been collected so far. In response, former President Trump put out a statement calling the grand jury “purely political.”
Read More: WaPo, WSJ, ABC News, The Hill
Amazon Faces Antitrust Lawsuit
Washington D.C. is suing Amazon over the company’s “fair pricing policy.” Amazon has a rule that says to sell on the platform, other companies have to offer their products for the same price they sell them elsewhere. D.C.’s attorney general says that’s an issue since many sellers want to price their products on Amazon higher than on their websites since Amazon takes a cut of the sales. The attorney general says it’s an example of Amazon “illegally tilting the playing field in its favor.” Amazon argues that sellers set their prices and its policy is only to make sure consumers don’t get overcharged.
Read More: TechCrunch, WSJ, NY Times, Vox
Active Year for Ticks
Experts think ticks are going to be a bigger problem this year than most. They say it’s at least partly because of a mild winter and wet spring. Also, due to COVID-19, people are spending more time outdoors. Ticks can spread disease, most commonly Lyme disease. If you’re out hiking or camping, you can avoid tick bites by wearing long pants and sleeves, as well as by using a repellent spray. Experts say to also check yourself for ticks once you get home, and to check your pets, too.
Read More: WaPo, AP, WOOD, Pests.Org
Supermoon Lunar Eclipse
Two rare events are happening at the same time today: a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse. In other words, the biggest and brightest moon of the year is going to turn red as it slips completely into Earth’s shadow. It’s being called the “super flower blood moon.” As long as the weather holds up, people should be able to see the eclipse best across the western U.S., western Canada, much of Central America, and parts of South America and Asia. The eclipse begins around 4:00 a.m. Pacific time and is expected to wrap up in less than 30 minutes.
Read More: NBC News, NY Times, NPR, Space.com
Watch a Livestream: Griffith Observatory, Virtual Telescope Project, ESA
Scientists Partially Restore a Blind Man’s Sight
A team of scientists has at least partially restored a blind man’s sight by successfully using a new kind of gene therapy with engineered goggles for the first time. A 58-year-old man in France has been slowly losing his sight for the last 40 years because of eye disease, and he was blind before this study. Researchers added light-sensitive proteins to his retina and then gave him special goggles to wear at home. After several months, the man started seeing objects again like the stripes of a crosswalk. While they were blurry, scientists are still calling this a major milestone for more effective treatments to come. They’re looking to enroll more volunteers in clinical trials now.
Read More: NY Times, CNET, CNN, LiveScience
Mexico Aviation’s Safety Rating Downgraded
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico’s safety rating this week. This means Mexican airlines can’t schedule new flights to or from the U.S. This is a big deal, as nearly 30% of all flights that take people from the U.S. to Mexico and back are operated by Mexican carriers. Regulators say Mexico is falling short of international safety standards. The FAA says it’s going to help its Mexican counterpart improve its safety system and hopefully get back to normal soon.
Read More: FAA, AP, CNBC, Simple Flying, CNN
Netflix Getting into Games?
Netflix appears to be getting into gaming. The tech-news site The Information is reporting that the streaming giant is looking to hire an executive to oversee a game unit. It’s reportedly considering a bundle of games, similar to Apple Arcade. That’s a system of mobile games on Apple devices that subscribers can play without having to sit through ads. There aren’t a lot of details at this point, and Netflix has yet to publicly announce anything. However, in a statement to multiple outlets, a Netflix spokesperson said the company is “excited to do more with interactive entertainment.”
Read More: The Information, The Verge, Axios, Reuters
Work Wednesday: Navigating Hybrid Work
More companies are transitioning into hybrid workplace models. This means their employees are going to be dividing their time between working from home and working in the office or companies will have some remote employees and some in-office workers. The employment law firm Littler Mendelson surveyed 1,160 executives about this. Four percent said they thought their employees wanted to be back at the office full-time, while most said their workers would prefer a hybrid model instead. Some executives worry about obstacles of this model though, like deciding who comes in and when.
Read More: WSJ, Reuters, Fast Company, Bloomberg