Tuesday, June 7th, 2022
Primary Elections, Vaccines Wasted & iPhone Updates
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code) and Pampers.com
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 to read the latest happenings...
Primaries in 7 More States
The midterm primary season enters a new phase this week, with voters in seven more states headed to the polls. It’s election day in California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. On the House side, there are 77 congressional districts at stake today. The Cook Political Report says about 19 of them are expected to be competitive. However, political analysts say others look more predictable. There are also plenty of governors and mayors up for re-election along with several other state and local politicians and ballot measures to consider.
Read More: CBS News, AP (1), AP (2), NBC News
Boris Johnson No-Confidence Vote
The British prime minister clung to his job this week by surviving a vote forced by members of his party. They’ve been upset because Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended several parties during the UK’s strict Covid-19 lockdown. Johnson’s fellow conservative lawmakers held a no-confidence vote, and Johnson won 211-148. That means he won’t be challenged for at least a year. Still, several politicians and pundits are predicting Johnson’s political demise. That’s because when previous conservative prime ministers faced no-confidence votes, they didn’t keep their jobs for long after, even when they won.
Read More: BBC, AP, Fox News, Axios, Politico
Proud Boys Charged with Sedition
Members of a far-right group are facing some of the most serious charges yet in connection with the Capitol riot. The former leader of the Proud Boys and four other onetime Proud Boys members were indicted on seditious conspiracy charges. The indictment says they “directed, mobilized, and led” a mob into the Capitol building, destroying property and assaulting law enforcement officers. If they’re found guilty, they could each face up to 20 years in prison. However, a lawyer for the ex-leader of the Proud Boys says he’s ready to fight and that his client “looks forward to being vindicated of these allegations.”
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, WSJ, NPR, DOJ
Biden Solar Production Boost
President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to increase the manufacturing of U.S. solar panels and other clean energy technology. On top of that, the president is allowing solar parts from Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia to be imported duty-free for two years. That means they’ll be able to get around a Commerce Department investigation. The department has been scrutinizing imports of solar panels from southeast Asian countries over concerns that Chinese manufacturers have been improperly funneling parts through their neighbors as a way to avoid tariffs. That investigation could have meant retroactive tariffs up to 240%.
Read More: NPR, AP, WSJ, WaPo, White House
Musk Threatens to Abandon Twitter Deal
Elon Musk formally threatened to back out of the deal to buy Twitter. His lawyers sent a letter to the social media company and regulators at the SEC, telling them he has a right to terminate the agreement. Musk has been tweeting about the deal being “on hold” for a while. However, this is the first time there’s been a formal, legal suggestion that the $44 billion offer might not be set in stone. Musk wants Twitter to give him more information about the number of spam bots and fake accounts on the platform. Twitter says fewer than 5% of its daily active users are spam, but Musk thinks it’s more like 20% or higher.
Read More: WSJ, Axios, AP, NY Times, SEC
Cancer Drug 100% Effective in Trial
Every cancer patient who took part in a recent drug trial saw their cancer vanish. They received an immunotherapy drug called Jemperli, and it proved to be 100% effective. However, it was a small study that mentions only 12 rectal cancer patients. All of them had not had chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery yet. Now, after six months or more of follow-ups, it looks like none of them will need to. They continue to show no signs of cancer. Now, more research is needed.
Read More: Stat, NY Times, Axios, NEJM
US Threw Away 82M Covid Shots
A new report found a big chunk of Covid-19 vaccines were wasted. NBC News looked at CDC data and reported that 82 million vaccines ended up in the trash between December 2020 and mid-May of this year. The report says two retail pharmacy chains, CVS and Walmart, were responsible for more than a quarter of the doses tossed. CVS says it chose to prioritize offering shots to anyone who wanted them, even if that meant opening a multi-dose vial for a single person. If the other doses couldn’t be used within hours, they expired and had to be tossed. Other reasons for the waste include power outages, broken freezers, and falling demand.
Read More: NBC News, Axios, Fox News, The Hill
World’s Biggest 4-Day Work Week Pilot
More than 70 companies and their more than 3,000 workers are experimenting with a four-day workweek. The pilot program started in the UK this week. It means cutting workers’ hours from 40 to 32 without cutting their pay. The employees are being asked to keep the same productivity level. A New Zealand-based nonprofit called 4 Day Workweek Global is leading the trial. The organization told Fox Business it thinks it will show an increase in employee wellbeing without a decrease in productivity, as similar trials have shown in the past. The study will last for six months.
Read More: Fox Business, CNN, Axios, NY Times
Apple WWDC Announcements
Apple made some big announcements on the first day of its developer conference. First, it unveiled iOS 16, the next software update for the iPhone. Changes are coming with it, like the ability to edit or un-send iMessages. You will be able to customize the look of your lock screen, add new widgets, and more. You’ll also have a new option for Apple Pay, giving you the ability to buy now and pay later. Apple also announced more new features for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple unveiled new hardware, too, like a thinner, lighter, faster Macbook Air.
Read More: The Verge, CNET, CNN, USA Today, WSJ, Apple
Trivia Tuesday
What are the names of Cinderella’s stepsisters?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: Area 51 is located in which U.S. state?
A: Nevada
Read More: Vox, Space.Com, CBS News, Travel Nevada