Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

 ‘Detached from Reality’, Weather Warnings & ‘Prime Air’ Plans

All the news in about 10 min:

This episode is brought to you by Zocdoc.com/newsworthy and Rothys.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 to read the latest happenings...

2nd Jan 6th Hearing Recap
Lawmakers on the January 6th committee held their second public hearing. Americans heard from more of former President Trump’s closest advisers who said Trump was told over and over again that he had not won, but the former president kept claiming victory. Former Attorney General Bill Barr told lawmakers he investigated the possibility of voter fraud but never found any evidence of it. He said Trump seemed to have no interest in the facts. Former President Trump put out another statement yesterday, saying once again that the election was stolen from him. He also said Democrats are only holding the hearings to distract from current issues.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, NPR, Reuters, WaPo, Fox News

Four More States Primaries
Four more states are holding primaries today: Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Maine. Once again, former President Trump could have a lot of influence. In a Nevada Senate race, the state’s Republican attorney general is leading in the polls. Adam Laxalt has been endorsed by Trump and is known for backing him after the 2020 election. In South Carolina, two Republican members of Congress are facing competitive races after they were critical of former President Trump’s role on January 6th. Now, they both face Trump-endorsed opponents.
Read More: AP, ABC News, CBS News, Newsweek

S&P 500 Falls to Bear Market
Things have been especially rough on Wall Street this week. The S&P 500 slumped nearly 4% yesterday, entering a bear market for the first time since 2020. That means stocks have fallen at least 20% from their peaks. The S&P 500 tracks the 500 stocks of mostly the largest American companies, so it’s considered one of the leading economic indicators of the U.S. economy. The Nasdaq also closed down by nearly 5% yesterday, and the Dow Jones was down nearly 3%. Analysts say inflation is behind the big sell-off. Many believe the Fed could raise interest rates by more than expected when it meets this week.
Read More: WSJ, NPR, Fox Business, NY Times

Record Heatwave Expanding
The extreme heatwave that impacted a lot of the southwest and the central U.S. over the weekend is moving east. Today, more than 100 million Americans are under some kind of heat alert from Nebraska to West Virginia, north into Wisconsin, and south into Mississippi. The National Weather Service says many areas should expect “well above normal to record-breaking temperatures” through the middle of this week. For places like Chicago, Illinois, Des Moines, Iowa, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, that means high temperatures in the triple-digits.
Read More: Reuters, NBC News, WaPo, Axios, NWS

Western Wildfires
It’s still brutally hot in the southwestern U.S., as crews from parts of California to New Mexico are battling more than 30 wildfires. About 2,500 homes had to be evacuated because of wildfires in northern Arizona. Hundreds of people in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California also had to evacuate because of a growing wildfire. The weather conditions are expected to be a little better today, though. The temperatures should be cooler, and the winds shouldn’t be as strong. So, fire crews can hopefully get a better handle on the fires.
Read More: AP, CNN, NY Times, Reuters

Yellowstone Flooding
People who live in the Rocky Mountain West are dealing with a different weather threat: flooding. Flood watches and warnings are in effect for parts of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Rangers closed all entrances to Yellowstone National Park because of flooding, rockslides, and “extremely hazardous conditions.” Visitors were evacuated from the iconic park at the height of the summer tourist season. Today, there’s more rain in the forecast for the Yellowstone area before it dries out tomorrow.
Read More: NBC News, ABC News, AP, CNN, NPS

FDA Approves Alopecia Drug
The FDA has approved a drug that’s the first-ever treatment for a severe type of hair loss. It treats an autoimmune disorder called alopecia areata. The condition can cause someone to go from having a few bald spots to having no hair on their bodies within a matter of months or weeks. The newly-approved drug is a once-a-day pill made by drugmaker Eli Lilly. It was tested in two trials. After a year, nearly half of the patients had all of their hair back. FDA approval is important for insurance companies to cover the cost of the drug.
Read More: Stat, Axios, NY Times, Business Insider, FDA

Hollywood Gun Safety
You may start to notice more gun safety measures on TV shows and movies. About 200 leading producers, directors, and writers are promising to incorporate firearm safety best practices into their scripts and storytelling. This may look like characters using their guns safely or limiting the number of scenes that include children and guns. Shonda Rhimes, Judd Apatow, Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Schumer, and more signed the open letter. It was put together by a nonprofit working against gun violence. It points to ways Hollywood has impacted cultural attitudes about other things like smoking and seatbelts.
Read More: NPR, Forbes, Variety, NY Post, Brady Campaign

Amazon Drone Delivery
Amazon has been promising some sort of drone delivery system for over a decade, but it’s faced a long process and some setbacks. Now, it seems the company is ready to get the project off the ground. Amazon says the town of Lockeford, California will be the first to get some shipments via drone later this year if the FAA gives the green light. Assuming regulators go for it, customers will be able to order a package and have a drone deliver up to five pounds of cargo to their backyards. Thousands of items will be eligible for the service called Prime Air.
Read More: The Verge, The Hill, TechCrunch, Politico, Axios

Strawberry Supermoon Peak
You might want to find some time to look up into the sky tonight. The moon will appear unusually full and bright. It’s nicknamed the strawberry supermoon. The Farmer’s Almanac says Native American groups came up with the name because the supermoon coincides with the time of year strawberries are ready to be picked. It will be closest to Earth at around 7:25 this evening in the eastern time zone. However, astrophysicists say you’ll get the best view during moonrise and moonset wherever you live. It could be about 7% larger and 15% brighter than a regular full moon.
Read More: USA Today, CNN, WaPo, NPR, NASA

Trivia Tuesday
How many stripes are on the American flag?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.

Last Week’s Trivia
Q: What are the names of Cinderella’s stepsisters?
A: Anastasia and Drizella
Read More: Disney Parks, Refinery 29, Time, NPR

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