Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022
‘Numbers Don’t Lie’, New Nicotine Limits? & NFL Star’s Farewell
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Rothys.com/newsworthy and Zocdoc.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…
4th Jan. 6th Hearing Recap
This week, some Republican officials who worked in battleground states during the 2020 election testified under oath that former President Trump wanted them to break the law to stay in power. In the January 6th committee’s fourth public hearing, those officials said Trump pressured them to change the results of the election, even though several courts and election authorities found there was no voter fraud. The hearing also focused on allegations that the Trump campaign tried to have Republican officials send fake, pro-Trump electors to Congress. Former President Trump still says he did nothing illegal.
Read More: AP, WSJ, The Hill, NY Times, WaPo, LA Times
Gun Violence Bill Released
A bipartisan group of Senators that’s been working on a way to curb gun violence has released the full text of a bill. Last night, that bill survived the first vote required to advance it to the full Senate for debate. As promised, it includes enhanced background checks for gun buyers under 21, incentives for states to implement red flag laws, and funding for mental health and school safety. Top U.S. Senators from both parties say they support the bill as written. However, gun rights activists have already come out against it. The NRA says it could infringe upon the rights of Americans. Senators plan to vote on the bill by the end of this week.
Read More: NPR, Fox News, ABC News, Reuters, Sen. Murphy, NRA
Texas DPS Head Testifies on Uvalde Shooting
Some law enforcement officers in Uvalde, Texas are facing more scrutiny over what happened during a mass shooting at an elementary school last month. The chief of the Texas Department of Public Safety testified in front of a state Senate committee about the response. He told lawmakers there was nothing stopping police from going into a classroom where the gunman was shooting, but they waited. He explained that those officers were on the scene within three minutes of the shooting, but police waited an hour and 14 minutes to go in, even though they were hearing gunshots. 19 fourth-graders and two teachers died that day.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, Axios, AP, Texas DPS
Bill Cosby Civil Trial Verdict
Once again, a jury found Bill Cosby responsible for sexual assault. This is the first time a civil case against the comedian has reached trial. After two weeks of testimony and arguments from both sides, the jury ruled in favor of a woman who says Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1975 when she was 16, and he was 37. The jury awarded her $500,000 for emotional distress. However, Cosby says the allegations against him are not true, and his spokesman says Cosby’s legal team plans to appeal.
Read More: Reuters, AP, Fox News, NBC News
Forest Service Caused NM’s Largest Wildfire
It turns out the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history was set by government workers who made critical mistakes. The U.S. Forest Service explained it in a new report. It says employees created prescribed burns to prevent wildfires. However, it says those employees underestimated the amount of timber and vegetation ready to fuel the flames, the exceptionally dry conditions, and how they didn’t have enough resources to get fires under control if things went awry. Things quickly got out of hand, and hundreds of homes have been destroyed.
Read More: CBS News, AP, NY Times, WaPo, USDA
Cigarette Nicotine Cuts Proposal
Government health officials want to get rid of nearly all nicotine in cigarettes. The Biden administration says it plans to develop a rule that would require tobacco companies to lower the nicotine levels to what’s considered minimally or non-addictive. Even though nicotine isn’t what causes cancer or other health issues, the FDA says it’s what hooks people and keeps them smoking, while cigarette smoke does the damage. One study found nicotine limits could get an extra 13 million adults to quit smoking within five years. However, critics worry a new rule could lead to a surge in black-market cigarettes and hurt both retailers and tobacco growers.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, NY Post, WSJ, Reginfo.gov, NEJM
Kellogg Splits into Three
Food company Kellogg is breaking up. It plans to split into three separate, independent public companies. One will be for its cereals like the iconic brands Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops. A separate company will be the snacks like Pringles and Cheez-its. A third will be for plant-based food, mostly the Morningstar Farms brand. New names for each company are TBD, but Kellogg says the goal is to create “greater strategic, operational, and financial focus” for each of them. The company plans to finalize the split by the end of 2023.
Read More: ABC News, Reuters, WSJ, CNBC, Kellogg
Rob Gronkowski Retires
Four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski is retiring again. He played for the New England Patriots from 2010 to 2018, retired because of injuries, then came back in 2020 to play two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gronkowski’s agent told ESPN he wouldn’t be surprised if quarterback Tom Brady could convince Gronk to come out of retirement for the second time. However, for now, he says he’s back to “chilling out.” Gronkowski said he gave everything he had, good or bad, every time he stepped out on the field, and he appreciates every one of his teammates and coaches.
Read More: ESPN, CNN, Fox News, CBS Sports, NFL, Buccaneers, Twitter
Glastonbury Festival Begins
One of the largest and most famous music festivals in the world kicks off today in England. The Glastonbury festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary two years later than originally planned since the pandemic forced organizers to cancel twice. It will include more than 3,000 performers and 200,000 fans. 20-year-old Billie Eilish will become the youngest-ever solo headliner. Then, Paul McCartney will close out the show as the oldest-ever solo headliner. The music icon just turned 80 years old. Other big-name performers include Kendrick Lamar, Diana Ross, Olivia Rodrigo, Kacey Musgraves, and Megan Thee Stallion. Glastonbury runs through Sunday.
Read More: BBC, Sky News, The Guardian, Glastonbury Fest
Work Wednesday: Construction Labor Shortage
Money from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package is starting to kick in, but there is a problem. It’s tough to start on a bunch of new construction projects when there is a labor shortage. So companies are getting creative. Contractors from the south are advertising in the northeast and midwest, promising year-round work in sunny weather. Project managers in rural areas are trying to lure people from out of town with signing and referral bonuses and per diems for housing. Some officials are also looking to partnerships between private companies and community colleges and high schools as a way to develop skilled workers.
Read More: WSJ, NBC News, AP