Tuesday, June 28th, 2022
Unexpected Evidence, “Inflation Relief” Payments & Drake Ties Beatles
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.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...
Next Jan 6th Committee Hearing
The lawmakers investigating the January 6th Capitol attack called for a last-minute, urgent hearing today because of “recently obtained evidence”. However, the panel hasn’t given any other details, like what evidence they plan to present or who might testify. Already, the committee has held five hearings this month, laying out the findings of its nearly yearlong investigation. It wasn’t scheduled to hold any more hearings until next month, so the fact that today’s was so sudden and secretive has stirred up a lot of interest on Capitol Hill. It starts at 1 p.m. ET.
Read More: Jan. 6th Cmte, NY Times, CBS News, Politico, NPR
Abortion Rights Activists Sue States
Abortion rights advocates are now suing individual states that have moved to ban most abortions in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court decision. Even though the high court ruling gave the states the power to regulate abortions, advocates say banning the procedure might violate certain state constitutions, that the laws go against state court precedent, and that they’re overly vague. That’s why Utah and Louisiana are being sued. Yesterday, judges in those two states decided the abortion bans cannot be enforced while those lawsuits get sorted out in the courts. Many of the states’ leaders are promising to fight the suits.
Read More: NBC News, AP, Fox News, Reuters, Axios
SCOTUS Praying Coach Ruling
The Supreme Court ruled that a public high school football coach from Washington had the right to pray with students, something the school district tried to stop him from doing. The school district told judges that parents complained their children on the team felt compelled to participate in prayer, so the district felt that, as a public employee, the coach was violating the separation of church and state. However, in a 6-3 ruling, most justices sided with the coach, saying the school shouldn’t be censoring or suppressing his views since he has religious freedom and free speech rights.
Read More: SCOTUS, Politico, CBS News, Fox News, Axios
NATO Puts Troops on Alert
The world’s largest defense alliance is meeting this week in Spain. NATO’s 2022 summit is underway. As you might expect, the top item on the agenda is the war in Ukraine. Already, NATO announced it’s expanding the number of troops it keeps at the ready. Instead of 40,000, there will now be 300,000 who will be able to quickly react to emergencies. NATO’s secretary-general made it clear that’s in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This week, leaders are also going to talk about securing NATO’s eastern boundary, funding a new assistance package for Ukraine, and coming up with a strategy for the years ahead.
Read More: NATO, WaPo, Axios, Bloomberg, CNBC
Russian Missiles Hit Ukrainian Mall
Russia is showing no signs of backing down in the war. Yesterday, a Russian missile hit a crowded shopping mall in central Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky said there were more than 1,000 people inside who didn’t pose any kind of military threat. Most people were able to get out, but at least 16 people died, and about 60 more were hurt. Yesterday also saw deadly attacks in other Ukrainian cities in the north and east.
Read More: Reuters, NPR, WSJ, NBC News
Amtrak Train Derails in Missouri
At least three people died, and dozens more were hurt when an Amtrak train went off the tracks yesterday. The passenger train was on the way to Chicago from Los Angeles when it crashed into a dump truck that was blocking a crossing in Missouri. That crash derailed eight train cars and two locomotives. Passengers had to crawl out of the windows. Others had to be life-flighted to local hospitals. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Railroad Administration have teams on the way to investigate.
Read More: Amtrak, LA Times, CNN, WaPo, AP
Migrants Killed in Texas Big Rig
Authorities are investigating a tragedy that appears to be the deadliest migrant-smuggling operation in memory. A tractor-trailer was found near an Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas, and local officials say 46 bodies were inside. Another 16 people were found inside and rushed to the hospital. Officials believe they were all migrants trying to get into the U.S. since cross-border smuggling and human trafficking have been problems in the area for a while.
Read More: SAPD, Texas Tribune, WaPo, AP, Reuters
Primaries in CO, IL, NY, OK, and UT
A lot of eyes are on Illinois, Colorado, New York, Oklahoma, and Utah. All five states are holding primary elections, and there are quite a few current members of Congress whose jobs are on the line. In Illinois, two Republicans in the U.S. House are going up against each other, and two Democrats in the U.S. House are facing off because of redistricting. In Colorado, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has some competition from a Republican state senator looking to take her seat. In Oklahoma, Sen. James Lankford is up against an evangelical pastor who has the backing of President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Read More: AP, NBC News, ABC News, WaPo
California Inflation Relief Payments
Inflation relief checks could be coming for 23 million people in California. The state’s governor and lawmakers have come up with a budget deal that will designate $17 billion to help people pay for everything from gas to groceries. The checks are expected to be between $250-$1,050 per household, based on income and household size. No payments will be sent to individuals who make more than $250,000 a year or couples who make more than $500,000 a year. The deal would also help some people with rent and utility bills, and it will pause the state’s diesel sales tax. The agreement still needs to pass the state legislature, but it’s expected to soon.
Read More: Gov. Newsom, SF Chronicle, CBS News, The Hill, KCRA
Ransomware Costs US Schools Billions
A new study found ransomware attacks cost schools and colleges more than an estimated $3.5 billion last year in downtime. That’s not counting the recovery costs of trying to restore computers and update systems to prevent future attacks. It also doesn’t include the ransom if the schools chose to pay it. Cyberattacks can take down key systems, shut down classrooms for days, and prevent teachers from accessing lesson plans and student data. The good news is that the number of attacks on schools, the number of students impacted, and the length and cost of downtime are going down. There have been double-digit percentage declines from 2020.
Read More: Comparitech, CNET, Fast Company
Ride/Bike/Scooter Sharing Growing Faster than Transit
Another new study found services like ride-, scooter-, and bike-sharing are expected to grow twice as fast as traditional mass transit by 2030. Researchers say the trend will transform how people get around cities, and it has the potential to bring benefits to the climate, pollution, and livability of cities. However, that’s only if the shared and digital options are powered by electricity from renewable sources. That said, choosing car-sharing over public transportation could make traffic congestion worse.
Read More: Oliver Wyman Forum, Bloomberg, Axios, FT
Drake’s 11th No. 1 Album
The rapper and singer Drake is making history this week on the Billboard music charts. Right now, his surprise, full-length album “Honestly, Nevermind” is in first place on the Billboard 200 chart. That’s his 11th album to top the ranking, putting him on the same level as artists like Barbra Streisand and Bruce Springsteen. As if that wasn’t enough, his new song “Jimmy Cooks” is on top of Billboard’s Hot 100 tally. That’s his 29th top-five hit. With that, he ties a record set by The Beatles for the most songs ever in the top five.
Read More: Billboard, Forbes, NY Times, Variety
Trivia Tuesday
How many colors are there in a rainbow?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: How long do elephant pregnancies last?
A: 22 months
Read More: BBC, LiveScience, Science, Sea World