Thursday, July 15th, 2021
‘Fundamental’ FBI Errors, Medical Milestone & Cash for Kids
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Ritual.com/newsworthy and Policygenius.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 peruse the latest happenings...
Democrats Budget Proposal
Congressional Democrats are pushing a new budget that tackles things like climate change, education, healthcare, income inequality, and more. It might be tough to get enough lawmakers on board with this package since it’s a pretty big one worth $3.5 trillion. To pay for it all, Democrats want to raise corporate and international taxes and are talking about raising taxes on the richest Americans. Republicans are overwhelmingly against it, saying such a large package could make inflation worse and that raising corporate taxes could hurt the economy. The Senate wants to vote on this proposal before the August recess.
Read More: Politico, Axios, WSJ, NY Times
Federal Report on Nassar Case
A government watchdog is now criticizing the FBI for how it handled sexual abuse allegations in the USA gymnastics program. The Justice Department’s inspector general says the FBI made ‘fundamental errors’ investigating Larry Nassar. Nassar is serving what amounts to life in prison for sexually abusing hundreds of women and girls. The new report says the FBI didn’t treat the case with enough seriousness and that USA gymnastics reported allegations to the FBI more than a year before finally taking action. Now the FBI says “this should not have happened.” It called the actions of its employees “inexcusable,” and that they won’t happen again.
Read More: NY Times, AP, WaPo, Politico
Overdose Deaths Hit Record
The CDC says drug overdose deaths rose nearly 30% in 2020 to a record 93,000. Officials say it was driven by overdoses of the dangerously powerful opioid fentanyl. It was developed to treat intense pain, but is now often sold on the streets and is mixed with other drugs. Deaths from methamphetamine and cocaine overdoses also rose. Some think it’s possible the rise in deaths was from people who were already struggling with addiction, and the pandemic made things worse. Many state and local governments are trying to address the problem with treatment and prevention programs.
Read More: NPR, AP, WSJ, Axios, CDC
Brain Implant Helps Paralyzed Man Speak
Scientists at UC San Francisco developed a brain implant that can translate thoughts into written words. The researchers have been working with a patient who lost the ability to speak when he had a stroke more than 15 years ago. In each trial, they attach electrodes to the man’s brain and connect them to a computer. When the patient tries to speak, the electrodes fire off a signal. If the computer recognizes what he’s trying to say, the words show up on the screen. The technology still has a long way to go, but researchers are hopeful, saying this type of technology could one day dramatically improve the lives of patients with severe brain injuries or other conditions.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, NEJM
Passport Backlog
If you need to renew your passport, you’ll have to get in a very long line. The State Department says there’s a severe backlog right now. There are up to two million passport applications waiting to be processed because more Americans are looking to travel overseas and people didn’t get renewals last year. The typical waiting period for a passport used to be about six weeks, but right now, people may have to wait more than four months for a new passport. Officials say they’re hiring extra staff members to help clear the backlog.
Read More: WSJ, ABC News, State Department
Britney Spears Can Choose Her Lawyer
Britney Spears scored a win in her conservatorship case yesterday. The judge allowed the pop star to hire her own lawyer. Until now, she’s been represented by a court-appointed attorney. Spears’ new lawyer is former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart. He immediately demanded her father, Jamie Spears, resign as her conservator. Jamie Spears’ lawyer says he has no intention of stepping down. In court yesterday, Britney said she wants to charge her father with “conservatorship abuse.” She also asked the judge to end the conservatorship altogether.
Read More: NBC News, NY Times, AP, Variety, ET
Facebook Pledges $1B in Payments to Creators
Facebook plans to give out a billion dollars to entice social media influencers to create content specifically for Facebook and Instagram. Social media stars will earn money through ad revenue and bonuses over the next year and a half. Facebook will also reportedly offer start-up funding to help influencers launch new accounts on the sites. Facebook hasn’t said how many creators it plans to pay or how much each would get. TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube also have strategies aimed at helping influencers earn money from the platforms.
Read More: TechCrunch, THR, Forbes, Mark Zuckerberg
Team USA Sets New Record for Women Athletes
We’re just eight days away from the start of the Olympics, and Team USA is setting records before the competition even starts. There are more women on this Olympic team than ever before with a total of 338. No other country has ever sent that many women athletes to the Olympics before. Women make up 54% of Team USA, which includes 627 athletes in total headed to Tokyo. It’s the second-largest roster in team USA’s history. The Olympics kick off next Friday.
Read More: NBC Sports, USA Today, Team USA
Athletes Will Put Medals on Themselves
When the medals start getting handed out at this year’s Olympics, the ceremonies will look different from years past. Typically, winning athletes lean forward, and an official places the medal around their neck. However, in Tokyo, athletes will put the medals on themselves. This is one of many measures in place to guard against spreading COVID-19. There also won’t be any handshakes or hugs allowed during medal ceremonies.
Read More: AP, NPR, CBS Sports
Thing to Know Thursday: New Child Tax Credit
More than 36 million American families will start seeing extra money in their bank accounts today. The IRS is sending out the first round of payments that are part of the expanded child tax credit. The average family will get about $3,000 total for each child. People with higher incomes will get smaller payments. The extra money will come every month until the end of this year, either through a direct deposit or a check in the mail. Bipartisan experts predict the payments could cut child poverty in half, however, some critics have said not everyone who’s getting these payments needs them, so some of the money is going to waste.
Read More: NY Times, Indianapolis Star, CNN, Fox Business, IRS