Wednesday, July 20th, 2022
Russia’s Playbook, Lawmakers Arrested & Harry Styles Course
All the news you need 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 reading about the latest happenings…
New US Intelligence on Russia’s Plans
The U.S. says it has new intelligence that Russia is looking to take over a lot more territory in Ukraine. A top White House national security official says Russia has an “annexation playbook” and that the Russians have already started taking action. For example, in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, Russia has taken control of broadcasting towers and set up its own security forces. It’s also started issuing people Russian passports, and there are plans to establish the ruble as the default currency. The U.S. thinks Russia will keep taking steps like this over the next few months in several Ukrainian regions.
Read More: WaPo, CBS News, BBC, Axios, Fox News
Putin’s Iran Visit
Russian President Putin is visiting Iran this week. During that trip, Iran’s supreme leader backed up Russia’s rationale for the war, saying if Russia hadn’t invaded Ukraine that NATO would have continued to advance into Russian territory. Putin also met with Turkey’s president. They spoke about a deal to release a huge supply of grain that’s been backed up in Ukraine, blocked by Russian warships. This could potentially help bring down food prices and alleviate world hunger. Leaders say they made some progress in talks, and a deal could be signed this week.
Read More: Reuters, CNN, Fox News, AP, NY Times
Vote on Marriage Equality Bill
The U.S. House passed a bill meant to protect same-sex and interracial marriages under federal law. All 220 Democrats and 47 Republicans voted “yes”. 157 other Republicans voted “no”. Like abortion rights, interracial marriage and same-sex marriage were established through Supreme Court rulings, not Congress. Because of that, many lawmakers want to codify those precedents into federal law. Members who voted against the bill called it unnecessary. Now, the measure faces an uncertain future in the more evenly divided Senate.
Read More: AP, WSJ, NY Times, Axios
17 Congress Members Arrested at Protest
This week, a protest over the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade got heated. Dozens of people who were staging a sit-in were arrested, including 17 House Democrats. Capitol police say they were blocking traffic in front of the Supreme Court and ignored police warnings. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says she got a ticket and will have to pay a $50 fine.
Read More: USCP, USA Today, The Hill, NBC News, Fox News
GA Fake Electors May Face Charges
More than a dozen Republicans could soon face criminal charges for trying to interfere in the presidential election. Court filings came out this week in Georgia, giving us some insight into an expanding investigation in the state. This goes back to 2020 when President Biden won Georgia and all 16 of its electoral votes. With that, 16 Democratic electors were certified in the state. However, 16 Republican electors also signed a certificate, saying then-President Trump was the winner in Georgia. For that, they could face charges. Former President Trump and his allies are also part of the state’s investigation.
Read More: AJC, NY Times, AP, WaPo, Reuters
US Army Cuts
The U.S. Army is scaling back its expectations. Army officials say the service will fall about 10,000 soldiers short of what they planned for this fiscal year and nearly 30,000 short next year. A top Army general says if the shortfalls continue, it could have an impact on the force’s readiness. This week, he told lawmakers there are a few things to blame, but it’s mostly the competitive labor market. The Army’s recruiting problems seem to be the most severe across the U.S. military, but other branches have also said they’re having a hard time finding enough qualified people who want to enlist.
Read More: Axios, AP, CNN, NBC News
UK Breaks Highest Temp Record
The U.K. experienced its hottest day in recorded history. Temperatures in six locations reached 104 degrees or hotter. Usually, the region is temperate, and it’s not common to have air conditioning. The chief scientist of the U.K.’s weather agency said these types of conditions would be “virtually impossible” without human-driven climate change. He said to expect extreme heat every few years if serious changes aren’t made. The unprecedented hot weather has been blamed for hundreds of deaths and triggered wildfires.
Read More: BBC, WaPo, AP, USA Today, Fox News, CNN
US Disrupts Hospital Cyberattacks
American law enforcement authorities say they disputed a hacking group’s plans to target U.S. hospitals, and the group is backed by the North Korean government. U.S. officials say they were able to recover about half a million dollars in ransom payments and cryptocurrency and give it back to the victims already affected. Remember, ransomware is the type of attack in which hackers lock up the victims’ data and demand payments to unlock it. The FBI director says hackers have shifted from random cyber criminals to hostile foreign governments, and they’re taking aggressive action to stop them.
Read More: DOJ, WSJ, AP, The Hill, CNN
Apple Settles Keyboard Lawsuit
Apple has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over the so-called butterfly keyboard. Individual payouts could range from $50 for people who replaced just keycaps to nearly $400 for people who replaced multiple keyboards. If the court gives the green light for this settlement, notices will go out to affected customers. Eligible laptops include MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros sold between 2015 and 2019. The problematic keyboards were called butterfly keyboards because of how certain parts were shaped. However, the design allowed dust or other debris to get caught and cause issues.
Read More: CNBC, Reuters, WSJ, The Verge, Settlement Docs
Google Publicly Tests AR Glasses
Google plans to test a new type of smart glasses in public starting next month. The augmented reality glasses could show translations of different languages in real-time or help with navigation. Google says it hopes to learn more about how the devices could help people in their everyday lives. For now, there will be a small number of prototypes in the United States, and testers will have to go through training. The prototypes will have in-lens displays, microphones, and cameras. However, Google says they will also have limits. For example, they won’t be able to record videos yet.
Read More: Google, CNET, The Verge, Engadget, Forbes
College Class on Harry Styles
Fans of Harry Styles can now get college credit for learning about their favorite pop star. Texas State University is planning to offer a first-of-its-kind course called Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity. The class professor says students will study the music and films of Harry Styles and read novels from some of his favorite authors. They will also learn more about things Styles is passionate about, like fashion, fan culture, and activism. Registration for the Harry Styles class begins this fall.
Read More: Twitter, Houston Chronicle, NY Post, Billboard, People
Work Wednesday: Millions Regret Quitting
20 million Americans have quit their jobs in the first five months of this year. However, a new survey from the job search platform Joblist says more than a quarter of those people wish they hadn’t quit. 42% of those who found a new job after quitting say the new job hasn’t lived up to their expectations. Also, about half of the people still looking for work realized it wasn’t as simple as they thought, and they think the labor market is going to be less friendly over the next six months. Others realized they missed their co-workers.
Read More: Joblist, Bloomberg, Fortune, Business Insider