Wednesday, August 4th, 2021
Calls for Cuomo’s Ouster, Renter Relief & NCAA Gender Gap
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by HelloFresh.com/NEWSWORTHY14 and BetterHelp.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…
Cuomo Investigation Findings
The New York attorney general released a new report that found Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women, including state employees. The report says he touched, grabbed, and made inappropriate comments toward them. It also says Cuomo retaliated against at least one of the women who made her complaints public. As of this morning, he’s not facing any criminal charges. However, it could impact his political future. Many Democrats are now calling on Cuomo to resign, including President Biden. Cuomo says he has no intention of stepping down. He says he never touched anyone inappropriately and that his flirtatious behavior must have been misconstrued.
Read More: NY Times, AP, Fox News, Reuters, Politico
Pentagon Officer Stabbed
The U.S. Pentagon was the site of deadly violence this week. A Pentagon police officer was stabbed, and the suspect was shot by law enforcement just outside the headquarters of the U.S. military. They both died. It’s not clear exactly what led up to this, but several news outlets say some kind of violence broke out at the Pentagon transit station. The Pentagon was under lockdown for about 90 minutes. Now, the FBI is investigating what might have motivated the suspect. Flags at the Pentagon are being flown at half-staff in honor of the officer.
Read More: Politico, Fox News, CNBC, WSJ, DOD
Officers to Receive Congressional Gold Medal
Congress is honoring members of the Capitol police and Washington D.C. police forces. They will get congressional gold medals for their efforts to protect the Capitol from the riots on January 6th. That’s the highest honor a civilian can get. Both the House and Senate passed a bill to make that happen, and President Biden says he will sign it. After that, the Treasury Department will make four gold medals: one for Capitol Police headquarters, one for DC’s Metropolitan Police Department, one to be put on display at the Capitol, and a fourth for the Smithsonian.
Read More: WaPo, Axios, USA Today, Congress.Gov
2 DC Officers Die By Suicide
This week, it came out that two more police officers who responded to the January 6th Capitol attack have killed themselves. That brings the known number of suicides by responding officers to four. Police officials say it’s impossible to know if the officer’s deaths are linked to the events of January 6th, but officers have raised concerns before about the physical and emotional trauma it caused. Now, senior police officials say they’re working to support the well-being of those officers.
Read More: WSJ, CNN, The Hill
New Targeted Evictions Ban
The Biden administration announced a new evictions ban just days after the last one expired. This one includes people who live in areas with high levels of COVID-19, which is about 90% of the U.S. population. The CDC says evicting people from their homes when the coronavirus is spreading so much could hurt efforts to slow the pandemic. This new ban will be in effect for the next two months. However, it’s likely to face legal scrutiny since Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has said another eviction ban should get approval from Congress.
Read More: Axios, USA Today, CNN, NPR, AP
More FL Covid Records
Florida seems to be the country’s latest COVID-19 hotspot. COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state hit a record high for the third day in a row. The Florida Hospital Association says the number of hospitalizations has gone from about 2,000 to almost 12,000 in just the last month. A lot of the patients are skewing younger, and about 90% of them are unvaccinated. Florida’s governor says the state will not shut down again because of this rise, and he won’t impose a mask mandate, but he said people there should get vaccinated to protect themselves.
Read More: Miami Herald, The Hill, WSJ, BBC
New NYC Vaccine Requirements
Vaccines are not only encouraged, but they’re about to be required to do a lot of things in New York City. Starting August 16th, people there will have to show proof they’ve been vaccinated to get into restaurants, gyms, and indoor events. New York is the first American city to take this step. The city’s mayor says it’s meant to encourage more people to get their shots, especially now when case counts are rising. As of this morning, about 60% of New Yorkers have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot. That’s compared to about 58% nationwide.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, CNN, NY Times
Track and Field Medals
We’re seeing more history made at the Olympics. American college student Athing Mu won gold in the women’s 800-meter race. Mu is only the second American woman to win this race at the Olympics. Later in the day, American Sydney McLaughlin shattered her own world record and won gold in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. She finished in about 51.5 seconds. Over on the “field” side of the track, American long jumper Brittney Reese won the silver medal. Team USA athletes also won medals in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, the men’s pole vault, and the women’s 200-meter race.
Read More: Yahoo Sports, NY Times, The Guardian, NPR, Olympics
Simone Biles Wins Bronze on Beam
Simone Biles made her comeback on the balance beam. Biles says she still was battling “the twisties” during her routine. That’s when gymnasts get disoriented in the air and struggle to land safely. Because of that, she didn’t do any twists. She did mostly flips instead and walked away with a bronze medal. This gives Biles seven Olympic medals throughout her career, which ties the record for most medals won by an American gymnast.
Read More: LA Times, NBC News, SI
NCAA Gender Equity
For years, the NCAA has been undervaluing women’s basketball and prioritizing the men. That’s according to a new report from a law firm the NCAA hired to investigate gender equality issues. This investigation started after one women’s basketball player posted a video on social media showing a single weight rack at the women’s tournament compared to a sprawling equipment setup at the men’s event. The law firm is recommending the NCAA should hold the men’s and women’s final four games at the same location and should also re-negotiate its media contracts to more fairly reward women’s programs based on their actual value.
Read More: AP, The Athletic, WSJ, WaPo, Full Report
Clorox Sales Dip
It seems Americans are not quite as worried about stocking up on cleaning supplies these days. Clorox reported a 17% drop in sales between April and June. The company is best known for selling things like bleach, disinfecting wipes, and other surface cleaners. They had a boom last year when COVID-19 first became a pandemic, but now the extra demand just isn’t there. The company expects sales numbers to drop even further over the next several months. Following this news, Clorox’s stock value closed nearly 10% lower on wall street yesterday.
Read More: Business Insider, MarketWatch, The Motley Fool, Fox Business
Google Maps New Features
Google Maps is rolling out new features for iPhone users. One of those updates is live location sharing that people can access within iMessage. With this feature, you could text someone your exact location and ETA by simply tapping on the Google Maps icon in iMessage. Google Maps is also adding a dark mode for iPhones. Plus, Google has developed a new traffic widget that users can add to their home screens. Google says all these new features will be available on iPhones by the end of the month.
Read More: TechCrunch, Google, MacRumors
Work Wednesday: More Employers Require Vaccines
COVID-19 vaccines are becoming mandatory at more American companies. Major businesses, many hospitals, nursing home chains, major universities, and entertainment venues have introduced vaccine mandates. There’s some inconsistency when it comes to white-collar versus hourly workers though. For example, Amazon, Walmart, Lyft, and Uber say their corporate employees need to get their shots, but hourly workers in their stores and warehouses who are often most at risk of getting the virus are only encouraged to get the shots. Researchers say some business owners fear hourly workers would quit rather than be forced to get the vaccine. Some major companies are choosing to enforce mask-wearing instead of vaccine mandates.
Read More: AP, Time, CNN, WaPo, NY Times