Thursday, August 4th, 2022
Bipartisan NATO Vote, Equifax Error & Bye ‘Batgirl’
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Zocdoc.com/newsworthy and Indeed.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 peruse the latest happenings.
Senate Votes to Expand NATO
The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to accept Sweden and Finland into NATO. The Senate vote came down 95-1, and President Biden says he’s ready to give the final sign-off for the United States. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke before the historic vote, saying that by letting in Sweden and Finland, they will “strengthen the most successful military alliance in human history.” Before Finland and Sweden can officially join, all 30 NATO members must approve their applications. 23 countries, including the U.S., have already done so, and more votes are expected soon.
Read More: White House, NY Times, CNN, NY Post, Axios, NBC News
China Military Drills Around Taiwan
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan safely, but the island is still dealing with retaliation from China. Today, the Chinese military started five days of defense drills around Taiwan. Experts say projectiles could fly over Taiwan, which would be seen as a major escalation. China also started to block certain imports from Taiwan to disrupt trade in the wake of Pelosi’s visit. Pelosi said she wanted to show support for Taiwan and its commitment to democracy. However, China worries this means the U.S. is backing away from longstanding agreements over Taiwan’s status or that it could embolden advocates of Taiwan’s independence.
Read More: G7 Statement, BBC, The Guardian, WSJ, NY Times, The Hill
Executive Order on Abortion Travel
President Biden signed another executive order in hopes of helping women get an abortion. However, legal challenges are expected. The order lays out the groundwork for the federal government to help women travel between states for abortion if necessary. It tells the Health and Human Services Department to consider giving states federal funding to treat patients who cross state lines and do more research on the issue. However, current U.S. law says federal funds can’t be used to pay for abortions unless the woman’s life is in danger or if the pregnancy happened because of rape or incest.
Read More: White House, WaPo, AP, Axios, ABC News
Rep. Walorski Died
Republican Congresswoman Jackie Walorski died in a car crash in her home state of Indiana this week. The local sheriff’s office says the SUV she was in got struck head-on, killing multiple people. Authorities are still investigating exactly what went wrong. Meanwhile, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been sharing condolences and tributes to Walorski and her staff. The congresswoman was seeking a sixth term in the U.S. House this year. Now, state Republicans will have to pick another candidate to replace her in the midterms.
Read More: Rep. Walorski, GOP Leader, Politico, WaPo, Fox News, CBS News
Tennessee Primary
Today, Tennessee is holding primary elections. Voters will be deciding who should compete for the state’s seats in the U.S. House this November. One race is going to be especially interesting since congressional districts were redrawn this year. In the past, the Nashville area has been an easy win for Democrats. However, Tennessee state lawmakers split Nashville into three congressional districts, so Republicans could have more of a chance this time. Tennessee voters will also cast votes for their next governor and more.
Read More: Tennessean, WKRN, AP, Roll Call
Gas Prices Still Falling
The pain at the gas pump is getting a little less painful. The newest data shows the average prices are now down to around $4.16 per gallon after reaching a record high of $5 a gallon nationally in the U.S. That’s like keeping an extra $10 in your pocket every time you fill up your gas tank. World leaders are trying to bring the cost down more by upping oil production. Still, it’s not clear how much more of a dip in gas prices we’ll see anytime soon.
Read More: AAA, WSJ, CNN, Miami Herald
Small Production Increase
Earlier in the summer, the world’s biggest oil producers in OPEC and their allies added nearly 650,000 barrels of oil a day to the supply. Yesterday, they announced they’ll add another 100,000 barrels a day starting next month. American officials were hoping for a lot more because that 100,000 barrel increase only makes up less than one-tenth of a percent of the global oil demand. It’s seen as a symbolic move that won’t have much of an impact on oil prices.
Read More: OPEC, Reuters, Bloomberg, NY Times, AP, WSJ
Airline Refund Rules
There could be changes to how passengers are paid for their travel troubles. The Department of Transportation proposed stricter rules for airlines. Right now, travelers are entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled, but when it comes to delays, the rules aren’t as clear. So, the DOT is proposing passengers be compensated if a flight is delayed more than three hours within the U.S., a connection is added, a passenger’s seat is significantly downgraded, and more. But it’s not a done deal yet. The public has a few months to comment before a final decision.
Read More: DOT, CNBC, Business Insider, USA Today, Reuters
Inaccurate Credit Scores
A new report found millions of Americans were issued the wrong credit score, and for some of them, it may have led to higher interest rates and denied loan applications. The Wall Street Journal cites sources who say Equifax issued the wrong credit scores to people applying for auto loans, home mortgages, and credit cards. Equifax has admitted a ‘coding issue’ caused some people’s credit scores to be miscalculated but says fewer than 300,000 consumers were impacted enough that they may have gotten a different credit decision. The company says the issue lasted for about three weeks earlier this year and has been fixed.
Read More: Equifax, WSJ, CBS News, CNN, Bloomberg
PGA Tour Antitrust Lawsuit
Some of the world’s best golfers are teaming up for an antitrust lawsuit. 11 golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Bryson Dechambeau, are suing the PGA Tour. The lawsuit argues the tour is harming golfers’ careers with an “orchestrated ban” that also prevents competition between leagues. The PGA Tour suspended players who joined a different, new golf league, LIV Golf. The suit claims the PGA Tour’s suspension harms players, sponsors, vendors, and agents. Still, the PGA commissioner says the tour will only defend members who “abide by the rules.”
Read More: ESPN, CBS Sports, WaPo, WSJ
‘Batgirl’, Other Movies Shelved
It looks like the DC Comics movie ‘Batgirl’ may never see the light of day, despite the fact it had already finished filming. The movie was in post-production when Warner Bros. announced it would no longer be released on the streaming service HBO Max or in theaters as planned. The exact reason isn’t clear. Reports say it was likely not seen as big enough for a major debut in theaters but not small enough to make financial sense for a streaming-only release. Warner Bros. also scrapped the latest ‘Scooby-Doo’ movie, which was also set to stream on HBO Max.
Read More: Statement, CNN, Fox Business, WaPo, Variety, CNET
Fancy Feast Expands to Human Food
Fancy Feast-maker Purina partnered with a Michelin star chef to treat customers like pampered pets at a new pop-up restaurant in Manhattan. They’ve created dishes for people based on some popular canned dinners for cats. Items on the menu include salmon with cherry tomatoes, beef short ribs, and lemon panna cotta for dessert. You can try to snag a reservation starting today at noon ET. The cat-inspired dinner is happening next week for a total of 16 people.
Read More: Purina, NY Post, CNN, Parade
Thing to Know Thursday: Coast Guard Birthday
Happy birthday to the United States Coast Guard! Out of the six branches of the U.S. military, the Coast Guard was the second to be established after the U.S. Army. It was founded on August 4th, 1790 when George Washington was president. At the time, it was called the U.S. Revenue Marine because the original mission was about enforcing tariff and trade laws at sea, preventing smuggling, and collecting federal revenue. It got the name U.S. Coast Guard in 1915 when it merged with another government agency dedicated to rescues at sea. These days, its members save thousands of lives each year.
Read More: USCG, Military.Com, Accuweather, Merazone