Wednesday, August 17th, 2022
Cheney’s Defeat, OTC Hearing Aids & Pumpkin Spice Season
All the news you need in about 10 min:
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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…
Biden Signs IRA
A bill meant to tackle issues like healthcare, taxes, climate, and inflation is now law. For example, with healthcare, people on Medicare will see their insulin costs capped at $35 a month, starting next year. On the environmental part of the law, more than $300 billion will be invested in energy and climate reform for things like solar panels, wind turbines, and tax credits. The new law also creates a new 15% corporate minimum tax among others. Republicans say it costs too much money and some call it government overreach. However, President Biden called it one of the most important measures in history.
Read More: White House, NPR, WaPo, WSJ, CNBC, Reuters
WY Primary Results
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney was voted out of office in Wyoming, a state where she easily won her last three elections. This time, she lost the Republican primary by a lot. The voters went with former President Trump’s choice for Congress: a lawyer named Harriet Hageman. Cheney was one of Trump’s top targets this midterm election season since she voted to impeach him and has been helping lead an investigation into his role in the Capitol riot. However, this likely isn’t the end of her political career. As she put it, “the primary election is over, but now the real work begins.”
Read More: Rep. Cheney, Fmr. Pres. Trump, Casper Star Tribune, Politico, Bloomberg, WSJ, NPR
FBI Interviews Over Classified Records
It’s now clear the search at Mar-a-Lago was just one part of the FBI’s investigation into former President Trump and how he handled sensitive documents. The New York Times cites sources who say Trump’s top White House lawyer and his deputy spoke to the FBI about that issue. Remember, the Justice Department is trying to find out how classified government records ended up at Trump’s Florida estate, why they were taken, and who might have seen them. Former President Trump still says he did nothing wrong and says the whole investigation is partisan.
Read More: NY Times, NY Post, ABC News, The Hill
The U.S. to Buy Ukraine Grain
The U.S. is now spending millions of dollars to send Ukrainian grain to people who desperately need it. It’s the largest export deal like this since Russia invaded Ukraine six months ago. To get it done, the U.S. is giving the United Nations’ World Food Program another $68 million. That agency will use the money to buy and ship the grain from Ukraine and use it to help feed people in countries dealing with severe hunger. That hunger has gotten much worse since the war started since Ukraine’s ports were blocked for months, leaving 20 million tons of grain stuck. The U.S. investment will take 150,000 tons out of the backlog.
Read More: USAID, WSJ, Politico
First Lady Gets Covid
Covid-19 has once again gotten into President Biden’s inner circle. This time, it’s First Lady Jill Biden who tested positive. Her office says she has some mild cold-like symptoms but is otherwise doing okay. The first lady was on vacation in South Carolina when she came down with the virus. Now, she’s going to stay there, isolating herself for at least five days, until she feels better and tests negative twice. This comes less than two weeks after President Biden got over Covid-19. For now, he’s still testing negative.
Read More: White House, CBS News, Fox News, USA Today, ABC News
Over The Counter Hearing Aids
Millions of Americans will soon be able to get hearing aids without a prescription, medical exam, or other evaluation. The FDA finalized the rule this week. The devices that will be sold over the counter are meant for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. A prescription will still be needed for people with severe hearing loss and anyone younger than 18. Right now, the FDA says nearly 30 million Americans may benefit from hearing aids, but only one in five people with hearing problems use them. The hearing aids will be sold online and in stores as soon as mid-October.
Read More: FDA, WaPo, AP, NY Times, WSJ
Southwestern Water Cuts
Facing an unprecedented water shortage, a couple of southwestern states are getting cut off by the federal government. Arizona and Nevada will have to lower their use of water from the Colorado River. Mexico will, too. It’s because, for the first time in history, the government designated a Tier 2 water shortage. That’s a big deal since more than 40 million Americans rely on the river for drinking water, as do people in Mexico. It’s also crucial for agriculture. Starting in January, Arizona will lose 21% of its supply from the river. Nevada will lose 8%. Officials in those states will have to figure out how they’ll be able to do without.
Read More: USBR, AP, Axios, WSJ, NY Times
American Airlines Supersonic Planes
American Airlines agreed to buy 20 supersonic jets from manufacturer Boom Supersonic and put down a nonrefundable deposit. Already, United Airlines has committed to buying 15 of them. Boom says its jets will be able to travel 1.7 times the speed of sound which is about 1,300 miles per hour. It will cut travel time nearly in half. The jets can carry up to 80 people and will run on sustainable fuel. Boom expects to put passengers in the air by 2029. However, it still needs approval from the FAA.
Read More: AA, Boom, CNBC, Reuters, NBC News, The Verge
Dunkin Launching Fall Menu
It’s still summer, but the favorite fall flavor, pumpkin spice, is already here. Pumpkin spice season is getting an earlier-than-ever start at Dunkin Donuts. The coffee chain launches its fall menu today. It includes the pumpkin cream cold brew, the pumpkin spice signature latte, a couple of new drinks, and pumpkin-flavored donuts and muffins.
Read More: Dunkin, Axios, KFOR, USA Today
More Pumpkin Spice Products Out
Other companies are ready with fall flavors, too. Pumpkin spice Oreos came out this week. Krispy Kreme launched its fall menu of pumpkin spice donuts and coffee drinks last week. Starbucks has not announced when it will start serving its popular pumpkin spice latte, but this year makes 19 years since the PSL was debuted.
Read More: Starbucks, Today, People, Thrillist, Fox Business
Work Wednesday: Employers Track Workers
Is your employer tracking you? For millions of Americans, the answer is yes. A new analysis by the New York Times found eight of the ten largest private U.S. employers track the productivity metrics of individual employees, many in real-time. That includes how long people spend on certain things. Sometimes, idle time on company devices can lead to a bad score for the day or less money. Some companies say these tools are important and have led to more accountability, efficiency, and success. However, experts say it could lead to workers taking shortcuts that look busy and productive, but don’t do the job as well as offline work.
Read More: NY Times, Today, Forbes, Tech HQ