Thursday, August 19th, 2021
Taliban Opens Fire, R. Kelly on Trial & Pesticide Ban
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 to peruse the latest happenings...
Afghanistan Protests
For the first time since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan, hundreds of protesters rallied against the militant group. They gathered in three cities, waiving the old Afghan flag, not the Taliban one. The Taliban responded with violence, even opening fire on a crowd. At least three people were reportedly killed and more than a dozen were hurt. This comes just one day after the Taliban promised to be more respectful of human rights in Afghanistan than they have in the past. Many people feel this is the first sign they won’t be living up to those promises.
Read More: Reuters, WSJ, AP, LA Times
Latest on Afghan Evacuations
Thousands of people are still scrambling to leave Afghanistan. However, there have been reports of the Taliban beating people who are trying to get to the airport in Kabul where American troops are leading the evacuation effort. There are at least 11,000 Americans still in the country, along with more than 80,000 Afghan allies, who all need to be evacuated. Now, President Biden says troops will stay at least until all the American citizens are out, even if that lasts into next month. Several flights are going out every day.
Read More: ABC News, AP, NBC News, Al Jazeera
Booster Shots Starting in September
U.S. health leaders plan to roll out a lot more COVID-19 vaccine booster shots next month. Assuming the FDA signs off, like expected, millions of Americans will be eligible for boosters starting the week of September 20th. Anyone who got a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will be offered a third dose eight months after their second. The Biden administration expects to recommend boosters for people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine too, but it’s waiting for more data in the next few weeks before they come up with a plan for that.
Read More: NBC News, Axios, NPR, Stat News
Nursing Homes Vaccine Mandates
The federal government is starting to support more mandates for both vaccines and masks. Starting next month, the Biden administration says nursing homes will have to make sure everyone on their staff is vaccinated or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funds. That’s reportedly about 80-85% of how nursing homes get their revenue. Some states have already required vaccines for all healthcare workers, including New York and California.
Read More: AP, WSJ, Reuters, CNBC, White House
Biden Admin vs. School Mask Bans
Eight states like Texas, Florida, and Arizona have banned mask mandates at schools. State leaders say it should be up to the parents, not the school district, to decide what’s best for their children. However, the Biden administration disagrees, saying it should be up to educators who are closely monitoring health data. This week, President Biden told his education department to “use all available tools” to help local governments and school districts who impose mask mandates, despite what their governors say. It could come down to a legal fight.
Read More: Politico, NY Times, WaPo, White House
R. Kelly Trial Updates
In a case that’s been years in the making, R&B star R. Kelly is now on trial for sex trafficking. Prosecutors started laying out their case against him yesterday. They say Kelly ran a criminal enterprise of employees who helped him recruit young women and underage girls for sex, forced labor, and pornography. They say he abused them for nearly two decades. However, Kelly’s attorneys say the women and girls knew what they were doing. One defense lawyer told jurors they’ll have to sort through a “mess of lies” from people with an agenda. Kelly is pleading not guilty. The trial is expected to last about a month.
Read More: CBS News, Reuters, AP, CNN
Haiti Earthquake Recovery
Haiti still has a long road to recovery ahead following a deadly earthquake. As of this morning, the death toll is up to nearly 2,200 people. Another 12,000 are hurt and are having a tough time getting medical care. The United States, United Nations, and several international aid groups have sent help. However, reports say that help has, so far, been limited to only very urgent medical assistance and basic supplies. Some people say gangs have taken over other donations. Activists are asking people to donate and provide services to local organizations instead of larger ones that might not be connected to the local people.
Read More: NY Times, NPR, NBC News, Reuters
How to Help Haiti: HaitiOne, Haiti Emergency Relief Fund, Haitian Health Foundation, Hope for Haiti, Project HOPE
New Home Construction Falls
New home construction has slowed down to its lowest level in three months. Last month, the number of single-family homes being built dropped by more than 4%. The number of multi-family housing units under construction fell by 13%. Analysts say builders are delaying projects because they’re still paying higher prices for materials like lumber, and they’re dealing with supply shortages caused by the pandemic. Experts say the demand for new homes has also cooled a bit because of record-high prices and low inventory.
Read More: Reuters, Bloomberg, Marketwatch, Fox Business
T-Mobile Confirms Hack
The FCC is now investigating a data breach at T-Mobile. The wireless carrier confirmed this week that hackers stole information about more than 47 million people, including current, past, and prospective customers. The stolen data included birthdays, social security numbers, and driver’s license information. T-Mobile is offering its customers two years of free identity protection. The company is also encouraging customers to reset PINs. This is the fifth time T-mobile has been hacked in recent years.
Read More: Gizmodo, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch, WaPo, T-Mobile
EPA Banning Another Pesticide
The EPA is banning a pesticide that’s often used on farms. Chlorpyrifos helps to control pests on crops like soybeans, grapes, broccoli, cauliflower, and more. However, the EPA says it can be toxic to children’s brains. Chlorpyrifos has been used in the U.S. since the 1960s. However, studies have found it’s linked to lower birth weights, lower IQ scores, and other developmental problems. The largest chlorpyrifos manufacturer has been fighting a ban. Yesterday, the company slammed the EPA’s decision saying it was removing an important tool for farmers. Either way, the new ban takes effect in six months.
Read More: WaPo, WSJ, NY Times, AP, EPA
Pet Food Could be Poisoning Dogs
Federal officials say more than 130 animals have died, and at least a couple hundred others have gotten sick from tainted dog food. Midwestern Pet Foods first recalled its Sportmix dry dog food in January. Then, several more brands were recalled a few months later because the food contained dangerous levels of aflatoxins that come from mold. However, the FDA says the problem might be even bigger than that. It checked out at least four manufacturing plants and found “significant” health safety violations. The FDA is now giving Midwestern Pet Foods two weeks to respond and show they’ve made changes before regulators take legal action.
Read More: NBC News, NPR, USA Today, FDA
Mastercard is Phasing Out Magnetic Stripes
Your debit and credit cards will look different in the next few years. Mastercard is phasing out the magnetic stripe. The company says chip technology is more secure, so this is the best move for customers. Mastercard will phase it out in most markets, like Europe, in 2024. Here in the United States, banks won’t have to include the magnetic stripe on new customer cards beginning in 2027. The stripes will be gone entirely by 2033. Mastercard says this should give all of its partners enough time to transition to chip technology if they haven’t already.
Read More: Fortune, The Verge, CNN, Mastercard
Thing to Know Thursday: Preventing Pandemics at the Animal Source
A task force at Harvard now says COVID-19 likely came from an infected animal before it was passed onto humans. It published a new report this week that says COVID-19 is just the latest example. At least half of the new infectious diseases that have sprung up over the last 50 years have come from animals like HIV, Zika, and H1N1. So the research team says it's crucial to reduce contact between wild animals and humans. It says countries need to do more to conserve natural habitats, regulate wild animal trade, and more. The report will be presented at the G20 Summit and the UN Climate Change Conference this fall.
Read More: Axios, Harvard Crimson