Tuesday, August 24th, 2021
Pfizer’s FDA Approval, First Woman Leads NY & Paralympic Games Begin
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Policygenius.com and kiwico.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 read the latest happenings...
Pfizer Vax Gets Full FDA Approval
The COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer is now fully FDA approved for everyone 16 and older. Until now, the COVID-19 shots have been on the market under an emergency use authorization in the U.S. For authorization, Pfizer had to follow tens of thousands of trial volunteers for at least two months after their second dose to see how the shots held up. For approval, Pfizer had to follow them for at least six months. There was also a lot more paperwork and rigorous inspections. The Pfizer shots were still found to be more than 91% effective at preventing COVID-19 cases with symptoms, and side effects were extremely rare.
Read More: AP, CNBC, WSJ, CNN, FDA, CDC
New Vaccine Mandates
More businesses, schools, and government organizations could require vaccinations now that they’re FDA approved. New mandates have already been issued since yesterday. For example, New York City and New Jersey announced the shots will be mandatory for school employees. Chevron became the first major American oil producer to mandate shots for its field workers, and CVS said its pharmacists will have to be fully vaccinated by December. Just over half of the population is fully vaccinated already.
Read More: NBC News, Fox News, Reuters, NY Times
Afghanistan Evacuations Rushed
American troops in Afghanistan are rushing to get as many people out as possible before a fast-approaching deadline. The White House originally said it would have all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by August 31st. The Taliban says it still expects the U.S. to keep that promise or else “there would be consequences.” At the same time, other world leaders and some U.S. lawmakers are pressuring President Biden to extend the withdrawal date to finish the evacuations. Biden is expected to decide by today. For now, evacuations continue. On Sunday and Monday, the U.S. airlifted more than 17,000 Americans and American allies to safety.
Read More: WSJ, AP, Axios, Al Jazeera
Capitol Officer Cleared in Riot Shooting
The police officer who killed a rioter during the January 6th Capitol invasion will not face any discipline. For months now, the Capitol Police Department has been investigating the actions of a lieutenant who opened fire on a mob trying to get into the House chambers. One of the rioters, Ashli Babbitt, was shot in the shoulder and died. Now, the department says the officer’s actions were reasonable. Police interviewed witnesses and reviewed the evidence. In the end, they decided the officer may have saved members of Congress and staff by firing his weapon. However, Babbitt’s family is still suing to get the name of the officer released.
Read More: ABC News, WaPo, CBS News, WSJ, USCP
New York’s Next Governor Takes Office
A woman is now governor of New York for the first time in history. Gov. Kathy Hochul was sworn in just after midnight in a short, private ceremony. Later this morning, she plans to meet with state lawmakers. Then, she’ll make a public address this afternoon. Hochul is inheriting quite a few challenges. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are climbing in New York, as they are in the rest of the country. Also, the New York unemployment rate is double what it was two years ago.
Read More: AP, NBC News, NY Times, NY Daily News
Cuomo Farewell Speech
Former New York Gov, Andrew Cuomo officially retired yesterday to avoid what was shaping up to be an impeachment battle over a sexual harassment scandal. Three weeks ago, the state’s attorney general released a report that found Cuomo sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, including government workers. On his last day in office, Cuomo gave a farewell address, partly to highlight what he considers achievements from his time in office. Cuomo also said the investigation was politically motivated and designed to defame him. He denies the allegations, saying the truth will come out. Cuomo is also facing criminal investigations around the state.
Read More: NY Times, Fox News, CNN, USA Today
Bitcoin Reaches Three-Month High
Bitcoin is doing exceptionally well right now. A single Bitcoin is currently valued at about $50,000. That’s the highest it’s been in three months. It’s also a sharp turnaround from just a couple of months ago when the digital currency collapsed, and investors lost more than $1 trillion worth of value within days. Value is surging again, but analysts say cryptocurrencies are still considered volatile. They can crash just as quickly as they rise.
Read More: Forbes, CNBC, Business Insider
PayPal Expands Crypto Services to the UK
The digital payments app PayPal says it’s expanding its crypto services to users in the UK. This is the company’s first crypto expansion outside of the U.S. The services first rolled out in the U.S. last fall. PayPal supports four digital currencies, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash. People can buy or sell them on the app, track prices in real-time, and find more educational content about the crypto market.
Read More: TechCrunch, PYMNTS, PayPal
More Disney Shops Inside Target
Target and Disney are expanding their partnership. Target is tripling the number of Disney shops inside its stores, so there will be Disney shops inside more than 160 Target locations around the country by the end of this year. Disney started putting mini-shops in Target stores in October of 2019. They include Disney-themed toys, costumes, and interactive displays. Disney closed dozens of its full-size stores this year.
Read More: WSJ, USA Today, CNBC
Shipping Crisis Worsening
This holiday season is shaping up to be a challenging one for retailers. Toy companies typically order holiday games and toys from China over the summer, so they’ll get to the U.S. in time for the winter shopping season. However, supply chain issues are a big problem this year. Rising material costs and shipping backlogs mean companies may struggle to keep toys in stock. Prices for shipping containers have gone up as much as 500% this summer, and those added costs could be passed onto customers.
Read More: CNN, CNBC, Forbes
Dangerous ‘Milk Crate Challenge’
Some doctors say a viral trend making the rounds on social media could be dangerous. It’s called the “milk crate challenge.” People have been stacking milk crates in the shape of a pyramid. Then, they try to walk up one side and down the other to show off their balance. Others have been placing big bets on who can do it. However, most people can’t. Some doctors say they’ve noticed more injuries in the last week. People can fall and break bones, dislocate their shoulders, tear their ACLs, and more. Still, the “milk crate challenge” continues to rack up millions of views.
Read More: Today, Newsweek, NY Post
Paralympics Begin
The Paralympic Games kick off today in Tokyo. About 4,400 athletes from 160 countries are competing, including 242 Americans. There will be two new events this year: Badminton and Taekwondo. It will also include the usual fan favorites like wheelchair basketball. This is also the first year paralympic medalists will receive the same amount of prize money as their Olympic counterparts. They used to get one-fifth of the Olympic medal pay. Because of COVID-19 rules, spectators aren’t allowed. However, on American TV, the Paralympics will get more coverage than ever before.
Read More: People, NY Times, Rolling Stone, Yahoo! Sports
How to Watch: NBC Olympics
Trivia Tuesday
Q: What famous U.S. festival hosted more than 350,000 fans in 1969?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories Quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer
Q: What was the first toy to be advertised on television?
A: Mr. Potato Head
Read More: PBS, Idaho Potato Museum, Nat’l Toy Hall of Fame, AP