Wednesday, August 25th, 2021
Exit Deadline, New Diabetes Guidelines & TikTok Shopping
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com/newsworthy and Policygenius.com
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…
Afghanistan Withdrawal Date Stays
U.S. troops have just six more days to airlift thousands of Americans and American allies out of Afghanistan. President Biden announced he’s sticking to his August 31st deadline for ending the U.S. military operation there. He said the longer the U.S. stays, the greater the risk that terror groups like ISIS could try to attack U.S. troops or innocent civilians. However, other world leaders and some U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are asking Biden to reconsider. They worry too many people who qualify for refugee status will be left behind. More than 70,000 people have been evacuated in the last ten days.
Read More: AP, WSJ, NY Times
Taliban Won’t Let Afghans Leave
It’s starting to get tricker to evacuate Afghans who helped American and NATO troops over the last two decades. Last night, the Taliban stopped allowing Afghan citizens to go to the airport. They say the crowds are too dangerous. They’ve also said the U.S. keeps taking doctors, professors, engineers, and other people Afghanistan depends on. At this point, it’s not clear how strictly the Taliban is enforcing the new ban, but the Biden administration still expects the Taliban to cooperate. In case that doesn’t happen, the president says he’s preparing backup plans that might include delaying the deadline to withdraw troops.
Read More: CNBC, CNN, Fox News
CIA Director Meets Taliban Leader
The CIA director had a meeting this week with the Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar. That’s the highest level face-to-face meeting between the Taliban and the U.S. since militants took over in Afghanistan. It’s not clear exactly what was talked about. The Biden administration only said they discussed “near-term goals.” The meeting in itself is pretty extraordinary since the CIA partnered with Pakistani forces to arrest Baradar in 2010. He spent eight years in prison until the Trump administration convinced Pakistan to release him as part of peace talks.
Read More: Politico, WaPo, WSJ
‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy Reinstated
A controversial immigration policy President Biden canceled earlier this year is coming back. It’s commonly known as the “remain in Mexico” policy. It says migrants who apply for asylum need to wait in Mexico while American authorities evaluate their cases. Supporters say it helps alleviate some of the congestion in the southern U.S. and the burden on American taxpayers. However, critics call it inhumane, saying it forces vulnerable migrants to stay in violent border cities. This debate has been playing out in the courts. Most recently, the Biden administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the policy to stay on hold. The court just denied that request.
Read More: WSJ, AP, Reuters, Axios
Henri Damage Estimate
What was once Tropical Storm Henri has finally moved away from the U.S. so now, the recovery begins. The storm hovered over the northeast for days, and some areas got up to ten inches of rain. Homes and businesses were flooded, trees and power lines were toppled, and tens of thousands of customers were left in the dark. The Accuweather CEO says the storm probably caused $8 billion to $12 billion in damage. President Biden has declared disasters in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut. That should help get federal recovery aid to those states.
Read More: USA Today, WNBC, AP
Tennessee Flood Recovery Update
There is also now a disaster declaration in Tennessee following devastating flooding. At least 18 people died, including children, in Humphreys County. Three more are missing. A local sheriff says at least 125 homes were destroyed and hundreds more are so badly damaged they can no longer be lived in. The National Guard is blocking off roads, and nonprofit organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army are working to help with shelters and supplies.
Read More: Nashville Tennessean, Fox News, NY Times
New CDC Vaccine Study
This week, the CDC put out another new study about how effective COVID-19 vaccines are. It looked at tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County between the beginning of May to the end of July. It found unvaccinated people were five times as likely to be infected as people who were fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated people were 29 times more likely to end up in the hospital. Before the Delta variant became the most common, those rates were even more extreme. Now, more cases and hospitalizations of vaccinated people are happening, but they’re still rare.
Read More: Axios, CNBC, CNN, CDC
FDA Ivermectin Warning
The FDA is asking people to stop taking Ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19. That drug has not been approved for this purpose, and it turns out people are accidentally poisoning themselves with it. Some have ended up in the hospital. The confusion comes from some small trials that tested whether the drug might be helpful. The World Health Organization called those trials “inconclusive.” The bigger issue is most of the people who have called poison control or gone to the hospital for ingesting the drug took a version of it that’s meant for livestock. It can be bought at animal supply centers to treat animals like cows and horses for parasites.
Read More: AL.Com, Axios, CNN, Fox News, FDA, WHO
Earlier Diabetes Screenings Recommended
Medical experts now say overweight Americans should start getting screened for type two diabetes at 35, five years sooner than current guidelines. The new advice comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. That’s the federal panel whose recommendations generally lead to insurance providers covering certain tests or procedures. The panel says the risk of developing diabetes increases significantly in the mid-30s, and earlier treatment can help patients avoid the more serious risks that come with diabetes, like heart disease and kidney failure. Being overweight or obese is the strongest risk factor for diabetes.
Read More: WSJ, Reuters, NY Times, JAMA
Childhood Diabetes Soaring
Childhood diabetes rates are also going up in the U.S. The American Medical Association published a new study this week that analyzed health records from nearly 3.5 million American children under 19 from 2001 to 2017. It found, in that time, there was a 95% increase in kids getting diagnosed with type two diabetes. The largest increases were among Black and Hispanic children. Doctors are pointing to inequities and other factors. For example, less access to safe places to play outside, healthy foods, and team sports.
Read More: Fox News, Stat News, USA Today, JAMA
Rolling Stones Drummer Died
The world is mourning the loss of a Rock and Roll icon. The longtime drummer for the Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts, died at 80 years old. A spokesperson for the Stones confirmed yesterday that Watts died “peacefully” in a London hospital with his family at his side. Watts joined the Rolling Stones in 1963 and kept touring and recording new music for nearly 60 years. Other music legends like Elton John and Paul McCartney described Watts as “the ultimate drummer” and “a lovely guy.”
Read More: BBC, NBC News, Fox News, Rolling Stones
Airbnb Giving Afghans Temporary Free Housing
Airbnb is offering free housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees around the world. They’ll be put up in properties listed on Airbnb’s platform. The company will foot the bill along with donors to the Airbnb Refugee Fund. Airbnb’s CEO announced the commitment yesterday. He didn’t say how long refugees would be able to stay but said the homes are available now. He’s also asking even more Airbnb hosts to reach out if they want to host refugee families. This isn’t the first time Airbnb has stepped up like this. The company says in the last nine years, 75,000 people have found a free, temporary place to stay in times of crisis.
Read More: USA Today, Axios, CNBC, NPR, Airbnb CEO
Walmart’s Go Local Delivery Service
Walmart hopes to help smaller stores while making some extra money at the same time. For a fee, the retail giant will deliver items for local businesses that don’t have a delivery system. The new service is called Go Local. It’s set to launch later this year. Walmart employees and gig workers will be doing the extra deliveries. Walmart also plans to partner with self-driving car companies and drone companies in the future.
Read More: CNBC, CBS News, PYMNTS, TechCrunch
TikTok Shopping
For the first time, people on TikTok are going to be able to buy things without having to leave the app. It’s part of the social media platform’s expanded partnership with Shopify. It means creators can turn their TikTok accounts into a storefront with new shopping tabs. TikTok is testing this out with a select group now. It wants to expand to all Shopify users this fall. Already, Facebook and Instagram offer in-app shopping. Total sales through social media apps are reportedly expected to reach as high as $50 billion in the next two years.
Read More: TechCrunch, NY Times, Fortune, TikTok
Work Wednesday: More Vaccine Mandates
The American Medical Association is now recommending all employers make vaccines mandatory for their workers. It says mandates are going to be key to get the pandemic under control since so far, incentives haven’t worked to get enough of the population vaccinated. However, some state and local leaders are against mandates. They say health should be a personal responsibility and no one should be discriminated against for choosing not to get the shots. Either way, a lot more employers are adding vaccine requirements. Deloitte and Goldman Sachs are among the latest companies to say employees need to be vaccinated by this fall.
Read More: Reuters, CNBC, WaPo, The Hill, AMA