Monday, August 30th, 2021
Hurricane Ida, Attacks Prevented & U.S. Open Begins
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Noom.com/newsworthy and BetterHelp.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 review the latest happenings...
Hurricane Ida Hits Louisiana
One of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. made landfall. Hurricane Ida directly hit Port Fourchon, Louisiana with 150-mile-an-hour winds, flooding rain, and life-threatening storm surges. The storm ripped the roofs off homes, businesses, and at least one hospital. It snapped trees and power lines, flooded streets, and left more than a million electricity customers in the dark. Ida hit on the same date as the historically devastating Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago. This morning, Ida is still packing hurricane strength as it moves inland. Thousands of search and rescue crews are ready to find survivors as soon as the storm calms down.
Read More: Weather Channel, AP, NBC News, CNN, USA Today, WSJ, NHC
U.S. Drone Strikes in Afghanistan
The U.S. has started to retaliate against the terror group ISIS for last week’s deadly attack in Afghanistan, and American officials say the U.S. has also been able to prevent future attacks. Early this morning, American officials say the U.S. military shot down five rockets aimed at the Kabul airport. The U.S. military has also been sending drones to strike ISIS. The last one blew up a vehicle that was reportedly carrying “multiple suicide bombers.” Earlier, the U.S. conducted a drone strike that killed two high-profile ISIS targets. The U.S. says they were involved in planning attacks against Americans.
Read More: AP, NY Times, Fox News, WSJ, CNN
Fallen Troops Identified
13 American troops and as many as 170 Afghan civilians were killed in last week’s attack at Kabul’s airport. The fallen service members returned to the U.S. in flag-draped caskets yesterday. All but one of them were in their early 20s. President Biden met with their families over the weekend. The rest of the American troops in Afghanistan are still scheduled to leave tomorrow.
Read More: WaPo, NY Post, ABC News, CNBC
Deal to Keep Evacuating Afghans
The evacuations in Afghanistan will likely not be finished by tomorrow’s deadline. As many as 250 Americans who want to leave Afghanistan are still there, along with tens of thousands of American allies. That said, the State Department released a statement saying the U.S. and other countries will make sure the airport functions normally, even after it’s in Taliban control. Nearly 100 countries signed it as well as NATO and the European Union. It says the Taliban has promised people with travel documents will still be able to leave the country.
Read More: Axios, Reuters, CBS News, NY Times, State Dept.
Delta Hospitalization Risk Study
There is new evidence the delta variant of COVID-19 is not only more contagious but also more severe. A new, large, peer-reviewed study out of England found people infected with delta are twice as likely to end up in the hospital as those who get the alpha variant. In the latest study, researchers followed more than 43,000 COVID-19 patients from late March to late May. They found some got infected with alpha and some with delta. However, those who got delta were admitted to the hospital more often. They also tended to be younger on average. The delta variant now accounts for nearly 99% of all new COVID-19 cases in the U.S.
Read More: NBC News, Bloomberg, NY Times, The Lancet, CDC
Children’s Hospitals Overwhelmed
Children younger than 12 still aren’t eligible to be vaccinated, and they’re now at higher risk of being infected than any other time in the pandemic. Most children who get sick still have only mild symptoms. However, some get severe cases, and children’s hospitals in parts of the country are overflowing. The Children’s Hospital Association is asking the Biden administration for more support. It wants the federal government to step in and offer emergency assistance and funding to support children’s hospital staff. So far, no response from the White House.
Read More: NY Times, The Hill, Forbes
CDC: CA Teacher Causes Outbreak
A new CDC report found one teacher in California caused an outbreak. She wasn’t vaccinated and showed up in her elementary school classroom while she had COVID-19 symptoms. At one point, she read to the children without wearing a mask. Half of the students ended up getting infected with COVID-19. Some of their family members got sick too. Everyone survived. The CDC says the outbreak was limited because they all lived in an area where most adults are vaccinated. Still, the CDC says this example supports its recommendations for universal masking in schools, routine testing, and ventilation.
Read More: LA Times, NBC News, CNN, CDC
School Vaccine Mandates Vary
Washington became the first state to say all educators must be vaccinated or be fired. Other states like California and New Jersey say teachers either need to get vaccinated or be regularly tested for COVID-19. There are also states that ban any kind of mandates like Texas, Georgia, and Arizona. Some leaders of those states say school districts can’t discriminate against unvaccinated staff, and each person has a right to decide for themselves whether to get vaccinated.
Read More: USA Today, NY Post, NPR, Texas Tribune
Southwest Reducing Flights
Southwest Airlines is cutting dozens of daily flights over the next few months. In September, at least 27 flights a day are getting canceled. In October through early November, about 162 flights will be chopped each day. Southwest says it’s reaching out to ticket holders with updated travel information. The airline had to delay or cancel a lot of flights this summer, in large part because of staffing shortages. Southwest says it’s hiring “aggressively” and is especially focused on hiring more pilots.
Read More: Fortune, The Points Guy, AP, Dallas Morning News
Ed Asner Dies
Iconic Hollywood actor Ed Asner passed away over the weekend. His family says he died peacefully of natural causes at 91 years old. Asner is best known for his award-winning performance as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and on the spin-off, also called Lou Grant. However, over his six decades in the business, Asner had more than 400 acting credits. For example, he played the role of Santa in Elf. Asner was also the voice of the main character in the animated Pixar hit Up.
Read More: CBS News, THR, Variety, AP
U.S. Open Begins Today
The U.S. Open begins in Queens, New York this morning. On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic is hoping to break the record for the most grand slam singles ever won by a man. Djokovic is tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at 20 apiece, but they’re both hurt, so neither of them are competing in the tournament. As for the women, Naomi Osaka is looking to defend her title. She won the U.S. Open last year and in 2018. Ash Barty is also a top contender. She won Wimbledon, and she’s considered the top women’s tennis player in the world. Both Serena and Venus Williams are out with injuries.
Read More: AP, ESPN, Bleacher Report
SpaceX Latest Supply Mission
Today, astronauts on the International Space Station are expecting to get a unique batch of supplies, experiments, and fresh food. A SpaceX rocket blasted more than 4,800 pounds of items up into space yesterday. They include food like avocados, lemons, onions, and ice cream. There are also three experiments from the Girl Scouts. One will look at how ants work in weightlessness. Another will study how tomatoes, peppers, and lemongrass grow in space. The third will look into whether brine shrimp can be raised in microgravity. If so, that might be a source of protein for future astronauts on long flights.
Read More: Space.Com, AP, CBS News, Sky News
Money Monday: Amazon Offering Buy Now, Pay Later
Amazon is the latest retailer to offer a buy now, pay later option. The retail giant is partnering with a company called Affirm on this. Affirm lets customers make monthly payments. It charges interest but says there are no late or hidden fees. Affirm already works with thousands of businesses like Walmart and the Expedia Group. Amazon is testing this payment alternative with select customers now. It says it will be more widely available in the coming months for purchases worth more than $50. The only exceptions will be Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh.
Read More: NY Times, CNBC, PYMNTS, Gizmodo, WSJ