Tuesday, September 7th, 2021
Next Weather Threats, Surprising Jobs Report & Historic Day for Bitcoin
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Ritual.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 read the latest happenings...
More Ida Damage, Recovery
Mississippi, Louisiana, and several states in the Northeast are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, but those same areas are dealing with new weather troubles. Louisiana and Mississippi have been getting more heavy rain, making recovery efforts tougher. It’s also so hot and humid, it feels like 95 to 100 degrees. Still, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Louisiana don’t have the power that’s needed to run their air conditioners. President Biden surveyed the damage in Louisiana on Friday. Today, he’s headed to New Jersey and New York to see how the storm affected that area.
Read More: ABC News, WSJ, CNBC, CNN
Hurricane Larry Threat
Hurricane Larry is now a category 3 hurricane churning in the Atlantic. It could strengthen to a category 4, just like Ida was before it made landfall. However, this one isn’t expected to hit the United States. Meteorologists say Larry will probably stay a few hundred miles away from the northeastern coast. Even so, it’s expected to cause life-threatening surf. People will probably be told to stay away from northeastern beaches in the next couple of days.
Read More: USA Today, WaPo, Accuweather, NHC
Ida Oil Spill
In the wake of Hurricane Ida, the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating hundreds of reports of oil spills in and along the Gulf of Mexico. It’s been doing flyovers off the coast of Louisiana to look for spills. It has found some damaged pipelines and a leak from an offshore oil well. It’s up to each oil company to fix the issues and clean up any spills. Some have already sent divers and technology out to respond. Nearly 90% of offshore oil production is shut down in that area.
Read More: Reuters, Axios, NPR, BBC
Taliban Seize Last Afghan Province
The Taliban say they’ve now taken over the last area of Afghanistan that wasn’t already in their control. They seized the Panjshir province over the weekend. That is significant since the Taliban didn’t even have control of that province when they last ruled in the 1990s. It was home to a resistance group that held talks with the Taliban, hoping to be involved in the new Afghan government. However, those talks didn’t make any progress, so Taliban fighters launched an attack and took the province by force over the weekend.
Read More: AP, WaPo, WSJ
Taliban Suppressing Women
Women have staged protests in Afghanistan in the last few days to demand basic freedom and rights. However, in some cases, the Taliban have met them with violence. Several women say they were beaten by Taliban fighters. The Taliban have reportedly been using tear gas and stun guns to break up the protests too. In response, the Taliban said the protesters were deliberately trying to cause problems. The Taliban is still in talks about forming a new government. Meanwhile, there have been some signs of normalcy. For example, the United Nations was able to get humanitarian aid into Afghanistan over the weekend.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, Newsweek
Navy Helicopter Crash
The U.S. Navy says five of its sailors died in a helicopter crash. They were doing what the Navy described as “routine flight operations.” However, when they were about 60 miles off the coast of San Diego, the chopper crashed into the sea. A sixth sailor was rescued and taken to the hospital. Crews tried searching for the other five but were never able to find them. They ranged in age from 21-31 years old. The Navy is now investigating to figure out what caused the flight to go down.
Read More: Fox News, ABC News, NY Times, U.S. Navy
COVID Cases Spiking
The number of new COVID-19 cases getting diagnosed each day in the U.S. is now more than four times what we saw on Labor Day last year. That’s even though this time around, 53% of the population has been fully vaccinated. Health officials blame the highly contagious delta variant, fewer restrictions around the country, and the millions of Americans who haven’t gotten their shots. The number of COVID-19 deaths reported each day is almost twice as high as this time last year.
Read More: USA Today, NPR, CNBC, Johns Hopkins
Pandemic Unemployment Benefits End
The extra unemployment benefits millions of Americans have been getting during the pandemic expired over the weekend. We’re talking about the extra weeks of assistance for people who have been unemployed for a long time, as well as benefits for so-called gig workers who don’t typically get to apply for them. About 7.5 million people are losing unemployment entirely. Another three million people are losing the extra $300 a week they’ve been getting from the federal government on top of their state benefits.
Read More: WaPo, Fox Business, Forbes, NY Times
U.S. Hiring Slows
Hiring started slowing last month. The Labor Department says American employers added 235,000 jobs in August. However, economists were expecting three times that number. For comparison, the economy expanded by about a million jobs in both June and July. Still, it’s going in the right direction. The unemployment rate went from 5.4% to 5.2%. That’s a new pandemic-era low.
Read More: WSJ, WaPo, NPR, LA Times, Labor Dept.
El Salvador Adopts Bitcoin
Bitcoin is now legal tender in El Salvador. It’s the first government to accept digital currency as real money. Officials there say people can use bitcoin to shop, pay taxes, and buy land. Hundreds of ATMs have been set up around the country that people can use to buy bitcoin or convert it into cash. Supporters say bitcoin will boost El Salvador’s economy. However, critics argue the rollout has been rushed and confusing, and most people and businesses aren’t ready for it. People don’t have to use bitcoin, though. The U.S. dollar is still legal in El Salvador.
Read More: Fast Company, Financial Times, BBC, Business Insider
Tokyo Paralympics Wrap
The Paralympics wrapped up in Tokyo over the weekend. Team USA added to the medal count on the final day of the competition. The men’s wheelchair basketball team and the women’s sitting volleyball team both won gold medals. Over the last two weeks, Americans also brought home gold medals in events like the triathlon, archery, and cycling. Overall, Team USA came fourth in the medal count with 104 total medals and 37 golds. China had the most medals, followed by Great Britain and Russia.
Read More: Forbes, AP, The Guardian
Winter Games Coming Up
The next Olympic Games are right around the corner. Beijing, China is hosting the Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony is planned for February 4th, just five months from now. Of course, the games will include fan-favorite sports like figure skating, snowboarding, and ice hockey. Then, the Winter Paralympics begin in March.
Read More: Olympics, Paralympics
New Labor Day Movie Record
The first Marvel movie to feature an Asian American superhero crushed it at the box office this weekend. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings brought in more than $71 million in North America and another $56 million internationally. It’s the second-most successful movie released in the pandemic, behind Black Widow. Shang-Chi also set a new record for all movies ever released during a Labor Day weekend. Shang-Chi was released only in theaters. It will be on Disney+ in a few weeks.
Read More: CNBC, Variety, AP
Rosh Hashanah
Millions of Jewish people around the world are celebrating Rosh Hashanah this week, otherwise known as the Jewish new year. The holiday started last night at sundown, and it lasts until sunset on Wednesday. Rosh Hashanah is one of the most sacred events on the Jewish calendar. The holiday is the start of 10 days of prayer, reflection, and repentance that lead up to Yom Kippur. Other Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar, which is a rams horn trumpet, and eating festive meals with symbolic foods.
Read More: History, USA Today, Parade
Trivia Tuesday
Q: Iceland diverted roads to avoid disturbing communities of what?
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: Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
A: Marie Curie
Read More: Fox News, Nobel Prize, Biography