Wednesday, September 8th, 2021
New Afghan Gov’t, Flu Season Prediction & #FreeBritney Update
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code) and Ritual.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 reading about the latest happenings…
Taliban Forms Government
The Taliban announced a new government in Afghanistan. It doesn’t include any women or members of the last government. Instead, this new interim government is stacked with Taliban veterans who were in charge of the hard-line government 20 years ago. Several of them are listed by the U.S. and United Nations as global terrorists. For example, the key post of the interior minister was given to a man who’s on the FBI’s most-wanted list. He led a network that’s blamed for many deadly attacks and kidnappings. Other cabinet leaders used to be inmates at the Guantanamo detention center. The Taliban says these appointments are temporary.
Read More: WaPo, WSJ, CNN, AP, The Guardian
Powerful Earthquake Hits Mexico
Mexico was hit with a powerful earthquake last night. It struck near the resort city of Acapulco. Buildings shook throughout the middle of the country, even hundreds of miles away. So far, estimates say it was at least a 7.0-magnitude quake. At least one person was killed. Buildings were damaged, trees were toppled, and boulders came crashing down onto roads. Several states are also without power this morning. NOAA says there’s now a tsunami threat in Mexico.
Read More: Reuters, CNN, WSJ, NY Times, USGS
White House Proposes Stopgap Bill
The White House is asking Congress to pass a short-term spending package to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month. The Biden administration also wants it to include money for two immediate priorities. One request is $24 billion to cover the costs of Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters. The other is $6.4 billion to resettle Afghan evacuees. If no spending deal is reached, many federal workers will have to be furloughed. Meanwhile, Congress is still focused on debating the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and a $3.5 trillion social and environmental measure.
Read More: Politico, CNBC, AP, NPR
Richmond’s Lee Statue Coming Down
A controversial confederate monument that’s towered over Richmond, Virginia for more than 130 years is coming down. The statue of confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee is expected to be removed this morning. Virginia’s governor first announced plans to take down the statue last summer during nationwide protests against racism. However, plans got delayed for more than a year because of legal battles. The cases ended up in front of Virginia’s Supreme Court last week, and the court ruled the statue could come down. The governor’s office is live streaming the removal this morning.
Read More: AP, Reuters, Fox News, ABC News
Flu Season Coming
Health officials say Americans need to start getting their flu shots now since this flu season could be a bad one. That’s because, unlike last year, most kids are back to in-person school, and a lot of communities have eased mask mandates and physical distancing measures. Plus, last year, fewer people were exposed to the flu virus. That means fewer people have a natural immunity to it this time around. On average, about 200,000 Americans are hospitalized with the flu each year. Some researchers say we can expect up to three times that many this year.
Read More: NBC News, Fox News, NPR, AAP
Intel Building Europe Chip-Making Facilities
Intel is doubling down on plans to expand semiconductor chip production to deal with a growing need. The company says it will invest up to $95 billion in Europe over the next decade. Intel plans to build at least two new factories, and an existing factory in Ireland will soon devote all its efforts toward making chips for automakers. Intel is also building new plants in Arizona. However, none of these plans are expected to solve the current chip shortage.
Read More: WSJ, Reuters, The Street
Chip Shortage Could Last Into 2024
This week, leaders at Ford and Volkswagen predicted the chip shortages could last until 2023 or 2024. Chipmakers have been trying to meet increased demand, but the pandemic is slowing the process. Factories in Taiwan and Malaysia dealt with shutdowns this summer because of COVID-19 outbreaks. The shift to electric vehicles is putting more pressure on the situation. CNBC says a gas-powered car like a Ford Focus uses about 300 chips. However, Ford’s new electric vehicles need about 3,000 of them.
Read More: Bloomberg, CNBC, BBC
Mars Rover Collects First Rock Sample
NASA is celebrating a historic achievement on Mars. The Perseverance rover drilled into the red planet and successfully collected its first rock sample. The rock came from a crater where scientists think there was once a great body of water. Studying samples like this will help scientists figure out if there was ever life on Mars. However, it will be a while before the rock can be analyzed. NASA has to send a second rover to Mars to pick up the samples and ship them to Earth on a rocket. If all goes well, the Mars rock could be delivered to Earth by 2030.
Read More: NY Times, NASA, CBS News, CNET
Jamie Spears Files to End Conservatorship
Britney Spears scored a major win in her conservatorship case. The singer’s father, Jamie, filed a petition to end the conservatorship. That’s what Britney has been fighting for at court hearings over the summer. In his recent petition, Jamie says the conservatorship helped Britney “get through a major life crisis, rehabilitate, and advance her career.” Now, he says his daughter’s life has changed and that if she thinks she can handle her own life, she should get that chance. Britney has claimed the arrangement controlling her life and finances was abusive, but her father still denies that part. The next court date is set for the end of this month.
Read More: Variety, TMZ, NBC News, BBC
TikTok Overtakes YouTube Watch Time
These days, it seems TikTok is holding people’s attention longer than YouTube. The analytics firm App Annie says the average American TikTok user watches more than 24 hours of content per month. By comparison, people are watching about 22 hours and 40 minutes worth of videos on YouTube. The report focused on Android phones, which account for nearly half of the smartphones in North America. YouTube still has more users though: two billion compared to TikTok’s estimated 700 million.
Read More: BBC, The Verge, Gizmodo, ARS Technica
Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
MLB legends Derek Jeter, Ted Simmons, Larry Walker, and the late Marvin Miller will finally be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today. They were elected for the class of 2020. However, the ceremony was delayed for more than a year and a half because of the pandemic. Today’s event is happening in Cooperstown, New York, about a mile from the Hall of Fame Museum. The ceremony starts at 1:30 p.m. ET. There will be a crowd.
Read More: AP, USA Today, CBS Sports, MLB
Work Wednesday: Minimum Salary Expectations Rise
American workers have higher expectations for their next jobs, including higher salaries. A recent survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found, on average, salary workers won’t accept less than $69,000 a year for their next job. That’s about 7% higher than the same time last year. Hourly workers are also starting to expect more than they used to. The August jobs report found average hourly wages have gone up more than 4% over the past year. Still, Labor Department data shows there are more job openings than potential workers right now.
Read More: Fox Business, CNBC, WaPo, Federal Reserve Bank of NY