Thursday, September 9th, 2021
Tropical Storm Mindy, Unvaxxed Go Unpaid & NFL Season Starts
All the news you need 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 peruse the latest happenings...
Tropical Storm Mindy
Another large storm hit the U.S. this week. Tropical Storm Mindy made landfall in the Florida panhandle yesterday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the area. This one isn’t going to last long, though. It’s expected to impact Georgia and southern South Carolina next, but it should go back out to sea by the end of the day today. There might end up being some flooding in certain areas, and there’s a threat of tornadoes.
Read More: Weather Channel, USA Today, CNN, NHC
Ida Death Toll, Damage Rising
People are still being impacted by Hurricane Ida 11 days after it hit. Most people who originally lost power in the storm have it back, but more than 260,000 homes and businesses are still without it in Louisiana. One power company says the issue is that Hurricane Ida took down more power poles than Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Delta, and Zeta combined. Sadly, the outages are causing more people to die. Louisiana confirmed 11 more deaths this week. That brings the total death toll from Hurricane Ida to 82. Accuweather also says Ida likely caused $95 billion in damage.
Read More: CBS News, AP, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business
Afghanistan Protest Violence
There has been more violence on the streets of Afghanistan’s capital this week. Some of the worst of it started when a group of women protested in Kabul. Taliban fighters broke up the protests by hitting women and children with sticks and whips. They also arrested and beat several journalists who covered the events. One of the Taliban’s new leaders says any further protests will be illegal unless authorities approve the location, timing, and slogans ahead of time. A special, uniformed security force will also be deployed in Kabul soon.
Read More: LA Times, CNN, WSJ
Taliban Blocking Flights
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed concerns that the Taliban are blocking charter flights from leaving Afghanistan. Blinken says the U.S. is working with the Taliban to make sure people with proper documentation are still able to evacuate. As of this morning, neither the U.S. nor any other country has formally recognized the new government in Afghanistan. Most foreign aid is on hold.
Read More: ABC News, Fox News, Axios
Study: More Americans Infected with COVID-19
It looks like a lot more Americans got COVID-19 than first thought. By the end of last year, the U.S. surpassed 20 million confirmed COVID-19 infections. Now, researchers at Columbia University say, at that point, the true number was more like 100 million or more. To figure this out, they looked at people who tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, not just those who got a positive test result. They found a lot more people had the antibodies, even before the vaccines came out. Scientists say there are gaps in data because many cases likely went undetected because they were mild. Also, testing was limited, especially early in the pandemic.
Read More: WaPo, NIH
Increased Childhood Cases
New data from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows nearly 27% of Americans who tested positive for COVID-19 last week were children. More than 250,000 American kids tested positive. Most children don’t get severe cases, but some do. In the last week, nearly 2,400 children were in the hospital with COVID-19. That’s the highest number of childhood hospitalizations since the pandemic began. Health experts blame the highly contagious delta variant and that COVID-19 vaccines aren’t authorized yet for kids younger than 12. Plus, most schools have in-person classes again, and not all are requiring masks or distancing.
Read More: CNN, Fox News, CBS News, AAP
FL Judge Allows Mask Mandates in Schools
Florida’s school districts are now free to keep requiring students to wear masks with official mandates. This fight has been playing out in court for weeks. Florida’s governor has been trying to ban mask mandates, saying health decisions should be up to parents, not school administrators. However, some parents sued, saying by not mandating masks for everyone, schools were less safe. A judge sided with the parents, and this week he said the mandates can stay during the ongoing legal battle. The governor is still appealing.
Read More: Politico, AP, Fox News, Forbes
Report: Federal Aid Helped Food Insecurity
It seems government relief money kept a lot of Americans from going hungry. The USDA released a report this week that said 10.5% of American households dealt with food insecurity last year. In other words, they couldn’t always afford enough food for their families. That’s the same percentage as 2019, even though 20 million people lost their jobs in 2020. The USDA credits the bipartisan relief bill Congress passed and former President Trump signed for not seeing a big spike.
Read More: NY Times, The Hill, WaPo, USDA
Solar Power Push
The Energy Department has a new goal to ramp up solar power in the U.S. As of last year, solar energy made up less than 4% of the country’s electricity. The Biden administration thinks we can make that 40% by 2035. The hope is to reduce pollution and stave off the worst effects of climate change. It would also mean dramatically changing technology, the energy industry, and the way people live. Right now, the electric grid is built around coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants. The grid would have to be remade. It would take trillions of dollars in investments by homeowners, businesses, and the government.
Read More: Reuters, NY Times, NBC News, WSJ, Energy Dept
Unpaid Leave for Unvaccinated United Staffers
United Airlines says employees who don’t get a COVID-19 vaccine also won’t be getting paychecks for a while. United is putting them on unpaid leave starting October 2nd. People who interact with customers like flight attendants, gate agents, and pilots won’t be allowed back until the pandemic “meaningfully recedes.” Other workers like mechanics and dispatchers will be able to return to work once safety measures like regular COVID-19 testing are in place. Even still, the company will have to accept a worker’s request for an exception, or they’ll be fired.
Read More: CNBC, Reuters, NY Times
Bill Gates Buys Control of Four Seasons
Bill Gates will soon have a controlling stake in the Four Seasons hotel chain. Gates’ investment company, Cascade, bought shares from a Saudi Arabian prince in a more than $2.2 billion all-cash deal. It’s expected to close in January. Once it does, Gates will have a majority stake in the company. He’s reportedly betting the Four Seasons will be in hot demand once business travel rebounds. The chain operates about 120 hotels and resorts around the world. It’s said to be building at least 50 more. Gates has been investing in the company since 1997.
Read More: Reuters, Forbes, GeekWire, Al Jazeera
Twitter Communities
There’s a new feature on Twitter for people to connect with others who have similar interests. It’s sort of like Groups on Facebook or Subreddits on Reddit. On Twitter, they’ll be called Communities. Like their competitors, they’ll have moderators who can set rules and invite or remove people. Already, there are Communities set up about dogs, weather, space, skincare, and more. Once you’re in a Community, you can tweet to other members instead of just your followers. Then, only members will be able to like or reply to those tweets. To create a Community, you have to apply on Twitter’s website.
Read More: The Verge, TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, CNET, Twitter
Regular NFL Season Starts
The NFL is back. The new season kicks off tonight with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, taking on the Dallas Cowboys. A lot is changing this season, though. For starters, it’s going to be the longest one in NFL history. The league decided each team will play 17 regular-season games, one more than usual. Plus, fans will be back in the stands. Unlike last season, the stadiums are expected to be at full capacity. The rules about masks and vaccinations vary depending on the venue.
Read More: CNBC, CBS Sports, NFL
Thing to Know Thursday: Sports Betting Tsunami
Now that the NFL season is getting started, the league is allowing some sports betting companies to run ads during games. Some teams have deals with companies to become official sports betting partners. More Americans than ever before are expected to gamble on the games. The American Gaming Association says more than 45 million people could place bets this season. That’s up 36% from last year. Overall, analysts predict football fans will wager more than $20 billion on NFL and college football games. It was in 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for states to legalize sports betting. Now, it’s allowed in 26 states.
Read More: Axios, AP, ESPN, American Gaming Association