Tuesday, September 14th, 2021
Hurricane Nicholas Hits, Historic Recall Election & Urgent Apple Update
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code) 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 read the latest happenings...
Hurricane Nicholas Hits Texas
Hurricane Nicholas made landfall near the town of Sargent, Texas. The category one hurricane is bringing heavy rains and 75 mph winds to that area. A couple of tornadoes are also possible. Now, the storm is headed toward Galveston and Houston. The millions of people who live in those cities and nearby are expected to get up to 15 inches of rain. That could cause life-threatening flooding. Authorities have been busy setting up barricades and getting high-water vehicles ready in case they’re needed for rescues. Some schools along the Texas gulf coast are closed today, and many COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites have shut down.
Read More: AP, Weather Channel, CBS News, NHC
California Recall Election
It’s election day again in the country’s most populous state. People in California are going to the polls to decide whether to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. Voters will get to decide whether to recall him. Also, on the same ballot, they can choose who they think should replace him, if anyone. That person could serve the rest of his term, which is set to end in January of 2023. There are 46 challengers in the running to replace Newsom. The front-runner among them is a conservative radio talk show host named Larry Elder. He’s most known for speaking out against mask and vaccine mandates.
Read More: LA Times, CBS News, Fox News, WSJ
Dems’ Tax Changes Proposal
House Democrats have now outlined how they plan to pay for the $3.5 trillion spending package they’ve been pushing. Under the new legislation, the top tax rate would go back to 39.6%. That hike would apply to single people earning more than $400,000 a year and couples making more than $450,000. On top of that, Americans who make more than $5 million a year would face a new 3% surtax. The top corporate tax rate would go from 21% to 26.5%. The minimum tax on what American companies make overseas would go up about 6%. There are also proposed tax hikes for tobacco products and more. Debate starts this week.
Read More: WSJ, AP, Reuters, CNBC, Politico, Full Proposal
Man Arrested Near DNC Headquarters
There was another scare in the nation’s capital this week. A man parked his truck outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters near Capitol Hill. The truck had a swastika and other white supremacist symbols painted on it, and there was a picture of an American flag where the license plate should have been. Police pulled the man over, and officers say they saw several knives and a machete inside his truck. They arrested him on weapons charges.
Read More: WaPo, ABC News, Fox News, CNN, USCP
New Paper on COVID Boosters
A new scientific review shows COVID-19 booster shots aren’t needed right now. It was published by an international group of scientists, including some at the FDA and the World Health Organization. They looked at trials and studies about COVID-19 vaccines and found they’re still extremely effective against severe cases of the virus. The review said whatever advantages boosters may give people, they don’t outweigh the benefit of using those doses to protect the billions of people who are still unvaccinated. Other health experts disagree, citing CDC studies that show protection from the current vaccines wanes over several months.
Read More: Axios, Fox News, WSJ, NY Times, The Lancet
Apple’s Emergency Security Update
If you have an Apple device, there’s an urgent warning to download the latest emergency software update. Apple just released it to fix a critical security problem. Security researchers found a flaw that lets certain spyware infect iPhones, iPads, Apple watches, or Mac computers. However, the person who owns the device doesn’t have to click on anything to let cybercriminals in, so users might not know when they’ve been compromised. With this technology, hackers can control the devices’ cameras and microphones. They can also record text messages, emails, and phone calls.
Read More: USA Today, TechCrunch, NY Times, Gizmodo, CISA
Crypto Scammers Pose as Walmart
It seems scammers caused a certain cryptocurrency to soar in value, only to have it fall a few hours later. A fake news release went around saying Walmart would start accepting litecoin for online purchases. A verified litecoin Twitter account tweeted the link to the announcement. It appeared on the real press release service GlobeNewswire, and several major news organizations picked up the story. Then, Walmart announced the whole thing was a sham. Litecoin issued a similar statement. It’s still not clear who the scammers are.
Read More: Fox Business, CNN, Reuters, Fortune, Litecoin, Walmart
Intuit Buys Mailchimp
A new company takeover could have a big impact on small business owners. The software company Intuit is buying the email marketing company Mailchimp for $12 billion. That reportedly makes this the largest-ever acquisition of a privately held company that built itself from the ground up. Mailchimp started as an email marketing service in 2001. Intuit is best known for Turbotax, Quickbooks, Credit Karma, and Mint. Now, Intuit says its goal for Mailchimp is to help small and medium-sized businesses grow. It wants to provide all the services companies need in one place.
Read More: WSJ, TechCrunch, CNBC, Axios, Intuit, Mailchimp
Taco Bell Testing Subscriptions
Taco Bell is testing out a new Taco Lover’s Pass. With the subscription service, customers can get a taco every day for 30 straight days. That includes the crunchy taco, soft taco, spicy potato soft taco, or Doritos Locos taco. The monthly pass costs $5 to $10 a month, depending on the location. For now, the chain is testing the program across 17 restaurants in Tucson, Arizona. If all goes well, the Taco Lover’s Passes are expected to roll out nationwide.
Read More: CNBC, Business Insider, Thrillist
Biggest Broadway Musicals Return
Some of Broadway’s biggest shows are finally back in New York City for the first time in more than a year and a half. That includes huge musical hits like “Hamilton,” “Wicked,” “Chicago,” and “The Lion King.” There will be some new safety measures at theaters, though. Ticket takers will be checking to see if all audience members have been vaccinated. They’ll also accept negative test results, but only for people who are exempt from vaccines, like young children. Ushers will also be enforcing a mask mandate. Still, there will be packed houses once again.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, CNN, WABC
Trivia Tuesday
Q: What is the highest point in the world?
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: Iceland diverted roads to avoid disturbing communities of what?
A: Elves
Read More: Reader’s Digest, The Guardian, BBC, Smithsonian Magazine