Wednesday, September 15th, 2021
Recall Attempt Fails, All-Civilian Spaceflight & Holiday Hiring
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and Policygenius.com
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…
Results of CA Recall Election
California voters have decided Gavin Newsom will stay on as their governor. Most of them voted against a recall effort. This means the nation’s most populous state will stay in Democratic control. Republicans had hoped frustrations over months of restrictions would have driven voters away from the Democrats. Newsom’s challenger was a nationally syndicated conservative radio talk show host named Larry Elder. He’s most known for speaking out against mask and vaccine mandates. Newsom might end up running against Elder again soon. The governor is up for re-election next year.
Read More: AP, NBC News, ABC News, Gov. Newsom
Ex-Intelligence Officers Face Hacking Charges
Three former U.S. intelligence and military officials were behind an international hacking scheme. Newly released court documents show they admitted the United Arab Emirates hired them to hack into computer networks around the world, including here in the U.S. They also sent advanced hacking technology from the U.S. to help the UAE spy on its enemies. A team there ended up breaking into the computers and phones of thousands of targets. However, the three men made a deal to avoid criminal trials. They’ll have to pay almost $1.7 million in fines and cooperate with the federal investigation.
Read More: Reuters, AP, NY Times, DOJ
Covid Cases Rising, Packed ICUs
The number of COVID-19 outbreaks keeps growing around the country, especially in the south. The U.S. is now averaging more than 170,000 new cases and 1,800 deaths a day. Now, infections are especially soaring in places like Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia. New federal data shows one in four hospitals nationwide reports more than 95% of intensive care beds are full. Experts say when ICUs are full, it’s difficult or impossible for healthcare workers to keep up with high standards of care.
Read More: NY Times, AP, CNBC, CDC
Cost of Treating Unvaccinated Americans
The Kaiser Family Foundation published a new analysis this week that says it’s cost $5.7 billion to treat unvaccinated COVID-19 patients in American hospitals over the last three months. That breaks down to about $20,000 on average per in-patient hospitalization. The study authors say even that is probably an underestimate. A small portion of that total is picked up by the patients. Private insurers and public programs pay for most of it.
Read More: CNN, WaPo, The Week, KFF
Hurricane Nicholas Damage
What was once Hurricane Nicholas has since been downgraded to a tropical depression. However, it’s still drenching the U.S. gulf coast with flooding rains. Galveston, Texas saw nearly 14 inches of rain. Houston got more than half a foot. Many roads were flooded, and homes and businesses were damaged. Now, the heaviest rain is hovering over Louisiana. Forecasters say it could stay there for a while and bring more life-threatening floods across the deep south for the next couple of days. More than 6.2 million people are under flash flood watches from Texas to the Florida panhandle.
Read More: Weather Channel, AP, CNN, NY Times
SpaceX All-Civilian Spaceflight Today
For the first time, a rocket is blasting into orbit without an astronaut onboard, just space tourists. Four passengers will be riding in a SpaceX capsule. They’ll take off sometime after 8 p.m. ET as long as the weather cooperates. The plan is for them to orbit Earth for three days before splashing back down off the coast of Florida. Billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Jared Isaacman is paying for the private trip, which is also raising millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He’s going along with three non-billionaires he chose for the once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Read More: AP, CNN, WaPo, Space.com, Inspiration4
Watch the Launch: YouTube
Watch the Special Edition Interviews on The Newsworthy
Apple’s iPhone 13 Event
Apple debuted four versions of its iPhone 13. New features include a faster operating system, longer battery life, more storage space, and improved camera features. The 13 mini starts at $700, and the prices go up from there when other features get added, like bigger batteries. Apple also debuted upgrades for the iPad, like an enhanced camera and a faster processor. Then, there’s the new Apple watch called the series 7. The screen is 20% larger and more durable than older models.
Read More: Axios, CNBC, TechCrunch, Apple Insider
iOS 15 Coming Next Week
Apple also announced its next software update for iPhones, iPads, and smartwatches. It will be available this coming Monday. iOS 15 includes new features, like more control over notifications, improvements to the FaceTime app, and a new space in the Messages app for sharing content. Remember, there’s also an urgent security update available to download across all Apple devices now. That one came out this week.
Read More: Engadget, The Verge
Comedian, SNL Star Norm Macdonald Dies
The entertainment world is mourning the loss of iconic comedian Norm Macdonald. He battled cancer for nearly a decade, but hardly anyone knew about it until he died yesterday, at 61 years old. Macdonald became a household name when he joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 1993. Fellow comedians like Steve Martin, Conan O’Brien, Jim Carey, and many more posted tributes to Macdonald. Many referred to him as a “legend,” a “comedy genius,” and “one of a kind.”
Read More: Variety, Deadline, CNN, AP
Woolly Mammoth Mission
Scientists are trying to bring back woolly mammoths even though the elephant relative became extinct about 4,000 years ago. Researchers recently got $15 million from investors to make it happen. They plan to use that money to create living, breathing baby mammoths in the next few years. They don’t have enough DNA from mammoth fossils, so they’ll have to use DNA from Asian elephants and add genetic traits like shaggy hair, layers of fat, and smaller ears. Once they have embryos, scientists want to produce thousands of woolly mammoths and return them to Siberia, where their ancient ancestors lived.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, USA Today, The Guardian
First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month
Today marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. It’s a chance for Americans to honor the impact the Latinx community has made on society. It starts every year on September 15th because that’s the date when many Latin American countries like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua declared their independence from Spain in 1821. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days this week too. Throughout the month, there will be events around the U.S. for people to celebrate. They include parades, art exhibitions, concerts, food festivals, and more.
Read More: History.Com, WFTV, White House
Work Wednesday: Hiring for the Holidays
The holiday hiring spree has started. For example, UPS is looking for 100,000 people to help with the holiday rush. The post office says it needs more than 40,000 seasonal workers. The retail chain Kohl’s wants 90,000 people for both its stores and warehouses. Those are just a few examples. The competition is expected to be fierce nationwide. Even before the holiday season, labor numbers have been showing there are more jobs available than there are workers to fill them. Economists say major retailers may have to raise wages or offer other incentives to fill their seasonal job openings.
Read More: CNN, WSJ, WPTV, CBS News