Friday, September 24th, 2021
U.S. Diplomat Quits, CDC Endorses Boosters & Tiger King 2
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code) 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 reading the latest happenings...
U.S. Diplomat to Haiti Quit
There’s still a lot of outrage over how the U.S. is handling a surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Now, the senior U.S. diplomat for Haiti has quit over it. Ambassador Daniel Foote wrote a resignation letter saying, “I will not be associated with the United States’ inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees.” He also said Haiti can’t support thousands of returned migrants without “human tragedy.” The state department’s spokesman responded by saying it was unfortunate that Foote didn’t take advantage of the opportunity in the government and chose to resign instead.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, AP, NPR
Del Rio Migrant Camp Shrinking
This week, more than 2,000 Haitian migrants have been sent back to their home country. American leaders reportedly think the flights are necessary to stop the cycle of migration. However, several thousand migrants are trying to avoid deportation, and they’ve returned to Mexico. Others are waiting it out. At last check, about 4,000 Haitian migrants were still gathered under a bridge in South Texas. That’s down from almost 15,000 last weekend. Some Haitians are being allowed to stay in the U.S. at least temporarily. Homeland security officials say those are people with “vulnerabilities.”
Read More: AP, Dallas Morning News, NPR, WSJ
DHS Suspends Horse Patrols
A lot of the outrage over the migrant surge started when videos and photographs came out that showed horse-mounted border patrol agents charging at Haitian migrants. Some of them were seen whipping around ropes or horse reins. The homeland security department has now suspended the horse patrol unit, and the Biden administration is still investigating the agents’ behavior.
Read More: WaPo, NBC News, Fox News, Newsweek
TN Grocery Store Shooting
A shooter attacked people at a Tennessee grocery store this week. It happened inside a Kroger in the upscale suburb of Collierville, about 30 miles east of Memphis. The gunman shot 13 people, then killed himself. One of the victims died. The other 12 had to be rushed to the hospital. Some are severely hurt. One local news outlet reports the gunman was a Kroger employee who was fired earlier that day. Now, Kroger is offering counseling to its employees. The police investigation continues.
Read More: Reuters, CNN, Fox News, CBS News
Taliban Bringing Back Strict Punishment
One of the Taliban’s founders says his group plans to bring harsh punishments back to Afghanistan. In an interview with the AP, he said militants will once again carry out executions and amputations as punishments for crimes. Until now, the Taliban has been vague about their plans for governing. They’ve said they’ll work within the bounds of Islamic law, but Islamic law is interpreted differently around the Muslim world. Historically, the Taliban have taken a deeply conservative, hard-line approach. In recent weeks, the Taliban have also kept female students from returning to schools, and most women have been told to stay home until further notice.
Read More: AP, Axios, Fox News, CBS News, NBC News
Jan. 6th Investigation Subpoenas
Lawmakers investigating the January 6th Capitol riot have subpoenaed top Trump administration officials. They want to legally force them to turn over records and sit for questioning under oath. The subpoenas were sent to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, the old White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, former President Trump’s longtime adviser Steve Bannon, and Kashyap Patel, who was the chief of staff for the acting defense secretary at the time of the riot. Former President Trump responded, saying he will fight the subpoenas “for the good of our country.”
Read More: Politico, WSJ, NY Times, NBC News
CDC Recommended Boosters
Starting today, millions more Americans can sign up for appointments to get their COVID-19 booster shots. The CDC director followed the FDA’s lead and decided to endorse a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine for at-risk Americans. That means seniors, people in nursing homes, or people 50 and older with underlying medical conditions can get a booster shot. Adults of all ages who are considered high risk because of their jobs can also get boosters. Regulators are still evaluating data from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. They’re probably going to decide whether to recommend extra doses for those shots soon.
Read More: NBC News, CNN, AP, CDC
EPA New Hydrofluorocarbon Rule
The U.S. government is officially cracking down on greenhouse gases used in refrigerators, air conditioners, and building insulation. The EPA is limiting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). They’re hundreds of thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the planet. So starting next year, the EPA is going to lower HFC production and imports by 85% over the next 15 years. The agency says this could also save the economy more than $280 billion over the next three decades. Congress overwhelmingly approved this idea.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, AP, WaPo, CNBC, EPA
Baby Loungers Recalled
More than three million baby pillows are being recalled. Three types of newborn loungers from Boppy are part of the recall because eight infants died on them between 2015 and 2020. The Boppy company says infants were never supposed to sleep on the loungers, and babies shouldn’t have been left unsupervised. However, safety regulators say that’s not enough to stop the risk of infants suffocating, so the products have been pulled. They were sold at major retailers like Walmart, Target, Pottery Barn Kids, and Amazon. If you have one, regulators say you should stop using it and contact the company for a refund.
Read More: USA Today, NBC News, Axios, CPSC (see recalled products here)
FAA Unruly Passenger Incidents
There are starting to be fewer incidents involving unruly passengers on flights since the FAA increased fines. However, the FAA’s administration says they’re still happening too often. The rate is still twice as high as last year. Now, the FAA has asked airports to stop all to-go orders for alcoholic drinks. Almost three-quarters of the cases reported involved passengers who wouldn’t wear a mask, even though they’re required on flights. Several incidents also involve assaults on flight attendants and brawls between passengers.
Read More: Axios, CBS News, Fox Business, AP, FAA
New Clues of First Americans
Scientists have made an exciting discovery that sheds new light on the history of North America. Researchers found fossilized human footprints that date back 23,000 years in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park. However, for decades, the theory has been that people first traveled to North America 13,000 years ago. This is the first clue found to indicate people were living in the Americas during the last ice age. They look similar to modern footprints. However, the ancient feet appear to have been a little flatter than ours, probably from a lifetime of walking barefoot.
Read More: WSJ, Nature, Gizmodo
Tiger King Season 2
The hit docuseries “Tiger King” is making a comeback. Netflix announced it has a season two coming out later this year. It’s still not clear which characters from season one might be in it, though. Last time, the show centered around Joe Exotic. He owned a roadside zoo and had an intense feud with animal activist Carole Baskin. Now, Exotic is in prison because he was convicted of trying to kill Baskin. She has slammed the show for being “salacious and sensational.” Netflix is promising “just as much mayhem and madness as season one.”
Read More: EW, THR, The Verge, People, Netflix
Feel Good Friday: Lemonade Stand Raises Money for Charity
A young boy has been raising tens of thousands of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Eight-year-old Wyatt Dennis and his family recently wrote a check for more than $32,000. The proceeds came from Wyatt selling lemonade in Sturgis, South Dakota. Every year, Wyatt sets up shop during the Sturgis motorcycle rally. Thanks to social media, his lemonade stand went viral this year. Wyatt earned $62,000 during the rally. He kept half for his college fund and donated the other half. Wyatt’s family says he’ll be back to Sturgis next year, too, likely with an even bigger goal.
Read More: Black Hills Pioneer, Rapid City Journal, NewsCenter1