Tuesday, September 28th, 2021
Gov’t Shutdown Nears, R. Kelly Convicted & ‘Instagram Kids’ on Hold
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and Noom.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...
Debt Default, Gov’t Shutdown Looming
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are scrambling to get an important bill passed by the end of the week. If they don’t, the government will shut down by Friday. Democrats brought a bill to the Senate yesterday that would have kept the government funded for the next couple of months. It also would have raised the debt ceiling. However, every Senate Republican voted against it as a protest. They’re upset that Democrats have been working without them on other massive spending bills, so they won’t vote on the debt ceiling. Now, Democrats may split up the government funding and debt limit vote into two separate bills in hopes of getting them both passed in different ways.
Read More: Politico, WSJ, AP, WaPo
R. Kelly Convicted
A multi-platinum R&B singer is now a convicted sex trafficker. A jury found R. Kelly guilty of being a ringleader in a criminal enterprise that recruited women and underage girls for sex, forced labor, and child pornography. He’s faced these kinds of accusations for decades, but this is the first time Kelly has been criminally punished for them. In the last six weeks at the trial, the court heard graphic testimony from dozens of accusers. The defense tried to paint them as obsessive fans and opportunists who were lying about the abuse, but the jury believed the accusers. Kelly will be sentenced in May. He faces anywhere from 10 years to life in prison.
Read More: AP, NPR, CBS News, NY Times
John Hinckley Jr. Release
The man who tried to assassinate former President Ronald Reagan will be free next year. That’s what a judge decided during a hearing this week. John Hinckley, Jr. shot President Reagan and three others back in 1981. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was committed to a mental hospital for about three decades before he was released under restrictions in 2016. Now, the Justice Department is going to monitor him for nine more months. If he’s able to stay mentally stable and out of trouble, he will be free without restrictions.
Read More: NY Times, NPR, Fox News, CNN, Reagan Presidential Foundation
Fed Banks Leaders Exit
Two top officials at the Federal Reserve who’ve been criticized over stock market trades stepped down this week. They both did quite a bit of trading last year when the central bank was spending trillions of dollars to stabilize the financial markets and boost the economy. Critics say, because of those trades, the two officials could have profited from the Fed’s actions. The Federal Reserve chair ordered a review of the central bank’s ethics rules in light of those concerns. He’s expected to testify on Capitol Hill about this today. Now, he’ll be able to respond to lawmakers' questions by saying the two officials resigned.
Read More: WSJ, AP, NY Times, Reuters, Dallas Fed, Boston Fed
Biden, McConnell get Boosters
President Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell got their COVID-19 booster shots this week. They’re both eligible now since they’re both senior citizens. They used the occasion to urge all Americans to get vaccinated no matter what their politics are. They also told people to get booster shots when they’re eligible. A third dose of the Pfizer vaccine is available now for all Americans 65 and older, as well as others who work in high-risk environments or have pre-existing conditions, as long as they got their first two doses of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago.
Read More: Axios, AP, The Hill, NBC News, WSJ, White House
Fake Pills Warning
Federal officials say fake prescription pills could be laced with deadly amounts of fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) says the fake pills are made to look like Vicodin, Xanax, and Adderall. They’re typically sold online. Already, the DEA has seized more than 9.5 million counterfeit pills this year. That’s more than the past two years combined. Two out of every five pills laced with fentanyl contained enough of the drug to be deadly. Officials say drug traffickers have also been putting methamphetamine into the pills, so they’re reminding people to only get medications from licensed pharmacies.
Read More: NPR, WaPo, NY Times, DEA
Facebook Pauses ‘Instagram Kids’
Facebook is hitting the brakes on an Instagram app for kids. It’s supposed to be for children younger than 13 years old. However, critics say kids already spend too much time looking at screens, and they have raised concerns about privacy and the threat of online predators. Instagram says a kids version is necessary, though, because young kids are online anyway. The company says this way, they can have an app with age-appropriate content, strong parental controls, and no ads. The social media giant plans to release the app eventually after it consults more with parents, experts, and regulators.
Read More: Fox Business, NBC News, WaPo, Instagram
TikTok Tops a Billion Monthly Users
TikTok says it has reached a major milestone. The video-sharing app now has more than a billion monthly active users. TikTok has been growing quickly over the last two years. It was the most downloaded app in the world in 2020, and it’s on track to repeat that title this year. TikTok’s success has also inspired a lot of copycats. For example, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube have since launched similar short-form video platforms.
Read More: WSJ, The Verge, TechCrunch, TikTok
Ford Building 4 More Factories
Ford is spending billions of dollars to build three new battery factories and an electric truck plant in the U.S. by 2025. These are the first facilities Ford is building from scratch in more than 50 years. They will create 11,000 jobs over the next four years. Two of the battery factories are being built in Kentucky. The third one and an electric truck plant will be in Tennessee. Once they’re up and running, they’ll work to produce more than a million electric vehicles a year.
Read More: NY Times, The Verge, CNN, Reuters, Ford
National Voter Registration Day
You may be asked about your voting status today. That’s because it’s National Voter Registration Day. The non-partisan holiday started nine years ago. It’s always observed on the fourth Tuesday in September. The idea is to raise awareness about where people can register and reach people who may not have planned to vote. Last year, volunteers from all political parties set a new record by registering about 1.5 million voters through in-person drives and virtual events. Many events are happening today, too.
Read More: Nat’l Voter Registration Day, PRWeb, White House
Trivia Tuesday
Q: What is the most common letter in the English language?
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: Which country is known as the Land of White Elephants?
A: Thailand
Read More: World Atlas, Quartz, Phuket News