Friday, October 1st, 2021
New ICE Rules, Hurricane Sam & Star-Studded Halftime Show
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Noom.com/newsworthy 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 reading the latest happenings...
Congress Averts Shutdown
The Senate and House both approved a short-term spending bill in back-to-back votes. Then, President Biden signed it hours before a shutdown would have gone into effect. This will keep the government running through early December and give lawmakers more time to craft a full-year spending measure that will fund federal agencies and their programs. Next, lawmakers need to raise or suspend the debt ceiling sometime in the next 17 days. Otherwise, the treasury secretary says the government won’t be able to pay its bills on time. Economists think that could trigger a recession, a stock market sell-off, a spike in interest rates, job losses, and more.
Read More: AP, CNBC, WSJ, CBS News
DHS New Deportation Guidelines
The Homeland Security Department issued new guidance to immigration officers. It says immigration status alone shouldn’t be the basis of a decision to deport someone. ICE officers shouldn’t try to arrest farmworkers, elderly people, and others. Instead, they should focus on immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety or people who have crossed the border recently. An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants are living in the U.S., but most of them have lived here for years.
Read More: Reuters, WaPo, Fox News, Axios, ICE
U.S. Military Suicides Increase
A new report from the Defense Department says suicide rates among U.S. troops went up by more than 41% from 2015 to 2020. They jumped by 15% last year alone. Military leaders have said the COVID-19 pandemic added a lot of stress for service members. Troops were called to help provide testing, then vaccines while struggling with the virus in their personal lives. Last year, they also dealt with continued war-zone deployments, natural disasters, and some violent civil unrest. Still, the Defense Department says it can’t fully explain the recent increase in suicides.
Read More: Axios, AP, Army Times, Defense Dept.
Weekend Abortion Rights Rallies
Hundreds of marches are scheduled in all 50 states this weekend to show support for abortion access nationwide. Organizers say they also want to protest the recent restrictions in Texas. Plus, they want to get the attention of the Supreme Court. Justices are beginning their next term on Monday. They’re expected to hear a case about Mississippi trying to enforce an abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy. More than 650 marches are planned for tomorrow, along with virtual events. In the last week, thousands of people in places like Utah and Pennsylvania have also attended March for Life rallies meant to oppose abortions.
Read More: WaPo, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, WJLA, Women’s March
Hurricane Sam
Forecasters are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Sam. As of this morning, it’s a powerful category four storm, and it’s expected to stay this strong for at least the next couple of days. The hurricane isn’t expected to make landfall in the United States. However, even with Sam out to sea, the National Hurricane Center says it will cause life-threatening surf and rip currents on the east coast. Forecasters are also monitoring Tropical Storm Victor. It’s expected to become Hurricane Victor soon. For now, it looks like it’s also going to stay away from land.
Read More: USA Today, AP, WaPo, Axios, NHC
USPS Changes Take Effect
The United States Postal Service is making some changes to cut down on operating costs. That includes slower delivery times for customers. Standard delivery for first-class mail used to be three days. That applied to things like bills, tax documents, wedding invitations, magazine subscriptions, birthday cards, and more. Now, those items could take up to five days instead, especially if they’re being mailed from across the country. Slower delivery is just one part of USPS’ 10-year plan to manage its massive debt. Other changes include cutting down post office hours and higher postage prices.
Read More: CBS News, CNET, Fast Company, WaPo
Fewer Teens Are Vaping
The government’s annual survey of middle and high school students found fewer teenagers are using electronic cigarettes. About 11% of high schoolers admitted to vaping. That’s down from about 20% last year and 28% in 2019. Experts say pandemic-related restrictions may have influenced the drop. Teens may have been less likely to vape during remote learning, especially if their parents were also working from home. The survey also found flavored e-cigarettes are still a big draw. Nearly 85% of teen users said they preferred flavored products like fruit, candy, and mint flavors.
Read More: NY Times, The Hill, FDA, AP
App Scam Hit 10M Android Users
The Google Play store was recently hit by a massive scam campaign, and investigators say it impacted up to 10 million people with Android devices. The security firm Zimperium says cybercriminals ran more than 200 apps in the Google Play store for nearly a year. When people downloaded them, they would get notifications saying they had won a prize. Then, the app would redirect them to another website and ask for a phone number. However, instead of getting a prize, users got charged $42 a month on their phone bills. Google says it’s identified the apps, removed them from their store, and banned the app developers.
Read More: Insider, Wired, Forbes
‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit Settled
Scarlett Johansson and Disney have officially settled their differences. The actress sued Disney soon after her Marvel Movie “Black Widow” came out. Johansson said her contract guaranteed it would come out exclusively in theaters first, and her salary was based largely on box office ticket sales. However, the studio decided to release it on Disney+ the same day it came out in theaters. The actress sought a $50 million payout from Disney. The studio pushed back at first, but the two have since made a deal. The exact terms of the settlement weren’t released. Both say they’re now glad the dispute is over and look forward to continuing to collaborate.
Read More: Deadline, Variety, AP, CNBC
Super Bowl Halftime Performers Announced
This year’s Super Bowl halftime show is going to include hip hop and R&B royalty. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar will perform onstage together for the first time. Combined, they have 44 Grammys and 22 number-one albums on the Billboard 200. This year’s Super Bowl is happening in Inglewood, California, just outside Los Angeles, on February 13th. This year, you can watch the game and the halftime show on NBC.
Read More: CBS Sports, AP, Variety, CNN, NFL
Feel Good Friday: Thailand Recycles Plastic for PPE
In Thailand, groups are collecting millions of plastic bottles, shredding them down, then weaving the threads into the fabric to make personal protective equipment. So far, they’ve made thousands of water-resistant, reusable suits. They are being donated to hospitals around the country and to Buddhist temples to protect monks who cremate COVID-19 victims. Volunteers can reportedly make one PPE suit out of just 18 plastic bottles. Although the finished product isn’t medical-grade, people involved in the endeavor say it does offer protection, and it’s helping keep a lot of people safe and healthy.
Read More: Reuters, Good News Network, Bangkok Post