Thursday, October 7th, 2021
Congress to Compromise?, First Malaria Vaccine & Google Goes Green
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by JoinCrowdHealth.com/99 (Listen for the discount code) and Ritual.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 peruse the latest happenings...
Debt Limit Vote
This week, White House officials and corporate executives have been pressuring lawmakers to take action on the nation’s debt ceiling. That’s because if it isn’t addressed in the next 11 days, the government won’t be able to pay its bills on time. Now, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Republicans will let Democrats vote on a short-term extension to avoid a default for the next couple of months. Still, he’s demanding Dems use another tactic to get a long-term deal passed, a complicated and time-consuming procedure known as budget reconciliation. For now, Democrats say they’re going to move forward on the short-term vote.
Read More: AP, NY Times, Fox News, WSJ
Judge Blocks Texas Abortion Law
The new, controversial Texas abortion law is now on hold. A federal judge sided with the Biden administration that sued to try and block the state law. In doing so, the judge called the law “offensive,” saying it takes away Texans’ constitutional rights to get abortions. The law bans the procedure as soon as doctors can detect a heartbeat. That’s usually six weeks into a pregnancy. Officials in Texas say they plan to appeal to a court that’s sided with them on the issue before. In the meantime, they’re threatening providers that they could still be sued.
Read More: Texas Tribune, Reuters, AP, Politico
Texas School Shooting
We have another school shooting to report. Police say it all started with a fight in a classroom at a high school in Arlington, Texas. An 18-year-old student opened fire and hurt four people. The shooter was able to get away at first, but after an hours-long manhunt, police say he was brought into custody. The shooter’s family says he was bullied and robbed twice at school. Two students and a teacher had to go to the hospital, and two needed surgery. They’re all expected to survive their injuries.
Read More: CNN, Fox News, Dallas Morning News, AP
Kids COVID-19 Cases Rising
Children are starting to make up a larger portion of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. The American Academy of Pediatrics says children now account for 27% of coronavirus infections, but they only make up 22% of the population. Most children don’t get very severe cases. Kids continue to make up less than 1% of COVID-19 deaths. Still, health experts say the best way to protect kids is for the adults around them to get vaccinated and for kids to also get their shots when they’re eligible.
Read More: WaPo, USA Today, CNN, AAP
At-Home Testing Investment
The Biden administration announced it’s investing another $1 billion to buy millions of more at-home COVID-19 tests. These are over-the-counter swabs people can buy at the pharmacy and take at home without needing a lab to decipher the results. Those results usually come back within minutes. However, they’ve been in short supply. Now, the White House says that will change. Starting in December, it says there will be 200 million tests on the market each month. That’s four times more than there are now.
Read More: Politico, WaPo, NPR, NY Times, White House
WHO Approves First Malaria Vaccine
For the first time in history, the world has a vaccine to fight malaria. The World Health Organization approved a first-of-its-kind vaccine that’s been proven to help prevent severe cases in babies and small children. It’s critical because malaria kills about half a million people each year. Most of them are in sub-Saharan Africa, and about half of the victims are children younger than five. The vaccine requires four doses over 18 months. In a pilot program, the vaccine prevented about 30% of severe malaria cases.
Read More: Reuters, Sky News, WSJ, NY Times, WHO
Student Loan Overhaul
Tens of thousands of Americans can say goodbye to their student loan debt. That’s because the Education Department announced an overhaul of the “Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.” That program was meant for people who chose to work as a teacher, police officer or any job in the public sector. The problem has been that the federal government has rejected the vast majority of people who’ve applied for loan forgiveness. That’s supposed to change starting this fall. The Education Department says the change will immediately erase debt for 22,000 people to the tune of $1.7 billion.
Read more: NPR, WSJ, USA Today, Education Dept, StudentAid.Gov
Twitch Data Breach
Amazon’s popular streaming platform, Twitch, fell victim to a major cyber-attack. Hackers leaked more than 120-gigabytes worth of data online. It reportedly includes confidential company information like source codes, details about upcoming products, and some financial information about the company. It’s not clear if hackers got to any user data, but experts say Twitch users might want to change their passwords as a precaution.
Read more: The Verge, Insider, BBC, PC Gamer, ARS Technica
GM Tries to Take on Tesla
General Motors is taking on Tesla. The company says it plans to take the top spot as the leader in the electric vehicle market over the next decade. GM said half of its factories in North America and China will be able to produce electric vehicles by 2030, and already this week, GM announced it’s building a battery research facility in Michigan. Company leaders say revenue will double by 2030. Of course, GM isn’t alone in wanting to switch to electric vehicles.
Read more: Detroit Free Press, CNBC, Axios, WSJ
Google Goes Greener
Google started rolling out new tools to help users reduce their carbon footprint. One of the most visible changes is to Google Maps. The app will now suggest the most fuel-efficient route when you’re driving somewhere by analyzing things like traffic congestion and road incline. Google will also now show you the estimated carbon dioxide emissions for each flight you look up, display a green badge next to hotels that are committed to lowering their environmental impact, and more.
Read more: Axios, Bloomberg, CNBC, CNET
Thing to Know Thursday: Indigenous People’s Day or Columbus Day
There’s an official holiday coming up this Monday: Columbus Day. It was first celebrated in the U.S. in 1792 and President Roosevelt made it a federal holiday in 1937. It’s been seen as a day to celebrate Italian American heritage and honor Christopher Columbus. But Columbus Day has become controversial in recent decades since Columbus’ arrival kickstarted colonization in the Western hemisphere and led to millions of Native American deaths. So, in 1977, the UN formally recommended replacing it with “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” Now, 17 states plus Washington, D.C. observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of, or in addition to, Columbus Day.
Read more: History, Smithsonian Magazine, Reuters, NPR, National Geographic