Tuesday, October 12th, 2021
Global Tax Rate, Mass Flight Cancellations & Bisexual Superman
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy 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 to read the latest happenings...
U.S.-Taliban Talks:
This weekend senior U.S. and Taliban officials sat down face-to-face for the first time since American troops left Afghanistan. The U.S. State Department says they addressed security and terrorism concerns. Human rights issues were also discussed, including whether women and girls can participate in all parts of Afghan society. Another key issue brought up was the U.S. giving humanitarian aid directly to the Afghan people who lack food, shelter, and other essential supplies. It’s not clear if the two sides reached any agreements.
Read More: Reuters, CBS News, BBC, CNN, State Dept.
Global Minimum Tax Agreement:
Nearly 140 countries, including the U.S., agreed to the most sweeping overhaul of global tax rules in a century. They all backed a new global minimum tax rate of at least 15%, which means corporations all around the world would pay no less than the decided rate no matter where their headquarters are located. It’s estimated the new minimum tax could bring governments another $150 billion a year. However, this isn’t a done deal just yet––all the countries still need to change their national laws. Here in the U.S., that means going through Congress. All countries who signed on are hoping to get it done by 2023.
Read More: WSJ, Fox Business, Al Jazeera, Reuters, White House
Pledge to Reduce Methane:
The U.S. and European Union lined up more than 30 countries in a new climate pledge. They’re promising to lower methane emissions 30% by 2030. Methane is the second-largest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide and is much more potent in the short-term at heating the planet. Methane is most often released into the atmosphere from landfills, livestock, and thawing permafrost. The four countries that emit the most methane are China, India, Russia, and Brazil, but they did not join the pledge. However, other top polluters, such as the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and the European Union, did join.
Read More: Reuters, NY Times, Axios, WaPo, State Dept.
Navy Engineer Charged with Espionage:
A nuclear engineer with the U.S. Navy allegedly tried to share some of America’s most closely held secrets with a “representative” of another country. The engineer and his wife were charged with espionage over the weekend and will be in court today. Newly released court documents show he was trying to sell information about certain nuclear technology. He is accused of offering Navy secrets in return for $100,000 in cryptocurrency. The FBI hasn’t said if any foreign country actually obtained classified information.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, NPR, ABC News, DOJ
Parents Convicted in College Admissions Scandal:
The first two people to stand trial for the college admissions bribery scandal have been found guilty. Nearly 60 wealthy and powerful people, including some celebrities, have been accused of paying their children’s way into college. Most have been able to avoid trials by reaching plea deals, but two wealthy businessmen were the first to have a jury hear their cases. The fathers are now facing up to 20 years in prison. Their sentencing hearings will be in February. Other trials are scheduled for next year.
Read More: WSJ, Reuters, CNN, NY Times
Boosters are Booming:
New data from the CDC shows more people are getting a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine each day than are getting their first or second doses. Experts say this shows that almost all the eligible people who have not yet gotten any shots are likely the hard-core refusers. So far about 56% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, and while that’s more than some early estimates, some experts now say around 90% of the population needs to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the new Delta variant.
Read More: NY Times, NBC News, CNN, Becker’s Hospital Review, CDC
TX Bans Vaccine Mandates:
The Biden Administration is getting more pushback over its vaccine mandate. Remember: the mandate says companies with 100 or more workers need to make sure their employees are vaccinated or tested regularly. However, Texas Governor Abbott just signed an executive order that bans that kind of policy. Abbot said, “The Covid-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus... but should always remain voluntary and never forced.” The White House has yet to comment.
Read More: Texas Tribune, NBC News, WSJ, Axios, Texas Gov.
Southwest Cancellations:
More than 2,000 Southwest flights were canceled between Friday and Sunday, almost 30% of its weekend schedule. On Monday, about 10% of Southwest’s flights were also canceled. The airline blamed some of the problems on air traffic control issues and bad weather as well as a reported problem with Southwest’s internal system that reroutes planes and reassigns pilots whenever there’s a change. Prior to this weekend, Southwest decided all employees must get vaccinated against Covid-19. However, both the airline and the pilot’s union said the mandate and the flight issues are unrelated.
Read More: CNN, Fox Business, NY Times, SWAPA
Raiders Coach Resigns:
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden stepped down last night in the wake of an email controversy. Hours earlier, The New York Times reported Gruden often used homophobic and otherwise offensive language to describe some NFL owners, coaches, and journalists who cover the league. A couple days before that The Wall Street Journal reported he used a racist term to describe the NFL union chief. NFL officials reportedly found these emails as part of a separate workplace conduct investigation that didn’t directly involve him. Assistant head coach Rich Bisaccia will take over for now until a permanent replacement is named.
Read More: Las Vegas Sun, ESPN, NY Times, NFL, Raiders
New Superman is Bisexual:
DC Comics says Superman is going to have a relationship with a man in the next issue of the comic book: “Superman: Son of Kal-el.” In this series, the man behind the cape is Jon Kent, the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, who inherited his father’s superhero powers. DC Comics says Jon Kent will develop feelings for a male reporter and the storyline will include a kiss. Writer Tom Taylor says he chose to go this route because “everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes.” The new issue of the comic book will be released next month.
Read More: NBC News, Deadline, Vulture, DC Comics, Tom Taylor
Women on U.S. Quarters:
A group of iconic American women will soon be featured on the U.S. quarter as part of a four-year program to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions women have made to the nation. The women highlighted on the coins include: poet and author Maya Angelou, astronaut Sally Ride, Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong, suffragist Nina Otero-Warren, and Native American activist Wilma Mankiller. The U.S. Mint plans to issue up to five quarters highlighting different women each year beginning next year and going through 2025.
Read more: The Verge, USA Today, NPR, U.S. Mint
Trivia Tuesday
Q: How many working farms are in the U.S.?
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: What’s the brightest star in the Sky?
A: Sirius
Read more: Space, New Scientist, Sky at Night, Earth Sky