Tuesday, October 19th, 2021
RIP Colin Powell, TV Stations Hacked & Kanye’s New Name
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Policygenius.com and kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code)
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...
Colin Powell Dies
Americans are paying tribute to a top soldier and diplomat this week. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell died of complications from Covid-19 at 84 years old after a long life of public service. Powell spent 35 years in the Army and rose to the rank of four-star general. He then became the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black Secretary of State. He worked under both Republican and Democratic presidents. American flags at all public properties will be flown at half-staff all week to honor Powell. Colin Powell is survived by his wife, their three children, and many grandchildren.
Read More: AP, CBS News, NBC News, NY Times, Gen. Powell
COVID Rising in Northern States
As temperatures go down, the number of Covid-19 cases is going up in parts of the U.S. Some of the coldest states are seeing the biggest spike in infections. Meanwhile, southern states that have been hotspots the last couple of months are starting to see the number of cases go down. This is similar to what happened around this time last year when northern states got the winter wave first. Colder weather tends to bring people indoors where the virus is easily spread. But, this time around, there are vaccines. Health experts say Americans could still prevent another huge spike by getting their shots as well as their boosters when eligible.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, Johns Hopkins
Trump Sues Jan 6th Committee
Former President Trump is now suing the lawmakers investigating the January 6th Capitol riot. Remember, the House panel wants to see Trump's every movement and meeting from that day, as well as all communication between government agencies while Trump's supporters were storming the capitol. But, the former president’s legal team says handing those records over would go against executive privilege. So, the questions here are what is privileged information, and whether a current president can overrule a former president. President Biden has said he wants lawmakers to get the records.
Read More: Politico, WaPo, WSJ, Axios, U.S. House
SCOTUS Upholds Qualified Immunity
The U.S. Supreme Court is sticking with its pattern when it comes to police and excessive force. It said, once again, most officers cannot be sued. Justices issued two rulings for separate cases this week. Lower courts said the officers in those two cases could be sued for civil rights violations. But, the high court disagreed, citing qualified immunity, the rule stating law enforcement officers can’t be held liable unless another reasonable officer could see they acted illegally.
Read More: Axios, Reuters, Fox News, USA Today
SCOTUS to Consider TX Abortion Law
The Supreme Court could weigh in on the controversial Texas abortion law soon. The Justice Department has now filed an emergency request asking the high court to take the case and, specifically, for justices to block the abortion ban while it gets sorted out in lower courts. The Texas measure bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, which Texas officials say is necessary to protect the unborn. But, the Biden Administration says it goes against past Supreme Court rulings that have protected abortion rights for half a century. Justices could make a decision by the end of the week.
Read More: WaPo, CNN, WSJ, Reuters
Olympic Torch-lighting Ceremony
The Olympic flame is now lit and on its way to Beijing, China, where the 2022 Winter Games will begin in just over 100 days. Some people are upset that the Olympics will be held in China, accusing the country of human rights abuses. A few protesters released a banner during the lighting ceremony that said “no genocide games” and called for an Olympic boycott. The International Olympic Committee’s president said the Olympic Games can’t address all the world’s challenges, but it should instead help to build bridges.
Read More: NBC News, Reuters, AP, Olympics, IOC
Sinclair Ransomware Attack
One of the largest television station operators in the U.S. was hit by a cyberattack. Sinclair Broadcast Group operates dozens of local TV stations across the country. It says some of its servers and workstations were encrypted with ransomware. Some local newscasts were directly affected. Sinclair says it’s still working to figure out what information was stolen, and it’s taking steps to contain the breach.
Read More: The Record, CNN, Axios, NBC News, WSJ, SBGI
Apple Unveils New Hardware
Apple just unveiled new speakers, headphones, laptops, and more. Apple introduced new models of its Homepod Mini Speakers for about $100 in a variety of colors, as well as a new model of Airpod headphones costing $179. Apple also revealed new Macbook Pro laptops that run on new chips with upgraded keyboards and more ports to attach external devices like an HDMI cord. Most of these new products will be available for preorder starting next week.
Read More: CNBC, TechCrunch, USA Today, WaPo, Apple
Google Pixel Event Today
Google is set to announce some new products. It is launching new Pixel phones today, and rumors say they’ll have updated cameras, improved batteries, and surprisingly affordable pricing. Google’s launch event is happening at 10 am PST.
Read More: The Verge, Cnet, Google
More Movie Delays
Disney just pushed back several movie release dates. The new “Doctor Strange” movie is moving from March of next year to May. The latest “Thor” movie got pushed from May to July, and the “Black Panther” sequel, “Wakanda Forever,” moved from July to November. Disney also moved the fifth “Indiana Jones” movie back nearly a full year to June 2023. At that point, the Indiana Jones star, Harrison Ford, will be almost 81 years old. Variety says the schedule had to change because of production delays that have had a domino effect on all its movies.
Read More: Variety, IGN, Deadline, Cnet
Kanye West Name Change
Kanye West is no more. The rapper has officially and legally changed his name to just Ye with no middle or last name. A judge approved the change this week. Ye was the title of his eighth studio album in 2018 and has been his Twitter handle for a while. Ye told the judge he’s making the change for personal reasons. Deadline reports he said in a past interview that he believes ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible.
Read More: CBS News, Yahoo! Entertainment, Deadline, Rolling Stone
Trivia Tuesday
Q: How many pounds of candy corn are produced each year?
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: How many working farms are in the United States?
A: 2 million
Read More: USDA, USDA, Nat’l Today, farmdocdaily