Tuesday, October 26th, 2021
Northeast Flood Watches, Facebook Papers & World Series Begins
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and Indeed.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...
Severe Weather/Damage
Millions of Americans are still in the path of severe weather this morning. Flash flood watches are in effect from Massachusetts to New Jersey. The governors of New Jersey and New York each issued a state of emergency. Already, this same storm caused at least 13 reports of tornadoes in Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Another powerful storm set rainfall records in California, causing flooding, rockslides, and mudslides. But, the good news is, the storm also helped douse wildfires that have been burning for months.
Read More: Accuweather, AP, WaPo, NY Post
Boise Mall Shooting
A shopping mall became the scene of a deadly shooting in Boise, Idaho. Two people were killed, and four others were hurt, including a police officer. Authorities say when they responded to an initial shooting, there was another shootout between officers and a suspect. They eventually took the suspected shooter into custody, but that person was badly hurt. As of this morning, police aren’t saying anything about the victims, the shooter, or a possible motive. They do say the public is no longer in danger, and they believe the shooter acted alone.
Read More: Idaho Statesman, AP, ABC News, CNN, Fox News
New FBI Hate Crime Stats
The FBI released new data showing the number of hate crimes reported in 2020 soared to the highest levels recorded in nearly two decades. Anti-Asian hate crimes made up a lot of the increase. Authorities have said a lot of hate comes from people who blame China for Covid-19. Black Americans also made up an especially large share of people targeted. Overall, more than 8,200 hate crimes were reported to the FBI in 2020, and the FBI still thinks it’s probably an undercount. So, it’s now encouraging anyone else who thinks they’ve been the victim of a hate crime to come forward.
Read More: Axios, Fox News, ABC News, CBS News, FBI
Sudan Coup
Sudan is now in a state of crisis. The African nation’s military detained the prime minister along with other leaders in an apparent coup. Thousands of protesters filled the streets yesterday, calling for democracy. During those protests, two people were killed and at least 80 were hurt by gunfire. In response to these events, the U.S. and United Nations condemned the coup and called for the military to release Sudanese officials. The U.S. also suspended $700 million in direct assistance to Sudan’s government. Sudan’s top military commander is still promising to hold elections by the middle of 2023.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, WaPo, Al Jazeera, State Dept.
News Afghan Refugee Program/Apply to Become a Sponsor
Private American citizens will now be allowed to sponsor Afghan families in the U.S. Groups of at least five adults can apply, complete background checks, and start fundraising to make it happen. The cost to sponsor a refugee is roughly $2,300. That money goes toward housing and other necessities like food, clothing, and education. There’s a lot of interest now as 55,000 Afghans are waiting on military sites hoping to be resettled into new homes. The State Department says this will be a way to help “welcome and integrate Afghans into American society.”
Read More: Axios, WSJ, ABC News, CNN, State Dept.
Apply to Become a Sponsor: Sponsor Circles
Facebook Papers/Lawmakers Question TikTok, Snap, YouTube
New whistleblower documents came out detailing what Facebook knew about problems on its platform and what the company did or didn’t do with that information. One issue has to do with QAnon and how Facebook might have something to do with that movement gaining traction. Another problem that came up repeatedly was Covid-19 vaccine misinformation. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the reporting, saying it paints a false picture of the company.
Read More: Facebook Papers: AP, WaPo, Axios, NPR, CNBC
Lawmakers Question TikTok, Snap, YouTube
The scrutiny of social media platforms goes beyond just Facebook today. Lawmakers will be grilling executives this morning from Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube in a hearing today about how their platforms impact vulnerable young users. The group of lawmakers also plans to discuss legislation that could help protect kids and teens online, though it’s not clear how solutions-oriented the hearing will be.
Read More: TechCrunch, Forbes, The Hill
Tesla Hits $1T Market Cap
For the first time, Tesla’s value topped $1 trillion. It joins other trillion-dollar market cap companies like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. Tesla’s stock price shot up yesterday after rental car service Hertz ordered 100,000 vehicles in a deal worth roughly $4.2 billion. Tesla founder Elon Musk is already the world’s wealthiest person, and Forbes reports he’s now likely the richest person to ever walk the planet with a net worth of more than $255 billion, more than Google's co-founder and Facebook's CEO combined.
Read More: CNBC, WSJ, NY Times, Forbes, Bloomberg
Blue Origin Pursues Private Space Station
Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is creating the first private space station called Orbital Reef. The new commercial space station will be used in many ways, including commerce, research, and tourism. NASA has already said it’ll be looking for private space stations to use for its astronauts and research since it’s preparing to wind down the current International Space Station. Blue Origin’s new commercial space station is set to head to low Earth orbit and start operating by the second half of this decade.
Read More: WSJ, Axios, NPR, Blue Origin
World Series Begins
The World Series begins tonight! The title of Major League Baseball’s champion will either go to the Atlanta Braves or the Houston Astros. The Braves became National League Champions after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, while the Astros became American League Champions with a victory over the Boston Red Sox. It’s Atlanta’s first time in the World Series since 1999 and Houston’s third time in just the last five years. Game 1 in Houston will be the first time the Astros and Braves will see each other since 2017. You can watch it tonight at 8 pm EST on Fox.
Read More: CBS Sports, ESPN, USA Today, NY Times
Trivia Tuesday
Q: In which country did Halloween originate?
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 pounds of candy corn are produced each year?
A: 35 million
Read More: BHG, NCA, Business Insider, Vox, CNN