Friday, November 5th, 2021
Vax Mandate Details, ‘Steele Dossier’ Arrest & Time Change Reminder
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Ritual.com/newsworthy 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 reading the latest happenings...
Vaccine Mandate Details
New rules are about to impact two-thirds of American workers. The White House revealed U.S. companies with 100 or more employees now have until January 4th to comply with the federal government’s new Covid-19 vaccine and testing requirements. If they don’t go along with the new mandate, they’ll face hefty federal fines. Also, starting December 5th, companies will have to give their workers paid time off to get vaccinated and sick leave to recover from side effects. This plan is facing a lot of opposition, with many states and business groups telling the Biden administration they plan to sue.
Read More: Politico, Axios, WSJ, CBS News, AP, White House
DOJ Sues Texas Over Voting Law
The U.S. Justice Department is suing Texas over a controversial new voting law. The measure did away with things like drive-through voting, late-night voting, and Sunday morning early voting. Republicans have said the law is needed to make elections more secure in the state. But, Democrats have argued it will discourage Texans from voting. The Justice Department agrees with them. The lawsuit says these changes especially hurt voters who speak limited English, older voters, those with disabilities, and deployed members of the U.S. military. The federal government is asking a judge to block the state law.
Read More: Texas Tribune, AP, WaPo, WSJ, DOJ, Gov. Abbott
Steele Dossier Analyst Arrested
A key source for the so-called Steele dossier is now being charged with lying to the FBI. The dossier was put together in 2016 by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. It claimed Russia had compromising information on then-President Trump. This week, the Russian source, Igor Danchenko, was arrested for lying to the FBI about his part in the dossier. The new charges say a lot of his information wasn’t collected from Russia but was based on chatter and gossip circulating from American political sources. Neither Steel nor Danchenko has commented on the new charges.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, WSJ, AP, WaPo, U.S. Courts
Colin Powell Memorial Service
Today, former Secretary of State Colin Powell is being laid to rest. Powell will go down in history as the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black Secretary of State who served both Democratic and Republican presidents. Powell died last month at the age of 84 from complications from Covid-19. The memorial service is being held at the Washington National Cathedral. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are expected to be there with other military and congressional leaders. It will be live-streamed and televised for people to watch from home. The memorial service starts at noon EST.
Read More: CBS News, ABC News, PBS News, Reuters
Watch Live: Washington National Cathedral
10-Year Astronomy Plan
A new, once-a-decade report is urging NASA to take the steps necessary to help answer big questions, like is there life on another planet, and does Earth have a twin? One of the highest priorities in the new report is for NASA to fund and build a massive telescope 100x more sensitive than any telescope being used right now. Then, it will be used to find and study Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars to see if there are any signs of life. Other main goals from the report include the study of black holes and the growth and evolution of galaxies. All of the initiatives still face plenty of technical challenges and would need the support of Congress.
Read More: NY Times, Axios, Nature, NAP
HPV Vaccine Cutting Cervical Cancer Rate
Researchers are calling it a “historic moment.” A new study in the UK is providing the first real-world data on the HPV vaccine, and it shows the vaccine has slashed cervical cancer rates by up to 87%. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer affecting women across the world, and it’s caused by the human papillomavirus, known as HPV. Researchers say the vaccine is most effective when given to young pre-teens and teens before they’re sexually active. Researchers now believe, thanks to this vaccine, cervical cancer will eventually become a rare disease.
Read More: BBC, CBS News, Reuters, Lancet
New NYC Mayor Taking Paychecks in Bitcoin
More people are hopping on the bitcoin bandwagon, including a couple of American mayors. First, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he would take his next paycheck 100% in Bitcoin. Then, New York City’s new mayor-elect Eric Adams one-upped him, saying he would take his next three paychecks in Bitcoin when he formally takes office next year. Earlier this year, Miami's mayor also announced his city would accept tax payments in Bitcoin and let employees draw their salary in it. So now that Adams has been elected, it seems they’re in for some friendly competition. Still, Bitcoin is considered highly volatile.
Read More: CNBC, Reuters, Fox Business, NY Post, Eric Adams
2021 Toy Hall of Fame Inductees
The National Toy Hall of Fame has three new additions. They were all honored in a ceremony this week. The new hall-of-famers are the American Girl dolls, the strategy board game Risk, and what’s considered perhaps the most universal and oldest toy in the world, sand (like sand at the beach). Anyone can nominate a toy to be considered, but it’s up to a panel of experts to vote on which toys make the cut. All the honorees are going on display in the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.
Read More: AP, Wisconsin State Journal, Toy Hall of Fame
Daylight Saving Time Reminder
It’s time to turn your clocks back before you go to bed on Saturday night, or at least be aware that your smartphone will automatically change. We “fall back” an hour at 2 am this Sunday. It means you could get an extra hour of sleep that night if you want or maybe choose to become more of a morning person. It also means it’ll get dark earlier in the evenings. It's the end of Daylight Saving Time in most of the country. Hawaii and Arizona are the only two states that don’t observe Daylight Saving Time as well as some territories like Puerto Rico. That means there will be no time change in those places this weekend.
Read More: WSJ, NJ.Com, USA Today, Inside Edition
Feel Good Friday: Middle Schoolers Save Bus Driver
Two middle school students are being hailed as heroes for helping to save their bus driver. Conor Doss and Kane Daugherty were on a crowded bus on their way to school outside Atlanta when their bus driver, Miss Julie, had a medical emergency. The boys ran up to her, and Kane picked up the dispatch radio. The dispatcher was able to help him find the emergency brake, flashing lights, and emergency stop arm. Meanwhile, Connor helped to calm the other kids down. Both boys then opened the bus windows to wave down passing cars. They got the attention of a pastor who prayed with the children until an ambulance arrived. Miss Julie is now recovering.
Read More: CNN, WSB, Paulding County Schools