Friday, November 12th, 2021
Blizzard Warnings, Substitute Shortage & Homes for Vets
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Rothys.com/newsworthy and JoinCrowdHealth.com/99 (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...
Upper Midwest Snowstorm Warnings
Two million Americans are in the path of severe winter weather today, with the first blizzard warning of the season. It’s in effect for parts of South Dakota and western Minnesota. As always, people are being told to stay extra cautious, especially on the roads. Even though the blizzard warning is pretty isolated, the same storm is expected to stretch across a lot of the country, just with heavy rain and brisk winds. After that comes a cold front, so the whole eastern half of the U.S. should brace for colder than usual weather this weekend.
Read More: CNN, NBC News, WaPo, NWS
Poland-Belarus Border Tensions
Tensions are heating up in Eastern Europe. Thousands of migrants are stranded at the border between Poland and Belarus in terrible, life-threatening conditions. Authorities in Belarus have been giving migrants, mostly from the Middle East, visas to visit Europe, then escorting them to the Polish border. However, once they get to the border, they’re stranded because they aren’t allowed to go into Poland or any other European Union country. And, at that point, they also aren’t allowed back into Belarus. Now, there’s fear war could break out since troops are also lined up on both sides of the border.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, Bloomberg, Reuters, Fox News
Military Toxic Exposure Plan
This Veterans Day, President Biden promised better treatment for American service members who have been deployed to toxic environments. The Veterans Affairs Department has recognized that some illnesses are directly caused by or linked to certain chemical, physical, and environmental hazards. Now, federal officials say they’re going to start by looking into lung and breathing problems. They say they’ll collect more data from troops who are suffering, and they’ll give veterans more time to make medical claims once symptoms like asthma and sinus problems pop up so they’ll be able to receive benefits.
Read More: Axios, ABC News, AP, White House
COVID Cases Rising
For the first time in two months, Covid-19 cases are on the rise in more than half of the U.S. Over the last week, case counts were higher in 29 states than they were the week before. And, in about half of them, the daily death toll is going up, too. The states reporting the most new infections are up north and in the Mountain West. But, many health experts say the U.S. will still be in better shape than last winter because nearly 60% of Americans are now vaccinated, and drug companies have been making more treatments for Covid-19.
Read More: AP, USA Today, WaPo, Axios
At-Home COVID Tests Recalled
The FDA has expanded a recall of Ellume at-home tests to about two million test kits. The agency says the tests may produce “false positives” because of a manufacturing defect. Negative test results are still considered reliable. The company says the problem has since been fixed, so the new tests on store shelves are better. Still, if you bought one of the affected kits before the recall was issued, you can request a replacement online.
Read More: NPR, WSJ, CNN, NY Times, FDA
Check Your Test: Ellume
Psilocybin for Depression Trial
It's the largest-ever study of a type of psychedelic drug as a treatment for serious depression. Researchers out of Britain tested various doses of psilocybin, the psychedelic ingredient in magic mushrooms. They found people who got the highest doses of the drug saw a significant decrease in depression symptoms compared to those who got the placebo. But, the study has not been published in a medical journal, and it has not yet been peer-reviewed. Another phase of the trial is set for next year.
Read More: Stat, Bloomberg, Business Insider, COMPASS Pathways
Listen: Special Edition: ‘Molly’ as Medicine? Psychedelics & PTSD
Substitute Teacher Shortage
Substitute teachers are in especially high demand around the U.S. right now. Some schools are dealing with such a shortage they’re having to temporarily close or switch back to remote learning. The American Federation of Teachers says the issue is exhaustion. Teachers are dealing with a lot, from Covid-19 to arguments over school policies, and many are now either quitting or retiring early or are desperate for more days off. That means substitutes can get a lot more steady work than they used to, and higher wages, too. But education experts say the bigger issues of stress and burnout need to be addressed to keep quality in the classroom.
Read More: USA Today, NY Times, Axios, The Week
Subaru’s First Electric Vehicle
Subaru is jumping into the electric car market. It unveiled its first-ever fully electric vehicle, a crossover SUV called the Solterra. Subaru worked with Toyota to create it since Toyota owns a small share of the Subaru brand. Subaru says the front-wheel-drive version of the Solterra can make it about 330 miles on a single charge, and the all-wheel-drive version has almost 290 miles of range. The Solterra is set to be available in the U.S. next year. The price hasn’t been announced yet.
Read More: The Verge, Reuters, Cnet, CNN, Subaru
Spotify Acquiring Findaway
Spotify is moving beyond music and podcasts and is about to offer up more audiobooks. The company says it’s buying the audiobook distributor Findaway. The terms of the deal weren’t released, but it’s expected to go through before the end of the year. There’s a limited collection of audiobooks available on Spotify already, but Findaway has a massive catalog that includes audiobooks from Amazon’s Audible, Apple iBooks, Google, and more. If the acquisition is approved, Findaway books should be available on Spotify starting sometime next year.
Read More: TechCrunch, Reuters, The Verge, Variety, Spotify
Christopher Walken Destroys Banksy Painting
A painting by famous street artist Banksy was destroyed on purpose. Actor Christopher Walken painted over it. Walken is starring in the BBC drama “The Outlaws,” which is being filmed in Banksy's hometown of Bristol, England. In the show, Walken's character is forced to do community service, like cleaning up graffiti. The BBC confirmed the wall painting he covered up was an original Banksy. Banksy's true identity has never been announced, and he has not said anything about this stunt for the show or if he was involved.
Read More: BBC, NY Times, CNN, USA Today
Feel Good Friday: 11 Homes Donated to Veterans
This Veterans Day was extra special for a group of American service members. The mortgage lender Veterans United teamed up with Marine veteran and comedian Rob Riggle to give 10 veterans making a difference in their communities free homes. These veterans were already in the process of getting loans to buy homes themselves, but Veterans United decided to surprise them with a giveaway instead. Veterans United isn’t going to stop here. The company wants to give one more U.S. veteran or service member up to $500,000 toward the purchase of a new home. People can apply on the Veterans United website from now until the end of the year.
Read More: 11 Homes Donated to Veterans: Fox News, Military.Com
See the Surprises: ThankstoVeterans