Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021
Waukesha Comes Together, Spacey Paying Up & Xmas Tree Shortage
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and Ritual.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...
Christmas Parade Crash Charges
This week, people in Wisconsin are paying tribute to the five people who died when an SUV rammed into a holiday parade. The community is also showing support for the nearly 50 people who were hurt, including at least 18 children. Hundreds of people came together for a vigil last night where the crash happened in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha. Meanwhile, investigators are putting together a murder case. Police say the driver who plowed through the parade did it on purpose, but they haven’t said anything about a motive. Today, he is expected to be formally charged with five counts of first-degree murder, among other charges.
Read More: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WaPo, AP, WSJ
Donate to Community Fund: Waukesha Foundation
DOJ to Pay Parkland Victims
Three years after a deadly school shooting, the U.S. government is paying survivors and families of those who were killed. The group sued the FBI for how the agency handled tips that warned about the gunman before he killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Shortly after the shooting, the FBI director apologized. This week, 40 families and survivors reached a settlement of $130 million to resolve the lawsuit without having to go to trial. Other details of the settlement are still being finalized.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, NBC News, Fox News
COVID-19 Cases on the Rise
Unfortunately, in some parts of the country, Covid-19 outbreaks are just as bad now as they were last November. New government data shows that in 15 states, Covid-19 patients are taking up more intensive care unit beds than last year. Colorado, Minnesota, and Michigan are getting hit the hardest. That said, in most of the country, fewer people are getting sick than this time last year. This holiday season, most public health experts say families and friends should be able to get together. For unvaccinated guests, some experts suggest they get rapid Covid-19 tests before Thanksgiving gatherings.
Read More: The Hill, NY Times, CNN, Bloomberg, CDC
Thanksgiving Ransomware Warning
Federal government agencies have a new warning for American companies and organizations. They say cybercriminals are known to target companies around the holidays when fewer people are in the office to catch issues. As of this morning, there’s no specific threat. But, officials say businesses should pick at least one IT person to be on-call in case a ransomware attack happens. Employees should also strengthen passwords and make sure the same ones aren’t used on several platforms. Officials are reminding companies and organizations to alert the FBI or Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as soon as possible if they do get hacked.
Read More: CNN, The Hill, Cnet, CISA
Powell Picked to Keep Leading Fed
At a pretty critical time for the economy, President Biden wants to keep at least one thing stable: the central bank. He nominated Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for a second four-year term. Many powerful Democrats and Republicans supported Biden's choice, but some Progressive groups wanted economist Lael Brainard to replace Powell. Instead, President Biden nominated her for vice-chair. The Fed already planned to start pulling back on bond purchases, but for now, interest rates will stay near zero until the labor market heals even more from the pandemic. Both Powell and Brainard are expected to easily win Senate confirmation.
Read More: WSJ, NPR, Axios, Reuters, White House
White House Christmas Tree Arrives
The White House is already preparing for Christmas! The official White House Christmas tree arrived yesterday in a horse-drawn carriage, a tradition there since 1966. First Lady Jill Biden welcomed the Fraser fir alongside some family members and a D.C. National Guard family. It was a way to honor the role the National Guard played in response to the pandemic. The first lady is expected to reveal the theme for the White House’s annual holiday decor next week.
Read More: The Hill, AP, CNN, WaPo, FLOTUS on Twitter
Christmas Tree Shortage
Experts say you may want to buy your Christmas tree soon. The American Christmas Tree Association has warned supply chain issues and weather problems mean the trees could be harder to come by this year. Some retailers are taking reservations to guarantee people get trees. Also, both real and artificial trees may cost 10-30% more this year.
Read More: Newsweek, CBS News, KTLA
FCC Approves Verizon + Tracfone
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has signed off on Verizon's more than $6 billion deal to buy Tracfone Wireless. Verizon is the largest U.S. wireless carrier by subscribers, and Tracfone, which offers prepaid mobile phones, is the largest reseller of wireless devices in the United States. Originally, public interest groups were worried the deal could make it tough for people to access affordable phone service since Tracfone does a lot with a government subsidy program called Lifeline. Now, as part of the FCC’s approval, Verizon must continue offering those services and more to Lifeline customers.
Read More: The Verge, Axios, Reuters, FCC, Verizon
Walmart Drone Delivery
America's largest retailer is now doubling down on its drone delivery services. Walmart is partnering with DroneUp to launch three drone hubs for deliveries. It’s starting with a neighborhood market in Farmington, Arkansas. The next two hubs are planned near Walmart stores in Rogers and Bentonville. For now, at least, customers will only get delivery-by-drone if they live within a 1.15-mile radius from the first Arkansas hub. This is Walmart's first multi-site, commercial U.S. drone delivery service. Other companies like Amazon and UPS are also testing and using drone delivery and looking to expand those options.
Read More: CNET, The Verge, CBS News, DroneUp
‘House of Cards’ Star Paying for Losses
Actor Kevin Spacey must now pay millions of dollars to the studio behind the series “House of Cards.” Remember, Spacey was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct. Then, independent investigations found widespread sexual harassment of those who worked under him. Because of that, the “House of Cards” studio fired Spacey, paused production, re-wrote the sixth season to remove his character, and put out fewer episodes than planned. The production company, MRC, argued it all cost them a lot of money. Now, a final ruling says Spacey breached his contract that required professional behavior, so he must pay more than $30 million.
Read More: WSJ, AP, Variety, CNN, Fox News
Brit Awards Scrap Male/Female Categories
A popular music award show in the UK is making some changes in the name of inclusivity. Starting next year, the Brit Awards will no longer have separate male and female categories. Instead, they will have trophies for the best British and best international artists of the year. Organizers say the change will celebrate musicians “solely for their music and work rather than how they choose to identify.” This follows a trend in the industry. In recent years, the Grammys and the MTV Video Music Awards have also merged their male and female categories.
Read More: BBC, The Guardian, AP, Billboard
Trivia Tuesday
Q: Who was the first President to pardon a turkey?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday’s Answers
Q: What’s the longest-running Broadway show?
A: The Phantom of the Opera
Read More: Playbill, Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera