Friday, December 3rd, 2021

Omicron Strategy, More Autism Diagnoses & Most Popular Emoji

All the news you need in around 10 min:

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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...

White House Winter COVID Plan
President Biden has a new plan he hopes will protect Americans from a bad winter surge of Covid-19. He says most Americans will be able to get their rapid at-home tests paid for since the White House is making private insurance companies reimburse customers. Also, starting Monday, international travelers will need to test negative for Covid-19 within 24 hours of their flight. Biden extended mask mandates for all airports, planes, trains, and buses. The president is also focused on getting more people vaccinated. He says pharmacies are now sending texts and emails to remind Americans when it’s time to get shots. That’s just some of the sticking points.
Read More: Stat, WaPo, Reuters, WSJ, CNBC, White House

More U.S. Omicron Cases
Several more Omicron cases were confirmed here in the United States. So far, they’ve been reported in at least five states: California, Minnesota, Colorado, New York, and Hawaii. Some of the patients had been to South Africa recently, where Omicron was first reported. However, others had not, suggesting the new variant is already spreading within the U.S. population. Some researchers say, compared to other variants, Omicron seems to infect more people who’ve been sick with COVID-19 before or vaccinated. Still, there’s a lot they need to find out about it.
Read More: NY Times, Axios, USA Today, Fox News

Congress Passed Bill to Avoid Govt. Shutdown
Last night, Congress passed a government spending bill, avoiding a government shutdown that would have gone into effect at midnight tonight. Top Republicans and Democrats reached an agreement, and both the House and Senate signed off. The bill is now on its way to President Biden for his signature, and he’s expected to sign it. But, the bill is only a short-term solution. It funds the government through mid-February, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate and pass new spending bills.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, NY Times, CBS News

U.S. Restarting ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program
The U.S. is about to restart a controversial immigration policy with some changes. Commonly known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, it says migrants who apply for asylum need to wait in Mexico instead of the U.S. while American authorities evaluate their cases. The U.S. and Mexican governments have now come up with a solution to keep the policy and address humanitarian concerns. The U.S. will give Mexico resources to create migrant shelters, and it will provide COVID-19 shots for migrants, among other things. The policy will start again on Monday at one border location and quickly expand to seven cities.
Read More: WaPo, ABC News, Fox News, WSJ, DHS

Former Ohio Deputy Indicted for Murder
A sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a 23-year-old man in Ohio last year has now been charged with murder. Longtime Deputy Jason Meade, who is white, shot Casey Goodson Jr., who was Black, five times in the back. But, it’s not clear exactly what happened since there is no bodycam or dashcam video. Meade was searching for a fugitive when he came across Goodson, who wasn’t part of that original search. Meade's lawyer says the deputy opened fire because Goodson pointed a gun at him. But, Goodson’s family says he was holding a sandwich, not a gun. Meade is scheduled in court today, where he’s expected to plead not guilty.
Read More: Columbus Dispatch, AP, NY Times, Axios

Early Winter Heatwave
This week brought the warmest December weather on record in parts of the U.S. and Canada. Temperatures across the plains, parts of the Rockies, and central states are running as much as 35 degrees above average for this time of year. Also, in Denver, Colorado, it hasn’t snowed yet. That sets a record for the latest measurable snowfall there. And, it’s been in the 70s there this week. Starting today, the trend is expected to change. A cold front is dropping into the central U.S., so it won’t be quite as hot. But, longer-range forecasts predict more heatwaves before the year is out.
Read More: Axios, WaPo, CBC, Bloomberg, NOAA

NFL Players Misrepresent Vaccine Status
For the next few weeks, three NFL players won’t be allowed to play football or get paid. One of them is a star wide receiver for the Buccaneers, Antonio Brown. The NFL suspended him and two other players for violating Covid-19 rules. In Brown’s case, it’s because the NFL found out he used a fake Covid-19 vaccination card to bypass the league’s virus protocols. The NFL doesn’t require players to get vaccinated, but some of the restrictions are looser for players who are. The three players all accepted the NFL’s decision and decided not to appeal. Their three-game suspension will start this weekend.
Read More: CBS Sports, CNN, USA Today, WSJ, NFL

More U.S. Children Diagnosed with Autism
New CDC data shows more children are getting diagnosed with autism and at younger ages. The updated statistics now say autism impacts about one in 44 eight-year-old children. That’s based on a study in 2018. It’s a change from 2016 when the CDC said one in 54 children had been diagnosed. U.S. autism numbers have been on the rise for years. But, experts say it’s likely due to more awareness, training, and availability of services to treat the condition. A different CDC report also found diagnoses are happening sooner. Children were 50% more likely to be diagnosed with autism by age four in 2018 than 2014.
Read More: AP, Axios, The Hill, CNN, CDC

New Google Doctor Finder Tool
Google hopes to make searching for a doctor a little easier. A new feature on Google mobile will allow you to see what insurance networks different doctors accept. When you search for “doctors near me” on your phone, Google will offer filters at the top to help narrow the search results, like seeing who accepts Medicare. Or, if you expand the tool, you may be able to see more information, like about private insurances. Google will also allow doctors to list which languages they can speak at their offices. The hope is to make it easier for people who may have a hard time communicating with their healthcare providers.
Read More: The Verge, Engadget, 9to5Google, Gizmodo, Google

FTC Challenges Nvidia-Arm Deal
A big merger in the semiconductor chip industry is facing a setback. The FTC sued to block a $40 billion deal. American chipmaker Nvidia wanted to buy a British chip designer called Arm. That would be the largest chip merger in history. But, officials with the FTC said it would give Nvidia too much power, hurt competition, and lead to higher prices. The FTC says Americans depend on competitive, cutting-edge chip markets. But, a Nvidia spokesperson says the company will fight the lawsuit. He says the merger would benefit the industry and inspire more competition. So, it looks like it’ll play out in court.
Read More: NPR, WSJ, CNBC, The Verge, FTC

Most Used Emoji of 2021
Can you guess the most-used emoji in 2021? A new report from the Unicode Consortium says it’s the tears of joy! 😂 It’s also known as the laughing-crying emoji, which is the smiley or laughing face with tears coming out of the eyes. Coming in second place is the red heart. ❤️ More laughing with tears, but slightly tilted to represent rolling on the floor laughing, 🤣 came in third followed by the thumbs-up sign. 👍🏻 The top ten most-used emoji are said to be mostly the same from before the pandemic in 2019, and they’re all mostly positive.
Read More: Engadget, 9to5Mac, NY Times, Unicode Consortium

Feel Good Friday: Boy Uses Wish to Feed the Homeless
A boy who had the opportunity to get any wish granted chose something to help other people. 13-year-old Abraham Olagbegi was able to get a successful bone marrow transplant to help with his rare blood disorder. But, he still qualified for Make-A-Wish, an organization that grants wishes to kids with serious illnesses. So, he told Make-A-Wish he wanted to feed the homeless, and the organization set up a day for Abraham to distribute free food and supplies to the homeless population in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. Now, Make-A-Wish is working with Abraham so he can pass out food once a month through next August.
Read More: CBS News, Seattle Times, GNN

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