Thursday, December 9th, 2021
Carbon Neutral Orders, Job Openings Jump & Digital Divide
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and RadPowerBikes.com
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 peruse the latest happenings...
Carbon Neutral Executive Orders
The White House took another big step to deal with the climate crisis. President Biden signed a series of executive orders to make the federal government carbon neutral by 2050. The president’s goals will require massive investments from the federal government. To pay for it all, the White House says it will use money from the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure law as well as the more partisan social spending bill that has yet to pass Congress. But, since these are executive orders, not laws passed by Congress, they could be easily undone by future White Houses.
Read More: WaPo, WSJ, Axios, AP, White House
Pfizer Says Booster Fights Omicron
New information is coming out about how the Covid-19 vaccines work against the new Omicron variant, at least from one vaccine maker. Pfizer says in early lab tests, once people got the third dose, the vaccine could fight Omicron just as well as two doses can fight the original version of Covid-19. Pfizer also said people may need to keep getting boosters to keep up with the evolving virus. However, these findings only come from Pfizer, which stands to profit from the vaccines. The lab tests haven’t been peer-reviewed yet. Pfizer says it’s also still monitoring how the vaccines work in real-world conditions.
Read More: WSJ, CNN, Fox Business, Axios, CNBC, Pfizer
Most Covid Hospitalizations in Six States
Just six states in the U.S. make up most of the new Covid-19 hospitalizations in the last couple of weeks. NBC News reports hospitals are especially filling up with Covid patients in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, and Illinois. Those states make up 35% of the American population but 60% of the recent hospitalizations. And many hospital systems are preparing for another surge later this winter as more people get together and move indoors, where the virus can easily spread.
Read More: NBC News, WaPo, Beckers Hospital Review, CDC
FDA Authorizes AstraZeneca Antibody Cocktail
There is now another tool on the market, besides vaccines, to prevent the most serious Covid-19 cases. The FDA authorized the first injectable antibody cocktail that’s meant to prevent Covid-19. Until now, antibodies have only been used as treatments after someone gets sick. But, the FDA only authorized this new one for people whose immune systems are compromised in some way, like if they’ve had an organ transplant, a history of cancer, or certain autoimmune conditions. It’s also not for young kids, only those 12 and up.
Read More: Reuters, WSJ, NY Times, NBC News, FDA
Cities Set Murder Records
At least 12 major American cities have broken yearly records for homicide in 2021. One of them is Philadelphia which has seen a 13% rise in killings from last year. Even though the population is smaller, Philadelphia has seen more homicides than either New York City or Los Angeles. Experts point to a few reasons for the increase in the various cities, like a law enforcement shortage and continuing hardships from the pandemic. After-school programs and nonviolence programs also shut down because of Covid-19. Unfortunately, some cities are breaking records that were just set last year.
Read More: ABC News, NY Post, Daily Mail
Job Openings Near Records
New data shows job openings in the U.S. approached record levels in October, and there aren’t nearly enough workers to fill them. The Labor Department says there were 11 million job openings, but only about 7.4 million people were unemployed. As The Wall Street Journal reports, people who are unemployed or looking for better jobs have been using the gap to their advantage. Workers are quitting jobs or holding out for higher pay, more flexible working conditions, and better benefits. Other workers retired early during the pandemic or have started new businesses. So, according to Goldman Sachs, the shortage won’t resolve quickly.
Read More: USA Today, Reuters, WSJ, Fox Business, BLS
Fox News Christmas Tree Fire
A 50-foot Christmas tree with 10,000 ornaments and 100,000 lights was set on fire. This is the tree that was sitting right outside the Fox News headquarters. Police arrested a man they say climbed the tree just before the fire broke out early yesterday morning. He's been charged with seven counts, including arson. Police say they’re investigating whether drugs or mental illness played a role. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the fire didn’t spread to any nearby buildings. Fox News Media says a replacement tree will be lit by this evening.
Read More: Fox News, CNN, NY Times, WaPo
Instagram Head Testified
The head of Instagram is calling for more regulation on the entire social media industry. Adam Mosseri testified in front of Congress for the first time, and he faced tough questions from lawmakers in both parties about the potential impact of Instagram on young people’s mental health. Mosseri said the company is working hard to deal with any negative effects of the app, but he also cited research that showed more U.S. teens use TikTok and YouTube than Instagram. So, he said it’s time for industry-wide solutions, including what he called an “industry body” to help determine best practices for all social media companies to use.
Read More: Axios, CNBC, Fox Business, NY Times
Crypto Executives Testify
Cryptocurrency CEOs testified before Congress this week. Lawmakers called the hearing to better understand what types of rules may be needed for the digital currencies, especially since more Americans are using them. Right now, there’s not much oversight, and some lawmakers think that means they’re vulnerable to things like fraud. Other critics have said cryptocurrencies are volatile and risky to the entire financial system. But, the industry executives argue cryptocurrency will make things better since transactions are faster and cheaper, and it’s more accessible to people around the world. They called for clear standards and government support.
Read More: WSJ, Politico, Reuters, Bloomberg
NHTSA Reviewing Tesla Video Games
The top auto safety regulator in the U.S. is looking into an interesting new Tesla feature. It lets drivers play video games on a large touch screen, and it works even while the cars are moving. The feature came out in a software update over the summer. But, the NHTSA started reviewing it this week when The New York Times reported auto experts are worried games could be a safety risk. Tesla hasn’t responded to this latest investigation yet.
Read More: NY Times, Fox News, Reuters, Engadget
Massive Planet Found
It's one of the most massive planets ever discovered. It’s ten times bigger than Jupiter, and it’s orbiting a pair of stars so hot and massive that some astronomers didn’t think a planet could exist in that environment. The European Southern Observatory says it’s the first planet ever found that’s around a star more than three times as massive as the sun. The star system is also more than three times as hot as our sun. So, this discovery has some scientists rewriting what they thought they knew about planet formation.
Read More: NBC News, CNN, Reuters, Space.Com, Daily Mail
Forbes’ Most Powerful Women
Forbes released its list of the World’s Most Powerful Women for 2021. The third spot at the top of the list is Christine Lagarde. She’s the first woman to head the European Central Bank. In the number two spot is Vice President Kamala Harris. She’s the first woman, the first Black person, and the first South Asian-American to become a U.S. VP. The most powerful woman in the world this year, according to Forbes, is Mackenzie Scott. She's a philanthropist, author, and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. She signed the Giving Pledge, meaning she promised to give away at least half of her wealth throughout her lifetime.
Read More: Forbes, Billboard, Daily Mail, ET
Thing to Know Thursday: Digital Divide
The pandemic clearly brought a lot more people around the world closer to their technology. A recent United Nations report says nearly five billion people now use the internet, up from 4.1 million in 2019. This was probably because of lockdowns, remote work and school, and big increases in online shopping and banking. But, the UN still says 37% of the world’s population has still never used the internet. Most of those people live in developing countries. Tech giants are trying to reach the unconnected people, though. So, it seems to get the whole world online is now more of a question of when, rather than if.
Read More: Gizmodo, The Guardian, UN