Tuesday, December 14th, 2021
Miles of Destruction, Gymnasts Compensated & ‘Person of the Year’
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.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 to read the latest happenings...
Tornado Outbreak Recovery
Tornado survivors are picking through the rubble of their communities, hoping to find anything that outlasted the storms. As of this morning, the death toll is up to 88 people, 74 in Kentucky alone. Officials in Kentucky say entire towns are now gone. Tens of thousands of people are still without heat, power, or water, and it could be weeks or longer until that’s all restored. Several people were also killed, and homes were lost, in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas. President Biden plans to travel to Kentucky tomorrow to attend a storm briefing and get a first-hand look at the damage. He has promised his administration will help with the aftermath.
Read More: NBC News, Fox News, NY Times, CBS News, AP, White House
OSHA Amazon Factory Probe
New questions have come up about a couple of businesses hit by storms. For example, why were so many people still working even when a tornado outbreak was bearing down on them? And, did they have safe enough places to take shelter? One of the companies facing those kinds of questions is Amazon. A tornado badly damaged one of its warehouses in Illinois, and six people died in the building; more were hurt. Now, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is on-site investigating.
Read More: WaPo, Reuters, CNBC, NY Post
Candle Factory Workers Threatened
A Kentucky candle factory is coming under scrutiny in the aftermath of the tornadoes. As a supplier for Bath and Body Works and other well-known brands, employees were working around the clock to meet the demand of the holiday season, even as tornadoes were approaching. Several workers told NBC News their supervisors warned them they’d be fired if they left their shifts early. Some left anyway, wanting to take shelter at home with their families. But, at least eight others who were still in the factory died there, and more are still missing. Company officials say anyone could have left, despite what workers told reporters.
Read More: The Guardian, NBC News, Fox Business
SCOTUS Kept NY Vaccine Mandate
For the second time in the last couple of months, the Supreme Court decided a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers can stay put. The justices turned away a challenge to a rule in New York state, saying healthcare workers must get vaccinated. There’s no religious exemption or testing option, but there is one medical exemption for people who could get a rare, severe allergic reaction from the vaccines. A group of doctors and nurses sued, saying a religious exemption is needed, but the high court threw out that suit. Just last month, the court denied a similar request from Maine healthcare workers.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, WSJ, Reuters, CNN, Supreme Court
Air Force Discharges Over Vaccine Mandate
The U.S. Air Force has discharged 27 people who have refused to get their Covid-19 shots. Officials believe they’re the first service members to be removed for not getting vaccinated. Remember, the Pentagon requires vaccines for all members of the military, including those in active duty, the National Guard, and the reserves. Although, they can claim medical or religious exemptions.
Read More: AP, WSJ, The Hill, Axios
Gymnasts Reach Abuse Settlement
More than 500 American gymnasts who were assaulted by a national team doctor are finally getting some compensation. Already, the former doctor, Larry Nassar, is serving what amounts to life in prison for sexually abusing them. Now, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have agreed to a settlement worth $380 million. That’s one of the largest settlements ever in a sexual abuse case, and it will help cover the medical care needed because of what the gymnasts went through. The settlement has other provisions, too. For example, USA Gymnastics has to give at least one of the survivors a seat on its board.
Read More: NPR, WaPo, Reuters, WSJ
White House EV Charging Plans
The White House is fast-tracking a plan to build a nationwide charging network for electric vehicles. The Biden administration says it has a goal of installing half a million charging stations from coast to coast by the end of this decade. The administration is holding meetings with state and local governments, American manufacturers, and environmental and civil rights groups to help guide the work. Vice President Harris says the government is focusing efforts, especially in rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach locations. President Biden has also set a goal that electric cars and trucks should account for half of the new vehicles sold by 2030.
Read More: ABC News, AP, NBC News, WaPo, White House
Study Says Emissions Reductions Saved Lives
A new study from Harvard researchers found lower vehicle emissions saved thousands of lives in the U.S. They studied the impact of tougher regulations that cut down the amount of soot coming from cars. To do this, they looked at nearly a decade’s worth of data and found in 2017, about 20,000 people died from traffic-related pollution. Researchers say if emissions per mile traveled stayed at levels seen in 2008, more than 48,000 people would have died in 2017. So, more than 28,000 lives were saved just that year. Researchers also say there were big economic benefits from lower emissions. They say the U.S. saved $270 billion.
Read More: AP, The Hill, Forbes, PNAS
Virginia IT Company Ransomware Attack
There's been another significant ransomware attack. This time, hackers hit the IT agency that works with Virginia’s state legislature. One state official said many of the computer networks shut down in the hopes of stopping the ransomware from spreading. It comes at one of the busiest times of the year as state lawmakers are preparing for their session to start next month. Remember, ransomware is a type of malware hackers use to lock up computers so they can demand money to unlock the systems and data. In this case, reports say it could take a few days before they know what was compromised.
Read More: CNN, AP, Fox News, WaPo
Apple iOS Update
Apple released its latest software update for iPhones this week, and this one has a lot of new features and bug fixes. For example, with iOS 15.2 you can call emergency services without dialing. You just have to hit the side button five times. In Messages, once parental control has been activated, the iPhone will look for nudity, blur those images, and warn the child they might not be appropriate. Also new is the Apple Music Voice Plan. For $4.99 a month, you will have access to all Apple Music tracks through Siri. There are more new features, too, along with software updates for Mac computers, iPads, Apple TVs, and Apple watches.
Read More: WSJ, CNET, 9to5Mac, Ars Technica, Forbes, Apple
Time’s ‘Person of the Year’
Time magazine’s 2021 “Person of the Year” is Elon Musk. It's a year that saw his electric car company, Tesla, become the most valuable carmaker in the world. His rocket company, SpaceX, made history with several firsts, including sending an all-civilian crew to space. Musk is also the richest person on Earth. Time gives the “Person of the Year” title to the person it sees as having the most influence over the last 12 months, embodying what was important about the year––for better or for worse.
Read More: Time, Reuters, Fox Business, NPR
Award Show Nominees
Some of the best TV shows and movies were recognized this week when nominations were revealed for both the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. For the Golden Globes, the movies “The Power of the Dog” and “Belfast” led the nominees. The HBO drama “Succession” got the most nominations for a TV series. At the Critics Choice Awards, “Belfast” and “West Side Story” dominated the movie nominations. The Critics Choice TV nominations were announced last week. Like at the Globes, HBO’s “Succession” scored the most nods. Both the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards will air on January 9th.
Golden Globes Nominees: Axios, CNN, NY Times, Golden Globes
Critics Choice Awards Nominees: Variety, Indie Wire, THR, Critics Choice
Trivia Tuesday
Q: What is the largest land mammal alive today?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer
Q: Which natural disaster is measured with a Richter scale?
A: Earthquake
Read More: USGS, HowStuffWorks, Scholastic, BBC, National Geographic