Tuesday, November 30th, 2021
Omicron Response, New Twitter CEO & Giving Tuesday
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Ritual.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 read the latest happenings...
WHO on Omicron Risk
Doctors and scientists around the world are racing to get new information about the Omicron variant of Covid-19. They’re growing even more concerned after the latest warning from the World Health Organization. The WHO now says Omicron poses a “very high” global risk, and it’s likely to spread all around the world. But, there are still a lot of unknowns. There is no proof the variant is more deadly or more contagious than other strains. However, it does have genetic mutations that could help it spread quickly.
Read More: WaPo, BBC, NBC News, Fox News, WHO
Biden Talks Omicron Variant
President Biden is calling Omicron a “cause for concern, not a cause for panic.” He is planning to visit the National Institutes of Health in a couple of days. There, he plans to outline a Covid-19 fighting strategy for the winter. He promised no more shutdowns or lockdowns but more widespread vaccinations, booster shots, testing, and more. Dr. Anthony Fauci says the standard PCR tests will also catch the Omicron variant, and the vaccines on the market will likely work against it. Still, it’s not clear how effective they’ll be.
Read More: Reuters, Fox News, Politico, NY Times, White House
CDC Strengthens Booster Advice
In the wake of Omicron, the CDC is strengthening its messaging on booster shots. The CDC recently said all American adults may get an extra dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Now, it says all American adults should get one. Reports also say Pfizer plans to ask the FDA to authorize booster shots for 16 and 17-year-olds soon.
Read More: Axios, WSJ, CNBC, The Hill, CDC
Federal Worker Vaccine Mandate Delayed
Last week was the deadline for millions of federal workers to get vaccinated against Covid-19. For those people, regular testing and masking can’t be a substitute for a vaccine. However, the White House now says it won’t start enforcing the mandate until after the holidays. So, employees who were set to be suspended or fired for not getting their shots have more time. They can also apply for a medical or religious exemption. The White House says 96.5% of the federal workforce has already followed the mandate.
Read More: NBC News, WaPo, NY Post, CNN
10 States Block Healthcare Worker Mandate
Another one of the President’s mandates faced a setback in court. A federal judge blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a mandate on healthcare workers in 10 states that sued over it. December 6th was the deadline for them to get at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, or else their facilities would lose funding. But, a judge sided with the states this week, saying federal officials likely overstepped their legal powers. Government officials are now reviewing the ruling to decide what to do next. Similar lawsuits against this mandate are already pending in other states.
Read More: AP, Reuters, Business Insider, WSJ
Iran Nuclear Talks Resume
Iran resumed negotiations with the U.S. and other world powers over its nuclear program. The point of this week’s talks is to find out what it will take for everyone to go back to the deal they agreed to in 2015. Iranian officials say they’ll only abide by the deal if the U.S. removes all its sanctions. But, in the past, the U.S. has said Iran needs to follow the rules of the nuclear deal before the sanctions get lifted. Now, the time to reach a deal could be running out. Iran has been advancing its nuclear activities, and some diplomats say it will soon be impossible to stop Iran from getting enough nuclear fuel for a bomb.
Read More: ABC News, WSJ, CNN, NY Times, Reuters
FTC Investigating Supply Chain Issues
American officials now want to find out how top companies are handling the supply chain issues. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an investigation and requested information from Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Tyson, Craft, P&G, and others. The FTC wants to know what companies are doing to fix the problems and how they divvy up products among stores when they’re in short supply. It also wants to know how large retailers have been able to avoid a lot of the issues their smaller competitors have been facing with shortages. They also want to make sure companies aren’t raising prices unnecessarily. The companies have 45 days to respond.
Read More: WSJ, USA Today, WaPo, Reuters, FTC
Twitter CEO Steps Down
Jack Dorsey co-founded Twitter back in 2006. Now, he’s stepping down from his role as CEO. In a note to the company, Dorsey said it was his decision, and it was a tough one. He says he deeply trusts Chief Technology Officer Parag Agrawal, who is now taking over as the new CEO of Twitter. Agrawal started as an engineer and worked his way up over the last decade. As for Dorsey, he’s still the CEO of the payments company Square, which he also co-founded, and he will remain on Twitter’s board of directors until at least next year. Though, he has suggested he might be willing to leave both Twitter and Square to work on Bitcoin-related initiatives.
Read More: Fox Business, CNBC, CNN, NPR, Twitter
Tiger Woods Rules Out Full-Time Comeback
Tiger Woods says he’ll never play golf full-time, “ever again.” But, he hopes to “pick and choose” a few events a year if his leg is okay. He called it an unfortunate reality that he now accepts. He spoke to Golf Digest in what is said to be his first interview since his car crash earlier this year that caused significant injuries to his right leg and foot. He may speak more about his future today during a scheduled news conference.
Read More: ESPN, CNN, Fox News, Golf Digest
Lee Elder Dies
The golf world is honoring the legacy of Lee Elder. He was the first Black man to play in the Masters in 1975. He played in the Masters six times, won four PGA Tour events, and finished second 10 times, playing regularly through 1989. Elder died this week at the age of 87. Many golf greats are paying tribute to him, including Jack Nicklaus, who said, “The game of golf lost a hero.”
Read More: CBS Sports, AP, WaPo, NY Times
College Football Coaching Changes
A couple of big-name college football coaches made some surprising moves this week. First, the OU Sooners coach took a head coaching job at USC, and he took his assistant coaches with him. For now, former head football coach Bob Stoops is taking over in Oklahoma. Then, sources say Brian Kelly is leaving Notre Dame to become the next head football coach at LSU. Kelly is reportedly planning to meet with his team and break the news this morning. More coaching changes are expected, too.
Read More: The Athletic, ESPN, AP, CBS Sports
Giving Tuesday
Today is Giving Tuesday. 2021 marks the 10th year of this unofficial holiday. It's a day meant to encourage people to donate some of their time, talents, or money to a good cause. Giving Tuesday began in 2012 when a New York City nonprofit partnered with the United Nations Foundation, and it has grown tremendously since then. The Giving Tuesday website offers ways to take part today, from donating money, to helping a neighbor, to volunteering virtually, to leading a Giving Tuesday movement in your local community. Of course, always make sure you’re giving to a legitimate nonprofit.
Read More: USA Today, Vox, CNN, CNET, Giving Tuesday, CharityNavigator.org
Trivia Tuesday
Q: What geometric shape is generally used for stop signs?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answers
Q: Who was the first president to pardon a turkey?
A: John F. Kennedy
Read More: History, White House History, NPR, CNN, White House