Tuesday, February 8th, 2022
Mask Mandates Lifted, Budget Airlines Merge & NFT Home Sale
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code) and BetterHelp.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...
4 States Lift School Mask Mandates
The governors of four states announced plans to lift statewide mask mandates in schools. Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Oregon all plan to lift the mask requirements a month or two from now. A couple of the governors spoke about how people are just going to have to live with Covid-19 since they don’t think it will ever totally go away. These four states were already among only a dozen who had statewide school mask mandates. Eight states have bans on mask mandates, and it’s been an issue heavily fought in courts around the country.
Read more: NPR, WaPo, Reuters, CNN, Fox News
WA Grocery Store Shooting
Another American grocery store became the scene of a deadly shooting, and the gunman is still on the run. The shooting happened inside a Fred Meyer supermarket in Richland, Washington. Two employees were shot. One died, and the other was critically hurt and is still in the hospital. So far, police haven’t said what might have motivated the suspect or whether he knew the people he shot. Investigators posted his photo online and told anyone who sees him to call 911. He’s still thought to be armed and dangerous.
Read more: ABC News, Fox News, CNN, NBC News, Richland Police
US-German Leaders Meet
The U.S. and Germany promised to keep up what President Biden called a “reliable” partnership. Germany’s new chancellor visited the White House for the first time this week. After their talks, both Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Biden made it clear they’re on the same page, even when it comes to the situation with Russia and Ukraine. Germany has high stakes in the fight, especially since it relies heavily on natural gas from Russia, and a gas pipeline was recently built between the two countries. Now, President Biden says there won’t be that pipeline anymore if Russia invades Ukraine.
Read more: Axios, AP, Politico, NY Times, WSJ, White House
White House Science Advisor Resigns
A top White House science advisor is stepping down and apologizing for how he treated his staff. Following an investigation, Dr. Eric Lander acknowledged he “demeaned and disrespected” his colleagues. He said he was trying to push himself and his co-workers towards their goals by challenging, and at times, criticizing people. However, he admitted he crossed the line. A lawyer who worked for Dr. Lander at the White House told Politico his apology “did not come close to addressing the full extent of his egregious behavior.”
Read more: Politico, NY Times, WSJ, CNN
No More Free Community College
First Lady Jill Biden is putting her first legislative initiative to bed, at least for now. She’s been leading an effort to provide two years of free community college to all eligible American students. That measure was tucked inside a massive social spending package that struggled to win enough support in the Senate. So, this week, the First Lady told a group of community college leaders that the free tuition plan wasn’t in that package at all anymore. However, the social spending bill still has other initiatives like universal pre-k for three and four year olds. For now, it’s still being debated in the Senate.
Read more: NY Times, Axios, NBC News, WSJ, White House
Frontier Buys Spirit Airlines
Two of the country’s largest budget airlines could soon become one massive discount airline. However, the mega-merger is already raising some eyebrows. Frontier is buying its rival, Spirit, in a $2.9 billion cash and stock deal. The two airlines say this will let them grow faster together, and that will benefit passengers. The Frontier-Spirit combo would create the fifth largest U.S. airline, but we’ll see if antitrust regulators agree it's a good idea. The deal will have to get their stamp of approval before it’s finalized. If they do sign off, the deal is expected to close at the end of the year.
Read more: WSJ, CNBC, AP, Frontier, Spirit
Florida Home NFT Sale
A Florida home will be auctioned off today as an NFT, in what’s believed to be the first-of-its-kind transaction. The bid starts at $650,000. One expert told the AP it is basically like selling a company, and that company owns a home. The company behind the sale also said it’s a chance to treat real estate like a collectible, especially in high-demand places. However, like with other investments, experts say to proceed with caution. It’s not clear if the value of the house is tied to an NFT would be affected by the crypto market, and there’s not alot of historical data to fall back on.
Read more: Tampa Bay Times, WTVT, AP, The Hill, CNBC, Propy
IRS Drops Facial Recognition Plan
After a lot of blowback, the IRS says it no longer wants your selfie this tax season. Originally, the agency said it would use a third-party service that uses facial recognition to prove you are you. That would let you use the IRS’ online tools. Many taxpayers and some politicians didn’t like the idea of sending the IRS a photo because of privacy issues. Some tax professionals also pointed out that older people or lower-income people may not have access to phones or computers to take pictures and get online. So, the IRS dropped the idea and promised to quickly come up with another way to authenticate without using facial recognition.
Read more: WaPo, Detroit Free Press, NPR, CBS News, IRS
Athletes Slam Olympics Living Conditions
Many Olympic athletes are criticizing the food, what they call confusing Covid-19 testing, and the conditions in quarantine hotels in China. For example, a Polish athlete who tested positive called the whole thing a traumatic experience. She says she was ruled in and out of the games several times because of conflicting Covid-19 test results. A Russian athlete also talked about her mental health and criticized the meals she was served inside quarantine. Other teams have started going public, too. The head of the German delegation is calling for better rooms, better meals, and equipment so athletes are still in good shape when they get out of isolation.
Read more: NY Post, The Guardian, Reuters, USA Today, ABC News, Olympics
Trivia Tuesday
Q. Which NFL team has the most Super Bowl appearances?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: Who was the first president to officially recognize Black History Month?
A: Gerald Ford
Read more: BHM, History, NPR, Vanderbilt, Ford Library Museum, The White House