Monday, April 18th, 2022
Search for Shooters, Covid-19 Breathalyzer & Historic Boston Marathon
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and TommyJohn.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 review the latest happenings...
Three Weekend Mass Shootings
Ten people were shot Saturday afternoon inside a Columbia, South Carolina shopping mall. Others got hurt in a “stampede” of people running to safety. The people hurt ranged in age from 15-73. One person was arrested. Hours later, at least nine people were shot in a South Carolina restaurant. That’s thought to be an unrelated shooting, but authorities haven’t released much information. The third mass shooting happened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two people died, and they were both minors. It happened at an apartment party. Police think there was more than one shooter, but so far, no one has been arrested.
Read More: Reuters, NY Times, Fox News, ABC News, WSJ, CBS News
Mariupol Refuses to Surrender
The southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has been under attack for seven weeks straight. Over the weekend, Russia gave Ukrainian fighters an ultimatum: surrender Mariupol or die. However, the Ukrainians are still holding out. They are determined to keep control over Mariupol because it’s a major port. Also, giving it up would mean losing control over a huge region since Russia is already occupying areas to the west and east of there. So, for now, fighting continues in Mariupol and other parts of Ukraine.
Read More: WSJ, AP, Reuters
Ukraine Ammunition Shortfalls
The next major ground battles in Ukraine are expected to happen in the east. As a few news outlets report, senior U.S. defense officials are expecting that phase to begin as soon as this week. However, there is some concern Ukraine could run out of military supplies. Now, the U.S. is trying to convince allies to send Ukraine more weapons and ammunition. There are still American shipments on their way to Ukraine, and more could be announced soon.
Read More: NBC News, CNN, The Week
Federal Drilling Leases Renewed
The White House is going to restart selling leases to drill for oil and gas on federal lands. This is a big turnaround for the Biden administration. President Biden paused new leasing just a week after taking office to fight climate change. That said, things aren’t going back the way they used to be. Now, about 80% less land will be made available for the oil and gas drilling leases than originally considered. Also, the White House will charge companies higher royalties to drill. Industry experts say the move won’t help with gas prices for a while. It takes at least six months to a year before new drilling on federal lands would produce more supply.
Read More: NY Post, AP, WSJ, NBC News, DOI
Texas Governor Stops Extra Border Inspections
The backup is clearing along the border between Texas and Mexico. The Texas governor dropped his new rules that said all commercial trucks from Mexico had to go through extra inspections. Originally, he said they were necessary to curb human trafficking and the flow of drugs into the U.S. However, some truckers said the inspections slowed things down so much that they ended up waiting more than 30 hours to pass. Since then, the Texas governor says he reached agreements with neighboring Mexican states that outline new border security measures. With that, the extra inspections were lifted.
Read More: Texas Tribune, WaPo, AP, Gov. Abbott
Container Ship Freed After a Month
A nearly 1,100-foot cargo ship called the Ever Forward spent 36 days stuck in the mud of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. However, it was finally freed yesterday. Crews spent the last week offloading hundreds of containers that were on board. Then, tugboats were able to pry it loose. Now, it will continue its voyage to where it was supposed to go: Norfolk, Virginia. By the way, the ship’s owner is the same one who owns the Ever Given cargo ship that got stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal last year. However, the Ever Forward didn’t have the same snowball effect on international shipping because it never blocked the channel.
Read More: NY Times, ABC News, Fox Business, WaPo, USCG
First Covid-19 Breath Test
For the first time, the FDA has given the green light to a Covid-19 test that can detect infections with only a sample of the patient’s breath. It’s called the InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer. The patient blows through a single-use paper straw, enough to inflate a small balloon. Results are expected within a couple of minutes. A study of the device found it accurately identified more than 91% of positive samples and nearly 100% of negative ones. The FDA gave it emergency use authorization to be used in medical offices, mobile testing sites, and other places with qualified staff available.
Read More: ABC News, CNN, WaPo, CBS News, FDA
Twitter ‘Poison Pill’
Twitter’s board of directors adopted a “poison pill” defense. It’s in response to the offer Elon Musk made last week to buy the company for $43 billion. It will take effect if Musk’s roughly 9% stake in the company grows to 15% or more. The “poison pill” move would give Twitter’s existing shareholders time to buy more shares of Twitter at a discount. That would dilute Musk’s stake in the company, making it harder for him to take over. Twitter says if someone were to gain control, they should have to either pay shareholders a premium or give the board more time to evaluate an offer.
Read More: CNBC, WSJ, AP, NY Times, Twitter
Disney Brings Back Character Greetings
As early as today, visitors will be able to hug Disney characters again. For nearly two years, the costumed characters like Mickey Mouse and Cinderella have had to keep their distance at Disney parks in the U.S. because of the pandemic. However, starting today, the characters will be able to go back to interacting with visitors up close for photos, autographs, and hugs at Disney World resorts, Disneyland, and on Disney cruises. The traditional locations for character greetings won’t all open right away, but they will open in phases.
Read More: USA Today, AP, CNN, Disney Parks
Boston Marathon
Today, the Boston Marathon is back on its usual April date for the first time in three years. About 30,000 competitors are going to be running in perfect spring weather. They come from all 50 states and 122 countries. Today’s race also marks the 50th anniversary of the first official women’s field to run the Boston Marathon. Only eight women finished that race in 1972. Today, more than 12,000 women have signed up. You can catch the Boston Marathon live on the USA network this morning or the NBC Sports app.
Read More: Boston Globe, AP, USA Today, Reuters, BAA
Money Monday: It’s Tax Day
Today is the official deadline for most people to file their 2021 federal tax returns. This is when you're expected to get all your forms in and pay any money you owe. If you’re not ready, you can file for a six-month extension. However, if you owe money, you’re still supposed to pay that today. If you don’t pay on time, the federal government will tack on penalties and interest. However, the IRS could also owe you money. If so, it says the quickest way to get your refund is to file online and opt for a direct deposit. That way, the money will go into your bank account within 21 days.
Read More: Fox Business, CNBC, USA Today, CNN, AP
File for an Extension: IRS