Wednesday, May 18th, 2022
‘Evil Will Not Win’, UFO Sightings & Musk’s Mom Makes History
All the news you need in about 10 min:
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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 reading about the latest happenings…
Biden’s Speech in Buffalo
People around Buffalo, New York are finding some strength in their community as they work to recover from a racist attack. A memorial concert and vigil were held last night next to the supermarket where 13 people were shot and 10 killed over the weekend. It’s the same place President Biden visited earlier in the day to pay his respects. Biden also gave a speech about the attack in Buffalo and the racist conspiracy theories that are thought to be behind it. He declared, “Evil will not win,” and “Hate will not prevail.” The president called white supremacy a “poison” and said it’s time for people of all races to speak up and reject it.
Read More: AP, NY Times, Reuters, WSJ, White House
Dallas Hate Crime Investigation
In Dallas, Texas, a man was arrested for shooting three women of Korean descent at a nail salon. Police say the attack is being investigated as a hate crime. Investigators say the suspect was involved in a car crash with an Asian man several years ago, and ever since, he has suffered “panic attacks and delusions when he is around anyone of Asian descent.” They think that’s what motivated this most recent shooting, so he’s facing charges. Investigators are also looking into whether he may have been involved in two other shootings targeting Asian businesses over the last couple of months.
Read More: Dallas Morning News, NBC News, Fox News, AP
Congressional Hearing on UFOs
For the first time in half a century, Congress held a public hearing about UFOs. Top Pentagon officials told lawmakers they’re “potential” national security threats. However, they’re not sure, and more investigation is needed. They did testify under oath that the government had not collected materials from any alien landing on Earth, debunking one popular theory. Defense officials also released videos of UFOs. The Pentagon is creating a new task force to examine UFO reports in hopes they can be better and more quickly identified. Officials say, “We’ll go wherever the data takes us.”
Read More: CBS News, NPR, WSJ, NY Times, Axios
FDA Authorized Kid Boosters
School-age kids can start signing up to get their Covid-19 booster shot. This week, the FDA authorized the first booster for children as young as five. Any children between the ages of 5-11 who got their second dose at least five months ago are now eligible to get a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine. The FDA made the call after reviewing a study from Pfizer that found the third shot is safe and can raise kids’ antibodies against the omicron variant of Covid-19 by 36 times. Until now, only kids 12 and older were eligible for a booster.
Read More: NPR, CNBC, WaPo, CNN, FDA
Public Schools Enrollment Drops
The number of kids enrolled in public schools is dropping in some parts of the country. New data shows America’s public schools have lost at least 1.2 million students since 2020. While the pandemic accelerated the drop, the numbers haven’t rebounded, at least for many of those districts that stayed remote longer. Districts that went back to in-person last year were far more likely to see enrollment numbers go back up this year. Either way, it has a big impact since state and federal funding is tied to enrollment.
Read more: NY Times, WaPo, Return2Learn
Retail Sales Jump
It looks like Americans are still pumping money into the U.S. economy. The latest data from the Commerce Department shows retail sales were up almost one percent last month as compared to the month before. That marked the fourth straight month of higher retail spending. The data shows more cash is going into restaurants and bars as well as furniture, clothing, vehicles, and electronics. Another new report shows production at factories accelerated last month, and April also marked the 12th straight month with solid job gains.
Read more: Axios, WSJ, CNBC, Reuters, US Census
Baby Formula Rushed to America
The company behind Gerber is flying extra baby formula from Switzerland and the Netherlands into America ASAP to help ease the nationwide shortage. Nestlé told Reuters it’ll be prioritizing two of its brands because they’re for babies with a cow’s milk allergy and “serve a critical medical purpose.” Remember, the formula shortage in the U.S. started with supply chain issues but got much worse because of recalls of another manufacturer and the closure of a manufacturing facility.
Read more: Reuters, USA Today, CNN, WSJ
Wave to Pay? Mastercard’s New Program
Mastercard wants you to be able to pay for things in stores with just a smile or wave. The company launched a new program that lets retailers offer payment methods using biometric data. So instead of swiping your card, you could use facial recognition or fingerprint scanning when you show the palm of your hand. Privacy advocates have been concerned about companies using biometric data, but Mastercard says all the data customers provide is protected. The program launched in Brazil and should roll out to more places around the globe, including the U.S., later this year.
Read more: CNBC, CNET, Engadget, 9to5Mac, Mastercard
New Apple Tools
New features are coming for Apple products, like iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and iMacs. Apple says all the new tools will help people with disabilities. For example, one of them is called Door Detection. It can help people who struggle with vision find a door when they arrive at a new place, and it can tell them how to open it. A live captions tool is also coming, so people who are hard of hearing will be able to read audio content in real-time. It should work on FaceTime calls, any streaming media content, social media apps, and conversations people have with someone next to them.
Read More: TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, Engadget, Apple
Oldest SI Swimsuit Issue Cover Model
Elon isn’t the only Musk making headlines these days. His mother, Maye Musk, is making history as the oldest model to ever be featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. At 74 years old, Maye Musk was photographed in Belize wearing a variety of suits. In an interview Sports Illustrated released, Musk said, “I’m very excited to let people know that women in their 70s are gorgeous.” She’s one of four cover stars for different versions of this year’s swimsuit issue. The others are reality star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian, singer Ciara, and musician and fashion entrepreneur Yumi Nu. They come out on newsstands tomorrow.
Read More: CNN, NY Post, The Hill, SI
Work Wednesday: Business Travel Resumes
Business travel seems to be making a slow comeback. In the last couple of months, industry trade groups and hotel companies say they’ve seen big upswings in small business meetings, as well as larger trade conventions and trade shows. The major U.S. airlines also say they’ve seen a jump in business travel bookings. However, things still haven’t gone back to the way they were before the pandemic started. Some employers are still setting limits on travel. In other cases, Covid-19 restrictions keep visitors from going to the offices of people they want to see.
Read More: NY Times, Bloomberg, The Points Guy, Forbes