Quick News Daily Podcast

Enjoy, and thank you.  Start your journey to a new or renewed website with Siteably! Visit siteablydesign.com to get started today. Also check out Siteably on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter! ----more----  Catch Bo Burnham's amazing comedy special "Bo Burnham: Inside" on Netflix right now. All music belongs to Bo Burnham and Netflix. Quick News on Social Media: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Sources

Quick News Daily switches things up again, this time with a recommendation for something to stream: Chernobyl. While this episode first aired last year, the commentary is sadly still extremely relevant. Regardless, this is an incredible miniseries, so whether you've seen it already or need a reason to start it, tune into this discussion.  You can find Chernobyl streaming on HBO Max.  Listen to Part 2 of our Chernobyl review here, and Part 3 here. Any audio samples are licensed under Fair Use for the purposes of a review. 

On this throwback episode episode of Quick News Reviews that first aired on New Year's Eve 2020, I take a look back at 2016's "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice", specifically the Ultimate Edition. In Part 1, I talk about the background of this movie and the original Justice League movie (2:04), the score (5:13), the main story (6:24), and the characters of Bruce Wayne/Batman (10:50), Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (16:13), and Lois Lane (18:00). Stay tuned for Part 2! All clips and audio from the movie that were used during this show are the property of Warner Bros. They are used for the purpose of a critical review and discussion. Zack Snyder's commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogpQdKbt8iw&t=7759s

On this week's Quick News Daily Podcast, we catch up on all the biggest news stories, rapid-fire style. First, we start with what we do and don't know about what the Delta variant means for vaccinated people, as well as an update on Johnson & Johnson vaccine boosters. Then, we go over a T-Mobile hacking, new dinosaur discoveries, a new method to making French fries, and (technically) self-driving cars.  ----more----  Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Helium Radio Sources

Today at Quick News Daily, we don't have a new show for you. Instead, we go back to an April episode of Quick News To Go, our original weekly recap show. Get nostalgic by reminding yourself what it was like when we thought the pandemic was ending the first time.  Then, transition perfectly into current times with the ending song, "Facetime with My Mom" by Bo Burnham. Catch his amazing comedy special "Inside" on Netflix right now. All music belongs to Bo Burnham and Netflix. ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Helium Radio Sources

On this week's Quick News Daily Podcast, we have a lot of important news stories to get to. We start by catching up on the latest COVID news, explaining how viruses replicate, and our body's two types of immunity to them. Next, we cover the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the discovery of new dinosaurs, and updates to Facebook Messenger's privacy.  ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Helium Radio | Sources

On this episode of the Quick News Daily Podcast, we're still talking a lot about the Delta variant of COVID-19. We'll also be giving you information on the booster shot situation, other emerging (?) variants, and protests about showing proof of vaccination. We'll also briefly touch on climate change, as well as possibly applying to be a Martian astronaut! **Read the latest on COVID booster shots here. ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes  Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Helium Radio Sources That's The Way It Is by Daniel Lanois (owned by Daniel Lanois and any associated persons or organizations) Big Swing Band by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Today on the Quick News Daily Podcast, as the world deals with the Delta Variant of the coronavirus, we'll get you the latest facts to help you become safer. We'll also be touching on the evictions that could come from this COVID resurgence, troubles at the International Space Station, an update on Myanmar, and another underreported military situation. Finally, we close with testimony from police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6th who know first-hand that the people who showed up that day were not peaceful protesters or tourists. **At the time of recording, the new eviction moratorium was not yet in place. Read the latest news on that here.  ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Sources  

On a brand-new edition of the Quick News Daily Podcast, we're back to covering the latest developments of the coronavirus. In addition, we'll revisit a prior episode where I give you some of my top free, easy-to-use websites that'll make your life easier! Those websites are: https://www.ilovepdf.com/ https://www.virustotal.com/gui/ https://www.wordhippo.com/  https://smile.amazon.com/ https://temp-mail.org/en/view/ https://10minutemail.com/ Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Sources   Use the code "OMIO5" at https://omio.sjv.io/c/2544961/1078765/7385  

We're back with a new episode of the Quick News Daily Podcast! This week, we cover topics like tensions between the U.S. and China, European flooding, a study linking alcohol and cancer even more closely, top economists' bet for the next Chair of the Fed, uncertainty for DREAMers (again), and even more! ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes  Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook  Sources  

On this episode of the Quick News Daily Podcast, we try to cover more news and spend more time together. Stories that we discuss include COVID misinformation (aka lies), Japan banning fans from the Olympics, Pfizer teasing a COVID booster shot, the economy and why workers aren't "lazy", and new symptoms based on how much you've been vaccinated. Listen to the Last Podcast on the Left episode discussing how we're facing the same issues now that people faced after the Black Death: The Black Death Part V ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Sources Use the code "OMIO5" at https://omio.sjv.io/c/2544961/1078765/7385

Welcome to a special edition of the Quick News Daily Podcast! On our first episode on Life Improvement Radio, we have a lot of news to cover. First, we discuss the largest ransomware attack ever, then two types of recalls (for the California Governor and Tyson Foods), followed by the return of the cruise industry and updates on COVID. Full List of Recalled Tyson Products Pictures of the Labels for the Recalled Products  ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Today, we have some exciting news about a partnership between Quick News Daily and the Helium Radio Network! Check out Quick News Daily on your favorite podcast app or this Saturday on HeliumRadio.com from 11-11:30am eastern time! https://heliumradio.com/ | Download Helium Radio on the App Store | Download Helium Radio on Google Play

On today's Quick News Daily, we cover all things COVID. From vaccines to variants to possible health concerns, we have all the latest information. Plus, we cover the reported bipartisan infrastructure deal, as well as a great website for daily details about the Biden Administration. NOTE: Details of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework were not known at the time of this recording, but more information can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-support-for-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-framework/  ----more----   Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources

Today's topics covered by Quick News Daily include the United States buying and donating 500 million more  COVID vaccines, travel certificates in the EU, and the Biden Administration doing its own national security review of TikTok. ----more----  Find the Quick News Daily Podcast on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources

Get caught up on the biggest news with the Quick News Daily Podcast! Today, we cover the first Alzheimer's drug to be approved by the FDA in nearly 20 years, President Biden and Vice President Harris' schedules for their first foreign trips in office, and what the U.S. plans to do with our extra COVID vaccines. Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes  ----more----   Sources

Today, the Quick News Daily Podcast is back to its original format (almost). We cover some of the biggest stories from the recent days, including Dr. Fauci's emails, the Trump Administration seizing the phone and email records of journalists, and the dubious story about COVID's origins in a Chinese lab. Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes  ----more---- Sources

Quick News Daily is back with more websites you can use every day to make your life easier! The websites featured in this episode are: StandardNotes.org LastPass.com JoinHoney.com FileHippo.com UnitConverters.net If you haven't heard it, check out The Best Websites You Haven't Heard About (Part I) right

On this episode of the Quick News Daily Podcast, I shake up the format of the show and bring you a different type of news. Today, I talk about six websites that you can use in your everyday life to be more productive, more creative, safer online, and give back! They're free to use and don't require you to download anything! These websites are: https://www.ilovepdf.com/ https://www.virustotal.com/gui/ https://www.wordhippo.com/  https://smile.amazon.com/ https://temp-mail.org/en/view/ https://10minutemail.com/ ----more---- News Theme 2 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

We’re not quite ready to return to regular programming, so in case you missed it, here’s the biggest episode we’ve done so far! There's just one problem: since it was my first time with a guest, I had some audio issues on my end (meaning I forgot to plug in my microphone...), so my apologies for that. Luckily, J-L's audio is just fine, and he's the real star of the episode. Of course, a very special thank you to J-L for giving my show a chance. Help me thank him by checking J-L at JLCauvin.com, his YouTube channel, and his Twitter account. ----more----   Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes

It's been a while since there was a new episode, so I wanted to give an update on where I'm at. **EDIT: as it turns out, switching the websites was not as easy as it seemed, which caused some issues with how the episodes are released. As a result, we're back to the original website so that you can still find the episodes on all the platforms.**

Pulled from C-SPAN, here are some of the highlights from President Biden's speech before Congress last Wednesday. Listen to the highlights in just under 17 minutes instead of sitting through an entire hour-long speech with applause breaks! Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes ----more---- The end song is "Select" by Patrick Patrikios Find other outro songs on Quick News Daily's Spotify playlist of all the ending songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TnuLarfmPZg19jVVN396x?si=4347c9d453d547bd 

Ahead of President Joe Biden's first address to the "full" Congress (limited to 200 due to COVID), several new policies are rolling out or being proposed. We discuss his executive order on minimum wage for federal contractors, increased funding for the IRS (find out why that's a good thing), and more! Plus, the latest mask guidance from the CDC and how the Census results will impact future elections. Biden's address to Congress is scheduled for Wednesday at 8pm CT, but they're always fashionably late (on purpose). Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Quick News Daily's Spotify playlist of all the ending songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TnuLarfmPZg19jVVN396x?si=4347c9d453d547bd Sources

So sorry about the weird schedules lately, but thank you for your patience! READ NOW: Five Takeaways after Derek Chauvin's Conviction Website: https://www.quicknewsdaily.com/ 

Get caught up on all of the week's top headlines and breaking news with Quick News To Go from Quick News Daily.  Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources  ----more---- Support the artists with Quick News Daily's Spotify playlist of all the ending songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TnuLarfmPZg19jVVN396x?si=4347c9d453d547bd  Quick News Daily on Patreon  Quick News Daily on Steady

We have a lot to cover on this Friday edition of Quick News Daily. We cover everything from the latest on the Duane Wright case, sanctions, withdrawing from Afghanistan, and trying to figure out what South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is thinking. Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes  To hear today's end song, "Superman Rising Pt. 2 / Immovable" by JunkieXL (who, along with WarnerMedia, owns the rights to the song) from Zack Snyder's Justice League, check out the Quick News Daily Outro Songs playlist on Spotify: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsOutroSongs  Sources 

Today's Quick News Daily Podcast focuses on three big topics: tons (!) of new appointments and nominations to the Biden Administration, the killing of Daunte Wright and the aftermath, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine news. Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources 

Get caught up on all of the week's top headlines and breaking news with Quick News To Go from Quick News Daily.  Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources  ----more---- Support the artists with Quick News Daily's Spotify playlist of all the ending songs: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsOutroSongs

Today, we'll be talking about President Biden's gun control announcement, unrest in Ireland, jobs numbers, and COVID-related illnesses. I also make reference to the reports that Congressman Matt Gaetz allegedly paid for the sex trafficking with Venmo (come on man) and the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Sources Hear "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 and more on Quick News' Spotify Playlist

On this episode of the Quick News Daily podcast, we have details on the new/old Facebook breach, updates on Florida, Georgia, and Arkansas, and is Biden bringing trains back in style? https://haveibeenpwned.com/  Sources

On the first episode of the new week for Quick News Daily, we'll discuss the Los Angeles earthquake, Friday’s attack at the US Capitol, a toxic situation in Florida (we’ll have to narrow that down), and more! Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes  ----more---- Patreon | Steady  Sources Support the artists with Quick News Daily's Spotify playlist of all the ending songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TnuLarfmPZg19jVVN396x?si=4347c9d453d547bd

Get caught up on all of the week's top headlines and breaking news with Quick News To Go from Quick News Daily.  Make sure to use code F68EE1E5 on PodcastBloggers.com to get 10% off your first month! Visit podgo.co/apply to get paid for your hard work, especially if you're a small, new podcast! ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Support the artists with Quick News Daily's Spotify playlist of all the ending songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TnuLarfmPZg19jVVN396x?si=4347c9d453d547bd Sources

On our final show of the week, we cover topics like the first major reporting on President Biden's economy, more results from a new Pfizer COVID vaccine trial, the fallout from Georgia's attack on voting rights, and Jen Psaki nailing it again during a press briefing. Make sure to use code "F68EE1E5" on PodcastBloggers.com to get 10% off your first month! ----more---- Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes  Support the artists with Quick News Daily's Spotify playlist of all the ending songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TnuLarfmPZg19jVVN396x?si=4347c9d453d547bd Sources

Today, we cover a new real-world study from the U.S. that shows how impressive the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are, even after one dose! Then, we talk about a possible union forming at Amazon and Volkswagen's (Voltswagen?) interesting PR stunt, which you'll need to get your tin foil hat on for. Plus, we try to unpack what in the world is going on with Republican congressman Matt Gaetz. ----more---- Sources

On the (almost) one year anniversary of Quick News Daily, we start with the story that nobody else seems to be talking about: the deadly coup in Myanmar. Then, we discuss Jen Psaki's appearance on Fox News discussing Biden's infrastructure plan. Plus, how does Phil Swift fit in with the Suez Canal? Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes ----more---- Sources  Quick News Daily on Patreon  Quick News Daily on Steady

Get caught up on all of the week's top headlines and breaking news with Quick News To Go from Quick News Daily.  ----more---- Time Stamps: Episode 1: 00:00 to 9:37 Episode 2: 10:15 to 16:16 Episode 3: 16:17 to end Come Together (Remix) by Gary Clark Jr. and JunkieXL: 28:09 Listen to Quick News on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources

This episode of Quick News Daily is basically a reminder of why you should turn to us for news. We take a long look at the embarrassing showing from the media yesterday, mainly because Biden held his first press conference where he took questions from reporters (spoiler alert: he was perfectly normal and boring). Plus, we pay respect to the genius, Alan Turing, and a new law passed by New Zealand's parliament. ----more---- To find Quick News Daily on your favorite podcast platform, click here: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources

On this episode, it is a first for Quick News Daily: an entire show hosted by automated text-to-speech voices. It may be a bit strange at first, but it's still written by me, so it'll still have all the same jokes and sarcasm. On the episode, we talk about the AstraZeneca data that was released and the possibility it was "misleading", Equal Pay Day, more confirmations to the Biden Administration, and Vice President Harris taking charge on the border issue. To listen to Quick News Daily on your favorite podcast platform: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources

Even though the Quick News Daily Podcast took an entire week off, there still aren't many new stories to cover. On this episode, we go over the latest info about the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine and the sanctions on Chinese officials for their roles in the human rights violations in their country. Of course, we can't leave without talking about the fantastic new movie Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max. Watch Zack Snyder's Justice League: https://play.hbomax.com/page/urn:hbo:page:GYDAnZgCFQ8IJpQEAAAAN:type:feature

Get caught up on all of the week's top headlines and breaking news with Quick News To Go from Quick News Daily. 

On this episode of your #1 quick news podcast, we cover Biden stealing my thunder and signing the stimulus yesterday when I said it'd be Friday, his speech from the White House, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine getting emergency approval. We also cover Georgia's attack on voting rights and the ridiculous talk about Biden's relationship with the media. Listen on your favorite podcast app: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources

On a truly quick episode of Quick News Daily, we discuss all the latest happenings in the Biden Administration, as well as two new studies from the British Medical Journal and the New England Journal of Medicine. Sources Find Quick News Daily on any of your favorite podcast players: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes

As we cover the latest headlines from Monday and the weekend, we have to start with a deep dive into the COVID relief bill (aka the American Rescue Plan) that was passed by the Senate on Saturday and what it means to you and your family. We also cover President Biden's executive order to increase access to voting and his call for a new Voting Rights Act, and more!  Find Quick News Daily on your favorite podcast player: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes Sources  Support the show on Patreon or Steady

Get caught up on all of the week's top headlines and breaking news with Quick News To Go from Quick News Daily.    Quick News is an affiliate of Amazon Sources

On the final Quick News Daily of the week, we take a look at more consequences from the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the earthquakes that struck "near" New Zealand, even more trouble for ERCOT, and our favorite Wisconsin senator, Ron Johnson, who is now affectionately called "Ron-Anon".   Quick News is an affiliate of Amazon. Find Quick News Daily on any of your favorite podcast platforms: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes ----more---- Sources    

On today's Quick News Daily, we're talking more about COVID vaccine distribution (and my personal feelings that these companies should stop promising to deliver amounts they know they can't). We also talk about Biden's latest confirmation to his cabinet, the first hiccup in the nomination process (spoiler: Republicans finally remembered what Twitter is after 5 years), and FBI Director Chris Wray's testimony about the January 6th insurrection. Finally, we discuss President Biden's first sanctions against Russia in retaliation to Alexei Navalny's poisoning, as well as Congress' frustration about the U.S. airstrike in Syria last Friday.     Find Quick News Daily on your favorite podcast player: http://bit.ly/QuickNewsEpisodes  ----more---- Sources 

On the return of the Quick News Daily Podcast, we cover everything from the Justice Department fighting to keep people from being evicted, two stories about two different COVID vaccines, Virginia legalizing marijuana, and the human rights violations in Myanmar. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "link_enhancement_widget"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "130b05-20"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "b41b2767c3c53ab279dcdfc5829305aa"; amzn_assoc_placement = ""; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Sources

On this episode of the Quick News Daily Podcast, we cover a variety of stories. The two we spend the most time on are Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's comments in front of the Senate and what they mean for your wallet, as well as a Washington Post story covering the re-opening of a Trump-era facility for migrants children (though there are no cages involved). Then, we cover the bilateral "meeting" with Canada and PM Justin Trudeau and updates on the Texas energy situation, Biden confirmations, and the insurrection. EDIT: contrary to what I said at the end of the show, I will NOT be having a show on Friday. Stay tuned to all of Quick News Daily's social media accounts for the latest news updates, particularly Instagram and Twitter.   ----more---- COVID vaccine quick guide table: https://www.quicknewsdaily.com/e/quick-guide-covid-vaccines-moderna-pfizer-astrazeneca/  Sources   

On a new week of the #1 quick news podcast, we take a look at a variety of stories from all around the globe. We have COVID updates from the US, the state of US-Iran sanctions and relations, and President Biden accepting a request for additional federal resources from Texas Governor Greg Abbott (who is a Republican, regardless of what Don Jr. thinks). We also have information about an oil spill near Israel, as well as frustrations over the investigation into the start of the COVID pandemic. Get your free month of Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/36G895YDeal for surgical masks: https://amzn.to/3btYrFd----more----SourcesBecome a contributor:Patreon: https://bit.ly/QuickNewsPatreon Steady: https://bit.ly/QuickNewsSteady  Transcript: COVID UPDATESStarting off, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former leader of the FDA, said he thinks that the decline in COVID infection rates that we’ve been seeing will continue. He also said that the variants will probably be more common in the coming months, but that it won’t be enough to matter. He said, “I think it’s too little, too late in most parts of the country. With rising vaccination rates and also the fact that we've infected about a third of the public, that's enough protective immunity that we're likely to see these trends continue.” I like how he just throws in there “yeah, we’ve been so crappy at containing this thing that it’ll actually help us”.As of Saturday, there had been about 61.2M vaccines administered, and 75M doses had been delivered.Another interesting snippet of the interview with Dr. Gottlieb was this quote talking about the WHO’s investigation into how COVID started: “The most likely scenario here is that this came from nature, that this was bouncing back and forth between people and animals for a period of time and finally broke out," he said. "I think the lab leak theory, the fact that this could have been an accident out of that lab is never going to be fully dispelled. And the WHO shouldn't walk away from that so easily.”In other COVID news, a non-peer-reviewed study of about 300 people in an Indian hospital showed an interesting result regarding people with glasses. Took place over two weeks last summer.Patients were between 10 and 80 years old, all reported COVID symptoms. Of these people, 19% wore glasses most of the time, meaning that 81% did not (not trying to talk down, just don’t want you to have to do mental math when I’ve had this information for a while).Researchers found participants touched their face up to 23 times each hour on average and their eyes an average of three times per hour. People with glasses were 2-3x less likely to get COVID. The reasoning: this still works off of the assumption that you can touch something contaminated with COVID, then your mouth, nose, or eyes. We’ve been focusing so much on masks that contaminated surfaces haven’t really been talked about in a while. But, as for why glasses matter, if you wear glasses, it literally just is more work to touch your eyes.I’m not sure how it would help since COVID is aerosolized, meaning it gets into regular air particles, but I’d have to assume glasses work sort of like a face shield and block particles from talking to people. The CDC even talked about possibly wearing goggles or something for a while there, but I think they chose not to try pushing that because they saw what happened with masks (or Trump ordered them not to). Texas Update (Biden/Abbott)Check this out, major breaking news… *CNN Breaking News* We have a president that will help all Americans, not just the ones who voted for him! Amazing! What a concept!I say this because Joe Biden signed a declaration saying that Texas was in a state of a major disaster, meaning that they can get some additional funding.Before we get to what that covers, let’s do a quick fact check of something you might be hearing from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who’s a Republican even though Donald Trump Jr. called him a Democrat for some reason. Gov. Abbott might be trying to spin Biden’s order as only “partial assistance”, and he’s partially right. Abbott was trying to get approval for individual and public assistance for all 254 counties in Texas. President Biden approved public assistance for all 254 and individual assistance for 77 counties. So, what’s the difference between these two?According to this USA Today article, “Individual assistance is given directly to residents who ‘sustained losses due to disasters,’ while public assistance can be used to repair or replace public facilities or infrastructure damaged or destroyed by a disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The White House said that the individual assistance is available to regular people in those 77 counties, as well as local governments and some nonprofit organizations. This money is in addition to the supplies that FEMA already gave to Texas to help during the power outage. This was supplies like power generators, diesel fuel, water, and blankets.Biden also said on Friday that he “directed several federal agencies including Health and Human Services and the departments of Defense and House and Urban Development to ‘"identify other resources that can provide and address the growing needs of the folk in Texas."’And speaking of being self-aware and not needing the spotlight to feed his fragile ego like someone else would have (who could that be?), Biden said that he wanted to visit the state like presidents normally do during disasters, but he didn’t give an exact date because he doesn’t want to go until he knows his presence won’t create another “burden”. Thank god Trump didn’t have to deal with huge snowstorm during the vaccine rollout.After Abbott convened what his office described as an "emergency meeting" Saturday with lawmakers to discuss the issue, the Public Utility Commission on Sunday met to sign two orders, including one that would direct energy providers to temporarily stop disconnecting customers from power or water because they have not paid.The commission also signed an order to stop companies from sending invoices or bill estimates to customers “until we work through issues of how we are going to financially manage the situation we are in,” commission Chair DeAnn Walker said.“Disconnect for non pays cannot occur on a Sunday and that’s why we're acting today at this hour... trying to stop any from occurring tomorrow,” Walker said before the three-member commission approved the orders. Merrick GarlandSenate Judiciary Committee hearing on MondayWe’ve heard about what happened during his Supreme Court nomination fiasco, but let’s get a little more information.By the early 1990s, Garland was prosecuting a violent gang that terrorized people in a public housing project and was helping to advance a case against D.C.'s then-mayor, Marion Barry, on drug charges.Garland would soon travel to the site of the deadliest domestic terrorism attack in American history. He oversaw the search warrants, protected the chain of evidence and insisted that reporters have access to court proceedings.Garland played an important role in other confrontations with extremists in those years, including a lengthy 1996 standoff with the heavily armed Montana Freemen. The Justice Department and the FBI were eager to avoid a repeat of deadly incidents in Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho, only a few years earlier.Georgetown University law professor Paul Butler said he thinks Garland will be aware of the times and the message that the Biden Administration is trying to send regarding race.Garland took an early and important lead to update policies that protect employees from sexual harassment and other workplace misconduct. IranLast Thursday, Acting U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council on behalf of President Joe Biden saying the United States “hereby withdraws” the decision by Trump to re-impose U.N. sanctions on Iran.The nuclear agreement was working, and Iran was starting to get a little more friendly. Then Donald Trump had to come through and cancel it because it was created and negotiated by Obama, and he can’t let Obama have any nice things. So, he backed out of the agreement so he could get those sanctions back on Iran.For context, a big majority of the members of the European Union Security Council even went so far as to say that Trump’s decision was illegal because the US wasn’t a member of the agreement since he withdrew, so the US couldn’t re-impose sanctions on a country for a deal we weren’t even a part of anymore.The White House also announced that President Biden is willing to restart talks with Iran about getting back to the 2015 agreement (Iran stopped following the rules when we did, so they’ll have to agree to stop their nuclear program again). National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Iran’s government hadn’t responded yet.Another part of this deal that Biden is trying to negotiate the release of dozens of Americans and other dual citizens that Iran has arrested for spying in the past couple of years. Jake Sullivan called these arrests a “complete and utter outrage” and said that it was a “significant priority” to get those hostages back.Oil SpillAn oil spill happened off the coast of Israel last week and has led to Israel's biggest maritime ecological disaster in years. Authorities have been closing the country's beaches and beginning a massive cleanup effort.The Israeli government said to avoid going to beaches from the country's northern border with Lebanon all the way to the south near the Gaza Strip. They’re doing this because there’s all this melted tar in the water, and tar exposure can make people sick and irritate the skin.The Israel Nature and Parks Authority warned that the “consequences will be seen for years to come.”Israeli environmental minister Gila Gamliel said Saturday that there are no more oil slicks visible off Israel's coast. However, the ministry warned that large waves are forecasted for later this week. The waves could carry chunks of sticky tar from beach to beach, making the cleanup even more difficult.Israeli and European authorities are investigating what happened. Currently, Israeli officials believe a ship spilled anywhere from tens to hundreds of tons of oil in the Mediterranean, beyond the country's territorial waters.The spill likely happened about a week ago when stormy weather affected the region. As I alluded to before, they don’t have a suspect yet as for which tanker was responsible. Israeli authorities are working with European officials to review satellite images of ships that passed through the area.Gamliel said Saturday that the ministry had zeroed in on fewer than a dozen ships, and was attempting to narrow it down further in the coming days, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. COVID OriginsJake Sullivan: "We do not believe that China has made available sufficient original data into how this pandemic began to spread, both in China and then eventually around the world," he said. "And we believe that both the WHO and China should step up on this matter."The researchers said the outbreak almost certainly did not start in a Chinese lab, but that its path from animals to humans needs further investigation.And it sounds like there’s some disagreement within the WHO team about whether that’s the right conclusion. One of those team members, Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans, told NPR's Steve Inskeep that said she and her team believe the pandemic did not originate at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan. "The market is not the whole story," she said. "The market has been one of those spreading events but there also was circulation outside of, aside from the market." Very mysterious.

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Today, we’ve got a lot of stories to catch up on, and they’re all basically either local or international. We’re covering topics like Chicago’s spending of COVID funds, Boris Johnson, updates on Texas’ power outage and leadership outage (Ted Cruz), as well as Mount Etna news. SourcesGet a free month of Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/36G895Y ----more---- Transcript:FEB. 19TH OPENFriday, February19th. Today, we’ve got a lot of stories to catch up on, and they’re all pretty much local or international. We’re covering topics like Chicago’s spending of COVID funds, Boris Johnson, updates on Texas’ power outage and leadership outage (Ted Cruz), as well as Mount Etna news. CHICAGO Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her administration have been catching some heat the past few days since the news broke that of the $1.2B that Chicago received from the federal government for COVID relief, they spent $281.5M of it on personnel costs for the Chicago Police Department. Obviously, with everything that happened last year, that’s not real popular with some folks. Last summer,  Ald. Daniel La Spata says he asked the mayor to put federal money toward housing relief or other programs to help struggling residents. He said he and other aldermen heard from residents that they didn’t want federal money targeted toward police payroll. City Budget Director Susie Park said no relief money had yet been spent on police funding when she spoke to aldermen in June. These personnel costs were for things like police performing wellness checks on residents, airport security when travelers had to be screened for COVID-19, security at the McCormick Place coronavirus field hospital and security at virus testing sites.                         And there was still money that went to the city’s public health response to the disease, to homeless services, to O’Hare and Midway airports, and to senior citizen assistance. The headlines were misleading because they wanted you to believe this was a big chunk of the money that Chicago got for COVID relief, but it was about 1/6. That’s a lot, but it’s better than the 1/3 number I was seeing floating around on Twitter (people were saying that the city only got $600M in funding). If we’re actually about paying people for their work, then this shouldn’t be an issue. It’s not like it was for additional task forces to hunt down BLM members or something. BOris johnsonThe UK listeners might have a better idea about this than me, but Boris Johnson is such a strange figure. I cannot get a read on this guy. One second he sounds like a typical conservative xenophobe, and the next he’s got ideas like getting the G-7 countries to form ways to speed up the development of vaccines, treatments, and tests. And this isn’t just a plan for COVID, this is a plan for all emerging diseases. Johnson is looking to prevent future pandemics. He said, “The development of viable coronavirus vaccines offers the tantalizing prospect of a return to normality, but we must not rest on our laurels. As leaders of the G-7 we must say today: never again.” He also went on to talk about the need for these countries to combine their resources and knowledge so that we can make sure “vaccines, treatments and tests to be battle-ready for future health threats.”Considering that the COVID vaccine was developed in about 300 days, which is the fastest one yet, reducing it down to 100 days is really ambitious (it usually takes 4 years or more). But he makes a great point: we can’t do this again. All of these lockdowns, all the masking, all the social distancing, people are just not going to go for it again. And to do all that again for another year? Forget about it. Unless it’s some worst-case scenario where it’s a flu-like virus that’s as deadly as Ebola, I don’t think that many people who have lived through this would take this many precautions again. In addition to that plan, Johnson will also be confirming that the UK will share a majority of any extra COVID vaccines with Covax. Covax is a really cool organization that is led by both the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (aka CEPI). This organization helps get poor countries equitable access to COVID vaccines. So, all in all, a really good streak of news coming from the UK. On these specific topics, I’ll give Boris some real respect. TEXASAs we hear more details coming out of Texas and the whole power situation there, it seems like we’re getting some people who are trying to improve their image after failing to keep the power on. It sounds like Uncle Rico telling you he used to be able to throw a football over that mountain and that he would have gone pro if he hadn’t hurt his knee in his senior season at the local community college. It just sounds too heroic, and it’s coming from the company that did it. But I’m going to tell you anyway because, if nothing else, maybe you can learn a thing or two about how a power grid works. So, when I’m talking about Uncle Rico spinning his BS, this is what I’m talking about: “officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, which operates the power grid that covers most of the state, said Texas was dangerously close to a worst-case scenario: uncontrolled blackouts across the state.” They went on to say that their grid operators made a quick decision to go to rolling blackouts, otherwise that worst-case scenario would mean that the state might have had blackouts for months. According to ERCOT, the grid operators were seeing warning signals that the energy supply was decreasing insanely fast. The reason that this is bad is that if demand for the power is greater than the supply of power, this could cause grid equipment to be set on fire, substations to blow up, and/or power lines to go down. If that would have happened, it would have taken months to get to all of that equipment and repair it, which is why the power would have been out for so long. Now, maybe some of it was confirmed by outside sources because Bernadette Johnson, the senior vice president of power and renewables at Enverus (which is basically and IT company for oil and gas companies), is quoted as saying “As chaotic as it was, the whole grid could’ve been in blackout. ERCOT is getting a lot of heat (no pun intended I’m sure), but the fact that it wasn’t worse is because of those grid operators.” The reason I’m still skeptical and saying this is some Uncle Rico BS is because ERCOT took the names of their leadership off of their website on Tuesday night. The group said it’s because they were getting threats, and I don’t doubt that they were, but it also seems like a convenient way to avoid something that us regular folks call “consequences for their actions”. I know for people of a certain stature in the business world aren’t used to that pesky concept of “consequences”, but I guarantee that there will be numerous investigations into whether they prepared as well as they knew they should have.  TED CRUZYou’d have to say it has not been a good start to 2021 for Ted Cruz. First, he supported an insurrection but even they didn’t want him on their team. Then this week, he decided to take a trip down to Cancun while parts of his state are suffering from rolling blackouts that aren’t rolling, people freezing to death, and a former governor saying that the people would rather freeze than take help from the evil federal government. That made me realize something: how are Texans not more afraid of rolling blackouts? I mean, the name has black in it… Yes, Ted had to issue this apology: *CRUZ CLIP* That other noise you hear in the background, besides the protesters shouting at Cruz to resign, is Ted throwing his teenage daughters in front of the bus, then getting behind the wheel and running them over. “I was just trying to be a dad”? My girls were cold? I guess Ted is actually so spineless and weak that he would even say that his daughters basically made him take them to Cancun (you know, like working class people can do whenever they feel like it. “Hey, want to go to Cancun tomorrow, just because?”). I mean, you know it’s bad when you have former House Rep and King of Benghazi Trey Gowdy saying this on Fox News: *GOWDY CLIP* The weirdness doesn’t even stop there. Even his friends are snakes! That, or they were just trying to be nice to the Cruz family and it went too far and now the friends are sick of them. But why do I say all that? As it turns out, someone who was in a group chat with Ted’s wife Heidi shared screenshots of their conversation which proves this wasn’t just because his daughter wanted to. In these screenshots that were given to the New York Times, Mrs. Cruz said “Anyone can or want to leave for the week? We may go to Cancún” because their house was, in all-caps, “FREEZING”. So, to recap, Ted left his constituents in the cold and dark, tried to blame his daughters for it, then got proven to be a liar because someone who’s close enough to his wife to be in a group chat with her shared screenshots from said group chat with the New York Times. Again, the classic Al Franken quote comes to mind: “Here's the thing you have to understand about Ted Cruz, I like Ted Cruz more than most of my colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz.” How does everybody hate this guy, yet he keeps winning? That shows you that for the south, all that matters is that R next to your name. MT. ETNA There were 2 eruptions this week: one Tuesday and one Wednesday (Thursday in Italy). The Thursday eruption was worse. Lava was flowing for over an hour and reaching heights of 300 meters. Ash reached an altitude of 30,000 feet. I was really shocked to see that there weren’t any injuries or deaths. However, a few paragraphs later, I read this: “Etna regularly erupts, but it also serves as a popular tourist destination. Some travelers visit just to see the eruptions. The volcano is active almost once a year.”