🌞 Rate Hike – March 16 2022

Spiro

Happy Wednesday. 

I lost my keys last week, and the library found them! In the book return dropbox, chilling out with my returned books. Dreams can come true, friends. Also, libraries are awesome. 

Side note: Did you know that you can read free digital books on your iPad or Kindle from your local library? Yes, it's true. Just try the free app Libby, type in your library card number, and viola! Free books! You can thank us later. 

credit: Libby

In Case You Missed It.

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will give a virtual address to the U.S. Congress today as the war in Ukraine rages on.

⏰ The U.S. Senate just passed a law that would effectively make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Now it heads to the House where there is broad support to stop moving our clocks every six months. My microwave thanks you. 

πŸ’° The Peterson Institute for International Economics has this running list of all the sanctions imposed on Russia.

πŸ“ˆ The U.S. Federal Reserve finishes its two-day meeting today. Most people expect Interest Rate Hike: Part 1 will be announced today after the meeting ends.

πŸ“Ί Editor Marina Ovsyannikova made it onto the set of a program on Russian state media’s Channel One Monday, protesting with a sign that read: “No war. Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They lie to you here. Russians against war.” She was arrested and fined 30,000 rubles (approx. $275 US dollars), with the possibility of further charges. 

πŸ–¨ Idaho copied Texas’ vigilante abortion bill with an abortion ban after six weeks that will be enforced by U.S. citizens. Governor Brad Little is expected to sign it.

βš–οΈ The International Court of Justice rules today on Ukraine’s case against Russia. Since Russia’s such a rule-follower, I’m sure a guilty verdict will stop this war cold. Lolsob.

Coronavirus Update 😷: 

  • Former U.S. President Barack Obama tested positive for Covid, but he’s feeling fine. Former First Lady Michelle tested negative.
  • Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff tested positive for Covid, his wife VP Kamala Harris had met with President Biden during the same day. She canceled events last night "out of an abundance of caution." 
  • A study found that severe Covid could lead to depression, anxiety, and other long-term mental health effects. Excellent. Another thing we can #blameCovid for.
  • The U.S. is running out of money to cover Covid, after Congress rejected including $22.5 billion in Covid funding in the big-spending package it passed last week.

MARKETS

Bitcoin

$39,711.02

Ethereum

$2,653.91

Cardano

$0.8018

Dow

33,544.34

S&P

4,262.45

Nasdaq

12,948.62

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00 am ET. 

  • Markets: Today was supposed to be all about the Fed raising rates but instead commodities decided to steal some headlines. Nickel prices plunged overnight and The London Metal Exchange halted trading. Oil prices also tumbled and stocks rallied on that news. 

The Lead: Ukraine's Refugee Crisis

credit: Getty

Russia’s horrific war in Ukraine has left almost three million people with nowhere to go. The city council of hard-hit Mariupol, Ukraine, said Tuesday that about 2,000 cars were finally able to leave the city, with another 2,000 waiting to go.

Where is everyone going? The UN has this breakdown, as of March 14:

  • Hungary – 263,888 refugees
  • Poland – 1,808,436 (as of March 15)
  • Slovakia – 213,000
  • Moldova – 337,215
  • Romania – 453,432 (some people moved from Moldova to Romania, so there are duplicate numbers here)
  • Russia – 142,994
  • Belarus – 1,475

On Tuesday, the UK implemented Homes for Ukraine, a program in which UK people can house Ukrainians for up to three years. Hosts will earn ​​£350 a month. Under this program, Ukrainians can live and work in the UK, as well as access healthcare, welfare, and schools. There is no limit to the number of Ukrainian refugees allowed in the country.

In the U.S., a Trump-era policy called Title 42 remains in effect. The policy, introduced in March 2020, said immigrants can’t enter U.S. borders because they might bring Covid with them. Once again, the policy REMAINS IN EFFECT, despite the dire need for a safe location for refugees from all over the world, including Ukraine. The CDC did recently say it shouldn’t apply to unaccompanied minors. So there’s that.

Israel is another place with different policies for different people, namely Ukrainian Jews, who are airlifted to the country every day, according to NPR’s Daniel Estrin. Estrin says that many non-Jewish Ukrainians, on the other hand, have been “detained or put back on airplanes.” Some with family in Israel are allowed, but usually only with a large deposit to guarantee the non-Jewish refugees will leave after the war is over. 

Back To The Moon

credit: nasa

Artemis 1 is ready for testing, the next step toward the rocket’s ultimate destination: the moon.

"We are in very good shape and ready to proceed with this roll," NASA Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said Monday. "It's gonna be amazing."

This is the first step in NASA’s Artemis program, which is aiming to get humans back on the moon to take more small/giant steps. But this time it won’t just be for mankind, it will be for humankind! NASA is aiming to get the first woman and the first person of color on the moon via Artemis 3, scheduled for 2025.

Space.com has the Artemis 1 details: “In just a few days, NASA's immense Crawler-Transporter 2 vehicle will carry the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket and Orion spacecraft on a 4-mile (6.4 kilometers) journey to Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This rollout will deliver the rocket and Orion to the pad where they will prepare to launch on a moon-bound mission, currently set for no earlier than May of this year.”

Spring Cleaning with MANSCAPED™

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When you order the Performance Package you'll get a free travel bag and a pair of their super comfortable anti-chafing boxer briefs. 

Get 20% and free shipping by using our coupon code INVEST when you visit Manscaped.com. Your family jewels will thank you.

Not Even a Sliver of Light

credit: alamy

A new study finds that your Pooh Bear night light could be killing you.

It’s not Pooh’s fault, but it IS yours, for letting even a smidge of light into your bedroom. And you can forget about falling asleep while the TV is running.

This shame-on-you study found that dim light slips through closed eyelids, increasing both blood sugar and heart rate. This can lead to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease/death.

"I think the strength of the evidence is that you should clearly pay attention to the light in your bedroom," said study author Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Make sure that you start dimming your lights at least an hour or two before you go to bed to prepare your environment for sleep."

Ha! Maybe you’re willing to make that change, but that won’t be happening in THIS house. I’ll stick with trying to keep the kids’ night light dim and shining red tones close to the ground.

News By The Numbers

credit: marvel

18.1. That is how many ounces a family-size box of General Mills cereal is right now. It used to be 19.3 ounces. Cost is still the same, because shrinkflation is a thing. See also: fewer Doritos in a bag, fewer Hefty bags in a box.

35. That is how many hours the curfew in Kyiv will last, after airstrikes and missile attacks hit the city and killed civilians Tuesday.

7. That is “at least” how many hours the U.S. and China met in Rome to discuss how the U.S. really really really hopes China won’t give any aid to Russia in this war.

13 years. That is the prison sentence Russia is seeking for outspoken Putin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Having a bad day? Try this.

giphy.gif credit: cbs

Get your tissues ready and dial +1 707-873-7862 (707-8PEPTOC).

“Hi,” a child’s voice answers. “Welcome to Peptoc, a public art project by West Side school. If you’re feeling mad, frustrated or nervous, press 1.”

You can also choose words of encouragement/life advice, a pep talk from kindergartners (my personal favorite), kid laughter, and Spanish words of encouragement, all from the kids of West Side School in Healdsburg, California.

CBS reports the hotline is getting 11,000 calls an hour, totaling almost half a million since it started in February because we all need joy in our lives. The school even added a second line: 707-998-8410.

So, if you need a little bit of happiness, dial the kids up. Here’s a bit more of what you’ll get:

“If you’re feeling up high and unbalanced, think of groundhogs.”

“If you feel mad or frustrated you can do what you want to do best, or you can do flips on the trampoline.”

“You can do it! Keep trying! Don’t give up!”

What's Trending?

credit: disney

Ms. Marvel is trending because the trailer and release date are here! June 8 on Disney Plus. I am so excited my kids get to grow up with superheroes like this.

Sarah Bloom Raskin is trending. President Biden’s Fed nominee is facing a Joe Manchin-shaped wall in the Senate when it comes to confirmation because of her comments/testimony on the climate crisis.

Ralph Lauren is trending because the U.S. fashion company unveiled an HBCU capsule collection with Morehouse College and Spelman College, available for purchase later this month.

Ever Forward is trending because it’s the name of a cargo ship that is stuck in the Chesapeake Bay. The Ever Forward is the sister ship of the Ever 

Today's Live Show

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JOIN US TODAY AT 9AM EASTERN TIME

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Join us on today's live morning show.  Today we're looking at why NATO refuses to negotiate with Putin but is still flooding the region with weapons. Plus we're looking at the rising costs of everything as new inflation numbers have us cringing. All of that and more on today's show. Click here to RSVP and I'll see you at 9 AM Eastern. 

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