Here are four top stories that everyone should know about:
- Booster Shot Approvals
COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to essentially wear off as time goes on from the date an individual was fully vaccinated. Booster shots are the solution to extend one’s protection from COVID-19.
The CDC approved the mix-and-match approach of booster shots, which allows people to get a booster shot from a different brand than their initial one. This is especially of interest to people who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot. Anyone who received Johnson & Johnson two or more months ago and is over the age of 18 is eligible for a booster.
Booster shots for people who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine are also open for everyone who is over the age of 18 after the completion of primary vaccination.
- Kidnapping in Haiti
In mid-October, 17 missionaries from the U.S. and Canada were kidnapped in Haiti. The kidnapping group, named 400 Mawozo, demanded a ransom fine of $17 million.
The kidnappers were threatening to kill the missionaries if the fine was not paid. Kidnappings in Haiti have become more common as the country continues moving towards instability.
The missionaries were in Haiti to help rebuild an orphanage damaged by the earthquake in the late summer.
After being held hostage for 37 days, two of the 17 missionaries were freed and are safe. The group, Christian Aid Ministries, asked for discretion for those still in the hands of the kidnapers.
- Alec Baldwin and the Fatal Shooting
On Thursday, October 21, actor Alec Baldwin killed Halyna Hutchins, the film’s director of photography, on the set of a movie he was filming. The tragedy happened in New Mexico where filming was taking place. The film’s director, Joel Souza, was shot in the shoulder but has been released from the hospital.
While the details are still being uncovered, there are only some pieces of information known so far. Baldwin was handed a prop gun by the assistant director, who indicated it did not have any live ammunition in it, and then fired it, resulting in the death and injury.
Former crew members explained that the gun accidentally went off twice before the fatal shooting occurred. Baldwin gave an affidavit saying he was told the gun was safe before firing it.
This is still a developing story and new information has been coming out each day.
Baldwin insists that the shooting isn’t his fault, as someone put a live bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be in the property in the gun. He also said that he did not fire the gun. He insists that he would never point the gun at someone and pull the trigger.
- The Facebook Files Updates
For the past month, previously classified documents of internal reports at Facebook have been made public. Findings have included troubling data like statistics that their services cause body-image issues in young girls.
While news companies continue to analyze the documents, the New York Times found that the company was aware of the extremist groups that used their platform to heighten polarization. Misinformation in the 2020 election was predicted by Facebook employees, and they tried to warn about this several times.
The Wall Street Journal has a series titled “Facebook Files” on their daily podcast The Journal. This is a great place to start if you’d like to hear more about the specifics of the documents. Currently, there are 7 episodes that include an interview with the whistleblower, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, who brought these issues to light.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/19/americas/haiti-kidnap-missionaries-gang-ransom-intl/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/21/world/americas/haiti-missionaries-kidnapping.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/movies/alec-baldwin-interview-rust-shooting.html