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Government Rehires, Economic Blackout & Oscars Gambling - Friday, February 28, 2025
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The news to know for Friday, February 28, 2025! We’ll tell you about the latest court ruling over fired federal workers as the Trump administration tries to bring some of them back. Also, new backlash over the so-called Epstein files, expected to...
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Today is Friday February 28th Wednesday tell you about the latest court ruling over fired federal workers as the Trump administration tries to bring some of them back. Also, new backlash over the so called Epstein files expected to shed light on a widespread sexual abuse investigation. Plus which celebrities will join the first all women space flight in 62 years. An economic blackout is gaining steam and there's a busy weekend ahead full of massive celebrations and a planet parade. Those stories and even more news to know coming up. Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun and on the go. I'm Erica Mandy, thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this. President Trump's big downsizing plan might have hit a roadblock this week. A federal judge told the White House to take back the directive that led to mass layoffs across the government. It was a ruling in favor of a group that includes unions for federal employees. The group had sued, saying the White House doesn't have the congressional authority to let all these workers go. On the other side, the Trump administration says it just asked agencies to fire employees, didn't give official orders. Well, the judge sided with the group that sued, but it's not clear what the impact will really be at this point. Agencies can still fire workers. The ruling just says they can't do so because of a directive from the White House. And thousands of workers are still expected to get fired today. The next hearing on this is scheduled in a couple of weeks. Another question with these terminations is how many workers will stay fired. Already, the Trump administration has had to recall some workers in critical roles. For example, veterinarians treating the bird flu outbreak, people working on the nation's nuclear weapons program, others who manage a hydroelectric dam, and more. And now government cost cutter Elon Musk is asking for retired air traffic controllers to come back to work. Hundreds of people were recently fired at the faa, but the government says none of them were air traffic controllers. And so it seems Musk is reaching out to people who retired because they wanted to or because they hit the age limit. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke about that recently as well, saying he wants controllers to stay on past the mandatory retirement age of 56. He's also boosting training pay by nearly 30%. More recruits are needed since the controllers union says full staffing would require 3,000 new hires. But even if more recruits do get the job, it will be a while before it makes a difference in the shortage. The the training process to become an air traffic controller can take up to three years. The transportation secretary says he's also going to be asking Congress to pay for upgrades to the technology. And Elon Musk says his companies could help there too. A hyped up release of the so called Epstein files led to some disappointment and new promises. As the name suggests, the files were about Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with running a sex trafficking ring before dying in jail. His case has been the source of a lot of speculation since. People are convinced there's been some sort of COVID up either about Epstein's death or about a theoretical client list. Then yesterday the Justice Department presented files to 15 right wing social media influencers. But it didn't take long for them to realize they got the same files that have actually been available in the public record for a while now. For example, flight logs from Epstein's private plane and a list of evidence found. There was also an address book that's been reported on before. The Justice Department eventually released the files to traditional news outlets as well. And then the attorney general, Pam Bondi, blamed FBI agents in New York for keeping more information under wraps. She ordered the new FBI director, Cash Patel, to hand over the full and complete Epstein files by this morning. He promised, quote, if records have been hidden, we will uncover them. So stay tuned. Nearly 30 high level cartel operatives are now in U.S. custody. Mexico extradited them yesterday. Some are older gang leaders who ran international trafficking rings decades ago when they were focused on cocaine and heroin, including one accused of killing a DEA agent back in 1985. Others are much younger leaders who have worked on moving fentanyl into the US More recently. But all of them are considered powerful cartel figures and prolific murderers. The New York Times reports the number and significance of the prisoners sent made this one of the most important efforts in modern history of the drug war to send traffickers to face charges in American courts. And it's seen as a sign to President Trump that it's cooperating with its plan to take down drug cartels, a condition he gave Mexico to avoid 25% tariffs by next week. It's not clear at this point if this action is enough to satisfy the president. As of yesterday, Trump is still threatening tariffs on both Mexico and Canada. More recently, Trump also threatened 25% tariffs against the European Union, but British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hoping to avoid that for the UK During a joint news conference at the White House, Starmer and Trump announced negotiations on trade, saying they're working toward a deal where tariffs won't be necessary. Their talks also covered a potential peace deal in Ukraine, which Trump said could be agreed upon either soon or not at all. President Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy today. The Muslim celebration of Ramadan kicks off today. It's Islam's holiest time. For the next month, 1.8 billion Muslims around the world are expected to observe Ramadan by fasting every day from dawn to sunse. On top of abstaining from eating, drinking and smoking. During the day, many Muslims will strictly observe prayers, read the Quran and donate to charity. Then, after the sun goes down, family and friends get together for nightly feasts. This weekend also marks the official start of Carnival all over the world. The most famous festivities are in Rio de Janeiro, where more than 7 million people come from all over the world for a big party. Here in the US the most famous festivities happen in New Orleans that all build up to Mardi Gras. Or if you'd prefer a quieter show, just look to the night sky. All of the planets in our solar system will be lined up in what's being called a planetary parade. It's actually been happening already, but tonight, just after sunset, is the best chance to see it. In the US Americans will see five of the planets with the naked eye and all of them with the telescope. The next chance to see all the planets lined up like this again doesn't come until the year 2040. More news still ahead, but first, thanks to our sponsor Oneskin. Let's be honest, who has time for a million things as part of a morning routine? Not me. Instead, I have a few simple things I try to do every day to take care of myself. Again, not complicated, just effective. And one of those things is using one skin. Each morning and night I do this simple skincare routine and it feels like a mini dose of self care that I can actually commit to and that seems to actually make a difference for my skin. After testing the efficacy of more than 900 so called anti aging peptides. Oneskin was able to develop the OS1 peptide. It works at the cellular level to improve key aging biomarkers while reducing the visible signs of aging including lines, wrinkles and sagging skin. Founded and led by an all woman team of skin longevity scientists, Oneskin is redefining the aging process with their proprietary OS1 peptide. The first ingredient proven to help skin look, feel and behave like its younger self. Get 15% off with code newsworthy at OneSkin co. That's 15% off OneSkin co with the code Newsworthy. After your purchase they'll ask you where you heard about them. So please support our show and tell them we sent you. Invest in the health and longevity of your skin. With one skin. Your future self will thank you. Now back to the news. Some big names in pop culture are headed to space Jeff Bezos Space exploration company Blue Origin announced its next human flight. Bezos fiance Lauren Sanchez is going to be on it and she chose an all woman crew to join her. It includes pop star Katy Perry and journalist Gayle King, along with a former NASA rocket scientist, a civil rights activist and a filmmaker. The 11 minute flight is supposed to happen sometime next spring. Oscar winner Gene Hackman has died, and even though he was 95, police say his death was suspicious and they've opened an investigation. His wife, concert pianist Betsy Arakawa, also died, as well as one of their dogs. Hackman's daughter suspects some kind of gas poisoning. Emergency workers say they're still looking into it. Hackman is known for movies like the French Connection, the Royal Tenenbaums, Superman, Hoosiers and many others. When news came out about his death, tributes poured in from some of the biggest names in Hollywood like Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks and Gwyneth Paltrow. Another actor's death also has shaken Hollywood. Michelle Trachtenberg died earlier this week at just 39 years old. She's best known for her roles in Gossip Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy. Trachtenberg's family objected to an autopsy for religious reasons, so there's no official cause of death, though police say she recently had a liver transplant and may have suffered complications. Many Americans are planning to put their wallets down today in what's being called an economic blackout. A social media campaign has been gaining steam all week, and now it has the support of celebrities like Bette Midler and Stephen King. It asked people around the country to make no purchases online or in stores today, and it says if people need something essential they should only go to small local brick and mortar businesses and spend cash. It's a form of protest against corporations, politicians and banks. It was started by a group called the People's Union that says for one day we show them who really holds the power. It's not clear how many people are actually committed to today's boycott, but many public figures have encouraged their followers to take part. We are now just two days away from the biggest night in Hollywood. The Academy Awards are happening this Sunday. Comedian Conan o' Brien is hosting for the first time and has said he has a few surprises in store. There are also some highly anticipated performances like one from Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. And then, of course, there are actual awards. If you haven't seen the best picture nominees yet, there's still a couple more days and most of them are available on streaming services. If you're in a state where gambling is legal, you can also bet on the big night. Since sites like DraftKings and FanDuel are now taking wagers and at this point they're both putting Honora as the far and away favorite to win Best Picture. There are also prop bets for things like how long the ceremony will last, who will win the most awards, who might be mentioned in the host's opening monologue, and so on. The Oscars air this Sunday at 7pm Eastern Time on ABC and Hulu. That's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Feel Good Friday when we bring you one extra feel Good or positive news story before the weekend. But first I want to tell you about our sponsor, Hiya Health. While typical children's vitamins are basically candy in disguise. Filled with two teaspoons of sugar, Haya is made with zero sugar and zero gummy junk. Just a pediatrician approved super powered chewable vitamin that is also Approved by my 3 1/2 year old son. He loves the taste and the routine of taking his vitamins every morning with his own special bottle. And I love that Chaya fills in the most common gaps in in modern children's diets to provide him with the essential vitamins and minerals his body needs. And by the way, if you're tired of battling with your kids to eat their greens, Haiya now has Kids Daily Greens and Superfoods, a chocolate flavored greens powder designed specifically for kids. Packed with more than 55 whole food ingredients to support brain power, development and digestion. Just scoop, shake and sip with milk or any non dairy beverage for a delicious and nutritious boost your kids will actually enjoy. We've worked out a special deal with Haya for their best selling children's vitamin. Receive 50% off your first order to claim this deal you must go to hiahealth.comnewsworthy this deal is not available on their regular website so go to H I Y A H E a l t h.com newsworthy to get your kids the full body nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults. Now back to Feel Good Friday New technology is turning wind from airplanes into renewable energy. The idea came from a former team doctor for the Dallas Mavericks. He said he was sitting in the window seat of a plane about to take off when he noticed how much wind and debris was being produced and wished there was a way to harness it. But one thing led to another and now the new tech is being put to use at Dallas's Love Field Airport. The doctor's new company actually just completed a pilot program at the airport and already has plans to expand. So how does it work exactly? Well, there are cage like pods that the inventor calls a wind turbine in a box. For now, the electricity generated is used to charge cars and phones at Love Field, but the airport can allocate the extra power anywhere it wants to use it. Five pods are already installed and eight more are expected in the next couple of years. Then it could be on to the rest of the world. The company behind the pod says there's interest from more than a dozen airports in other parts of the US as well as Canada, Europe, Brazil and Australia. The company also sees potential beyond airports harnessing the wind created by high speed rail helipads and military bases, too. We'll be back tomorrow with our special edition Saturday episode. You'll hear from an epidemiologist about this year's sixth season, why it's so bad, and how you can protect yourself. Then join us again Monday for another Daily News roundup. For now, thank you so much for listening and have a great weekend.