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One Sentence News

By: Colin Wright
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  • Three news stories a day, one sentence of summary and one sentence of context, apiece. Each episode is concise (usually less than 5 minutes long), politically unbiased, and focused on delivering information and understanding in a non-frantic, stress-free way. OSN is meant to help folks who want to maintain a general, situational awareness of what's happening in the world, but who sometimes find typical news sources anxiety-inducing, alongside those don't have the time to wade through the torrent of biased and editorial content to find what they're after. Hosted by analytic journalist Colin Wright.

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Episodes
  • One Sentence News / May 24, 2024

    One Sentence News / May 24, 2024
    May 24 2024
    Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.China’s youth unemployment eased in AprilSummary: New data from the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics indicate that the jobless rate amongst the country’s 16-to-24-year-old demographic (excluding those enrolled in school) dropped to 14.7% in April, which is down from 15.3% in March.Context: Youth unemployment has been a persistent problem in China for years, and it’s being seen as both a consequence of and contributor to the county’s relatively woeful economic figures, which lopsidedly improved a little bit last month, overall; the country’s government stopped publicly providing youth unemployment figures in June of last year after reporting 21.3% that month, but it started divulging these numbers again in January after changing their formula to exclude folks in that age-demo who were still in school—which is different from how many other wealthy nations do things, but seems to have lowered this figure enough that they feel comfortable reporting it, again.—The Wall Street JournalOne Sentence News is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The first crew launch of Boeing’s Starliner capsule is on hold indefinitelySummary: A helium leak in the propulsion system of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has led to another delay in the craft’s launch, it’s most recent intended launch day, this upcoming Saturday, nixed, its launch now put on indefinite hold until they can find and fix the problem.Context: There’s a chance the Starliner craft could launch as soon as next week, if they’re able to quickly and convincingly solve this new problem, which is just the most recent of several high-profile issues that have scrapped launches since 2019; if they can’t sort it out soon, there’s a chance the launch will be delayed until sometime in late summer; Boeing products, including several models of their airliners, have seen a slew of very public and embarrassing failures, of late, and the company has come under new scrutiny, and become the target of much criticism, for its alleged focus on market valuation and leadership compensation, rather than safety and innovation.—Ars TechnicaMicroplastics found in every human testicle in studySummary: A new study that looked at the composition of 23 testicles from the bodies of men who died between the ages of 16 and 88, those bodies preserved in 2016, and 47 testicles from neutered pet dogs, found microplastics in all the tested testes, and that the human testicles contained nearly three-times as much plastic as the dog testes.Context: The most common microplastic found in these testicles was polyethylene, which is most commonly found in disposable plastic products like bags and water bottles, followed by PVC, which is found in pipes, credit cards, and cable insulation, among many other use-cases; this follows another, smaller 2023 study in China that found microplastics in human testes and semen samples, and recent research indicates that mice that were exposed to microplastics suffered reduced sperm count, abnormal sperm quality, and hormone disruptions, which supports—though doesn’t confirm—concerns that microplastics may be contributing to the notable decrease in human sperm count over the past several decades, that decrease correlated with a decrease in fertility numbers, and linked to other chemical products, like pesticides, as well.—The GuardianThere’s a notable age-gap in which Americans are more likely to support Israel and which are more likely to support Palestinians, with young people more likely to favor the latter, and older folks (especially those 50-and-up) a lot more likely to support the former.—Axios51Median age of MTV, a station that was previously (and famously) youth-focused, but which in recent decades has pivoted—like much of non-streaming television—to serve its predominantly older audiences.—The Wall Street JournalTrust Click Get full access to One Sentence News at onesentencenews.substack.com/subscribe
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    4 mins
  • One Sentence News / May 23, 2024

    One Sentence News / May 23, 2024
    May 23 2024
    Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.Spain, Norway and Ireland recognize a Palestinian stateSummary: On Wednesday, Spain, Norway, and Ireland announced that they would formally recognize Palestine as an independent state—a move that’s being seen as a statement against Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.Context: Dozens of countries have long recognized Palestine as a sovereign nation, and this new wave of recognition, like those that came before, is mostly symbolic, but because few Western European nations have thus far recognized Palestine and because Israel’s invasion of Gaza has brought renewed attention to the matter of Palestinian statehood—and for context, Gaza, like the West Bank, is currently an occupied territory of Israel—and because there are burgeoning concerns that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is aiming for some kind of military government in the region, which would do away with the possibility of a near-future two-state solution, the issue of statehood is being seen as newly relevant.—The New York TimesOne Sentence News is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Severe turbulence during Singapore Airlines flight leaves several people badly injured and one deadSummary: A Singapore Airlines flight between London and Singapore that was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members experienced significant turbulence over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, leaving dozens of people injured, a half-dozen severely, and one person—a 73-year-old British man—dead.Context: The plane descended around 6,000 feet, which is about 1,800 meters, in about three minutes, and the turbulence was so bad that people were slamming into the overhead bins, in some cases—according to reports from people aboard—denting the bins, or breaking through the portions of the ceiling containing the lights and masks; the flight diverted to Bangkok in the wake of this tumult, and while turbulence can arise anywhere at any time, extreme cases of it are becoming more common along popular airline routes. —The Associated PressThe International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea rules carbon dioxide is an ocean pollutantSummary: The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, a court created by the United Nations to rule on maritime-related matters, has found that greenhouse gases count, for legal purposes, as marine pollution, and that global governments thus have a responsibility to mitigate their effects on oceans.Context: The United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea was established in May of 2023 and has 168 signatory nations, and this treaty basically says that those nations have to prevent oceanic pollution that harms marine life, and this ruling has added greenhouse gas emissions to the list of marine-life-harming pollutants, because of their impact on the climate, which in turn negatively impacts marine life; this court’s rulings are non-binding, so the degree to which this outcome will matter is in question—all of those nations can interpret the results however they like—but it does add heft to the argument that greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to the deterioration of marine ecosystems, which could help spur more such cases in other courts, and impact the decisions to which those courts ultimately arrive, as this marks the first time such a legal body has linked what’s happening in the atmosphere with what’s happening in the ocean in this way.—ABC NewsDespite booming profits and a slew of mergers and acquisitions in recent years, the International Energy Agency still believes that global oil demand will peak this decade, based mostly on structural changes and a significant shift toward renewables in many parts of the world (including major oil consumers, like China).—Axios53%Portion of the human population that’s unable to speak freely (as of 2023), according to a new report from free speech advocate group Article 19.That’s up from 34% in 2022, a large portion of that change attributable to speech freedom-backsliding in India under Prime Minister Modi, who has clamped down on speech (formally and practically) throughout the country in recent years.—The GuardianTrust Click Get full access to One Sentence News at onesentencenews.substack.com/subscribe
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    4 mins
  • One Sentence News / May 22, 2024

    One Sentence News / May 22, 2024
    May 22 2024
    Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.Hims & Hers is now selling Ozempic-like weight loss drugs for $199Summary: Hims & Hers Health, a telehealth company that specializes in providing everything from hair-loss to erectile dysfunction to skin-care products, online, announced on Monday that it is now offering a compounded version of semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in weight loss drugs like Ozempic and diabetes drugs like Mounjaro.Context: Semaglutide-based drugs, though rife with side effects, some of them substantial, have surprised the medical community by proving incredibly effective for helping folks who have traditionally had trouble losing weight, lose substantial amounts of it, and new studies have shown that it can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events and the risk of severe liver disease, as well, alongside other benefits; compounded drugs, like the one Hims & Hers is offering, are basically mixed versions of a more standardized, FDA-approved drug, and they are not reviewed by the FDA, and are generally frowned-upon if a standardized, reviewed version—like Ozempic—is available, because of that lack of oversight; the branded versions of these drugs have been in very short supply since they began to boom in popularity and use, though, and this custom version costs a fraction of the price of Ozempic (about $199 per month compared to around $1,000), which is why Hims & Hers’ stock boomed following the announcement of this new offering, and why we’ll likely see more compounded versions of this drug from other companies in the coming months.—QuartzOne Sentence News is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Ex-South African leader Zuma, now a ruling party critic, is disqualified from next week’s electionSummary: The former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, is not qualified to run for Parliament in next week’s election because of an earlier criminal conviction, according to a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court. Context: This will almost certainly complicate the election, in part because the ruling was handed down so last-minute, but also because Zuma—who was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2021 for refusing to testify during an inquiry into governmental corruption, and who was forced out of power in 2018 under a tidal wave of corruption allegations—has become a prominent force in local politics, having started a new party last year and having become a critic of his former party and the person who replaced him in office, current President Cyril Ramaphosa; the country’s governing party, the ANC, is facing its most significant challenge since it took power decades ago, and some analysts are expecting it’ll have to form a coalition government for the first time if it wants to hold onto its majority.—The Associated PressScarlett Johansson says OpenAI chatbot voice 'eerily similar' to hersSummary: Scarlett Johansson, an actress who, among many other prominent roles, provided her voice to an artificial intelligence in the movie Her, has accused OpenAI of creating a voice for its ChatGPT tool that sounds a lot like her, despite her not having approved her voice for that use.Context: The voice in question was pulled from OpenAI’s offerings following the actresses’ accusations, and while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said no effort was made to create a copy of Johansson’s voice for their product, he’s previously said that Her is his favorite movie, posted the word “her,” without context, on the social platform X two days before the new voice options were announced, and apparently asked Johansson to license her voice for ChatGPT purposes in September, and then again a few days before the release, which she declined; though OpenAI contends that they hired a different voice actress without considering how similar she sounds to Johansson, this is being seen as the most recent instance of what many creatives are worrying about right now, namely their work or likenesses being used by AI systems without their permission and without any kind of compensation, which arguably puts their livelihoods at risk.—ReutersMany US homeowners are feeling trapped by the “golden handcuffs” of low mortgage rates they locked-in before the Fed started hiking interest rates, which in turn dramatically increased mortgage rates; current mortgage rates are not historically high, but the gap between what many homeowners enjoy and what’s available on the mortgage market is historically significant.—The New York Times$15.7 millionMedian pay of CEOs in 2023 in a WSJ analysis of executives for S&P 500 companies.That’s up from a median of $14.5 million in 2022, and the highest-earning CEO in this survey is the CEO of Broadcom, who earns $162 million a year.—The Wall Street JournalTrust Click Get full access to One Sentence News at onesentencenews.substack.com/...
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    5 mins
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