Improve the News

Facts & Spin for March 24, 2023 top stories: TikTok’s CEO testifies before Congress, Israel's Knesset passes a law making it harder to remove a prime minister, Biden is accused of feeding the media 'false stories' on the Nordstream pipeline blasts, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is jailed over a Modi comment, the New York grand jury investigating Trump is postponed for a week, ex-UK prime minister Boris Johnson is grilled by MPs over “Partygate,” Yemen sees renewed fighting after ten months of relative calm, a US Judge Orders a $1.68 billion payout over the 1983 Beirut bombing, the Bank of England raises interest rates by 0.25%, and Canada sees a record 1 million in population growth. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/ Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 23, 2023 top stories: At least 13 are killed in an earthquake in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, Uganda passes a bill criminalizing identifying as LGBTQ+, at least 4 are killed in a Russian drone attack on the Kyiv region, Israel allegedly strikes Syria’s Aleppo airport again, US home prices fall for the first time in 11 years, Beijing's population falls for the first time since 2003, a US court rules against an ex-Haitian mayor for $15 million, Google launches its ChatGPT rival, Bard, in the US and UK, a deadly fungus sweeps across the US, and the UN warns against 'vampiric' global water use. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/   Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 22, 2023 top stories: Biden orders the release of intel potentially linking COVID to a Wuhan Lab, Nigeria’s Peter Obi petitions a court to challenge last month’s presidential election, Sri Lanka secures a $2.9 billion bailout from the IMF, A report finds the UK's Met Police to be institutionally 'racist, misogynistic, and homophobic,' Ukraine launches a drone attack on Crimea, The US concludes that war crimes were committed by all sides in Ethiopia's Tigray conflict, Saudi Arabia releases a jailed US citizen, The GOP Freedom Caucus opposes guaranteeing bank deposits above $250,000, A Fox producer sues the network over alleged coaching before her Dominion testimony, and Texas adds HSBC to to its energy sanctions list. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/   Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 21, 2023 top stories: Donald Trump says he expects to be arrested on Tuesday, UBS agrees to buy Credit Suisse for $3.24 billion, France’s Macron survives a no confidence vote, Xi Xingping arrives in Moscow for a state visit, The latest Twitter Files reveal a US government-backed initiative to censor COVID information, A former Taiwan president announces a historic trip to China, An ex-Australian soldier is charged with war crimes in Afghanistan, Israel and Palestine agree to reduce tensions ahead of Ramadan, Amazon announces plans to cut another 9,000 jobs, and scientists release a 'survival guide' to avert a climate disaster. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/   Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 18, 2023 top stories: The ICC issues an arrest warrant for Putin, Turkey's Erdoğan approves Finland's NATO bid, France’s Macron overrides Parliament and passes a pension reform, First Republic secures $30B from 11 banks, Iran agrees to stop arming Houthis in Yemen, 440K gallons of radioactive water leaks from a Minnesota nuclear plant, at least 22 are killed in an alleged massacre at a Myanmar monastery, Lebanon’s Central Bank Chief appears before a corruption hearing, FDA advisers back full approval of Pfizer’s Paxlovid COVID treatment, and EU countries seek to weaken livestock emission limits. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/ Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 17, 2023 top stories: Eastern forces in Libya say they’ve recovered 2.5 tons of missing uranium, South Korea and Japan renew ties at a summit in Tokyo, the US charges a Chinese businessman with fraud, the Dutch Farmers Protest Party wins a victory in provincial elections, the US releases footage of the Black Sea drone clash, the Biden administration threatens to ban TikTok unless ByteDance sells its ownership stake, Myanmar officials visit a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh for a repatriation project, Israel says it killed a bomber suspected of coming from Lebanon, GOP governors align to oppose 'ESG' investing, and a report finds that maternal mortality in the US is the highest since 1965. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/ Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 16, 2023 top stories: The UK economy looks set to avoid a recession as the Chancellor announces the 2023 Budget, Honduras seeks a diplomatic switch from Taiwan to China, The US releases a third of electronics detained under the PRC Forced Labor Act, The Dow Jones Index falls as Credit Suisse shares plummet, A Texas judge considers banning abortion pills in the US, Syria’s Assad holds talks with Putin in Moscow, Russia’s Ambassador to the US is summoned over the Black Sea drone crash, A US House Panel reviews Biden Family bank reports, A whistleblower doctor who alleged China covered up the SARS outbreak dies, and FIFA confirms an expanded 2026 World Cup. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/   Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 15, 2023 top stories: A US drone crashes after allegedly colliding with a Russian fighter jet, Australia, the US and the UK unveil a major nuclear submarine deal, Russia agrees to extend its grain deal with Ukraine by 60 days, a controversial judicial bill passes the first vote in Israel’s Knesset, clashes erupt in Pakistan as police try to arrest ex-PM Imran Khan, Biden signs a new gun safety executive order, the US approves the Alaskan oil and gas 'Willow Project,' Lahore is found to be the world's most polluted city in a new survey, the FBI says US hate crimes increased by nearly 12% in 2021, and a new report says extreme poverty could be eradicated by 2050. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/ Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 14, 2023 top stories: US regulators close another bank amid financial concerns, Yemen’s warring sides hold prisoner exchange talks in Geneva, Xi Jinping will reportedly meet Putin and speak to Zelenskyy next week, 1000 migrants storm a US-Mexico border crossing, McCarthy announces plans to release Jan. 6 footage to more media outlets, China will reportedly host a Gulf Cooperation Council-Iran summit, A report finds last week’s Rohingya refugee camp fire was 'planned sabotage,' North Korea claims to have tested submarine-launched cruise missiles, Saudi Aramco reports a historic $161 billion profit in 2022, and Storm Freddy kills dozens in Malawi and Mozambique Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/   Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for March 11, 2023 top stories: Regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank, Xi Jingping secures a third term as China's president, At least seven are killed in a Jehovah's Witness hall shooting in Hamburg, Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to restore relations, Wagner reportedly takes an 'operational pause' in Bakhmut, The US House votes unanimously to declassify intelligence related to the COVID lab leak theory, Ron DeSantis visits Iowa ahead of a potential presidential election bid, ‘Twitter Files’ journalists Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger testify before Congress, Human Rights Watch says Lebanon is failing to uphold the ‘right to electricity,’ and a new report warns global freedoms and democracy are backsliding. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/   Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod