FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 / Finely crafted by Lily Herman
Greetings, Friday fam! We’ve all got places to be this weekend, so let's dive into the COVID-19 variant ruining the post-pandemic party, Michael Jordan’s fishy new career pivot and the most Shazam’d song of all time. It’s a certified bop.
News To Know
- Just when you think everything’s getting better, COVID-19 strikes again. The latest proverbial thorn in everyone’s side is the fast-spreading delta variant. Thanks for nothing.
- A not-so-fun side effect of kids being trapped indoors for 15 months: Lots of them are getting sick right now since their immune systems are suddenly exposed to other viral illnesses. Brace yourselves, parents.
- It'd been a while since we heard from North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, so he decided to fix that by vowing to be ~prepared~ for a confrontation with the Biden administration if one arises. Just some easy, breezy Friday fodder.
Finance For You
- Booooo: Jobless claims were up this week from 375,000 to 412,000, ending a six-week streak of improving conditions. We'll see what happens as more and more states end their pandemic-era unemployment benefits.
- The Supreme Court sided with the Affordable Care Act for the third time since its passage a decade ago, fending off a 2018 lawsuit out of Texas. Looks like a big part of Barry O.'s legacy is here to stay for now.
- The crypto world is still in a rough spot. Bitcoin and Ethereum were both down around four percent this week ... and it could get worse.
Sports. Sports. Sports.
- The NFL finally released its new COVID-19 guidelines for players, and it’s really making the case for hesitant folks to get that vaccine. COVID testing *every day* if you don't?!?! Stick me, Chuckles.
- In case you haven't kept tabs on Michael Jordan, the guy is now a competitive fisherman, and his team caught a 25-pound dolphinfish in a recent tourney. I don't how all of that works, but good on ya, MJ!
- We’re gonna miss some crowd favorites at Wimbledon this year. Rafael Nadal just withdrew from the Grand Slam tournament as well as the Olympics, citing the need to rest his body. Later, Naomi Osaka also said she wouldn’t make a Wimbledon appearance. Bummer.
Juneteenth
- Celebrate Juneteenth with this livestream special from Yahoo! featuring influencers in the Black American community. We’re kicking things off today at 3PM EST/12PM PST, and you can always watch the stream after the event. See you there!
- Good news: After quickly passing through both chambers of Congress earlier this week, Joe Biden signed a law officially making Juneteenth a national holiday.
- What is Juneteenth, and why do its celebrations get bigger and bigger every year? Here’s what you need to know about its long history.
Culture Corner
- If you thought you had a weird walk at your graduation, this woman’s interrupted diploma moment really does take the cake. I had to rewatch this clip, like, four times.
- For those looking for a lil’ trip down memory lane, enjoy this list of all of the wacky and very dangerous TikTok trends that people tried this year. Tbh I can’t believe I’d already forgotten about Gorilla Glue Girl...
- Food hacks on the internet either leave me grossed out or totally shooketh, as The Youths say. This one for evenly coating movie theater popcorn is definitely in the latter category.
Tech Talk
- Apple says that Shazam, the app that identifies unknown music on the spot, has “Shazam’d” over 50 billion tracks to date. In case you’re wondering, the most searched song of all time is 2019's ‘Dance Monkey’ by Tones And I. At least people have good taste.
- After endless issues, Snapchat’s speedometer filter is no more. The company said the decision to take the feature off of the platform was due to lack of use, but its numerous legal battles probably didn’t help matters.
- Today in news that will cause me personal distress: Tamagotchis are back in watch form, and I can feel myself cringing at the thought of that beeping noise. Ahhhhhhhh!
Entertainment Spotlight
- Neither Britney Spears nor any of the attorneys filed a petition to end her conservatorship earlier this month, so who did? That mystery’s kinda been solved, and it’s unfortunately not that interesting: A fan potentially did it.
- Talk about some serious manifesting: A ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant predicted her winning dollar amount before she even started competing on the show. Um, quick question: Can she manifest $19,201 for me too?
- ‘Real Housewives’ star Jen Shah was arrested earlier this year for fraud. Now her lawyers are claiming that though she waived her Miranda rights, she wasn’t able to properly read the form signing them away due to dry contact lenses, and therefore her case should be dismissed. Huh.
Fantastic Finish
If you ever wondered about major cultural differences between Canada and Sweden (a common question from the masses, I know!), this woman is going viral on TikTok for giving plenty of random examples. You really do learn something new every day.
Thanks for reading today's issue of The Yodel.
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