Fact & Spin

Facts & Spin for February 2, 2023 top stories: The FBI searches Biden's home in Delaware, Russian forces claim 'operational encirclement' of Bakhmut, the UK faces its worst strikes in a decade, Bush is revealed to have attempted to replace Palestine's Yasser Arafat, Myanmar’s junta extends the country’s state of emergency, a report reveals French forces seized Yemen-bound weapons from Iran, Biden moves to slash “junk fees,” Nikki Haley will reportedly take on Trump in 2024, the EU sets forth a 'Green Industry Plan,' and Tom Brady announces his retirement.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for February 1, 2023 top stories: Biden announces an end to the US COVID emergency in May, the UK falls in the Global Corruption Rankings, Biden says the US won't provide F-16 fighters to Ukraine, the IMF lifts its global growth forecasts, Rep. George Santos steps down from his House Committees assignments, France is criticized over it Olympics security plan, Trump sues journalist Bob Woodward over audio recordings, school closures are reported to have cost children one-third of a year’s learning, Canada’s British Colombia experiments with decriminalizing hard drugs, and Rhino poaching surges by 93% in Namibia.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for January 31, 2023 top stories: 59 are killed in a mosque attack in Pakistan, The British army is accused of spying on lockdown critics, Russia claims control over nine Zaporizhzhia villages, A watchdog blames Syria for the alleged 2018 chlorine attack in Douma, TikTok’s CEO is set to testify before US Congress, US officials say Israel was behind a weekend drone attack on Iran, US arms left in Afghanistan are reported to be surfacing in Kashmir, Trump kicks off his presidential campaign in New Hampshire and South Carolina, Utah bans gender-reassignment health care for transgender minors, New Zealand braces for more flooding, and officials in Australia hunt for a missing radioactive capsule.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for January 28, 2023 top stories: Israel and Gaza exchange airstrikes, The US military says it killed a senior IS official in Somalia, Canada and Poland announce plans to arm Ukraine with Leopard tanks, Myanmar’s ruling junta announces strict new election laws, The International Criminal Court says it will reopen its Philippines drug war probe, Japan and the Netherlands discuss chip restrictions on China, Chevron records a record annual profit, CVS and Walmart announce plans to cut their pharmacy hours, A judge blocks a California COVID 'misinformation' law, and a study establishes a blood test to detect early Alzheimer's.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for January 27, 2023 top stories: The Palestinian Authority suspends security coordination with Israel following a deadly raid, Pfizer is allegedly exploring 'mutating' COVID for new vaccines, Meta agrees to reinstate Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, at least one is killed in renewed missile attacks on Kyiv, the UN says Myanmar's opium production is surging, the FBI says it hacked a criminal ransomware gang, India's plan for digital IDs in Kashmir sparks concern, new data shows the US economy grew by 2.9% in the last quarter, two US lawsuits challenge state bans on abortion pills, and thousands attend 'Invasion Day' protests in Australia.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for January 26, 2023 top stories: Germany and the US approve tanks for Ukraine, The Doomsday Clock is set closer to midnight, The Pope says being gay isn’t a crime, A report finds that 42% of UK asylum seekers facing deportation to Rwanda are married, England and Wales see spikes in excess deaths, The European Human Rights Court rules it can adjudicate the MH17 case against Russia, A reports finds that half of US mass attacks are motivated by grievances, Mike Pompeo is slammed for criticizing Jamal Khashoggi, Tesla announces record profits, and a study links antidepressants to antibiotic resistance.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for January 25, 2023 top stories: Classified documents are found in Mike Pence’s home, the DOJ sues Google over ad dominance, Ukraine faces a string of sackings and resignations, France repatriates 47 nationals from Syrian camps, Burkina Faso’s junta ends its military pact with France, South Africa hosts Russia’s Foreign Minister, Turkey threatens to block Sweden's NATO bid, the US charges an ex-FBI agent with violating Russian sanctions, Microsoft confirms a ‘multibillion-dollar’ investment in OpenAI, and a new report finds US COVID unemployment fraud may have exceeded $60 billion.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for January 24, 2023 top stories: More classified documents are discovered at Biden's home, A California shooting leaves 10 dead, UK prime minister faces pressure to sack Nadhim Zahawi, Poland says it will formally ask for permission to re-export German tanks, Economists say India is likely to borrow a record $198B this fiscal year, Japan’s prime minister says the country must act on its population decline, Biden’s chief of staff announces plans to step down, Chris Hipkins is selected as New Zealand’s next prime minister, Spotify announces plans to lay off 6% of its workforce, Rolling blackouts leave 220M in Pakistan without power, and a watchdog warns that France remains ‘very sexist.’
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for January 21, 2023 top stories: An investigation fails to identify the source of the SCOTUS draft leak, Google’s parent Alphabet says it will cut 12,000 jobs, Germany comes under more pressure to provide tanks to Kyiv, the IMF chief says the global economic outlook is ‘less bad’ than feared, Usain Bolt loses $12M in an alleged scam, police and protesters clash in Peru as thousands try to ‘take Lima,’ India denounces a BBC documentary on Modi's alleged role in the Gujarat riots, Trump and a lawyer are fined nearly $1 million for a lawsuit against Clinton, a US judge orders Boeing to be arraigned on MAX fraud charges, and a new program lets private citizens sponsor refugees in the US.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

Facts & Spin for January 20, 2023 top stories: Jacinda Ardern resigns as New Zealand’s prime minister, the US hits its debt ceiling, four are killed in a soccer stadium stampede in Iraq, Alec Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter, Zelenskyy presses the West for tanks, South Africa confirms upcoming naval drills with Russia and China, Senegal’s opposition leader says he’ll run for president despite being on trial for rape, Trump allies are given seats on the House Oversight Committee, the Harvard Medical School joins a boycott of the US News Rankings, and a French soccer star wins a landmark maternity lawsuit.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod