Good morning and Happy Friday!
We wondered how long we could go without doing some type of deep dive into Covid in the newly-minted Mo News Newsletter, and today, one month in, our Covid-free streak officially comes to an end. There's also a new Covid czar in the US as cases surge overseas. We'll take a look at what we can expect here.
As usual, we'll be covering the latest on the war in Ukraine, which continues to claim more civilian lives. There's increasing concern that a desperate Vladimir Putin could escalate his attacks on the innocent, including the use of chemical weapons.
We're also looking at the future of streaming after Netflix's big announcement this week. Get ready for more commercials and less password sharing. Can't wait ;)
In case you missed it: We published a special edition on the Iran nuclear deal Thursday. It is worth a read as negotiations in Vienna heat up. [If you are a premium subscriber, expect to see more of these in the future]
And, scroll to the end for our regular 'what we're streaming, reading and eating,' including a good read on how the Daylight Savings Bill passed the US Senate because most Senators were not paying attention.
~ @Mosheh
Three weeks into the war in Ukraine, and Russian troops are getting more desperate-- and more brutal.
Russia's military has in three weeks lost more than 7,000 soldiers, roughly the same as the number of American Marines killed during the monthlong battle for Iwo Jima during WWII, and greater than the number of American troops killed over 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. ~ NY Times
The Pentagon also reports that 21,000 Russian soldiers have been wounded. When you add in deaths, that is nearly a fifth of the estimated 150,000 Russian soldiers that Putin amassed before the war. The Russian forces are facing major logistical and resupply issues as well. That all comes as there are reports that more than 40,000 Syrians have signed up to aid Putin's war effort.
A Desperate Putin: "As Putin worries what stalemate or defeat might mean for his political survival, he could resort to dramatic, brutal tactics in hopes of breaking Ukraine’s will." Thought to be in consideration: more intense attacks on the Ukraine border with NATO countries, the use of chemical weapons, and an escalation of the conventional bombardment of major cities (like Mariupol and Kharkiv). We are already seeing Putin's forces destroying major cities like Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest, in an attempt to break the will of the civilians living there. ~ Washington Post
On the ground, Western Ukraine: Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles struck an aircraft repair facility near an airport in Lviv. It's in the Western part of the country, only about 43 miles from the border with Poland. Thus far, that area has been a relative safe haven and hub for refugees and diplomats. ~ The Guardian
On the ground, Eastern Ukraine: Rescuers started pulling survivors from the rubble after a Russian strike hit a theater in the city of Mariupol. Hundreds of people were thought to be taking shelter there. Officials say "the building withstood the impact of a high-powered air bomb and protected the lives of people hiding in the bomb shelter." ~ CNN
War Crimes: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken became the latest major American official to accuse the Russians of committing war crimes in Ukraine. That follows President Biden calling Russian President Putin a “war criminal” and similar comments by the US Ambassador to the UN. A Kremlin official replied, saying the US has no right to "lecture" Russia, and added that Putin a “very wise, prescient, and cultured international figure." ~ Politico
WNBA star Brittney Griner's detention in Russia has been extended until May 19. Griner was detained at an airport in Moscow on February 17 after Russian authorities said they found vape cartridges allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis in her luggage. If she's found guilty, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.~ ESPN
Arnold Schwarzenegger released an emotional nine-minute video addressed to the people of Russia: “I’m speaking to you today because there are things that are going on in the world that have been kept from you, terrible things that you should know about. Let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine.”
He posted the video on social media to his 70 million followers. And also on Telegram, where many Russians can still access information blocked by the government.
Schwarzenegger called the invasion an "illegal war" and "human catastrophe."
Covid cases are surging in across Asia and Europe, thanks in part to a new Omicron strain that is even more contagious than the original. The BA.2 sub-variant, aka "stealth Omicron," is about 30% more transmissible than Omicron, but at this point, does not appear to be more severe. [Remember, Omicron is already about 4x more transmissible than the Delta variant, but also causes milder illness.] One piece of good news: It appears that vaccines, particularly boosters, are just as effective against this new strain as the OG Omicron.
China is experiencing its worst Covid outbreak since the pandemic first emerged two years ago. Chinese President Xi Jinping is sticking with the country's zero-Covid strategy. Authorities have closed off cities like the tech hub of Shenzhen, home to 17.4 million people.
“China has a population that’s very vulnerable to this new variant. This is a much more contagious variant, it’s going to be harder to control, and they don’t have a population that has natural immunity,” said former FDA head, Dr. Scott Gottlieb.
South Korea reported record daily Covid cases and record Covid deaths. Despite the numbers, the government does not seem ready to reinstate Covid restrictions like social distancing and vaccines passes.
Europe is also dealing with surging cases, up 25% in the past two weeks. There are steeper increases in several European countries: The UK (120%), Finland (88%) Switzerland (83%), Belgium (62%), Austria (59%), Germany (53%), Italy (49%), the Netherlands (45%) and France (27%). ~ Yahoo News
What does this mean for the US?
As we've learned the hard way, what happens overseas doesn't stay overseas. The BA.2 variant already makes up about 25% of US cases, and is hitting the country just as many states ease pandemic restrictions like mask wearing and vaccine mandates. But it is spreading much slower than expected.
Most experts agree there's no need to panic. Millions of Americans may already have immunity from recent Omicron infections (although it's not clear if that will protect them from Omicron 2.0).
Former FDA Commissioner Gottlieb added via twitter: "While we're likely to see some flattening in the drop in daily cases, and possibly a short spike in new cases -- owing to rising BA.2, relaxed mitigation, and some immunity waning -- it's unlikely to be start of a new surge, and prevalence should resume declines into the summer."
via Financial Times data journalist John Burn-Murdoch
And just in time for the BA.2 wave, the US has a new Covid czar, Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. Jha is replacing Jeffrey D. Zients, an entrepreneur and management consultant, who will be returning to private life. In his new role, Jha will coordinate the White House Covid response. You might recognize him from his frequent media appearances.
Dr. Jha: “To the American people, I promise I will be straightforward and clear in sharing what we know, in explaining what we don’t know and how we will learn more, and what the future will ask of all of us."
(If you're not following him already, Jha is active on Twitter, providing updates on the pandemic and what he thinks the appropriate response should be.)
Netflix says it plans to crackdown on password sharing, charging an extra fee ($3) for sharing accounts with people in other households. In the past, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings said, "Password sharing is something you have to learn to live with." But now subscriber growth has slowed amid more competition, and production costs are up. So, the bottom line: "Netflix needs more money."
In a statement, the company says: "We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account... As a result, accounts are being shared between households - impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members."
The fees will initially roll out in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. It's unclear when the rollout will happen in the US. The changes will impact a lot of people: More than 1 in 3 Americans share their Netflix passwords with relatives, according to the Advertising Research Foundation.
As Sara Fischer writes in Axios, "Password-sharing used to be a feature of the video subscription economy...now that there's so much competition, it's a bug."
The news comes as Netflix recently increased prices and is no longer ruling out adding advertising to the platform in the future. Many streamers saw incredible growth during the height of COVID, but are now plateauing and looking for ways to increase subscribers and $$.
Netflix isn't the only streamer looking to boost revenue for growth. Disney will be adding an advertising-supported tier to its streaming service Disney+. Translation: commercials could soon pop up just as Elsa is about to sing 'Let it Go'.
The ad-supported Disney+ tier will launch in the U.S. later this year (at about the 3-year anniversary of the service) and internationally in 2023. It didn’t reveal pricing. It could give Disney cover to raise prices overall.
Hulu already has an ad-supported tier, as does NBCU’s Peacock, Paramount+, HBO Max, and Discovery+. Those services also have costlier options without ads. ~ Barron's
Netflix has been the lone holdout when it comes to offering an ad-supported tier. But could that be changing too? Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann seemed to leave the door open: "While Neumann repeated the company’s long-standing mantra that it has no interest in adding commercials, he also added some qualifiers, namely that Netflix had no plans “right now” and that he would “never say never.” ~ Vulture
Bottom line: "...while increasing the number of subscribers is becoming harder to do, the need for that growth has not gotten any less urgent. All those new shows that keep getting announced cost money."
Big conversation set for this morning between the two leaders. China presents its stance as neutral; the U.S. is planning to warn Beijing against any support of Russia. (WSJ)
The pact was first announced in May and has been winding its way through the regulatory process. Per Amazon, “The storied, nearly century-old studio — with more than 4,000 film titles [including James Bond and Rocky], 17,000 TV episodes, 180 Academy Awards, and 100 Emmy Awards — will complement Prime Video and Amazon Studios’ work in delivering a diverse offering of entertainment choices to customers.” (Variety)
A tweet on Monday comparing the moon landing to a future Mars landing attached a photo of the moon landing dated 1969, on top of an image of an envisioned Mars landing, labeled "20 --." The tweet, from Space_Hub, an account that posts about space and astronomy, read "What's your guess" and tagged Musk. Two days after the tweet, Musk replied "2029." It takes about 9 months to get to Mars. (NPR)
While millions of Americans would no longer complain about switching the clocks, a permanent change would mean a dark wake-up call for many during the winter months. If this happens, we feel for you especially Indiana. (Washington Post)
The first slate of games Thursday delivered. No. 2 Kentucky goes down to No. 15 Saint Peter's. No. 11 Michigan, favored in the Vegas odds, "upset" Colorado State by overcoming a 15-point deficit for its own comfortable victory, 75-63. And a pair of No. 12s pulled off wins. Richmond knocked off trendy Final Four pick Iowa 67-63 while New Mexico State held off Connecticut 70-63. (USA Today)
ESPN reports that there are only 743 perfect brackets left out of 17 million submitted. 🤯
What we're watching: WeCrashed (Apple TV+) starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway and based on the podcast 'WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork'
What we're reading: LA Times photographer and correspondent Marcus Yam's first person account of the war; How the permanent Daylight Savings Bill passed the Senate because a number of the Senators voting had no idea what was happening.
What we're eating: Lesser Evil Popcorn, Himalayan Sweetness. Perfect for March Madness binging.
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[Top Banner Photo Credit: Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images]
