Free tests, the filibuster, and 5G: 5 podcast episodes from this week’s headlines

Catch up on the biggest headlines of this week with these five podcast episodes. From rising tensions between Russia and the Ukraine, to the Biden Administration finally sending households free COVID-19 tests, a lot has been happening this January.

Hear about the gunman who took four people hostage in a synagogue in Texas this past weekend, and hear how the role of money in politics may change this week as a case heads to the Supreme Court. Also, with a voting rights bill having passed through the House, it doesn’t look good in the Senate – will this be the end of the filibuster? Tune into these news podcast episodes from the headlines to stay informed this week.

Axios Today

The US federal government has announced that Americans will be able to order free rapid at-home COVID tests online starting Wednesday, January 19. This episode of “Axios Today” answers many lingering questions around this, mainly, what should we expect from the Biden administrations latest efforts to fight the ongoing pandemic? Plus, there is a reinvigorated push to ban books in school, and retailers are turning towards technology as workers resign in masses.

Up First

On Saturday, a Texas gunman held four people hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel for 10 hours before the standoff ended in his death. The synagogue had upped its security in recent years, as many other Texas synagogues have, and “Up First” asks why he chose Congregation Beth Israel. Also, the COVID-19 Omicron variant may have peaked in some parts of the US, with infection and hospitalization rates flattening, but death rates keep rising. And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has fallen far and fast and is now fighting for his political career. What happened?

TIME’s The Brief

At the tail end of his Senate reelection race, Ted Cruz loaned $260,000 from his own pocket to his campaign. His campaign reimbursed for $250,000, per federal law, capping the reimbursement that politicians may receive. But Cruz wants those $10,000 and has sued for it, saying that capping politicians limits free speech, while the other side argues that the cap limits corruption. The case has now reached the Supreme Court and could change the role money plays in politics. Also in this “TIME’s The Brief” episode, fashion Journalist André Leon Talley has died, the pandemic has made things worse for female activists according to the U.N., and a dramatic government ruling against some hamsters in a pet store in Hong Kong.

Global News Podcast

The BBC’s “Global News Podcast” tells us that the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will be meeting with his Russian counterpart on Friday with a warning to Moscow to de-escalate the situation in the Ukraine. Blinken has warned that Putin is poised to strike quickly against the Ukraine. Also in this episode, the 5G technology rollout has been stalled near airports due to worries that the radio signals could interfere with navigational systems on some planes. Multiple international flights have been cancelled or rerouted due to the rollout.

5 Things

On this episode of USA Today’s “5 Things,” we hear more about the Democrats passing a voting rights bill through the House but meeting a problem in the Senate. Will this be the end to the filibuster? Also, Israel has started administering it’s 4th COVID-19 vaccine dose, but it may not be as effective against Omicron. Plus, Tonga remains isolated after a tsunami and a huge asteroid passes by the Earth.