Introduction
Sound: Taylor Swift: “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me,”
Jonathan: No, the problem isn’t Taylor – it’s these guys – who were just forced to testify about that Ticketmaster debacle. Plus…
sound: “it is now… 90 seconds to midnight.”
The scary thing this clock is ticking down to.
Those stories and more today on… Notice News.
Will Ticketmaster Be Broken Up?
Jonathan: Hey guys, it’s Jonathan in Brooklyn at Notice HQ. You may remember when Ticketmaster crashed around Taylor Swift’s new tour back in November. On Tuesday, the men who run Ticketmaster were brought before a congressional panel investigating the whole thing. Our Washington correspondent Angie has more.
Angie: Buying tickets to a big concert is a problem many of us know “all too well,” especially if you wanted to go to Taylor Swift’s new “Eras” tour.
Demand was so high when tickets went on sale last November it crashed ticketmaster’s site, prompting them to cancel the public sale altogether, because the pre-sale was so problematic.
On Tuesday, Ticketmaster executives were brought before Congress – who are demanding answers.
Sound: “we were then hit with three times the amount of bot traffic we’d ever experienced (edit) we need to do better and we will do better”
But Congress isn’t just mad about the crash around Taylor Swift – they think Ticketmaster has too much power.
Sound: “You have brought together Republicans and Democrats in a unified cause…it’s not us, it’s everyone but us ..you have clear dominance here, this whole concert buying experience is a monopolistic mess…may I suggest respectfully that ticketmaster oughta look in the mirror and say ‘I’m the problem, it’s me.’“
Critics say Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation control too much of the live entertainment industry, making it a monopoly.
A monopoly is when a single company becomes dominant in an industry, able to exploit and overcharge its customers thanks to a lack of competition from other companies.
The government can force monopolies to break up into smaller companies, but the last time that actually happened was in the early ‘80s
Headlines
Jonathan: Here’s what else is making news right now.
President Biden announced yesterday the U.S. will be supplying Ukraine with tanks to help defend itself against Russia. Germany also pledged to send tanks.
The move angered the Russian government, calling it an escalation of the war there.
A new report from the Secret Service says one quarter of mass shootings are driven by conspiracy theories or hateful ideologies. The single most common motivator, though, was personal grievance.
And – this – no joke – is Oreo’s latest limited time only flavor – Oreos stuffed with Oreos.
It’ll be at grocery stores by the end of the month – or you can pre-order them on the Oreo website.
Yes, preorder cookies.
Doomsday Clock Moves Closer to Midnight
Jonathan: The last year has been pretty eventful… from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to crazy weather fueled by climate change. But are we coming closer to the end of the world?
Sound: “it is now… 90 seconds to midnight.”
You’re looking at the Doomsday Clock, which a group of scientists moved to 90 seconds away from midnight earlier this week.
Formed in 1947 by the scientists who developed the first nuclear weapons, including Albert Einstein, the clock represents the theoretical time until the end of the world.
Midnight means just that, and they’ve moved the clock 10 seconds forward because Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Sound: “escalation of the conflict by accident, intention or miscalculation is a terrible risk. The possibilities that the conflict could spin out of anyone’s control remains high.”
In 1991, the clock was 17 minutes to midnight at the end of the Cold War – the farthest away it’s ever been.
But today, at 90 seconds, it’s the closest these scientists claim we’ve ever been to nuclear armageddon.
But – even still – experts think it’s highly unlikely Russia will actually use nukes in Ukraine, so don’t get too worried.
Conclusion
Jonathan: That’s it for today, but you can learn more about the infamous Doomsday Clock on our website, noticenews.com.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more from us, Notice News.