On today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: Exploiting US oil reserves will reduce gas prices?
White House correspondent Matthew Brown says analysts are skeptical. Plus, consumer news reporter Kelly Tyko covered us on Black Friday, scientists are scrambling after the latest COVID-19 variant was discovered, we talk about leftovers and food. How long do they last and a pair of golf opponents go head to head in ‘The Match.’
Podcasts:True crime, in-depth interviews and more US podcasts TODAY right here.
Hit play on the player above to listen to the podcast and follow along with the recording below. This record was automatically created, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between audio and text.
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning, I’m Taylor Wilson and here are 5 things you need to know Friday, November 26, 2021. Gas prices rose today and the government’s response. Plus, we’ve got you covered for Black Friday and beyond.
Here are some of the top titles.
- The European Union’s drug regulator has given the green light to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. That will clear the way for millions of children to get vaccinated in time by Christmas. birth, however, Austria has already begun to do so.
- The polyp removed from President Joe Biden’s colon last week is benign, but potentially precancerous. That’s according to a memo from his doctor this week.
- And a gray wolf was found dead after being hit by a car in California. The animal found 70 miles north of Los Angeles is the first recorded wolf south since 1922.
President Joe Biden earlier this week ordered the Department of Energy to release about 50 million barrels of crude oil from the country’s energy reserves.
President Biden:
Much of the reason Americans face high gas prices is because oil-producing countries and major companies haven’t ramped up oil supplies fast enough to meet demand. And smaller supply means higher global oil prices.
Taylor Wilson:
That was after weeks of concern around rising gas prices across the country. But as White House correspondent Matthew Brown tells us, analysts are casting doubt on the impact of the move.
Matthew Brown:
So, this week’s announcement that the White House would release 50 million barrels of crude from the nation’s strategic oil reserves was seen as a disappointment by analysts, who were expecting a massive investment. much larger investment from the White House on this front. Now, the White House has been going around for the past few weeks saying that they will have an important announcement in this space. And many have been expecting a massive concerted effort from non-OPEC countries, and it’s possible the White House will negotiate with OPEC, a group of oil-producing nations that they could see progress there to convince. they started to produce more. .
But essentially what you’re seeing in this situation is the limit of a lot of the White House’s leverage here in driving down the price of crude globally. This is a dynamic market where you’re seeing countries all over the world going through an energy crisis and the White House not only has to manage oil prices here in the United States, but it has to coordinate with other stakeholders. other countries to see what they can do and what they can influence.
So while Biden has a lot of influence here in that the United States is a very influential and powerful country that consumes a lot of oil, we are not the only factors here in terms of who can oil production, in terms of who is likely to consume the oil, and in terms of what the supply chain looks like in terms of getting oil from countries that are producing oil to countries that need it, like high energy consumers like USA.
US consumers can expect that around the holidays we can expect gas prices to drop right after we are in the year, with the gas market typically falling around this time of year. , and also the efforts that the White House is doing here. While this initial push from the strategic petroleum reserve has disappointed the market a bit, it is not necessarily the end of what the administration can do here.
Taylor Wilson:
You can read the full story using the link in today’s episode description. And if you’ve been hit by a wall of fees, a reminder, you can sign up today as part of our Black Friday offer. For just one dollar a week, you get access to all of USA Today’s great content.
It’s Black Friday. The holiday shopping these days has been going on for weeks, and there will likely be deals for weeks to come. But the second holiday shopping season of the pandemic is different from previous years. And Consumer News reporter Kelly Tyco says this year’s product shortages are changing the game again.
Kelly Tyco:
I think this year’s Black Friday is more about items than about prices. If you really want an item, you’ll really have to jump when you see it. And you may not get the lowest prices, but some items are really hard to find, like iPads, Playstations, Xboxes, those are the types of items that if you find an item in a store or online, you Will want to buy it when you see it. I’m not talking about sites you don’t know are legit. I’m talking about actual sites like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s. You want to shop at stores that you know are legit.
Yes, there’s a triplet right now. We have a supply chain problem. Supply chain issues are a really big deal. Will the items arrive to us in time? Will the items arrive in store in time? There are many items out of stock right now. The percentage of items that are out of stock is higher than ever at this time of year, and that’s because of COVID. That’s because of port problems in Los Angeles and other parts of the country. But there are plenty of reasons why it’s been harder to shop this year, and why it’s more important to shop early. If you wait until December, if you wait until just before Christmas, you might actually be in luck.
I think if a store has an item available to order online, pick up in store, that’s an option the consumer should really try to take advantage of because then you’ll have it on hand soon. than. I’m shopping and buying items to ship to me all the time. I don’t worry that the items will arrive here in time. I am more concerned that my order will be cancelled.
Taylor Wilson:
Today, we have all kinds of information about Black Friday on the website. That includes over 300 deals recommended by our partners at Reviewed. Along with the best Black Friday TV deals and a guide to what to bring to the stores to help you find the deal. In addition, please reiterate that Cyber Monday will take place over the weekend.
A new COVID-19 variant has been discovered in South Africa and scientists are worried because the number of mutations is already very high and spreading among young people there. This variant was also found in Botswana and Hong Kong for visitors from South Africa this whole week. World Health Organization officials will meet today to evaluate the new variant. They can also give it a letter of the Greek alphabet. Meanwhile, Britain responded by banning flights from South Africa and other European countries are expected to announce similar measures later today.
Well, Thanksgiving may be in the books, but the rest of the season has just begun. And that was also the time when many food poisoning cases occurred. According to the CDC, food poisoning caused by bacteria called Clostridium perfringens occurs most in November and December. The bacteria grow on food left out at room temperature with most turkey-related outbreaks. and roast beef. So, if you only realize now that you forgot to put something in the fridge last night, it’s probably too late. However, once refrigerated, leftovers keep for about three or four days, if you freeze anything you can get about three or four months. Food scientist, Lisa Yakas, recommends labeling foods with an expiration date to track when a food is no longer safe to eat.
The fifth edition of The Match is today. The golf event pits two players against each other and this year it’s one of the best in the sport: Brooks Koepka vs Bryson DeChambeau. The two have been shooting at each other for months though arguably pared some lousy when they were teammates for the United States at the Ryder Cup in September. However, they seem to have continued to troll in recent weeks. They will be playing 12 holes at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas today at 4 p.m. Eastern, 1 Pacific. And you can tune in on TNT and TBS.
You can also find 5 things seven mornings a week right here, wherever you’re listening right now. Thank you PJ Elliot as always for his amazing work on the show. And tomorrow I’ll be back with 5 more things from USA TODAY.
