Monday morning news drop
What happened in Wuhan? Why questions still linger on the origin of the coronavirus A lack of transparency from Chinese officials and looming geopolitical consequences have damaged the credibility of a WHO-led inquiry into how the virus that causes COVID-19 originated. Lesley Stahl reports. (60 Minutes)
US sinks to new low in rankings of world’s democracies The US has slipped 11 points in a decade – below Argentina and Mongolia – according the latest report by a democracy watchdog. Extreme partisan gerrymandering – the manipulation of electoral district lines to boost one party over the other – has contributed to dramatic polarization in the US, threatening its democratic foundations. Gerrymandering, the report says, “has the most corrosive and radicalizing effect on US politics.” (The Guardian)
Preachers and their $5,000 sneakers: Why one man started an Instagram account showing churches’ wealth: Serious questions about wealth, class and consumerism, including whether it’s appropriate to generate massive revenue from selling the gospel of Jesus. The fuzzy line” between successful ministry and booming business. (Washington Post)
The Coal Plant Next Door: Near America’s largest coal-fired power plant, toxins are showing up in drinking water and people have fallen ill. Thousands of pages of internal documents show how one giant energy company plans to avoid the cleanup costs. (ProPublica)
Dave Kindred goes back on the beat to cover high school girls basketball Renowned sportswriter Dave Kindred has covered the biggest moments and brightest stars in sports for more than half a century, but now he tells 60 Minutes he's found his most fulfilling work: writing about girls high school hoops in central Illinois. (60 Minutes)
Higher Taxes? Deficit Spending? Why the Stock Market Isn’t Worried. “To some extent, higher taxes are priced into the market. Since Biden was elected, people have gotten prepared for that,” says Byron Wien, of the Blackstone Group.“ (Barron’s)
What Happened to the Corporate Income Tax? Biden wants companies to pay a bigger share of their profit to the federal government, but he’ll have to reverse a decades-long slide. (Bloomberg)