theNewsWorthy: Friday, January 4th, 2019
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All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want perusing the latest happenings...
Shutdown Update: The White House invited congressional leaders from both parties back for a second meeting today to discuss the government shutdown. Meanwhile, Democrats have officially taken control of the House of Representatives and elected Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. Right away, the House passed spending bills to try to fund the government and end the shutdown, but it’s unlikely the Senate and President will go for it. So, the partial government shutdown continues with hundreds of thousands of federal workers wrapping up week two without pay.
Read more: The Hill, AP, New York Times, Wall Street Journal
Dow Down: Yesterday’s five percent drop in tech stocks was the biggest drop for that sector since 2011. The fall follows the surprise news from Apple earlier this week: iPhone sales are down in China, and so is the company’s revenue. Apple dropped 10 percent yesterday. Investors are worried that China’s economy – the world’s second-largest – is weakening overall.
Read more: AP, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, TechCrunch
Travel Warning: The U.S State Department is warning Americans about traveling to China and raised the travel advisory warning to level 2. The advisory says Americans should "exercise increased caution” following concerns that the Chinese government may use tactics like “exit bans” on U.S. citizens. This prevents them from leaving the country.
Read more: State Department, CNBC
China Moon Landing: China became the first to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon – the side that never faces Earth. The Chang’e 4 sent back the first close-ups ever of the far side. Scientists say they'll be able to explore the moon in a new way.
Read more: NBC News, AP
Biggest Pharma Deal Ever: Bristol-Myers Squibb is acquiring Celgene in a deal worth $74 billion - the largest pharmaceutical M&A ever. The newly combined company will become one of the largest cancer drug companies in the world.
Read more: Bloomberg, Axios
LA Earthquake App: The U.S. Geological Survey, AT&T and the Los Angeles Mayor’s office teamed up to create the nation’s first publicly available earthquake warning system. For now, the ShakeAlertLA mobile app will only work in Los Angeles County, but it could expand in the future. Enabling location services and notifications allows users to receive an alert 10-20 seconds before the effects of a major quake.
Read more: ABC News, The Guardian
New York City Tunnel Repairs: What was supposed to be the so-called “L Train Apocalypse” – a full 15-month shutdown of a major subway tunnel -- won’t be so bad after all. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that new technology from Europe will keep the tunnel open on weekdays during the repair process.
Read more: New York Times
NFL Playoffs Kick Off: Wild Card Weekend starts tomorrow, with two NFL playoff games on Saturday and two more on Sunday. This weekend’s winners will play the two teams who got a bye as the road to Super Bowl LIII continues.
Read more: CNET, CBS Sports
Golden Globes: The 76th annual Golden Globe Awards will be held on Sunday night, January 6. Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg are hosting. The ceremony starts at 5pm PST on NBC, or you can stream the ceremony live online.
Read more: AP, Variety, NBC News, Golden Globes
Carrot Cake Oreos: Two new Oreo flavors are coming out in 2019: Carrot Cake Oreos and Dark Chocolate Oreos. What New Year's resolution?
Read more: PopSugar, People