theNewsWorthy: Thursday, January 31st, 2019
ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.
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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...
(Scroll down to read more about our Thing to Know Thursday topic …)
Winter Weather: Record low temperatures continue to affect the Midwest. The U.S. Postal Service says it will not deliver mail today in some states, while many schools, universities and businesses are staying closed, too. The below-zero temperatures with wind chills hitting as low as -70°F have been responsible for at least eight deaths in the region this week. Today the Northeast could see single digits before the cold front leaves.
Read more: The Weather Channel, WSJ, USA Today, CNN
Trump Responds: President Trump has responded to top U.S. intelligence officials who briefed a Senate committee this week on the main threats to national and global security. Trump called the officials from the FBI and CIA "wrong" and "naive.” They had publicly contradicted Trump on things like the Iran Nuclear Deal.
Read more: The Washington Post, USA Today, TIME/AP
Interest Rate Steady: The key interest rate isn’t changing...for now. The Federal Reserve has decided not to raise rates and said the Fed will be “patient” about future hikes. The key short-term interest rate will stay in a range of 2.25 to 2.5 percent. The higher the rate, the more expensive it is to borrow money. Wall Street was glad to hear the news: stocks went up and are on pace for their best month since March 2016.
Read more: WSJ, AP
Foxconn Backs Out: A new TV manufacturing plant was supposed to bring 13,000 new jobs to Wisconsin, but now, it looks like it might not happen. Foxconn is reportedly changing its mind about a $10 billion factory it promised back in 2017. The company says the global market has changed, so the project would cost too much. Instead of hiring thousands of blue-collar workers, Foxconn is considering building a technology hub with jobs for researchers, designers and engineers.
Read more: Reuters, CNN
Apple vs Facebook: Apple and Facebook are at odds over an app. Techcrunch found out that Facebook was paying teenagers to install an app that would give the company full access to the kids’ cell phone data through a system meant for employees. Apple said it’s against policy and took it down. Facebook says only 5 percent of the users of the research app were teens. Despite the backlash, Facebook seems to be doing just fine. The company reported record profits.
Read more (Apple vs. Facebook): TechCrunch, The Verge
Read more (Facebook Earnings): CNBC
Roomba for Lawns: A "Roomba for your lawn" could be on the market later this year. The Terra, made by iRobot, is a robotic lawn mower that uses the same mapping technology as Roomba to trim the grass by itself. It requires wireless beacons around the grass to act like a wall, but once set up, Terra can roam free.
Read more: Engadget, YouTube
Empire Star Attacked: Chicago police are looking for “persons of interest” in connection to an apparent hate crime against actor Jussie Smollett. Smollett is best known for his role as Jamal on the FOX show, Empire. Two men attacked him earlier this week and reportedly yelled racist and homophobic slurs. Police have images from surveillance video showing men they want to question.
Read more: Variety, FOX News
Black Panther Free Showings: One year after its premiere, the award-winning superhero movie Black Panther is returning to theaters. You can see it for free starting tomorrow. The second run of the movie is a celebration of Black History Month. There will be two free daily showings in hundreds of theaters around the country. Disney will also be donating money.
Read more: Mashable, CNET
Thing to Know Thursday:
Virtual Reality
Today’s Guest: Joanna Popper
Joanna Popper is a Hollywood and Silicon Valley media executive. She recently became HP’s Global Head of Virtual Reality for Location Based Entertainment. Prior she was EVP of Media & Marketing at Singularity University and VP Marketing at NBCUniversal. Joanna developed a TV show partnership with NBC and Singularity University for a new TV series on technology and innovation.
Joanna was selected as “50 Women Can Change the World in Media and Entertainment,” “Top Women in Digital: Game Changers,” “101 Women Leading the VR Industry” and is on the Coalition for the Women in XR Fund.