theNewsWorthy: Thursday, March 28th, 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 …)
Boeing Fixes, Hearing: Boeing announced an update for its anti-stall software, new cockpit alerts, and extra pilot training for its 737 Max planes (which are still grounded around the world). The software may have been a factor in both deadly 737 Max plane crashes in the last six months. The new plan still needs to be approved by the FAA and go through additional testing. Meanwhile, at a hearing yesterday, lawmakers grilled FAA officials about the approval process. Aviation officials said the process is "extensive" and "well-established."
Read more: NYT, AP, CNN, CNBC
Special Olympics Cuts?: The Trump administration wants to cut funding for the Special Olympics, and it’s getting plenty of criticism. Some are calling the proposed budget cut “outrageous,” and saying they don’t understand why officials would want to take millions of dollars away from disabled children. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defended the cut. She says she supports the Special Olympics, but it’s a private organization and the federal government can’t fund every worthy nonprofit. The cut is part of the proposed budget for next year, which probably won’t pass Congress as-is.
Read more: Politico, ABC News, NYT
Brexit Deadline: The deadline for Britain to leave the European Union was supposed to be this Friday, but is now delayed. British Prime Minister Theresa May says she’s willing to quit if Parliament agrees on a Brexit divorce deal (as a way to encourage them to approve it). So far, lawmakers are still at a deadlock: Parliament voted again yesterday on eight different Brexit deal options, but none passed. If a divorce deal is approved, Britain will leave the E.U. on May 22. If they can’t reach a compromise, they may have to leave without a deal on April 12. To be continued...
Read more: The Guardian, WSJ, Fox News
Facebook Ban: Facebook is tackling hate speech and banning white nationalism from the site. Civil rights groups have pressured Facebook to do more, and it seems like it’s working, especially after the attack in New Zealand where a suspected white supremacist live-streamed a mass shooting. The ban will go into effect next week.
Read more: NBC News, Reuters, Engadget, Facebook
Robocall Crackdown: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has shut down at least four robocall operations that were responsible for billions of illegal calls. One of the companies was running a charity scam and convinced people to donate cars and boats; another pretended to represent Google, and others pitched home warranties and low interest rates. The companies are settling for millions of dollars and are banned from any future robocalls. Meanwhile, Verizon is expected to make some of its robocall-blocking features available for free by the end of the week.
Read more (FTC Crackdown): TechCrunch, Engadget, CNET
Read more (Verizon's Tools): CBS News, USA Today
MLB Opening Day: It’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball in the U.S., and this year is the earliest opening day ever. There are 15 games on the schedule for today, starting on the East Coast just after 1:00pm EDT.
Read more: CBS Sports, MLB, USA Today
Powerball Winner: It was the third-largest jackpot in Powerball history after months without a winner, but as of last night, someone who bought a ticket in Wisconsin won the $750 million prize. Don’t feel bad if it wasn’t you: the odds of winning were one in 292 million.
Read more: AP, FOX News
Peeps-Flavored Coffee: Peeps-flavored coffee is coming to Dunkin' Donuts. Peeps (those colorful marshmallow chicks for Easter) will also be sold on donuts in April. Peeps, by the way, recently came out with seven new flavors, including pancakes and syrup.
Read more: USA Today, People
Thing to Know Thursday:
E-Cigarettes
From the epidemic among teens to potential new FDA regulations
Today’s Guest: Robin Koval
Robin Koval is CEO and President of Truth Initiative®, the national public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco.
An acclaimed leader in the advertising and marketing world, and New York Times best-selling author, Koval joined Truth Initiative in 2013. Here she’s led the successful 2014 re-launch of the award-winning and lifesaving truth® youth tobacco prevention campaign and redirected the organization’s world-class research, public education and activism programs. The truth campaign has been voted one of the most influential campaigns of the 21st century, and named the most effective brand of the year by the American Marketing Association. Since re-launch, the truth campaign has prevented over 2.5 million young people from becoming smokers
Koval and co-author Linda Kaplan Thaler have written several best-selling books including Grit to Great: How Perseverance, Passion and Pluck Take You from Ordinary to Extraordinary, The Power of Nice and The Power of Small.