theNewsWorthy: Thursday, April 4th, 2019
ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.
(in less than 10 minutes!)
Today's episode is brought to you by Audible. Start your 30-day trial by going to Audible.com/newsworthy or text "newsworthy" to 500500.
Become a NewsWorthy INSIDER! Just click here to sign up: https://www.theNewsWorthy.com/insider
Want more? I got you.
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 Report: We’ve now heard the first official word about what may have caused the deadly Boeing 737 Max plane crash in Ethiopia last month. Early this morning, investigators said the crew performed all the procedures provided by Boeing, but still couldn’t control the plane. This story is still developing as this episode is published...
Get Updates: Reuters, CNN
Request for Trump's Taxes: Some House Democrats have formally requested six years of President Trump’s personal tax returns from the IRS, along with some of his business returns. Trump is the first president in four decades not to voluntarily release any tax returns. He now says he’ll fight the request because he’s currently being audited. Also of note: House Democrats authorized a subpoena to see the full, unredacted version of the final report from the Russia investigation. Meanwhile, The New York Times is citing sources who say the report may be more troubling for the president than the Attorney General first indicated (but there aren't many details).
Read more (Tax Returns): WSJ, FOX News, NYT
Read more (Report): NYT, CNN, CNBC
Joe Biden Latest: Former Vice President Joe Biden is making a promise to be more respectful of “personal space.” Right after the two-minute video was released via Twitter, three more women accused him of getting too close to them and making them uncomfortable. Biden said he’s always tried to “make a human connection,” but that he understands times are changing. He’s expected to run for president in 2020.
Read more: The Hill, Washington Post, NBC News
E-Cig Seizures: Federal health officials just issued a special announcement about e-cigarettes and concerns they could be linked to seizures. The FDA says there's been an uptick in reports of seizures since last June, mostly involving youth or young adults. It’s not clear yet if the two are actually connected, but seizures are a known potential side effect of nicotine toxicity.
Read more: The Verge, LA Times, FDA
LinkedIn’s Top Companies: Google’s parent company Alphabet took the top spot on LinkedIn’s list of the top 50 companies to work for in the U.S... The top five are Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon, Salesforce and Deloitte.
Read more: LinkedIn, Inc
Verizon Early 5G Release: Verizon is now officially the first in the world to have 5G-enabled smartphones connected to a 5G network. The company enabled the next-generation mobile network for customers in Chicago and Minneapolis a week earlier than planned. Network speed is expected to be ten times faster than it is right now. Only one smartphone works with it for now: the moto z3 with a new, separate accessory.
Read more: CNBC, TechRadar, Verizon
AI Facial Recognition Flawed: More than two dozen researchers are calling on Amazon to stop selling its facial recognition tech to police departments. Experts from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and some top universities sent an open letter explaining that studies have repeatedly shown Amazon’s algorithms are flawed and that the systems show a bias against women and people of color. Amazon defended the technology, saying they haven’t received any reports of misuse.
Read more: The Verge, NYT, Medium (full letter)
Celebrity Google Assistant: Google is using artificial intelligence to bring singer John Legend's voice to the Google Assistant. Just say, "Hey Google, talk like a Legend,” to hear him sing “Happy Birthday,” tell you the weather and answer questions.
Read more: Engadget, The Verge
Royal Insta Record: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have broken a world record on Instagram. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex unveiled their new official account this week and reached one million followers in less than six hours.
Read more: ET Online, ABC News, Instagram
Captain Marvel Billionaire: Captain Marvel just joined the billion dollar club. Since it opened last month, it's now brought in more than $1 billion worldwide. Captain Marvel is now the seventh Marvel movie to bring in this much money, and the tenth superhero movie of all time to do it.
Read more: Gizmodo, Variety
Thing to Know Thursday:
Spring 2019 Flooding
Read More: The Weather Channel, NYT
Today’s Guest: Jennifer Watson
Jennifer is a social media specialist, speaker and Emmy-winning meteorologist. She has a diverse background from working on camera to executing digital strategies for the biggest brand in weather. She motivates audiences from the stage and drives engagement, including launching numerous Facebook Live campaigns for the biggest weather brand, garnering millions of views.