Tuesday, April 6th, 2021
Global Tax Reform, Google Beats Oracle & March Madness Champions
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by LightStream.com/newsworthy and NativeDeo.com/newsworthy
Story Summaries
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 to read the latest happenings...
Multinational Corporation Tax Proposal
There’s a new proposal in Congress that could impact taxes and businesses and it has lawmakers split. This time, it’s about forcing American corporations to pay higher taxes on profits they earn overseas. If approved, the changes would reportedly bring the federal government an extra trillion dollars over 15 years. Democrats who proposed the idea say it would also take away the incentive for companies to move business and jobs out of the U.S. However, Republicans and business groups say it would hurt American businesses on the world stage since they would have to pay higher taxes than their global competitors.
Read More: Reuters, NY Times, Politico, WSJ
Chauvin Trial Continues
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told jurors former officer Derek Chauvin “absolutely” violated department policy when he pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes last May. However, during cross-examination, the police chief also agreed with Chauvin’s defense team that appropriate use of force can vary in each case. Jurors also heard from the emergency room doctor who pronounced George Floyd dead at the hospital. The doctor said if one of the officers on the scene had given Floyd CPR, he might have lived. However, no one did. Testimony continues today.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, FOX News, CNN, Axios
AR Transgender Healthcare Bill Veto
Arkansas was about to become the first state to ban gender-confirming treatments and procedures, like surgery and hormone therapy, for transgender youth. However, the state’s governor vetoed the bill. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson calls it “government overreach.” He doesn't think it should be up to the government to interfere with doctors and parents as they deal with complex, sensitive matters involving young people. However, the state’s Republican lawmakers who passed the bill have argued the ban protects children from making mistakes that are hard to undo. They could override the governor’s veto.
Read More: Politico, NPR, CBS News, ABC News, HRC
Iran Nuclear Talks
Today, all the countries that originally signed the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement are getting together again, hoping to revive the deal. It was meant to keep Iran from building nuclear weapons, but the U.S. left the deal a few years ago. The Trump administration argued Iran was breaking its promises. The U.S. got out and put new tough economic sanctions on Iran instead. Those sanctions are still in place. Iranian officials say they want those sanctions lifted before they return to terms of the deal. The U.S. says Iran needs to follow the nuclear deal, then the sanctions will go away.
Read More: NPR, Reuters, NY Times, Al Jazeera
Google Wins Copyright Suit
Google is celebrating a big win at the U.S. Supreme Court. For more than a decade now, the software giant Oracle has accused Google of copying some of its software code to build the Android operating system. Oracle executives have been saying Google owes them $9 billion. The case made to the Supreme Court. However, in a 6-2 vote, justices decided Google didn’t do anything illegal and doesn’t owe Oracle anything. They say the software code counted as fair use under current copyright laws. That’s partly because Google used only a fraction of the code, then built its new software platform.
Read More: CNN, NPR, TechCrunch, Supreme Court, Oracle
No More LG Phones
LG cell phones will soon become a thing of the past. The South Korean company, LG Electronics, says it’s shutting down its mobile phone business and it will instead focus on things like smart home and robotics products. When it comes to phones, the company has been struggling to keep up with rivals like Apple and Samsung. Over the past six years, LG’s smartphone division has reportedly lost about $4.5 billion. If you still use an LG phone, you’ll still have access to service, at least for now.
Read More: Reuters, Axios, Tech Radar, LG
Ketchup Packet Shortage
Another industry is struggling to keep up with demand: ketchup. The Wall Street Journal explains, saying since so many more people are ordering takeout these days, restaurants are giving out more ketchup packets than ever before. Even restaurants that have been open for in-person dining have switched from large bottles to single-serve packets for sanitary reasons. The maker of Heinz ketchup says it’s doing all it can to make enough packets to meet the demand, but that making individual packets is more time-consuming and expensive than larger bottles. Restaurant owners are being forced to use generic brands or hit up other stores instead.
Read More: WSJ, Mashed
NCAA Men’s Champions
The Baylor Bears won their first NCAA men’s basketball championship in school history. This means Baylor was the only team the Gonzaga Bulldogs couldn’t beat this season. Baylor was ahead of Gonzaga the entire time and the final score was 86-70. It caps off a very unusual season and March Madness tournament. It’s been played in a sort-of bubble in Indianapolis. After winning, Baylor’s coach said he was lucky to be isolated with people he loved.
Read More: CBS Sports, NBC News, USA Today
Trivia Tuesday
Q: How many rides are at Disney World?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories Quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer
Q: Who was the first American to go into space?
A: Alan Shepard
Read More: NASA, Space Center Houston, Space.com