Thursday, April 29th, 2021
'Ready for Takeoff', NFL Draft & Cookie Delivery Drones
All the news you need in about 10 min:
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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 peruse the latest happenings...
Biden Address to Congress
For the first time, President Biden gave a speech in front of a joint session of Congress to lay out a vision for the rest of his first year in the White House. He promoted the $1.8 trillion plan that includes new spending on childcare, healthcare, education, and family leave. The president wants to pay for it mostly by raising taxes on the richest Americans. Biden also talked about his $2.3 trillion infrastructure package. It includes new spending on roads, internet access, water systems, and more. He also mentioned expanding access to healthcare, raising the federal minimum wage, improving the immigration system, taking action on gun reform, and more. He needs Congress to pass these kinds of initiatives.
Read More: AP, WaPo, WSJ, CNN, Fox News
GOP Response to Biden’s Speech
Sen. Tim Scott delivered the GOP response to Biden’s address. He said he thinks Biden’s policies are pushing the nation further apart. Scott said Biden’s economic proposals are a “liberal wishlist of big government waste,” adding that it will be paid for by what he called the “biggest job-killing tax hikes in a generation.” Sen. Scott also spoke about his experience with discrimination as a Black man. However, he said, “America is not a racist country” and he accused colleges and businesses of profiting off racial politics.
Read More: CBS News, Politico, Fox News, CNN
Giuliani’s Home, Office Searched
The Justice Department stepped up its investigation into former New York mayor who later became President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Investigators searched Giuliani’s home and office in New York City. It’s all part of a probe into Giuliani’s business dealings in Ukraine that happened during the Trump presidency. Investigators took some of Giuliani’s electronics. They reportedly want to look for conversations between Giuliani and several Ukrainian officials. Giuliani’s lawyer says he didn’t do anything illegal or unethical.
Read More: NY Times, Politico, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News
Hate Crime Charges in Arbery Case
Three white men are now charged with federal hate crimes in the death of a 25-year-old Black man last year. They’re accused of chasing down, shooting, and killing Ahmaud Arbery in a south Georgia neighborhood. At the time, they said they thought Arbery was a burglar running from the scene of the crime. However, Arbery’s family says he was just on his usual jogging route. Now, a federal indictment says Travis McMichael, his father Gregory, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan were trying to stop Arbery from using a public street just because he was Black. Their attorneys deny that. All three men also face murder charges at the state level.
Read More: NPR, AP, WaPo, Politico, DOJ
U.S. Covid Cases Dropping
There’s new evidence the U.S. is turning a corner in the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of all states are seeing a big drop in the number of new infections over the last two weeks. The U.S. is now averaging about 54,000 new cases a day. That’s down 24% from two weeks ago. Deaths are also going down. The CDC director credits more people taking precautions and getting vaccinated. Nearly 55% of all American adults have now gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Read More: WSJ, NY Times, Reuters, Johns Hopkins, CDC
NFL Draft Begins Tonight
The NFL Draft kicks off tonight in downtown Cleveland. This year, the Jacksonville Jaguars have the first pick during round one. The Jaguars are expected to grab the top-ranked draft pick, Trevor Lawrence. He’s the quarterback who helped Clemson win a national championship two years ago. The draft will have a much more celebratory feel compared to last year when draft picks only appeared over video from their hometowns. This time, about 5,000 vaccinated fans will be watching the festivities inside. Another 50,000 fans will be allowed outside the stadium.
Read More: NFL, NBC Sports, ESPN, WSJ, WEWS-TV
Amazon Workers Get Raises
America’s second-largest employer is giving half a million workers a pay raise. Amazon says more than 500,000 employees will get raises between 50 cents and $3 an hour. They’ll go to people working on delivery, package sorting, customer fulfillment, and more. Other departments will be up for pay reviews and raises later this year. Amazon already offers a $15 an hour minimum wage to all its workers. However, Amazon faces accusations of treating its workers unfairly. Amazon’s CEO has been defending the company and promising to make improvements.
Read More: CNBC, WSJ, GeekWire, Amazon
Google’s COVID-19 Travel Tool
Google has a new feature to help would-be travelers navigate all the changing rules around the pandemic. On Google, you’ll now see relevant restrictions based on where you’re located and where you want to go. For example, if you type in “things to do in the Bahamas”, a COVID-19 alert pops up. It says visitors must test negative for the virus within five days of their flight. Meanwhile, a Google search for hotels in Rome brings up an alert that says Italy is still closed to American tourists with certain exceptions. Then, Google offers to send you an email if the guidance changes.
Read More: The Verge, 9to5Mac, CNET
Drones Deliver Girl Scout Cookies
Drones are now dropping off Girl Scout cookies in one town in Virginia. The Girl Scout troop has been working with the company Wing. That’s the drone operator owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Wing has been testing commercial drones for delivery services since 2019. Now, they’re carrying cookies. Once the drone reaches its destination, it hovers above the ground and drops packages using a tether. The local Girl Scout organization says the drones have helped the girls learn about technology and helped them sell cookies.
Read More: USA Today, Axios, AP, Wing
Thing to Know Thursday: Artificial Intelligence Regulation
The European Union recently put out a set of proposals for regulating artificial intelligence. They say companies who use what’s classified as “high risk” AI would have to prove the systems are safe and unbiased and that humans would still be overseeing the technology. Examples of high-risk AI systems might include programs controlling water supplies or road traffic, robots used in surgeries, and software that helps companies sort through resumes. AI systems considered lower risk would still need to be transparent. All that said, it could be years before the proposals are finalized and put into place.
Read More: Brookings, Axios, Fortune, AP, European Commission, IT Industry Council