theNewsWorthy: Tuesday, May 14th, 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...
Trade War Latest: The stock market had its biggest drop in months this week as a result of the trade dispute between the U.S. and China. Both the Dow and the S&P had their biggest one-day losses since January. As for the new tariffs on Chinese imports, China is now retaliating by raising tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods.
Read more: WSJ, CNBC, MarketWatch, AP, NYT
Russia Investigation: Attorney General William Barr has appointed a top federal prosecutor to investigate the Russia investigation. The U.S. attorney will look into how the Russia investigation started and whether it was appropriate. Critics call this latest move political.
Read more: AP, NYT
Face ID Vote: San Francisco could become the first city in the U.S. to ban government officials, including police, from using facial recognition. The city is voting on the ordinance today. Government agencies have used facial recognition for things like scanning suspects' faces against databases. Supporters say it can be a useful crime-stopping tool, but critics say it poses a threat to civil rights.
Read more: SF Chronicle, Gizmodo, AP
Record High CO2: Carbon dioxide levels hit a record high, and scientists say it's contributing to climate change. New data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) shows CO2 levels in the atmosphere haven’t been this high since before humans existed.
Read more: TechCrunch, CNN
Apple Lawsuit & TV App: A group of iPhone users wants to sue Apple, and the U.S. Supreme Court just ruled the case can move forward. The case is about Apple’s app store. They claim Apple has a monopoly, which causes the price of apps to go up, but Apple says it’s just the middleman and has no say over how much apps cost. In other (better) news for Apple, the company just launched its newly re-designed TV app, which will support paid channels, like HBO, and Apple's own new subscription video service when it launches this fall.
Read more (Lawsuit): TechCrunch, NPR, Washington Post
Read more (TV App): The Verge
WhatsApp Hack: Messaging app WhatsApp is encouraging users to update to the latest version of the app due to a potential hack. Another company was able to install malware on some users’ phones, though it’s not clear how many. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, and its main selling point has been that it encrypts all private messages. For now, WhatsApp says it’s fixed the issue and all users should update to the latest version of the app.
Read more: Financial Times, CNBC
Amazon vs. Walmart: Who can ship to you faster? Amazon and Walmart are both trying to win. Amazon is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to speed up its default delivery time for Prime members from two days to just one. Walmart is now offering next day shipping on all orders of $35 or more. Walmart’s new shipping option will gradually rollout across the U.S.
Read more: Business Insider, TechCrunch
Amazon Machines: Amazon is reportedly testing out machines that can pack orders five times faster than humans. Workers put the items on a conveyor belt, and the machines do the rest. If successful, the packing machines would eliminate about 1,300 human jobs. Amazon says the money the company saves would be reinvested in new services, which could mean new jobs.
Read more: Reuters, USA Today
Uber PIN: Both Uber and Lyft are testing a new way to grab a ride from the airport. Instead of searching for your specific driver, passengers wait in line at a certain area. Then, they just get in the next available car and share a PIN or code with the driver. Both companies launched the pilot program this week at the Portland airport. If all goes well, it could come to more airports in the future.
Read more: Engadget, CNET
New Oreo Flavors: Oreo is gearing up for summer with new flavors, including the "Marshmallow Moon" cookies to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing.
Read more: USA Today, Delish