Tuesday, May 18th, 2021
High Court Takes on Abortion, Major Media Merger & Google’s New Products
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Rothys.com/newsworthy and Ritual.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...
SCOTUS Taking up Major Abortion Case
The U.S. Supreme Court is getting back into a heated showdown over the controversial topic of abortion. Justices agreed to review a Mississippi law that was first signed back in 2018. It would ban most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. Exceptions would be in cases of a fetal abnormality or medical emergency. However, it was never allowed to go into effect. Lower courts blocked it saying the law was unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade. Now, high court justices are taking on the case. They’ll likely hear arguments in the fall with a decision possible in the summer of 2022.
Read More: Politico, NY Times, Axios, AP, WSJ, SCOTUS
Gaetz Associate Pleads Guilty
A Florida politician who was once a friend and ally of Congressman Matt Gaetz pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a 17-year-old. That could spell trouble for Gaetz too since investigators are also looking into whether he paid the same 17-year-old for sex. His associate, Joel Greenberg, pleaded guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors and he’s said in the past that Gaetz was involved. However, Gaetz says it’s not true. So far, he hasn’t been charged with a crime. Greenberg still faces at least 12 years in prison and he’ll likely be sentenced in a few months.
Read More: WaPo, Politico, Reuters, AP
Cyclone Tauktae Hits India
India is now dealing with another disaster. The most powerful tropical cyclone in more than two decades hit the country last night. It brought heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding to India’s western coast. It destroyed houses and uprooted trees and electric poles. So far, at least 16 people have been killed and about 200,000 more people had to evacuate their homes and stay in shelters overnight. Those crowded shelters sparked new worries about COVID-19 spreading even more since India is now a global epicenter of coronavirus.
Read More: BBC, CNN, WaPo, Reuters
U.S. Exporting More Vaccines
The U.S. government is getting ready to ship millions of more COVID-19 vaccines overseas. President Biden says he plans to have about 80 million doses sent from the U.S. to other countries by the end of next month. Most of those shipments will be of the AstraZeneca vaccine since it’s not authorized in the U.S. anyway. 20 million doses will come from America’s stockpile of the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson shots. The U.S. will work with the World Health Organizations’ COVAX program to make sure the vaccines are distributed fairly.
Read More: Bloomberg, USA Today, WSJ, NPR, White House
Covid Deaths, Cases Decline
About 60% of American adults have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and about 47% are fully vaccinated. Health officials say the vaccines seem to be working very well too. Last week, American deaths from COVID-19 fell to their lowest level in nearly 14 months. Officials say new COVID-19 cases have also gone down in all 50 states for the first time since the pandemic began.
Read More: Reuters, NY Daily News, WaPo, CDC
WarnerMedia and Discovery Merger
AT&T agreed to merge WarnerMedia with Discovery in a multi-billion dollar deal. The merger will create the second-largest media company in the world based on revenue. Only Disney is larger. By combining their assets, Discovery and WarnerMedia are putting more than 100 brands under one roof. The list includes Warner Brothers, HBO, CNN, HGTV, Cartoon Network, The Food Network, The Discovery Channel, and more. The merger is expected to have a big impact on streaming as more networks compete for customers. However, executives haven’t confirmed any official plans. The deal is set to close next year as long as regulators approve it.
Read More: Axios, WSJ, The Verge, Mashable, CNN, AT&T
Crypto Investment Scams
If you own cryptocurrency, beware of scammers who claim they can double your investment when they’ll really take your digital money and run. Authorities say this type of fraud is on the rise. The FTC says about 7,000 people have reported losses totaling more than $80 million since October. The FTC says some of the crooks are posing as celebrities too. For example, victims reported sending more than $2,000 of digital money to someone pretending to be Elon Musk.
Read More: CNBC, The Hill, Business Insider, FTC
Google Developer Conference Starts
Google’s I/O developer conference kicks off today. It’s the company’s big, annual event where it typically showcases the latest software and products. This year, we’re expecting to see a finalized version of the Android 12 operating system. Reports say it will include design changes, security updates, and more. Google has also hinted at plans to unveil updates to the WearOS and Pixel smartwatch. The company is also expected to debut a new pair of wireless earbuds, updates to smart home devices, and new items in the Google Play store.
Read More: Engadget, PC Mag, ARS Technica, Yahoo Finance, Wear OS
Watch the Conference: YouTube
Microsoft Teams Launches Personal Version
The communication platform Microsoft Teams is no longer just for businesses. The company launched a new service for personal use too. It’s free with a lot of the same features. For example, it lets people chat, video call, share calendars, locations, and files. For now, the calls can last up to 24 hours with up to 300 people at no charge. Eventually, Microsoft says it’s going to limit those group calls to an hour with 100 people. Even then, one-on-one calls will be able to go all day.
Read More: The Verge, Cnet, Engadget, Microsoft Teams
Travelers Booking Flights in Record Numbers
Airline travel is picking up fast. TSA says more than 1.8 million people were screened at U.S. airports on Sunday. That’s the largest number of travelers since the beginning of the pandemic. The numbers are expected to keep rising as more people get vaccinated and plan summer vacations. Experts now recommend making reservations as early as possible before your preferred dates are booked up. Still, most Americans are sticking to domestic travel. Popular destinations include Las Vegas, Miami, and Orlando.
Read More: Motley Fool, Forbes, Simple Flying, TSA
Trivia Tuesday
Q: How many bones do sharks have in their bodies?
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: How many languages are written from right to left?
A: 12
Read More: World Atlas, Thesaurus, Pangeanic