theNewsWorthy: Friday, May 24th, 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...
Farmers & Disaster Aid: The Trump administration will give $16 billion to help farmers deal with the consequences of the U.S.-China trade tensions. Also, a $19 billion disaster relief bill is expected to head to the president’s desk after the House likely passes the bill today. The Senate approved the money for places hit by recent natural disasters yesterday. It took awhile for Trump to get on board because he wanted more money for a border wall. It didn't happen, but now, he's saying he'll sign it.
Read more (Farmers Aid): NYT, NPR
Read more (Disaster Aid): CNN, NBC News, Politico
Harvey Weinstein Deal: A deal is in the works between Harvey Weinstein, the several women accusing him of sexual misconduct, and the NY Attorney General's office. The $44 million tentative deal would settle civil lawsuits if approved by a judge next month. It would not change a pending criminal case.
Read more: WSJ, ABC News
Last Slave Ship Found: Historians believe they’ve found the last known U.S. slave ship. The Clotilda was found near Mobile, Alabama. In the 1860s, the ship brought over more than 100 people who were kidnapped from Africa, even though it was more than 50 years after the U.S. banned new slaves from being brought over. The captain burned the ship and let it sink. The state now plans to preserve the ship, saying it represents a dark era in history but acts as “tangible evidence of slavery.”
Read more: USA Today, Washington Post, Live Science
Severe Weather: From tornadoes to heat waves, more severe weather is expected to slam parts of the U.S. over the weekend. Already, a deadly tornado killed three people in the capital of Missouri this week. Missouri, Texas and Kansas are all at risk of being hit again, but the main threat is now flash flooding and harsh winds.
Read more: Accuweather, The Weather Channel, NYT
Asteroid Flyby: A mile-wide asteroid will zoom past Earth this weekend, but don’t worry – it’s harmless. Though it will be one of the closest flybys in recent history, it’s still about three million miles from Earth. This asteroid was discovered 20 years ago, and researchers have been watching it ever since.
Read more: NBC News
Memorial Day: This upcoming Monday is Memorial Day, which means many people have off school and work. But it's not just the unofficial start of summer with barbecues and discounts. It's really about honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
Read more: History
Beef Recall: For those grilling out this weekend, be aware of a beef recall due to E. coli concerns. The recall affects more than 62,000 pounds of raw beef, including steaks, ribs and brisket.
Read more: USDA (list of recalled items), FOX News, CBS News
Record Removal: Facebook deleted more than two-billion fake accounts in three months, which is a record high for the company. Facebook is dealing with an uptick in fake accounts, and they’ve blocked or removed many of them. About 80 percent of the posts were removed by Facebook without being reported, which could mean that Facebook’s artificial intelligence systems to block content are working.
Read more: Axios, Bloomberg, Engadget
AT&T Cryptocurrency Payments: AT&T users can now pay their phone bills with bitcoin online. The company says it’s the first big U.S. wireless carrier to accept payments through BitPay.
Read more: Engadget, CNET
3D Body Scans: Amazon wants to take a 3D scan of your body and will give you a $25 gift card in return. The company says it’s for research, but it may be working on a way for customers to virtually try on clothes. The 3D scans, photos and videos will be taken while you’re in form-fitting swimwear. You have to show-up in their New York offices.
Read more: Business Insider, CNET
Rotten Tomatoes Revamp: Rotten Tomatoes wants to make sure the movie reviews are legit. The site has a new “verified rating” feature. Reviews by customers who buy tickets on Fandango will be marked as verified on Rotten Tomatoes. The goal is to stop people from lowering movie scores on purpose, as well as to boost Fandango ticket sales.
Read more: Variety, Deadline