Thursday, May 27th, 2021
Rail Yard Rampage, Amazon Buys MGM & Hide Your ‘Likes’
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and Stamps.com (Listen for the discount code)
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...
San Jose Mass Shooting
A light rail facility in San Jose, California was the scene of the latest mass shooting. Authorities say an employee there set his own house on fire early yesterday morning, then drove to the facility where he shot his coworkers. At least eight people were killed, and when sheriff’s deputies arrived, the shooter killed himself too. Investigators are still trying to figure out what might have motivated him. This is reportedly the sixth mass killing in a public place so far this year.
Read More: SF Chronicle, LA Times, WSJ, Fox News, White House
Blinken Wraps Mideast Mission
For the last couple of days, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been meeting in person with Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab allies, and he’s been making some big announcements along the way. For example, he says the U.S. is going to reopen its consulate in Jerusalem to help oversee some outreach to Palestinians. He also promised to restore hundreds of millions of dollars in Palestinian aid that was cut off in the last administration. At the same time though, the U.S. will continue to give the Israeli military billions of dollars a year. Also, beyond regular aid, the U.S. is promising to help rebuild Gaza after the latest round of fighting.
Read More: AP, NY Times, Reuters, Axios
Biden Orders Covid Origin Investigation
U.S. intelligence officials are now in charge of an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Their new probe will be focused on two scenarios: whether COVID-19 came from some kind of infected animal, or whether it started with an accident in a lab. The U.S. has been under pressure to launch its own investigation since many say the one done by the World Health Organization was incomplete and not transparent enough. President Biden ordered this new review yesterday and says he wants to see a report on it within three months.
Read More: WaPo, Axios, ABC News, AP, WSJ, White House
Covid Immunity May Last Years
For some people, immunity to the coronavirus could last at least a year. Two new studies say people who recovered from COVID-19 and got vaccinated likely won’t need booster shots like a lot of other people probably will. Researchers looked at volunteers who got COVID-19 about a year ago. In those people, scientists found cells that remember the virus and churn out antibodies to fight it. One of the studies says those cells even get more powerful as time goes on. However, it’s still not clear how the new COVID-19 variants might affect that.
Read More: NY Times, Reuters, Nature, BioRxiv
Amazon is Buying MGM
Amazon is making a major move in entertainment by buying MGM, the Hollywood studio behind well-known movies and shows like James Bond and Shark Tank. MGM has a catalog of 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows. Amazon plans to use that large library and the beloved characters that come with it to create new movies and shows. Analysts say this could give Amazon Prime Video more power in the world of streaming so it can go up against Netflix and Disney. The nearly $8.5 billion deal is Amazon’s second-largest acquisition in the company’s history.
Read More: CNBC, NY Times, WSJ, AP, Amazon
Google, Hospital Chain Create Patient Data Tool
Google cut a deal with a national hospital chain to help turn patient data into new healthcare tools. HCA Healthcare includes about 2,000 hospitals in 21 states. The companies say Google will develop algorithms to help hospital staffers do their jobs better and more efficiently. This could mean analysis and alerts for doctors and nurses so they can respond quickly to changes in a patient’s condition and more. This deal has faced privacy concerns, though HCA Healthcare says Google will not get access to any information that identifies patients.
Read More: WSJ, The Verge, Cnet, Google
Facebook, Instagram Allow Hiding ‘Likes’
Two of the world’s most popular social media apps are now giving you the option to hide the number of likes on your feed. Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram started testing this idea a couple of years ago. They found some people loved hiding likes while others did not. So now, the platforms are giving everyone the chance to decide for themselves. If you’re interested in going like-free, you can choose to turn them off on your posts and/or on other people’s posts you see in your feed.
Read More: TechCrunch, USA Today, NBC News, Facebook
‘Friends’ Reunion Debuts
The Friends reunion is finally here 17 years after the hit NBC sitcom went off the air. To be clear, this is a reunion, not a reboot or a sign the show is coming back. It’s just a one-time, unscripted special where the original Friends actors come together again to reminisce. It includes some fan-favorite guest stars and other celebrity cameos all on the original soundstage. Friends: The Reunion is available starting today on HBO Max.
Read More: WWD, Sky News, NY Times, Watch Trailer
Thing to Know Thursday: Summer Travel
After a year of most Americans being cooped up at home, it looks like millions of people are ready to make up for the lost time. TSA says it’s now screening almost as many passengers as it did back in 2019 before COVID-19 happened. There’s a problem with that though: the travel industry hasn’t recovered from the pandemic. For example, TSA says it’s understaffed by thousands of workers, and it will be October before it’s back to full strength. That means you might notice longer waits at security. Rental cars are also in short supply, hotels are understaffed, and some amenities aren’t available.
Read More: WSJ, USA Today, Forbes, Travel Survey