theNewsWorthy: Thursday, June 20th, 2019
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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...
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Rather read? Here's an overview of what we're talking about:
Still Developing: Iran is claiming it shot down a U.S. drone that was in Iranian airspace. The U.S. military confirms the drone was taken down but says it was in international airspace instead. Tensions have continued to rise between the two countries.
Read more: AP
China & N. Korea: China’s president has now arrived in North Korea for the first Chinese state visit in more than a decade. China is North Korea’s main trading partner. The two will likely discuss their separate disputes with the U.S. -- North Korea over weapons and China over trade. It comes just a week before President Trump plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit.
Read more: BBC, Reuters, NYT
Trump Climate Plan: The EPA passed a new rule that eases restrictions on coal-fired power plants. It essentially replaces the regulations passed during the Obama administration to fight climate change and will give states more leeway over whether they require power plants to cut down on emissions.
Read more: AP, NPR, Washington Post
Interest Rates Steady: The key short-term interest rate will stay between 2.25 and 2.5 percent for now, but the Federal Reserve has indicated it is prepared to cut rates soon, if needed.
Read more: Reuters, WSJ, USA Today
YouTube Privacy Investigation: Executives at Google, which owns YouTube, are reportedly thinking about moving all of the children’s content on the platform to the YouTube Kids app. Reports say the FTC is investigating YouTube and whether the company collects data on children under 13 years old without parental consent. Videos for kids are some of the most popular on YouTube, and moving them to the kids-only app could mean losing millions of dollars in advertising.
Read more: Washington Post, The Verge, WSJ
NBA Draft, World Cup: The 2019 NBA Draft starts tonight. A lot of people are talking about Zion Williamson from Duke, who is said to be one of the most exciting prospects entering the league since LeBron James. He’ll likely be picked first by the New Orleans Pelicans. There are two rounds in the draft, and 60 players will be picked in all. Catch it on ESPN tonight at 7:30pm EDT. Before that, the U. S. Women’s National soccer team will play in their third World Cup game today. They’re up against Sweden at 3:00pm EDT.
Read more (NBA Draft): ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports
Read more (World Cup): NBC Sports
Heart Attack Detection: Your smart speaker might one day be able to help you if you’re having a heart attack. A new type of AI tool is being trained to listen for signs of cardiac arrest and can call 911 for you. For now, there are privacy concerns since it would have to be listening all the time, so don't expect it on your smart speaker anytime soon. That said, it could be rolled out as a separate device for seniors or others at-risk.
Read more: Bloomberg, Engadget
AI Monopoly: A new version of the classic board game Monopoly is coming. It has a voice-activated top hat in the middle of the board that acts as the banker. There’s no paper money, but otherwise, the basics of the game stay the same. The top hat processes property transactions and can tell players who’s winning. Monopoly Voice Banking will be out in July.
Read more: Engadget, CNET
Avengers: Endgame Re-Released: It seems Disney still wants Avengers: Endgame to become the highest-grossing film of all time (right now, the movie is about $50 million behind Avatar for that top spot). So, Disney is apparently re-releasing Avengers: Endgame with new footage after the credits. The movie is expected to be back in theaters next weekend, June 28th.
Read more: People, Gizmodo