theNewsWorthy: Friday, June 21st, 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...
Iran vs. U.S. Drone: After Iran shot down a U.S. drone this week, the FAA has now issued an emergency order to ban any U.S. aircraft from flying in certain areas of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Also, reports say the U.S. military was getting ready for limited strikes on Iran in retaliation, but Trump called it off last-minute.
Read more: Reuters, AP, Washington Post, CNN, The Hill
Hope Hicks Testimony: Lawmakers questioned former White House aide Hope Hicks for nearly seven hours during a closed-door House hearing this week. The transcript shows she refused to answer questions. Lawyers representing the Trump administration blocked her from answering 155 times. The testimony was part of a House investigation into whether President Trump obstructed justice.
Read more: ABC News, CNN
Walmart Settlement: Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is set to pay nearly $300 million to the federal government to settle bribery charges. The company allegedly violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits companies from paying bribes to open businesses overseas. Walmart says it’s happy to resolve the matter and has since enhanced its policies and procedures.
Read more: NYT, WSJ, Fox Business
Slack Goes Public: Slack is the fastest-growing workplace messaging platform, and after yesterday’s debut on Wall Street, we know the company is worth more than $20 billion. Its stock closed at nearly $40, about 50 percent above its reference price. Instead of a traditional IPO, Slack went public with a direct listing. Also, the S&P 500 closed at an all-time high yesterday.
Read more (Slack): WSJ, CNN
Read more (Stocks): CBS News
NBA Draft, MLB Split: The first three picks of the NBA draft went as expected. Number one overall pick Zion Williamson from Duke will be joining the New Orleans Pelicans and is said to be the most exciting prospect since LeBron James. In baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays may become a two-city team. MLB gave the OK for the team to play home games in both Montreal and the Tampa Bay area. Both cities would get a new stadium, but it's not clear if the team will actually do it.
Read more (NBA): CBS Sports, NYT
Read more (MLB): ESPN, USA Today
Robotic Arm Breakthrough: Researchers have made a mind-controlled robotic arm that works just by thinking, and no surgery is required. The arm is controlled by sensors on the outside of the body that can grab signals from deep within the user’s brain to make the arm move. In the past, the technology only worked when sensors were implanted inside the brain. Research teams plan to start clinical trials soon.
Read more: TechCrunch, Daily Mail
Skull “Horns”: Researchers in Australia found people are growing horn-like bone spurs on the bottom of their skulls, possibly because of smartphone use. The study found 400 people between the ages of 18 and 86 had bony growths on the bottoms of their skulls, with younger people displaying the largest growths. It could be caused by leaning over cell phones for hours.
Read more: Fortune, NBC News
Apple Recall, Best Buy Partnership: Apple has issued a recall for 15-inch MacBook Pros sold between September 2015 and February 2017. Apple is replacing the impacted computers due to a battery that can overheat and be a safety risk. You can check yours on the support website. Apple is also partnering with Best Buy to provide more places where you can get your iPhone fixed, if needed. Best Buy’s Geek Squad will now have Apple-certified technicians at 1,000 locations.
Read more (Recall): 9to5Mac, Check Your Serial No.
Read more (Best Buy): TechCrunch, CNN
First Day of Summer: Happy first official day of summer! Also known as the summer solstice, it is the longest day of the year for people living north of the Equator. There are a bunch of food deals happening today for both the start of summer and National Smoothie Day, including Jamba Juice offering free small smoothies between 2-5p.m.
Read more: Vox, National Geographic, USA Today
Toy Story 4: If you’re heading to the movies, Toy Story 4 is out this weekend. It’s expected to have one of the largest debuts for an animated feature ever.
Read more: Box Office Mojo