theNewsWorthy: Monday, June 24th, 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 Cyberattack, Sanctions: The U.S. is expected to announce new sanctions against Iran that could further hurt the country’s economy. The goal is to force Iran’s leaders into talks about nuclear weapons. Tensions between the two countries have ramped up, especially in recent weeks. Though the U.S. pulled back from launching a physical strike against Iran late last week, new reports say there was a cyber attack. It disabled some of the computer systems that control Iran’s missile launchers. Both have said they don’t want war, and over the weekend, U.S. leaders, including the president, were emphasizing they’re ready to negotiate.
Read more: AP, NYT, Washington Post, ABC News, WSJ
Deportations Delayed: President Trump will hold off on deporting thousands of illegal immigrants for now. Raids on undocumented families in ten major cities were scheduled for yesterday, but now, President Trump gave Congress two weeks to work out a deal to change asylum laws. Trump says closing loopholes would be a step toward fixing the southern border but tweeted a deal likely won’t happen. Some lawmakers called the potential raids 'heartless,' while others wondered if Trump will keep his word, even if a deal is made. Stay tuned.
Read more: Politico, CNN, The Hill
Hawaii Plane Crash: One of the worst aviation disasters in Hawaii’s history happened on Friday, with all 11 people (including customers and instructors) died when a skydiving plane crashed near Oahu’s north shore. The same plane was apparently involved in a different incident three years ago. Authorities are still working to figure out what happened.
Read more: CNN, NPR, Hawaii News Now
Severe Weather: Parts of the U.S. are bracing for thunderstorms and flooding today. The Plains, Midwest and South are all at risk. This comes after severe weather already hit some of those areas over the weekend. Some affected areas have already seen two times the average rainfall this year.
Read more: Accuweather, ABC News, Weather Channel
Olympics & World Cup: The International Olympic Committee will vote, decide and announce today the host city for the 2026 Olympics. It’s between Sweden and Italy. Meanwhile, right now, the Women’s World Cup is in the knockout stage. The U.S. will play Spain today at 12:00pm EDT, and whoever wins will play France in the quarterfinals.
Read more (2026 Winter Olympics): The Olympic Channel
Read more (World Cup): CBS Sports, WSJ
Mars Discovery: NASA’s Curiosity rover may have just found proof of life on Mars. The rover found high levels of methane in the air – a gas that is given off by living things. It could mean microbes are living underground on Mars, but there are other possibilities, too. While researchers have found methane on Mars before, this is the highest concentration of the gas yet. NASA plans to follow-up to learn more.
Read more: NYT, TechCrunch
Surveillance Drones: Amazon’s delivery drones could one day double as surveillance drones. They would keep an eye on people’s homes while dropping off packages, checking for things like open garage doors or a fire. The tech company just got approval for a patent that will let it build the surveillance drones. The patent just covers the idea, so there’s no telling if it will actually be made. To address privacy concerns, the drones would reportedly use geo-fencing technology to help make sure it only takes pictures or videos of houses it has permission to check up on.
Read more: Reuters, CNet, Business Insider
Toys ‘R’ Us Returns: Reports say Toys ‘R’ Us may be making a comeback with six new locations and an e-commerce site set to open in time for the holiday season. If all goes as planned, the new locations will be about a third of the size of the old ones and will include more experiences, like play areas. Babies ‘R’ Us could be coming back, too.
Read more: Bloomberg, USA Today, Mashable
Toy Story 4: Toy Story 4 hit number one at the box office this weekend with the third-highest debut of 2019 and the highest debut of any Toy Story movie. The movie brought in $118 million in the U.S., though Disney had hoped for $140 million or more. Either way, it was a good weekend for Disney, with Aladdin also still in the top three for weekend ticket sales.
Read more: Variety, CNBC
BET Awards: Rapper Cardi B was the first performance of the night at the BET Awards last night, and she also picked up the award for Album of the Year. Regina Hall hosted the ceremony. The men known as the Central Park Five, who were convicted and then exonerated of rape and recently featured in a Netflix documentary, appeared on stage to a standing ovation. Tyler Perry also gave a powerful speech as he received the Ultimate Icon award. Mary J. Blige received the Lifetime Achievement award. The BET Awards recognize winners across 20 categories in a celebration of black culture.