Thursday, July 1st, 2021
Trump’s Company Charged, Cosby Set Free & Princess Diana Tribute
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Noom.com/newsworthy and BetterHelp.com/newsworthy
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...
Trump Organization Indictment
Former President Trump’s family business, The Trump Organization, is now formally facing criminal charges. Several news outlets cite sources who say a New York grand jury filed indictments yesterday charging the company and longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg with some kind of tax-related crimes. Investigators have been looking into whether Weisselberg and other employees have avoided paying taxes on perks they got from the company like cars, apartments, and private school tuition. So far, there hasn’t been an official comment from Weisselberg or The Trump Organization about the indictment.
Read More: WSJ, NY Times, WaPo, AP
Bill Cosby Released
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, and he was released from prison only three years into his sentence. He was found guilty of drugging and molesting Temple University employee Andrea Constand. However, the main evidence in the case was testimony Cosby gave as part of a civil lawsuit he settled years earlier. Cosby agreed to testify at the time because a district attorney promised he wouldn’t be criminally charged on the accusations, but a new DA came in and filed the charges anyway. Cosby’s attorneys took issue with that, and this week the state’s highest court agreed that the prosecutor should have never brought the charges, so the conviction can’t stand.
Read More: Philadelphia Inquirer, AP, ABC News, WSJ
Allison Mack Sentenced
Smallville actress Allison Mack was sentenced to three years in prison for her role in a cult-like group called NXIVM. It was run by a disgraced self-improvement guru named Keith Raniere, who was sentenced to life in prison last year. He apparently branded his victims, treated them as slaves, and sexually assaulted them for 15 years. Allison Mack was a high-ranking member of that group who was charged as a conspirator. She helped Raniere recruit, extort, and enslave women. Mack has since apologized, saying getting tied up with Raniere was the “biggest mistake and biggest regret of my life.”
Read More: NBC News, CNN, Fox News, Variety
James Franco Sexual Misconduct Settlement
Actor James Franco settled a sexual misconduct lawsuit. Two women who attended his now-closed acting school say they were sexually exploited. They took a class called “sex scenes” and paid extra for it. The aspiring actresses say they thought it would teach them how to negotiate sex scenes professionally. Instead, they say Franco intimidated them into getting naked and performing simulated sex acts all while promising job opportunities that never came. Franco has said he’s never mistreated anyone. However, he reportedly agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle the case.
Read More: LA Times, NPR, USA Today, Deadline
House Riot Committee
A new House committee will start investigating the January 6th Capitol invasion. The House approved it this week. All Democrats signed off along with two Republicans. The Democrats say they want this committee to find the truth and come up with recommendations to help prevent another riot in the future. However, most Republicans called it unnecessary since law enforcement agencies are doing investigations anyway. The committee will be made up of 13 members of Congress, mostly Democrats. The committee won’t have any deadline, so its investigation could be going on for a while.
Read More: AP, Fox News, WSJ, NPR
Vaccine Sites Shutting Down
It seems America’s effort to vaccinate the population against COVID-19 is entering a new phase in which the supply is outweighing the demand. Hundreds of Rite Aid stores are ending their extended vaccine hours on Fridays, and all around the country, mass vaccination sites are shutting down. The good news is getting a COVID-19 shot is said to be easier than ever. They’re available at most retail pharmacies, appointments are no longer required, and recipients aren’t screened based on need anymore. As of this morning, more than 54% of the population is at least partially vaccinated. Health officials are hoping to eventually get that up to 70-85%.
Read More: WSJ, NY Times, CDC
Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Setback
A judge denied Britney’s request to remove her father as her conservator. Britney’s father, Jamie, has had control over her finances and other parts of her life since 2008. Originally, that arrangement was put in place because of concerns over Britney’s mental health and alleged drug use. However, in court last week, Britney said she was being exploited and bullied by the conservatorship. Jamie says he wants a court to investigate the allegations. There’s another hearing in the case scheduled for later this month when Britney can again petition for the conservatorship to be ended.
Read More: NPR, NBC News, Variety, Deadline
Robinhood $70M Settlement
Thousands of people who lost money on Robinhood are about to get some of it back. The stock-trading app reached a settlement with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to pay about $57 million in fines with more than $12.5 million going to Robinhood customers. Regulators focused on three main issues in the report, stating that Robinhood didn’t do enough to prevent system outages, approved risky or unqualified trades, and frequently showed customers false information. Robinhood has not admitted to doing anything wrong, but it’s promised to make changes.
Read More: Fox Business, Yahoo Finance, The Hill, CNBC, Robinhood
Slack New Voice & Video Tools
The workplace messaging platform Slack has a new tool to make it easier for coworkers to chat. It launched Huddles this week. It’s an audio tool that lets coworkers talk, rather than text or type messages to each other. Slack says it’s meant for more spontaneous conversations like the kind colleagues would have at their desks in an office. Users can keep the huddle turned on as long as they want and they can see who else is tuned in. There’s no video with huddles, but users can share their screens. The feature also transcribes everything that’s said in case someone doesn’t have their audio on.
Read More: The Verge, TechCrunch, Fox Business
Princess Diana Statue Unveiling
Today would have been the late Princess Diana’s 60th birthday. To honor her legacy, her sons, Princes William and Harry, had a statue of her made. It will be unveiled today at Kensington Palace, which is where Diana lived when she was alive, and where Prince William now lives with his wife Kate and their children. Today’s unveiling ceremony will be small, with the only family members there being Prince William, Prince Harry, and Diana’s siblings. The late princess was only 36 when she was killed in a car crash in 1997. Now, she is remembered for her openness, as well as her charity work around the world.
Read More: BBC, Reuters, AP, People
Gates Foundation Commits to Gender Equality
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is spending more than $2 billion over the next five years to fight for gender equality around the world. It’s one of the largest pledges the Gates Foundation has ever made. Most of the money will go to organizations that provide health and family planning services. The rest of the money will go toward helping women get job training, making sure they have access to financial services, and supporting women as leaders. Melinda French Gates says progress for women has been slow and that she wants to “reignite the movement” to create real change.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, Forbes, Gates Foundation
Thing to Know Thursday: 100 Years of China’s Communist Party
China is celebrating the Communist party’s 100th birthday today. The party got started in 1921 and its leaders took control of China in 1949. Today, the party controls the country’s parliament, the court system, and its law enforcement agencies. In mainland China this morning, the party celebrated with a parade, complete with a 100-gun salute and thousands of performers. China’s Communist president spoke, saying the party is essential to making the country a leader on the world stage. President Xi also warned that no other country would be able to bully the Chinese people.
Read More: AP, Reuters, ABC Australia, WSJ