theNewsWorthy: Tuesday, July 3rd, 2018
ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.
(in less than 10 minutes!)
Want more? I got you.
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...
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CAMPAIGN
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in the U.S. It's a lobby group (but not a government agency) representing about 3 million businesses across the country.
Now, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is making it clear it doesn’t like the tariffs President Trump put in place.
CNBC reports the Chamber of Commerce launched a campaign this week against those recent trade policies. The campaign highlights a state-by-state analysis of how the tariffs will cause a global trade war that ultimately affects U.S. businesses and consumers, specifically when other countries retaliate with tariffs on U.S. goods. The Chamber President told Reuters that he wants fair trade, but “this is just not the way to do it.”
Remember, President Trump has imposed tariffs on some goods coming into the U.S. from several other countries, like China, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. And yes, they’ve retaliated.
The president has said the tariffs are needed to balance out unfair practices and deals.
MICHAEL COHEN COMMENTS
The president’s personal lawyer – well, former lawyer – is talking to the media for the first time since the FBI raided his office.
Michael Cohen didn’t go on camera, but he did talk with ABC News off-camera. Cohen reportedly said he puts “family and country first,” suggesting that if he had to choose, his loyalty lies with his family (and not Trump).
Remember, Michael Cohen has not been charged with a crime at this point, but investigators have been looking into possible election law violations or other financial crimes. This is the same attorney that admitted to paying Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump.
THAI CAVE SEARCH
Twelve young boys and their soccer coach have been missing for 10 days, but rescuers just found them alive.
They’ve been trapped inside a partially flooded cave in northern Thailand but reports say all 13 of them are still okay. The boys range in age from 11-16.
The Thai Navy Seals released some video from when the divers first found the group. CBS News reports rescuers have had a tough time reaching the team at first because of dangerous conditions and weather. Now divers are bringing them supplies, like food and first aid.
However, the hard part is not over yet. Rescuers still have to get the team out. They’ll either have to try and guide the boys out through the murky water, which is dangerous for inexperienced divers, or wait give them enough supplies to stay in the cave until rainy season is over (which could be months).
We'll be hearing much more about this one, but it’s an amazing first step to find them all alive.
Read more: BBC, CBS News, CNN, NYT, Facebook (video)
FACEBOOK INVESTIGATION
Facebook is not necessarily off the hook. The Washington Post reports the federal investigation into the social media site just got bigger. It now involves at least three government agencies -- the FBI, SEC and FTC – and it’s looking at whether Facebook did or said anything that broke the law. Specifically, investigators are reportedly looking at what transpired during Facebook’s work with the company Cambridge Analytica.
Remember, Cambridge Analytica is the political consulting company that reportedly got a hold of millions of Facebook users’ data without their permission.
Now, the Post says investigators want to know what Facebook knew about it and when, and whether the company should have disclosed more earlier. Facebook just says it’s cooperating.
Also, speaking of Facebook, it’s shutting down three apps that it owns. They’re called Hello, Moves, and tbh. They’re all about to be deleted for good within the next few months.
Techcrunch reports the apps just weren’t keeping up with the amount of usage Facebook wanted to see.
So, which apps are at the top of the popularity list? App Annie came out with a list of the top apps in the iOS App Store last year and found Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp were the most downloaded.
Read more: The Washington Post, The Verge, BuzzFeed, TechCrunch
LYFT + BIKE SHARE
Lyft is getting into bike-sharing. Business Insider reports the company just bought another company, called Motivate. While you may not have heard of Motivate, you may have heard of one of its bike sharing programs.
Motivate names its bike sharing something different in each city, based on the sponsor. For example, it’s San Francisco’s “Ford Go-Bike,” Boston’s “Blue Bikes,” Portland's “Nike’s Biketown" and New York’s popular "Citi Bikes."
Lyft claims Motivate operated the programs used for 80 percent of bike-share trips in the U.S. last year.
It means even more competition between Lyft and Uber. Remember, Uber bought an e-bike sharing company earlier this year called Jump.
Read more: Business Insider, Quartz, Reuters
SEATTLE BANS PLASTIC STRAWS
Expect to see a different kind of straw next time you go to a Starbucks in Seattle. The city's ban on single-use plastic straws and utensils in the city is officially in place.
The ban affects businesses who sell food and drinks in Seattle. They’ll have to use the biodegradable or reusable straws and silverware instead.
The AP says the city hopes to lower the amount of trash ending up in landfills or in the ocean. Seattle is the first big city to do this, but reports say New York, LA, and San Francisco are considering it.
Read more: AP
BEST BUY CDs + DRAKE BREAKS RECORDS
Best Buy is saying goodbye to CDs, for the most part. Fortune reports Best Buy is cutting way back on how many CDs it’ll be selling. So you probably won’t find many in the store from now on.
As you might have guessed, CD sales are down. It's likely because of the popularity of digital music and streaming apps.
Speaking of those streaming apps, Drake’s newest album, Scorpion, just broke a bunch of records on Apple Music.
Variety reports it became the number one album on the Apple Music charts in 92 different countries pretty much immediately, which means it’s the fastest-growing album ever on that app. With more than 170 million streams worldwide, it broke the record for the most listens on day one.
Guess who had that record before? Drake (with his album last year).
Read more: Fortune, FOX Business, Variety
FOURTH OF JULY
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is Independence Day in the U.S. aka the Fourth of July!
It was July 4th, 1776, when the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. So get ready for fireworks and other festivities across the country!
Happy Independence Day!
Read more: History.com
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