theNewsWorthy: Friday, July 6th, 2018
ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.
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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...
EPA ADMINISTRATOR QUITS
He’s faced a bunch of criticism and accusations in recent months, and now the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is quitting. Scott Pruitt is out.
Pruitt has been accused of wasteful travel spending, conflicts of interest, and inappropriate retaliation within the agency. CNBC reports there are about a dozen government investigations into the EPA’s spending, ethics and policies. The results of an audit could be released later this month.
In his resignation letter, Pruitt said it’s been a blessing to serve in that role, but the attacks on him and his family have taken a toll. President Trump thanked him for the work he’s done.
Now the EPA’s deputy administrator, Andrew Wheeler, will take over. CBS News says he has a lot of the same policy views as Pruitt; in particular, he doesn’t want a bunch of environmental regulations in place. He’s a former coal industry lobbyist.
He’ll start his new role on Monday.
Read more: CNBC, CBS News, NYT, AP
TRADE WAR TENSIONS
Another round of tariffs went into effect at midnight this morning. They affect $34 billion in Chinese goods. China is expected to retaliate right away. Some say it’s definitely a trade war now.
This new round of tariffs affects Chinese businesses sending goods to the U.S., while the retaliation tariffs will affect U.S. businesses that rely on exporting goods to China. The New York Times reports farmers, automakers, and energy companies will likely feel the impact the most. Those are the industries where President Trump gets a lot of his support, so it’s no accident they’re being targeted in this.
The Wall Street Journal reports this is the biggest trade battle since the Great Depression. Also, the U.S. is threatening even more tariffs later this year. To be continued.
Read more: WSJ, NYT
TRUMP 'BABY' BLIMP
President Trump will be heading to Europe next week, and there are already protests planned. In fact, it seems protesters now plan to fly a giant blimp, or balloon, that depicts President Trump as an angry baby.
The BBC reports more than 10,000 people signed a petition in support of the balloon, so the London mayor approved it. The mayor said he supports the right to protest. Critics say it’s the biggest insult to a sitting U.S. president everand it goes too far.
Organizers still need to get approval from the National Air Traffic Services.
Read more: BBC, CNN, Twitter
UPDATE: THAI CAVE RESCUE
There’s a sad update about the rescue efforts to get a team of young boys out of a cave in Thailand. The Guardian reports a former Navy Seal in Thailand who had volunteered to help has died. Reports say he had taken oxygen tanks down to the cave where the boys are still trapped, but he apparently didn’t have enough oxygen for himself on the way back.
Remember: the group of 12 young boys and their coach were missing for more than a week until divers found them trapped in the cave. It’s not easy to get them out, though. It’s a long way up through murky water and narrow passages. So at this point, rescuers are just bringing them supplies in the cave.
Read more: The Guardian
WORLD CUP QUARTERFINALS
The World Cup quarterfinals begin today, and we’re almost one week away now from the final match.
First, today: it’s France versus Uruguay and Brazil up against Belgium. On Saturday, it’s Sweden versus England and Russia versus Croatia. Those are the only eight teams left in the World Cup right now.
Of course, we’re in the knockout round, which means one loss and you’re out. The semifinals are next week and the final match is Sunday, July 15th. Stay tuned.
Read more: USA Today
Feel Good Friday:
A French middle school banned cell phones. Guess what happened?
The Guardian reports the students displayed “more social interaction between children, more empathy and a readiness to learn at the start of lessons."
NETFLIX ULTRA
Netflix is testing a new “Ultra” plan. CNET reports it’s only being tested in Europe for now. It would allow you to watch Netflix on four devices, and you’d get exclusive access to higher quality content that’s HDR (better than HD).
A Netflix spokeswoman told CNET they’re testing different price points, but it looks like it’s nearly $20 a month. Right now, you can get a basic, standard, or premium plan, which range from $7.99 a month to $13.99.
By the way, Variety cites a new poll that found Netflix is more popular now for entertainment video than cable TV and even YouTube, especially among millennials.
Read more: CNET, Mashable, Variety
MOVIEPASS PEAK PRICING
Get ready to pay a bit more for MoviePass. The company just announced summer surge pricing. MoviePass says in-demand movies and times will see peak pricing.
You'll know there’s peak pricing going on by a red lightning icon in the app.
Remember: MoviePass lets subscribers pay a flat monthly fee in exchange for a new movie ticket every day. Buuutt the company has been struggling. CNN reports its parent company is running out of money.
Read more: TechCrunch, CNN, MoviePass FAQ
NEW IPHONE COLORS
Apple is expected to release three new iPhones later this year, and if reports are correct, they'll come in some new colors.
9to5Mac is citing an analyst who says one new iPhone will likely come in black, white and a new gold color, and another new version will have even more options: grey, white, blue, red, and orange.
To be clear, this has not been confirmed, but if it’s true, it’ll be the first orange iPhone ever...
Read more: 9to5Mac, The Verge
CHIK-FIL-A WINS
Chick-Fil-A is the winner. It made the top of the list for the fast food restaurant with the best customer satisfaction. Fox Business reports Chick-Fil-A received a rating of 87 out of 100 in an annual survey, ranking it number one for the third year in a row.
The rankings are based on things like order accuracy, food quality, and cleanliness. Panera Bread came in second. Papa John’s got third.
Read more: FOX Business
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