Tuesday, July 6th, 2021
Tropical Storm Elsa, Biggest Ransomware Attack & Cannes Comeback
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com/newsworthy and Policygenius.com
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 read the latest happenings...
Tropical Storm Elsa
Parts of Florida are in the path of a dangerous tropical storm. Gov. Desantis declared a state of emergency in 15 counties in preparation for Tropical Storm Elsa. It’s on track to hit communities along the state’s western coast starting early this morning. Nearly nine million people in Florida have been told to prepare for heavy rain, strong winds, and possible flash flooding. After the storm moves over Florida today and tomorrow, it is expected to head into Georgia and the Carolinas. It will likely die off by Thursday afternoon.
Read More: Weather Channel, CBS News, AP, NPR, NHC
Partially Collapsed Condo Demolished
Rescue crews are now searching through fresh rubble at the site of the condo collapse in Florida. Over the weekend, officials demolished the part of the building that was still standing, giving search and rescue crews new space to dig. They wanted to get this done before Tropical Storm Elsa moves in, fearing high winds could bring the building down in a more dangerous way that could hurt more people in the area. The mayor of Surfside is promising the crews will keep searching for 24 hours a day until everyone is pulled out of the wreckage. As of this morning, 28 people have been found dead and 117 are still missing.
Read More: AP, USA Today, NY Times, WSJ
Holiday Weekend Violence
At least 150 people were killed in more than 400 shootings across the country over the weekend. At least 95 people were shot in Chicago alone. They include a six-year-old girl and her mother, a member of the Illinois National Guard, and two police officers. Also, golf pro Gene Siller was shot and killed at a country club outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and eight people were shot in Fort Worth, Texas during an argument between a group of men. Shootings also happened in places like Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cincinnati, Ohio; and New York City.
Read More: Fox News, CNN, Chicago Tribune, AJC, Dallas Morning News
Biggest Global Ransomware Attack
Thousands of organizations around the world were hacked in what’s now being called the single biggest ransomware attack on record. It locked up business in at least 17 countries on Friday. The Russian cybercriminal group REvil has claimed responsibility and demanded $70 million to unlock all the businesses. This is the same hacking group that extorted $11 million from the meat processing company JBS over Memorial Day weekend. The FBI is investigating this new attack, along with the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Russian government officials say they don’t know anything about the hack.
Read More: WaPo, AP, The Verge, FBI
New Covid Hotspots
New data from Johns Hopkins University shows new infections jumped more than 25% in ten states over the last week. Those states include Arkansas, Missouri, and Nevada, all of which have below-average vaccination rates. Elsewhere, cases are still dropping. The difference mostly comes down to where people are getting their shots. Vermont leads the country in vaccinations and has the lowest rate of COVID-19 cases. Health officials say more than 99% of the Americans who died from COVID-19 last month weren’t vaccinated.
Read More: CNN, Business Insider, AP, ABC News
4th of July Celebrations Wrap
President Biden spoke about the state of the pandemic at a 4th of July celebration at the White House. He told the crowd of service members and first responders to think back to where the nation was a year ago and how far we’ve come, saying the country is starting to see a return to normal. Afterward, there was a huge fireworks show in the National Mall in Washington DC, along with thousands of other displays and festivals around the country.
Read More: Axios, WSJ, WaPo, Reuters
Amazon’s New CEO
For the first time since Amazon was founded nearly three decades ago, there is a new CEO. Andy Jassy took over for Jeff Bezos yesterday. Before the promotion, Jassy was in charge of Amazon Web Services. This leadership change comes at an interesting time for the company. While Amazon has had a huge year, Jassy will be inheriting some challenges. The Justice Department, FTC, and Congress have been looking into whether Amazon has been monopolizing the market, and Amazon employees have complained about poor working conditions.
Read More: The Verge, NPR, CNBC, Business Insider
Frozen Tyson Chicken Recall
Tyson Foods is recalling more than 8.5 million pounds of frozen chicken because it could be contaminated with Listeria. The recall includes frozen, cooked chicken breast strips that were sold at stores like Walmart and Publix, as well as hospitals, nursing facilities, and schools. Federal regulators say contaminated chicken may be linked to a few illnesses and at least one death. Symptoms of Listeria infection include fever, muscle aches, and stomach issues.
See Recalled Products: Tyson, USDA
Read More: USA Today, NY Times USDA, Tyson
NBA Finals Begin
The NBA Finals tip off tonight in Phoenix. The Phoenix Suns will be taking on the Milwaukee Bucks. Fans of both the Suns and the Bucks have been waiting to see their teams get to the top for a while now. The Suns have never won an NBA championship before, and the Bucks haven’t won the big prize since 1971. Like always, this series will come down to the best of seven. The first game begins at 9:00 EST tonight.
Read More: CBS Sports, ESPN, NBA
Cannes Film Festival Begins
The Cannes Film Festival in France starts today and runs all week. Everyone coming to see the new movies has to wear masks, test negative for COVID-19, and distance themselves from other movie-goers in lines. The theaters themselves will be at 100% capacity. One of the movies premiering at Cannes is Flag Day, starring and directed by Sean Penn. There’s also director Oliver Stone's latest project called JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass and a musical called Annette which stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard.
Read More: Vulture, Deadline, Variety, BBC, The Guardian
Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani Married
Singers Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are now married. They tied the knot at Shelton’s ranch in Oklahoma over the long weekend in front of about 40 family members and close friends. The rock star and the country star met working as judges on NBC’s The Voice. The show’s main host Carson Daly officiated the wedding. Shelton and Stefani started dating in 2015 after they both had high-profile divorces. Shelton used to be married to fellow country artist Miranda Lambert, and Stefani shares three kids with her ex-husband, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale.
Read More: People, E! News, Fox News, Page Six, Today
Trivia Tuesday
Q: When and where was the first 4th of July fireworks show?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories Quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer
Q: Which country has the most natural lakes?
A: Canada
Read More: CNN, World Atlas, Government of Canada, Canadian Affair