Wednesday, July 7th, 2021
Tracking a Hurricane, Olympic Favorite Out & Honoring Hometown Heroes
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Policygenius.com and kiwico.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 reading about the latest happenings…
Elsa Becomes a Hurricane
Florida is now hunkered down ahead of what’s now hurricane Elsa. It’s expected to come onshore sometime between 8-9:00 this morning somewhere between the Tampa Bay area and the Big Bend region. The National Hurricane Center says people there can expect heavy rains, damaging winds, life-threatening storm surges, flooding, and even some tornadoes. As of early this morning, no evacuations have been ordered. However, government offices, airports, and schools are shut down, and events have been canceled. After Florida, forecasters think Elsa will hit parts of Georgia and the Carolinas.
Read More: Weather Channel, AP, Fox News, Tampa Bay Times, NHC
Eric Adams Won NYC Mayoral Primary
The largest city in the U.S. is on track to have a Black mayor for only the 2nd time in history. Eric Adams declared victory in the New York City Democratic primary. Adams is also expected to win the general election in November. Before running for mayor, Adams rose from poverty to become a police captain, and then the borough president of Brooklyn. He ran on a public safety platform, promising to strike a balance between fighting crime and ending racial injustice in policing. Former sanitation worker Kathryn Garcia finished in second with Adams beating her by a single percentage point. All the results are set to be officially certified next week.
Read More: NY Times, AP, Politico, WSJ
Pentagon Cancels Microsoft Contract
The Defense Department is canceling a controversial contract with Microsoft. Microsoft was supposed to work with the government to build a cloud network. However, Amazon sued over the deal, as it believed Microsoft got it because then-President Trump didn’t like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Pentagon said this wasn’t true, but because of that legal battle, the whole project has been delayed. The Pentagon says it will start from scratch to pursue a new deal. Both Amazon and Microsoft could end up getting part of the business. So far, the government hasn’t set a new price for the contract but says it will be in the billions.
Read More: AP, CNBC, TechCrunch, The Verge
Russian Hackers Breach RNC Contractor
There was yet another high-profile ransomware attack, and the hackers are said to be tied to the Russian government. This time, they got access to a contractor for the Republican National Committee here in the U.S. It’s not clear what information the hackers found, but the RNC says they weren’t able to access any of their important data. The FBI says it’s aware of the incident but wouldn’t comment beyond that. President Biden is expected to meet today with top officials from the Departments of State, Justice, and Homeland Security to talk about a strategy to counter ransomware attacks like these.
Read More: Bloomberg, Axios, Fox News, RNC Spokesperson
Delta Growing in the U.S.
The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 is now officially the most dominant one in the U.S. The CDC says it accounts for more than 51% of new cases here. In some states, like Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa, Delta makes up more than 80% of new cases. This is worrisome for health experts since it's more contagious than previous strains and might also lead to more severe symptoms. The good news is research has shown the shots on the market are still effective against the Delta variant.
Read More: NPR, WSJ, Politico, CDC
New Vaccine Initiatives
President Biden missed his goal of having 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by now. As of this morning, it’s about 67% of adults who’ve had at least one shot. The Biden administration is trying some new tactics to bump that number up. The president says the government is going to be sending more shots to primary care doctors and pediatricians to make it easier for children to get vaccinated. The government will also add more mobile clinics, and in some cases, officials will be going door to door in communities where vaccination rates are low to give people information about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, USA Today, White House
Masks Trigger Most Unruly Passenger Reports
It turns out most unruly passengers on planes these days are upset about mask mandates. The FAA says more disruptions have been reported so far this year than in the last 15 years combined, and about 75% of those reports have to do with face masks. Many fliers don’t want to wear them even though they’re required by federal regulators, and it’s causing a lot of trouble for crew members who have to enforce the rules. Reports about unruly passengers include cases where travelers curse or shout at crew members, with some getting violent. The current mask mandates are set to expire in September.
Read More: CNBC, WRC, Miami Herald, FAA
The Ever Given Leaving the Suez Canal
The massive ship that got stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal a few months ago is finally allowed to leave. The Ever Given ship has been sitting in a holding lake about halfway through the canal since March. Most of the crew members have been staying with the ship this whole time, too. They couldn’t sail away because of a bitter fight about money. Egyptian officials initially demanded the ship’s owner pay nearly $1 billion in damages, but the ship’s owner argued Suez Canal officials shared the blame for the blockage. The two sides finally settled and agreed the ship could leave the canal today.
Read More: Reuters, BBC, Al Jazeera
Sha’Carri Richardson Won’t Run at Olympics
Team USA track and field released its final roster yesterday, and track star Sha’Carri Richardson wasn’t on it, even though she was considered a front runner for a gold medal. She tested positive for THC, and the World Anti-Doping Agency still includes marijuana on its list of banned substances, so Richardson was suspended from competition. Richardson said she smoked marijuana to help cope with her mother’s death. Team USA says it sympathizes with Richardson, but that it has to abide by the current rules. Richardson says she’s confident she’ll be back for the next Olympic games.
Read More: ESPN, AP, WSJ, CNN
Universal-Peacock Movie Deal
Starting next year, new movies from Universal Pictures won’t go to HBO Max anymore. They will be streamed on Peacock instead because Universal’s long-time deal with HBO expires at the end of this year. Universal and Peacock both have Comcast as their parent company. This deal affects movies like the next Jurassic World sequel, the next Minions movie, and a new horror movie from Get Out director Jordan Peele. Under the new deal, Universal movies will hit Peacock a few months after they’ve been shown in theaters and will stream exclusively on there for a few months. After that, the movies will go to other networks too.
Read More: WSJ, The Verge, LA Times, Variety
NYC Hometown Heroes Parade
There’s a big parade in New York City today meant to thank the essential workers. 260 different groups are being honored today, including healthcare workers, first responders, utility crews, childcare workers, and more. There will be 14 different floats, and people who work for the city’s transportation system will ride on a vintage subway car. All New Yorkers are welcome to come out and salute essential workers today, but the city says anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated should still wear a mask and keep their distance.
Read More: WNBC, Pix11, NYC Mayor, Wall Street Experience
Work Wednesday: How Automation Is Impacting Job Openings
Many American businesses relied on automation technology to survive the pandemic since you don’t need to worry about robots spreading the virus. They worked well enough that companies may start doubling down on those investments, even post-pandemic. Employee shortages could end up pushing companies to invest more in automation, too. Some economists say that will ultimately hurt the American worker by eliminating jobs, but others say new technologies could make existing jobs easier and that automation creates new jobs, too. That’s because companies will need to hire software technicians and coders to keep everything running smoothly.
Read More: NY Times, The Economist, NPR, Wired, Business Insider