Monday, July 29th, 2019

NorCal Shooting, T-Mobile-Sprint Merger & Asteroid Close Call 

All the news you need in less than 10 min:

Today's episode is brought to you by Skillshare and UTEP.

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 perusing the latest happenings...

NorCal Shooting: There was a deadly shooting at a garlic festival in Gilroy, California, (near San Jose) last night. As of early this morning, police are saying the shooter had some kind of rifle and seemed to shoot at random. At least four people, including a suspect have died, and at least 15 more were injured. Those numbers may change as the story develops. Police say there may also be a second suspect, but the investigation is still going on. Expect updates later today.
Read more: CNN, CBS Local

Intelligence Chief Change: The Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats is stepping down. The former Republican senator has been at odds with the president for awhile on issues like Russia and North Korea. Trump has chosen Rep. John Ratcliffe to replace Coats. Ratcliffe has experience on the Homeland Security committee, but critics say he was chosen because he shows loyalty to Trump. He'll need to be confirmed by the Senate before taking on the job.
Read more: CNBC, The Hill, FOX News, NYT

Border Wall Win: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that construction on the border wall can begin. The court approved the use of $2.5 billion in military funding for the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The ruling was a split decision and overturned two previous decisions that stopped the Trump administration from using military money without Congress approval. The case will now go back to an appeals court.
Read more: Vox, The Hill

Trump's Cummings Comments: President Trump is defending himself over a series of tweets about Rep. Elijah Cummings and the district he represents, which includes much of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Trump said Cummings is a bully for yelling at Border Patrol about the conditions for migrants at the southern border and went on to call Baltimore a “disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess.” Many people, including top Democrats, called the president's tweets “racist attacks,” since Rep. Cummings, and a majority of his district, are African American. Trump says Democrats are playing the race card and it’s not about that.
Read more: NBC News, Politico, The Hill, AP News

Next Governor?: Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Justice Wanda Vasquez is next in line to take over as governor when current leader Ricardo Rosselló resigns on Friday, but Vazquez isn’t interested in the job. She's telling Rosselló to find someone else quickly. Remember: Rosselló is stepping down after days of massive protests that started over offensive messages between him and his top aides.
Read more: ABC News, CNN

T-Mobile-Sprint Merger: Federal regulators have given T-Mobile and Sprint approval to merge. The $26 billion merger is years in the making between the nation's third and fourth largest wireless carriers. The companies agreed to sell some of their assets in order to get the thumbs-up from the Justice Department, so Dish Network will buy parts of the business and become a wireless provider. Critics worry the deal will lead to higher prices, job losses and fewer choices for customers, but supporters say the merger is necessary for Sprint and T-Mobile to stay competitive. The companies are still facing lawsuits from 13 state attorneys general to block the deal.
Read more: AP, CNBC, Market Watch

Tesla & Netflix: Netflix and YouTube are coming soon to Tesla cars. For now, video streaming on the in-car display will only be available when the car is in park. Elon Musk says once regulators approve self-driving cars, the video will be available all the time, even when the car is moving. The feature could roll out as soon as next month. There are concerns this could be a distraction to drivers.
Read more: Engadget, The Verge, CNET

Missed Asteroid: Scientists are saying a large asteroid that got a little too close to Earth last week “snuck up on us.” Astronomers realized it was heading our way only about a week before it passed, which is not enough time to do anything about it, if needed. The rock was about 427 feet wide and came within 45,000 miles of Earth. If it hit earth, the asteroid could have done serious damage, but thankfully, it went by with no problems.
Read more: Washington Post

Swimming Records Beat: Another swimmer just broke a world record set by Michael Phelps. Caeleb Dressel beat Phelps’ previous world record in the 100-meter fly by about .3 seconds. Dressel took home eight medals at the World Swimming Championship over the weekend. Phelps, the most decorated Olympian, now only has one world record standing: the 400-meter individual medley.
Read more: USA Today, CBS Sports, Business Insider

Voice of Minnie Mouse: Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse, has died. Taylor portrayed Minnie for more than 30 years. She was even married to the man who voiced Mickey. Both portrayed their iconic characters longer than any other voice actors. Taylor was 75.
Read more: NBC News, NPR

Box Office Record: Disney broke its own industry record. Even with five months left in 2019, Disney brought in $7.67 billion in ticket sales -- the most ever in a single year. Already, three Disney titles have passed the $1 billion mark this year, and now The Lion King is on the verge of reaching the milestone. The Lion King was also the weekend box office winner. Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood was in second place, and Sony’s Spider-Man: Far From Home was third.
Read more: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today