Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022
9/11 Mastermind Killed, High-Profile Primaries & Candy Tester Wanted
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Indeed.com/newsworthy and Thrivecausemetics.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 to read the latest happenings...
Al Qaeda Leader Killed
President Biden announced an American drone strike brought down Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. This is significant since al-Zawahiri helped Osama Bin Laden plot the September 11th terror attacks, ensured al Qaeda survived and spread in the years after, took over after Bin Laden’s death, and never gave up targeting Americans. U.S. intelligence agencies tracked down al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan. After getting authorization from President Biden, the CIA fired missiles at his safehouse and killed al-Zawahiri. Everyone else survived the mission. This was America’s first counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan since U.S. forces left last year.
Read More: AP, WSJ, NY Times, Fox News, NPR
Ukraine Grain Shipment
For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, a grain shipment took off into the Black Sea. This was made possible thanks to an international deal meant to ease global food shortages and prices. Russia has been blocking Ukraine’s ports for months, leaving roughly 20 million tons of grain stuck. The first ship is carrying 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn. It is traveling through a route both Ukraine and Russia have promised to keep safe. Today, the ship is scheduled to stop in Turkish waters for inspection, then continue on its route to Lebanon.
Read More: USNI, NY Times, Reuters, Politico, WSJ
Primaries in AZ, KS, MI, MO, and WA
Voters in five states are going to the polls today: Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, and Washington. In a few places, these votes are seen as a test of former President Trump’s power. For example, Trump has zeroed in on the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him last year, and three of them are on the ballots today. In Arizona, Trump has endorsed many candidates who have all been questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election. In Missouri, former Gov. Eric Greitens is hoping for a political comeback. In Kansas, voters will be asked whether they’d like to overturn a decision that protects abortion under the state constitution.
Read More: CBS News, AP, The Week, The Hill, WaPo
Organ Transplant Network Outdated
The system that matches donated organs to patients needs an overhaul. That’s according to a confidential government review obtained by the Washington Post. The Post says the White House’s U.S. Digital Service found the transplant system uses outdated software, that the system relies too much on humans manually putting in data, is vulnerable to cyberattacks, and more. The report recommends the government break up the power that one nonprofit has had for decades. That agency is called the United Network for Organ Sharing. However, the head of that nonprofit says the transplant system is secure and effective.
Read More: WaPo, The Verge
Penguin Random House Antitrust Trial
The largest book publisher in the country is going up against the federal government in court this week. The Justice Department is trying to stop Penguin Random House from buying rival Simon and Schuster for nearly $2.2 billion. The government says the deal would hurt readers and authors since fewer books would be published, and since there wouldn’t be as much competition between publishers, authors would make less money. The companies say the opposite is true, and they’ll be able to better combine their resources to give authors better deals. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.
Read More: NY Times, Reuters, WSJ, Forbes
Deshaun Watson Suspended
The NFL has decided how to punish a quarterback who’s been accused of harassing and assaulting more than two dozen women. Cleveland Browns player Deshaun Watson will have to sit the first six games of the season out, and he won’t be paid for them. The decision was made by a former federal judge who the NFL and players union decided to oversee the case. She looked into the allegations that Watson behaved in a lewd way toward women he hired for massages while he played for the Houston Texans in 2020 and 2021. Watson still says he did nothing wrong, that any sexual activity was consensual, and he has no regrets.
Read More: Full Ruling, ESPN, AP, NY Times, USA Today
Amazon Mall Deliveries
Amazon will now let people get goods from the mall delivered to their doorsteps. Prime members can order in-store items from a list on Amazon. A delivery driver will pick up the order from the store and deliver it as soon as that same day. The service is free for Prime members who spend at least $25. It will cost $3 if they spend less. The new service is offered in about ten U.S. metro areas, and for now, there are only a few stores customers can buy from, like PacSun, GNC, and Diesel.
Read More: Amazon, The Verge, Axios, CNET, CNBC
Chief Candy Officer Wanted
A Canadian candy company is looking for the world’s first chief candy officer who will serve as the head taste-tester, trying more than 3,500 products each month. The person who gets the job will also run board meetings and have a say in which products the company will carry. However, you don’t need experience. Applicants can be as young as five years old and can live anywhere in North America since it’s a remote position. The job pays $100,000 a year and comes with an “extensive dental plan.” Applicants have until the end of this month to apply.
Read More: Candy Funhouse, CNBC, NPR, CNN, Fox Business
Trivia Tuesday
Where is the location of the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, per the World Meteorological Organization?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia
Q: Who was the world’s first cloned animal, a sheep, named after in 1996?
A: Dolly Parton
Read More: Roslin Institute, NMS, The Conversation, Britannica, Science