Wednesday, August 7th, 2019
Red Flag Law, Menopause Procedure & Apple’s Credit Card
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
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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...
Trump's Travel: President Trump will visit El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio today. Both communities are still reeling from mass shootings that left 31 people dead. Some people in El Paso are making it clear that Trump isn’t welcome, but the city’s mayor plans to welcome Trump and hopes they can impact his decisions about what to do now.
Read more: Vox, ABC News, AP
Red Flag Law: The governor of Ohio is urging state lawmakers to pass a so-called “red flag” law, while members of Congress are also reviewing a version of this law. A 'red flag' law allows family members, law enforcement or others to ask a court to take guns away from someone they’re concerned about. A judge would decide if the person should or shouldn’t be allowed to buy, sell or possess any guns, at least temporarily. If Congress passes the bill, it would be the most significant gun safety legislation passed in 20 years.
Read more: NPR, NYT, Reuters
Toni Morrison Died: Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison has died. She was the first African American woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. She had a long writing career and wrote about black identity in America. She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Obama in 2012. Morrison was 88.
Read more: NYT, ABC News
Delaying Menopause by 20 Years: Scientists say they can delay menopause by 20 years in a first-of-its-kind surgical procedure. Doctors remove part of a woman’s ovaries and freeze the tissue. When the woman gets closer to the age of menopause, doctors thaw and re-implant the tissue, which activates the patient’s younger natural hormones to stall menopause. Some experts believe the surgery will help prevent thousands of women from experiencing serious health problems that can occur during menopause, but there are still concerns about the long-term effects since it's new and experimental.
Read more: The Guardian, CBS News
Barney’s Bankruptcy: Retail icon Barney’s has filed for bankruptcy and put itself up for sale. The company was hit hard by falling revenue and rising rent. Many stores aren’t getting the foot traffic they used to because of online shopping. Barney’s has until October to find a buyer; otherwise, the company will have to liquidate and close. It’s already shutting down stores in Chicago, Seattle and Las Vegas.
Read more: CNN, Reuters, CNBC
Apple Credit Card: Apple partnered with Goldman Sachs to issue its new credit card this week. Apple started rolling out the card to some people who signed up already, but it's expected to be available to all iPhone users later this month. You can apply, and manage the account, via the iPhone's wallet app, though you can also get a physical card in the mail for free.
Read more: Engadget, TechCrunch, CNET
Self-Driving Shuttles: Driverless shuttles are coming to Brooklyn, New York in what will be the first commercial self-driving service in the state. The shuttles from Optimus Ride will transport people around the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre private commercial development. Safety drivers will be on board just in case. The shuttles won’t be on public roads anytime soon, but Optimus Ride does plan on launching a similar service at a retirement community and an industrial park.
Read more: TechCrunch, Engadget
Amazon Robots: Amazon’s driverless rovers will start delivering packages to customers’ doorsteps in Irvine, California. The “Scout” robots are about the size of a small cooler. They have built-in cameras and sensors to avoid hitting things, but a worker will be with the robot at first to make sure all goes smoothly. Amazon has already tested the robots in Washington state.
Read more: VentureBeat, USA Today
AT&T + Spotify: AT&T customers who have an Unlimited plan can now get Spotify Premium for free. Spotify was added to the list of add-on options. Subscribers to AT&T-owned DirecTV could get a six-month free trial to Spotify Premium as well. The new partnership is likely in response to a similar deal at Verizon, which offers some subscribers access to Apple Music for free.
Read more: Digital Trends, The Verge