theNewsWorthy: Wednesday, August 8th, 2018
ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.
(in less than 10 minutes!)
Want more? I got you.
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...
OHIO SPECIAL ELECTION
We start today with the (possibly) too-close-to-call outcome of the Ohio special election.
The Republican Troy Balderson won the seat in the US House of Representatives – for now. He gave a victory speech, and President Trump called it “a great victory.”
But the Associated Press reports that there could be a mandatory re-count of the votes because it’s such a small lead. Democrat Danny O’Connor has not conceded yet.
To be continued…
Read More: New York Times, Associated Press
W. VIRGINIA ELECTION TEST
Elections using blockchain? It’s happening.
CNN reports blockchain technology will be part of a new pilot program in West Virginia, which will allow West Virginians who are serving overseas to vote via a smartphone app.
You’ve probably heard of blockchain in connection with cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin, but actually, the same technology can be used to record all kinds of data.
The app will use blockchain and other tech, like facial recognition, to allow service members overseas to vote. State officials and the company behind the app say it’s definitely secure, but the CNN report says some experts are not so sure about that, even calling it a “horrific idea.”
Read More: CNN, Mashable
TESLA'S "BOMBSHELL" ANNOUNCEMENT
Electric car company Tesla could become a private company.
The Associated Press calls it a bombshell and a stunning move, and it all started with a tweet. Tesla has been on the stock market for eight years. This would change that. CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet, and then later in a company email, that he’s considering it, but it’s not a done deal yet.
So why is it on the table? If Tesla became a private company, it wouldn’t be required to publicly reveal company info every quarter. Musk wrote in a company email that the earnings reports put pressure on them to make decisions that might not be best in the long-term.
A private company also wouldn’t deal with the ups and downs of stock prices. Musk said the “wild swings” are a distraction.
It sounds like shareholders will have an option to hang onto their shares, or Tesla will buy them back at a price that values the company at more than $70 billion. The Wall Street Journal says it would be the biggest buyout in history. But if it’s all a bluff, he could possibly be on the hook legally for market manipulation.
We’ll see what actually happens. Stay tuned…
Read More: Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Tesla
NYC UBER CAP?
Today is the day New York City considers freezing the number of new Uber and Lyft drivers allowed on city streets for one year.
The New York Times says the City Council is expected to vote today. Uber and Lyft are alerting customers there to call council members and tell them not to do it.
Companies say limiting the number of drivers will mean more expensive rides and longer wait times, but city council members have said regulations are needed to reduce road congestion and give current drivers a chance to make a decent living.
Read More: New York Times
OLYMPICS + FACIAL RECOGNITION
Facial recognition will have a big role in the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.
Reuters says it’ll be the first Olympics to use the technology for security at all the venues.
There will be a first-of-its-kind system in place, and the facial recognition tech will ID hundreds of thousands of athletes, volunteers, staff and media every time they go to a new venue.
Of course, some people are questioning what else that kind of data could be used for. The summer Olympics are in July of 2020.
Read More: Reuters, The Verge, Mashable
SNAPCHAT SHRINKS
Snapchat is shrinking, well the number of Snapchat users is shrinking.
TechCrunch says Snapchat’s latest quarterly earnings report shows the number of daily active users is down 1.5 percent. That said, it brought in more revenue than expected… even though it still didn’t make a profit.
By the way, a Saudi billionaire prince just invested in the company.
Read More: TechCrunch, Reuters, CNBC
LESBIAN SUPERHERO
There’s a new Batwoman show coming to The CW next year. BuzzFeed says the superhero will be a lesbian.
Actor Ruby Rose will be playing Batwoman. She posted on Instagram that “this is something I would have died to have seen on TV when I was a young member of the LGBT community.”
Read More: BuzzFeed News, THR, Instagram
HGTV + BRADY BUNCH HOUSE
HGTV just bought the iconic Brady Bunch house.
Deadline reports the cable network won a bidding war for the California home, and it sounds like HGTV is going to feature it on one of its home remodeling shows. Network execs are saying they plan to restore it to its "famous 1970s glory."
Read More: Deadline
An email a day keeps the boring away.
Sign up for FREE to get episodes sent straight to your email inbox so you're always in-the-know:
© theNewsWorthy, Inc. 2018 | All Rights Reserved | Contact