Friday, August 9th, 2019
UN Report, Field of Dreams & AR Google Maps
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
Today's episode is brought to you by MM LaFleur.
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...
Gun Laws Debate: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told a radio station that the Senate will consider expanded background checks and a “red flag” law when Congress returns from break in September. Democrats are also pushing for an assault weapons ban. McConnell’s openness to stricter gun laws is a change from his previous push back against gun legislation. President Trump also signaled that he’d be open to expanded background checks for guns, but the NRA has warned him against it.
Read more: NBC News, Washington Post, FOX News
Big Tech Meeting: The White House has invited big tech companies, like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Reddit and Microsoft, to meet today. They plan to discuss the rise of violence and online extremism. It's not clear if President Trump plans to be at the closed-door meeting.
Read more Washington Post
U.S. Intelligence Leader: President Trump announced his new pick to be the country’s top counter-terrorism official. He’ll name Joseph Maguire as the acting director of national intelligence. It's a change after Trump's original pick faced criticism from both parties.
Read more: AP
UN Report: A new United Nations report found people are using the world’s land and water resources at an “unprecedented rate,” which could make food harder to come by. Experts found half a billion people are already living in places that are turning into deserts. The report offers ideas for solutions, such as wasting less food, making changes to how food is produced, and eating less meat.
Read more: NYT, NPR, CBS News
Hajj & Eid al-Adha: Millions of people will take part in the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Performing the Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. When it comes to a close on Sunday, the major Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha begins.
Read more: CNN, Newsweek, Independent
Field of Dreams Game: The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox will play the first Major League Baseball game at the field in Iowa where the 1989 movie Field of Dreams was filmed. The league is now building a temporary 8,000- seat stadium for the game. A pathway through the cornfield will take fans to the stadium, which will overlook the spot where Kevin Costner’s character heard the famous quote, “If you build it, he will come.” It’ll be the first ever MLB game in Iowa, and it's set for next August.
Read more: ESPN, MLB
Uber's Large Loss: Uber lost $5 billion over the last three months. It's the largest quarterly loss the company has ever had. The company is likely struggling for a few reasons, including more competition around the world. Analysts say the loss was expected because of the routine costs associated with an IPO.
Read more: The Verge, WSJ
Postmates Robots: Food delivery company Postmates is expected to get the first-ever permit to allow robots to roam in the city of San Francisco. The permit would allow the company to test up to three autonomous delivery devices. Each 'Serve' robot has a help button, touchscreen and video chat display for customers to use. Amazon recently deployed some robots on wheels in Southern California in a similar test.
Read more: TechCrunch, Engadget
Google “Live View”: Google Maps is rolling out 'Live View,' which offers walking directions with augmented reality. The feature works where street view is available and on devices that allows AR. It uses GPS, the phone’s camera and compass data to show you directions as if they're right in front of you.
Read more: TechCrunch, Android Police
Friends Lego Set: Lego is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Friends with a mini Central Perk, the coffee shop from the show. The Lego set includes more than 1,000 pieces and will be available for about $60 starting September 1st. Lego has also put out Stranger Things, Harry Potter and Star Wars sets.
Read more: Geek.com, USA Today