Tuesday, August 13th, 2019
Legal Immigration Rule, Ebola Cure? & Tumblr Sold
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
Today's episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh.
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...
Green Card Rule: A rule change from the Trump administration is about to make it harder for legal immigrants who are on public assistance, like food stamps or Medicaid, to become permanent U.S. residents (aka get a green card). The change is supposed to ensure people can support themselves before they become citizens, but critics say it’s just a roundabout way to get rid of low-income immigrants. They say the rule change will mean hundreds of thousands of people will stop using the public benefits they’re legally entitled to. The change is set to take effect October 15, but it'll likely be challenged in court.
Read more: Washington Post, WSJ, ABC News
Endangered Species Act: The Trump administration is also making changes to the Endangered Species Act. Starting next month, and for the first time, regulators will now factor in how much it costs to protect a species when deciding if it should be protected. The change will also limit how much officials can factor in the effects of climate change. The Trump administration says this will update the Endangered Species Act to make it more transparent and efficient, but critics, like environmental groups, call it a “reckless” change to a landmark law. The Endangered Species Act is given credit for saving iconic species like the bald eagle and grizzly bear. This change will also likely end up in court.
Read more: PBS, NYT, USA Today
Hong Kong Airport Protests: Protests in Hong Kong are moving from the streets to the airport. Thousands of protesters shut down the airport yesterday, and nearly 200 flights were canceled. They will likely be back again today causing more delays for travelers. Protests have been going on in Hong Kong for 10 weeks now.
Read more: WSJ, NBC News, CNN
Ebola Cure?: Researchers are getting closer to a cure for Ebola. They’re testing experimental drugs on patients in Congo, and two of those drugs seem to be working. They’re working so well that researchers decided to stop a major study and start offering both drugs to more people. The Democratic Republic of Congo is dealing with a major Ebola outbreak, but the early results are promising: 90 percent of patients will leave the treatment center “completely cured”. Doctors hope the evidence that drugs are working will get more people to seek out treatment.
Read more: AP, The Guardian, Bloomberg
Tumblr Sold: The once-popular social network Tumblr, which sold to Yahoo for more than $1 billion in 2013, was just sold again for much less. Axios cites a source who said Verizon (the latest owner) sold Tumblr to the company that owns WordPress.com for less than $20 million. Tumblr is a free service that hosts millions of blogs.
Read more: WSJ, Axios, CNBC
Twitter Conversations: Twitter is testing a feature to let you subscribe to a Twitter conversation, making it easier to keep track of what happens with a particularly interesting or controversial tweet. Users can be notified of all replies or just the top ones. The goal is to make Twitter more personal, but critics worry it doesn’t do enough to address harassment on the platform. We'll see if the test turns into a more permanent feature.
Read more: The Verge
Nike Subscription: Nike is stepping into the subscription service game with a subscription program for kids’ sneakers called Nike Adventure Club. It’s targeted at parents who are buying shoes for their children. There are three different subscription options to choose from, with shoes sent on a monthly, bi-monthly or a quarterly basis. Once a child outgrows a pair of sneakers, parents can send them back and chose a replacement pair in a bigger size. Nike will donate or recycle the returned shoes. There's word Nike may start a similar program for adult runners in the future.
Read more: : Engadget, Business Insider
Apple Teaser: Apple released the first trailer for its original series, The Morning Show, bringing big names and plenty of drama. Jennifer Anniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell will star in the series. It’ll stream exclusively on the upcoming Apple TV+, which is expected to launch this fall.
Read more: Watch on YouTube, Variety, Deadline