Wednesday, August 14th, 2019

Tariffs Delayed, Airport Protests & Spectacles 3

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...

Tariffs Delayed: The Trump administration is backing down and now delaying a planned ten percent tariff on some Chinese imports. The delay is due in part over fears that it could affect the holiday shopping season. Consumer products, like laptops and cell phones, will no longer face the extra tax until at least December 15, while some other products will be taken off the tariff list altogether for “safety” and “security concerns.” Wall Street welcomed the news, with the Dow up 400 points and tech stocks getting a boost. Though this may be a break in tensions, the U.S. and China still have not agreed on a deal.
Read more: CBS News, CNBC, WSJ, AP

Hong Kong Airport Protest: Hundreds of flights are being rescheduled today after at least two days of protests at one of the world's busiest airports. Yesterday riot police began using batons and pepper spray on anti-government protesters who were blocking travelers from getting to their gates at Hong Kong's airport. The protests have been going on for several weeks now. President Trump tweeted yesterday that the Chinese government is moving troops to the border with Hong Kong, but it’s not clear what that means for what could come next.
Read more: CNN, NBC News, Vox

Plácido Domingo Allegations: World-famous opera singer Plácido Domingo has been accused of sexual harassment. Nine women told the Associated Press they were sexually harassed by the singer over three decades, starting in the 1980s. Domingo says none of it happened. Officials at the LA Opera are now investigating. The San Francisco Opera is canceling a concert that would have featured Domingo, and the Philadelphia Orchestra pulled back an invite for him to perform.
Read more: NYT, BBC, AP

CBS and Viacom Merger: CBS and Viacom are combining to form ViacomCBS. The merger comes after years of talks. The two companies split in 2006, but have now decided to reunite. The merger will mean Viacom’s Paramount Pictures and cable networks like MTV and Nickelodeon will be part of the same company as the main CBS network. Together they’ll offer more than 140,000 TV episodes and more than 3,000 movies. Together, they hope to better compete with rivals like Disney, Comcast, AT&T and Netflix.
Read more: CNBC, WSJ, The Verge

Snap AR Glasses: New augmented reality sunglasses from the company behind Snapchat are coming. The Spectacles 3 glasses are equipped with cameras that will let users put augmented reality filters onto the pictures and videos they take with the glasses. Users can sync the glasses to their phones, edit the pictures and send them to friends. There are also added HD cameras to add depth for 3D effects. The updated Spectacles are meant to be sleeker and more stylish than their predecessors. The glasses will cost $380 and are set to ship out in November.
Read more: The Verge, Engadget, CNBC

Apple’s New Student ID: Apple is rolling out its digital version of student ID cards to about a dozen more schools this year. The digital ID can be stored on a student’s iPhone or Apple Watch and scanned to pay for food from the cafeteria or supplies from the bookstore. It can also be used like a digital key to access buildings and dorms. Duke and the University of Alabama already use the program, which is now expanding to Clemson, Georgetown, Arkansas State and others.
Read more: 9to5Mac,TechCrunch, Apple

Dominos E-Bike Delivery: Dominos will start using e-bikes to deliver pizza as part of an effort to compete with other apps like Door Dash and Uber Eats. The goal is to offer faster delivery since the electric bikes don’t have to wait in traffic or deal with parking. The custom e-bikes can carry 12 pizzas, along with drinks and sides. It saves the company money and is more environmentally friendly. Hundreds of the e-bikes will hit the streets in Baltimore, Houston, Miami and Salt Lake City later this year.
Read more: TechCrunch, Engadget

Dasani Water Cans: Dasani will soon sell canned water. The move is part of a long-term plan to reduce the company’s environmental footprint. Coca-Cola owns Dasani, and Coke wants to use mostly recycled material for their water bottles by 2030. In addition to canned water, the company is launching a new hybrid bottle made of 50 percent recycled plastic and renewable plant-based materials. Pepsi is doing something similar with its Aquafina brand, which will be available in cans next year.
Read more: Bloomberg, CNN, TechCrunch