Tax Cuts?, Jupiter’s Moon & Human Headphones

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 Cutting Taxes?: President Trump is thinking about cutting taxes, like the payroll tax. The cut could make your paycheck a bit bigger, but critics say government programs need the money to stay funded. Trump is also thinking about reducing capital gains taxes, which would likely face challenges from Democrats. For now, it's just talk. He’s also been pushing the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, which usually only happens when the economy is struggling. Still, Trump insists the economy is strong but that he's always looking at ways to improve it.
Read more: The Hill, WSJ, FOX Business

Comments About Jews: Trump is facing some backlash over comments he made about American Jews. He said any Jewish people who vote for Democrats are showing “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.” The comments have brought criticism from both sides of the aisle and Jewish organizations, who say the term 'disloyalty' in that context is an anti-semitic trope. The Republican Jewish Coalition is defending Trump.
Read more: WaPo, NYT, AP, The Jerusalem Post

Denmark Trip Canceled: Remember how President Trump thought about buying Greenland? Well, Denmark’s prime minister said the island is not for sale, so Trump cancelled his trip to Denmark that was set for next month.
Read more: BBC, CNN

Russia Mystery: There was a deadly explosion in Russia on August 8th, and scientists believe it was some sort of nuclear accident. Russia still won’t say exactly what happened or how much radiation was actually released, but sensors that check radiation went offline at four different monitoring stations. Russia blames the outage on technical issues. Russian officials say they aren’t covering anything up, but some say it sounds a little too similar to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. There are also questions about whether a nuclear weapon was being tested.
Read more: NYT, CNN, AP, The Guardian

Jupiter Moon Mission: NASA is getting ready to go to Jupiter’s moon, Europa, which scientists say is a big step in searching for life beyond Earth. If there’s water underneath its ice-covered crust, there may be life there. The mission won’t be easy, in part because of costs, but mostly because of the moon’s environment. The launch is set to happen by the year 2025.
Read more: Engadget, BBC

Facebook & Browsing History: Facebook is rolling out a new feature in an effort to be more transparent. The tool lets users decide what browsing data the site is allowed to see. In other words, you can stop Facebook from seeing which apps and websites you go to. Those who use the “clear history” tool will then not receive targeted ads. It’s available in Spain, Ireland and South Korea for now but will expand to other countries in the coming months.
Read more: CNET, Business Insider, The Verge

Apple Card Available: The Apple credit card is officially available to everyone in the U.S. It was released to a small number of customers earlier this month. Apple partnered with Goldman Sachs for the card, which is available in physical and digital versions. Charges are color-coded for easier understanding. You can use the card on an iPhone 6 or higher.
Read more: CNBC, TechCrunch

New Wireless Headphones: Seattle start-up Human’s new wireless earphones have hit the market. The Human Headphones are a three-in-one product, working as wireless headphones, a Bluetooth speaker and a translator. The over-the-ear headphones look like ear muffs without the headband. They cost about $400 and are only available on the company’s website for now.
Read more: TechRadar, CNET

Netflix Season Alerts: With all the different video streaming services now, it can be tough to know when your favorite shows have a new season out. Netflix has a new feature to make sure you never miss a premiere again. The feature is on the TV app under the “Latest” section. Users will see the movies and TV seasons that will soon be released and can opt in to be reminded when they’re available.
Read more: The Verge

Highest-Paying Majors: PayScale's College Salary Report found the highest-paying college major of 2019 is petroleum engineering. The median salary at the start of a career is more than $94,000. This year added a new category: most flexible majors. The most flexible major is business administration, followed by communication.
Read more: CNBC, PayScale, Yahoo Finance