theNewsWorthy: Thursday, November 1st, 2018
ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.
(in less than 10 minutes!)
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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...
(Scroll down to read more about our 'Thing to Know' Thursday topic and guest)
Open Enrollment: It's November, which means f you buy your own health insurance, it's time to start shopping and comparing healthcare policies for next year. If you get health insurance through your employer, the dates can vary, but pay attention to those notifications if you want to change up your policy. Remember: unless you have a "life event" (i.e. marriage, job change), you can only change healthcare policies during open enrollment (now or coming up soon).
Read more: USA Today, NPR, Bustle, CNBC, Healthcare.gov
15,000 Troops: While Democrats focus on healthcare before Election Day next week, President Trump is talking a lot about immigration issues as he starts an 11-stop tour to campaign for Republican candidates. Trump now says the administration could send up to 15,000 military troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to prep for the migrant caravan. That military presence would be about the same as in Afghanistan. Remember: the migrant caravan is about 4,000 Central American migrants walking toward the U.S. border, but they're still weeks away from reaching it.
Read more: AP, WSJ, The Washington Post
Google Walkout: Some Google employees plan to walkout of Google's offices around the world today to protest how the company has handled sexual harassment claims. A recent report found one exec got a $90 million exit package after a credible accusation about him. Google's CEO has apologized and said he supports employees who want to walkout.
Read more: NYT, FOX News, CNET
Bitcoin Birthday: Happy birthday, Bitcoin. This week marks 10 years since the digital currency's creator wrote a white paper all about it. Since then, the industry has grown. There are now more than 2,000 cryptocurrencies on the market. Of course, it's still considered volatile and risky.
Read more: Forbes
FDA + 23andMe: The FDA has given the thumbs up to a new test from 23andMe. It tests how genetics may affect someone's reaction to certain drugs, like antidepressants. The approval isn't meant to be the final word on meds. Instead, it's supposed to help patients start conversations with healthcare professionals. Critics say the tests just confuse patients and don't provide enough data to be useful.
Read more: Gizmodo
E-Scooter Recall: The e-scooter company, Lime, has pulled about 2,000 scooters off the streets because of concerns the batteries could smolder or catch fire. The company calls it a manufacturing issue on a small percentage of scooters and "isolated instances."
Read more: The Washington Post, TechCrunch, Lime
Paid Time Off to Vote: More companies are giving more paid time off to employees so they can vote. A new survey found a record high 44% of U.S. firms are offering paid time off for this year's midterms.
Read more: CNBC, Bloomberg
Optimism Project: Filmmaker Ava DuVernay and TIME magazine are teaming up for their annual "Optimist" issue, and they want your help. They want you to submit a 30-second video clip of something that makes you feel optimistic. The deadline is Monday, November 5th. Click below for where to submit and the rules.
Read more: TIME
THING TO KNOW THURSDAY:
Midterm Elections!
Election Resources: Rock The Vote, Vote.org, Vote411, Ballotpedia
Read More: The Hill, NBC News, Time, WSJ
Today’s guest:
Carolyn DeWitt
Carolyn DeWitt is the President and Executive Director of Rock the Vote, the largest national organization focused on building long-term political power for this country’s most diverse youth generation. During her tenure, she has overseen Rock the Vote’s resurgence, developing new partnerships with authentic brands, such as VEVO and HBO, deepening its leadership in civic technology with new cutting-edge tools, such as ElectionFM and the Pennsylvania Canvasser app, intensifying its fight for voting rights, and moving the organization toward an issue-first approach with a targeted outreach to diverse and marginalized communities.
Carolyn is a nationally recognized advocate for young people, featured in publications and media outlets such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Teen Vogue, and Billboard.