Wednesday, February 26th, 2020
U.S. Virus Prep, Bob Iger Steps Down & Jif’s GIF Debate
All the news you need in 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...
Coronavirus Warning for U.S.:
Federal health officials say it's not 'if' but 'when' the coronavirus disease spreads more in the U.S., and they're urging cities and towns to better prepare. That could mean implementing so-called 'social distancing measures.' In other words, schools and events could be canceled and employees could be told to work from home. The new warning sent stocks way down again.
Read more: AP, ABC News, NYT
Dem Debate Takeaways:
The final Democratic debate before South Carolina's primaries and 'Super Tuesday' took place last night, and it was messy. The seven candidates engaged in angry crosstalk and often interrupted each other as they try to stand out. As expected, many went after the current frontrunner: Bernie Sanders.
Read more: Politico, AP, NYT, USA Today, WSJ
Violence In India:
Violence in India overshadowed President Trump's trip there as more than a dozen people were killed and hundreds were injured in clashes in New Delhi -- not far from where Trump was meeting with the Indian prime minister. The deadly violence is happening between Hindu and Muslim groups/protesters due to anger over the country's new controversial citizenship law.
Read more: Reuters, CNN, Washington Post
Bob Iger Steps Down:
Back in the U.S., there's a surprise shakeup at a major company. Disney's CEO Bob Iger has stepped down. He'll stay with the company as Executive Chairman until the end of next year. He'll then retire and leave the company for good. Bob Chapek is now Disney's new CEO.
Read more: CNBC, LA Times
First Cashierless Grocery Stores:
Amazon's first cashierless full-size grocery store is now open in Seattle. It'll use the same tech as the smaller Amazon 'Go' stores, such as cameras, shelf sensors and software. These stores allow shoppers to avoid checkout lines all together. Instead, their accounts are charged through an app once they leave the store.
Read more: TechCrunch, WSJ, Business Insider
‘GIF’ vs. ‘JIF’:
Do you pronounce it GIF or JIF? Well, the peanut butter brand Jif is trying to set the record straight and show off the difference between its pronunciation/spelling and GIF. It launched a limited-edition jar with the Gif spelling and reignited the debate online.
Read more: The Verge, Today
Golden Shamrock Shake:
This year marks the 50th anniversary of McDonald's seasonal Shamrock Shake, so it's auctioning off a Golden Shamrock Shake on eBay that's said to be worth $90,000. The 18-karat gold cup has real jewels and diamonds on it. Proceeds from the winning bid will go to charity.
Read more: USA Today, CNN
Ash Wednesday:
It's the first day of Lent for many Christians, when many may choose to give something up for the 40 days leading up to Easter. Today is also known as Ash Wednesday: you may see Catholics with smudges of ashes on their foreheads as part of the tradition.
Read more: Fox News, Independent
Work Wednesday:
What's the impact of tech on work schedules? A recent study found college grads today spend 10 percent more time working than they used to in 1980. Some argue it's because of laptops. While smartphones may allow you to check your email, it's actually laptops that enable some people to do all of their work away from the office. Critics worry it leads to burnout; others are grateful for the remote options and flexible schedules.
Read more: The Atlantic, Popsugar, Buildings