Wednesday, March 4th, 2020
Biden’s Big Night, Volcano High-Wire Walk & Smart Tires
All the news you need in 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Zola.com/newsworthy
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...
Super Tuesday Results:
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders had big wins on Super Tuesday. Biden was declared the winner of at least 9 states, including Texas, while Sanders won at least 4 states, including California. Super Tuesday offers up about a third of the delegates required to win the party nomination.
Read more: NYT, NBC News, FOX News, Washington Post
Tennessee Tornadoes:
Severe tornadoes hit Tennessee early yesterday morning, and now some people are still missing. At least 24 people have died, and the number could increase as search efforts continue. One tornado passed through downtown Nashville and destroyed homes, businesses and a historic church. The governor declared a state of emergency. President Trump is scheduled to visit on Friday. Multiple funds have been set up to help the victims rebuild.
Read more: CBS News, USA Today, Weather Channel, AP, Billboard (how to help)
Fed Cuts Rates:
The Federal Reserve made an emergency cut to interest rates for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. The emergency move shows the Fed is worried about the potential impact of the new coronavirus on the U.S. and global economies. The rate cut is meant to provide an economic boost, but some experts worry it won't be enough. Stocks rallied for about 15 minutes after the announcement before falling again.
Read more: Reuters, WSJ, NYT, CNN Business
Coronavirus Latest:
There have now been more than 93,000 cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with more than 3,000 deaths. Most cases have been in China, where things are getting a bit better. Thousands of people in China have recovered and the rate of new infections there is slowing. Still, outbreaks in South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran are getting worse. As for the U.S., the number of cases topped 100, with nine deaths in the state of Washington. That said, most cases are said to be mild, especially for people who are otherwise healthy.
Read more: AP, CBS News, USA Today
High-Wire Walk Across Volcano:
Seventh-generation wire-walker Nik Wallenda is about to take his longest and highest wire walk ever. His 1,800-foot cable will be suspended across the Masaya volcano near Nicaragua. Wallenda says he’s nervous and excited ahead of the walk. A live, two-hour special will air at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Read more: USA TODAY, ABC News
Facebook Rethinks Libra:
Facebook is revamping its plans for its Libra cryptocurrency. The social network will now allow regular payments on its platform in addition to the Libra token. Facebook promoted Libra as a cheap and easy way for users to send money and buy various goods, but critics worried about how it would be regulated.
Read more: The Verge, Reuters, The Information
Robinhood Outages:
Investment app Robinhood went offline twice this week. The first outage left investors unable to trade for 17 hours on Monday as the Dow logged its biggest point gain in history, and the second happened yesterday as the markets opened. The founders say they underestimated how many people would want to buy and sell at once and it overloaded their system, but engineers have since updated the infrastructure. Now, the app is offering users a discount.
Read more: CNBC, TechCrunch, Robinhood
Faster Same-Day Shipping:
Amazon is speeding up its same-day delivery in some cities. Until now, same-day orders placed in the morning arrived by 9 p.m., but now the goal is to have packages delivered within five hours. So far, the change only applies to Prime members located near fulfillment centers in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando and Dallas. Amazon believes these new centers will also address environmental concerns since drivers won’t need to travel as far, but others wonder if it'll just mean more deliveries.
Read more: The Verge, CNET, CNBC
Goodyear Smart Tire:
Goodyear’s new Recharge smart tire concept could theoretically replace its own worn-down treads and refill itself with air so it never goes flat. For now it’s just a concept, but it could one day mean you'll never have to change another tire yourself.
Read more: Engadget, CNET
Mickey’s Runaway Railway:
For the first time, Mickey & Minnie have their own ride at a Disney theme park. The Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway opens today in Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The park is already home to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Toy Story Land. This latest addition brings guests into a cartoon world of Hollywood nostalgia featuring Mickey, Minnie and Goofy.
Read more: AP, CNN, Disney
Work Wednesday- Gender Wage Gap:
A new survey found about half of American women now bring home as much money – or more than – their partners. Of the women surveyed, 26 percent said they made the same as their partners and 21 percent said they made more. That's a big change from past generations. In 1960, less than 4 percent of women earned more than their husbands.
Read more: FOX Business, USA Today