theNewsWorthy: Monday, August 6th, 2018
ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.
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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...
THAT 2016 MEETING
There’s more talk now about a controversial 2016 meeting between the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and a lawyer linked to the Russian government.
President Trump tweeted yesterday that the meeting was in fact meant to “get information on an opponent.” He emphasized the meeting was legal, but the New York Times reports it’s a sort-of admission from the president that the Trump team’s past statement wasn’t true.
Remember: when word first got out about the meeting, a Trump team statement claimed the meeting was mostly about adopting Russian children. News reports later showed e-mails that said the meeting was about the lawyer having some dirt on Hillary Clinton.
The big question now is: did anything illegal happen at that meeting? President Trump says no way, but reports say it’s a part of the special sounsel’s ongoing investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The AP reports this may be coming up now because of negotiations between the special sounsel and Trump’s lawyers. They’re figuring out whether or not the president will sit down to answer some questions. Expect a decision in the coming weeks.
Read More: CBS News, New York Times
NRA FINANCIAL TROUBLE
It’s the NRA vs. New York.
The National Rifle Association says it’s in financial trouble and could have to shut down some operations, like NRA TV. The NRA blames New York; specifically, the governor and Department of Financial Services.
Now, the Wall Street Journal says, the NRA is suing.
This fight first picked up back in May. New York’s governor and state regulators said the insurance program the NRA provides its members breaks New York State law, which could be seen as a warning to others not to work with them. The fund covers legal costs that might follow self-defense shootings.
The NRA says that the fund is perfectly legal, and the state’s efforts are a “political blacklisting campaign” violating the NRA’s freedom of speech.
Governor Andrew Cuomo isn't backing down and took out ad that said “...I’ll remember the NRA in my thoughts and prayers.”
Read More: NPR, Wall Street Journal
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Officials in Venezuela say a drone attack was an assassination attempt on the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro.
He’s okay, but the New York Times reports the attack seemed scripted for Hollywood: low-flying drones exploding mid-air, the president and first lady ducking and soldiers running for cover.
Parts of the attack were broadcast live because it happened during the president’s speech and a military parade on Saturday. The AP reports that at least six people have now been detained, and officials say more arrests could be coming.
There’s back-and-forth between the current government and the opposition about whether or not the opposing leaders had anything to do with it. The country is struggling right now. Reports say inflation there could top 1 million percent by the end of the year.
Read More: New York Times, Associated Press
EARTHQUAKE
The popular resort island of Lombok in Indonesia is dealing with the aftermath of a powerful earthquake yesterday.
The 6.9-magnitude quake was also felt in Bali. So far, Reuters reports, the death toll is at 91.
Read More: Reuters, New York Times, Associated Press
RACE TO SPACE
A new race to space is on! NASA announced which astronauts have been assigned to take off from the US, which will be a first since 2011.
They'll be spacecrafts made by US companies Boeing and SpaceX (under contract with NASA).
Bloomberg says American astronauts have been grabbing rides to the International Space Station on Russian space capsules. The problem is, it’s expensive and growing tension between the US and Russia makes it a bit complicated.
For now, it looks like SpaceX is winning the race against Boeing. SpaceX is set to send up its first test flight with humans in April 2019. NASA says Boeing is on track to do the same in mid-2019.
Read More: Bloomberg, Associated Press, NASA
DEMI LOVATO'S FIRST POST SINCE...
Pop star Demi Lovato posted to social media for the first time since overdosing last month.
She says she hasn’t beaten her addiction, but she must keep fighting. She’ll be focusing now on getting sober. She thanked her fans and family for the love and support.
Remember: she overdosed a couple of weeks ago, and was kept alive with a drug meant to reverse an overdose on-the-spot.
Read More: TMZ, Hollywood Reporter
FACEBOOK DATING
There's a few more details now about Facebook's upcoming dating feature.
TechCrunch says it sounds like it’ll be a feature you can choose to turn on within Facebook and only users who have turned it on will be able to see each other. You can also choose if friends of friends can see you (it won’t be shared on the main Facebook news feed).
The reported designs seem to show a feature targeting longer term relationships rather than the one-night-stand vibe.
Remember: Facebook has quite a bit of info on you, so it'll probably be using that to suggest potential matches. For now, the report says, Facebook isn’t planning to charge you, and they won’t run ads – yet. That could change, though.
Read More: TechCrunch
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Mission: Impossible – Fallout did it again.
The action film starring Tom Cruise hit number one at the box office for the second weekend in a row. It’s the sixth Mission: Impossible movie.
Variety reports Christopher Robin came in second. That’s Disney’s live action film that debuted over the weekend, based on the characters from the Winnie the Pooh books.
The Spy Who Dumped Me came in third. That stars Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon who are chased by assassins through Europe.
By the way: Black Panther, which came out back in February, just crossed the $700 million mark in the US. Mashable reports that’s only the third film in history that can claim that.
Read More: Rotten Tomatoes, Variety, Mashable
STAR TREK & JT'S GAME SHOW
There are a couple of upcoming, high-profile TV series to tell you about.
1 - CBS says Sir Patrick Stewart is coming back to the Star Trek universe. He’s the guy who originally played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the popular show. CBS’ streaming service, CBS All Access, says the new series will focus on the captain and his next chapter in life.
Perhaps game shows are more your thing?
2 - Well, Justin Timberlake is creating a new one called Spin the Wheel, and it offers contestants a chance to win $20 million. The host is actor and podcaster Dax Shepard from Parenthood. The game show is all about pop culture trivia and luck. It’s expected to air later this year.
Read More: DailyMail, CBS
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