Friday, December 27th, 2019
Weekend Winter Storm, Uber Co-Founder Departs & Christmas Space Cookies
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...
Weekend Winter Storm:
A winter storm is expected to hit parts of the U.S. The storm is in the West now but moving east through the weekend. It's already caused snow, flood and wind alerts. Torrential rainfall and snow will continue today in Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico; parts of Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas are bracing for blizzard conditions by tomorrow. Forecasters expect the storm to reach the East by Sunday.
Read more: USA Today, ABC News
Philippines Typhoon:
A devastating typhoon that hit on Christmas Day caused devastation in the central Philippines. At least 28 people died and more are missing. Thousands of travelers were stranded at airports or seaports as flights and ferries were canceled.
Read more: AP, Weather Channel, CNN
Kazakhstan Plane Crash:
A plane carrying nearly 100 people crashed in Kazakhstan, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. All 'Bek Air' flights have been suspended for now. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Read more: AP, BBC, CNN
Israel’s Party Vote:
Israel just held a primary race, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won by a landslide. He’ll stay put as the leader of his political party, and voters will determine whether he’ll be prime minister again in March. It will be the country’s third election in less than one year.
Read more: ABC News, The Guardian, AP
Egg Recall:
Certain hard-boiled eggs sold at Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe’s and other popular grocery stores are being recalled because of a listeria outbreak. Other pre-packaged foods that contain parts of the hard-boiled eggs as an ingredient are also affected, such as Trader Joe's egg salad. Seven people in five states have gotten sick. See below for product details to check any possibly impacted items in your fridge.
Read more: CNN, TODAY, FDA (full list)
Uber’s Founder Departs:
One of the original co-founders of Uber is leaving the company. Travis Kalanick will quit the Board of Directors at the end of the year and has sold off all of his stock, worth an estimated $2.5 billion. Kalanick was forced out as Uber’s CEO a few years ago but remained on the board. Now, he says he plans to focus on his new business that rents out space to restaurants for delivery-based businesses.
Read more: CNBC, WSJ
Nasdaq’s Record High:
The Nasdaq pushed above 9,000 for the first time ever yesterday. Amazon may have had something to do with it, as the online retailer had record-breaking holiday sales and saw stocks jump by more than 4 percent this week.
Read more: Business Insider, WSJ, Reuters
Russia’s New Internet?:
Russia is testing its own countrywide internet system that will basically unplug it from the global web. The new internet will likely give the government more control over what people can see and access online, similar to what China, Iran and Saudi Arabia already have. Critics worry this will restrict information and free speech.
Read more: TechCrunch, Engadget, BBC
Surveillance Airplanes:
Back in the U.S., Baltimore says it’s the first city to test out surveillance airplanes as part of a new program meant to help police investigate and solve serious crimes. Three planes will fly over Baltimore, covering about 90 percent of the city for up to a year. Officials won’t be able to see faces, but can use the planes to track movement. Civil liberties groups say the planes are an invasion of privacy. Testing is set to start in May.
Read more: CBS News, Baltimore Sun
Christmas Space Cookies:
Astronauts on the International Space Station baked cookies to test the new Zero G Oven on the ISS. They didn't get to eat the cookies, though; they’ll remain sealed and sent back to Earth for analysis. It's harder to bake in space since the hot air doesn't rise the same, and the cookies may not even stay on the pan due to a lack of gravity.
Read more: The Verge
The Rise of Skywalker Success:
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brought in $500 million in just one week worldwide, with a boost on Christmas Day. Wednesday saw $32 million in ticket sales in the U.S. -- the biggest Christmas Day showing since 2015. Jumanji: The Next Level took second place and Little Women came in third.
Read more: Variety, Deadline
Recycling Christmas Trees:
If you’re ready to get rid of your Christmas tree, remember you can recycle it! You can throw the tree on your compost pile, take it to Home Depot without decorations to turn into mulch or re-plant it in your yard if it still has roots. Also, check your local options. For example, a town in New Jersey is using leftover trees to strengthen sand dunes.
Read more: CNN