Tuesday, December 31st, 2019

U.S. Population Growth, NASA Record & Free Starbucks Drinks

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...

New Year’s Eve weather: 
Most of the televised specials will be live from New York City’s Times Square, where the weather will be mostly dry with temps in the 40s (though it may feel like the low 30s). Other parts of the Northeast will be colder and may get some snow. The upper Midwest and Northeast are recovering from a significant winter storm that knocked out power to tens of thousands of people.
NYE celebrations: Rolling Stone, Variety
NYE weather: ABC News, Weather Channel, AccuWeather
 
Sydney allows fireworks despite wildfires: 
In just a few hours, it'll be 2020 in Sydney, Australia. This year, the annual fireworks display over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House is causing controversy due to the intense brushfires happening.
Read more: BBC, news.com.au
 
U.S. stocks best performance in six years: 
Today is the last trading day in 2019, and U.S. stocks are set to see their best annual performance in six years. Experts say the big tech stocks, reports of progress between the U.S. and China on trade negotiations and three interest rate cuts this year have helped. The stock market is closed tomorrow for New Year’s Day.
Read more: WSJ 

U.S. population growth rate down: 
New numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show the population growth rate over the past year was the slowest it’s been in a century. Experts say there were fewer births, more deaths, and a decline in immigration. Remember: population numbers can impact politics as they determine how much representation states get in Congress.
Read more: AP

Most admired man, woman in 2019: 
A new Gallup poll shows the 'most admired' woman in the world in 2019 is former First Lady Michelle Obama. Current First Lady Melania Trump was runner-up. Current President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama tied for 'most admired' man.
Read more: ABC News, USA Today, Gallup
 
NASA astronaut breaks record: 
NASA astronaut Christine Koch broke the record for the single longest space mission by a woman. She has already spent 289 consecutive days in space. If everything goes as planned, she’ll spend a total of 328 days in orbit. Earlier this year, Koch took part in NASA’s first all-female spacewalk. 
Read more: Engadget, CNBC, Space.com

Amazon to open homeless shelter at HQ: 
Amazon is planning to build the largest family homeless shelter in Washington on its Seattle campus. The shelter will be run by the non-profit Mary’s Place, which has worked with Amazon before.
Read more: TechCrunch, Business Insider 

Netflix’s most popular releases of 2019: 
The most popular Netflix series of 2019 are Stranger Things, The Witcher and The Umbrella Academy. Some of the most popular movies were Murder Mystery, 6 Underground and The Incredibles 2. The top three most popular documentaries on Netflix were Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Our Planet and Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.
Read more: E! News, Variety 

Starbucks offers free drinks on NYE: 
Starbucks is wrapping up 2019 by giving away free coffee drinks. The coffee giant has been giving away drinks at 200 U.S. stores for the past few days and NYE is the final day. Certain locations are holding pop-up parties between 1-2 p.m. where guests can get a free hot or iced beverage.
Read more: Check Your Location, USA Today, People