Google threatens to cut New Zealand news links if compensation bill passes
Google has warned it may remove links to New Zealand news sites if the country’s proposed Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill is passed. The law aims to compensate publishers for their content, but Google claims it could harm both the company and local news organizations.
The tech giant’s New Zealand director labeled the proposed legislation as a “link tax,” stating Google would stop linking to news content on its platforms, including Google search and Google News, if it passes in its current form.
AP Images
This would also end existing agreements with New Zealand publishers. Google argues that similar laws in Australia and Canada led to platforms pulling away from news content, negatively impacting journalism instead of supporting it.
Critics of Google’s stance say removing links would hurt both local news outlets, especially smaller ones dependent on search traffic, and New Zealand audiences who rely on these sources for information.
Meanwhile, the country’s Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith acknowledged Google’s concerns and confirmed that consultations are ongoing.
Government estimates suggest the bill could generate over $30 million for the country’s media industry.
Megaupload’s Kim Dotcom nears US trial after decadelong extradition saga
Kim Dotcom, the founder of the defunct file-sharing site Megaupload, is closer to facing trial in the United States. After years of legal battles, New Zealand’s Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith signed an extradition order. The case dates back to 2012.
Dotcom’s legal issues began when U.S. authorities accused Megaupload of facilitating massive piracy, costing film studios and record companies more than $500 million. The platform allowed users to upload and share files, and it generated about $175 million in revenue before it was shut down.
In 2012, New Zealand police acting on FBI orders raided Dotcom’s Auckland mansion with 70 officers. The raid, captured on video, was later turned into a widely publicized YouTube video.
Dotcom described the raid as a “Hollywood-style publicity stunt,” excessive for his arrest. He eventually reached a settlement with New Zealand police but has continued to face charges of copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering.
“I considered all of the information carefully and decided that Mr. Dotcom should be surrendered to the U.S. to face trial,” Goldsmith said in a statement on his ruling to allow extradition.
Dotcom, criticizing the decision on social media, described it as an act of compliance by “the obedient U.S. colony in the South Pacific.”
Dotcom, a German-born New Zealand resident, faces 13 charges in the U.S. Two of his colleagues, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk, avoided extradition by accepting plea deals that resulted in prison terms in New Zealand in 2023. Another executive, Finn Batato, passed away in 2022.
U.S. authorities claim that Dotcom and his executives encouraged users to store and share copyrighted material, significantly impacting the entertainment industry.
As the extradition process progresses, Dotcom has vowed to appeal the decision, maintaining that he was being penalized for the actions of Megaupload’s users, not his own.
Reality TV contestants lose chance at $500K prize after killing protected bird
A pair of contestants on the U.S. reality show “Race to Survive” have been disqualified, losing out on the potential $500,000 prize, after one of them killed a protected bird in New Zealand. The incident occurred during the latest season of the show, which challenges teams to complete a 150-mile journey across harsh wilderness terrain while sourcing their own food and water.
This season was set in New Zealand, home to the threatened weka bird, a species protected by law and listed as “threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Under New Zealand legislation, killing a weka can result in a prison sentence of up to two years. However, “Race to Survive” contestant Spencer “Corry” Jones said the intense hunger experienced during the grueling competition caused him to make the decision to eat one of these birds.
“There’s creatures running around camp that we’re not allowed to eat. You get into that mindset of starvation mode and this slowing down of your cognition,” Jones said on the show. “It’s this mental shift where the thoughts kind of drift a little more and there’s this very deep need to eat.”
The incident led to the elimination of Jones and his partner from the competition. New Zealand wildlife officials decided to issue a warning instead of pressing charges, citing the “unique” circumstances of the situation. In a confessional on the show, Jones expressed remorse for his actions, saying he had “disrespected New Zealand” and made a “foolish mistake,” but that “survival in the bush in New Zealand is not easy.”
The show’s production team said in a statement that the incident was reported to authorities as soon as the team became aware of it. It also emphasized that all contestants had been briefed and continually reminded throughout shooting about the presence of protected species and plants in the area that could not be eaten.
President Biden to hold press conference as George Clooney, Sen. Welch call for a change
President Joe Biden is set to hold a press conference as George Clooney joins the calls for him to step aside. And the NBA scores big with its latest TV rights deal. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, July 11, 2024.
Biden to hold press conference as Clooney, Welch call for a change
President Joe Biden will hold his first solo press conference of the year Thursday, July 11. It’s also the first since his rocky performance in the June 27 presidential debate, as calls for him to step aside as the Democratic nominee continue to grow.
On Wednesday, July 10, it was Hollywood actor and longtime Democratic donor George Clooney calling for Biden to withdraw from the race. This happened just weeks after Clooney hosted a fundraiser for Biden’s campaign that brought in more than $30 million.
In an op-ed piece for The New York Times, Clooney wrote that the Biden he saw at the fundraiser was not the Biden of 2010 or 2020, saying, “He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
“As Democrats, we collectively hold our breath or turn down the volume whenever we see the president, whom we respect, walk off Air Force One or walk back to a mic to answer an unscripted question,” Clooney wrote. “Is it fair to point these things out? It has to be. This is about age. Nothing more. But also, nothing that can be reversed. We are not going to win in November with this president.”
Clooney joined a chorus of Democrats who have recently spoken up for Biden to drop out, including nine House members. And on Wednesday, Peter Welch of Vermont became the first Democratic senator to join the call.
Welch wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post that Biden should step down for “the good of the country.”
“We need him to put us first, as he has done before. I urge him to do it now,” Welch said.
On Thursday afternoon, Democratic senators will meet with senior advisers from the Biden campaign as they look to express their concerns following the debate. Then the president’s press conference — dubbed by Bloomberg News and cited by the White House as a “big boy press conference” — will take place at 5:30 p.m. ET as the three-day NATO summit winds down in Washington.
NATO calls China “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war in Ukraine
In recent months, the U.S. and European leaders have accused China of bolstering Russia’s defense sector with supplies critical to rebuilding the Russian military. Beijing has denied the accusations.
“China provides dual use equipment, microelectronics, a lot of other tools which are enabling Russia to build the missiles, to build the bombs, to build the aircrafts, to build the weapons they’re using to attack Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, July 11, the second day of the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. “And the fact that this is now clearly stated, agreed by all NATO allies, is an important message to China. And then, of course, we also then state that it cannot continue like this.”
The NATO nations also affirmed the importance of their Indo-Pacific partners, which are not members of the alliance, with leaders from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia joining the summit.
NATO and the Indo-Pacific partners said they plan to launch four joint projects including supporting Ukraine, bolstering cooperation on cyber defense, countering disinformation and working on artificial intelligence.
China is accusing NATO of overreaching and inciting confrontation in the Indo-Pacific region.
U.S. to resume shipping 500-pound bombs to Israel
The United States is resuming shipping 500-pound bombs to Israel after pausing the shipment of nearly 2,000 of them in mid-May. However, U.S. officials said they’ll continue to hold back on a delivery of much larger 2,000-pound bombs over concerns they could be used in densely populated areas of Gaza.
The U.S. is specifically concerned the large bombs would be used in Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge since the war with Hamas began.
U.S. officials said the smaller 500-pound bombs had been put together in a shipment with the larger bombs, which is why they were delayed. They have since been separated and can now be sent to Israel.
AOC files impeachment articles against Supreme Court justices Thomas, Alito
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has introduced articles of impeachment against conservative Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. Ocasio-Cortez is accusing them of what she calls “unchecked corruption” for refusing to recuse themselves from certain cases, like the recent decision to grant former President Donald Trump immunity and improperly failing to disclose gifts from wealthy donors.
However, it’s unlikely the justices will be impeached. A majority vote of 218 is required for the House to adopt the articles. Currently in the House, Republicans hold 219 seats and Democrats hold 213.
Reports: NBA finalizes 11-year $76B deal with NBC, Amazon, Disney
TNT Sports, which has been airing the NBA since the 1980s, will have a five-day window to match one of the deals once the league shares the finished contracts.
The agreement, which breaks NBA records for length and value, would take effect for the 2025-2026 season.
‘Inside Out 2’ becomes Pixar’s highest-grossing movie of all time
There’s a whole lot of joy over at Pixar studios; its latest movie has made box office history. “Inside Out 2” is officially Pixar’s highest-grossing movie of all time.
So far, the film about a teenager’s emotions has earned $1.25 billion worldwide, passing “Incredibles 2,” which made $1.24 billion in its run. “Inside Out 2” now ranks as the fourth-highest grossing animated movie of all time.
The top spot currently belongs to Disney’s 2019 film “Frozen 2” which grossed $1.45 billion globally during its release.
Biden’s physician responds to reports on Parkinson’s expert visits
President Joe Biden’s physician releases a letter as questions surround a Parkinson’s expert’s repeated visits to the White House. And former President Donald Trump’s deadline to pick a vice president nears with the Republican National Convention just days away. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
Biden’s physician responds to reports on Parkinson’s disease expert visits
Ever since President Joe Biden’s self-described “bad night” at the presidential debate, he and his team have had to field questions about his health. That was no different on Monday, July 8, when the concerns centered on a Parkinson’s disease expert who had recently visited the White House on several occasions.
According to public visitor logs, Dr. Kevin Cannard — a neurologist and “movement disorders specialist” from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center — visited the White House eight times in the eight-month span between July 2023 and March 2024, including a visit with the president’s personal physician.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked repeatedly about the visits during Monday’s press briefing. Jean-Pierre said Biden has seen a neurologist three times as part of annual physicals but would not confirm much else, saying the White House medical unit serves multiple personnel along with the president.
“I can tell you this — just going back to Parkinson’s for a little bit, so, to give you some answers here: Has the president been treated for Parkinson’s? No. Is he being treated for Parkinson’s? No, he’s not,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “Is he taking medication for Parkinson’s? No. So those are the things that I can give you full-blown answers on but I’m not going to confirm a specialist, any specialist that comes to come comes to the White House, out of privacy.”
Hours later, White House physician Kevin O’Connor released a letter addressing the issue, saying Dr. Cannard was “the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals,” including one in February that showed no signs of any neurological disorders. O’Connor also confirmed the president has not seen a neurologist outside of those physicals.
The president himself wrote a letter earlier in the day to Democrats in Congress amid growing calls for him to step aside, saying he is “firmly committed to staying in the race.” He added he “wouldn’t be running again if” he did not “absolutely believe” he was the “best person to beat Donald Trump.”
A defiant Biden joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe shortly after sending the letter, saying it’s the voters who chose him as the Democratic nominee, and he is not concerned about those calling for him to drop out of the race.
“I’m getting so frustrated by the elites — not you guys — the elites in the party, oh, they know so much more,” the president said. “Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention.”
Biden to host NATO summit, will take questions from media
President Biden will look to answer critics’ calls for him to step aside as he welcomes world leaders to Washington, D.C. for the NATO summit that begins Tuesday, July, 9. Leaders from more than 30 NATO countries, as well as partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the European Union and Ukraine, will join the president to mark 75 years of the global alliance.
The summit will focus on supplying additional military and financial aid to Ukraine, including new steps to strengthen its air defenses. During the week, Biden will host an event with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and two dozen other leaders. He’ll also take part in his first bilateral meeting with new U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
On Thursday, July 11, the president will hold a press conference where he will take questions from the media.
Trump’s vice president search enters final days
Former President Trump is getting back on the campaign trail with a rally in Florida as the deadline to announce his pick for vice president looms. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday, July 8 night, Trump did confirm Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, R, are under consideration.
But as to when we’ll find out who the official pick is, it seems even the former president isn’t quite sure.
“I think probably within the next week, week and a half, probably sometime — I’d love to do it during the convention,” he told Hannity. “My people say that’s a little complicated. You know, in the old days, they would announce the vice president during the convention. Today, with modern day technology you can’t do things that you could’ve done 50 years ago very easily. But probably a little before the convention but not much. It could even be during the convention that we’ll do it. I’d love to do it during the convention. I think it would be a very interesting build up and important for the convention and would make it even more exciting.”
The Republican National Convention kicks off Monday, July 15, in Milwaukee.
At least 6 dead in Texas after Beryl, millions without power
At least six people have been confirmed dead and millions are without power after Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm on Monday, July 8. Dozens of people across the state also had to be rescued from flood waters after Beryl dropped up to ten inches of rain in some areas and tornadoes could be spotted across the state.
Officials in Texas said it’ll take “several days” to restore power, but they should be getting a clearer timeline at some point Tuesday.
Since making landfall, Beryl has weakened to a tropical depression. It’s now moving toward Arkansas, but rain from the storm is expected to hit as far north as Detroit by Tuesday night then dump heavy rain in Vermont by Wednesday, July 10.
Jury selection begins in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial
On Monday, a judge ruled jurors will not hear evidence related to his status as a producer on the film, only his role as an actor in the movie.
Baldwin admitted he was holding a prop gun when a live bullet discharged. He’d previously stated that he did not intentionally pull the trigger and that the gun “went off.”
If convicted, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison.
Price of Forever stamps to increase starting next week
The price of stamps is going up again. Starting on Sunday, July 14, one Forever stamp will cost 73 cents — up five cents from its current price.
Denmark agrees to world’s first livestock carbon tax; will cost farmers $100 per cow
Denmark is set to become the first country in the world to tax farmers for the greenhouse gasses their cows, pigs and sheep emit, all in the name of fighting climate change. Research shows that the average cow releases up to 84 gallons of methane every day, so, the Danish government agreed to impose a new emissions tax on livestock starting in 2030.
The tax bill will likely be large for Danes, since the country is a major exporter of dairy and pork. The reported cost to farmers will be around $100 a year per cow annually.
The added tax is raising a stink among some in the agricultural industry in Europe. A spokesperson for a group representing Danish farmers said that they recognize that Climate Change is a problem, but the spokesperson called the agreement “pure bureaucracy.”
Fox News reported that New Zealand passed a similar that was set to take effect in 2025. However, the legislation was removed on Wednesday after reportedly criticism from farmers and a change of government after the 2023 election.
Olympic first: Track and field gold medalists to receive $50k
On Wednesday, April 10, World Athletics has announced that track and field will be the first Olympic sport to pay gold medalists. The organization said that it will award gold medalists $50,000 each, starting with the Paris Games in 2024.
This makes World Athletics the first international federation to offer prize money directly to Olympic medalists as the games continue to shift away from amateurism.
The track and field pot of earnings will be $2.4 million for 48 men’s and women’s events. The federation said this is the first step in its plan to eventually pay all medalists by 2028, the year of the Los Angeles Games.
The funds for the winnings comes from payments to World Athletics from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC rakes in billions of dollars from sponsorships and broadcast deals.
The IOC said it was up to each sport’s governing body on how to spend its share of the Olympic revenue. However, it said it was not made aware of the World Athletics decision until April 10, shortly before the announcement.
Some countries already give athletes bonuses for medaling. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee awards athletes $37,500 for gold medals, $22,500 for silver medals and $15,000 for bronze medals. Singapore reportedly gives gold medalists $1 million. The U.K. and New Zealand offer no prize money for athletes at all.
However, athletes pay thousands of dollars each year for coaching and travel events and sacrifice traditional careers in the process.
Trouble mid-flight: Another Boeing incident amid federal scrutiny
A LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland experienced severe turbulence, injuring at least 50 passengers Monday, March 11. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner managed to land safely at Auckland Airport despite the mid-air drop.
One individual is reported to be in serious condition, with others suffering from mild to moderate injuries. Passengers described the incident as chaotic. Some were thrown from their seats, with a few hitting the cabin ceiling.
Emergency services were on hand to treat the injured at the airport. The cause of the flight’s sudden change in trajectory remains under investigation.
This event raises questions about aircraft safety and the importance of preparedness for unexpected mid-air incidents. Recently, Boeing has faced challenges, including issues with improperly drilled holes, loose rudder bolts and a door-plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 in January.
The Justice Department is now investigating the incident to see if Boeing followed through on its promise from earlier investigations into two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. If Boeing didn’t keep up with the safety improvements agreed upon in 2021, the company could face legal consequences.
UK announces ban on disposable vapes amid trend in youth vaping
In a step to curb the increasing trend of youth vaping, the United Kingdom’s government has announced its plan to ban disposable vape sales. This action aligns the U.K. with several other countries and American states that have implemented similar measures.
“We have teachers calling us, especially in the U.K., where you saw a 150% increase in the last three years of uptake of e-cigarettes by children,” Dr. Rüdiger Krech, director of Health Promotion at the World Health Organization said. “So, they call us to say children cannot stay a whole 45-minute lesson anymore because they need to step out to get e-cigarettes.”
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s latest legislative push aims to reduce tobacco’s appeal to children, including banning flavored tobacco, enforcing plain packaging and implementing fines for shops selling illegally to minors.
Approximately 260 million disposable vapes were discarded last year, equivalent to the waste of 5,000 electric vehicle batteries, according to U.K. Environment Secretary Steve Barclay.
“Children shouldn’t be vaping, we don’t want them to get addicted, we still don’t understand the full long-term health impacts of vaping,” Sunak said. “So it is right we take strong action to stamp this out. That’s what we’re doing, banning disposable vapes, taking powers to go after the flavors, the appearance, the packaging, where vapes are displayed in stores.”
This initiative is integral to a broader strategy for achieving a smoke-free status by 2030. In the previous year, Sunak unveiled an ambitious tobacco control strategy that included proposed legislation to prohibit anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, from purchasing tobacco products.
The U.K. aims to incrementally increase the legal age for purchasing tobacco each year, making it the second country to introduce such measures behind New Zealand.
This approach differs from New Zealand’s original plan, in which the country eventually reversed its decision due to concerns about illegal tobacco markets and increased thefts at tobacco stores.
Sunak acknowledged the potential disagreement with the policy but maintained its importance.
“I respect that some people will disagree with me on this, but again I think this is the right long-term thing for our country,” Sunak said. “Smoking causes 1 in 4 cancer deaths. It’s responsible for hospital admission every minute, and if we don’t do something about it, hundreds of thousands of people will die in the coming years.”
Parliament still needs to introduce and approve the ban. It is expected to pass, marking a significant step in the U.K.’s public health policy.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has announced a test subscription method called “Not a Bot” that will charge users in two countries $1 per year to post content on the platform. Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, new users in New Zealand and the Philippines will have to pay the annual $1 USD fee.
New Zealand: $1.43 NZD per year.
Philippines: ₱42.51 PHP per year.
According to X officials, the test program aims to reduce spam, bot activity and manipulation on the platform. While the new test program requires an annual fee for new users to post, they can opt out of the subscription and create a free “read-only” account.
“This new program aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users,” The X announcement said. “We look forward to sharing more about the results soon.”
The implementation of the “Not a Bot” subscription comes about a month after Musk announced his platform would be moving to a small subscription-based model. The September announcement in a streamed discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came with a lot of backlash from users and critics.
Musk said the logic behind the “Not a Bot” subscription is that a small fee may keep users from creating bot accounts, which he said only cost a fraction of a penny to set up.
The “Not a Bot” subscription plan is separate from X’s premium subscription plan for $8 per month, which gives users a verified blue check mark and allows them to edit posts, among a few other features.
The “Not a Bot” subscription is a test, and the platform will share information about results soon.
