Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

From the BBC World Service: The Australian government announced it will ban children under 16 from having YouTube accounts starting in December. The ban also limits young people's use of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Snapchat. We'll learn more. Then, South Africa has long struggled with power cuts. Now, some companies are introducing pay-as-you-go backup power systems. And, a UN environmentalist warns that new Brazilian legislation aimed at streamlining major infrastructure developments will lead to more deforestation.

From agricultural laborers to software engineers, America offers multiple pathways for people to live and work in the country on temporary work visas. However, obtaining these visas can be frustrating and workers’ legal status is still tenuous. Reset hears from Coleman Immigration founding partner Christina Coleman and one Chicagoan about his experience on a temporary work visa. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino speaks to Sayash Kapoor, a PhD candidate at Princeton and co-author of “AI Snake Oil." He says small tweaks to AI chatbots can often have big, unpredictable effects.

Israel's prime minister is facing growing international pressure to end the war in Gaza that has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians. A leading food crisis group is now warning of widespread famine in Gaza as deaths from starvation rise. Amna Nawaz reports. A warning, images in this story are disturbing. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Consumer confidence ticked up in June, according to The Conference Board. At the same time, confidence in the labor market weakened for a seventh consecutive month. In this episode, what good are a bunch of confident consumers if they're stressed about finding work? Plus: SNAP cuts will hurt grocery stores, Americans have to buy foreign goods if we want other countries to buy our goods, and tariff costs negate productivity growth benefits.

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Retirement is out of reach for a growing number of Americans who simply can’t afford to stop working. But seniors looking for work often face age discrimination. A program in Chicago provides job training, computer skills, and resume coaching for low-income seniors and has placed hundreds of seniors in jobs in community centers, schools, and public assistance programs. But as of July 1 of this year, the 140 seniors participating in this program have been furloughed due to federal and state funding cuts. Reset speaks with Sheryl Holman, CEO, Community Assistance Program. Plus, Patricia Johnson, Sandra Robinson, and Sharon Rainey, who participated in CAP’s Senior Community Service Employment Program. They share how CAP’s training and job placements helped them, and what needs to be in place for them to thrive. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Along with some other federal agencies, the Trump administration has attempted to gut the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It’s a small agency, but public libraries across the country rely on its funding. The loss of federal grants isn’t the only thing these community hubs are up against. On the show today, Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association, explains how public library funding works, the challenges presented by the shift to digital media, and what the culture wars look like on the ground at public libraries.

Later, listeners share their thoughts on the new No Tax on Tips and Overtime laws. Plus, a librarian answers the Make Me Smart question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "The Trump Administration Is Threatening Libraries, Museums, and Other Nonprofits That Support the Arts, Humanities, and Learning" from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 
• "Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump's order to dismantle small agency" from AP News
• "1 big thing: Libraries' e-book battle" from Axios

• “No Tax on Tips” Is an Industry Plant" from The New Yorker 

  
  

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President Donald Trump remarked offhandedly over the weekend that “we will not allow a windmill to be built in the United States.” Recent policy changes in Washington could indeed make it harder to build new wind power projects in the U.S., but it’ll still likely continue to be an attractive source of power. And later in the program, a dispute between Mexico and Texas over water is threatening to turn ugly.

Two behemoths of freight rail are joining forces: Union Pacific is acquiring Norfolk Southern for $85 billion. The deal creates the largest freight rail network in the country and will attract the attention of antitrust regulators. Also on the show: U.S.-China trade negotiators meet in Sweden for trade talks, and the U.S. sets a new deadline for Russia to end its war in Ukraine or face new economic sanctions.

From the BBC World Service: Parents in China are being offered a little extra help, about $500 a year for every child under three. It's the government's first nationwide subsidy in a bid to increase birth rates. State media says around 20 million families are eligible for the payments. But will it work? Plus, with northern Mexico in the middle of a severe drought, the country is falling behind on water deliveries to the U.S. promised by a treaty. The Trump administration isn't happy.