Supreme Court Sides With College Athletes
The Supreme Court unanimously sided with college athletes on Monday in the landmark antitrust case National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston et al., ruling that the NCAA’s restrictions on players’ education-related compensation violate national antitrust laws, according to CNBC. As a result of the decision, students who play Division I basketball and football will now …
HBCUs to Receive $50 Million Grant from Google
This week Google announced its plans to award a total of $50 million in grant money to 10 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Company executives say the grants are meant to address the diversity gap in tech, according to CNET. The schools slated to receive funds are: Claflin University, Clark Atlanta, Florida A&M, Howard, …
Biden Signs Juneteenth Into Law as a Federal Holiday
President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law today as the first new federal holiday in nearly four decades. He described the signing as one of the “greatest honors” of his presidency, according to CNN. June 19 commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., marking the 1865 date when the …
Airbnb to Halt Listings Where Tenants Have Been Evicted
Airbnb will temporarily block landlords from renting properties flagged as new to the market due to a former occupant’s failure to pay rent after the Center for Disease Control’s eviction moratorium ends on June 30, according to Gizmodo. The policy went into effect yesterday and will remain in place through the end of the year. …
Energy Conservation Alert Issued in Texas Amid Heat Wave
As Texans endure a string of days topping 90 degrees, the state’s main power grid is struggling to keep up with demand, according to Reuters. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is now asking residents across the state to cut back on their use of air conditioning and conserve electricity until Friday, according to …
Tech Companies Push SEC to Make Climate Reports Mandatory
Seven tech companies are appealing to the Securities and Exchange Commission to force companies to regularly release issues related to their climate policies to their shareholders, according to CNBC. Executives at Amazon, Facebook, Intel, Salesforce, Autodesk, eBay, and Google’s parent company Alphabet are teaming up for the effort. Leaders collaborated on a letter sent last …
Microsoft’s Xbox Series X Mini Fridge Will Be Sold for the Holidays
Microsoft’s E3 2021 showcase ended over the weekend with the news that the Xbox Series X-shaped mini fridge will be available for retail, according to Gizmodo. Executives at Microsoft said they would release the fridge after it beat Skittles on Twitter’s #BestOfTweets Brand Bracket poll, according to The Verge. To try to encourage voters, Aaron …
EA Hit by Massive Data Breach
Gaming behemoth Electronic Arts, the publisher of Battlefield, FIFA, and The Sims, is one of the latest victims of hackers who have stolen a wealth of information, including the source code to FIFA 21 and the Frostbite engine, according to Vice. The hackers are now reportedly advertising the stolen data on hacking forums in an attempt …
Bernie Mac Biopic in the Works from John Legend’s Production Company
The estate of the late comedian Bernie Mac is collaborating with John Legend and his production company, Get Lifted, to make a feature film biopic about Mac, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Legend’s producing partner Mike Jackson broke the news during a panel discussion at the 2021 Tribeca Festival. “We just partnered with Bernie Mac’s …
Manatees in Florida Dying at Shocking Rates This Year
Wildlife officials are alarmed at the number of manatees that have died in Florida just in the first few months of this year. According to The New York Times, it’s more than 10 percent of manatees compared to the number of deaths in all of last year. There were at least 761 manatee deaths between …