The World This Week
A preview of the weekly update.
Welcome to a preview of The World this Week (from September 7, not the latest version) where we don't just focus on the bad news, but give at least as much attention to solutions and reasons for hope.
Top good news
⚕️US cancer death rates have declined by a third since 1999, according to new data from the Center for Disease Control. This means roughly three million more Americans are alive today than would have been the case. The progress has been attributed to better treatments, health technology and less smoking.
Top news
💰Trump and Harris unveil economic plans
Trump and Harris have both unveiled their economic plans for America. See the main points below, hopefully explained in a super easy way.
📈 Harris' economic plan
- Boosting entrepreneurship: Harris will allow small businesses to write off $50,000 in taxes. This would need approval in Congress.
- Taxing big business and the wealthy: Harris will raise the corporate tax rate to 28%. She said corporations must "pay their fair share". She will also raise taxes on people earning over $1 million.
- Price limits: Harris will set limits on the prices that companies can charge, preventing what she calls "price gouging". No more details about this.
📈 Trump's economic plan
- Lower taxes on American-made goods: any businesses that manufacture in America will only pay 15% in tax, down from the current 21%.
- Raise taxes on foreign-made goods: any imported goods will pay an extra 10% in tax, and any Chinese-made goods will pay a massive 60% in extra tax.
- Invest in American oil and gas fields: Trump will unlock investment in American energy sources, aiming for "energy dominance" and cheap prices.
- Cut ten times more regulations for every new one: Trump will drastically cut the restrictive government rules that regulates businesses.
👟 State of the Race: 2024 Elections
- Harris out-funded Trump in August: by hauling in $300 million in donations last month, compared to Trump's $100 million.
- Harris holds a slight lead in battleground states: She currently leads in Wisconsin and Michigan, but is tied with Trump in Georgia and Pennsylvania, which holds the key to the election.
- Trump has been jumping on many GenZ podcasts, including interviews with Lex Fridman, Logan Paul and Theo Von (worth checking out), whereas Harris has prioritized rallies in the South and organizing fundraisers.
Other news
📺 X has beta-launched a new TV app aimed at transforming the platform into a video-first experience, competing directly with YouTube. Available on Amazon Fire and Google TVs, the beta app focuses on video content from X creators.
🇺🇸 Musk accepted a position in a future Trump administration to lead a "government efficiency commission" to audit spending, eliminate fraud and recommend changes. Musk said he needed "no pay, no title, and no recognition".
🇮🇱 Protests erupted in Israel following the recovery of the bodies of six hostages, who were killed by Hamas in Gaza, with demonstrators blaming the Israeli Prime Minister for failing to bring the rest of the hostages home through a ceasefire deal.
🚧 Biden is preparing to block the $15 billion sale of U.S. Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns. This decision reflects Biden's commitment to keeping U.S. Steel "American-owned and operated".
🇺🇦 Ukraine successfully launched a drone attack and ground incursion deep into Russia, aiming to disrupt Russian military logistics and create a buffer zone. That prompted a large Russian missile bombardment on a Ukrainian city.
🧑🚀 The Polaris Dawn mission is rescheduled for Monday next week. It will feature the first-ever private spacewalk and aims to reach the highest altitude for a crewed mission since the Apollo era.
More good news
📈 Americans are increasingly optimistic about the stock market, which has been enjoying long term gains despite recent volatility. The S&P 500 now accounts for 42% of all household assets, and has hit three dozen new records this year.
📱France is trialing a mobile phone ban in secondary schools, where students must surrender their devices upon arrival, aiming for a nationwide rollout by January if successful. This initiative seeks to address the negative impacts of digital devices on children's health and development.
😷 China has reduced its infamous city air pollution levels by 41% since 2013. This improvement has been attributed to stringent policies and a shift towards cleaner sources, impacting air quality and public health.
🛰️ The US Navy is going "all in" on Starlink, adopting its mobile high-speed internet technology to boost its operations and provide quality of life for sailors. Amazingly, Starlink is also providing ground-Wifi speed capabilities on airplanes.
Unusual news
🦕 Scientists discovered matching dinosaur footprints in South America and Africa, indicating that dinosaurs used a "highway" when the two continents were connected. These findings suggest the existence of a lush supercontinent that facilitated dinosaur movement before the landmasses were split apart.
🌌 The first "solar sail" was successfully launched by NASA. Measured at 80 square feet, or half the size of a tennis court, the large sail is solar-powered and being tested as an alternative to rocket propulsion for space vessels. The sail is currently tumbling through space, but NASA assures us this was expected.
