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Here’s what you need to know
The US Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act. The landmark bill covers healthcare, tax, and energy—allocating billions to advance renewables, but also supporting new fossil fuel developments.
Eli Lilly objected to Indiana’s near-total abortion ban. The pharmaceutical giant said it will look to hire outside the state because of the restrictive new law.
Carlyle CEO abruptly stepped down. It’s the latest leadership shake up at the private equity giant, whose co-founder Bill Conway, current non-executive co-chairman, will now head on an interim basis.
Starbucks increased staff pay—but only for non-union members. The coffee shop chain claims it’s abiding by the law, but critics argue it’s a union-busting tactic.
Softbank reported a record $23 billion quarterly loss. The investment conglomerate was hit by a downturn in tech stocks.
Israel and Palestinian militants agreed to a ceasefire. The truce ended nearly three days of conflict in Gaza that left more than 40 Palestinians dead.
What to watch for
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the UN has issued several increasingly urgent warnings about the risk of nuclear disaster.
At the opening of the UN’s conference on the 50-year-old nuclear non-proliferation treaty in New York, which runs from Aug. 1 to Aug. 26, secretary-general Antonio Guterres said that the world is “one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.” He reiterated this concern on Saturday, speaking at the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, calling on nuclear powers to reinforce their commitment to the “no first use” principle.
Over the weekend, Russian and Ukrainian forces accused each other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, injuring a worker and damaging radiation detection monitors. Guterres called for international inspectors to be given access to the site and ensure its stability, declaring any attack on a nuclear plant to be “suicidal.”
Turning up the heat on UPS
This June, 24-year-old United Parcel Service driver Estaben Chavez died delivering packages in the Los Angeles area. His family believes it was due to the heat inside his truck. More reports of UPS drivers hospitalized and collapsing on the clock are rolling in, with some sharing photographs of the terrifying temperatures they experience.
The Teamsters union that represents 350,000 UPS workers across the US is campaigning for better protections with the $169 billion delivery company. The fight is emblematic of increasing concerns about how climate change will impact workers’ health and safety.
Here’s a look at how things stand, by the digits:
0: UPS trucks with air conditioning
161°F (71.7°C): One internal UPS truck temperature allegedly recorded by a driver
$260 million: Amount UPS spends annually on safety training programs, including those focused on heat issues
A challenge to the starving artist myth
When you think of creative professions, do you think of six-figure salaries? Well, a new industry survey from the job matching platform Creatively suggests that designers working for American companies are now commanding an average wage of $88 per hour or $156,000 a year—around a 40% bump compared to last year’s rates.
There’s a crucial nuance to Creatively’s findings though. Because the creative sector encompasses so many fields, the title “creative” is used very broadly, and one’s income is highly dependent on one’s specialization. For instance, designers adept in emerging technologies such as Web 3 and metaverse can earn an average of $312,000 a year, but visual artists, singers, copywriters, graphic designers, and editorial directors earn much less.
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Surprising discoveries
Pups surfed for gold. The World Dog Surfing Championship took place in Pacifica, California, this weekend, and was doggone adorable.
Chorizo’s star power is strictly culinary. A tweet from French scientist Étienne Klein of a slice of sausage had the internet convinced it was celestial.
Six new species of tiny frogs were found in Mexico. The stealth little buddies went undetected because they were just too small and hard to find on the forest floor.
Fans of a popular war game leaked military documents to make play more real. Gamers hoped the classified tank manuals would inspire developers.
A hotter climate means more female sea turtles. The temperature of the sand dictates sex, and since it’s been so toasty, practically none of the new babies are male.
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