Cramm for 11/1/18
THE HIGHLIGHTS
Google employees have something to say.
TELL ME MORE.
Last week, The New York Times came out with a report alleging that the creator of Google’s Android software, Andy Rubin, had been (correctly) accused of sexual misconduct. And been sent on his way - with a $90 million check, courtesy of Google. This apparently wasn’t uncommon. Other Google execs - like the director of the biz’s self-driving car lab - were accused of sexual misconduct...with little to no consequences. Now, employees are speaking up.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
A protest called “Walkout for Real Change.” It was started by Google employees - mainly engineers - to speak out against the male-dominated environment at Google. Employees in cities all over the world - including Zurich, London, Tokyo, Singapore, and Berlin - are expected to participate. And yes, this is all very unprecedented.
WHAT DO THEY WANT?
A better (cough, safer, cough) work environment for women. That means an end to forced arbitration - giving victims the right to sue. Plus a sexual harassment transparency report, which would clear the air when it comes to how Google’s dealt with sexual misconduct allegations in the past. No word yet on this from the higher-ups at Google, but earlier this week, the biz’s CEO sent an email saying he’s “fully committed to making progress.”
SO…?
Months after the #MeToo movement took off, Google is going through a movement of their own. TBD on whether it’ll turn out successful.
THE ACTION
WORLD: The US and the UK are making moves. Reminder: for years, Yemen’s been locked in a civil war that’s led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The key players: the Yemeni gov (backed by Saudi Arabia) and the Houthi rebels (backed by Iran). You’ve been hearing Saudi Arabia’s name lately for a different reason. Hint: the death of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yesterday, Turkish officials released disturbing new details about Khashoggi’s alleged murder. And the world blames Saudi Arabia. Now, the US and the UK are reportedly using this new leverage to pressure the country to move forward with peace talks in Yemen - hopefully putting an end to the war. Unclear on Saudi Arabia’s response.
POLITICS: The 2018 Midterms are just five - yes, five - days away. And politicians nationwide are gearing up for voters to head to the polls. Recently, Prez Trump released a new political ad slamming the Democratic party for their immigration policies. The ad depicts a Mexican migrant who’s been convicted of killing two California deputies - and tells viewers that “Democrats let him into our country.” Intro the backlash. Speaking of which, the Prez now says he plans on sending 15,000 troops to the US-Mexico border - double the amount that’s already there. And in other news, Trump is not happy with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI). Because, birthright citizenship.
USA: All eyes are on the University of Maryland. Earlier this year, a member of the school’s football team suddenly died during a team workout. His family - along with much of the US - pointed fingers at the team’s coach - DJ Durkin - for reportedly creating a toxic culture. Then, days later, a report came out denying this. So the board of regents gave Durkin the thumbs up to stay on the team. Durkin was reinstated….until yesterday, when the school’s prez fired him. Meanwhile, recently, General Motors said ‘no need to panic’ and offered 18,000 employees...incentives to quit. This comes after the biz reported good quarter three earnings.
WHAT TO KNOW
“Oprah:” the woman who’s campaigning for Stacey Abrams, America’s first female African American candidate for governor. You go and vote, you go and vote, you go and vote.
SAY WHAT?
“The kidney stone can wait” - Simone Biles, competing in (and winning) a major world gymnastics competition…24 hours after spending the night in the ER for a kidney stone. Gymtastic.