Tornado rips through North Carolina, shutting down major interstate

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Thursday 07.20.23

Many people in the German capital of Berlin woke up to some bizarre news this morning. A suspected lioness is on the loose in the southwestern part of the city, German police warned, adding people in the area should remain indoors until they capture the dangerous wild animal. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.

By Alexandra Meeks

Police vehicles are seen near the location of a shooting in Auckland, New Zealand.

New Zealand shooting

A rare multiple shooting in the center of Auckland just hours before the opening of the Women's World Cup rattled the city as tens of thousands gathered to watch New Zealand play Norway in the first game of the tournament. Three people died in the attack — including the gunman — and several others were injured, according to New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. The gunman opened fire at a construction site in downtown Auckland, and the incident was believed to be related to his work there. New Zealand Police called the shooting an "isolated incident," and "not a national security risk."

Trump

Legal experts believe a third indictment is imminent for former President Donald Trump and could be announced soon. Trump said on Tuesday that he'd been named as a target of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and the events leading up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Receiving such a notification is a procedural step that often leads to an indictment. Trump indicated that the target letter he received on Sunday gave him four days to take up an option to testify. Legal custom suggests that an indictment could come at any time after that.

Tornado damage

A massive tornado in North Carolina severely damaged a Pfizer plant and several other structures, shut down a major interstate and injured more than a dozen people Wednesday afternoon. The tornado left EF-3 damage in some areas, with winds estimated at 150 mph, the National Weather Service said, as it tore through Nash County, around 45 miles northeast of Raleigh. Photos of the damage show structures flattened and roofs crumpled like paper. The tornado also toppled trees onto Interstate 95, temporarily shutting down the highway in both directions. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said that first responders are helping to clear roads and provide other aid.

UPS

Around 340,000 UPS workers may go on strike at the end of the month unless an agreement on employees' contracts can be quickly reached between the company and union members. Negotiations are set to resume next week after the two sides walked away from the bargaining table earlier this month. Both sides say about 95% of the deal has already been agreed upon but a few key issues remain open. UPS agreed to put air-conditioning in new vehicles and retrofit old ones with fans. They also agreed to make updates to their wage system but there are still disagreements about worker pay. If the strike goes forward, it could cost the US economy $7.1 billion — making it the costliest work stoppage ever in US history, economic experts say.

Netflix

As writers and actors continue to strike against movie studios and streaming platforms, Netflix is celebrating a smash earnings report. The streaming giant on Wednesday said it added nearly 6 million paid subscribers during the three months ending in June, bringing its total to more than 238 million globally. Netflix attributes the gain to its crackdown on password sharing which prompted a boost in signups. The results come at a pivotal moment for Netflix as the streamer looks to boost revenue by restricting password sharing and introducing an ad-supported subscription option while also contending with strikes that have brought content production to an absolute halt. Netflix and other streaming platforms have acknowledged the strikes could impact their future slate of original shows and movies — but many say that their existing stockpiles of shows and movies can withstand the strikes for now.

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That's the threshold of how many unique donors GOP presidential candidates must reach in order to qualify for the first Republican presidential primary debate stage in August. So far, the candidates who have met the donor threshold include former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Notably, former Vice President Mike Pence is still working to reach the donor threshold alongside four other longshot candidates.

I am confident the Board will appoint a superb leader as the next President of our beloved institution.

— Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, announcing his resignation Wednesday after an investigation concluded that research papers he contributed to contained "manipulation of research data." In an open letter to the school, Tessier-Lavigne said he plans to step down next month, though he will remain on the Stanford faculty.

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