| | 12 JUL 2021 | Facts, not fear. | | | TRENDING TOPICS
Western wildfires • Denver weapons seizure • Cuba's large protests • Movie industry resurgence • Space tourism success | | FEATURED UNDER-REPORTED STORIES
Philanthropies' election influence • Cargo pollution fees • Fraudulent science | |  | | |
TRENDING TOPICS, MOST CREDIBLE STORIES | | #1 in U.S. News • 43 articles How are western states dealing with another heat wave? |  | |
Top from last 48 hrs
Bootleg fire in Oregon scorches 143,000 acres as heat wave continues in the West.
New York Times (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 81% • 4 min read
As Oregon's Bootleg fire continues to grow, it recently burned an additional eight miles across a voltage power line corridor, threatening a major power grid, Path 66, that connects Oregon and California. The presence of wildfires has put pressure on California's electrical system, leading to a Stage 2 power-grid emergency, which is just a step away from rolling blackouts.
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Charles Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Medford, Ore., said the fire was especially concerning because Oregon's fire season had only just begun. "There's concern because of how early this is starting, and how far it has grown within a relatively short amount of time," he said.
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The megafire in Oregon was just one hot zone across the western United States as a "dangerous heat wave" over the weekend was expected to continue into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. It is the third heat wave to hit the region so far this summer.
- Top local viewpoint
Arrests threatened if people don't evacuate as southern Oregon's Bootleg fire explodes.
The Oregonian (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 64% • 4 min read - Top long-read
The science connecting wildfires to climate change. (2020)
National Geographic (Center) • Factual Grade 90% • 8 min read
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| | | #1 in World News • 22 articles Why are thousands of Cubans protesting the country's government? |  | |
Top from last 48 hrs
Cubans take to the streets for the biggest anti-government protests in decades.
Washington Post (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 74% • 4 min read
The protests exceeded frustrations of food lines and power scarcities, venturing into a challenge to the police state itself. Witnesses said Cuban security personnel deployed tear gas and other forms of force to disperse crowds, using vehicles to detain dozens of people.
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The demonstrations were so large that President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who succeeded Raúl Castro this year as first secretary of the Communist Party, called on Cuba's "revolutionary" citizens to take to the streets. "We are prepared to do anything," he said in a national address. "We will be battling in the streets." He blamed the United States for agitating the population.
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The protests underscore the risks the Cuban government took by opening the nation of 11 million more broadly to the Internet in 2019. Activists have used social media to amplify their dissent, particularly after the arrest last year of Denis Solís, a Havana rapper and government critic.
- Top from different political viewpoint
Cuba protestors rail against Communist dictatorship.
Washington Times (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 69% • 4 min read - Top long-read
Cuba after the Castros.
New Yorker (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 80% • 12 min read
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| | #1 in Business News • 13 articles What does the success of "Black Widow" indicate about post-pandemic moviegoing? |  | |
Top from last 48 hrs
'Black Widow' snags $80 million from its theatrical debut, $60 million from Disney+.
CNBC (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 76% • 3 min read
The latest Marvel film scored $80 million at the domestic box office. In addition, it tallied $78 million from international ticket sales. For the first time since March 2020, the total domestic box office has collected more than $100 million in ticket sales, according to data from Comscore. Over the weekend around 81% of theaters were open to the public.
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Walt Disney also revealed that it garnered more than $60 million globally from sales of the film through Disney+ Premier Access. Previously, Disney has remained silent on how its streaming service's same-day offering impacted theatrical releases. The amount captured on Disney+ shows that this can be a viable option for the brand in the future.
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"Whether or not the Disney+ earnings should be considered successful is almost impossible to objectively measure right now," Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, said. "That's not only due to virtually non-existent comparison points, but also the long-term impact regarding the degradation of down-stream ancillary revenues.
- Top from different political viewpoint
'Black Widow' earns Disney $80 million in theaters, $60 million from streaming.
Marketwatch (Center) • Factual Grade 65% • 3 min read - Top long-read
The pandemic is changing Hollywood, maybe forever. (2020)
Associated Press (Center) • Factual Grade 82% • 6 min read
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| | TODAY'S POLL When do you plan to go back to a movie theater? All votes are anonymous. This poll closes at: 9:00 PST
| | YESTERDAY'S POLL Are zoos crucial to animal conservation efforts? 244 votes, 18 comments Context: China removes giant pandas in the wild from endangered list. HIGHLIGHTED COMMENTS " Yes - I don't necessarily agree with putting animals on display, but zoos do a lot of work in conservation efforts and rehabilitation of animals, especially after disasters, rehoming animals, and even in increasing populations of critically endangered and functionally extinct animals." " Unsure - I believe an avenue to interact with the general public and thus receive funds and interest in animal conservation and assistance is important. I'm open to discussing methods to make that happen. Maintaining a small percentage of captured animals, which are treated with care and respect, is one option." " No - When humans die off from pollution, disease and climate change will you be happy to live in a zoo where our alien overlords try to breed you in captivity? I didn't think so." | | | #1 in Science News • 96 articles What does Richard Branson's successful space trip mean for the future of tourism? |  | |
Top from last 48 hrs
Virgin Galactic launches Richard Branson to space in 1st fully crewed flight of VSS Unity.
Space.com (Center) • Factual Grade 86% • 6 min read
Virgin Galactic invited a crowd of guests to the launch, including customers with reservations for future flights (they're paying $250,000 a seat for the trip). One friend of Branson's, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, was in attendance. Virgin Galactic is aiming to launch two more crewed test flights before beginning full commercial service in 2022.
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[The flight] took off from New Mexico and flew just above the boundary of space, where the four passengers and two pilots experienced about four minutes of weightlessness. The flight focused on "cabin and customer experience objectives," a statement said, which include evaluating comfort and what the cabin feels like with a full crew.
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VSS Unity's achieved altitude [qualifies as outer space] by standards set by the U.S. military, the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA, which set the boundary at 50 miles. However, it is below the Kármán line, another popularly recognized boundary, which begins at an altitude of 62 miles.
- Top from different political viewpoint
Richard Branson's space flight was fun. But who's he taking for a ride?
Mother Jones (Left) • Factual Grade 69% • 4 min read - Top long-read
Space tourism — 20 years in the making — is finally ready for launch.
The Conversation (Center) • Factual Grade 82% • 5 min read
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