July 14 top stories
It is July 14. Here are today’s top stories.
Hollywood actors go on strike, joining writers
Hollywood is now shutting down. The SAG-AFTRA, a union that represents about 160,000 actors, said it is starting a strike today after talks between major studios and streaming services failed.
The actors now join 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America who have already been on strike for two months.
CNN explained that actors are calling for increased pay and progress on residuals paid for when films or shows are shown again, especially on streaming services.
This is the first actors strike against television shows and movie productions since 1980. It is the first time that both actors and writers are on strike since 1960.
Disney CEO Bob Iger, who is on the opposing side of the actors and writers, said the strikes are very disruptive and that the demands are unrealistic.
USAToday said the strike means that actors have to stop all of their work, including promoting their upcoming films and movies. Current productions on films such as the next sequel of Mission Impossible or HBO’s “House of the Dragon'' would pause.
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect arrested
Law enforcement in New York arrested a suspect in connection to the murders of nine women, a man and a toddler near Gilgo Beach in Long Island. Their bodies were found at the beach area about ten years ago. At least five of the victims were sex workers.
The New York Times said the suspect’s name is Rex Heuermann. He is an architect who lives near the beach in an area called Massapequa Park. He was charged with first-degree murder in three of the deaths.
Actor Billy Baldwin tweeted that he knew the suspect because he was his high school classmate.
Otter harassing surfers in California
In Santa Cruz, California, a sea otter is becoming famous because of how it harasses surfers and steals surfboards.
The sea otter is a 5-year-old female. A video shows the otter aggressively getting on a surfboard and having no fear of its human owner as it chews and swims around the board.
Wildlife officials said the otter poses a public safety risk and issued a warning that anyone enjoying the ocean in the area should not approach the otter or encourage any kind of interaction.
NPR said the animal is officially known as otter 841. It was born in captivity because its mother was “too friendly” with humans. It was released into the wild in June 2020. In September 2022, it started showing signs of strange behavior. Officials said it may be because humans fed it or because the animal has some kind of hormonal surge.
NPR said a team from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Monterey Bay Aquarium is looking for the otter to catch and rehome her. Once caught, the otter won’t be able to return to the wild. Officials said they prefer to capture it instead of having the otter bite a human because that would initiate discussions on possibly euthanizing it.
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Biden admin to forgive $39 billion in student loan debt
The Biden administration said it would forgive $39 billion in federal student loan debt for more than 800,000 people. The Department of Education said it would begin notifying borrowers today that their debts will be automatically discharged in the next few weeks.
CBS News said this debt relief comes two weeks after the Supreme Court invalidated the Biden administration’s plan for broad-based student loan forgiveness, which would have helped more than 40 million borrowers each erase up to $20,000 in debt.
This new plan is a separate effort that will forgive some who are enrolled in “income-driven repayment plans (IDRs)” — those who have reduced student loan monthly payments based on their incomes — and have paid the equivalent of either 20 or 25 years of qualifying monthly payments.
India launches rocket for moon mission
India launched a rocket called Chandrayaan-3 in a mission to the moon. The rocket is unmanned and the goal is to land a rover on the moon later in August.
The Guardian explained that India’s space agency previously attempted to land a spacecraft on the moon in 2019 but it failed after the lander lost contact and crashed.
If the mission is successful, India would become the fourth country to achieve this. The U.S., the Soviet Union, and China are the three other countries.
Burger King Thailand’s “Real Cheeseburger”
Burger King Thailand is going viral because it created a “Real Cheeseburger” sandwich that has a sesame burger bun and 20 slices of American cheese. There is no meat or any kind of sauce. The cheese is not grilled or melted.
The “Real Cheeseburger” is available for only a limited time.
This is not the first unique menu item from Burger King Thailand. In January they sold a burger with a chocolate bun and French fries drizzled with a chocolate sauce.
That is all the top stories for today. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/nyregion/gilgo-beach-murders-long-island-suspect.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/gilgo-beach-murder-suspect-arrested-custody/story
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/student-loan-forgiveness-800000-borrowers-idr-plans-what-to-know/
https://www.npr.org/2023/07/13/1187295769/otter-santa-cruz-surfboard-surfers-california
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/13/world/asia/burger-king-thailand-cheeseburger.html