promoearn: Hear that ticking? That's Doomsday coming

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Hear that ticking? That's Doomsday coming

Thursday, January 23

The Doomsday Clock reads 100 seconds to midnight, a decision made by The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, during an announcement at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2020.

Hear that ticking? That's Doomsday coming

The world is closer to destruction than ever before. Toxic 'forever chemicals' found in drinking water. It's Thursday's news.

Hate to break it to you, but humanity is doomed. That's at least according to a clock keeping track of how close the world is to catastrophe. Cool cool cool.

It's Ashley and everything's fine. Let's dive into some news, shall we?

But first, tweet or it didn't happen: Trump set a record for sending the most tweets in a single day since he took office. Guess how many? (Answer at the bottom of "Real Quick")

The Short List newsletter is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe here!

Stop the world, we want to get off

Hide your kids, hide your wives: The world is 100 seconds to "midnight," according to the Doomsday Clock. That's closer to destruction than at any point since the clock was created in 1947. The clock "conveys how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making," according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a group that sets the clock. The closer to midnight we are, the more danger we're in, the Bulletin said. "It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock," said Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 😯

SOURCE Bulletin of Atomic Scientists

Janet Loehrke/USA TODAY

'Sopranos' actress Annabella Sciorra: Harvey Weinstein 'raped me'

During Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes trial, "Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra testified that the ex-movie mogul raped her in her New York apartment in 1993-94. The actress choked up as she described how Weinstein allegedly assaulted her and later told her in a "threatening" way not to tell anyone. "I was punching him, I was kicking him, I was trying to get him away from me," she said. Weinstein, 67, is charged with five sex crimes, including rape and sexual assault, stemming from encounters with two women. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all nonconsensual sex.

A second day of testimony in Harvey Weinstein's sex-crimes trial began Jan. 23, 2020, with the first accuser to take the stand, Annabella Sciorra, the "Sopranos" actress who choked up as she described how Weinstein raped her in her New York apartment in the winter of 1993-94 and later told her in a "threatening" way not to tell anyone.

Getty Images, EPA-EFE

What everyone's talking about

•	Oprah Winfrey supports Harry and Meghan's royal exit "1,000 percent."
•	Tinder adds a panic button for when dates go horribly wrong.
•	"Bachelorette" contestant Tyler Gwozdz has died in Florida.
•	Duchess Kate opened up about feeling "isolated" when Prince George was born.
•	Who says exes can't make great roommates? Amy Schumer's ex says he lives with her and her husband.

At least we (maybe) won't die of the coronavirus

Americans face little risk from the coronavirus spreading across China, according to health officials. The World Health Organization on Thursday declined to categorize the coronavirus as a global health emergency, saying there is no evidence of human-to-human infection outside China. Some airports in America aren't taking any chances: Officials in some cities stepped up health checks for passengers arriving from China. The coronavirus, which originated in the central city of Wuhan, China, has infected more than 540 and killed at least 17, according to Chinese authorities.

•	LAX passenger from Mexico City receives medical treatment amid coronavirus fears.

New visa rules could keep pregnant women out

It could become more difficult for some pregnant women to get visas to visit the USA. The Trump administration issued visa guidelines Thursday in a move to curb "birth tourism" – trips to obtain citizenship for newborn children. Anyone born in the USA is considered a citizen (read: the good old U.S. Constitution). Under the new guidelines, which take effect Friday, visa applicants deemed to be traveling to the USA primarily to give birth will be treated like foreigners coming for medical treatment – they must prove they have the money to pay for the child. The guidelines could be problematic: Officers don't have the right to ask if a woman is pregnant or intends to become so, so they would have to judge just by looking at her.

Real quick

•	Americans are distressed by the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump – if they care at all.
•	Veteran PBS anchor and NewsHour co-founder Jim Lehrer died at 85.
•	Michelle Carter, a woman convicted of encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself, was released from jail early for good behavior.
•	Terry Crews speaks out about the controversial exit of former "America's Got Talent" judge Gabrielle Union.
•	The Monarch butterfly population is at a critically low level in California.
•	Answer: What's Trump's new record of Twitter posts in a day? 142.

Toxic 'forever chemicals' found in drinking water

Heightened levels of potentially toxic chemicals were found in tap water supplies serving dozens of major American cities, a study by an environmental watchdog group says. The report, released Wednesday, says 20 cities and regions – including Washington, Philadelphia, Miami and Louisville, Kentucky – contained PFAS levels of at least 10 parts per trillion. PFAS, aka "forever chemicals," have been linked to reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney and immunological effects, as well as high cholesterol and obesity.

A break from the news

•	Don't pay more than you have to: 4 common credit card fees you can avoid.
•	The 5 best Amazon deals you can get Thursday.
•	OK, this one is kind of disgusting: Your oven door is probably dirtier than your toilet seat.