10 things you need to know today: July 6, 2023

Can Threads kill Twitter?

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1. Meta launches Threads, its alternative to Twitter, a day early
2. Biden's DOJ appeals order blocking officials from communicating with social media companies
3. Biden is 'anxiously looking forward' to Sweden joining NATO
4. U.S. military: Russian jets harassed drones targeting ISIS in Syria
5. Belarusian president says Wagner's Prigozhin is back in Russia
6. Trump doubles fundraising haul in 2nd quarter
7. GQ pulls article critical of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav
8. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' singer Coco Lee dies at 48
9. UPS strike looms after union negotiations fall apart
10. Brain disease linked to head injuries diagnosed in female athlete for first time

published 6 July 2023

1. Meta launches Threads, its alternative to Twitter, a day early

Meta's new app Threads, which allows users to post their own messages and like or reply to others, was released on Wednesday evening, a day ahead of schedule. Social media users have dubbed Threads a "Twitter killer," as it could cause Twitter users, upset with changes being made by CEO Elon Musk, to leave. In an Instagram post, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the vision behind Threads "is to take the best parts of Instagram and create a new experience for text, ideas and discussing what's on your mind. I think this world needs this kind of friendly community, and I'm grateful to all of you who are part of Threads from day one." In its first seven hours, Threads saw 10 million sign ups.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to appeal a judge's order barring federal officials and agencies from communicating with social media companies about "content containing protected free speech." The injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, "is part of a lawsuit brought by Republican attorneys general from Missouri and Louisiana," CNN reported. The lawsuit accuses the Biden administration of trying to silence conservatives by harping on social media sites to remove misinformation related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The DOJ's appeal would take the fight to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, "arguably the nation's most conservative appeals court," CNN said.

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Speaking to Swedish Prime Minister Ulk Kristersson at the White House on Wednesday, President Biden shared that he is "anxiously looking forward" to the country being accepted into NATO. Kristersson agreed, and said Sweden has many "things to contribute" to the organization. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, both Sweden and Finland decided it was time to put aside neutrality and sought NATO membership. All NATO members must agree to approve membership, and while Finland was allowed in, Turkey has blocked Sweden, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claiming the country offers refuge to exiles and others tied to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Turkey considers a terror group.

American drones engaged in a mission on Wednesday against ISIS targets in Syria were harassed by Russian jets, the U.S. military said. The incident took place in the morning, when Russian military aircraft began exhibiting "unsafe and unprofessional behavior" while interacting with three U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones, Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of the Ninth Air Force and the Combined Forces Air Component for U.S. Central Command, said. The Russian jets went against "established norms and protocols ... [and] dropped multiple parachute flares in front of the drones, forcing our aircraft to conduct evasive maneuvers," Grynkewich added. Russia and Syria are allies, and Grynkewich called on Russia to "cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS."

The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said Thursday that Yevgeny Prigozhin is back in Russia. Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, abandoned his rebellion against the Russian military in June in exchange for exile in Belarus and charges against him being dropped. But questions about Prigozhin's whereabouts arose almost immediately after Lukashenko helped broker the deal. Lukashenko told reporters "he's in St. Petersburg. He is not on the territory of Belarus." Prigozhin's location has not been independently confirmed. Russian state media has been smearing Prigozhin, as the Kremlin seeks to discredit him in the eyes of the Russian public, reported The Guardian.

Former President Donald Trump's joint fundraising committee brought in $35 million in the second quarter of 2023, roughly double the amount it raised in the first quarter. Aside from cementing Trump's front-runner status for the GOP nomination, the increase "underscores that the twin indictments he's facing … are mobilizing his base of online donors," Politico said. A recent CNN poll, which was conducted after Trump's federal indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents, found nearly half of Republican voters said he remained their first choice for the nomination.

An article posted to the GQ website critical of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was quickly removed on Monday, with the publication saying it had not been properly edited. Written by freelancer Jason Bailey, the article, "How Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Became Public Enemy Number One in Hollywood," dove into recent debacles, including the backlash to Zaslav's decision to lay off the leadership team at Turner Classic Movies. A spokesman for Warner Bros. Discovery told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday GQ did not factcheck the article before it was published and the company contacted the magazine to point out inaccuracies, while a GQ spokeswoman said the article wasn't thoroughly edited. When it was put back up online, references comparing Zaslav to Logan Roy on "Succession" and Edward Lewis in "Pretty Woman" were removed. The parent company of Condé Nast, which owns GQ, is Advance, a main stakeholder in Warner Bros. Discovery.

The Chinese American singer Coco Lee died Wednesday after trying to take her own life, her sisters said. Lee was 48. She was best known for singing the Oscar-nominated song "A Love Before Time" from the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." She also voiced the lead character in the Mandarin version of Disney's "Mulan" and sang the film's theme song, "Reflection." Lee's sisters said in a statement that she had suffered from depression for several years, and attempted suicide in her home on Sunday. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died.

The United Parcel Service (UPS) moved closer to its first strike in 27 years after contract negotiations with the Teamsters Union fell apart Wednesday. Both sides accused one another of walking away from talks. The existing contract expires at the end of July. Union workers want better working conditions and higher pay, and point to workers' efforts to maintain deliveries during the Covid-19 pandemic, which "fueled big profits for the company," The Guardian reported. UPS, which delivers more than 20 million packages around the world per day, has "the biggest unionized workforce of any company" in America, the BBC reported. A walkout could give rival FedEx an advantage that UPS would struggle to overcome, Satish Jindel, president of logistics consulting firm ShipMatrix, told The Guardian.

The brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, has for the first time been found in a female athlete. Heather Anderson, a former Australian Football League player, was found to be in the early stages of the disease, according to a research report published in Acta Neuropathologica by scientists who performed her autopsy. CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously; Anderson died by suicide last November at the age of 28. CTE is described by the Mayo Clinic as "a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries," which "causes the death of nerve cells in the brain" and can lead to cognitive impairment, motor problems, and mood disorders. Up until now, CTE has only been diagnosed and observed in male athletes, but the report said the rise in female contact sports will likely lead to more diagnoses.

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