5 things to know for July 21: Ukraine, Extreme heat, Strikes, AI, E-cigarettes

By CNN

Published July 21, 2023 5:21 AM

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN

(CNN) — The day that movie fans have been fervently anticipating is finally here. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” both roll out in US theaters today — an ultimate double feature that could give the movie business a much-needed boost. Already, at least 40,000 people have bought tickets to see the two films today back-to-back, according to America’s largest movie chain AMC.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Ukraine

A barrage of Russian missile strikes hit grain warehouses across southern Ukraine today, destroying tons of crops. The Ukrainian military said the sustained attacks on the port city of Odesa are part of Moscow’s effort to destroy Ukraine’s ability to export food. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks this week were the largest since the war began and accused Russia of trying to destabilize the global food market. Moscow has said it is retaliating for a strike Monday on the bridge linking occupied Crimea to Russia. The attacks come after Russia pulled out of a critical grain deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports safe passage out of the country’s Black Sea ports. The UN secretary-general has warned that attacks on port cities will have an impact “well beyond Ukraine” when it comes to food prices.

2. Extreme heat

More than 100 million people are under heat alerts across the southern US today as state and federal aid programs attempt to help people cool down. Abnormally high temperatures from coast-to-coast are also expected this weekend — and meteorologists say the heat isn’t letting up soon. There have been more than 1,900 record-high temperatures in the US so far this month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NASA scientists also warned Thursday that we haven’t even seen the worst of El Niño and next year will likely be even warmer for the planet. The increased temperatures will generate about $1 billion in health care costs every summer as more people get rushed to the emergency room or admitted to the hospital to treat temperature-related conditions, a recent study found.

3. Strikes

A Broadway strike was averted Thursday after a deal was reached by the union representing 1,500 stagehands and other theater workers. A strike would have shut down shows in New York City and touring shows across the US today. The walkout threat came as 160,000 actors who are represented by SAG-AFTRA, as well as 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America, are already on strike against major film studios and streaming services. And beyond the world of entertainment, there are many other unionized workers threatening to go on strike. More than 340,000 union members at UPS will go on strike against the package delivery giant on August 1 if there’s no deal on a new contract. Separately, looming strikes in the auto and hospitality industries are also threatening new rounds of walkouts.

4. Artificial intelligence

Microsoft, Google and other leading AI companies committed today to put new artificial intelligence systems through outside testing before they are publicly released, the White House announced. The companies also committed to clearly labeling AI-generated content which may lead to the widespread watermarking of AI-generated audio and visual content to combat fraud and misinformation. These voluntary commitments — agreed to by the White House and seven major AI developers — including Amazon, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic and Inflection — aim to govern the rapidly growing industry for safety and security purposes. President Joe Biden is expected to meet with top executives from all seven companies at the White House today to discuss guardrails and potential legislation to regulate AI.

5. E-cigarettes

Over 1 in 10 young adults in the US regularly use e-cigarettes, according to a new report from the CDC. While previous findings have shown that cigarette use has fallen to record lows, e-cigarettes have increased in popularity. From 2020 to 2022, e-cigarette sales jumped to 22.7 million products sold each month. More brands — particularly disposable e-cigarette products — entered the market, while fruit and candy flavors that appeal to younger audiences became more popular. The CDC report arrives just days after the American Heart Association released a statement warning again that e-cigarettes carry risks for heart and lung disease. “The only people who should be using e-cigarettes are people who are smoking cigarettes and trying to quit,” said Dr. Joanna Cohen, director of the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at Johns Hopkins University.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

For these women, the ‘Barbie’ movie is personal
Real-life Barbaras, Barbs and Barbies told CNN what it’s like to share the same name as the iconic doll.

Unusual object has been releasing radio waves in space for decades
An unexplained stellar object around 15,000 light-years away from Earth is puzzling some astronomers.

Barack Obama’s summer playlist
The former president’s music taste is a medley of old and new. Here are the songs that he has been listening to this summer.

Tourists fined for taking selfies with wild dogs
Rangers in Australia did not find these photos fetching, at all.

Philippines makes historic debut at the World Cup
The Southeast Asian country made its first-ever appearance at the Women’s World Cup today. View live scores from the tournament here.

QUIZ TIME

Which city warned its residents about a suspected lioness on the loose?

A. Paris
B. Berlin
C. Rome
D. Amsterdam

Take CNN’s weekly news quiz to see if you’re correct!

TODAY’S NUMBER

2,400
That’s around how many Marines the US is deploying to the Middle East following recent Iranian attempts to seize commercial shipping vessels, the Pentagon announced Thursday. This comes after Iran attempted to seize two US tankers in the Gulf of Oman earlier this month, including one instance in which an Iranian vessel opened fire on a US tanker.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“All options are on the table.”

— Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, suggesting his state’s pension fund manager should consider legal action against Bud Light’s parent company. Sales of Bud Light have plummeted in the months since it entered into a minor partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney that sparked a boycott from conservatives. However, it remains unclear what legal recourse the state might have to challenge a multinational corporation’s business decisions.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY…

Act of kindness helps man become a best-selling author
This one will tug at your heartstrings! Take two minutes to learn about a man who became a best-selling author not long after no one wanted his book. (Click here to view)

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