Melinda Gates: 28, Bill Gates: 0

Here are the news items: The WHO and the CDC finally agree: COVID-19 is airborne. Rebecca explains what the smart money play is.  As cars move toward an all-electric future, the automotive and electronics industries are beginning to fuse. Thomas Friedman makes the case, in a New York Times column, that Hamas and Benjamin Netanyahu need each other. John breaks down Bibi’s latest power play.  The Bill and Melinda Gates divorce will be litigated in the press, and Melinda appears to have struck first – with a piece in The New York Times that’s full of discomfiting details about Bill. John explains why it’s a “hit piece.” China has become the world’s biggest supplier of armed drones, in part because the U.S. only exports drones to its closest allies. John explains why falling behind on drone AI is a massive risk. PLUS: John and Rebecca discuss the AT&T and Discovery Inc. merger, which will create a new media giant (and a big player in the streaming wars). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Om Podcasten

Ninety percent of the news out there tells you nothing about where the world is going — ten percent of it tells you everything. Every afternoon on the News Items Podcast with John Ellis, John and Rebecca Darst focus on that ten percent — news that’s interesting, important or both. The podcast is based on John Ellis’ News Items, an email newsletter that goes out to organizations including the Council on Foreign Relations, Samsung Next, and the Wall Street Journal. Tune in every Monday through Thursday afternoon to hear decades of journalistic experience packed into 20 or so minutes of insight, plus guest interviews on finance, U.S. politics, foreign affairs, science and technology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.