911 centers affected by low unemployment rate, former felons to regain voting rights, foreign investment in Africa, Elon Musk’s legal troubles, and a growing number of babies born with opioid addiction.

Here are the top newsworthy items from this past week as shared on our Facebook page.

• Every 15 minutes, a baby is born addicted to opioids. Nationally, the number of babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome — caused by withdrawal from exposure to drugs — has increased by over 400% since 2004.

From Axios

• 911 centers across the country are struggling to hire enough operators, slowing the time it takes to answer calls. This issue has been around for years, but has been exacerbated by the current low unemployment rate.

From USA TODAY

• A new referendum, Amendment 4, could restore the right to vote for over 1.5 million former felons in Florida — and shift the state’s electorate.

From The New York Times

• Spending on political ads for the midterms ($2.9 billion) will be nearly as high as presidential-election spending two years ago ($3 billion), estimates MAGNA, the media and research arm of Interpublic Group.

From Axios

• At the United Nations, Mr. Trump said China is trying to interfere in the midterm U.S. elections in retaliation for his stance on trade. He said China was trying to hurt him and the GOP in part by using newspaper ads to target voters in areas most affected by Chinese tariffs.

From The Wall Street Journal

• China, India and Turkey are among a range of countries investing in Africa. They are taking advantage of changing demographics and prospective major growth on the continent. Of the world’s top 10 fastest-growing economies this year according to the World Bank, six are in Africa.

From Financial Times

• The SEC is seeking to bar Mr. Musk, Tesla’s largest shareholder and top executive, from serving as an officer or director of any U.S. public company. They allege the Tesla founder misled shareholders when he tweeted he had funding for what would have been the largest corporate buyout to date.

From The Wall Street Journal

• The Fed decided to raise short-term interest rates by another quarter-percentage point to 2.25%. This is the first time the Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark rate above 2% since 2008.

From The Wall Street Journal

• Instagram co-founders Mike Krieger, left, and Kevin Systrom are stepping down from Facebook. Among other things, Facebook officials clashed with the Instagram co-founders over growth tactics and how to more rapidly expand the app’s user base.

From The Wall Street Journal

• The U.S. House passed a bill updating music copyright protections. The Music Modernization Act creates a new licensing system and aims to help songwriters get paid more when people listen to their work online.

From The Wall Street Journal

 

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