Wednesday, April 29th, 2020
1 Million Cases, Pentagon UFO Videos & Virtual Graduation
All the news you need in 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.FunctionofBeauty.com/newsworthy.
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want reading about the latest happenings...
Coronavirus Milestones
More than a million people have now come down with COVID-19 in the U.S. Some researchers think the true number could be about 10 times that since the figure only covers the people who have been tested. Already, more than 58,000 Americans have died from the new coronavirus, but the White House projects the 74,000 Americans will die from it by August.
Case Count, Death Toll: Johns Hopkins
Forecasting COVID-19 Deaths: CDC, CNN
Reopening Guidelines Not Reached
Before states reopen, the White House says states should wait until COVID-19 cases go down for 14 days in a row. So far, no state has met that standard. In fact, in a lot of states, like Georgia, the daily case count is still rising. However, that hasn’t stopped a handful of states, like Georgia, from starting to lift stay-at-home restrictions anyway.
No State Meets Guidelines: NBC News, White House
Reopening While Social Distancing: AP, LA Times
Keeping Meat Processing Plants Open
There are warnings of possible meat shortages in the U.S. that could impact prices at the grocery store in weeks ahead. That’s because workers at meat-processing plants are getting COVID-19, and those outbreaks have forced plants to slow production or shut down. Now, President Trump is stepping in. He signed an executive order forcing plants to stay open. Plants that have already closed will have to reopen. The Trump administration says it will take steps to improve safety at the facilities. Still, unions and labor advocates aren’t happy, saying the White House cares more about money than workers’ lives.
Read More: WaPo, WSJ, Axios, Bloomberg, White House
Joe Biden’s Joe-Mentum
Most election results are in from Ohio, and it comes as no surprise that former Vice President Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential primary. Biden is technically the last Democrat in the race, even though some former candidates were still on the ballot. Also yesterday, he received another high-profile endorsement from a fellow Democrat. Former Secretary of State, who ran against President Trump in 2016, threw her support behind Biden.
Ohio Primary Results: AP, NYT
Hillary Clinton Endorses Biden: ABC News, WaPo, FOX News
Pentagon UFO Videos
The Pentagon just declassified videos showing UFOs flying through the sky. They were recorded by naval pilots in 2004 and 2015. In them, you can hear the service members reacting in awe about how quickly the objects are moving and that one is flying against the wind. The Pentagon didn’t say exactly what was happening in the videos, but the U.S. Navy spokesman said: “To identify and understand what’s going on, we need more data.”
Read More: Boston Globe, CNN, DOD
Cancer Blood Test
For the first time, a blood test was shown to help detect certain kinds of cancers. Researchers screened nearly 10,000 women between 65 to 75 years old. They say the blood test, used alongside typical screening methods, doubled the number of cancers detected. Some were even ovarian cancers, which aren’t easy to detect by standard methods. Still, the blood tests are experimental and far from perfect. Even supporters say they need to be improved, then tested in more diverse groups.
Read More: AP, STAT
YouTube Fact-Checking Feature
YouTube is hoping to stop the spread of misinformation by adding a fact-checking feature in the U.S. The feature provides information panels that tell you if claims related to your search are true, false, or something else. It will use sources like the Dispatch and Politifact to do the fact-checking. If you’re interested in using the feature, you just have to click on a panel that pops up at the top of your screen.
Read More: TechCrunch, YouTube, Engadget, USA Today
Making Money on Livestream
Not all Facebook livestreams will stay free. The social media platform is giving users, like businesses and creators, the option to charge money to join the livestream. The change comes as more workouts, performances, classes, and professional conferences go virtual. Already, Facebook-owned Instagram is letting nonprofits hold fundraisers on Instagram Live. People can donate directly through the stream.
Charging for Facebook Livestreams: The Verge, Facebook
Instagram Live Fundraisers: The Verge, Instagram
Online Movies & Awards
YouTube says it plans to hold a 10-day virtual film festival late next month. It has world-class backing from film festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, and more. Speaking of films online, the Academy Awards are changing the rules for next year to allow streaming movies to compete. Usually, the movies must be released in theaters to be considered, but since the pandemic shut down theaters, the Oscars were willing to adjust the rules for next year only.
Virtual Film Festival: CBS News, Variety, Press Release
Streaming-Only Movies Eligible for Oscars: Engadget, Mashable
Facebook Virtual Graduation
Facebook is planning to stream a virtual graduation ceremony for high school seniors next month since they can’t walk across the stage. Oprah Winfrey will be the commencement speaker, while Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X, Simone Biles, and more will offer their own words of wisdom for graduates.
Read More: The Verge, ABC News, AP, Facebook
Baseball HOF Ceremony to be Postponed
The Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2020 might have to wait until 2021 to be inducted. The July ceremony in New York was going to celebrate former Yankee Derek Jeter and three other baseball legends. About 100,000 people were expected to attend. Now, Hall of Fame board members are meeting about a backup plan. They already dismissed the idea of a virtual ceremony.
Read More: USA Today, NBC Sports
Sports Preparing Comebacks
MLB is still plotting its return. Sources tell USA Today the league is hoping to start the season by July 2nd at the latest. It’s thinking about breaking up teams into three divisions based on geography, rather than the traditional two, as a way to cut back on travel. Also, fans likely won’t be allowed in the stands. So far, nothing is set in stone.
Meanwhile, NASCAR has been given the green light to hold the Coca-Cola 600 race Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fans won’t be allowed to attend, but the governor did say the race would happen as long as the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t get worse.
MLB Reopening Ideas: AP, The Athletic
NASCAR Race Okayed: ESPN, FOX News
Work Wednesday: Scammers Targeting Job Seekers
Scammers are reportedly trying to rip off job seekers. They’re pretending to be employers, offering people work-from-home jobs. It’s to get personal information like social security numbers and bank account routing information. The FTC says about 24,000 people have filed complaints since January with losses totaling $19 million.
Read More: ABC News, NY Post