Tuesday, May 5th, 2020
Leaked New Predictions, Travel Guidelines & Tiger King Scripted
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Blinkist.com/news
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 to read the latest happenings...
Virus Deaths Projection
An internal report from the Trump administration predicts 3,000 deaths per day from COVID-19 by June. That’s close to double the current daily death toll. Already, about 69,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S. However, the Johns Hopkins professor who created that model says his projections weren’t finished and were only shown to the CDC as a “work in progress.” Even so, he cautions that COVID-19 could spiral out of control under certain scenarios, like if states reopen too quickly.
Daily Death Toll to Double: NY Times, WaPo, Reuters
Case Count/Death Toll: Johns Hopkins
Trump to Visit AZ
Today, President Trump is leaving Washington, D.C. for the first time in more than a month. He’s traveling to a Honeywell Aerospace facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The plant has been making N95 respirator masks for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. Next, the president says he wants to go to Ohio. The White House hasn’t given a date or a location for that trip.
Read More: USA Today, Politico
Vaccine Research
Some of the largest countries, banks, and organizations in the world are pitching in to fund vaccine research. They gathered via video conference yesterday for a summit, in which $8 billion was pledged. Still, the United Nations Secretary-General says the world will likely need five times that amount to reach everyone everywhere. Meanwhile, the U.S. is looking into 14 potential vaccines. At the end of the month, the Trump administration reportedly wants to narrow that number down to three or four. The goal is to have a vaccine ready for the general public by January 2021.
EU Funding Vaccine Research: ABC News, AP
U.S. Identifies 14 Possible Vaccines: CNN, NBC News
Amazon Executive Quits
An Amazon VP quit over what he called the firing of “whistleblowers.” He’s referring to several Amazon employees who were fired last week after publicly criticizing the company. In a blog post, he explained his decision, calling the firings “evidence of toxicity running through the company culture.” Amazon, at this point, is declining to comment.
Read More: AP, WaPo, Blog Post
Meteor Shower Peaks Today
A phenomenal meteor shower will be visible over North America for the next two mornings, just before dawn. This shower happens each spring when Earth passes through the orbit of Halley’s comet. If you look at the right time, in the right conditions, you may see as many as 30 shooting stars in an hour. A similar meteor shower will also happen in October.
Read More: USA Today, CBS News, CNN
Restarting Cruises
Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival are reportedly hoping to set sail again between June and August. However, a statement from the CDC says it doesn’t know if it will be safe enough to take a cruise by then. Cruise lines have faced criticism since several ships were hit by outbreaks. So it will have to make adjustments.
Read More: USA Today, AP
Travel Industry Reopening Guidelines
The U.S. Travel Association unveiled new guidelines for hotels, airports, attractions, and other vacation-related businesses. The trade group is suggesting touchless options, like online ticketing or virtual check-in. It also recommends health screenings for employees, extra sanitation procedures, and more. For now, the U.S. government is still asking Americans to avoid non-essential travel.
Read More: Miami Herald, The Hill
CDC Travel Advisory
NYC Sanitizing UV Light
New York City is about to use powerful ultraviolet lamps as a disinfectant on its subway cars and buses. They blast UVC light, which has been known to kill viruses. The city will shut down a fraction of buses and subway cars overnight, starting at 1 a.m. tomorrow to test them. Bleach and chemical sprays are also being used until the lights are proven to be effective.
Read More: NY Daily News, Mashable
Tiger King & Star Wars
A new Tiger King is in the works, but it won’t be another docuseries like the first one. This time, it will be a scripted 8-episode drama series, starring Nicholas Cage as Joe Exotic. No word yet on when it will come out.
Disney announced another Star Wars movie for theaters. Taika Waititi will co-write and direct it. He’s known for directing Mandalorian and Thor: Ragnarok. The new movie will be a stand-alone movie and won’t have a connection to the Skywalker saga. So far, there is no specific release date.
New Tiger King TV Drama: The Verge, USA Today, Variety
New Star Wars in the Works: CNN, Mashable
Cinco de Mayo
Today is Cinco de Mayo. The holiday started in Mexico to celebrate an unexpected victory over the French empire during the 1862 Battle of Puebla. However, it’s now observed more in the U.S. than in Mexico. As part of the traditions, several Mexican-American restaurants will offer party platters and special discounts today, most of which will be for delivery and pickup.
Read More: History, USA Today, People
Talk to Me Tuesday
Q: Will in-person college classes resume this fall? If not, do students think online-only learning is worth it?
A1: Most colleges are planning to welcome students back to campus in the fall, but with changes. Many large universities, like Purdue and Baylor, have already announced plans. One idea is to allow only freshman back on campus. Another is moving the largest lecture classes online and keeping the smaller ones on campus. Of course, it all depends on what the pandemic looks like in the fall.
A2: Most students will likely move forward with online-only classes if they have no other choices, but we do expect to see enrollment drop. CNBC reports some students are considering taking a gap year or going to community colleges closer to home. Also, students at more than a dozen colleges are demanding partial refunds on tuition and campus fees.
Read More: Axios, NY Times, FOX News, AP