Wednesday, May 6th, 2020
Infection Rate Rising, Meat Limits & Elon Musk’s Baby
All the news you need in 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Blinkist.com/news and the Women's Meditation Network.
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...
U.S. Infection Rate Rising
New COVID-19 outbreaks have emerged outside New York City. Even though the rate of new infections has gone down in New York, at least 25,000 new cases have been identified almost every day nationwide. Health experts have said towns across the Midwest and South are starting to get hit hard and they’re particularly concerned about places that have lifted stay-at-home restrictions.
Read More: AP, NY Times, Politico
Latest Numbers: Johns Hopkins
Reopening the Economy
We’re getting a sense of why some governors are so eager to reopen the economy. A new poll from Marketplace and Edison Research found Americans’ financial anxiety has gone up during this pandemic across nearly all demographic groups and income levels. Still, reopening businesses doesn’t mean Americans will spend money on them. A Washington Post and the University of Maryland poll found most people are not ready to go to retail stores, gyms, or sit-down restaurants.
Read More: WaPo/UM, Marketplace/Edison Research, Monmouth Univ
White House Dissolving Task Force
The go-to team leading the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis may not exist much longer. The Trump administration is talking about getting rid of the White House coronavirus task force by the end of the month or early June. The administration reportedly wants to shift its focus to reopening the economy, developing a vaccine, and getting a good testing system out there. President Trump says he might form a new group for that, and he’ll keep consulting with doctors and public health officials.
Read More: CNN, WSJ
Trump Tours Mask Factory
President Trump toured a mask factory in Phoenix, Arizona, but he didn’t wear a mask. All production workers at the facility wore masks. One White House official said the president was told he didn’t have to wear one. Just last week, Vice President Pence received backlash for not wearing a face-covering when he visited the Mayo Clinic. He later called it a mistake.
Read More: AP, Reuters, CNBC
Meat Buying Limits
Costco, Sam’s Club, Hy-Vee, and Kroger are all now limiting meat purchases due to concerns about possible shortages. However, Kroger said in a statement there’s still plenty of meat in the supply chain. It’s just trying to make sure people don’t panic-buy protein. There’s been fear of a shortage since COVID-19 outbreaks have broken out in meat processing plants. It has slowed down production. Food industry executives say they’re looking into solutions that could boost the supply in the next week or so.
Read More: NY Times, AP
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back in the hospital. The court announced Ginsburg was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore with a gallbladder infection. She is still listening to court proceedings from the hospital room, via teleconference. Ginsburg, 87, is expected to be released in a day or two.
Read More: NBC News, WSJ
Disney, Airbnb, Airlines
Disneyland is reopening next week in Shanghai, China. It will take extra safety precautions, like social distancing and temperature scans. All of Disney’s theme parks were shutdown worldwide over the pandemic and it’s taken a big financial toll. The company’s profits plunged 91% in the first three months of the year.
Home-sharing company Airbnb is laying off about 1,900 employees, which is more than 25% of its staff. The company expects 2020 revenue to be half what it was in 2019.
U.S. airlines are collectively burning through about $10 billion a month right now. Meanwhile, one of Europe’s biggest airlines is losing about $1 million an hour. Lufthansa is trying to work out a rescue deal with the German government to avoid bankruptcy.
Disney’s Profits & Park Reopening: USA Today, Fox News, CNN
Airbnb Layoffs: The Verge, TechCrunch
Lufthansa Losing $1M/hr: CNN, Forbes
U.S. Airlines Burn $10B/mo: Reuters
Tinder In-App Video Chats
Tinder users will soon be able to video chat one-on-one with their dates, right in the dating app. Tinder says it will have the feature ready to go later this year, which could give people the chance to get to know each other better before exchanging phone numbers. By the way, daily active users and daily swipes on Tinder have reached all-time highs during the coronavirus crisis.
Read More: The Verge, Tinder
Tom Cruise Space Movie
Movie star Tom Cruise is working with NASA and Space-X to discuss shooting the first movie in space. It will reportedly be an action-adventure film, shot aboard the International Space Station. It’s unclear if Cruise will travel to the ISS, but it’s likely since he’s been known to perform his stunts.
Read More: USA Today, The Verge, TechCrunch, Deadline
Elon Musk Welcomes Baby
SpaceX founder Elon Musk and his girlfriend, Grimes, announced the birth of their baby boy. They named him X Æ A-12. Grimes explained the meaning of the name online. She said X stands for the unknown variable. Æ means artificial intelligence or love and A-12 is connected to the couple’s favorite aircraft. Musk tweeted the baby is “happy, healthy, and cute as a button.”
Read More: CNN, FOX News, EW
Nike Donates Sneakers to Nurses
Nike is donating 32,000 pairs of shoes to healthcare workers. It’s giving them 2019 Air Zoom Pulse sneakers, which were designed specifically for the needs of doctors and nurses. They have extra cushioning and good traction, which comes in handy for people on their feet all day. They’ll go to health systems and hospitals in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, and New York City.
Read More: ABC News, Forbes, Nike
Work Wednesday: Work-From-Home Productivity
A new survey found 54% of people who recently started working from home believe the shift made them more productive. Some said they have more time now since they no longer have to commute. Others said they work better not being distracted by co-workers or by unnecessary meetings. However, some people say they feel lonely working at home. So businesses will have to weigh the ups and downs from the pandemic-era moving forward.
Read More: USA Today, YouGov