Friday, May 8th, 2020
States Ignore Benchmarks, “Smart City” Scrapped & New Banksy Surprise
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Blinkist.com/news and www.MagicSpoon.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 the latest happenings...
More States Reopening
By this weekend, 43 states will have started lifting coronavirus-related restrictions. However, a Johns Hopkins University researcher says no states have met all the recommended federal guidelines for reopening. President Trump says he trusts the governors to make the right decisions. So far, some states have been slowly reopening with strict restrictions. Others are allowing gatherings up to 250 people and some states never imposed a stay-at-home order to begin with.
Read More: AP, LA Times, CNN, CNN, Business Insider
Record Job Losses
The April jobs report will come out today. It’s reportedly expected to show the worst unemployment rate in history. The latest weekly report from the U.S. Labor Department showed another 3.2 million people filed new jobless claims last week. That pushed the total number of recently-unemployed Americans to 33 million.
Read More: USA Today, WSJ
Trump Personal Valet Tests Positive
One of the White House valets, who is a member of the U.S. military, tested positive for COVID-19. President Trump and Vice President Pence have since tested negative. Still, the presence of the virus is concerning, especially since most people around the West Wing do not wear masks. The Trump administration insists the White House is still safe since everyone is tested regularly.
Read More: Reuters, Politico
DOJ Dropping Flynn Case
The Justice Department dropped all charges against President Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. It came more than 2 years after Flynn pleaded guilty. He admitted to lying to the FBI about his discussions with a Russian diplomat, but Flynn’s attorneys have argued that prosecutors entrapped Flynn into lying. President Trump told reporters last week he would consider bringing Flynn back into his administration.
Read More: WaPo, WSJ, Axios, CBS News
Ahmaud Arbery Shooting
A white father and son were arrested yesterday for shooting and killing a black man more than two months ago. Gregory and Travis McMichael said they thought Ahmaud Arbery was a burglar, running away from a crime scene. Arbery’s family said he was just jogging for exercise and didn’t have a weapon. Initially, police said they believed the McMichaels were acting in self-defense. Then, after a video of the incident was released online, the state got involved. Now, the McMichaels have been charged with murder.
Murder Charges: NBC News, ABC News
Honor Run: People, CNN
Potentially Historic May Weather
On the East Coast, temperatures tomorrow morning could hit new record lows for that date. It’s going to be unusually cold from Maine to Alabama. Up to a foot of snow is possible in New England. Meanwhile, it’s the opposite on the West Coast. Parts of California, Arizona, and New Mexico have been experiencing record heat for several days. Triple-digit temperatures will hang on in some places through tomorrow.
Read More NY Times, FOX News, WaPo
‘Smart City’ Project Abandoned
There were big plans for a so-called “smart city” in part of Toronto, Canada, but those plans have now reportedly been scrapped. Google’s sister firm, Sidewalk Labs, was supposed to build a test city full of technology with sustainability in mind. The project has been controversial, with some privacy concerns about the personal data being collected by the technology. Sidewalk Labs is blaming the “unprecedented economic uncertainty” for abandoning the project.
Read More: BBC, VentureBeat
Lyft’s New Rules
Lyft is following Uber’s lead in requiring all drivers and passengers to wear face coverings. Lyft is going a step further though, making customers promise they’re symptom-free before booking a ride. They’ll be asked to sit in the back seat and roll down the windows for airflow when possible. Lyft says if people don’t agree with the rules, they won’t be able to get a ride. This all starts in a few weeks.
Read More: TechCrunch, Mashable, Lyft
Twitch Reality Shows
The popular live-streaming platform, Twitch, is planning to launch reality shows. Bloomberg cited some internal documents showing the Amazon-owned company plans to fund original, unscripted series that would be live and interactive. They might include game shows, sports, dating, and more.
Read More: Bloomberg
Banksy Honors Healthcare Workers
Well-known street artist, Banksy, is honoring healthcare workers with his latest piece of art. The so-called “Painting for Saints” shows a child playing with a superhero nurse doll. The doll is wearing a face mask and cape. The painting also shows other action figures in a trash can on the floor. Banksy reportedly donated the artwork to a hospital in the UK, hoping it would brighten the place up a bit.
Read More: CNN, BBC
Mother’s Day Sunday
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. There are plenty of ways to celebrate mom, even while social distancing. There are always phone calls or virtual hangouts. Also, it’s not too late to have flowers delivered or get meals for delivery or pickup. If you want a gift, some tech and retail companies have special sales going on. We wish all moms a Happy Mother’s Day!
Read More: Restaurant Deals, Flower Deals, Last-Minute Gifts
Feel Good Friday: Wedding Turned Food Drive
A generous bride and groom repurposed their wedding day into a food drive for families in need. The couple had been planning to get married on May 1 but decided to postpone their wedding until next year, due to the pandemic. So, on their original wedding date, they organized a food drive instead. They dressed up and decorated their car into a “wedding mobile” to pick up food. They got tons of donations and checks worth $5,000. It all went to a food bank in Long Island, New York.
Read More: Newsday, WNBC