Tuesday, May 26th, 2020
Holiday Weekend Crowds, Where to Worship & Tom Brady’s Wardrobe Malfunction
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
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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...
Memorial Day Weekend Crowds
Thousands of Americans spent Memorial Day weekend at beaches, bars, and barbecues, defying social distancing guidelines. Pictures were posted of crowds gathering in states like Florida, California, Texas, Missouri, and Virginia, just to name a few. They show people packed into small areas, not wearing masks. Meanwhile, nearly 100,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. and the virus is still spreading.
Read More: NBC News, ABC News, FOX News
Case Count/Death Toll: Johns Hopkins
Coronavirus “Not Yet Contained”
The FDA commissioner tweeted out a reminder over the weekend that the coronavirus is not yet contained. Meanwhile, the White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator says there are three metro areas with high infection rates right now. Dr. Deborah Birx expressed concern about Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Cases aren’t necessarily spiking, but they’re not dropping at the same rate as other big cities, like New York.
FDA Commissioner Warning: CNN, CBS News, Tweet
No Decline in Major Metro Areas: WaPo, LA Times, The Hill, WMAQ
HHS Watchdog to Testify
A federal watchdog, Christi Grimm, will testify on Capitol Hill today about the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. She’s expected to talk about a hospital supply shortage she documented in late March. When her report first came out, President Trump disputed the findings. Today’s testimony and questioning will be live-streamed to the public.
Read More: Axios, WaPo
New Hydroxychloroquine Concerns
The World Health Organization is pausing research into hydroxychloroquine. It wants to do another safety review before looking into the drug as a potential treatment for COVID-19. The decision follows new findings from the largest hydroxychloroquine study to date. They showed patients treated with the drug risked heart problems and death. This is the same drug President Trump has promoted. He said he just finished taking it for 2 weeks and feels fine.
WHO Pauses Trial: The Hill, CNN, Newsweek, Tweet
Trump Finishes Drug Treatment: NBC News, USA Today
Honoring Fallen Servicemembers
Former Vice President Joe Biden laid a wreath at a Delaware war memorial yesterday. Before now, the presumptive Democratic nominee hadn’t been seen out of his home in more than 2 months. Even on Memorial Day, he kept a low profile. Biden wore a mask and kept his visit short.
President Trump attended an outdoor ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday. He did not wear a mask, but also didn’t give a speech, since the event was shortened. Trump then traveled to Baltimore’s historic Fort McHenry. There, he praised the tens of thousands of service members who are helping get the coronavirus pandemic under control.
Biden Observes Memorial Day: CNN, USA Today, NBC News
Trump Observes Memorial Day: AP, FOX News
Trump Deems Places of Worship “Essential”
President Trump is demanding all governors let churches, synagogues, and mosques reopen. He threatened to override governors who don’t follow the order, although it’s not clear if he has that power. After the president’s announcement, the CDC issued some new guidance for religious institutions to start in-person services. It says faith leaders should encourage people to wear face coverings. It also says they should consider suspending choirs since singing can spread COVID-19 further than talking.
Read More: FOX News, NPR, Politico CDC Guidelines
Eid al-Fitr
Muslims celebrated one of their biggest religious holidays over the weekend. Typically, people gather at mosques and visit friends and family for Eid Al-Fitr, which means “festival of the breaking of the fast.” However, this year, many Islamic families stayed home and took part in virtual gatherings instead. Eid marks the end of Ramadan, during which Muslims don’t eat or drink from dawn until sunset.
Read More: USA Today, CNN
Airlines OK to Stop Service
Major airlines are planning to stop flights to more than 60 small and midsize cities since demand is so low. The U.S. Transportation Department gave carriers like American, Delta, and United the go-ahead to eliminate flights to places like Aspen, Colorado; Flint, Michigan; and Lincoln, Nebraska. They could be cut by the end of this week. However, these cities won’t lose services entirely.
Read More: NY Times, Reuters
Hertz Files for Bankruptcy
Rental car company Hertz filed for bankruptcy, citing a dramatic and abrupt drop in revenue. The company says very few of its 700,000 cars are being rented right now. Most of them are just sitting in parking lots. Meanwhile, the company is in billions of dollars of debt. Now, it will try to stay afloat while its debts are restructured. Then, it eventually plans to bounce back.
Read More: WSJ, Forbes, NY Times, CNN
Tinder Global Mode
Tinder is reportedly launching “Global Mode.” That lets users remove all geographic filters so they can view and match with people from anywhere in the world. The app will start testing the new feature this week. If all goes well, it could be rolled out to everyone.
Read More: The Verge, Engadget
Celebrity Golf Tournament
“The Match” was held this weekend. It was a golf tournament featuring huge stars from the NFL and PGA. Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson squared off against Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods. Manning and Woods came out on top, but most of the social media buzz is about Tom Brady’s wardrobe malfunction. The champion quarterback split his pants as he was picking up a golf ball, then laughed it off. The tournament ended up raising at least $20 million for COVID-19 relief.
Read More: AP, NBC Sports
Musk & Grimes Change Baby Name
Elon Musk and Grimes have picked a new name for their newborn baby, or at least a new spelling. The couple originally wanted him to be named X Æ A-12. However, California didn’t allow numbers. So, Musk and Grimes changed the numbers to Roman numerals. Now, they say they plan to name the baby X Æ A-Xii.
Read More: CNN, USA Today, Instagram