Friday, May 29th, 2020
Protesters Burn Police Station, Boston Marathon Canceled & YouTube’s Film Fest
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.FunctionofBeauty.com/newsworthy 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...
Violent Minneapolis Protests
Protests demanding justice for George Floyd turned violent in Minneapolis for the third night in a row. Tensions have been escalating ever since Floyd died while in police custody Monday. Then last night, protesters set a police precinct on fire. More than 500 National Guard members were sent to the twin cities. Meanwhile, state and federal prosecutors are running simultaneous investigations into Floyd’s death. So far, the officers involved in his arrest haven’t been charged, including the one who kneeled on Floyd’s neck before he died.
Read More: Minneapolis Star Tribune, NBC News, WSJ, AP, MN Gov, Justice Dept., Local Emergency
Social Media Executive Order
Social media companies could soon be held responsible for things users post on their platforms. Under a new executive order, sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Google could more easily be sued. Trump says previous protections had allowed tech companies to censor conservative voices. He wants federal regulators to punish companies for the alleged bias and for stifling free speech. Expect this order to be challenged, though, since some experts say only Congress has the power to change federal law.
Read More: CNN, FOX News, LA Times, White House
Workplaces Changing
The CDC issued new recommendations this week for office spaces. They say buildings should have proper ventilation systems and more outdoor airflow when possible. Management should consider staggering people’s shifts and employees are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings. Meanwhile, some companies are still cutting jobs. More than two million more people applied for unemployment benefits in the U.S. last week. That brings the total to about 41 million jobs in 10 weeks.
CDC New Office Guidelines: NY Times, Axios, CDC
Unemployment Passes 40 Million: ABC News, AP, USA Today
NY No Face Masks/No Entry
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order to give private business owners the right to refuse service to customers who don’t wear face coverings. Some stores already have the policy, but it’s proven tough to enforce. The governor hopes by making it a state law, there will be fewer conflicts between shop owners and customers who won’t cover their faces.
Read More: Axios, NPR, NY Gov
TX No Masks Allowed Bar
A bar in central Texas put up a sign that reads, “sorry, no mask allowed.” There are still statewide restrictions in place that say bars can only operate at 25% capacity. So the bar owner told The Washington Post, “I want them to be the 25% of people that aren’t sheep.” Scientific and medical experts have said covering your face can significantly stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
Read More: USA Today, WaPo, CBS News
Boston Marathon Canceled
For the first time in 124 years, there will be no Boston Marathon. It was already moved from April to September, but since the coronavirus pandemic is still around and social distancing will be nearly impossible, organizers said they had to cancel. However, runners can still participate virtually. They’ll have to verify they ran the 26.2 miles on their own within six hours. Then, the Boston Marathon will give them a t-shirt, medal, and runner’s bib.
Read More: AP, Axios, CNN
NSA Russia Hacking Warning
The National Security Agency just put out another public warning about Russia’s most infamous hackers. It says they’re still active, targeting an email server widely used by government agencies and some private businesses. The software is called “Exim.” The NSA found out about this newest scheme 11 months ago and issued a security patch. But a lot of places have reportedly not made the fix yet.
Read More: Reuters, AP, NSA
CVS Self-Driving Vehicle Delivery
Self-driving cars are being used to help fight COVID-19. CVS Health is partnering with the robotics company Nuro on this. Starting next month, Nuro’s vehicles will deliver prescription medications to people’s homes in the Houston, Texas area. Deliveries will be free and should come within three hours of being ordered. At first, it will be only offered from one store, but it could eventually expand.
Read More: AP, CNBC, Forbes, Nuro
Online Shopping Boom
Delivery companies like UPS and Fed-ex are dealing with a lot more demand lately. It’s reportedly being called a “second Christmas” since the number of packages delivered right now is in-line with a usual holiday season. In response, UPS will start charging extra fees. Big clients like Amazon will be most impacted. Speaking of Amazon, the company is offering 125,000 of its temporary workers permanent positions.
UPS Adding Peak Surcharge: Reuters, WSJ
Amazon Temp Workers Offered Full-Time Jobs: TechCrunch, Amazon
YouTube Film Festival Begins
Starting today, you can check out a film festival from home and for free. YouTube is holding a 10-day event with more than 100 movies you can watch online. It will include dramas, comedies, and action films, along with documentaries and shorts. YouTube reportedly worked with world-class festivals like Cannes, Tribeca, and Sundance to curate the list of films. The festival will be free to watch, but you will be asked to make a donation.
Read More: Variety, CBS News, YouTube
SpaceX/NASA Launch Reminder
The historic space launch we’ve mentioned this week is scheduled for tomorrow. It will be the first time a private company, SpaceX, is launching NASA astronauts into orbit. It will also be the first time in nearly a decade they’ll launch from U.S. soil. The first attempt this week was postponed due to bad weather. Now, liftoff is set for Saturday afternoon.
Read More: CNN, CBS News
Feel Good Friday: “Colors of the World” Crayons
Crayola says it created a box of crayons with two dozen colors representing a wide variety of skin tones, from fair to dark and everything in between. The “colors of the world” will be released in July. They come in packs of 24. Or there’s a 32 pack option with extra colors for hair and eyes. The goal is to help all children feel accepted.
Read More: CNN, FOX News, Crayola