Friday, June 12th, 2020
Top General Apologizes, Trump Rally Waivers & Snapchat Mini Apps
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Care.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...
Trump “Finalizing” Executive Order
President Trump says he’s finalizing an executive order that would reform law enforcement in the U.S. It would encourage police departments to adopt national "use of force" standards. It would also support better training for police officers and add pilot programs for social workers to work with law enforcement. Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have also come up with plans to address racial injustice and police brutality. However, it’s unclear if they’ll agree on enough to get a measure passed that President Trump would also be willing to sign.
Read More: NBC News, Reuters, Politico, NY Times
Joint Chiefs Chair Apologizes
The country’s top military official is apologizing for his role in a controversial photo op. Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says he regrets walking with President Trump to a church near the White House. It happened just after authorities forcefully removed peaceful protesters from the area. Now, Gen. Milley says he’s sorry, and he acknowledged the country still has work to do in defeating racism.
Read More: AP, NY Times, NBC News, ABC News
Harvard Doc’s COVID-19 Projection
The director of the Harvard Global Health Institute says he expects the U.S. to see another 100,000 people die from the disease by September. Already, COVID-19 has killed nearly 114,000 people in the U.S. in just four months. Dr. Ashish Jha says Americans can turn this around. He says it comes down to social distancing, wearing masks, and putting pressure on the government to advance testing and contact tracing.
Read More: USA Today, The Hill, Tweet
Current Case Count, Death Toll: Johns Hopkins
Moderna Vaccine Final Tests
At least one vaccine is on track to be ready early next year. The National Institutes of Health is working with Moderna. They’ve been speeding through trials and are now ready to start the final phase next month. In that study, 30,000 people will be given either a vaccine or a dummy shot. Then, scientists will compare which group ends up with more COVID-19 infections. If all goes well, Moderna says it could have 300 million doses available by January.
Read More: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
1.5 Million More Unemployed
The U.S. Labor Department says another 1.5 million Americans filed first-time jobless claims last week. The good news is the number of new applicants keeps falling. It’s the lowest weekly number since the pandemic began. However, the total is massive. More than 44 million people have filed for unemployment in the last three months.
Read More: USA Today, Axios, Politico, Labor Dept.
Stock Market Falls
The stock market took another dive yesterday. Stocks sank nearly six percent, making it the worst day on Wall Street since March. This is especially discouraging since stocks were rallying earlier this week. Investors are reportedly getting the idea that the recovery from COVID-19 won’t come quickly and we’re in it for the long haul.
Read More: CNBC, WSJ, WaPo, FOX News
Rally at Your Own Risk
One week from today, President Trump will hold his first campaign rally since early March. This one, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will be a little different. People who sign up will have to agree not to sue if they get COVID-19. People will see the waiver as they register for tickets online. A Trump campaign official said there would be health precautions in place at the event but didn’t give details.
Read More: NBC News, CBS News, WaPo, USA Today
RNC Picks Jacksonville, Florida
The Republican National Committee settled on Jacksonville, Florida for its convention in late August. It was originally supposed to be in Charlotte, North Carolina, but President Trump wasn’t happy the governor was going to impose social distancing measures that could have limited the crowd size. In Jacksonville, planners say there will be health screenings and temperature checks, but masks and social distancing will be optional.
Read More: WSJ, Axios, CNN, FOX News
Democrats Presidential Campaign Update
Former Vice President Joe Biden has also started in-person campaigning again. He held an event in Philadelphia yesterday, but hasn’t announced any plans to hold large rallies, like President Trump. The Democratic National Convention is still set to happen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Democrats haven’t said how many people will be allowed. It apparently depends on what public health experts tell them this August.
Biden Campaign Stops: Reuters, Politico
DNC Milwaukee Convention: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Independent
Microsoft Won’t Sell Police Facial Recognition
Microsoft says it hasn’t sold its facial recognition technology to police departments and it won’t do so until there are federal regulations in place. Studies have shown facial recognition systems are more likely to misidentify people with darker skin. Microsoft’s announcement comes just one day after Amazon banned police from using its facial recognition software for at least a year. IBM announced it was backing away from the tech entirely.
Read More: Mashable, Engadget, NPR, AP
Smithsonian Collecting D.C. Protest Art
Three Smithsonian museums are now collecting items from recent protests in Washington, D.C. They’re reportedly interested in things like homemade signs, t-shirts, original art, photos, videos, and audio recordings from the protests. It’s not clear exactly how the items will be used, but they could eventually go into an in-person or online exhibit about this moment in history.
Read More: AP, CBS News, DCist
Snapchat Minis
Snap is launching a new product called “minis.” These are miniature apps embedded within the Snapchat app. They let people do things like buy movie tickets or follow guided meditations. The mini-apps can also be used in groups. You can reportedly open them in the chat function to use them with friends. For now, Snap is offering seven minis, all built by third-party developers. They will launch next month.
Read More: The Verge, Snap, TechCrunch, CNBC
RV Sales Ticking Up
RV sales are on the rise as more Americans take summer road trips. Some RV dealers say sales increased 170 percent last month, compared to the year prior. Meanwhile, rental companies like Cruise America say domestic demand is through the roof. One survey found one in four Americans intend to take an RV trip within the next four months.
Read More: NYT, Fox Business
Feel Good Friday: Sports & Tech Donations
The NFL is pledging $250 million to fight systemic racism in the criminal justice process and elsewhere. Meanwhile, YouTube and Apple are each dedicating $100 million to black communities. Apple plans to use some of the money to launch a camp for black developers and entrepreneurs. YouTube says it wants to develop talent and fund new shows dedicated to black creators and artists.
NFL $250 Million to Black Community: Bleacher Report, USA Today, Axios, NFL
Apple $100m Justice Initiative: The Verge, Axios, Tim Cook
YouTube $100m to Amplify Black Creators: The Verge, Engadget, YouTube