Tuesday, June 16th, 2020
Supreme Court Surprise, Trump Tackles Police Reform & ADHD Video Game
All the news 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...
SCOTUS Protects LGBTQ
It's being called a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights in America. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled gay and transgender employees should be included in a federal civil rights law banning workplace discrimination. It was already illegal to discriminate against workers based on their race, religion, sex, or national origin, but the law didn’t specify sexual orientation or gender identity until now. The vote was 6-3, with two conservative and four liberal justices in the majority.
Read More: NY Times, AP, Reuters, WSJ, Axios
Trump to Sign Executive Order
President Trump is about to unveil his ideas for police reform. He plans to sign an executive order today. It will reportedly ask law enforcement to beef up use-of-force training and strengthen a national database to track misconduct. The order is expected to encourage, but not require, local police departments to make changes. Those that take the suggested steps would get priority for federal grants. Still, many advocates for police reform are calling for more dramatic measures.
Read More: Reuters, WSJ, USA Today, WaPo, Politico, CBS News
Coronavirus Global Update
More than 8 million people have now been diagnosed with COVID-19. Infections are now surging in Latin America. Brazil is considered the number two hot spot in the world, right behind the U.S. Elsewhere, restrictions are being lifted. Nations in Europe reopened their borders this week for people to travel from one European country to another. Visitors from other continents won’t be able to enter until next month at the earliest.
Read More: NY Times, BBC, AP, Reuters, Johns Hopkins
FDA Revokes Hydroxychloroquine Authorization
The FDA is taking back its emergency authorization for two potential COVID-19 treatments: chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. The FDA cited reports of heart complications, saying the drugs’ unproven benefits “do not outweigh the known and potential risks.” The FDA also warned the drugs could interact with remdesivir, the only COVID-19 treatment that’s been proven effective. They are still approved for other conditions and are usually prescribed for malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Read More: CNN, Reuters, WaPo, NBC News, FDA
Video Game to Treat ADHD
The FDA approved a video game to treat ADHD. That means the game can legally be marketed and prescribed as medicine in the U.S. It’s called Endeavor RX. The game takes players through a bunch of different landscapes, like lava or a winter wonderland, and requires them to complete tasks along the way. It’s designed for children ages 8-12 years old. Still, it’s not considered a cure-all. It’s meant to be prescribed as part of a broader treatment program that might include therapy or medication.
Read More: Stat, The Verge, AP, FDA
T-Mobile Outage
Wireless carrier T-Mobile is dealing with a service outage that affected thousands of customers in several states. As of early this morning, some people still couldn’t make calls, receive calls, or access the internet. The company blames a routing issue it says is now repaired. On Twitter, the head of the FCC says he’s demanding answers about how this outage happened and will investigate.
Read More: AP, Reuters, LA Times, T-Mobile
Jeff Bezos Congressional Testimony
For the first time, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has agreed to testify before Congress. Lawmakers want to talk to him as part of a months-long antitrust investigation. They want to figure out if big tech companies, like Amazon, have ever used power and influence to push out competitors. The heads of Apple, Facebook, and Google were also asked to sit for questioning. However, unlike Bezos, they have all testified before.
Read More: NPR, Politico, CNN, WSJ
United Airlines Stricter Mask Requirements
United Airlines is going to start banning passengers who don’t wear masks on flights. Passengers will get at least one warning and a complimentary mask if they need one. However, if they still refuse to put it on, they’ll be banned from flying United, at least temporarily. Still, some people are except, like small children and those with certain medical conditions.
Read More: CNN, Business Insider, United
DOT Providing Cloth Masks
The U.S. government is trying to get more travelers to wear face coverings. The Department of Transportation is sending 100 million cloth masks to places like airports and Amtrak stations. They will be given to passengers in hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Read More: USA Today, Reuters
MLB Season Negotiations
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says he’s no longer confident there will be baseball in 2020. The league can’t seem to strike a deal with the players’ union. They have been disagreeing over things like the number of games and player salaries. However, negotiations are still ongoing.
Read More: USA Today, ESPN, AP, WSJ
Oscars Delayed
The 2021 Academy Awards have been postponed for the first time in 40 years. They were supposed to happen in February of next year, but they’re now scheduled for late April. The coronavirus pandemic is to blame. At this point, it’s still not clear if the Oscars will be in-person or all virtual.
Read More: The Verge, Variety, LA Times