Friday, June 19th, 2020
Court Upholds DACA, Celebrating Juneteenth & Summer Solstice
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 reading the latest happenings...
SCOTUS Rules Against Trump Ending DACA
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from immediately ending the DACA program. It protects nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. legally. Chief Justice John Roberts was the swing vote. He’s usually conservative, but this time, sided with the four liberal judges. President Trump may still have the legal authority to end DACA, but for now, his reasoning wasn’t good enough. The administration could try again, but experts say it’s not likely to get done before the November election.
Read More: NY Times, Politico, WaPo, ABC News, DHS
Trump’s Tulsa Rally Tomorrow
Tomorrow, President Trump will hold his first campaign event in months. Big crowds are already camped outside the arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The building fits 19,000 people, but the event is reportedly expected to draw 100,000 people. The Trump campaign has been lining up overflow areas outside for a “pro-Trump festival.” It’s all making Tulsa’s mayor nervous, since Oklahoma has been seeing a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. However, the Trump campaign says it will be ok because every attendee will have to get a temperature check. They’ll also be offered masks, but won’t be required to wear them.
Read More: The Oklahoman, NBC News, AP, Axios, Reuters, CBS News, CDC
Juneteenth
Today is Juneteenth, the annual holiday that commemorates June 19, 1865 - when the last remaining Black slaves learned they were free. Normally, people hold parades across the South, along with community festivals and cookouts. This year, along with celebrations, there are also planned protests and marches to call for an end to racial oppression.
Read More: WSJ, ABC News, AP, WaPo, Change.org
U.S. Virus Deaths Decline
The number of COVID-19 cases is steadily rising in the U.S. However, in recent weeks, the number of coronavirus-related deaths has fallen to the lowest level since March. Health experts say that’s partly because young people are driving the surge in states like Texas and Florida. Researchers say people under the age of 30 are not being as vigilant about social distancing. We also could be starting to see some of the impacts of mass protests. They are reminding everyone that even though young people are less likely to die, it can still be a long road to recover, so everyone should be taking precautions.
Read More: AP, Slate, The Hill, CBS News, WPEC
Your Tweet, Your Voice
Twitter will soon let you tweet your voice. It’s rolling out a new feature that lets you record 140 seconds of audio and share it. The audio posts will show up in news feeds, just like others. If people want to listen, they can click, then keep scrolling while the tweet plays in the background. The feature is only available for a limited number of people now but will roll out to everyone in the coming weeks.
Read More: Twitter, CNN
Facebook Pulls Trump Ads
Facebook is cracking down on ads from the Trump campaign. It reportedly removed 80 of them, saying they violated the rules on organized hate. The ads included an upside-down triangle that has historically been linked to Nazis. However, the Trump campaign says that’s not what was intended. It believed the triangle was connected to Antifa.
Read More: The Verge, TechCrunch, AP, Reuters
Facebook Contributing to Black Businesses
Facebook is promising to spend $1 billion a year on diverse suppliers. The company always works with a lot of different companies for things like marketing and construction. So starting next year, it will make sure they’re not all owned by white people. Also, this year, Facebook will invest another $100 million in Black-owned businesses and nonprofits.
Read More: Business Insider, Engadget, Facebook
Summer Solstice
Tomorrow is the summer solstice: the exact moment when the sun is at its highest point in the sky each year. People often refer to this as the longest day of the year because the sun rises early and sets late. Speaking of the sun, there will also be a solar eclipse this weekend. We won’t see it in the U.S., but it will be visible across parts of Africa and Asia.
Read More: USA Today, Accuweather
Rare ‘Ring of Fire’ Eclipse: Forbes, Cnet, CNN, CBS News
Father’s Day Weekend
Father’s Day is this Sunday. If you still need a gift idea, there are sales on things like Apple watches and smart speakers. You could also sign your dad up for a type of subscription service. Dads who are sports fans can watch the ESPY Awards on their special day. Seattle Seahawks star Russel Wilson is the host. However, this year, the show will be done remotely. The ESPYs air this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Gift Ideas: Cnet, USA Today
Espys: PEOPLE, ESPN
Feel Good Friday: Dogs Sniff out Coronavirus
Dogs are proving to be good at sniffing out COVID-19 in humans. In France, 18 dogs were trained to smell the virus in human sweat. In the trial, each dog smelled 15-68 samples from people with and without the disease. Four dogs were right every time. The rest had an accuracy rate between 83-94%. They could eventually be helpful in airports, businesses, and hospitals.
Read More: Good News Network, Science Times, Study