Monday, June 22nd, 2020
Federal Prosecutor Fired, Trump’s Tulsa Turnout & Streaming IMAX Docs
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Skillshare.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 to review the latest happenings...
COVID-19 Spiking in Parts of U.S.
Saturday, the U.S. reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases since May 1st. Infections are surging fastest in the southern and western parts of the country. Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina have hit record hospitalizations in the last few days. Other hot spots are Florida, California, Missouri, South Carolina and Oklahoma. An infectious disease expert from the University of Minnesota told NBC News that COVID-19 probably won’t ease over the summer or fall since people are still susceptible without antibodies to fight the virus.
US Infections Resurge: CNBC, NY Times, ABC News, Johns Hopkins
COVID-19 “Unlikely” to Slow: Axios, NY Times, NBC News
Officer who Shot Breonna Taylor to be Fired
Louisville, Kentucky police are working to fire one of the officers who opened fire in Breonna Taylor’s apartment. She is the black woman who was killed in her own home in March. Officer Brett Hankison and two other officers have been under investigation ever since. The police chief says Hankison didn’t seem to care where he was shooting, so he will be fired. However, the officer and his lawyer will still get a chance to formally respond first. The FBI is investigating whether anyone should be charged with a crime.
Read More: Louisville Courier Journal, ABC News, NY Times, Tweet, Letter from Chief
Trump Fires Federal Prosecutor
President Trump is facing new controversy over his decision to fire a top federal prosecutor, Geoffrey Berman. He was a U.S. attorney in Manhattan who led the prosecution in several high-profile corruption and Wall Street crimes. Critics believe the Trump Administration fired him for being disloyal to Trump. Attorney General William Barr wanted to replace him with SEC Chairman Jay Clayton. For now, the prosecutor will be replaced by his own chief deputy. Ultimately, the Senate will have to confirm a permanent replacement.
Read More: WSJ, NY Times, USA Today, Reuters
Trump Tulsa Rally
President Trump’s first rally since March brought a smaller-than-expected crowd together. Tulsa’s fire marshal says about 6,200 people attended. President Trump and his campaign manager had said nearly a million people signed up for tickets. Now, team Trump blames news organizations for the low turnout. The other possible reason is Tik Tok users and k-pop fans had been encouraging people to complete the free online registration for the rally, then not show up, in hopes of leaving empty seats.
Trump Campaign Relaunch: Axios, WSJ, NBC News, Politico, Trump Campaign
BTS Fans, Tik Tok Users Troll Trump: AP, NY Times, NBC News, Reuters
Moratorium on Cruises Extended
Major cruise lines, like Carnival and Royal Caribbean, won’t be sailing out of U.S. ports until at least September 15. They wanted to resume operations in August, but industry leaders say they’ll hold off since they’re worried about the coronavirus spreading. By the time ships start sailing in mid-September, cruise lines will have been out of commission for six months.
Read More: The Verge, USA Today
NASCAR Confederate Flag Backlash
There is more controversy surrounding NASCAR’s new ban on the confederate flag. Dozens of fans brought their own flags to a race over the weekend. Also, NASCAR’s only black top-tier driver, Bubba Wallace, has been receiving threats. This weekend, a noose was found hanging in Wallace’s garage stall. NASCAR vowed to do everything possible to ind the person responsible and “eliminate them from the sport.”
Read More: USA Today, CBS Sports, ESPN, AP, Tweet
Belmont Stakes Results
For the first time, Belmont Stakes was the first leg of the American Triple Crown of horse racing. Tiz the Law won it. The horse is three-years-old and was raised in upstate New York. This year, the race was shorter than usual to account for unusual training schedules. Fans were not in the stands and masks were mandated for everyone but the horses. Both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes will happen this fall.
Read More: ESPN, CNN, NBC Sports
Nextdoor Eliminated Forward to Police Program
Nextdoor has pulled its “forward to police” feature. The service let people send safety posts and urgent alerts to law enforcement officers, but critics worried it could fuel racial bias by making it easy to report people of color for being suspicious. So, the neighborhood app decided to do away with it. Users can still send direct messages to police through the app if they want.
Read More: The Verge, Engadget, Bloomberg
IMAX Documentaries Coming to Hulu
IMAX nature and science documentaries are coming to Hulu. Both IMAX and Hulu execs say they hope this will help people cope with cabin fever and allow them to virtually explore the earth in a new way. 16 of the docs will be released on Hulu this summer, including A Beautiful Plant, Superhero Dogs, and Pandas. Some are streaming now. Others will be released in the coming weeks and months.
Read More: Hollywood Reporter, Engadget, The Verge, IMAX
Kurt Cobain's Guitar Sells for $6 Million
A guitar that once belonged to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was sold for more than $6 million. That makes it the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction. Cobain used the acoustic guitar to perform on MTV Unplugged back in 1993, just months before he died. The new owner is reportedly the founder of Rode Microphones. He says he plans to take the guitar on a worldwide tour. All the proceeds will support the performing arts.
Read More: AP, BBC, Rolling Stone
Monday Monday: Coin Shortage
Banks around the country are running low on quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. During coronavirus-related restrictions, the coins reportedly piled up in cash drawers and pants pockets. On top of that, the U.S. Mint produced fewer coins than normal to protect employees from COVID-19. If the shortage keeps up, businesses may not be able to give people exact change. Still, the supply is expected to rebound as the economy reopens.
Read More: NPR, USA Today