Friday, June 26th, 2020
# of Cases 10x Higher, First Team Sport Returns & 50 Years of Pride
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Skillshare.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...
Coronavirus Spike & Antibodies
The CDC director says the number of Americans who have had COVID-19 is likely ten times higher than what’s reported. That means instead of 2.4 million infections confirmed in the U.S. so far, it would be 24 million. The CDC came up with this estimate based on antibody test results from around the country. It found millions of Americans probably had the virus, but didn’t know it. Meanwhile, for the second day in a row, the U.S. set a record for new daily COVID-19 infections. Nearly 40,000 cases were reported yesterday.
New Daily Record: WaPo, CNN, Johns Hopkins
Millions More May Have Had COVID: AP, Reuters, WaPo, Axios, NBC News
Who’s Most at Risk
The CDC updated its guidance about who is most at risk for severe illness if they get COVID-19. The CDC no longer says just being over 65 is a risk factor. Instead, officials say the danger increases with age. Also, more people who are overweight are in the at-risk group. Everything in that first group has strong evidence to support them being in the “high-risk” category. There’s another group that includes factors without as much evidence to support their risks, but the CDC still lists them as being of concern. That group now includes pregnant women.
Read More: STAT, AP, USA Today, CDC (see full list)
Some States Pause Reopening
Texas put off lifting more restrictions. Also, the governor put an elective surgeries ban back in place for the most populous counties in hopes of freeing up hospital space for COVID-19 patients. Florida and New Mexico are also deciding not to move onto their next phases of reopening. That means bars and nightclubs will stay closed.
Read More: AP, NBC News, Axios
U.S. Jobless Claims
Another 1.5 million people fired for new jobless benefits last week. That brings the total to 47 million in 3.5 months. Economists told USA Today to expect the unemployment rate to stay above 10% until next year. Remember, it was only 3.5% before the pandemic took hold in February.
Read More: WSJ, Axios, USA Today
CO Elijah McClain Death Investigated
Millions of people online signed a petition, calling for justice, in the case of a young Colorado man who died in police custody. Now, the governor is appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the death of Elijah McClain. He was stopped by three white police officers last August in the Denver suburb of Aurora because a 911 caller said he looked suspicious. When officers tried to talk to McClain, he kept walking away, so they ended up grabbing him. After a scuffle, he was sedated. Then, he had two heart attacks in the ambulance and died a few days later.
Read More: Denver Post, CNN, ABC News
Disney Ride to Get Rebranded
Disney decided to replace the iconic Splash Mountain theme park rides that have been called “racist.” They were originally inspired by a 1946 movie called Song of the South, which critics say includes racist stereotypes. Now Splash Mountain will be redesigned with a new theme based on the animated film Princess and the Frog. The changes will apply to the rides in Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida.
Read More: CNN, AP, NPR, Disney Parks
Dixie Chicks Name Change
The Dixie Chicks have a new name. The famous country trio will now go by The Chicks. That’s because the word “dixie” is associated with the pre-Civil War south. The band said it was time to meet the moment. The Chicks also released a timely new protest song called “March March.”
Read More: NBC News, LA Times, Instagram, March March Video
YouTube Tests 15 Sec Videos
The popular video app, Tik Tok, might be getting some fresh competition. YouTube announced it is going to test a new feature to let users record and post video clips in 15-second segments. It’s probably no accident that’s the same amount of time you get on Tik Tok and Instagram stories. This YouTube experiment will be for mobile users only.
Read More: TechCrunch, YouTube
Facebook Old News Warning
Facebook will give you a heads-up if you’re about to post old news. It will notify you if a certain article is more than 90 days old, then ask if you’re sure you want to post. Facebook created the prompt after news publishers expressed concern about old stories getting shared as if they were new. Facebook hopes this change will provide users with more context.
Read More: Engadget, The Hill, Cnet, Facebook
NWSL Returns to Play
The National Women’s Soccer League is returning to the field tomorrow. Eight teams will face off in a month-long tournament outside Salt Lake City, Utah. This is the first American team sport to return to action during the pandemic. They’ll also be the first to live in a so-called “bubble” like the NBA will do next month. Players and staff will be pretty secluded with several teams staying at a hotel without any other guests. Everyone will have to get daily health screenings and regular COVID-19 testing. Fans won’t be allowed.
Read More: WSJ, WaPo, ESPN
Pride Month Events
The LGBTQ Pride movement is turning 50 years old, so there are big events planned to celebrate this weekend. World leaders and celebrities will come together for a 24-hour live stream called Global Pride. It will include performances and speeches from people like former Vice President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, actress and transgender advocate Laverne Cox, and pop stars Adam Lambert and Kesha. It starts at 10:30 ET tomorrow morning.
Read More: KGO, NY Times, AP, Global Pride 2020
Feel Good Friday: Oldest Golden Retriever in History
A golden retriever named Augie recently turned 20, making her the oldest known golden retriever to have ever lived. Typically, dogs of that breed only live about 10-12 years. Augie was born in 2000 and was re-homed twice before she landed with her current owners at age 14. Her humans say she’s a little wobbly these days, but still enjoys daily walks in the yard.
Read More: CNN, Today, FOX News