Friday, July 3rd, 2020
July 4th Warning, Smell Tests & “Hamilton” at Home
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.FunctionofBeauty.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 Testing Czar Briefing
Top federal officials are pleading for people to avoid parties and large crowds this Fourth of July weekend. The nation’s testing czar says testing labs are reaching or near capacity. That means it will take longer for people to get their test results back. In some hard-hit states, people have been waiting in line for hours to get tests and waiting several days for the results.
Read More: NBC News, Axios, Politico, The Hill
COVID-19 Cases Rising in 40 States
Each new day brings another record-breaking number. Nationwide, the number of new COVID-19 infections was higher than 55,000. Close to half of those came from only four states: California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. The Trump administration says people under 35 years old are leading the surge. They’re being urged to take precautions like physical distancing and mask-wearing.
Read More: AP, Axios, Reuters, WaPo, Johns Hopkins, White House
States Crackdown Ahead of Holiday Weekend
Some states are cracking down. The governor of Texas reversed his stance on masks. Now, he’s issued a statewide mandate, with exceptions for children under 10 and adults drinking or exercising. Also, beaches up and down California and Florida have been closed ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. However, Florida’s governor says he won’t make businesses close up again, like other states have.
Texas Mask Mandate: Texas Tribune, NBC News, WSJ
Florida Breaks Records: Orlando Sentinel, Axios, Reuters, Politico, NBC News
Trump to Visit Mt. Rushmore
President Trump is traveling to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota for an Independence Day celebration. He will talk to the crowd. There will also be military flyovers, performances by the Air Force Academy band, and fireworks. Tickets have been issued to 7,500 people. However, the event comes with controversy. For more than a decade, fireworks have been banned in the area because of concerns they could spark wildfires or contaminate groundwater. However, President Trump pushed to bring them back. So protests are expected.
Read More: AP, WaPo, FOX News, NPR
Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested
A British socialite was arrested for luring underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. Ghislaine Maxwell has been accused of acting as his madam for years but has never been charged with a crime. Now, she faces up to 35 years in prison, if convicted. Epstein was supposed to go on trial for sex trafficking, but killed himself in a federal detention center last summer.
Read More: AP, Reuters, WSJ, NY Times
Congress Passes China Sanctions
A bipartisan bill to punish China for its crackdown on Hong Kong is now headed to President Trump for his signature. Both the House and Senate passed it. Now, Trump is reportedly expected to sign it. The bill is meant to put economic penalties on some Chinese officials who put the new security law in place as well as the banks and firms who do business with them. China says if the U.S. issues sanctions, it can expect retaliation.
Read More: AP, Politico, Bloomberg, NY Times, Al Jazeera
June Jobs Report
The June jobs report included some unexpected news. The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 11%. That’s down from a peak of 14.7% in April. It equals 4.8 million jobs added from May to June. Still, the data was collected weeks ago. Since then, many states began to backtrack on reopening their economies. So the unemployment rate may go back up.
Read More: WSJ, FOX News, Axios
Smell Tests for COVID-19
Researchers say smell tests may work better than fever checks to screen for COVID-19. It would be similar to a scratch-and-sniff test that lets you identify certain scents like banana, pickle, or licorice. There is evidence more people lose their sense of smell then get a fever when they have the virus. Also, there are many reasons someone might have a fever, but the loss of smell is unique and specific to the new coronavirus. Still, smell tests aren’t widespread yet.
Read More: Stat, Today, JAMA
NFL to Play Black National Anthem
The NFL plans to show solidarity with Black fans, players, and coaches this year. It has proposed playing the Black national anthem before kickoff. It’s called “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” The song dates back to the early 1900s. It’s about faith, freedom, and the affirmation of Black Americans. The NFL reportedly wants to play the song before the Star-Spangled Banner at every week one game.
Read More: USA Today, ESPN, CNN, FOX News
Walmart Parking Lots Becoming Drive-Ins
Walmart is turning some of its parking lots into drive-in movie theaters. Starting next month, it will host family-friendly movie nights at 160 of its lots across the country. The store hopes to host 320 showings by the end of October. Some will include special appearances by filmmakers and celebrities. Walmart has yet to announce where it will host them.
Read More: WaPo, CNN, Walmart
Hamilton Drops on Disney+
One of the most popular Broadway musicals ever is coming to the small screen. A movie version of Hamilton drops on Disney+ today. The musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s journey to becoming a founding father, as told through hip hop. Disney scored the rights to the taping of the Broadway musical with the original cast, as recorded back in 2016.
Read More: LA Times, Cnet, Rolling Stone, NY Times
Virtual Fourth of July Events
This weekend, you can watch a variety of fireworks shows online or on TV, like Macy’s fireworks show in New York City. It will be on NBC Saturday night. Washington D.C.’s celebration called “A Capitol Fourth” will air on PBS. Then, there’s the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest on ESPN. 12-time winner Joey Chestnut and the rest of the competitors will eat as many hot dogs as possible, just not in front of a live crowd.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, BBC
Feel Good Friday: Record Ocean Cleanup
A total of 206,000 pounds of plastic, nets, and other trash have been pulled from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. That’s the largest at-sea cleanup that’s ever been done. It took a crew with the Ocean Voyages Institute 48 days to clean up the debris. They have more expeditions planned too. The goal is to help protect coral reefs and ocean wildlife.
Read More: Ocean Voyages Institute, Honolulu Star-Adviser, KHON