Tuesday, July 7th, 2020
Billionaires Got Gov’t Loans, Uber Buys Postmates & Blackout Day 2020
All the news in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Blinkist.com/news.
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...
States Reopen & Shut Down
At least 21 states are reportedly pausing plans to reopen their economies. Many state leaders say it’s necessary. Seven states posted their highest-yet COVID-19 hospitalizations yesterday. They were Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. However, things are improving in New York. New York City even moved onto its next phase of reopening, which allows nail salons, spas, and massage therapists to resume business.
U.S. Breaks More COVID-19 Records: WSJ, USA Today, Johns Hopkins
California Shuts Down More Bars: LA Times, Reuters, Vox
NYC Reopening: NY Times, WSJ, FOX News
Universities Announce Fall Plans
More colleges and universities are starting to outline their plans for the fall semester. Harvard now hopes to bring back 40% of undergraduates to campus, including all Freshman. Princeton will allow Freshman and Juniors to return this fall. Sophomores and Seniors will come back in the spring. Both universities say most to all the classes will still be online, even for those students who live on campus.
Read More: WaPo, CNN, CNBC
Impact on Foreign Students
U.S. immigration officials announced international students won’t be allowed to stay in the U.S. if their classes are moved online. Instead, they’ll have to either transfer to a school that offers in-person classes, or leave the U.S. and take classes in their home countries. Otherwise, they’ll face deportation.
Read More: Reuters, WSJ, Axios, ICE
PPP Loan Recipients
More big companies have managed to qualify for a government program meant to help small businesses during this pandemic. The Trump administration released the names of those who got at least $150,000 in taxpayer dollars through the Paycheck Protection Program. Among those are restaurant chains like P.F. Chang’s and TGI Fridays. There are also fashion designers like billionaire rapper Kanye West’s clothing brand Yeezy. The government gave them an exception because they proved the money was used to retain employees.
Read More: AP, Reuters, WSJ, Bloomberg, Politico, Treasury Data
Amy Cooper Charged
The white woman who called 911 on a Black birdwatcher in New York City is now facing criminal charges. The man asked Amy Cooper to put a leash on her dog, as park rules require. Instead, she called police to tell them, “there’s an African American man threatening my life.” Video shows that’s not true. The man was calm and keeping his distance. Now, Amy Cooper is facing a misdemeanor charge for making a false report.
Read More: AP, Reuters, Axios, Manhattan DA
SCOTUS Rules Against Faithless Electors
The U.S. Supreme Court settled a long-running controversy about the Electoral College. It’s about the issue of “faithless electors.” Most states have laws that require electors to pledge to vote for the presidential candidate who wins the state’s popular vote. This unanimous ruling keeps those laws in place. However, it doesn’t affect the other 18 states that don’t already require electors to vote the way of the people.
Read More: NBC News, WSJ, WaPo
SCOTUS Robocall Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court says the nearly 30-year ban on automated cell phone calls can stay in place. It also got rid of an exception for some debt collectors. Challengers argued the ban violates the first amendment. Justices disagreed. Now, Americans could finally see some robocall relief.
Read More: NPR, CNET, WaPo
Uber Buys Postmates
Uber is buying food delivery service Postmates. The deal is worth $2.65 billion and is expected to be a huge boost for Uber. It will allow the company to expand Uber Eats. Uber will now reportedly control more than a third of food delivery sales in the U.S. For now, Postmates will continue to operate under its own name. The deal is set to be finalized next year.
Read More: AP, NY Times, The Verge, Reuters, Uber,
Online Grocery Shopping Hits Record Sales
It seems Americans are in no hurry to return to the grocery store. Instead, online sales have climbed to record levels. They hit $7.2 billion last month. New research shows more people are online grocery shopping for the first time and more often than before the pandemic started. They aren’t just for stocking up, but placing small orders too. However, it’s not clear if this trend will stick around.
Read More: TechCrunch, Full Survey
Blackout Day 2020
Today is Blackout Day 2020. It’s a boycott in which Black Americans are asked not to spend any money, but if they must, to only spend at Black-owned businesses. The hope is Black Americans use their spending power to push for social change. Nielsen statistics show in 2018, Black Americans spent more than $1 trillion on consumer goods.
Read More: CNN, USA Today, #Blackout Day2020
Colin Kaepernick ESPN Series
Colin Kaepernick will be featured in a new Disney docuseries. It will focus on how he went from playing for the San Francisco 49ers to become a civil rights activist. He is most famous for being the first NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem. It was meant to protest police brutality. In addition to the docuseries, he’ll be working on other unscripted and scripted shows that explore racial and social injustice.
Read More: Hollywood Reporter, ESPN, CNN, ESPN Films
Ringo Charity Birthday Fundraiser
Today is Ringo Starr’s 80th birthday. To celebrate, The Beatles drummer is throwing a fundraiser. He plans to host a charity broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the Black Lives Matter movement and several non-profit organizations. It will be a star-studded affair, featuring performances by Paul McCartney and other famous musicians. It starts tonight at 8 p.m. ET on Ringo’s YouTube channel.
Read More: Rolling Stone, NY Daily News, Ringo Starr