Thursday, July 16th, 2020
Disaster Response, Twitter Hack & Single Shoe Sales
(+ NBA Bubble Life)
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 to peruse the latest happenings...
U.S. COVID-19 Case Record
The U.S. once again broke the record for the most new COVID-19 cases within 24 hours. Now, leaders are responding much like they would in the aftermath of a hurricane. In Florida, emergency management officials are setting up testing sites, delivering supplies, and sending personnel to hard-hit areas around the state. It’s similar on the opposite side of the country. Los Angeles’ mayor says the outbreak is getting close to “code red.” That means, if things get worse, everything will have to shut down again.
Read More: Johns Hopkins, CBS News, AP, LA Times
Stores Add Mask Mandates
More nationwide stores are requiring masks now, including the world’s largest retailer. Instead of greeters, Walmart says it will have “health ambassadors” stationed near store entrances starting next week. They will be in charge of reminding shoppers of the new requirement. Other big-name stores, like Kroger, Best Buy, and Starbucks, announced nationwide mandates this week too. The CDC continues to recommend face masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Read More: NYT, CNBC, WaPo, Walmart
White House Tensions
The government’s top infectious disease expert is the subject of more controversy. A senior White House trade adviser criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci in a USA Today opinion column. Peter Navarro wrote that every time he’s interacted with Fauci, the doctor has been wrong about everything. Fauci responded by telling The Atlantic efforts to discredit him are “bizarre.” He also said, “Let’s stop this nonsense,” and focus on fighting COVID-19. At this point, he is still on the White House coronavirus task force.
Navarro Trashes Fauci: USA Today, Reuters, WSJ
Dr. Fauci Response: Reuters, NY Times, The Atlantic, Axios
Overdose Deaths Increase
Drug overdoses are on track to reach a new high in the U.S. The CDC released preliminary numbers that show nearly 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year. That’s nearly 5% more than the year before. About half of those people overdosed on synthetic opioids, like Fentanyl. Advocates say emergency funding is needed to keep treatment and recovery programs afloat. Meanwhile, there are still resources available, like a free national helpline that can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP.
Read More: AP, WSJ, Axios, WaPo, CDC, Find Treatment
High Profile Twitter Hacks
Scammers took over the Twitter accounts of some of the world’s most famous people and companies yesterday. Hackers tweeted from the accounts, telling people to send Bitcoin to a specific address, and any amount sent would be doubled and sent back. Hundreds of people fell for it, to the tune of $120,000. Twitter responded by stopping all verified accounts from sending out new tweets. Now, most of them should be able to tweet again. The social media network is still investigating.
Read More: CNN, The Verge, TechCrunch, CNBC, NY Times, Twitter
Kanye on Okla Presidential Ballot
Kanye West will appear on presidential ballots in at least one state this November. He qualified in Oklahoma. One of his representatives filed the paperwork and paid the filing fee. Also, a group called “Kanye 2020” filed election forms with the Federal Election commission. West isn’t running as a Democrat or Republican though. He says he’s a member of the “Birthday Party.”
Read More: AP, FOX News, TMZ
Fans Attend NASCAR Race
At least 20,000 fans came together for a NASCAR race in Tennessee last night. This was reportedly the biggest sporting event crowd in the U.S. since early March. Fans did social distance in the stands. The speedway can hold about 160,000 people, but only 30,000 were allowed, so they could spread out. Even though it was the largest sporting event in months, it was likely the smallest turnout at that racetrack in nearly 60 years.
Read More: AP, USA Today, NASCAR
CBS and NAACP Partnership
CBS inked a new partnership with the NAACP. The civil rights group will help produce scripted and unscripted content for the network. The idea is to create more diversity at CBS and elevate Black voices. The network is also vowing to hire more people of color and set aside money to support minority creators.
Read More: CNN, Variety, USA Today
Aluminum Can Shortage
There is now a shortage of aluminum cans. They are reportedly in short supply because people have been stocking up on soda and beer lately. So Coca-Cola and Pepsi have only been prioritizing their bestsellers, and for a while, some of the less popular drinks and flavors are going to be harder to find. Manufacturers have announced plans to build new factories, but it could take two years to get everything up and running.
Read More: USA Today, Fox News, Twitter
Zappos to Sell Shoe Singles
Online retailer Zappos is now letting shoppers buy just one shoe, instead of a pair. This could help people with different sized feet and amputees by saving them money. A single shoe will cost less than a pair. For now, the change is in the testing phase and it only applies to about 80 shoes. If all goes well, Zappos says it will expand the options.
Read More: FOX News, AP, CNN, Zappos
Closest Image of the Sun
Today, scientists are releasing new images of the sun. They are the closest ever taken. The pictures were taken at about half the distance between the Earth and the sun by a satellite called the Solar Orbiter. Scientists say the images exceeded expectations. They should help them better understand the sun. The photos will be released by NASA and the European Space Agency this morning. When they are, we will post them to our Twitter and Instagram pages.
Read More: CBS News, NASA
Thing to Know Thursday: nba season restart
Guest: Baxter Holmes
Baxter Holmes is a Los Angeles-based Senior Writer for ESPN who focuses on in-depth stories around the NBA.
He previously covered the Lakers for ESPN, the Celtics for The Boston Globe, and a variety of subjects as a staff writer for The Los Angeles Times.
In 2017, Holmes garnered national acclaim for his award-winning ESPN The Magazine feature “The NBA’s Secret Addiction.” The piece won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award For Excellence in the “Feature Reporting” category.
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