Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020
Virus Worse Before Better, Census Debate Explained & Instagram Fundraisers
All the news you need in 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 reading about the latest happenings…
Trump Holds COVID-19 Briefing
President Trump spoke about the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. During his first coronavirus briefing in months, the president said the outbreaks are only going to get worse before getting better. He urged Americans to take precautions. Specifically, he asked young people to stay out of crowded bars and wear face coverings. Other members of the coronavirus task force, like doctors Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci, were not part of this briefing, but they are still on the team.
Read More: AP, WSJ, FOX News, Axios
1000+ U.S. Coronavirus Deaths
The number of Americans dying from COVID-19 is rising again. The death toll had slowed after months of stay-at-home orders and other restrictions. Then yesterday, for the first time since May, the U.S. reported more than 1,000 deaths within 24 hours. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are still highest in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas. Those states also account for nearly 40% of the new deaths.
Read More: Johns Hopkins, Axios, Reuters, Politico
Chinese Hackers Allegedly Target COVID Research
U.S. intelligence officials believe two Chinese hackers tried to breach at least four American companies working on coronavirus treatment and testing. These hackers have a track record too. They’re accused of hacking hundreds of companies and government organizations around the world for more than a decade. Along the way, they allegedly stole trade secrets and personal information. However, this time, it looks like they didn’t get any information about COVID-19 research.
Read More: AP, NY Times, Reuters, WSJ, Indictment
Next Relief Bill Debate
Republican lawmakers, Democratic lawmakers, and the White House all have different ideas for the next coronavirus relief bill. President Trump is demanding a payroll tax cut. However, lawmakers say the average American wouldn’t benefit enough from that. Democrats want to extend the bonus that’s been giving unemployed Americans an extra $600 a week. Republicans say that would be too expensive. The GOP wants to send more direct checks to individual Americans. Even though it seems like there’s a long way to go, President Trump and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi say they’re confident a deal will be reached.
Read More: WaPo, Bloomberg, AP, CNN, CNBC
Trump Signs Census Executive Order
President Trump signed an executive order to change the census. He wants to subtract the number of undocumented immigrants from the total population count to decide Congressional representation. However, it’s not clear how he’s going to get the data since the census doesn’t ask people about their citizenship status. Civil rights groups say the president’s executive order is not constitutional. They have promised to take him to court over it.
Read More: NPR, Axios, NBC News, USA Today, White House
NFL Social Justice Decals
When football season starts this fall, NFL players will be wearing new helmet decals. This will be a way for players to honor victims of systemic racism and police violence. Each week, teams will have a choice to use one specific name, several names, or initials. All 32 teams will get decals for the entire season. Other leagues are making this kind of effort too. Basketball players in the NBA are going to be wearing slogans on their jerseys.
Read More: AP, ESPN, CNN
Twitter Bans QAnon Accounts
Twitter is cracking down on accounts that spread the QAnon conspiracy theory. It claims there’s a secret plot against President Trump and his supporters. Also, it says there’s a large child sex trafficking ring within the U.S. government. However, the FBI has determined there’s no evidence to support that. Twitter just removed more than 7,000 accounts that have been spreading the theory. It said it will also keep QAnon information from appearing in trending topics and search results.
Read More: NBC News, NPR, NY Times, Twitter
IG Tests Personal Fundraiser Feature
Instagram is testing a tool for personal fundraisers. It lets people raise money for themselves, their business, or someone else, directly from their platform. When users set up a fundraiser, it will appear under their bio in their profiles. The company says it will expand the feature over the next several months so users can share the fundraiser in both their feeds and within stories. Right now, the feature is being tested on some Android phones, but iPhones are expected to follow.
Read More: TechCrunch, The Verge, Forbes, Instagram
Greta Thunberg Donates Award Winnings
Climate activist Greta Thunberg won another humanitarian award, but she’s not accepting the prize money. Instead, the 17-year-old says she’s donating the $1.15 million to environmental groups. Thunberg is one of the youngest and most prominent figures working to fight climate change. Her efforts have gotten her nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice and last year, she was named Time’s “Person of the Year.”
Read More: USA Today, ABC News
Battle of the Dogs
Two iconic rappers are facing off in a rap battle tonight. It’s called “The Battle of the Dogs.” Snoop Dogg, who had 43 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and DMX, who had 15. The battle kicks off at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch on the Verzuz Instagram account and Apple Music.
Read More: BET, USA Today, Instagram
Work Wednesday: Walmart Closing on Thanksgiving
The nation’s largest private employer is closing its stores on Thanksgiving for the first time since the 1980s. Usually, Walmart keeps regular hours during the day on Thanksgiving, then rolls out Black Friday deals in the evening. However, that won’t be the case this year. The company says it will go dark to say “thank you” to its employees who have been working through the pandemic. Walmart says it wants workers to take a break and spend time with friends and family.
Read More: USA Today, Business Insider, Walmart