Tuesday, July 28th, 2020
HEALS Act Proposed, Pilgrimage in a Pandemic & MLB Season in Jeopardy
All the news 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 read the latest happenings...
WHO: “Most Severe Emergency” Ever
The World Health Organization’s director-general says the coronavirus pandemic is easily the most severe emergency the agency has ever declared. The W.H.O.’s leader said, “COVID-19 has changed our world. It has brought people, communities, and nations together, and driven them apart.” Worldwide, more than 16 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed since January and about 653,000 people have died from it.
Read More: BBC, The Hill, WHO
U.S. COVID Deaths Rise
In the United States, deaths from the new coronavirus rose for a third week in a row. However, the number of new infections fell 2% over the past week. That’s the first drop in a while. Cases have been rising week-over-week for the past five weeks. Analysts say if those numbers keep going down, the death toll will eventually follow. The number of hospitalizations and deaths typically reflect behavior from about three weeks ago.
Read More: Johns Hopkins, Reuters, Axios
National Security Adviser Gets COVID-19
President Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, tested positive for COVID-19. The good news is he caught it right away. O’Brien, and other senior staffers in the Trump administration, are tested daily. He reportedly tested positive last week and has been isolating and working home ever since. At this point, O’Brien only has mild symptoms.
Read More: Bloomberg, Politico, AP, Axios
Moderna Trial Enters Final-Stage Testing
American drugmakers Moderna and Pfizer both started their final phases of COVID-19 vaccine trials this week. Early data shows both candidates are safe and effective. These large studies will help researchers know for sure. 30,000 people will take part in each of them in several cities around the country. If all goes well, vaccines could be approved and distributed by early next year.
Read More: WSJ, CNN, NY Times, Reuters
Republicans Release Stimulus Proposal
Republicans in Congress unveiled their proposal for the next coronavirus relief bill. It includes some extra assistance for unemployed Americans, but not as much as they got under the last big relief bill. It would also extend the Paycheck Protection Program, Americans would get another round of direct payments, and schools would get $105 billion. However, there are quite a few differences between that bill and the one Democrats already proposed, so now, they’re back to negotiating.
Read More: WSJ, Axios, WaPo, AP
More Federal Agents to Portland
The Trump administration is reportedly sending even more federal agents to Portland, Oregon. However, there is already controversy about the federal officers who are there now. They’re supposed to be protecting federal property from protesters and rioters, but local officials say agents have been patrolling areas far away from federal property. They’re also accused of arresting citizens without cause.
Read More: WaPo, FOX News, Reuters, NPR
Hajj Pilgrimage Begins
The annual Hajj pilgrimage, which is usually a massive Islamic ritual, is starting today. However, it’s going to have a much smaller crowd than usual. In a typical year, about two million people take part. This year, only 1,000 people will be there. Attendance was restricted because of COVID-19. Those selected are all between the ages of 20 and 50. They’re also all in good health. Face masks are required.
Read More: AP, Al Jazeera, National Geographic
Miami Marlins Outbreak
The Miami Marlins had to postpone their home opener yesterday because at least 14 players and staff tested positive for COVID-19. All of them are now in isolation. There are also fears the virus may have spread to another team. The Marlins played the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend, so the Phillies have reportedly postponed one of their games too. In the meantime, the MLB is doing extra testing.
Read More: USA Today, CBS News, NBC News
Google Employees WFH into Next Summer
Google is extending its work-from-home policy for another year. It decided to let employees do their jobs remotely until at least July of 2021. Originally, it was going to welcome workers back to the office in January, but the company is still worried about COVID-19, so it’s holding off. Google is the only major corporation so far to extend its work-from-home plan so far in the future.
Read More: TechCrunch, CBS News, NBC News
Surge in Boat Sales
More Americans have been buying boats lately. A recent survey shows 70 percent of boat dealers are either out of stock or have low inventory. Some dealers say their sales have reached historic levels this year. This is likely because boating is a way to have fun in the summer while avoiding big crowds.
Read More: AP, Fortune, Fox Business
Fauci’s Baseball Card a Bestseller
A baseball card featuring the nation’s top infectious disease expert is now a bestseller. It shows Dr. Anthony Fauci throwing the first pitch at the Washington Nationals game last week. Cards like this are always on sale for one day, so they’re rare and valuable in the future. During the 24 hours, more than 51,000 Fauci cards were sold. That’s a record. Previous bestsellers only sold about 19,000 copies.
Read More: CNN, USA Today, Sports Illustrated
Trivia Tuesday
Q: The unicorn is the national animal of __________.
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories Quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer:
Q: The hashtag symbol (#) you often see on social media is technically called __________.
A: Octothorpe
Read More: Dictionary.com, TIME