Wednesday, July 29th, 2020
AG Barr on Defense, Mystery Seeds Warning & #ChallengeAccepted Explained
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…
U.S. Outbreaks Status
More than 1,200 COVID-19 deaths were reported in the U.S. yesterday. That’s reportedly the biggest one-day increase since May. The worst spikes were in California, Florida, Arkansas, Montana, and Oregon. However, the nation’s top disease expert says some of those areas may be experiencing the worst of their outbreaks now, so they’ll likely turn a corner soon. Dr. Anthony Fauci says the next hot spots could be Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky, since cases started rising in those states.
Read More: Johns Hopkins, Reuters, NBC News
Kodak Shifts to Drug Production
The government gave Kodak a big loan to make pharmaceutical ingredients. Specifically, it’s getting $765 million to manufacture two chemicals used in generic medicines. Kodak said it already has the infrastructure to get up and running quickly. The Trump administration says this will help ensure the U.S. doesn’t have to rely on as many foreign companies to make necessary medical supplies.
Read More: WSJ, FOX Business, NPR
Russia Spreading COVID-19 Disinformation
U.S. intelligence officials say Russian military operatives are posting incorrect information on English-language websites about the coronavirus, and it’s meant for Americans to see. The campaign is reportedly similar to what Russia did ahead of the 2016 election, but this time, websites appear more legitimate than previous bots and fake social media accounts. Many of the fake articles were published on websites like InfoRos.ru, Infobrics.org, and OneWorld.press.
Read More: AP, NY Times, Al Jazeera
Big Tech to Testify
A highly-anticipated hearing is expected today. CEOs from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google will appear before Congress, via video, all at the same time. Lawmakers will ask the executives to justify their business practices. Then, they’re expected to explain why they don’t think their companies stifle the competition, including from smaller businesses. This will be Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ first time testifying in front of Congress.
Read More: NY Times, Politico, Reuters, CBS News
AG Barr Hearing
Attorney General Barr spoke at the Capitol about several controversial issues, starting with the tactics federal agents are using to control protests in Portland, Oregon, and other cities. Barr said the Trump administration had no choice but to send agents because “violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests.” Democrats also accused Barr of doing the president’s bidding, pointing to his role in two criminal cases against former Trump associates. Barr responded by saying he was only making sure they weren’t treated more harshly because of their friendships with President Trump.
Read More: WSJ, CBS News, AP, Reuters, ABC News
Americans Receive Mystery Seeds
In a strange mystery, hundreds of Americans have received seeds in the mail that they never ordered. They were sent to people in several states. Now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to get to the bottom of it. The USDA believes they were sent from China, so it warns people not to plant them. They could end up harming crops or livestock. Instead, people are supposed to report the seeds if they do get them.
Read More: WSJ, CBS News, Fox News
Netflix Breaks Emmy Nom Record
Netflix dominated this year’s Emmy nominations. The streaming service received 160 nominations yesterday. That’s the most nominations ever, for any network, studio, or streaming platform. Shows like Ozark, The Crown, Unbelievable, and Nailed It are all in the running for awards. The 72nd annual Emmy Awards are scheduled for September 20th.
Read More: NY Times, CNBC, AP
Universal AMC Deal
AMC Theaters and Universal Pictures struck a deal to shorten the amount of time movies have to stay in theaters before they’re available on demand. Before, it was a minimum of about three months. Now, it’s three weekends. It was done in response to the pandemic, but the deal will last at least a few years. For now, it only affects AMC and Universal. Other movies still have to follow the old rules.
Read More: TechCrunch, CNBC, The Verge, Reuters
Women Posting Black and White Selfies
If you spend time on Instagram, you have probably seen a lot of black-and-white photos of women this week with the caption that reads, “Challenge Accepted.” It’s part of a campaign meant to be about female empowerment. Women are nominating or messaging friends as a way to show support for one another. However, some critics say the challenge is just an empty gesture that doesn’t require any actual advocacy. There have also been reports that it started in Turkey as a way to raise awareness about women being murdered there, but the message has since gotten lost. No matter what, it has gained momentum. At last check, it’s been used more than five million times.
Read More: CNN, NY Times, Forbes, Today
Influencers Paid to Use Instagram Reels
Instagram is launching a video app next month to compete with Tik Tok. It’s called “Reels,” and Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, is paying Tik Tok influencers to use it. It reportedly offered some creators hundreds of thousands of dollars each. Facebook wants them on board for next month’s launch. However, no word yet on which influencers have agreed, if any. We’ll let you know when you can check out Reels for yourself.
Read More: WSJ, Forbes
Work Wednesday: Business Travel Outlook
The president of a travel market research firm says it could take two to three years before business travel fully recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts like him say they don’t think companies will make their employees travel until they’re sure it’s safe. They don’t want to be responsible for people getting sick. There’s also the change companies realize employees can do more from home.
Read More: NY Times, Bloomberg, Axios