Friday, July 31st, 2020
Economic Crash, Hurricane Isaias & Oprah Gives Up ‘O’ Cover
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 reading the latest happenings...
GDP Record Plunge
The U.S. gross domestic product fell at a rate of 32.9% in the last quarter. That is reportedly the most devastating three-month collapse on record. The decline was more than twice as large as in the Great Recession a decade ago, but happened in a fraction of the time. The downturn is taking a toll. In the Census Bureau’s weekly household survey, about 24 million Americans said they sometimes don’t have enough to eat. Another 5.4 million said they “often” don’t have enough food.
Read More: NBC News, WSJ, NY Times, AP, Reuters
Next Relief Bill Negotiations
Part of the CARES Act expired this week. It was giving an extra $600 a week to out-of-work Americans. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been talking about whether to extend that benefit as-is or lower the amount. Because of that issue, and several others, Congress is deadlocked. Lawmakers will return Monday to hopefully come up with a compromise on the next relief bill.
Read More: AP, Reuters, Axios, CNBC
Coronavirus Outbreak Spreading
Top public health officials say the midwest could become the next U.S. epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. The White House coronavirus coordinator told FOX News that she’s watching six states closely: Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. Dr. Deborah Birx blames summer travel for the shift. The World Health Organization’s director-general pointed to another problem. He said it’s still a challenge trying to convince young people around the world there’s a risk at all.
Read More: Johns Hopkins, Reuters, ABC News, WaPo
Herman Cain Dies from Covid-19
Former Tea Party presidential candidate Herman Cain died from COVID-19 yesterday. One of the last times he was seen in public was about a month ago at President Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cain was diagnosed with coronavirus just days later. President Trump paid tribute to him on Twitter, saying “he was a very special man, an American patriot, and a great friend.”
Read More: NY Times, Fox News, AP, Herman Cain, Trump Tweet
Trump Floats Delaying the Election
President Trump floated the idea of a delayed 2020 general election. He repeated the concern, without evidence, that mail-in voting will lead to widespread voter fraud. However, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have said a delay won’t happen. That’s significant because Congress is the only branch of government with the authority to make such a change. For now, Election Day is still November 3rd.
Read More: ABC News, Reuters, Axios, NPR, Trump Tweet
No Charges for Officer in Brown Death
It’s been nearly six years since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The case was re-examined, but the new prosecutor came to the same conclusion as the last two. Former Officer Darren Wilson will not be charged with a crime for shooting and killing Brown. However, the prosecutor clarified that just because he couldn’t prove the case in court doesn’t mean the former officer is completely cleared of wrongdoing.
Read More: AP, NBC News, ABC News, St. Louis Dispatch
Hurricane Isaias Path & Flooding
Hurricane Isaias is picking up speed as it heads toward Florida. At last check, the Category One storm was packing 80 mile-per-hour winds. The National Weather Service says it’s on track to hit The Bahamas tonight and South Florida tomorrow. Already, the storm caused flooding and small landslides across Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. So far, there are now reports of deaths.
Read More: AP, ABC News, FOX News, Weather Channel
Lyft Expanding Rental Car Business
Lyft, the ridesharing app, is about to help more people drive themselves around. Already, people have been using Lyft Rentals in Los Angeles and San Francisco. That pilot program has been popular enough that Lyft is now expanding its rental car business to dozens of cities around the U.S. It announced a partnership with Sixt, a global rental car company. Lyft Rentals will first pop up in Las Vegas, Miami, and Seattle. It will eventually be in more than 70 locations.
Read More: Reuters, TechCrunch, CNN, Lyft
NCAA New Social Justice Rules
The NCAA is giving all student-athletes the okay to publicly honor people, events, or causes. It decided players can add small patches on the front of their uniforms. If they’d rather, they can swap out their names on the back to honor a cause they support. Historically, some college sports have banned social justice statements. Others have never had rules on the books. Now, things are more clear.
Read More: Fox News, ESPN, CBS Sports, NCAA
Breonna Taylor on the Cover of 'O' Magazine
For the first time in its 20-year history, Oprah Winfrey’s ‘O’ magazine will have someone on the cover other than Oprah. The upcoming issue will feature an image of Breonna Taylor, the EMT who was shot and killed by police in her own home last March. Since then, there have been nationwide calls for justice, since the officers involved have not been arrested or charged with any crimes. Oprah says she hopes this issue will raise awareness about police brutality and systemic racism.
Read More: USA Today, NBC News, CBS News, O Mag
MTV VMA Nominations
There will be two new pandemic-themed categories at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. One is for “Best Quarantine Performance.” The other is for “Best Music Video From Home.” When it comes to nominations, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande got the most. The VMAs are scheduled to air on August 30th. They’ll be broadcast live from New York, either with a limited audience or no audience.
Read More: AP, CNN, Billboard
Feel Good Friday
A community of podcast fans rallied around a child with a terminal illness. The 8-year-old boy, named Austin, has been given less than a year to live, but he has three things left on his bucket list. He wants to see otters and dolphins at an aquarium, he wants to spend the day at the local Wild Animal Safari and he wants to spend the night at the Great Wolf Lodge water park. Word got out on The Upside with Callie and Jeff. Ever since they mentioned it, people started chipping in money. Now, Austin’s family has enough to make the bucket list dreams come true.
Read More: The Upside Podcast