Tuesday, August 4th, 2020
Isaias Makes Landfall, Teachers Protest & “The Rock” Buys XFL
All the news in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Blinkist.com/news.
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...
Latest on Hurricane Isaias
More than 100 million Americans are in the path of a hurricane. Hurricane Isaias made landfall late last night, as a Category one storm, near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Coastal communities in the mid-Atlantic should brace for a strong storm surge of up to five feet and up to eight inches of rain. Next, the storm is expected to impact Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. There are storm watches and warnings in effect in several states, as far north as Maine.
Read More: AP, USA Today, CBS News, Axios
Teachers Protest Reopenings
Parts of the U.S. are returning to school. About 14% of the nation’s children are reportedly back in class by the second week of August, mostly in the south and midwest. Some have postponed the start of school, but others have already started classes. Yesterday, teachers in several American cities protested plans to reopen schools during a pandemic. Some teachers in places like Chicago, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Phoenix held protests yesterday.
Read More: Reuters, Al Jazeera, NPR, NJ.com, NY Times
COVID-19 Status, Lockdown Debate
New coronavirus cases are surging in midwestern states, like Missouri, Ohio, and Minnesota. Dr. Anthony Fauci suggests states with high case counts should consider new lockdown restrictions, especially before the fall flu season. However, President Trump pushed back, saying a lockdown is not the answer. Trump argues it would cause more harm than good and wouldn’t stop the virus. For now, those decisions are still up to governors and local officials in each state.
Read More: Johns Hopkins, WaPo, Reuters, CNBC
Trump Fraud Investigation
President Trump and his company may be under investigation for fraud. In a new court filing, a New York City prosecutor says he’s looking into criminal activity that may have been going on for more than a decade at The Trump Organization. However, he needs years of President Trump’s financial records to investigate. Trump’s legal team is trying to block those efforts. It’s asking a judge to declare the request “invalid.” President Trump says he’s the victim of a political witch hunt orchestrated by Democrats.
Read More: NY Times, Reuters, AP
Trump on TikTok Sale
President Trump has given Microsoft the okay to acquire part of TikTok, but with a catch. Trump says the U.S. will only allow the deal to go through if the U.S. government gets money in exchange. He says the app owes America for its success. Trump also put a time limit on the deal. He says if an American company doesn’t own TikTok by September 15th, he will ban the app altogether. TikTok responded by saying users can expect it to be here for the long haul. As of this morning, negotiations are ongoing.
Read More: CNN, NY Times, Reuters, WSJ
Boeing 737 Max Jets Next Steps
There’s now a formal plan to get the troubled Boeing 737 Max jets back in the air. The FAA created a checklist that details what still needs to be fixed. For example, the company needs to update the flight control software, reroute some of the planes’ wiring, and revise crew procedures. The FAA says this would help correct the problems that led to two deadly crashes. The entire fleet of jets has been grounded around the world for more than 16 months.
Read More: Bloomberg, WSJ, NY Times
Google Unveils 5G Phones
Google revealed three new smartphones. Two of them can support 5G: the Pixel 5 and an upgraded version of the Pixel 4a. These are the company’s first phones that can support the faster cellular network. The new phones start at $500 each and are due out this fall. Google also dropped a cheaper smartphone that’s only $350. It’s the basic version of the Pixel 4a, but it doesn’t have 5G.
Read More: Reuters, The Verge, Business Insider, Axios
XFL Sold
The XFL will soon have a new big-name owner: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He’s reportedly teaming up with his ex-wife and a sports management company, to buy the XFL for $15 million. The XFL filed for bankruptcy in April after its season ended early because of the pandemic. The new celebrity owner plans to give it another go if a bankruptcy court approves the sale.
Read More: CNN, Axios, AP, CBS Sports
Fyre Festival Merch Auction
The infamous Fyre Festival lives on. It was supposed to be a glitzy music festival in The Bahamas back in 2017, however, it ended up being a flop. The festival’s main organizer went to prison for fraud. Now, U.S. Marshals are auctioning off the merchandise that was seized from the failed event. That means people can now bid on Fyre Festival-branded t-shirts, pants, hats, and more. The bidding has already been competitive. The online auction runs through August 13th.
Read More: CNN, The Verge, AP, Auction
Trivia Tuesday
Q: The ZIP in "zip code" is an acronym. So what does ZIP stand for?
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 unicorn is the national animal of what country?
A: Scotland
Read More: National Geographic, Visit Scotland