Monday, August 10th, 2020
Economic Aid Extended, Expanding Onion Recall & Amazon Enters Malls?
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 to review the latest happenings...
Trump Virus Aid Executive Orders
Congress is still deadlocked over more coronavirus aid, so President Trump decided to bypass them. He signed four executive orders over the weekend. The first would give some extra assistance for unemployed Americans. It gives them $400-a-week, after the $600-a-week benefit expired last month. Another defers student loan payments through 2020. A third extends the federal moratorium on evictions. The last one provides a payroll tax holiday. There are questions about the president’s legal authority to take these actions, so expect them to be challenged in court.
Read More: AP, WSJ, USA Today, Axios, CNBC, CNN
U.S. Tops 5 Million COVID Cases
The U.S. has now surpassed five million confirmed coronavirus cases. The milestone comes only 17 days after the nation surpassed four million. Overall, the number of infections has more than doubled in the past two months. The New York Times reports in the last week, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida have had the most cases per-capita.
Read More: Johns Hopkins, WSJ, NBC News, FOX News
New York Status Keeps Improving
New York is doing better than most states, even though it was once the epicenter of the outbreak. The state reported the lowest one-day positive infection rate since the pandemic began. That means the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19, compared to how many people were tested overall, was at an all-time low at less than 1%. Infectious disease experts have said that’s the key to getting the coronavirus under control.
Read More: Axios, NY Gov
Countries Target U.S. Election
U.S. intelligence officials believe multiple countries could be trying to interfere with the upcoming presidential election. A top counterintelligence chief said there’s evidence Russia is working to take down the top Democratic candidate: Joe Biden. He also said China and Iran would prefer President Trump to lose re-election. All three countries are reportedly capable of spreading disinformation on social media and circulating anti-American content online. Russia is already reportedly acting on it.
Read More: NY Times, Reuters, AP, DNI Statement
Mass Protests in Lebanon
Angry protesters in Lebanon took to the streets of Beirut over the weekend, blaming government officials for the massive, deadly explosion last week. They are calling for government officials to quit, accusing them of corruption and negligence. Protesters stormed three government ministries, and police in riot gear used tear gas to get them under control.
Read More: CNN, NBC News, Reuters, AP
Lebanon Aid Summit
A group of nations pledged nearly $300 million to help people recovering from the blast. 15 government leaders, including President Trump, got together for a virtual conference to raise aid. The money will go to support healthcare, food security, education, and housing. It will be routed through the United Nations, rather than the Lebanese government, since there have been corruption concerns.
Read More: Al Jazeera, NPR, BBC
Sophisticated Border Tunnel Found
American immigration agents found a cross-border tunnel that authorities are calling “the most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history.” It stretches from San Luis, Arizona to San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico. It has ventilation and water, as well as a rail system with walls, a floor, and electrical. It’s believed to have been built for smugglers to take people or drugs into the U.S. Immigration officials say they’re going to keep investigating and tightening up security.
Read More: AP, FOX News, Reuters
Powerful North Carolina Earthquake
A powerful earthquake shook the Charlotte area over the weekend. It ended up being a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, which is the strongest one to hit North Carolina in more than 100 years. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. Damage was reported. Photos on social media show cracks in the streets and items thrown off store shelves. People nearby are encouraged to stay on-alert since there is about a 45% chance of a strong aftershock in the next few days.
Read More: Charlotte Observer, CNN, AP
College Sports In Doubt
The Mid-American Conference, also known as the MAC, is the first top-tier sports conference to cancel fall athletics because of the pandemic. That means there will be no football, volleyball, or soccer this year at a dozen schools in the Midwest. This could have a ripple effect, which some football players aren’t happy about. They have started tweeting under the #wewanttoplay hashtag. Updates are expected this week.
MAC Cancels Fall Sports: ESPN, AP, WSJ
#WeWantToPlay Viral Hashtag: CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated
Onion Recall Expands
Onions from Thomson International are linked to a salmonella outbreak. Red, white, yellow, and sweet yellow onions were recalled. They were sold under different brand names at major grocery chains like Walmart, Kroger, Giant Eagle, and Publix. They’re now responsible for getting 640 people sick in 43 states. If you think you have salmonella poisoning, the best thing you can do is call your doctor.
Read More: CBS News, CNN, FOX Business
Amazon May Build Mall Fulfillment Centers
Amazon is reportedly thinking about taking over empty mall spaces and turning them into distribution centers. The Wall Street Journal says Amazon is in talks with the largest mall owner in the U.S.: Simon Property Group. It says the discussions have focused on converting spaces once used by department stores like Sears and JCPenney. This could be risky for malls since they would be giving up crucial space to a business that doesn’t bring shoppers to other stores.
Read More: WSJ, Mashable, The Verge
Shark Week Begins
It’s “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel. As usual, the network is dedicating this week’s programming to all things sharks. This year, actor Will Smith will go swimming in shark-infested water. Rapper Snoop Dogg will help host a show about Great White sharks. Already, Mike Tyson kicked things off last night by cage diving and pushing away sharks who got too close to him.
Read More: CNN, Fast Company, CNN, Discovery
New Dirty Dancing Movie
The ‘80s movie Dirty Dancing is reportedly making a comeback. Lionsgate Studios confirmed it’s making a sequel to the classic love story. Jennifer Grey, who played Baby in the original, has already signed on to star in the new one. She is also an executive producer. So far, a release date has not been announced.
Read More: USA Today, Deadline, The Guardian
Monday Monday
Groceries are getting more expensive in the U.S. For example, the price of beef spiked 20% between February and June. Eggs went up 10%. Cereal and fresh vegetables are now more expensive too. CNN says it’s because suppliers have had to adjust to the pandemic by adding new protocols. Also, the demand is high. Americans are spending more at the grocery store since they’re eating at home more than usual.
Grocery Prices Keep Increasing: CNN, WaPo, Business Insider, BEA
Clorox Wipes Shortage: CBS News, Reuters, ABC News