Tuesday, August 11th, 2020
Kids’ Covid Cases, Rare Midwest Storms & Meteor Shower Show
All the news in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by HelloFresh.com/80newsworthy
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...
Children Coronavirus Infections
COVID-19 has surged among American children this summer. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association found infections rose by 90% in just about four weeks. Now, the total number of American kids infected is more than 380,000. Also, it seems minority children are impacted more severely than white children. A CDC report found Hispanic children are eight times more likely, and Black children are five times more likely, to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than their white peers.
Read More: Time, CNN, WaPo, AAP, CDC
Trump on Reopening Schools
President Trump says he’s not worried about new data about children getting COVID-19. He is still encouraging all schools to reopen in-person this fall, calling it the key to the economic recovery. However, most of the nation’s largest school districts, like Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles, have opted to start the school year with online-only classes.
Read More: The Hill, Business Insider
Trump May Give RNC Speech at Gettysburg
President Trump says he plans to accept his party’s nomination at either the White House or at the Great Battlefield of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. That’s the site of the Civil War’s deadliest battle. However, both locations are bound to bring in legal challenges. They are both federal properties that aren’t usually used for political events.
Read More: Reuters, AP, Axios, Trump Tweet
Some DNC Speakers Announced
Expect the Democratic National Convention to include a lot of speeches from former presidential candidates. On night one, Americans will hear from Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is a self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialist,” as well as Ohio’s former Gov. John Kasich, who is a Republican. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama are on the speaker list too.
Read More: USA Today, WaPo, CNN, DNC
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Cabinet Resigns
Lebanon’s prime minister and his cabinet resigned. Protesters and others have accused the government of not doing enough to prevent last week’s explosion that killed 160 people and injured thousands more. The source of the blast was explosives stored in a warehouse. Reuters reports Lebanese security officials warned the prime minister and president about them just last month, saying the capital city could be destroyed. It happened a little more than two weeks later.
Read More: Reuters, Axios, CNN, AP, United Nations
Chicago Shooting & Unrest
Protests and looting led to a shutdown and curfew in downtown Chicago. Huge crowds clashed with police officers in the early morning hours Monday. Most people were reportedly upset about police officers shooting a suspect hours earlier. More than 100 people were arrested for looting and assaulting police. 13 officers were injured and a security guard was shot. The mayor says a curfew will be in place every night until neighborhoods are safe.
Read More: Chicago Tribune, NBC News, AP, WSJ
Rare Midwest Storms
A powerful summer storm ripped through the midwest, leaving damage behind in several states. At times, it had the wind speeds of a major hurricane. Thankfully, there were no immediate reports of deaths. However, there were injuries and a lot of property damage. The worst was likely in Iowa, where winds blew over trees, flipped cars, downed power lines, and more. Tens of thousands of people lost power.
Read More: AP. The Weather Channel, CNN
Uber, Lyft must Classify Drivers as Employees
Uber and Lyft will now have to classify their drivers as employees in California. So far, drivers have been considered independent contractors. That way, they can make their schedules and have more freedom. However, they don’t have access to a guaranteed minimum wage, overtime, or benefits. A new state law in California says that’s not okay and a judge agreed. Both companies plan to appeal the decision.
Read More: Reuters, Axios, NPR, The Verge
McDonald’s Sues Former CEO
The fast-food giant McDonald’s is suing its former CEO. The company says Steve Easterbrook broke policy by having relationships with employees and trying to cover them up. Easterbrook was fired last fall. Now, McDonald’s wants him to pay back millions of dollars in severance. The chain says it wants to send a clear message that it won’t tolerate inappropriate behavior now or in the future.
Read More: NYT, NBC News, Axios
MLB Postpones Another Series
Major League Baseball is postponing more games because of COVID-19. The upcoming series between the St. Louis Cardinals and their rivals, the Chicago Cubs, is delayed. The Cardinals haven’t played a game since July 29th because it’s dealing with a coronavirus outbreak. Now, the MLB says it needs to do more virus testing before giving the Cards the okay to return. Already, there are only 45 days left in the season for the team to play 55 more games.
Read More: ABC News, AP, ESPN
WNBA No Positive Tests
The WNBA has been playing for a month now. Still, a new report shows there haven’t been any positive COVID-19 test results among players so far. That’s probably because the league is playing in a “bubble,” just like the NBA. That means all games happen at the same venue in Florida and players are well-isolated in team-approved housing.
Read More: AP, Reuters, WNBA
Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks
The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight. If the sky is clear, you might be able to see a shooting star every few minutes. The best time to watch is between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. It’s also best to get away from city lights and wait about 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark sky.
Read More: USA Today, CNN, WaPo
Trivia Tuesday
Q: Which country ranked number one in the UN World Happiness Report of 2020?
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 ZIP in "zip code" is an acronym. So what does ZIP stand for?
A: Zone Improvement Plan
Read More: Dictionary.com, Business Insider