Thursday, August 13th, 2020
Biden-Harris Campaign Debut, Power Five Divided & Broadway on Netflix
All the news you need 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 peruse the latest happenings...
Biden, Harris Hold First Joint Campaign Event
Former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, made their public debut as running mates. Biden called Harris smart, tough, and experienced. Harris thanked him for picking her, then attacked President Trump. Harris said America is crying out for leadership because she says Trump cares more about himself than the people who elected him. However, the president fired back by calling her “nasty” and “the kind of opponent everyone dreams of.”
Read More: AP, NBC News, Reuters, USA Today, Axios
Trump Next Campaign Swing
Next week, while Biden and Harris are focused on the Democratic National Convention, President Trump will hold campaign events. He plans to visit four election battleground states. He’s reportedly going on a campaign swing in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. Then the following week, it’s time for the Republican National Convention.
Read More: Reuters, USA Today, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Relief Talks Latest
Negotiations for the next coronavirus relief bill are still at a standstill. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin tried to revive talks yesterday, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ended the meeting just minutes into it. The Democrats say Mnuchin won’t agree to any package larger than $1 trillion. Mnuchin says the Democrats are insisting on a $2 trillion threshold, and that’s too much.
Read More: Axios, AP, Reuters, WaPo
U.S. COVID-19 Deaths
American health officials reported nearly 1,500 coronavirus-related deaths yesterday. That’s the highest one-day total since mid-May. The Washington Post reports the seven-day average death toll has tripled in Washington state over the last four weeks. It doubled elsewhere, like in Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Georgia. When it comes to Georgia, the state also leads the nation in the rate of new cases per capita.
Read More: Johns Hopkins, WaPo, AJC
Trump Releases New School Guidelines
President Trump unveiled eight recommendations yesterday for schools, as he continued to encourage in-person classes. We’ve heard similar guidelines before. They include making sure students and staff “understand the symptoms of COVID-19” and requiring “all students, teachers and staff to self-assess their health every morning before coming to school.” The recommendations also encourage the use of masks, but do not require them. Ultimately, final decisions come down to local and school officials.
Read More: Reuters, CNN, White House
Big 12, ACC, SEC Keep Fall Sports
It seems like this college football season will be split in two. When it comes to the “Power Five” biggest conferences in college sports, three now confirm they’ll play this fall. Those are the ACC, SEC, and Big 12. However, the Big 10 and Pac 12 decided to postpone fall seasons until the spring, assuming COVID-19 is a little more under control by then. For the teams playing this fall, there will be safety protocol in place, like regular virus testing.
Read More: AP, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated
Lung Cancer Death Rates Fall
Fewer Americans are dying from the most common type of lung cancer. The National Cancer Institute found the death rate is improving and it suggests new treatments are the reason. Doctors have been prescribing new drugs that target genetic mutations. That tends to help people survive years longer than if they were given more typical chemotherapy. Still, not all patients respond the same way to every treatment.
Read More: WaPo, Stat, NIH
Sumner Redstone Dies
Billionaire media mogul Sumner Redstone has passed away. Redstone built a media empire from National Amusements, which was, at first, a chain of drive-in theaters. Over several decades, his company ended up controlling CBS, Paramount Pictures, Simon & Schuster, and Viacom. At their peak, Redstone’s businesses were reportedly worth $80 billion. He died at 97 years old.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, WaPo, Variety, CNBC
Android’s Earthquake Detection Network
Google is starting to launch an Android phone-powered earthquake alert system. Android phones are thought to be sensitive enough to detect earthquake waves, and when data from a bunch of phones comes together, it’s enough to confirm it. Part of the system rolled out this week in California. People need to opt-in. Google is hoping to test the system’s accuracy, then expand it into more places, in the coming year.
Read More: The Verge, Reuters, Google, Engadget
Microsoft’s New Foldable Phone
For the first time in four years, Microsoft unveiled a new phone. It’s a foldable smartphone, called the Surface Duo. It opens like a book, and it has two screens designed for multi-tasking. The phone starts at $1,400 which is noticeably more than the new Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, but Microsoft says it's not your conventional smartphone. It’s more like a tablet, phone, and laptop in one.
Read More: USA Today, The Verge, Engadget, AP, Microsoft
‘Diana’ Musical to Netflix
The Broadway musical Diana is coming to Netflix before it debuts on Broadway. That has never happened before. The musical is about the life of Princess Diana. It was supposed to debut on Broadway last spring, but that was scrapped because of the pandemic. Now, it is scheduled for Broadway next May and Netflix sometime early next year.
Read More: WSJ, Deadline, BBC
Thing to Know Thursday: Mail-in Ballots vs. Absentee Ballots
An absentee ballot is used in every state when a voter cannot, for various reasons, physically make it to the polls on Election Day. A mail-in ballot is used more broadly to refer to any ballot sent through the mail. Some people also use the terms interchangeably.
Read More: Dictionary.com