Monday, August 17th, 2020
Postal Service Showdown, California ‘Firenado’ & NBA Playoffs Begin
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...
Postal Service Controversy
Recent changes to the USPS have prompted a new warning and new worries about how it might impact the presidential election. The U.S. House will vote on a bill to block the Postal Service from cutting services and it would force the USPS to keep working at the standards it did back in January. The new Postmaster General has recently cracked down on overtime pay, increased prices, removed mailboxes, and overhauled USPS leadership. Friday, he warned 46 states may have ballots not delivered in time to be counted for the November election.
Dems Address USPS Crisis: NBC News, CBS News, WSJ, Politico, Delivering for America Act
USPS Changes: CNBC, USA Today, WaPo, CNN, USPS
New Saliva COVID Test Approved
The FDA approved a new test for COVID-19. It uses spit instead of swabs. Unlike other tests, it doesn’t require expensive chemical reagents or collection devices. It can be tested in any sterile container. The test costs less than $5 apiece and can get results in less than three hours. It was developed with funding from the NBA and its players association.
Read More: WSJ, USA Today, Axios, FDA
Decline in COVID-19 Testing
Testing for COVID-19 has been trending downward in the U.S. for the last two weeks. The CDC shows the number of tests has been declining in 20 states, including hotspots like Texas, Mississippi, Nevada, and South Carolina. One possible factor is that healthcare facilities could be getting more selective about who they test.
Read More: NY Times, USA Today, Business Insider, CDC
COVID-19 Survivors 3-Month Guidelines
The CDC updated its guidance for coronavirus survivors. Federal health officials now say if you had COVID-19 within the last three months and you’re exposed to someone else who tested positive, you don’t need to get tested right away, unless you have symptoms. However, it doesn’t mean people are necessarily immune. The testing is just less reliable.
Read More: NBC News, The Hill, CDC
President Trump’s Brother Dies
President Trump’s younger brother died over the weekend. Robert Trump was 71 years old. He had been suffering from a serious illness for several months. Before he died, the president visited his brother at a New York City hospital. Robert Trump was one of the president’s four siblings. President Trump often described him as his best friend.
Read More: NBC News, ABC News, CNN, AP
DNC Begins
The Democratic National Convention kicks off today with some big-name speakers, like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and many others. The convention will be mostly virtual. It continues for four nights, Monday through Thursday, from 9-11p.m. ET. The Republican National Convention happens next week.
Read More: USA Today, CNN, WaPo, Reuters, DNC Livestream
California Disasters
Several states in the western U.S. are dealing with a brutal heatwave. In California, there are also several wildfires and an overwhelmed power grid. Officials are worried about an electricity supply shortage and ordered rolling power outages. The triple-digit heat is also contributing to wildfires. Sunday, for the first time in history, the National Weather Service issued a fire tornado warning. Several videos were posted showing twisters in the path of a fire in Tahoe National Forest.
More Rolling Blackouts: LA Times, WSJ, SF Gate, AP
Wildfire Triggers Apparent Tornado: WaPo, CNN, Weather Channel, CBS News, LA Times
Trump Orders TikTok Owner to Sell US Assets
President Trump issued an executive order to force Bytedance to sell or spin off its TikTok business within 90 days. It must also destroy all the data attached to U.S. users. This may give TikTok more time to make a deal with Microsoft or another company. The original deadline was September 20th. This order pushes it to November 12th.
Read More: AP, Politico, The Verge, Executive Order
NBA Playoffs Begin
The first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs is set to begin today. 16 teams will square off in the league’s “bubble” in Florida. The playoffs will take about two months from start to finish. As of now, the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to win this year’s championship. Of course, anything is possible.
Read More: ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, AP
Disney’s First Bisexual Character
For the first time in history, Disney has created a bisexual lead character. The character is in the animated series called Owl House. It follows a 14-year-old girl who stumbles upon a magical world. Weaved into the storyline is her interest in both boys and girls. The series creator says even though she got some pushback at first, Disney is now fully supportive of it.
Read More: Variety, PEOPLE
Hallmark Showing Gay Wedding
Hallmark featured a same-sex wedding on its network over the weekend. It was in a movie called Wedding Every Weekend. It showed two women getting married to each other. This is a big deal for the network since a year ago, it got backlash for pulling ads that featured two brides kissing at the altar.
Read More: USA Today, Fox News, NBC News, Hallmark
Telegram Launches One-on-One Video Calls
You can now make video calls on the messaging app Telegram. It’s known for being secure since it has end-to-end encryption. The new feature is just for one-on-one calls for now. Telegram reportedly plans to launch group calls in the coming months. To use the new feature, you just have to switch from audio to video once a call has already started.
Read More: Engadget, The Verge
Monday Monday: Relief Payments Holdup
Some people still have not gotten their coronavirus relief payments. They were sent to Americans back in April as part of the CARES act. It gave most adults $1,200 and an additional $500 for children. Many of the people still waiting to get their money are victims of identity theft, those who have a spouse in jail or prison, or someone whose spouse owes back-due child support. The IRS is still trying to get the money out this year.
Read More: Today, Detroit Free Press, IRS Relief FAQs, Check Payment Status