Tuesday, August 18th, 2020
College Reversal, 100 Years of Women Voting & New Alcohol Guidelines
All the news 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 read the latest happenings...
UNC-Chapel Hill Reverts to Online Learning
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill became the first big university to cancel in-person classes after they began. Classes started just a week ago, but already, about 130 students tested positive for COVID-19 and hundreds more are having to self-isolate. UNC says clusters of cases popped up in dorms, a fraternity house, and other student housing. Starting tomorrow, all undergraduate classes are moving online.
Read More: WSJ, NBC News, CNN
COVID-19 Outbreaks at Other Colleges
Oklahoma State University reported clusters of new cases among students over the weekend. There, everyone who lives at a particular sorority house must quarantine and not leave. However, the university as a whole is sticking to its combination of in-person and online classes. Meanwhile, the University of Notre Dame is dealing with dozens of new cases. School officials say they can trace them all back to at least two off-campus parties, so the university is going to suspend or discipline hosts of those kinds of parties.
Read More: NBC News, AP, WaPo
Jam Master Jay Murder Suspects Charged
Two men have been indicted in connection with the 2002 killing of Run-D.M.C's Jam Master Jay. Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. were charged in his murder. Prosecutors say they murdered Jam Master Jay, whose birth name was Jason Mizell, because he threatened to cut him out of a narcotics transaction. The suspects are facing a minimum of 20 years in prison.
Read More: CNN, AP, CBS News
DNC Opens, Day 2 Today
Democrats started their first-ever virtual convention. On opening night, speakers like former First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Ohio’s former Republican Gov. John Kasich voiced their strong support for former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Last night’s event also featured interviews with regular people who are struggling with COVID-19 and economic hardships. Tonight, the DNC will hear from more big-name speakers like former Secretary of State John Kerry, former President Bill Clinton, and former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
Read More: AP, NY Times, WSJ, DNC Livestream
Trump Blasts Biden in Upper Midwest
President Trump kicked off a week of campaigning. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, he criticized Biden, saying Biden’s agenda would unleash crime, chaos, and corruption in the nation’s suburbs. Today, President Trump is set to visit Iowa, where people are still reeling from last week’s storms. Later this week, he will travel to Arizona, then the Scranton area of Pennsylvania. Then, the Republican National Convention starts next week.
Read More: The Hill, USA Today, AP
100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment
Today marks 100 years since the 19th amendment was officially adopted as part of the U.S. Constitution, giving American women the right to vote. Even after this big step forward on August 18, 1920, it would be decades before all women were able to exercise their right to vote. For minority women, there was still a long road ahead. Even now, a century later, a recent Pew Research Center poll found the majority of Americans say there is work left to do on gender equality.
Read More: AP, NBC News, NY Times, Women's Vote 100, NPS, Pew Research
New Men Alcohol Guidelines
New U.S. dietary guidelines suggest a lot of men need to start cutting back how much alcohol they drink. The new recommendation is just one alcoholic drink a day. The last time it came out, it said men could have two drinks a day and it recommended only one drink a day for women. Now it says just one for everyone. That’s because researchers found excessive drinking can lead to many chronic diseases as well as accidents.
Read More: WSJ, FOX News, Dietary Guidelines
NFL’s First Black Team President
For the first time, the NFL has a Black team president. Jason Wright was hired by the Washington Football Team, formerly known as the Redskins. He is now in charge of business operations. At 38 years old, he’s also reportedly the NFL’s youngest team president. Wright used to be an NFL running back before making partner at a consulting firm. Now, he says he plans to make “real change” at a developing team.
Read More: NBC News, ESPN, WaPo
TikTok Addresses Rumors
The video-sharing app TikTok launched a new website and Twitter account to address rumors in real time. There have been concerns about whether data is safe in the Chinese-owned app, but TikTok says they’re not necessary. Its new website dives into details about how it says people’s data is stored. It also links to the input of certain cybersecurity experts who support the use of TikTok in the U.S.
Read More: USA Today, TechCrunch, TikTok Website, TikTok Twitter
SpaceX Rocket Launch could Break Record
SpaceX is launching another rocket today, which could break a couple of company records. For starters, this is SpaceX’s 100th launch. Also, it plans to reuse one of its rocket boosters for the sixth time, which is the most ever. It might not be the last time either. SpaceX will attempt to land the booster and recover it again for a 7th flight. That process helps save money and resources.
Read More: TechCrunch, Space.com, Florida Today
Trivia Tuesday
Q: Which singer’s real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta?
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: Which country ranked number one in the UN World Happiness Report of 2020?
A: Finland
Read More: World Happiness Report, NY Times, World Population Review