Thursday, September 3rd, 2020
Fall Vaccine Possible, Detecting Deepfakes & College Football Returns
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 peruse the latest happenings...
Vaccine May be Ready by November
The CDC is telling states to be ready to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine in early November. That’s earlier than most people expected, but CDC Director Robert Redfield said things are going well and the possible vaccines are on track for approval soon. However, some health experts are skeptical. They worry the Trump administration is pushing to get out a vaccine just before the general election for political reasons. Still, federal health officials have promised not to cut corners.
Read More: Politico, AP, Reuters, Yahoo Finance
COVID-19 Vaccine Priorities
A U.S. advisory panel put out new recommendations for how to hand out initial doses of COVID-19 vaccines. A draft report says it’s best to use a four-phased approach, prioritizing healthcare workers in the first phase, along with people who have serious underlying conditions or those who live in crowded settings. The committee’s final report will be submitted later this month.
Read More: Stat, NBC News, Bloomberg, National Academies
Coronavirus Cases “Unacceptably High”
The nation’s top infectious disease expert is calling the number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. each day “unacceptably high.” This week, the U.S. is reporting about 40,000 new cases daily. Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC he’d like the number of new infections to go down to about 10,000 a day or less. However, he worries that’s unlikely, since Labor Day weekend is ahead, and Dr. Fauci says on holiday weekends, “there’s a tendency of people to be careless somewhat with regard to the public health measures.”
Read More: Johns Hopkins, CNBC, The Hill
Steroids Cut COVID Death Rates
New evidence shows common steroids could end up saving the lives of the sickest COVID-19 patients. Studies show they reduce the death risk by 20%. Because of those findings, the World Health Organization just updated its guidance, telling doctors to use steroids when COVID-19 becomes severe or critical. The UN health agency also told countries to make sure they build up their stockpiles of those drugs.
Read More: WaPo, Reuters, Stat
Budget Deficit to Hit Record
By the end of the year, the nation’s debt is expected to almost equal the size of the entire economy. That hasn’t happened since World War II. Also, the amount of debt owed by the U.S. is expected to grow more in the next year. Coronavirus is mostly to blame. As the country spends more money than it’s bringing in, it’s forced to borrow more.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, AP, CBO, WSJ
Joe Biden to Visit Kenosha, WI
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is traveling to Kenosha, Wisconsin today. He plans to hold a community meeting and visit with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot in the back by a white police officer and is now paralyzed. The police shooting is still under investigation. President Trump visited Kenosha earlier this week to show support for law enforcement.
Biden Kenosha Visit: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Axios, AP, Politico
Wisconsin Battleground State: US News & World Report, WaPo, WPR
Hottest Summer on Record
The National Weather Service says 2020 has been the hottest summer on record for dozens of American cities. For example, the average temperature in Phoenix has been about 96.7 degrees Fahrenheit, about 1.6 degrees higher than the previous record. Things aren’t cooling down anytime soon. Excessive heat watches and warnings have been issued in California, Nevada, and Arizona ahead of Labor Day weekend.
Read More: ABC News, Chicago Tribune, FOX News, AccuWeather
College Football Season Begins
The NCAA’s Division I football season kicks off tonight. First, UAB will play Central Arkansas. Then, South Alabama will square off against Southern Miss. However, fans will be few and far between. This season, some colleges are banning fans from games. Others are capping attendance at 20-30%. Some schools aren’t playing football at all this fall. Conferences like the Big 10 and Pac-12 will try to play in the spring instead, hoping COVID-19 will be more under control by then.
Read More: CBS Sports, ESPN, USA Today
Microsoft Deepfake-Detecting Tech
Microsoft is launching new technology to spot deepfakes. Those are pictures and videos that have been manipulated with artificial intelligence. Microsoft’s Video Authenticator should help. It analyzes videos and photos for subtle manipulations you can’t see with the naked eye. It then gives a percentage chance that the media has been altered. Microsoft is making Video Authenticator available to news outlets, political campaigns, and other organizations involved in the election process.
Read More: TechCrunch, Business Insider, Microsoft
Movies Anywhere Screen Pass Launches
It just got easier to lend out movies you’ve purchased from iTunes, Prime Video, VUDU, and more. Movies Anywhere launched its new Screen Pass feature in the U.S. With that, you’re allowed to share three movies a month. Your friends and family will get two weeks to watch them. There was a big rush to get the feature out, since the pandemic increased demand for at-home movies and connection.
Read More: TechCrunch, Engadget, Screen Pass
Harry and Meghan Sign Netflix Deal
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have signed a multi-year deal with Netflix. They’re reportedly on board to produce different movies and shows like documentaries, feature films, scripted TV shows, and children’s series. The couple says their programming will shine a light on issues important to them. The goal is to raise awareness and give hope.
Read More: CNN, USA Today, Variety, Mashable
‘Dancing with the Stars’ Line-Up
Dancing with the Stars has announced its cast for the 2020 season. This year’s line-up includes 15 famous people like Tiger King’s Carole Baskin, AJ McLean from the Backstreet Boys, Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis, and NBA superstar Charles Oakley. The new season premieres September 14th on ABC.
Read More: USA Today, Variety, ABC
Thing to Know Thursday: Election Timeline
Election Day is two months away, on November 3rd. In a typical election year, it’s clear who the winner is by the next day. However, some political experts have said this year, we might not know who won by December 20th, Inauguration Day. That’s because an unprecedented number of Americans, concerned about coronavirus, are expected to vote by mail. The Federal Election Commission says counting those ballots takes longer than the ones submitted in person. So it will likely take at least a few extra days, and even longer if the races are very tight.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, The Hill