Friday, September 4th, 2020
Police Officers Suspended, Double-Voting? & Blockbuster Movies Debut
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 reading the latest happenings...
Officers Suspended in Daniel Prude Death
A controversial police incident in Rochester, New York left one man dead. Now, several police officers are suspended. Video shows a Black man, named Daniel Prude, naked in the street, on the ground, as police put his hands behind his back. He was spitting at officers, yelling that he had COVID-19, so officers put a mesh cover over his head, called a spit hood. Prude eventually stopped moving and police did CPR until paramedics arrived, however, Prude ended up dying in the hospital days later. Now, the whole incident is under investigation.
Read More: NBC News, AP, Reuters, WSJ
Portland Shooting Suspect Killed During Arrest
We have an update to last weekend’s deadly shooting at a Portland, Oregon protest. Authorities say they identified the gunman and tried to arrest him last night, but as a federal task force tried taking him into custody, he ended up being shot and killed by the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force. The man was Michael Reinoehl, a vocal member of the far-left Antifa movement. No law enforcement officers were hurt during the violent arrest.
Read More: NY Times, AP, The Oregonian, Vice
Trump Suggests Voting Twice
President Trump told his supporters who vote early by mail to also show up at their local polling place on Election Day. However, voting twice on purpose in a single election is illegal under federal law. Also, some state election officials warned that a flood of voters showing up in-person on Election Day to check the status of their mail-in ballots could lead to longer lines and more problems. Instead, they say if you follow the instructions from your state, and send in your mail-in ballot on time, you shouldn’t worry.
Read More: AP, Politico, USA Today
Check Mail-in Voting Rules: USA.gov
Companies Pay Employees to Work at Polls
Some big companies say they will pay their employees to spend their time as a poll worker this Election Day. It comes as the U.S. faces a shortage of poll workers right now, since many senior citizens who usually take part are sitting this one out over COVID-19 concerns. Now, companies like Old Navy will give workers eight hours of pay if they volunteer. Others, like Starbucks and Salesforce, have partnered with a nonprofit organization to encourage more people to sign up.
Read More: Business Insider, CBS News, CNN, Old Navy, Tory Burch
Facebook’s New Ad Ban
Facebook says it won’t allow any new political ads in the week leading up to November 3rd. The company says it’s worried last-minute ads could make questionable or false claims, and with the election so close, there might not be enough time for fact-checkers to scrutinize them before Election Day. Existing political ads can still stay up the whole time, but the publishers won’t be able to edit content in that last week.
Read More: NY Times, TechCrunch, NBC News, Facebook
Stocks Tumble Amid Tech Sell-off
The U.S Labor Department will be releasing its monthly jobs report today, and some economists expect it to be encouraging. If so, it could help the stock market, which saw a big drop yesterday. Big tech was down, with Apple experiencing the largest one-day loss for a U.S.-listed company on record. That said, it comes after a massive rally recently, so it seems investors were cashing in their high-valued tech stocks.
Read More: WSJ, AP, Axios, Yahoo Finance
Kentucky Derby Preview
One of the most iconic sporting events in the world is happening this weekend. The Kentucky Derby is usually the first leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing. However, this year, because of the pandemic, it was pushed back from May to this Saturday. During a normal year, the Kentucky Derby is full of traditions, like big hats, mint juleps, and star-studded parties. However, this year, there will be no fans at Churchill Downs and the watch parties will have to be mostly virtual.
Read More: NBC Sports, Louisville Courier-Journal, Festival at Home
Blockbuster Movies Released
Two big blockbusters debut today. Tenet was just released in theaters in the U.S. The action thriller is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. However, not everyone will be able to see it, since theaters are still closed in some big cities, like New York and Los Angeles. Also today, the live-action version of Mulan debuts on Disney+. To watch, you will need a subscription and you also have to pay an additional $30. However, that fee will be dropped on December 4th.
Tenet Debuts in Theaters: AP, Variety, LA Times
Mulan Debuts on Disney+: Cnet, Variety, The Verge
Labor Day
We are heading into a long holiday weekend since Labor Day is Monday. The federal holiday is meant to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It’s also known to symbolize the end of summer and bring Labor Day sales to retailers. Expect many places to be closed Monday, like government buildings, many schools, and offices.
Read More: History.com, ABC News
Feel Good Friday: Milestone in ALS Treatment
A new treatment that may help slow the progression of ALS. New research that helped discover it was made possible, in part, because of the ‘ice bucket challenge’ from 2014. It ended up raising about $220 million, which helped pave the way for the breakthrough. This medication is not considered a cure for ALS, but researchers say it seems to help people stay independent longer, and it gives them more time with loved ones.
Read More: NBC News, NY Times, New England Journal of Medicine