Tuesday, September 8th, 2020
Controversial Military Comments, Record-Breaking Wildfires & Kentucky Derby Upset
All the news in less than 10 min:
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...
U.S. COVID-19 Outbreaks
New COVID-19 cases are reportedly rising in 22 states. About three weeks ago, cases were going up in only three states. The other difference is most of the states on an upswing now are in the less-populated parts of the Midwest and South. Overall, South Dakota is seeing the biggest increase. Meanwhile, heavily-populated states are doing better. California, Florida, and Texas are finally seeing the number of new infections go down. In New York, Gov. Cuomo says the infection rate has stayed below 1% for a month now.
Coronavirus Cases Increasing: Johns Hopkins, Reuters, AP
New York’s Infection Rate Below 1%: Axios, WaPo, NY Gov
Trump Comments about Veterans
President Trump is facing new controversy. An article from The Atlantic cited several sources who say they heard the president make fun of American troops who were captured or killed. According to the article, Trump complained to his staff about having to visit a cemetery in 2018, saying it was “filled with losers.” He also reportedly called the Marines buried there “suckers” for getting killed. Other news outlets confirmed various aspects of the report too. However, President Trump calls it “totally false.”
Read More: WaPo, AP, FOX News, Politico
Trump Cracks Down on Antiracism Training
President Trump is also facing some backlash over his decision to cancel antiracism training within the federal government. The director of the White House’s OMB says the president told him to make sure federal agencies stop using taxpayer dollars to pay for racial sensitivity training sessions. The memo described the trainings as “propaganda” that is “divisive” and “un-American.” However, one attorney who has worked on diversity trainings in the past says they’re not divisive, but that they work to improve morale and cooperation.
Read More: AP, Al Jazeera, WaPo, White House
CA Total Land Burned Record
California wildfires have burned a record two million acres so far in 2020. Even though it’s only September, that breaks a record for the most California land scorched in a single year. Several large fires are still burning too. Overall, more than 14,000 firefighters are working to get current fires under control.
Read More: AP, CNN, Axios, Cal Fire
Central CA Wildfire, Rescues
A wildfire is burning out-of-control in the Sierra National Forest, northeast of Fresno, California. It’s not clear yet what started it, but firefighters say about 3,000 buildings in the area are now threatened, along with several popular campsites. More than 200 people who were camping there over the weekend had to be airlifted to safety. Thankfully, they all survived, but a few of them had broken bones and burns.
Read More: SF Chronicle, FOX News, NPR
Gender Reveal Sparks Southern CA Wildfire
Another wildfire is burning through San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles. Fire officials say that one was sparked by a gender reveal party that used a pyrotechnic device. That kind of device is sometimes used to release blue or pink smoke to announce the gender of a baby before the mom gives birth. This time, things went wrong, and now, thousands of people who live nearby are evacuated.
Read More: CBS News, ABC News, LA Times
U.S. Extreme Temperatures
California is also dealing with a record-breaking heatwave. The National Weather Service says temperatures reached 121 degrees Fahrenheit Sunday in parts of Los Angeles County. Meanwhile, a cold front is moving down the middle of the U.S. from the Dakotas down to Texas. Denver is in for the most dramatic swing. The city’s high temperature was 99 degrees on Sunday. Today, the high is expected to be only 37 degrees.
CA Heat Wave: CBS LA, Reuters, ABC News
Record Cool Temperatures Coming: CNN, CBS News, WaPo
Authentic Won Kentucky Derby
A surprise winner took the crown at the Kentucky Derby. The horse named Authentic won the iconic race at Churchill Downs. This was considered an upset. The fan-favorite horse was Tiz the Law, who already won the Belmont Stakes in June. However, Authentic pulled away in the final stretch this time. That means no Triple Crown this year since that only happens if the same horse wins all three Triple Crown races.
Read More: ESPN, NBC Sports, CBS Sports
Djokovic Disqualified from US Open
Tennis Star Novak Djokovic is out of the U.S. Open. He got disqualified Sunday after hitting a ball in frustration. The ball ended up hitting a line judge in the throat. Fortunately, she was ultimately okay, but that meant the end of the competition for Djokovic. On the women’s side, America’s biggest star is still in. Serena Williams beat Maria Sakkari yesterday to advance to the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Read More: NY Times, Reuters, CBS Sports
Serena Williams Still In: ESPN, NY Times, CNN
Facebook Paying Users to Deactivate Accounts
Facebook reportedly wants to pay people to log off social media ahead of the 2020 election. The Washington Post reports that the company is offering up to $120 for select people to deactivate their Facebook or Instagram accounts. As part of the experiment, select people will be paid to stay off their accounts for one week. Others will be asked to sign off for six weeks. In the end, they’ll be asked to complete a survey before their accounts are reactivated. Facebook says it plans to publish the results of this experiment sometime next year.
Read More: USA Today, The Verge, Fox Business, Facebook, WaPo Reporter, Facebook Response
T-Mobile ‘Project 10Million’
T-Mobile says it wants to make sure home internet access isn’t a barrier to a child’s education, so it came up with Project 10Million. It will give up to 10 million eligible households 100 gigabytes of data a year and a free mobile hotspot for five years. The company says in most cases, this will be available to students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Individual schools or school districts can apply on behalf of students. Parents and guardians can apply too.
Read More: USA Today, Fox Business, T-Mobile
Harry and Meghan Refund Taxpayers
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have squared away old debt. The couple reportedly repaid British taxpayers about 2.4 million pounds ($3.2 million.) That’s how much it cost British taxpayers to renovate the Frogmore Cottage in 2019. That was supposed to be the couple’s home in England before Harry and Meghan gave up their royal duties and decided to move to California.
Read More: AP, GMA, NBC News
Queen Elizabeth Hosting Drive-In Movies
Queen Elizabeth is turning one of her estates into a drive-in movie theater later this month. She’s opening up the grounds of her Sandringham Estate, where she usually spends the winter months. People will be able to watch movies like Toy Story, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Greatest Showman, and more. Tickets are currently available for purchase.
Read More: Fox Business, People, Variety
Box Office Roundup
More Americans stepped back into movie theaters over Labor Day weekend. They were drawn in by the first major pandemic-era movie release, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. That movie brought in more than $20 million in North America. That’s reportedly the biggest domestic opening since the pandemic upended the industry back in March.
Read More: NY Times, AP, CNBC, WSJ
Trivia Tuesday
Q: Who were the first two human beings to walk on the moon?
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: September comes from the Latin word 'Septem' which means what?
A: Seven
Read More: Farmers Almanac, Dictionary.com