Friday, September 18th, 2020
In-Person Early Voting, TikTok Deal Update & Space Reality Show
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...
Early In-Person Voting Begins
Americans will start officially casting their votes for president at in-person polling places in seven states today and tomorrow. The states are South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming. President Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden are focusing their campaigns on those seven states. Both candidates plan to hold events in Minnesota today. Elsewhere, people have already started voting by mail. This year, nine states and Washington, D.C. are sending mail-in ballots to everyone.
Read More: USA Today, Vote.Org, Chicago Tribune, CNN, Check Mail-in Voting Rules, Check Your Voter Registration
FBI Director on Election Interference
FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers there have been “very active” efforts by Russia to influence the 2020 election. He said the Russian’s main goal is to hurt Joe Biden. However, Wray says it doesn’t seem like they’ve targeted election infrastructure this time around. He says they’re more focused on spreading misinformation on Facebook and Twitter. However, President Trump posted on Twitter that he wasn’t happy Wray didn’t mention China. Unlike Russia, China wants Trump to lose.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, Axios, The Hill, FBI, Trump Tweet
Woman Accuses Trump of Assault
Another woman has accused President Trump of assault. Already, the president has pushed back, saying it’s not true. Amy Dorris told The Guardian Trump forcibly kissed and groped her at a U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1997. The Guardian says it also interviewed several people she confided in at the time it happened and they all confirmed her version of the story. However, the campaign says The Guardian shouldn’t have published the article, calling it “malicious.”
Read More: The Guardian, NY Times, WaPo, Reuters
TikTok-Oracle Deal Update
Despite earlier reports that a deal between Oracle and TikTok would get approved, it seems a ban on the app could still be on the way. The Commerce Department announced this morning it will ban U.S. business transactions with Chinese-owned apps TikTok and WeChat beginning Sunday — meaning they'd be removed from the app store. Remember: this is based on security concerns surrounding the apps. That said, the announcement still leaves the door open for a deal to go through before Sunday. In a statement, TikTok called the Trump administration's action "unjust" and vowed to keep fighting the order in federal court.
Read More: NPR, Yahoo! Finance, CNBC
Rosh Hashanah
Jewish people around the world are getting ready to celebrate the high holidays. Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New Year, begins tonight. Normally, people would be spending time inside a synagogue, or around family and friends. This year, synagogues worldwide are live-streaming their services online instead. Other Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the Shofar, a ram’s horn trumpet, and eating festive meals.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times
Facebook Will Stop Recommending Health Groups
Facebook says it’s taking more steps to fight misinformation. Now, that includes not recommending any health groups on its platform. Facebook found the groups spread misinformation more often than others. For example, some made false claims about vaccinations. Others supported COVID-19 conspiracy theories. People can still invite their friends to health groups and search for them specifically.
Read More: Engadget, The Verge, CNBC, Facebook
Space Reality Show Coming
An American production company reportedly wants to hold a TV competition that would send the winner to space. The show would be called Space Hero. Contestants from around the world would train like astronauts. Deadline says they’ll participate in physical challenges, as well as puzzles and problem-solving tasks. The plan is to hold the final episode live and have a worldwide vote to decide who ultimately wins a ticket to the International Space Station. A trip to space would likely happen in 2023 onboard a SpaceX rocket.
Read More: The Verge, TechCrunch, Deadline, CNN
Primetime Emmy Awards
The 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards are happening this weekend. Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the event live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday night. Because of the pandemic, there won’t be an audience and winners are accepting their awards from home. The HBO series Watchmen is up for 26 trophies, the most of any show. Big stars like Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell, Issa Rae, and Don Cheadle are up for acting awards. The show will start at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Read More: AP, CNBC, Time, Emmys
Feel Good Friday- 11-year-old Donates 22,000 Diapers
11-year-old Cartier Carey opened a lemonade stand this summer to raise money to buy diapers, wipes, and other supplies for single mothers. Within his first month, he reportedly made about $4,500. People also started dropping off diapers at his stand. By the time school started, he ended up with 22,000 diapers and they all went to parents in need. Now, he and his mother have a nonprofit called Kids 4 Change to get other kids involved in giving back.
Read More: ABC News, Good News Network