Monday, September 21st, 2020
RIP RBG, Tropical Storm Beta & ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Sweep
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 review the latest happenings...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies
Outside the U.S. Supreme Court this weekend, hundreds of people gathered to honor Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday. She was known as a champion of liberal issues and a feminist icon. She was nominated to the high court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. After her death, Clinton released a statement, calling her a “magnificent judge and wonderful person.” Current President Donald Trump called her a “titan of law who was “renowned for her brilliant mind.” Her funeral is expected later in the week, as well as a burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
RBG’s Legacy: AP, WSJ, NY Times, WaPo, NPR, Supreme Court
Mourners Pay Tribute to RBG: CBS News, ABC News, People
Replacing RBG Debate
Republicans want President Trump to choose who will replace Justice Ginsburg before the November election. However, that’s controversial because, during the last election cycle, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died in February of 2016. President Obama nominated a replacement in March, but the Senate blocked his pick. However, this year, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is promising the Senate will vote on President Trump’s nominee. Democrats are calling him a hypocrite. They say they don’t want to rush such an important decision.
Read More: NY Times, Axios, Politico, AP, McConnell Statement
U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll
Nearly 200,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19. New coronavirus cases have also gone up by at least 10% in the past week, compared to the previous week. Only four states are heading in the right direction: Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Michigan. There, new cases have gone down by more than 10%. This isn’t a total surprise though. Doctors and health experts had predicted an increase in the weeks after Labor Day weekend gatherings.
Read More: NY Times, WSJ, CNN, Johns Hopkins
CDC Testing Advice Reversal
The CDC updated its testing guidance. Last month, the message was that people who get exposed to COVID-19 may not need to be tested, as long as they don’t start showing symptoms. Now, it says clearly that everyone who has had close contact with an infected person needs a test, symptoms or not. The CDC defines “close contact” as being within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes. The new guidance also says people who are close contacts should self-isolate for two weeks, if possible.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, WSJ, CNBC, CDC
Tropical Storm Beta
Another tropical storm could bring heavy rain and flooding in parts of the gulf coast today. More than 10 million people are under storm warnings ahead of Tropical Storm Beta. It’s expected to make landfall near Galveston, Texas either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Already, parts of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana are getting heavy rain. Some places around Houston and Galveston could end up getting 20 inches of rain through Thursday. Now, people who live on the coast are being urged to prepare.
Read More: The Weather Channel, CNN, WaPo, AP, NHC
Trump to Address UN from White House
Today, President Trump is set to address the United Nations. He will deliver his speech via video from the White House. That speech is likely to spark tension between countries. Trump is expected to challenge the terms of Iran’s nuclear deal with the UN Security Council. However, other UN members, like Britain, France, and Germany say he can’t do that since the U.S. pulled out of the deal a couple years ago.
Read More: Politico, Reuters, CBS News, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, UN, Pompeo Statement
UN International Day of Peace
Today is the United Nations’ International Day of Peace. Every year on September 21st, the UN calls for 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire around the world. It’s also asking all of us to “spread compassion, kindness, and hope.” There are all kinds of international peace events happening around the world today.
Read More: United Nations, Get Involved
TikTok Deal Gets Green Light
President Trump says he’s given his “blessing” to a deal that would keep TikTok running in the U.S. The deal still involves American software giant Oracle and big-box retailer Walmart. The two American companies together will own a stake of a new entity called TikTok Global. Trump says it will be headquartered in Texas and as many as 25,000 Americans will be hired to work there. So the ban that would have gone into effect yesterday was averted. Treasury officials say the deal still needs to be finalized by Oracle and Walmart.
Read More: Bloomberg, NY Times, NPR, CNN
Playstation Preorder Chaos
Sony is apologizing after preorders for its highly-anticipated new PS5 turned into a fiasco. Retailers, like Walmart, started preorders a day early, on Wednesday instead of Thursday. Gaming consoles ran out within a few minutes and some websites reportedly crashed when customers rushed them. Sony says it will release more PS5 consoles for preorder over the next few days. The official launch is still set for November 12th. By the way, the next Xbox will be available for preorder tomorrow and will launch on November 10th.
Read More: FOX Business, The Verge, Engadget, Playstation, Xbox
U.S. Open Winner
Golfer Bryson Dechambeau got his first major victory over the weekend by winning the 2020 U.S. Open. He was the only golfer to shoot under par. He credits his recent weight gain for that. Golf Magazine says he put on 40 pounds, mostly by lifting weights, since he graduated from college in 2015. That additional power and strength helped him out-drive competitors sometimes by more than 50 yards.
Read More: CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf Magazine
Emmy Award Winners
TV’s biggest night was mostly virtual last night. As always, the Primetime Emmy Awards celebrated this year’s achievements in television and streaming. This year, the night’s biggest winner was the show Schitt’s Creek. It swept all the big comedic awards like Best Comedy, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Writing, and Best Directing. HBO’s Succession won for Best Drama and the star of Succession, Jeremy Strong, won for Best Actor in a Drama. Zendaya won for “Best Actress” in a Drama for her role in Euphoria.
Read More: NY Times, Variety, People, Emmy’s
Monday Monday: How the Pandemic Changed Grocery Shopping
The pandemic has changed the way we grocery shop. For example, certain foods have gotten more popular. Orange sales surged 73% this May, as compared to a year earlier. That’s likely because they’re known for having immune-boosting capabilities. Frozen food also has reported sales spikes. Online grocery shopping is also booming. To keep up, companies like Kroger and Whole Foods are now operating “dark stores,” solely dedicated to fulfilling online orders.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, NPR