Thursday, October 1st, 2020
New Debate Rules, More Direct Payments? & Harvest Moon
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by LiquidIV.com (listen for how to get a discount)
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...
Debates Commission to Issue New Rules
Changes are expected before the next couple of presidential debates. The nonpartisan nonprofit in charge of debates is now stepping in, saying the format could use more structure. However, the commission hasn’t outlined any details about what might change. One possible change is giving future moderators the power to cut off a microphone if one candidate keeps interrupting the other. However, nothing is set in stone. The next time the candidates face-off will be for a town hall debate in Miami, Florida in two weeks.
Read More: CBS News, AP, Reuters, Axios, NY Times
Biden, Trump Campaign in Midwest
President Trump and former Vice President Biden both claimed victory yesterday, each of them believing they won the first debate. A CBS News poll found 48% of debate watchers thought Biden won. 41% thought Trump was the winner. 10% called the debate a tie. Now, in the time between debates, expect to see more campaign events, especially in key battleground states. President Trump was in Minnesota yesterday. Biden was on a train tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Read More: AP, WaPo
Coronavirus Relief Talks
The next coronavirus relief bill is still being debated on Capitol Hill. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made progress in discussions this week to come up with something that will get approval from both sides of the aisle. There’s reportedly common ground on a few things. For example, both Democrats and Republicans want to include direct payments worth about $1,200 for most Americans. They also agree on small business loans and aid for airlines.
Read More: AP, CBS News, CNBC, Reuters
Airlines Prepare Job Cuts
A couple of airline carriers say today, they’ll start furloughing more than 10,000 employees each since the last aid from Congress ran out. Back in March, lawmakers passed a $25 billion program to help airlines cover payroll costs, but only if they agreed not to cut pay before October 1st, so those protections expire today. Both American and United Airlines have said workers who are furloughed could still be called back if a deal is reached in the next few days.
Read More: CNN, WaPo, AP, Bloomberg, WSJ
U.S. Blocks Palm Oil Producer
The U.S. has started blocking some imports of palm oil. Questions have been raised about one of the world’s largest producers in Malaysia. U.S. customs officials told the AP they found FGV Holdings might be abusing workers. So shipments of the company’s palm oil will no longer be allowed into the U.S. FGV Holdings says it’s disappointed in the decision and has already taken concrete steps to show commitment to human rights and uphold labor standards.
Read More: AP, CNN, Reuters
4th Person Killed in CA Wildfire
A fourth person has died in the Zogg Fire in northern California. Already, the Zogg and Glass fires have burned more than 165 square miles in the California wine country since they ignited Sunday. They will likely get worse because the weather is forecasted to bring more extreme winds and heat with no rain. About 80,000 people are under evacuation orders in Napa and Sonoma counties. A total of nearly 500 firefighters from out-of-state are now helping thousands of California firefighters on the ground.
Read More: AP, CNN, Reuters, CBS Sacramento, Cal Fire,
CA Diversity Quotas
California is rolling out a first-of-its-kind law in the U.S. that requires big companies to meet diversity quotas. It says publicly-traded companies based in California will have to have at least one racially, ethnically, or otherwise diverse director by the end of 2021. Companies that don’t comply could face stiff fines. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law yesterday. Supporters say it gives people of color an opportunity to be at the table where decisions are made and where culture is set. Critics argue it’s unconstitutional and violates the equal protection clause.
Read More: LA Times, WSJ, USA Today
NFL Game Postponed
The NFL is postponing its first football game of the season because of the coronavirus. The Tennessee Titans will not play the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday because the Titans are dealing with an outbreak. It was tentatively pushed to Sunday or Monday. The NFL is also reminding teams to follow safety rules. For example, it’s threatening to suspend people on the sidelines who don’t properly wear masks. Teams who break the rules could also have to forfeit draft picks. Already, several coaches have had to pay $100,000 fines.
Titans-Steelers Postponement: NY Times, AP, NFL
NFL Enforcing Mask Mandate: AP, ESPN, USA Today
Google’s Pixel Event
Google held a virtual event to showcase its latest products. One of them was the Pixel 5 smartphone. It has a handful of added features, including supporting 5G service and a beefed-up camera with a wide-angle lens. The Pixel 5 will be available on October 15th, but you can preorder now. It costs $700. Google also unveiled its new smart speaker called Nest Audio. It’s a $99 upgrade from the cheaper Google Home speaker and is supposed to have better audio quality.
Read More: The Verge, Engadget, Cnet, Pixel, Nest Audio
First Muslim Superhero Cast
Marvel Studios just cast an up-and-coming actress in the role of its first on-screen Muslim superhero. Iman Vellani will play Kamala Khan, otherwise known as Ms. Marvel. This is her first role in a major Hollywood production. Kamala Khan became Marvel’s first Muslim character in 2014 with her own comic about being a Pakistani-American teen with shape-shifting abilities. Now, her story is getting made into a TV show on Disney+. Ms. Marvel is expected to appear in upcoming movies too.
Read More: Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, Gizmodo
Harvest Moon and Mars on Display
The so-called Harvest Moon will grace the skies tonight. Harvest Moon is the nickname for the full moon that occurs closest to the start of Autumn. This year, it will rise at about 7 p.m. ET. It will come up as the sun sets. Mars also happens to be rising near sunset this week too. The red planet is only in this particular position once every two years. It won’t be this bright in this spot again until 2035.
Read More: NASA, Space.com, EarthSky, MLive, Forbes
Thing to Know Thursday: Real ID
A new type of ID will be required at U.S. airports in exactly one year. Originally, what’s known as “Real ID” was going to be required starting today. However, the deadline got pushed back to 2021 because of the pandemic. The new ID requirement will apply if you want to get on an airplane to fly within the U.S. You’ll have to have this new type of driver’s license or you can choose another type of ID, like a passport, but you won’t be able to just bring your drivers license anymore, starting October 1, 2021.
Read More: DHS, Chicago Sun-Times