Monday, October 5th, 2020
Trump’s Health Status, CA Wildfires Double Record & Tofu Sales Boom
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...
Trump Covid-19 Case, Treatment
In the days since President Trump first announced he tested positive for COVID-19, he has been admitted to Walter Reed National Medical Center. A group of Trump’s doctors said Trump had a high fever Friday, as well as a cough and some congestion. His blood oxygen levels dropped twice, first on Friday, then again on Saturday. Trump received supplemental oxygen at the White House before he was flown to the hospital. Friday, he was given the antiviral drug Remdesivir as well as an experimental antibody cocktail from Regeneron. Then Saturday, he was given dexamethasone. That’s a commonly-used steroid that’s been shown to help patients who have severe COVID-19 cases.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, AP, WSJ, Politico
Trump Supporter Drive-By
President Trump posted a video of himself on social media yesterday, standing in a suit jacket in his hospital suite. He said he’s learned a lot about COVID-19 the past couple days. He also praised his doctors and supporters. Shortly after the video was posted, Trump visited crowds gathered outside the hospital. Secret Service agents drove the president past his supporters while Trump waived from the backseat.
Read More: Axios, Reuters, Vice, Walter Reed Doctor, Trump Video
Other U.S. Officials Infected
The coronavirus has quickly spread through President Trump’s inner circle. Melania Trump tested positive last week and is said to be experiencing mild symptoms. We’ve learned other top Republicans have also been diagnosed, including RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Trump Campaign manager Bill Stepien, former White House Adviser Kellyanne Conway, and three GOP Senators. They, and other Senators, have gone into isolation, so the Senate will not be meeting this week as planned.
Read More: Bloomberg, CBS News, NY Times, CNN
Impact on Presidential Race
Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden tested negative several times over the weekend. So did his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence. For now, the vice presidential debate is still scheduled to go on as-planned this Wednesday. All President Trump’s sons and daughters tested negative too, so members of the first family are ramping up their travel schedules, while the president takes a break from the campaign trail. Meanwhile, the Biden campaign is taking down all negative ads and will only promote positive messages for now.
Read More: NY Times, CBS News, The Hill, Biden Tweet
CA Wildfires Burn Record 4 Million Acres
California’s historic wildfire season is breaking more records. Thousands of wildfires have now burned well over four million acres in the state this year. Now, the amount of charred land is more than double the previous record set in 2018. As many as 20,000 firefighters have reportedly come from around the world to help this year. The worst of them have been in northern California’s wine country. More than 36,000 people in Sonoma and Napa counties have evacuated.
Read More: AP, Axios, Reuters, NBC News, SF Chronicle, Cal Fire
SCOTUS Returns
Today, Supreme Court justices are returning to the virtual bench. They have a series of major cases to tackle. For example, one of the most anticipated cases of this term starts this Wednesday. Justices will be weighing a copyright fight between tech giant Google and software company Oracle. Oracle is accusing Google of copying some of its software code to build the android operating system. Also, next month, justices will be hearing a case over the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Of course, the Supreme Court could end up deciding the election. President Trump has already said he wants the court to be available to handle any campaign-related cases.
Read More: AP, Reuters, CNN, NY Times
Winner of Preakness Stakes
The horse Swiss Skydiver won the 145th Preakness Stakes over the weekend. She went nose-to-nose with the horse Authentic, who was the heavy favorite to win, but Swiss Skydiver crossed the finish line first. She was the only female horse, or filly, on the field Saturday. She’s reportedly only the 6th filly to ever win the Preakness. Her win capped off the last of the 2020 Triple Crown races. Different horses won the Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby.
Read More: CNN, SI, ESPN, NBC Sports
Titans Outbreak Grows
The NFL’s coronavirus outbreak is getting worse. On the Tennessee Titans, 10 players and 10 personnel have tested positive for COVID-19. Games have been pushed to later this month. The Titans are also reportedly under investigation by the NFL. The league is looking into whether the team broke any COVID-19 safety rules that may have led to this outbreak. If that’s the case, they could face penalties like fines.
Read More: AP, The Tennessean, ESPN, CBS Sports
Cam Newton, Chiefs Player Test Positive
The New England Patriots starting quarterback Cam Newton confirmed on his Instagram that he has COVID-19. He said he will take time "to get healthy and self-reflect on the other amazing things that I should be grateful for." The Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad quarterback has COVID-19 too. The teams were supposed to play each other yesterday, but that game was pushed back to tonight. The infected players will be sitting out.
Read More: USA Today, NFL, FOX News, NBC News, Cam Newton
Mask Emoji to Look Happier
Apple is rolling out a new mask emoji. There is already one that shows one of the classic yellow faces wearing a surgical mask. Now, Apple wants to make it look happier. It’s going to have friendlier eyes and eyebrows and rosy cheeks. The point is to make it look like it’s smiling under the mask, so it no longer implies that only sick people are wearing masks. Emojipedia says the new emoji will roll out in the next iOS update. Samsung already made its mask emoji look happier back in March.
Read More: The Verge, Gizmodo, Emojipedia
World Teachers’ Day
Today is World Teachers’ Day. It’s designed to appreciate and empower teachers. It’s also a chance to raise awareness about the issues and challenges they face. The United Nations first adopted guidelines to promote the status of teachers around the world on October 5th, 1966. Now, more than 100 countries commemorate World Teachers Day.
Read More: UNESCO
Monday Monday: Tofu Sales Boom
Tofu sales have been skyrocketing, going up 40% in the first half of this year, as compared to last year. Shortages have been reported around the U.S. Some say the demand spike is due to tofu being a healthy and affordable protein, so it’s good for shoppers trying to cut costs. Others say it’s because the U.S. has seen meat supply disruptions recently, so people may be looking for other options. Google searches for tofu recipes have also doubled since March.
Read More: WaPo, Bloomberg