Thursday, October 15th, 2020
Dueling Town Halls, Europe’s Second Wave & West Wing Reunion
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 peruse the latest happenings...
Biden, Trump Town Halls Tonight
President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are going to be answering questions from voters tonight, but not at the same event. The debate that was supposed to happen tonight was canceled. So instead, President Trump is going to take part in a town hall with NBC News in Miami. Former Vice President Biden is appearing at an ABC News town hall in Philadelphia. Both events are scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The next and final presidential debate is still scheduled for one week from today in Nashville, Tennessee.
Read More: NBC News, AP, FOX News, CNN
Judge Barrett Hearings Wrap Up
So far, it looks like Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has the support she needs from the Republican-controlled Senate to be confirmed to the high court. During a second day of questioning, Democrats again challenged Judge Barrett on controversial issues like voting rights, workers’ rights, climate change, and the Affordable Care Act. Again, on most topics, Judge Barrett wouldn’t give opinions. She said if she openly took sides, it would undermine the process of her considering cases. Barrett says she’ll instead have an open mind and be open to persuasion.
Read More: WaPo, The Week, Politico, CNN, WSJ, Economist Analyst
Armenia-Azerbaijan Clashes
For weeks now, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting and it seems now, the conflict is getting uglier. They’re in conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The disputed area is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it’s governed by Armenians. The AP says this latest conflict marks the biggest escalation in more than a quarter-century. It’s so far killed hundreds of people, mostly Armenians. The United States, France, and Russia put out a joint statement calling for an end to the conflict. They say leaders need to commit to peaceful negotiations instead.
Read More: AP, Reuters, The Hill, Pompeo Tweet
Europe Highest-Ever COVID Numbers
New coronavirus restrictions are going into effect around Europe as several countries deal with a second wave. Europe is reporting an average of about 100,000 new cases every day. That’s its highest COVID-19 numbers ever. Starting Saturday, Paris and eight other “health emergency zones” in France will have nightly curfews. In Italy, the government will soon limit sporting events and school activities. Spain is ordering all bars and restaurants to allow to-go orders only.
Read More: WSJ, NPR, NY Times, Reuters
Barron Trump Tested Positive for COVID-19
First Lady Melania Trump opened up about how the virus affected her and her family. In a letter, she revealed it wasn’t just her and the president who got sick, but her teenage son, Barron Trump, also tested positive. He did not show symptoms and has since tested negative. The first lady says she did have symptoms though, including body aches, a cough, and headaches. However, just like President Trump and their son, Melania Trump has since recovered.
Read More: AP, WaPo, Axios, White House
CDC: COVID Spreading Through Small Gatherings
Nearly eight million Americans have now come down with COVID-19 and nearly 217,000 have died from it. The case count has been growing faster in recent weeks than the past of couple months. CDC Director, Dr. Robert Redfield, says small, indoor gatherings are likely to blame. He spoke on a call with the nation’s governors yesterday, saying he’s concerned Thanksgiving could bring a lot more “superspreader” events. He recommends holding an outdoor event, or consider hosting a virtual event.
Read More: CNN, The Hill, CBS News, CDC
Record-Breaking ISS Flight
Astronauts have figured out how to fast-track their trip to the International Space Station. Three crew members blasted off yesterday, and they were able to get to the ISS in a record three hours. Usually, it takes twice that long. Two Russians and one American astronaut will now spend six months working onboard the ISS. They’ll be doing experiments like growing cells in space and sequencing DNA.
Read More: Space.com, BBC, AP
No NFL Pro Bowl this Year
The NFL is canceling the pro bowl. The league announced that the annual all-star game that is held each year before the Super Bowl has been canceled and will be replaced with virtual activities, in consultation with the NFL Players Association. It got called off because of the pandemic. Now, the league says it’s going to try finding different ways to celebrate all-star athletes.
Read More: Bleacher Report, USA Today, CBS Sports, NFL
SEC Games Postponed
In college football, the Southeastern Conference has postponed two games in the last three days because of positive tests. That includes a match-up between defending national champion LSU and Florida, and another between Mizzou and Vanderbilt. One of the SEC’s most celebrated coaches has also come down with the virus. Alabama head coach Nick Saban says he’s tested positive, although he hasn’t been showing any symptoms. Saban says he’s going to try to coach this weekend’s Alabama-Georgia game from home.
Read More: AP, USA Today, ESPN
Walmart Spreading Out Black Friday Deals
Walmart is switching up Black Friday this year. Instead of holding one mega-sale the day after Thanksgiving. It will split up sales among three different events that will happen both online and in-store to hopefully avoid huge holiday crowds that make it tough to follow distancing protocols. The company says certain products will start on November 4th. The second event will happen on November 11th. The last will start the day before Thanksgiving and spill over into the traditional Black Friday.
Read More: AP, NBC News, Reuters, Walmart
West Wing Reunion
The cast of The West Wing filmed a reunion show that hits HBO Max today. Almost the entire cast, including Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, and Allison Janney, reunited for a special cause: to encourage people to vote. It also includes special appearances by people like former First Lady Michelle Obama and Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda. The show’s creator made it clear though the show will be nonpartisan.
Read More: CNN, AP, The Guardian
Thing to Know Thursday: Which Generations Make up the American Electorate?
A new study by Pew Research says the youngest Americans, Millennials and Generation Z, will make up more than a third of the 2020 electorate. Baby Boomers still make up the largest share of the voting-eligible population, but barely. There’s only a 1% difference between millennials and boomers. Older generations have historically been more likely to turn out and vote, but this year could change that. By all indications, this year will bring record voter turnout across all age groups.
Read More: Pew, Brookings, Axios, The Hill