Tuesday, October 20th, 2020
Relief Talks Deadline, New Debate Rules & Rent a Movie Theater
All the news in 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.MagicSpoon.com/newsworthy
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 read the latest happenings...
Deadline for COVID-19 Relief Talks
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says if relief legislation is going to get approved in the next two weeks, a deal between Democrats and the White House needs to be reached by tonight. She met with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin yesterday and they plan to continue talks today. Pelosi says they keep getting hung up on how much money to give state and local governments and childcare facilities. They also can’t agree on how to structure a national plan for coronavirus testing and contact tracing.
Read More: AP, WSJ, WaPo, CNBC, Pelosi Aide Tweet
President Trump Criticizes Dr Fauci
President Trump is stepping up his attacks against the nation’s top infectious disease expert. He said Dr. Anthony Fauci is “a disaster” and that “people are tired of hearing Fauci and these idiots, all these idiots who got it wrong.” Trump also claimed that Americans want to be left "alone" and are "tired" of COVID-19, the same day the U.S. death toll topped 220,000. He reportedly said all that during a call with campaign staff Monday, but reporters from several news organizations were allowed to listen in.
Read More: AP, WaPo, Reuters, NY Times, CBS News, Trump Tweet, Johns Hopkins
U.S. Charges Russian Military Hackers
Six Russian intelligence officers are now charged in what’s being called the most “destructive series of computer attacks ever attributed to a single group.” The U.S. Justice Department announced the indictments this week, charging the hackers for cyberattacks that happened between 2015 and 2019. Officials say they’re responsible for attacking Ukraine’s electric power grid, causing nearly $1 billion in losses at American companies, as well as efforts to disrupt France’s 2017 elections and the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Read More: NBC News, WaPo, AP, WSJ, DOJ
New Presidential Debate Rules
President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden agreed to follow new rules at this week’s debate. The main one is to not interrupt each other. The nonpartisan panel in charge of the debates is making sure that happens by muting each candidate while the other is speaking. It’s meant to prevent a repeat of the first debate, three weeks ago, when the two candidates interrupted each other for almost the entire 90 minutes. The final debate will be held in Nashville, Tennessee this Thursday.
Read More: AP, Reuters, NBC News, Commission on Presidential Debates
TSA Hits New Pandemic Record
TSA screened more than 1 million passengers in the U.S. on Sunday. That’s the most in one day since March 17th. There have been new efforts to make airports safer, like touch-free ID scanning and plastic barriers, so those may be making people feel comfortable flying again. Still, the new milestone is far below pre-pandemic numbers. On the same day last year, TSA scanned 2.6 million passengers in the U.S.
Read More: USA Today, WaPo, AP
AMC Offers Private Theater Rentals
AMC is now letting people rent out movie theaters for personal screenings. It will cost between $99-$249, depending on the movie, the theater's location, and any other add-ons like food and drink. AMC says it will allow groups of up to 20 people to rent out an auditorium. It’s also offering extras. For another $100, the theater will give you a microphone so you can welcome guests. It will also let you bring in outside food for another fee.
Read More: The Verge, Gizmodo, CNN, AMC
Disney+ Adds Racism Warnings
Disney+ is putting new warning labels on some of its older movies that contain racist stereotypes. The films now have a 12-second advisory on them that can’t be skipped. It’s going up on classics like Dumbo, Peter Pan, The Aristocats, Jungle Book, and the original Lady and the Tramp. The disclaimer warns viewers the movies depict the mistreatment of people and cultures that were “wrong then and wrong now.”
Read More: Engadget, NPR, LA Times
NASA Hoping to Mine Asteroid
A NASA spacecraft is set to touch down on the asteroid named Bennu, which is hundreds of millions of miles away from Earth. It will make contact for only 5-10 seconds, just long enough to suck up dirt and rocks, then be on its way. Scientists think this could help tell the story of how life was formed on Earth and possibly elsewhere. The space rock was around when the solar system was forming, about 4.5 billion years ago. So it’s reportedly a time capsule that holds some secrets of our past.
Read More: AP, NASA, Scientific American, Cnet, NASA Live Stream
Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks
The Orionid meteor shower is peaking this week. Tonight and tomorrow morning are supposed to be the best times to watch. About 15-30 meteors will reportedly go streaking across the sky every hour. Experts say the meteors will be easiest to spot between 1 a.m. and the first light of dawn. Of course, you will get the best view if you go to an area without many city lights.
Read More: USA Today, Cnet, Space.com
Trivia Tuesday
Q: What is the oldest active ballpark in MLB?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories Quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer
Q: What is the driest continent?
A: Antarctica
Read More: Guinness World Records, Mission Blue