Thursday, October 22nd, 2020
Election Security, New Human Organ? & Goodbye Quibi
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...
Election Security Warnings
Top intelligence officials are warning Americans that Iran and Russia have gotten their hands on U.S. voter registration information and that Iran has already used that info to send registered Democrats threatening emails. The Washington Post reports some messages have claimed to be from the Proud Boys, which is a far-right group that supports President Trump. However, some intelligence officials say the emails came from someone working on behalf of the Iranian government. The FBI director is now telling Americans to keep their guards up to be skeptical and cautious about what they read and watch online.
Read More: WaPo, Axios, NPR, USA Today, Politico
Final Presidential Debate
President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are coming face-to-face for the last time before Election Day. Kristen Welker of NBC News is moderating this final debate. She, along with the nonpartisan panel in charge of these events, selected six topics to cover: fighting COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security, and leadership. The candidates will get 15 minutes total to discuss each topic. The debate will air on all major TV channels without commercials. It starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Read More: WSJ, NBC News, FOX News, NY Times
Senate Panel Voting on Amy Coney Barrett
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to approve Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court. However, Democrats on the panel are reportedly going to take one final stand against her nomination by boycotting today’s vote. Republicans are still allowed to hold the vote without them, so it likely won’t slow down the process, but it’s meant to send a message. Today’s vote is expected to advance Judge Barrett’s nomination to the full Senate. It will get the final say with a vote on Monday.
Read More: CNN, HuffPost, FOX News
Trouble Reuniting Separated Families
Hundreds of migrant children have still not been reunited with their parents, more than three years after being separated from them. More than 1,000 families were separated in 2017 alone. The problem is about two-thirds of those parents got deported to their home counties in Central America, while their kids were left behind in the U.S. For the past two years, lawyers with the ACLU and other pro-bono law firms have been working to track down the parents and reunite the families. Now, they say 545 kids are still waiting since their parents can’t be found.
Read More: NBC News, NY Times, Axios
Pope Backs Same-Sex Civil Unions
Pope Francis made history for being the first pope to endorse same-sex civil unions. His comments were seen in a documentary that premiered yesterday at the Rome Film Festival. It showed him saying, “homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God.” Some LGBTQ advocates are calling this a “major step forward” in the Catholic church. The pope’s comments also sparked some controversy though. Some Catholic leaders here in the U.S. are asking for clarification.
Read More: AP, NY Times, USA Today
Record Snow in Northern U.S.
Some parts of the U.S. are dealing with a record-breaking snowstorm. In Minneapolis, nearly eight inches of snow fell on Tuesday, making it the city’s biggest snowstorm in recorded history so early in the season. The same record was broken in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Great Falls, Montana. That storm has now passed, but another one is brewing in the northern Rockies. A winter storm watch and winter weather advisory is in effect from the Rockies to the Great Lakes. Snowfall could reach up to a foot in some areas.
Read More: WaPo, ABC News, Weather Channel
Scientists Discover Human Organ
Doctors think they’ve found new, hidden organs in the human skull, where the nasal cavity meets the throat. The team of researchers in the Netherlands say they appear to be a fourth pair of salivary glands. This is the first time scientists have potentially discovered new organs in about 300 years. They found them while doing a tumor scan in a specialized imaging machine. They then scanned the heads and necks of 100 other people to confirm their findings. Still, more research needs to be done.
Read More: CNN, Live Science, NY Times
Purdue Pharma Pleading Guilty
Purdue Pharma, the company behind the powerful and addictive painkiller Oxycontin, is pleading guilty for its role in the opioid epidemic. The guilty plea is part of a more than $8 billion settlement. However, the drugmaker doesn’t have the cash up front, so Purdue Pharma owners will also lose control over the company. It will turn into a public benefit company, designed to benefit public interest instead of profits.
Read More: CNN, USA Today, AP, WaPo
Three Astronauts Return to Earth
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth from the ISS last night. They were launched into orbit in early April, so they’ve so far avoided most of the pandemic. Before leaving space, Cassidy tweeted a photo of himself with a mask on, saying he was practicing for his “new reality.” With these astronauts home, three others have now taken control of the International Space Station. They’ll soon be joined by four others who are launching on a SpaceX rocket next month.
Read More: CNN, CBS News, NASA
Quibi Shutting Down
The mobile streaming platform Quibi is shutting down. It launched barely six months ago but struggled to find its footing. It didn’t pick up many monthly subscribers, despite getting nearly $2 billion in major Hollywood investments. Quibi blames the pandemic since the platform was meant to be watched on-the-go and coronavirus has forced more people to stay home. However, critics argue it would have never worked since consumers already have other free options for short videos, like YouTube.
Read More: WSJ, Engadget, Reuters, Quibi
Thing to Know Thursday: 2020 Battleground States
Six states could end up deciding the presidential election. They’re known as “battleground states,” or “swing states” because analysts believe they could go either way: Democratic or Republican. First, there’s Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. President Trump carried all three states by less than a percentage point four years ago. There’s also Arizona, Florida, and North Carolina. Trump won those states in 2016 too, but his margins were a little bigger. Those six states represent more than 37% of the electoral votes needed to win the White House.
Read More: Politico, USA Today, WaPo