Friday, October 23rd, 2020
More Civilized Debate, Late-Season Wildfires & Rivals Team Up
All the news you need in 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.StitchFix.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 reading the latest happenings...
Final Presidential Debate Recap
President Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden came face-to-face for the last time before Election Day. Last night’s debate was a little calmer than the one three weeks ago, but there were still a lot of tense moments as the candidates clashed on several key issues, like coronavirus, foreign affairs, race, immigration, healthcare, and the climate. Today, Biden plans to speak near his home in Delaware. He’ll visit Pennsylvania tomorrow. President Trump is headed to Florida today. Tomorrow, he’ll hold rallies in North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Read More: WSJ, NBC News, FOX News, Politico
Russian Hackers Target State, Local Networks
The FBI and Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency put out a new warning. It says Russian hackers have been targeting dozens of state and local governments in the U.S. and they were able to steal data from at least two servers. That means they got network passwords, IT instructions, and vendor information. However, so far, intelligence officials say they don’t believe hackers have done anything that would let them change votes. So far, there haven’t been any immediate repercussions from Russia.
Read More: AP, NY Times, NPR
CO Wildfire Grows, Breaks Records
The two largest wildfires in Colorado history are now burning at the same time and growing at a record pace. The latest one is called the East Troublesome Fire. It has burned more than 265 square miles so far, making it the second-largest wildfire in state history. The National Park Service had to shut down Rocky Mountain National Park because of it and nearly 500 people were told to evacuate. Meanwhile, the largest wildfire in Colorado history is burning a little further north in the Fort Collins area. There are concerns the two fires could merge.
Read More: Denver Post, Reuters, Axios, AP, InciWeb
FDA Approves Remdesivir to Treat COVID-19
The FDA has approved the first official COVID-19 treatment. Regulators gave remdesivir the green light. That’s an antiviral drug that’s given to hospitalized COVID-19 patients through an IV. Patients have been able to get it since the spring, but it was only authorized on an emergency basis until now. It’s important to note that the FDA doesn’t say remdesivir cuts the risk of dying from COVID-19, but the National Institutes of Health has found it can cut recovery time down from 15 days to 10 days on average.
Read More: AP, Reuters, NBC News
Blood Donations Needed
Blood donations are desperately needed around the country right now. The Red Cross and other blood collection groups say their supply is at critically low levels. They blame COVID-19, wildfires, and recent hurricanes. More than 80% of the blood collected by the Red Cross comes from blood drives, but many of those have had to be canceled this year. Blood banks have been able to get by using supply from shortage. However, now, hospitals around the country are back to scheduling elective surgeries, so the demand is higher too.
Read More: USA Today, AABB, Red Cross
Drivers Sue Uber
A group of Uber drivers in California filed a class-action lawsuit. It’s over Uber asking them to support Proposition 22. That measure would let the company keep classifying California drivers as gig workers, rather than employees with benefits and certain requirements. Uber has apparently been messaging drivers about the consequences of the measure failing. Some drivers say that’s illegal political coercion, but Uber says the vast majority of them support Prop 22 anyway because they want the freedom to stay independent contractors.
Read More: Reuters, WaPo, Axios
NHL Events Canceled
The NHL has called off its next Winter Classic and All-Star Game. They were both supposed to happen in January, but the NHL says there is too much uncertainty with COVID-19 to keep them as-scheduled. Plus, it doesn’t want to hold these events until fans can attend, so they were postponed until 2022. However, the NHL still plans to start its next regular season in a few months.
Read More: AP, ESPN, NHL
Target Shoppers can Make Reservations
Target has set up a reservation system for holiday shopping. Instead of physically waiting in line to get into the store, you can now hop in line virtually on Target’s website. The retailer will then let you know when it’s your turn to shop. Lines happen since Target is limiting how many people can be inside at the same time during the pandemic. Lines could get a lot longer during the peak holiday season too. Other stores, like Best Buy, Williams Sonoma, and West Elm, have tried similar reservation systems too.
Read More: WaPo, Fortune, Target
Jacob Lawrence Painting Found After 60 Years
A famous painting that’s been missing for 60 years has finally resurfaced. It was painted by American artist Jacob Lawrence as part of a series of paintings he did in the mid-1950s. The rest were on display at a New York City museum, but there was one empty frame, to signify the missing piece. That caught the attention of one visitor who thought the others looked like a painting she’s seen at her neighbors’ house. It turned out she was right. Her neighbors loaned it to the museum, so it’s now included in the exhibit.
Read More: AP, NY Times
Black Entrepreneurs Day Saturday
Some big stars are coming together this weekend in hopes of giving Black businesses a boost and inspiring new ones. Black Entrepreneurs Day is an online special. Shark Tank veteran and FUBU CEO Daymond John is hosting. He’s going to be having conversations with guest stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Gabrielle Union, and Jamie Foxx. Already, some Black entrepreneurs have applied for grant money. At the event, nine of them will be awarded $225,000 each to help fund their businesses. The special will stream for free at 7 p.m. ET tomorrow.
Read More: CNBC, USA Today, Black Entrepreneurs Day
Feel Good Friday: Positive Political Ad
In Utah, politics are surprisingly bringing people together. Republican Spencer Cox and Democrat Chris Peterson are both running for governor. However, they wanted to show civility still exists in politics. So they decided to appear in a campaign ad together. In it, they say they can debate the issues without degrading each other’s character. They paid for the ad space on TV. The ad is spreading on the internet too, getting positive feedback everywhere.
Read More: CNN, AP, The Hill, Watch Here