Tuesday, October 27th, 2020
Justice Barrett Confirmed, CA Wildfire Evacuations & Brady vs. Brees
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and MunkPack.com (listen for a discount code)
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...
Amy Coney Barrett Sworn In
Amy Coney Barrett has now officially been sworn in as the country’s 115th Supreme Court justice. The Republican-led Senate confirmed her in a 52-48 vote. All but one Republican voted “yes.” Every Democrat and both Independents voted “no.” This is the first time in 151 years a new justice was confirmed without a single vote from the minority party. After her confirmation, Barrett was celebrated with an outdoor ceremony at the White House. There, she took her first oath to be sworn into The Supreme Court.
Read More: WSJ, NPR, Politico
U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Rising
The number of coronavirus deaths per day is on the rise again in the U.S. The latest data from Johns Hopkins University shows new infections are increasing in 47 states. Deaths are up in 34. Overall, nearly 800 Americans are now dying from the virus every day, on average. The death toll has already topped 225,000 and some health experts believe it will double by the end of February.
Read More: AP, Al Jazeera, Johns Hopkins
AstraZeneca Vaccine Prelim Results
The FDA recently gave AstraZeneca the go-ahead to restart trials. It has been undergoing a safety review the past month since a volunteer got sick. So far, the vaccine seems promising though. AstraZeneca says it produced an immune response in both younger and older adults and that there haven’t been severe side-effects for anyone either. The final, largest-scale trial is still underway. By the way, Johnson & Johnson says it’s also going to restart its vaccine trials in the U.S. as soon as today.
Read More: Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg, AstraZeneca, J&J
U.S. Marshals Human Trafficking Sting
More than 45 missing children are now safe after a human trafficking bust in Ohio. U.S. Marshals led an operation called “Autumn Hope.” They say they rescued the kids and 109 other human trafficking survivors. 179 people were arrested. Ohio’s attorney general called it the largest anti-human trafficking effort in state history. Last month, Operation Safety Net recovered 25 missing and endangered children, also in Ohio. The month prior, Marshals announced that 39 children were recovered in Georgia as part of Operation Not Forgotten.
Read More: CBS News, FOX News, U.S. Marshals
New CA Fires Force Evacuations
Two wildfires are spreading quickly across Southern California. In Irvine, California, about 91,000 people are under mandatory evacuations. The city is dealing with both the Silverado Fire and the Blue Ridge Fire. As of early this morning, both are 0% contained. Two firefighters were critically injured yesterday. The fires are being fueled by extremely high winds and low humidity. At least one of them may have been sparked by power equipment. The power company Southern California Edison says it’s now investigating if any of its equipment was to blame.
Read More: LA Times, Axios, AP, USA Today, Cal Fire
More Water Discovered on the Moon
For the first time, scientists found water on the sun-lit side of the moon. Until now, scientists thought water was only in the moon’s cold, dark areas, like its poles. If it really is more widespread, as this latest discovery suggests, it could be a gamechanger for future moon missions. Astronauts may be able to extract the water to use it for drinking or for rocket fuel. NASA says if they can start loading up their rockets with less water and more equipment, that means there’s potential for a lot more scientific discoveries soon.
Read More: NASA, USA Today, NY Times, Axios, AP
Ant Group Could Raise World’s Largest IPO
Chinese company Ant Group is expected to have the biggest IPO of all time soon. When it hits the stock exchange, it will likely be worth more than $310 billion. Ant Group is a one-stop-shop for things like loans and investments. It has more than 700 million monthly users and is a spin-off of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. Ant Group’s stock will begin trading on November 5th.
Read More: WaPo, WSJ, NY Times
Facebook Launches Cloud Gaming Service
Facebook has launched a new gaming service. It lets you stream games directly from the cloud. That means you don’t need to download the games or additional apps, and you don’t need a gaming console. Instead, you can play certain games through Facebook using either your phone or computer. The included games are free to play and some are live now. The new service won’t work on iPhones though because of Apple’s strict app store policies.
Read More: WaPo, WSJ, The Verge, CNBC, Facebook
Google Products Use Recycled Material
Google is now using recycled materials to make its products. The company says all its new Pixel phones and Nest products are designed with recycled goods. The company says it’s doing this to be more sustainable and it doesn’t plan to stop here. It says within two years, other products, like Pixelbooks and home speakers, will be made with recycled materials too. Within five years, Google plans to ditch plastic packaging.
Read More: The Verge, 9to5 Google, Google
Taylor Swift Sets a 2020 Record
Taylor Swift’s latest album, Folklore, has sold a million copies so far this year. It’s the first album of 2020 to hit that milestone. Folklore was released in July and it had eight weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Swift has now had nine albums that have sold at least a million copies each in the United States: her eight studio efforts, along with her Christmas release, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection.
Read More: Billboard, WaPo, BBC
Tom Brady’s New Record
NFL quarterback Tom Brady broke another record this week. When his team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, played the Las Vegas Raiders, he threw four touchdowns and ran in another. The throws helped him clinch the NFL’s all-time touchdown passing record, with 559. However, he might not hold onto the record for very long. Another superstar quarterback, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, is just one touchdown pass behind him. NBC Sports says the two could end up passing the record back-and-forth all season.
Read More: CNN, NBC Sports, Orlando Sentinel
Trivia Tuesday
Q: How heavy was the biggest pumpkin ever grown in North America?
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 oldest active ballpark in MLB?
A: Fenway Park
Read More: Parade, Insider, Ballpark Digest, NPS