Monday, November 2nd, 2020
Election Day Preps, Record Hurricane Season & ‘Day of the Dead’
All the news you need in about 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 review the latest happenings...
Police Prepare for Post-Election Violence
Ahead of Election Day tomorrow, law enforcement officers around the country are preparing for unrest. So far, there are no reports of credible threats of violence. Still, America’s largest police departments have reportedly been running practice drills on a few scenarios, like a violent clash between Biden and Trump supporters, a cyberattack, or a bomb. Three out of four voters are concerned about violence on Election Day or afterward, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll. Still, the majority of Americans reject violence.
Read More: NY Times, WaPo, USA Today
FBI Investigating Biden Bus Harassment
The FBI is now investigating an incident involving a Biden campaign bus and a caravan of apparent Trump supporters in Texas. The Biden campaign says a group of trucks waiving ‘Trump 2020’ flags tried to slow down a Biden bus and run it off the road. It happened Friday as the bus was driving from San Antonio to Austin. Campaign staffers ended up calling 911. Local law enforcement showed up and helped the bus get to its destination. So far, no one has been charged with a crime.
Read More: CNN, Texas Tribune, NPR, Axios, Trump Tweet, Texas GOP
Final Days of Campaigning
Most weekend campaign events went on as planned. Today, President Trump is expected to hold at least five rallies: one in North Carolina, one in Pennsylvania, one in Wisconsin, and two in Michigan. Biden is going to be in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Already, the U.S. Elections Project says more than 93 million American votes have been cast. Millions more are expected tomorrow.
Read More: WaPo, Reuters, AP, Elect Project
Most Coronavirus Cases in One Day
The number of new coronavirus cases each day keeps breaking records in the U.S. and it’s only expected to get worse. The U.S. reported more than 99,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins tally. Cases are now growing by 5% or more in 43 states. Hospitalizations are going up too. The COVID Tracking Project reported more than 47,000 coronavirus patients in American hospitals on Saturday. That’s up nearly 66% from September.
Read More: CNN, CNBC, Axios, Johns Hopkins
Fauci Warns of COVID-19 Surge
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is predicting the U.S. will report 100,000 new daily cases soon, likely this week. He told the Washington Post over the weekend, “all the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.” In response, a White House spokesman accused Fauci of “playing politics” in the days leading up to the election.
Read More: WaPo, CNN, NBC News
Europe COVID-19 Cases Rise
The U.S. isn’t alone in seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases. Reuters says Europe’s new infection rate has doubled in five weeks. Over the weekend, the UK joined countries like France and Germany in announcing restrictions. They are almost as strict as the lockdowns we saw in the spring. Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed some hope the new restrictions will be lifted by December 2nd, but it all depends on the virus and the healthcare system.
Read More: Reuters, CBS News, WSJ, NY Times
Australia Records Zero New Cases
Australia registered no new local COVID-19 cases on Saturday or Sunday for the first time since June. Certain Australian cities have had tough measures in place until recently. For example, Melbourne was under a strict seven-week lockdown that banned most trips outdoors. That lockdown ended just six days ago. Over the weekend, the government thanked its residents for following the rules.
Read More: CNN, Reuters, BBC
Tropical Storm Eta Forms
There is another tropical storm brewing in the Atlantic Ocean. Eta formed over the weekend. It’s expected to move over Nicaragua and Honduras tonight and tomorrow morning, possibly as a hurricane. People in that part of Central America could get life-threatening flooding, landslides, and damaging winds. Eta is the 28th named storm of the season. That ties the record for the most named storms in one season, previously set in 2005.
Read More: NY Times, USA Today, NBC News, CBS News, NHC
ISS Marks 20 Years
Today marks 20 years since the first crew of astronauts moved into the International Space Station. NASA astronaut William Shepherd and two Russian cosmonauts were the first to call ISS home when they arrived on November 2nd, 2000. Since then, it has had continuous crew operations. The United States worked with Russia, Japan, Europe, and Canada to build it. It now zips along at 17,500 miles an hour and orbits the Earth every 90 minutes. The ISS is starting to age though, so NASA says a replacement will be necessary soon.
Read More: Space.com, WaPo, Business Insider
Sean Connery Dies
The actor Sean Connery has died. The Scottish-born actor was most known for playing James Bond. Connery’s career spanned four decades. During that time, he won an Oscar for his role in the 1987 movie The Untouchables. He also won three Golden Globe awards. Connery’s family says he died in his sleep in The Bahamas. He had been having health problems for a while. Connery was 90 years old.
Read More: Reuters, The Verge, Variety
Lori Loughlin Begins Prison Sentence
Actress Lori Loughlin has reported to prison for a two-month sentence, for her part in a college admissions scandal. Remember, she and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid half a million dollars to get their two daughters recruited to USC. However, they weren’t alone. 57 people were charged in the scandal, including other famous people like actress Felicity Huffman. She pled guilty, apologized, and already served her 11 days in prison. Loughlin also apologized, saying she made a terrible mistake.
Read More: NBC News, FOX News, TMZ
T-Mobile Launches TVision
T-Mobile launched a new streaming service. It’s a revamped version of TVision, which was launched in just a handful of cities last year and required a cable box. The new TVision will give you access to live TV without renting a cable box or signing contracts. Subscribers will reportedly get access to channels like AMC, CNN, the NFL Network, and more, depending on what plan they choose. Subscriptions range between $10-$60 a month. For now, it’s only available to T-Mobile customers. Everyone should be able to sign up next year.
Read More: USA Today, Cnet, Tmo News
Día de los Muertos
Día de Muertos, also known as ‘Day of the Dead,’ continues today. On the annual Mexican holiday, people honor their loved ones who have passed away. Sometimes, they create elaborate altars to commemorate them. They also gather to tell stories, eat, and drink. the holiday is sometimes marked by parades where people paint colorful skulls on their faces or ceramics. However, gatherings are going to be smaller this year because of COVID-19.
Read More: CNN, LA Times, NBC News, NPR
Monday Monday - Millennials Control Sliver of U.S. Wealth
The Federal Reserve reports that millennials control just 4.6% of all U.S. wealth, even though they make up the largest portion of the workforce. In comparison, when Baby Boomers were their age, they controlled 21% of the nation’s wealth. It’s not clear what’s behind the disparity. On average, millennials are better educated than their parents and grandparents. However, they don’t own as much in the stock market and the pandemic seems to be making the wealth gap worse.
Read More: Newsweek, CNBC, Bloomberg