Thursday, November 12th, 2020
Swing State Recount, Mask Guidance Change & Masters Begins
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by HelloFresh.com/NEWSWORTHY90 and ButcherBox.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 peruse the latest happenings...
Biden Chooses Chief of Staff
President-elect Biden announced he chose his longtime aide Ron Klain as his incoming Chief of Staff. That’s one of the most powerful positions in the White House. Together, Biden in Klain will now work to assemble the rest of the future administration. The transition team is expected to announce more top cabinet positions later this month. Biden says he’ll have both Democrats and Republicans in his inner circle and he’s promised to make diversity a priority.
Read More: WaPo, ABC News, CNN, Ron Klain, Biden Transition
Trump Wins Alaska
As expected, President Trump won the state of Alaska. Major news outlets have now called it, meaning the state’s three electoral votes go to President Trump. That pushes his electoral college tally to 217. Still, that doesn’t make much of a difference for the outcome of the race. He would need 270 electoral votes to win. His Democratic opponent has 290 so far. At this point, the only two states left to be called are Georgia and North Carolina.
Read More: NBC News, AP, Reuters, The Hill
GA Recounting Presidential Vote
In Georgia, Biden leads by about 14,000 votes, out of almost five million. Since that’s so close, all ballots are going to be recounted by hand. The Trump campaign has accused Georgia of allowing voting irregularities. However, it hasn't given specifics or evidence yet. Georgia’s Republican secretary of state says he hopes this recount will “help build confidence” in the system. He also says he doesn’t expect the recount to change the vote tally since he has faith in the electronic voting machines.
Read More: WSJ, CBS News, Axios
U.S. Daily COVID-19 Case Record
Nearly 146,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in the U.S. yesterday. That’s the most ever reported in one day. There’s also been a sharp increase in the daily number of deaths. More than 1,400 Americans died from COVID-19 yesterday. The daily death toll broke records in Minnesota, Alabama, and Tennessee. Health experts warn with cooler temperatures and the holidays around the corner, the numbers will likely keep going up in the next few months.
Read More: WaPo, CNN, Johns Hopkins
CDC: Masks Protect Wearer Too
The CDC made its strongest case for mask-wearing yet. It now says a mask can benefit the person wearing it, not just the people around them. This new guidance cites studies that show more benefits of universal mask-wearing for everyone. It also says the best masks are ones with more than one cloth layer. The CDC made a new financial case for mask-wearing too. It said if masking increases by 15% around the country, it would prevent the need for lockdowns and avoid up to $1 trillion in losses.
Read More: NY Times, FOX News, NBC News, CDC, AARP
Eta Hitting Florida Again
Tropical Storm Eta is hitting Florida this morning for the second time this week. The first time, it hit the Keys in South Florida. This time, the storm is impacting the west side of the state, just north of Tampa. There, millions of people are dealing with heavy rain and gusty winds this morning. So far, there haven’t been reports of widespread flooding, major damage, or injuries. President Trump approved an emergency declaration, allowing federal authorities to help with disaster relief as needed.
Read More: USA Today, AP, WaPo, NBC News, NHC
Facebook, Google Extend Political Ad Bans
Facebook and Google are extending their bans on political ads. At Facebook, the ban will be in place for at least another month. Google says it probably won’t allow political ads through December. They hope this will prevent confusion about the election results. The tech giants are getting some pushback though. Some campaign officials in Georgia say they need to buy ads to get the word out about two runoff elections in the state. Right now, they can’t do that, so they call the ban “frustrating.”
Read More: WSJ, ABC News, Reuters
Conservative Apps Top Charts
More conservatives have switched to alternative social media outlets since the election. Parler, MeWe, and Rumble are considered “free speech” platforms that have less moderation than Facebook and Twitter. They’ve been popular among some conservative pundits and politicians. They’re not new but have added millions of new users since the election. Critics say they allow conspiracy theories and misinformation.
Read More: NY Times, Axios, Engadget
Ring Doorbells Recalled
There’s a new warning about Ring doorbells. Nearly two dozen 2nd generation models have caught fire because they were installed wrong. It turns out, if you use the wrong screws while putting them up, you can puncture the battery, causing it to overheat and ignite. So far, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says this has happened to 23 Ring devices and eight people ended up with minor burns. Ring updated installation instructions on its website and it’s urging people to review them.
Read More: NBC News, NY Times, TechCrunch, CPSC.Gov, Ring
The Masters Golf Tournament
The biggest golf tournament of the year is here. The 2020 Masters at Augusta National in Georgia kicks off today with 92 of the world’s best golfers taking to the green. The tournament usually happens in the spring, but it got pushed back because of the pandemic. Fans are still not allowed to attend. The lineup includes some of the most iconic names in golf like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson Dechambeau, and Tiger Woods. The tournament will air on major networks like ESPN, CBS, and the Golf Channel today through Sunday.
Read More: CBS Sports, NY Times, AP, Golfweek, Masters
UPS Relaxes Hair Rules
UPS is loosening its rules on natural Black hairstyles. The shipping company will reportedly let its employees sport afros, braids, cornrows, and other traditional hairdos. Until now, the company had strict rules on employee appearance. For example, men couldn’t wear their hair longer than their collar and beards were off-limits. UPS says it’s reversing course because it wants its employees to feel comfortable, genuine, and authentic.
Read More: CBS News, CNN, NPR
China Singles Day
China’s Singles Day, the world’s biggest sales event, was a massive, record-breaking hit. Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba raked in the equivalent of about $74 billion, nearly doubling the previous year’s record. Singles Day started as a joke holiday, as an alternative to Valentine’s Day. A few years ago, Alibaba started using it as a sales tool, offering discounts on everything from electronics to travel packages.
Read More: Reuters, Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, Business Insider
Thing to Know Thursday: Open Enrollment
In most states, open enrollment kicked off November 1st and it ends December 15th. This is the only time of year you can change your healthcare plan unless you have a major life event. You’ll want to think about how much healthcare you think you’ll need in 2021. Some things may have changed in the era of coronavirus. For example, the cost of your usual plan may have increased, there may be new added benefits for mental health services, and you might find more flexible childcare benefits available.
Read More: CNBC, CNN, NPR, Healthcare.Gov