Friday, November 20th, 2020
Eye on Electors, Stimulus Payment Deadline & Buzzfeed Buys HuffPost
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.MagicSpoon.com/newsworthy and Fitbod.me/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...
GA Recount Results
The recount confirmed that President-elect Biden won Georgia. Today, the state will make it official by certifying the votes. During the recount, a few thousand previously uncounted ballots did turn up, but Biden still won the peach state by more than 12,000 votes. That makes him the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state in 28 years. The last one was a fellow southerner, President Bill Clinton, in 1992.
Read More: CNN, Bloomberg, USA Today
Republicans Urged to Intervene with Electors
President Trump is reportedly trying a different tactic to challenge the presidential election results. Reuters cited three sources who said he’s looking to persuade fellow Republicans to intervene on his behalf in battleground states. Specifically, Reuters says Trump’s lawyers are targeting state legislators in Michigan and Pennsylvania, hoping they appoint their own electors. All election disputes must be resolved by December 8th. The electors officially cast their votes to formally select the next president on December 14th.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, Reuters, AP
Mike Pompeo Visits West Bank
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made history in the Middle East. He became the most senior U.S. diplomat to visit an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Already last year, Pompeo sided with Israel when he said the U.S. no longer viewed the settlements as a violation of international law. This time, Pompeo announced a new policy of allowing products made there to be labeled as “made in Israel.” In response, one Palestinian negotiator accused Pompeo of setting “yet another illegal precedent” violating international law.
Read More: WaPo, Reuters, AP, Axios
CDC: Avoid Thanksgiving Travel
The CDC held its first public briefing in months to warn Americans about the upcoming holiday season. The doctors and scientists asked Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving. They said if you do, it will increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. The CDC’s COVID-19 incident manager also said he’s concerned about anyone coming together outside of their “household bubble.” The CDC redefined its definition of “household” this week. It now says that only refers to people living in your home the last 14 days.
Read More: WaPo, Axios, AP, NY Times, CDC
New Curfews in Place
California is the latest state to put an overnight curfew in place. Most people in the state are now being told to stay home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. with a few exceptions, like essential employees who work overnight. The new rule starts tomorrow and lasts at least a month. Ohio already imposed its own overnight curfew that started yesterday. Supporters say it helps because people tend to let their guards down in the overnight hours. Critics argue it won’t work because the virus can spread just as much during the day.
Read More: LA Times, Politico, SF Gate
Deadline to Register for Stimulus Payment
Tomorrow is your last chance to claim your relief payment from the federal government. We’re talking about the direct payments for most Americans that were approved by Congress back in March as part of the CARES Act. Some people who were eligible for a check or direct deposit never got anything. That’s likely because the IRS didn’t have their information on file. You can still provide that information by 3 p.m. ET Saturday. Otherwise, you might be able to receive a tax credit when you file your taxes next year.
Read More: USA Today, CNBC, CNet
Get My Payment: IRS
HIV Death Rates Fall by Half
The CDC says American deaths related to HIV fell by nearly half from 2010 to 2018. Researchers say the decline is likely the result of better diagnoses, treatment, and medical care. However, there’s more work to do. HIV infection rates and deaths are still higher in Black people than in the rest of the population. The death rate is also about twice as high in southern states as in the northeast. One infectious disease expert says stigma could still be keeping some people from acknowledging the virus, getting tested, and getting treated.
Read More: NY Times, Axios, CDC
End of Arecibo Observatory Telescope
One of the world’s most famous and powerful telescopes is getting torn down. For nearly six decades, scientists have used the telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico to search for planets, asteroids, and alien life. However, back in August, one of the cables snapped, tearing a hole in the reflector dish. Then earlier this month, another cable snapped. Now, the telescope is on the verge of collapse and engineers say there’s no way to safely fix it. The National Science Foundation says it needs to be demolished.
Read More: Engadget, AP, NY Times
Buzzfeed Buying Huffpost
Buzzfeed is taking over HuffPost, which used to be known as The Huffington Post. Buzzfeed is reportedly buying the media company from Verizon in an all-stock deal. Buzzfeed and HuffPost are already pretty similar. They’re both websites that specialize in news and entertainment. Buzzfeed estimates its audience will grow by nearly a third thanks to this deal. It’s not clear if anyone is going to get laid off because of the sale, but for now, it sounds like both websites will stay up and operate separately.
Read More: AP, The Verge, Variety, WSJ
PayPal Launches Generosity Network
PayPal just launched its own version of GoFundMe called the Generosity Network. Like GoFundMe, it lets people raise money for a good cause with a public fundraising page with descriptions and funding goals. However, there are some differences. For example, on the Generosity Network, fundraising drives will only last 30 days and they have a cap of $20,000. PayPal is not charging a transaction fee on donations made with credit and debit cards. The feature is live now.
Read More: Engadget, The Verge, TechCrunch, PayPal
Wrigley Made a National Historic Landmark
Wrigley Field has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The iconic ballpark is home to the Chicago Cubs and it’s been around for 106 years. The Department of the Interior made the designation, calling Wrigley a “national treasure.” It will now be federally protected. The only other ballpark to have the designation is Fenway Park in Boston. Fenway is the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball. Wrigley is the second oldest.
Read More: CBS News, ESPN, SI, DOI
Feel Good Friday: Atlantic’s Biggest Marine Sanctuary
A new marine sanctuary is now the largest in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s roughly 250,000 square miles and it sits between South America and Africa. Its mission is to protect birds, sharks, whales, seals, and penguins from things like fishing and illegal mining. The new sanctuary was designated by about 250 people living on a tiny British territory island called Tristan da Cunha. The UK is going to enforce wildlife protection there.
Read More: UNILAD, The Guardian, AP