Monday, November 30th, 2020
Trump Campaign Setbacks, Severe Fall Storm & Cyber Monday
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.MagicSpoon.com/newsworthy and CastleGrade (listen for how to get a discount)
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...
PA Supreme Court Dismisses Pro-Trump Lawsuit
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court tossed out another election challenge from Trump supporters. Congressman Mike Kelly and other Republicans filed it, arguing that Pennsylvania violated the state constitution by allowing no-excuse mail-in voting. However, the state’s high court dismissed the case. It said the lawsuit was filed way too late, more than a year after voting procedures were set and weeks after millions of Pennsylvanians voted legally.
Read More: WaPo, NBC News, NPR
WI Recount Affirms Biden Victory
Two Wisconsin counties wrapped up their recounts yesterday, reaffirming Biden’s win in the state. The Trump campaign requested those recounts and paid more than $3 million for them. In the end, Biden gained 87 votes over Trump. However, President Trump is promising to challenge that outcome in court. One Trump campaign spokesperson said the Wisconsin recounts “revealed serious issues” about whether ballots were legal, but she didn’t offer specific details or evidence.
Read More: WaPo, AP, Axios, NBC News
Biden-Harris First Daily Briefing
The Biden-Harris transition is moving right along. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will receive their first presidential daily briefing today. Today’s briefing will include classified information about pressing national security issues. The president-elect will read a top-secret document and meet with intelligence officials. Biden will also get a briefing from the White House coronavirus task force today.
Read More: WSJ, Axios, CNN
Biden Fractures Foot
Expect to see President-elect Biden wearing a walking boot for the next few weeks. His doctor says he fractured his right foot over the weekend while playing with one of his dogs, Major. He’s one of the president-elect’s two German Shepherds. Biden was seen visibly limping, but the fractures are said to be minor. President Trump retweeted a video of Biden leaving the doctors’ office and added the message, “Get well soon!”
Read More: Delaware News Journal, AP, NBC News, Axios
Birx Suggests Holiday-Goers Get Tested
The White House coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, told CBS News that people who traveled and went to gatherings for Thanksgiving should assume they’re infected. That means they should isolate themselves for at least five days because it could take that long for the virus to show up in the body. Then, they should get tested for COVID-19. Dr. Birx says the task force asked mayors and governors to get ready and make testing more available.
Read More: CBS News, WaPo, The Hill
Fauci Expects “Surge Upon a Surge”
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told NBC the same recommendations for no travel or large gatherings are likely to stay in place ahead of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Already this month alone, the U.S. reported more than four million new COVID-19 cases. That’s more than double the record set in October. Deaths and hospitalizations are also rising. Dr. Fauci says it’s not too late to turn things around though. He recommended wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, and washing your hands.
Read More: AP, NPR, CNBC, Politico, Axios
COVID-19 Restrictions Worldwide
Several cities, counties, and countries are tightening coronavirus-related restrictions. In Los Angeles County, a three-week stay-at-home order takes effect today. It bans most gatherings except for religious services and protests. Internationally, Hong Kong will suspend all in-person classes at schools this week. South Korea is tightening restrictions this week by forcing all nightclubs to close and cutting capacity at sporting events. Both Germany and Austria have said they’re likely to extend lockdowns into 2021.
Read More: Bloomberg, AP, CBS News, Reuters
Restrictions in Your State: USA Today
NYC to Reopen Some Schools
New York City decided to reopen public schools. Students will return for in-person classes at elementary schools one week from today. Middle and high school classes are expected to follow, but no date has been set yet. Cases are still going up in New York City, but the mayor faced criticism over his decision to close schools earlier this month. Many people said officials were placing more of a priority on bars, restaurants, and gyms than the well-being of children. Yesterday, the mayor said he heard parents “loud and clear.”
Read More: AP, NY Times, WaPo, Reuters, City of New York
Afghanistan Suicide Bombings
It was another violent day in Afghanistan during crucial peace talks. At least 34 people were killed in two separate suicide bombings. The attackers reportedly targeted a military base and an elected government official. So far, no one has claimed responsibility. The violence happened as Afghan government representatives had a rare face-to-face meeting with the Taliban, hoping to end the country’s decades-long war. So far in peace talks, the Taliban has kept its promise not to attack U.S. and NATO troops.
Read More: AP, Reuters, Al Jazeera
East Coast Severe Weather
Millions of Americans are in the path of a severe storm today. Meteorologists are pointing to a system that’s stretching from Louisiana to North Carolina this morning. It could bring heavy rain, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes. Then, the same system is expected to bring heavy rain and snow to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast by tonight. It will be cold too. Temperatures could be about 20 degrees below normal for this time of year in several east coast states.
Read More: CNN, WaPo, Weather Channel
Atlantic Hurricane Season Ends
This year’s record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season officially comes to an end today. The season started ahead of schedule and ended up producing 30 named storms, the most in history. There was also a record number of named storms to make landfall in the U.S. with 12 this season. Even though the season usually only runs from June 1st to November 30th, there have been a few cases of hurricanes forming in December.
Read More: WSJ, Weather Channel, Tampa Bay Times
First Female Power 5 Football Player
For the first time, a woman played in a Power 5 college football game. Sarah Fuller was asked to fill in as Vanderbilt’s kicker because a bunch of regular players were out due to COVID-19 exposure. She was picked because she’s already a standout on Vanderbilt’s women’s soccer team. She spent last week practicing with football players and on Saturday, she stepped onto the field. She kicked off the second half of the Vanderbilt-Mizzou game. Fuller had the phrase “play like a girl” on the back of her helmet.
Read More: ESPN, CBS Sports, NY Times, AP, Axios
Broncos Scramble to Find Fill-in QB
The Denver Broncos had to scramble to find a quarterback for this weekend’s game. They didn’t have one because the usual squad was benched over virus concerns. At first, the Broncos reportedly tried to have one of their assistant coaches fill in. The NFL said no, so the team went with a rookie wide receiver from the practice squad instead. The Broncos ultimately lost Sunday’s game to the New Orleans Saints 31-3.
Read More: ESPN, Axios, NBC Sports, Denver Post
More NFL Teams Face COVID-19 Fines
The NFL is imposing fines on two more teams for breaking COVID-19 records. The first is the New Orleans Saints. They will have to pay $500,000 and lose their 7th round draft pick next year for not following mask rules. Also, the New England Patriots have been fined $350,000 for violations related to a recent outbreak. People who came in close contact with infected Patriots players reportedly didn’t isolate themselves as they were supposed to.
Read More: AP, NBC News, ABC News
Spotify Launches Stories
Spotify is testing out a new stories feature. It looks similar to what you see on Instagram. At the top of certain playlists, you can tap a small picture bubble and view stories. Singers like Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, and Megan Thee Stallion have all shared stories. There’s no word yet on if or when you’ll be able to create your own stories and add them to playlists. This makes Spotify the latest app of many to dabble in the feature. Others, like Twitter, have tested or launched versions as well.
Read More: Engadget, Gizmodo, TmarTn
‘The Croods’ Box Office Success
A new animated movie stunned the box office this weekend. The Croods: A New Age notched the biggest opening of any film during the pandemic. It hit theaters Wednesday and by the time Sunday rolled around, it tallied more than $14 million in worldwide ticket sales. Experts say this is a sign cinemas can be resilient. Still, the 2020 Thanksgiving box office will be the worst in decades. The new Croods movie is expected to be available on streaming before Christmas. It’ll reportedly cost $20 to rent.
Read More: AP, Variety, CNBC, FOX Business
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Sets Netflix Record
The Queen's Gambit is setting records on Netflix. The streaming service says it’s the most-watched limited series to date. More than 62 million households have tuned into the show since it premiered last month. If you’re not familiar, The Queen’s Gambit is based on a novel about an orphan-turned-chess prodigy. It follows her struggle to break boundaries in the male-dominated world of competitive chess.
Read More: Deadline, Variety, TechCrunch, Netflix
Chess Sales Soaring
The popularity of The Queen’s Gambit has started a movement. Sales of chess have reportedly spiked 125% in the U.S. since the series premiered last month. Google searches for “how to play chess” have hit a nine-year peak. Chess is also getting more popular to watch. People streamed more than 4 million hours of chess on Twitch last month. That’s up from about 2.5 million during the same time last year.
Read More: NY Times, NBC News, FOX Business
Monday Monday - Black Friday Breaks Records, Cyber Monday Next
Online shopping hit a new record on Black Friday. Adobe Analytics says people spent more than $9 billion on American retail websites. That’s a 22% increase from the previous record set last year. It’s because people decided to shop from home this year due to COVID-19. Traffic to physical stores was basically cut in half from an average Black Friday. Online shopping will continue today on Cyber Monday.
Read More: USA Today, AP, Reuters, WSJ