Monday, December 7th, 2020
Giuliani Hospitalized, More Students Failing & Radishes in Space
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Fitbod.me/newsworthy and BetterHelp.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 review the latest happenings...
More COVID Warnings
The new coronavirus is still surging at an unprecedented rate all around the U.S. New cases per day have hit an all-time high of more than 190,000 on average. We’re also seeing about 2,200 new deaths each day and the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 has topped 100,000 for the past few days. Top government officials are again begging Americans to take precautions. That means wear masks, avoid crowds, and skip indoor gatherings as much as you can.
Read More: AP, CNN, Johns Hopkins, COVID Tracking
CA New Stay-at-Home Orders
33 million people in California are under a stay-at-home order. The governor put the conditional order in place last week. It goes into effect in each region when it has fewer than 15% of its intensive care beds available in hospitals. As of this morning, 84% of the state’s population is affected. Businesses like hair salons, movie theaters, and bars are closed. Playgrounds are off-limits. The rules stay in effect for at least three weeks. Still, some state law enforcement officials say they don’t plan to enforce the rules.
Read More: Reuters, CNN, LA Times
New Mexico ICUs Overwhelmed
In New Mexico, the whole state was under a stay-at-home order for the last two weeks of November. However, at last check, New Mexico’s ICU beds were at 103% capacity. That’s the highest rate in the country. It means there aren’t enough beds and at some hospitals, healthcare workers are squeezing more than one patient into single rooms. Hospital officials say they think it’s because, despite the laws, not everyone has been following the safety guidelines.
Read More: WaPo, USA Today, FOX News
Giuliani Tests Positive
President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for COVID-19. Sources told news outlets like AP and Reuters that Giuliani was in a Washington, D.C. hospital. However, no official comment from Giuliani or his staff. It’s not clear what symptoms he’s experiencing, if any. President Trump tweeted out some well-wishes yesterday, writing, in part, “get better soon, Rudy. We will carry on!” Giuliani has been leading the Trump campaign’s court battles in several swing states.
Read More: Reuters, AP, FOX News, Trump Tweet
Biden Names HHS Secretary
President-elect Biden is expected to name his full health team this week. He’s reportedly already made one of the top picks. Reports say Biden wants California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. That position requires Senate approval, but if he’s confirmed, Becerra would be the first Latino to run the health department. In the next few days, Biden is expected to make that announcement, as well as who he wants as head of the FDA, CDC, and the U.S. Surgeon General.
Read More: Politico, NY Times, WSJ
Trump GA Rally
President Trump urged people in Georgia to vote for the Republican incumbent Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. They both face Democratic challengers in next month’s runoff election. At a weekend rally, Trump told people in the crowd if they don’t vote, they’d be letting “socialists and communists” win. He also focused on voter fraud, again saying the November election was rigged and that he actually won the presidential race. Most of Trump’s election challenges have failed in court. All disputes are supposed to be resolved by tomorrow.
Read More: WSJ, WaPo, Axios
Obama Virtual GA Rally
Former President Obama held a virtual rally for Democratic Georgia Senate candidates. He appeared with Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock. Obama asked people to vote for them to help President-elect Biden deliver on campaign promises. He said many of the accomplishments he was able to make in his first term happened because he had a Democratic Senate. However, that progress stalled when Republicans were in control.
Read More: NBC News, Newsweek, AJC
House Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana
A first-of-its-kind vote to decriminalize marijuana on a national level passed the U.S. House. It was approved mostly along party lines. Nearly every Democrat voted ‘yes.’ Only six opposed. Nearly every Republican voted ‘no.’ Only five voted in favor of it. The bill is unlikely to go much further in the process and become law as long as Republicans control the Senate. Already, many Senate Democrats criticized Democrats for bringing the bill up for a vote, calling it a dead-end effort. Still, some progressive activists have called it an important step toward justice.
Read More: ABC News, NY Times, WaPo, Axios
FDA Authorizes At-Home COVID/Flu Test
A new at-home test can tell if you have COVID-19 or the flu. The FDA authorized the test, made by Quest Diagnostics, on Friday. People can now get one with a prescription from their doctor. Then, they’ll be able to collect their own swab at home and mail it in to be processed. The test works for both influenza A and B as well as the coronavirus. The idea is people will be able to stay quarantined until they figure out which virus they have. Health officials call it a significant step in the fight against COVID-19, especially since it’s now colliding with flu season.
Read More: NY Times, CNN, FDA
Failing Grades Increase
School districts around the country are seeing F grades double or triple this year. Virtual learning is largely to blame. Teachers say students tend to skip assignments more often and some don’t even show up for class. Not all students have access to the Internet at home, making it hard for them to attend and upload school work. The challenges are magnified for students with disabilities or low-income families. Now, some school districts are telling teachers to give students less homework and more time to complete it. A few have also adjusted how they grade, to help students under these circumstances.
Read More: AP, WaPo, Daily Mail
SpaceX Shipment Headed to ISS
SpaceX had its 100th successful launch of a Falcon 9 rocket. These rockets are reusable. This one can be reused up to five times. This has changed space travel for good, allowing it to be more affordable and sustainable. After this latest launch, 6,400 pounds of supplies are headed to the International Space Station. That includes equipment for science experiments, as well as holiday treats and presents for the astronauts. The spacecraft and its cargo should arrive later this morning.
Read More: AP, The Verge, TechCrunch, NASA
First Radish Crop Grown in Space
Astronauts aboard the ISS recently harvested radishes for the first time. The vegetables were grown in orbit and pulled last week. NASA says they’ll now be put in cold storage until they can make the voyage back to Earth next year to be studied. Growing food in space has been a key initiative for NASA since it could eventually give astronauts fresh food during long missions to the moon and mars. Already, they have successfully grown lettuce, cabbage, lentils, and mustard in zero gravity.
Read More: CNN, Cnet, NASA
Ali Stroker Makes History Again
The actress Ali Stroker made history again. She stars in a romantic comedy called Christmas Ever After which aired on Lifetime last night. That was the network’s first movie starring a lead actor with a disability. Stroker is in a wheelchair. The movie also made headlines as being one of the only romantic films shot during the coronavirus-era. Stroker kissed her co-star through a sheet of plexiglass to stay safe from COVID-19. On one of our Special Edition Saturday episodes, Stroker said she sees challenges as opportunities, rather than limitations.
Read More: USA Today, IndieWire, Slate
Listen to Ali Stroker on Special Edition Saturday: Here
Monday Monday: Amazon Prime Scams
Holiday shopping scams are becoming more common. TransUnion says there was a 14% increase in suspected e-commerce fraud during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, as compared to all of 2020. One of them has to do with Amazon. Many people have recently reported getting calls from scammers who say they’re with Amazon Prime and they need to collect about $800. Others try to direct people to a phony website, in hopes someone will enter their personal info. The FBI reports last year, Americans were scammed out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Read More: Detroit Free Press
How to Avoid Holiday Shopping Scams: Forbes, FBI, Report Fraud