Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
Relief Negotiations, Koala Comeback & Free Streaming
All the news you need in less than 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 perusing the latest happenings...
Economy & Relief Packages:
Senators are inching closer to a deal for an economic relief plan. Senate Democrats twice rejected the Republicans’ proposed plan, but they were working together to negotiate late last night, and they could vote on a compromise today. Meanwhile, House Democrats are proposing their own plan worth $2.5 trillion. With all this uncertainty on Capitol Hill, stocks dropped another 3% yesterday.
Congress Split on Aid Package: The Hill, NYT, Reuters, Politico
Stocks Decline: CBS News, NPR
Stay-at-Home & Testing:
Even more states have issued stay-at-home orders as officials hope to slow the spread of the virus. The U.S. Surgeon General is telling Americans to follow guidelines closely. He said the COVID-19 outbreak will worsen this week because not everyone has been social distancing, as recommended. Meanwhile, President Trump signed an executive order, making it a crime to stockpile some supplies, and New York will begin testing three potential treatments this week. So far, that state has been hit the hardest in both confirmed cases and deaths.
Stay-at-Home Orders: Axios, NY Times
Surgeon General Warning: NBC News, CNN
Anti-Hoarding Executive Order: The Hill, Reuters
Testing Potential Treatments: NBC News, NY Daily News
International Coronavirus Updates:
The World Health Organization says it took only four days to go from 200,000 to 300,000 cases. Still, WHO’s leader emphasized it’s possible to change the trajectory. He told countries to get aggressive by testing every suspected case, treating sick people, and quarantining their close relatives. In the UK, the British Prime Minister is taking some of that advice by putting the country on lockdown. In Italy, the daily death toll is dropping, but it’s still more than 600 deaths a day. For Americans overseas, there’s desperation to get home. Nearly 14,000 U.S. citizens have already contacted the state department for help getting home.
World Health Organization Update: BBC, NPR
Britain Imposes 3-Week Lockdown: CNN, Axios
Italy New Case Count: AP, Reuters
Americans' Travel: WaPo, WSJ
2020 Olympics Status:
It’s looking like the 2020 Olympics will be postponed. Team USA’s Olympic and Paralympic Committee is the latest to urge the games be delayed. Already, a veteran member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that postponement will happen. The IOC just needs to figure out new dates. Still, other members say it’s not a finalized decision just yet.
Read more: Statement, USA Today, Bleacher Report, Time
Koala Comeback
Australian koalas are slowly being released into national parks. They were rescued this summer when unprecedented fires burned in the country. Sadly, it’s estimated 10,000 koalas died during the wildfires and drought, but non-profit organizations and koala hospitals helped immensely. They treated as many animals as they could for burns and dehydration. Now, thanks to recent rain, there are plenty of new plants blooming, so koalas should be able to live and eat on their own. Still, rescue groups are keeping a close eye on them to make sure.
Read More: Mashable, The Standard
PG&E Pleads Guilty
America’s largest utility company says it’ll plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter from a 2018 Northern California wildfire. As part of a plea deal, PG&E admits its faulty equipment sparked the fire. The company will pay the maximum fine of $4 million and help pay to restore access to water from a canal that was destroyed.
Read More: ABC News, NBC News, AP
ER Doctors Wearing 'Smart' Rings
In a first-of-its-kind new study, researchers are trying a new way to identify and isolate people with COVID-19 earlier. They’ll enlist 2,000 medical workers in San Francisco to start wearing smart rings. The rings on their fingers will monitor body temperature, heart rate and other vital signs. The goal is to identify any type of fever or illness, even before the wearer notices they’re not feeling well. The company behind the rings also hopes to build an algorithm to help ID future cases.
Read More: Engadget, SF Chronicle
CVS, Dollar General, Instacart Hiring
Even more companies are now saying they’re hiring, including Instacart. The grocery delivery company plans to add 300,000 new full-service shoppers over the next couple of months. CVS and Dollar General are also looking to hire 50,000 new employees each. They need both full-time and temp workers.
Read More: USA Today, Business Journals, TechCrunch, Fox News
Streaming Kids Content for Free
Amazon is providing free access to more than 40 of its children’s shows. So you don’t have to be an Amazon Prime member to watch, like usual. Instead, you just need a regular Amazon account. It’s not clear how long the free access will last, but it’s available now.
Read More: TechCrunch, The Verge, Variety
"Talk to Me Tuesday" - COVID-19 Sequel?
Listener Question: If you get the new coronavirus and recover from it, can you get it again?
A: That’s still not clear. According to Harvard’s Medical School, most people who are infected and recover will likely develop at least short-term immunity to COVID-19. But the virus could also mutate each season, just like the flu. So far, we haven’t seen that happen, but scientists are learning more about the new coronavirus each day.
*Have a question you want us to answer next week? Just reply to this email*
Read More: Harvard, Vox