Friday, December 4th, 2020
America’s ‘Greatest Threat,’ Vaccine Cards & Movies Straight to Streaming
All the news you need in around 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by CastleGrade.com (listen for discount) and Ritual.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 reading the latest happenings...
DNI Director on China Threat
The top intelligence official in the U.S. put out a strong warning about China. The National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. In it, Ratcliffe said China robs American companies of their intellectual property, copies their technology, and replaces companies around the world. He also pointed to China using mediators to try to influence American lawmakers. Ratcliffe says he shifted money in the intelligence budget to address the threats. So far, China hasn’t responded.
Read More: WSJ, AP, Axios, Bloomberg
Vaccine Distribution Cyberattacks
Cybersecurity analysts say hackers are targeting companies responsible for distributing COVID-19 vaccines. IBM says the digital spies are posing as business executives at a credible supply company. Then, they apparently send out fraudulent emails all over the world, hoping to get credentials and access to more information. It’s not clear exactly what the spies are after, but U.S. government officials are asking companies to be on the lookout.
Read More: NY Times, CNBC, Reuters, CISA, IBM
Vaccination Cards
The U.S. government says it will issue Americans vaccination cards to help them keep track of their COVID-19 shots. Most of the vaccines expected to get emergency approval require two shots, given three or four weeks apart from one another. However, the vaccines aren’t mix-and-match, so healthcare workers need to know which shot each person got when, so they’re ready with the correct second dose. The cards will include spots for you to fill out all the key information so you don’t forget anything. The info will also be sent to the CDC.
Read More: CNN, NPR, The Hill
Pfizer Vaccine Obstacles
The federal government’s Operation Warp Speed says if Pfizer and Moderna each get the authorization from the FDA as soon as possible, the first Pfizer vaccine shipments could happen on December 15th. The Moderna shipment would be on the 22nd. However, the first round is going to be limited. In fact, Pfizer just said its supply will be even more limited than originally thought. It will only be able to deliver half as many doses as it originally promised by the end of the year. Instead of 100 million vaccine doses worldwide, it will be 50 million. More will come in 2021.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, Business Insider
Biden Taps Fauci as Chief Medical Adviser
President-elect Biden told CNN he wants the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, Anthony Fauci, to stay on as an expert in his coronavirus task force after the transition happens next month. Biden also wants Dr. Fauci to be his chief medical adviser. The two already started discussing the long-term response on a Zoom call yesterday. Biden is expected to name his full health team next week, after already announcing his foreign-affairs and economics teams.
Read More: CNN, USA Today, CBS News, Politico
WI Supreme Court Denies Election Challenge
Wisconsin’s state supreme court decided not to hear an election challenge from the Trump campaign. The fight isn’t necessarily over though. Wisconsin’s high court pointed Trump’s lawyers down to the local courts instead since their issue was with Milwaukee and Dane counties. Trump’s lawyers filed two more lawsuits in those counties yesterday. The complaints take issue with how absentee ballots were collected. All election disputes must be settled by December 8th.
Read More: WaPo, AP, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
More CA Wildfires, Evacuations
Tens of thousands of people in Southern California are evacuated from the latest threatening wildfire. The so-called Bond Fire broke out as a house fire in Orange County, about 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It spread quickly. At last check, more than 10 square miles have burned and the fire is only 10% contained. Authorities say several homes were damaged and some may have been destroyed. About 25,000 people had to evacuate. Two firefighters were hurt and had to be taken to the hospital.
Read More: AP, NBC News, CBS News, CNN, Orange County Fire
Justice Dept. Sues Facebook
The Trump administration is suing Facebook, saying it discriminated against American workers. The Justice Department says the company illegally reserved high-paying jobs for foreigners and never gave Americans a fair shot at filling them. That’s against the law since companies need to prove they cannot find any qualified employees here before they recruit foreign workers who need green cards. Facebook’s lawyers are fighting the charges, but for now, they won’t say much more about it since the lawsuit is still pending.
Read More: WaPo, AP, Reuters, WSJ, DOJ
Releasing Movies for Streaming & Theaters
Warner Bros. says all its newly-released movies in 2021 are going to be available to stream on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters. This affects huge blockbusters like Dune, Matrix 4, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Godzilla vs. Kong, and more. Next year, the movies will be originally released to theaters and streaming on the same day. They’ll only be available on HBO Max for the first month, then they’ll go back to being in theaters exclusively before returning to streaming long-term.
Read More: USA Today, The Verge, Engadget, Axios
Mysterious Monoliths
Another mysterious monolith popped up in California. This is the third of its kind. The first was discovered in a remote area of Utah last month. Shortly after, another monolith popped up in Romania. Now, there’s one in a California park halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. These monoliths all appear to be smooth, metallic structures, standing 10 to 12 feet high. However, no one knows who’s putting them up or why. Now, they’ve all disappeared though. Groups of people have taken them down for various reasons.
Read More: AP, NPR, SacBee, CBS News
Free Coffee for Frontline Workers
Starbucks is giving free coffee to frontline workers this whole month. The coffee giant says this is for people like doctors, nurses, firefighters, law enforcement officers, pilots, and so on. They’ll all be able to get a free tall brewed coffee, hot or iced. Starbucks says it’s the company’s way of saying “thank you” to essential workers. Those eligible can redeem the offer at participating Starbucks stores in the U.S. until December 31st.
Read More: CBS News, USA Today, Starbucks
Feel Good Friday: Texas HS Opens Unique Grocery Store
A Sanger, Texas high school opened its own grocery store. Students can pick up food and necessities for themselves and their families. All the items were collected with the help of local businesses and organizations. To buy something, you don’t need money though. Instead, you can earn shopping points by working hard or helping others. Students can do things like chores around the building. It’s also supposed to teach students important job skills since students are also the ones running the store.
Read More: KTVT, KDFW, Linda Tutt HS