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Thursday, November 19, 2020

The AM Rundown: U-S Passes 250K Coronavirus Deaths


The U.S. passed 250,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, as it continues to surge across the country with nearly every state reporting an increase in new daily cases compared to this time last week. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are continuing to rise, with the COVID Tracking Project reporting daily stats yesterday of some 164,000 new cases and 1,869 deaths, the highest daily death toll since May 7th. It also reported a record 79,000 people currently hospitalized, a figure that doubled in the past month, straining overwhelmed hospitals and health care workers. Governors and mayors have been issuing new restrictions, including some who were reluctant to do so in the past, among them the suspension of in-person classes yesterday in New York City, the nation's largest school system, as the city's infection rate reached three percent.


Pfizer Says Vaccine 95 Percent Effective: In continued good news about coronavirus vaccines, Pfizer said yesterday that new test results show its vaccine is 95 percent effective -- even higher than the 90 percent it had said last week from more preliminary data. The results also show that it's safe and protects older people, who are most at risk of dying from Covid-19. That data allows Pfizer and partner BioNTech to seek emergency use of limited supplies of the vaccine, which it's preparing to ask for within days from U.S. regulators.
➤CDC SUGGESTS AMERICANS DITCH SINGING, LOUD MUSIC, ALCOHOL, FOR HOLIDAYS DUE TO PANDEMIC: The holidays will be a lot quieter this year if you follow the latest guidelines suggested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Published yesterday, the organization says to minimize the spread of COVID-19, people should avoid singing or shouting (especially indoors), avoid close contact with others from outside one's household (you still should be socially distancing, keeping six feet apart), and avoid drinking alcohol. The CDC also warns against drinking as, “Using alcohol or drugs that may alter judgement [could] make it more difficult to practice COVID-19 safety measures.” And if you can’t avoid having a holiday gathering, the organization recommends wearing face masks and having hand sanitizers or hand washing stations available for guests. Quarantining for 14 days before and/or after the event has also been suggested to minimize exposing others to the virus.

➤SURVEY: HOLIDAY SHOPPERS PLAN TO SPEND LESS THIS YEAR: Holiday shoppers plan to spend less this year than they did in 2019, and the coronavirus pandemic and related economic uncertainty seems to be behind it. The nationwide Debt.com survey found that 62 percent of respondents said they plan to spend less on holiday spending this year. Some 40 percent said it's because of the loss of a job or a reduction in income, 37 percent said it's because they expect their loved ones will also be cutting down on their holiday spending amid the pandemic, and 23 percent felt there's less pressure to buy gifts with virtual holiday celebrations. But Debt.com chairman Howard Dvorkin suspects those results might not turn out to be true, stating, "Every year, people go into the holidays with the best intentions. The problem is they get carried away." He also suggested that cost-saving measures related to the pandemic, along with the temporary suspension of some debt payments, could egg on a desire to spend too much in order to make others happy, particularly after many months of being apart from family and friends.


➤TRUMP FILES FOR RECOUNT OF TWO WISCONSIN COUNTIES: President Trump filed yesterday for a recount of the vote in the two largest Democratic counties in Wisconsin, a state President-elect Joe Biden won by some 20,600 votes, or 0.7 percent, and paid the required $3 million cost for the recount to be done. The request claimed Milwaukee and Dane counties were the location of the, quote, "worst irregularities," however there has been no evidence of voter fraud or impropriety. A Biden campaign spokesman said that a, quote, "cherry-picked and selective recounting of Milwaukee and Dane County" won't change his Wisconsin win. The recounts will begin Friday and must be completed by December 1st. As Trump continues to try to legally challenge the vote certification in several swing states that Biden won, the Washington Post yesterday cited several Trump advisers as saying his real goal is, quote, "sowing doubt in Biden’s victory with the president’s most ardent supporters and keeping alive his prospects for another presidential run in 2024."

➤JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP POLICY OF TURNING AWAY CHILDREN AT BORDER DUE TO PANDEMIC: A federal judge yesterday blocked a Trump administration policy instituted as an emergency decree since March that turns away migrant children at the southern U.S. border before they can claim asylum, treating them as public health risks because of the coronavirus pandemic. Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled that the expulsion of thousands of children without due process exceeded the authority given by public health emergency decrees. Sullivan's ruling doesn't apply to adults or families crossing the border. It is unclear if the administration will appeal. 

➤FAA CLEARS BOEING 737 MAX PLANE TO FLY AGAIN, 20 MONTHS AFTER GROUNDING: The Federal Aviation Administration yesterday (November 18th) cleared Boeing's 737 Max to fly again, 20 months after the planes were grounded around the world in March 2019 following two fatal crashes within five months. The crashes of the Ethiopian Airlines and Indonesia's Lion Air jets killed a total of 346 people. U.S. airlines will fly the 737 Max planes again once Boeing updates critical software and computers and pilots get training on them in flight simulators. Both the FAA and Boeing came under criticism in the wake of the crashes, with the FAA accused of lax oversight and Boeing of rushing a new software system, putting profits over safety. The anti-stall software was the focus of blame in both crashes and has been overhauled.


➤CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS SPECIALS TO AIR ON BROADCAST TV AFTER ALL: There was an outcry last month after it was revealed that Apple TV+ had acquired the rights to the classic Peanuts TV specials and that they wouldn't be airing on broadcast TV for the first time in 55 years. Apple said it would let people stream them for free for a few days around the holidays, but that didn't tamp down the backlash. So Apple has now given in, announcing yesterday that it had joined with PBS for ad-free broadcasts of the beloved shows. It was too late for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown to be shown on TV before Halloween, but PBS will air A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on November 22nd and A Charlie Brown Christmas on December 13th. They will be still also be available to stream for free on Apple TV+ during three-day windows from November 25 to 27th for Thanksgiving, and December 11th to 13th for Christmas. 


🏀TIMBERWOLVES TAKE EDWARDS WITH FIRST PICK IN NBA DRAFT: The Minnesota Timberwolves chose Georgia guard Anthony Edwards with the first pick in the NBA Draft last night, which had been delayed multiple times from June because of the coronavirus pandemic. The draft was held virtually for the same reason, with Commissioner Adam Silver announcing the selections from ESPN's studios in Connecticut, without any players or fans in attendance. 
  • The Golden State Warriors chose Memphis center James Wiseman with the second pick,
  • Guard LaMelo Ball, who skipped college to play professionally overseas, was taken third by the Charlotte Hornets.
  • Florida State forward Patrick Williams was chosen fourth by the Chicago Bulls.
  • Auburn forward Isaac Okoro was picked fifth by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
🏈NFL PUTTING ALL TEAMS IN INTENSIVE COVID-19 PROTOCOL: As the number of coronavirus cases surge around the country, the NFL has decided to put all teams in intensive Covid-19 protocol starting on Saturday. That means: masks will be mandatory at all times at team facilities, including during practice and in weight rooms; meetings must be held virtually or in the largest indoor space; meals have to be available for grab-and-go; and time in the locker room must be limited.


⚾METS' CANO SUSPENDED 162 GAMES FOR SECOND POSITIVE PED TEST: New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano was suspended for 162 games yesterday after the 38-year-old had a positive performance-enhancing drug test for the second time in his career. Cano, an eight-time All-Star, will miss the entire 2021 season and lose $24 million in salary. MLB said Cano tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol. He'd previously been suspended for 80 games in 2018 while he was with the Seattle Mariners after testing positive for the diuretic Furosemide, which athletes sometimes use to hide other substances.

🏈SIX COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS: Six of this week's college football games were postponed Wednesday due to coronavirus cases on teams, including Number 22 Texas at Kansas. Overall, 14 out of 62 games involving Bowl Subdivision teams that were scheduled for this week have been postponed due to the virus, after 15 of 59 scheduled games weren't played last week. Also called off yesterday were: Navy at South Florida; Houston at SMU; Utah State at Wyoming; UNLV at Colorado State; and No. 24 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Central Arkansas.

🏀GOLDEN STATE'S THOMPSON INJURES LEG, MAY HAVE ACHILLES INJURY: The Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson injured his lower right leg yesterday and is scheduled to have an MRI today, with reports saying the team is concerned that it may be a significant Achilles injury. ESPN reported that Thompson was injured during a workout, but it's unclear if it was team-organized. The 30-year-old was looking to return after missing all of last season due to a left ACL tear he sufered during the 2019 NBA Finals.
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