005 - The Humanity of it All
Don't forget about the people.
Welcome back to another week of the News Now NXT newsletter!
As a reminder, you can click any underlined word/phrase to dig deeper into the story. Let’s jump in:
NEWS
If you’re Black in America, COVID-19 is more likely to kill you. According to research published by Bloomberg, in counties where the majority of residents are Black, the death rate is now 3.5 times the national average.
Here in the United States, we’re clocking about 60K new COVID cases a day. In Miami, which has become the new epicenter for the virus, the positivity rate is up close to 30%. New Zealand, on the other hand, has gotten their new cases down to zero
This week, California’s governor Gavin Newsome put his state back into a phased lockdown, with the counties hardest hit having higher restrictions.
Donald Trump was finally seen wearing a mask in public while making a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center to visit wounded soldiers. He’s also still holding to his promise to revoke funding from schools that are not offering in-person instruction for the fall.
According to a new poll conducted by Axios - Ipsos 71% of parents surveyed are concerned about sending their kids back to school in the wake of the pandemic, due to a large/moderate risk of contracting COVID. The idea of having a one size fits all approach to school is flawed. Online only options highlight the harsh inequities within technology & differentiation. In fact, a young Black girl who was supposed to be receiving special education services in Michigan wound up being placed in juvenile detention for not completing online assignments while school was in session in the spring.
In a speech on Tuesday, Joe Biden introduced a climate change plan with a $2 Trillion price tag, made possible by eliminating subsidies for oil & gas companies. His goal is to minimize toxic emissions by creating a clean power sector by 2035.
Chance The Rapper briefly endorsed Kanye West for president over Joe Biden via Twitter, leaving many fans and readers questioning how they could even take West’s run seriously, so late in the game. Chance rescinded the endorsement, and Kanye has reportedly dropped out of the race.
Lawyers for the family of Breonna Taylor have filed a lawsuit against alleging that the warrant that led to Breonna’s death was tied to a larger plot to aid in the gentrification of the area in which she lived. 87 participants in a protest for Taylor, including organizer and activist Tamika Mallory, Houston Texans Wide Receiver Kenny Stills, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams, as well as rappers YBN Cordae and Trae Tha Truth, were all arrested after a march and demonstration on the lawn of a home owned by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. They’re all facing several charges, including intimidating a participant in a legal process, which is a felony.
On Monday, the NFL franchise in Washington DC formally announced that they would be dropping their former team nickname, mascot, and insignia, but that a new name would not be announced just yet - possibly because a lawyer in Virginia has made a hobby out of trademarking the potential replacements.
Two players have already breached the barrier at the Disney Sportsplex housing the rest of the NBA season. Both of them broke the barrier to pick up food from delivery guys and now have to quarantine for 10 days to ensure that they don’t have the virus.
NOW & NEXT
Misinformation is shaping up to play a major role in the upcoming election, just like it did in 2016. Much of it is supported by the actions of President Trump, as evidenced in his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this week’s episode of the podcast, I ask everyone to remember the humanity in the stories we share, in the wake of all of the lives lost to COVID and tragic accidents, like the one that claimed the life of actress Naya Rivera.
Please listen, as I dive a bit deeper: anchor.fm/newsnownxt
That’s all for this week. Until next time, keep your eyes open.