Friday, May 22 Briefs
[Transcript]
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Friday, May 22. I will not have a normal in-depth news report for today as I spent the entire day finalizing the new home studio setup with a deaf filmmaker, Adrean. I’m happy with the setup and on Monday and going forward it’ll look great.
Here are some of the top news stories.
The first — there was a plane crash in Pakistan. The Pakistan International Airlines plane had 91 passengers and 7 crew in it. There were only three survivors and they were seated in the front area.
The second news — Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for president, said in an interview geared to the Black/African-American community that if people had a hard time deciding whether to vote for him or Trump, they “ain’t black.” After criticism surfaced, Biden apologized for it and said he should not have been so cavalier in saying it.
The third news — President Donald Trump said he wants for churches and places of worship to be considered essential and to be reopened. He said he would override state governors who wanted them to remain closed. Trump wants churches to be open by Memorial Day. It’s another strong move from the Trump administration in favor of churches reopening as the Department of Justice has warned California that they needed to prioritize places of worship in their reopening plan. There are others who say churches should remain closed because of the risk of Covid-19 infections.
The fourth news — Calvin Young of “Seek the World” apologized on Wednesday night for wearing blackface in 2011 and saying that he was a “black uncle.” There was an image of him wearing blackface that was on his Facebook account. Young said he has deleted that image, but showed the image in his apology video. He did go into some history on why blackface and saying “uncle” was offensive. He said he was committed to taking social justice classes. The reaction from people online ranged from forgiving him outright, to some saying they forgave him but wouldn’t forget, and to some saying that there were no excuses and that he should face consequences. You can see the apology video as it’s there on his “Seek the World” page. There were similar controversies in the “hearing world” with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologizing for wearing blackface and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) facing calls to resign after a blackface image of what seems to be him appeared in a yearbook. It was not clear if it was him, but he faced controversy. So, Young has apologized for what is a very disrespectful and offensive act.
The fifth news — Muslims worldwide will celebrate Eid Al-Fitr on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on the moon. It marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. It is usually a big celebration with large crowds or Muslims visiting their family or friends, but this will be different this year because of the risk of Covid-19. Imagine if it was Christmas here in the U.S. right now — it would be different because of Covid-19. Regardless it will be a joyful time for Muslims as they mark Eid.
That is all for today. Have a good weekend. Stay healthy, stay safe, wash your hands, wear face masks, and stay with the light!