Thursday, October 1 top news briefs
It is Thursday, October 1. We’ve got three more months left in 2020. Here are today’s top news briefs.
Coronavirus updates
27 out of 50 U.S. states had more new cases of Covid-19 in September than in August, according to an analysis from Reuters. Wisconsin had the biggest increase with 111% more new cases. Four states had increases of between 94% to 81%: Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah.
Here is a clear graphic from the New York Times that shows hot spots of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. The metrics are based on average daily cases per 100,000 people in the past week.
Dr. Anthony Fauci made it clear in an interview on Wednesday that he absolutely supports wearing masks. President Trump said on Tuesday night’s debate that Fauci didn’t support wearing masks, but later changed his mind. Fauci explained in the interview on Wednesday that early in the pandemic, public health leaders didn’t recommend wearing masks but changed because it became clear that asymptomatic people were spreading the virus and that masks helped to stop it. Fauci emphasized again that he supports mask-wearing.
The NFL decided that the Tennessee Titans’s upcoming game on Sunday would be indefinitely postponed after more Titans players and staff tested positive for the coronavirus. The Titans’ facilities will be closed indefinitely. The Titans played against the Vikings on Sunday but there were no positive tests among the Vikings team.
New York City has reopened all of its public schools and about 500,000 students from pre-K to high school are now back in classrooms. NYC is the first major U.S. city to reopen all of its public schools for in-person classes. The Miami-Dade area is set to do the same on Monday.
California to consider reparations for Black Americans
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law that will create a task force to study and come up with proposals to provide reparations for Black Americans. The reparations would be an attempt to “pay back” for the forced and free labor that African-Americans were exploited during our country’s history of slavery. The reparations would also provide relief to descendants of slaves. The task force’s recommendations would be due one year after its first meeting and it won’t be binding, but may act as a guide for potential action by lawmakers. Newsom said it is about making an impact not just in California but across the rest of the country. CBS News reported that the U.S. government has had provided reparations at least twice in the past — to Germany for Holocaust victims and for Japanese-Americans who were held in concentration camps during World War II.
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Suspect arrested in ambush shooting of LA deputies
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said they have arrested a 36-year-old man who is suspected of shooting two deputies in an ambush on September 12. The suspect’s name is Deonte Murray. He was actually already in police custody as of September 15 in connection with a carjacking. The sheriff’s department said they didn’t know for sure at that time whether he was the gunman. Murray was charged with two counts of willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder of a peace officer. He pled not guilty yesterday in court. He faces life in prison if convicted.
The two deputies were injured but will survive. They will have to go through reconstructive surgeries.
United and American Airlines furlough 32,000 employees
United and American Airlines said they are furloughing 32,000 employees because they can’t afford to keep on paying them after a federal support program is set to expire today. A furlough is similar to a layoff, but employees can come back when they are needed and when funding is available. United is furloughing 13,000 employees and American is furloughing 19,000 employees. Congress has been in negotiations on a new round of coronavirus relief, but Democrats and Republicans have been unable to agree, so the current support for the airline industry has expired.
Wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming
There are two large wildfires in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. Both are in the Rocky Mountain region. The fire in Colorado is called the Cameron Peak Fire and it has burned 95 structures, including over 20 homes. The fire in Wyoming is called the Mullen Fire and it has burned through almost 30 homes and 30 other structures.
Ireland’s Supreme Court says Subway’s bread is not legally bread
The Supreme Court in Ireland ruled that the bread made by Subway in their sandwiches does not meet the legal definition of bread because it has too much sugar. The Court considers it to be a sweet dish or a fancy baked good, such as a dessert. The case was brought up because a franchise of Subway in the country wanted to save taxes on the bread by classifying it as a “staple food.” If it got this designation, they would save money on taxes. Ireland’s Value-Added Tax (VAT) laws in the country said a bread must have 2% or less of its total dough weight to be made up of sugar. Subway’s bread has about 10% sugar content, so it was “disqualified.” Subway told ABC News that “Subway’s bread is, of course, bread.” One person online joked that what this means is that you can eat Jimmy John’s for dinner and then have Subways for dessert.
That is all the top news briefs for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-september-idUSKBN26M5OC
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/reparations-california-study-black-americans/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/suspect-arrested-ambush-shooting-la-sheriffs-deputies/story?id=73344768