Dose Of News Useful Today

Tuesday, June 23rd

Play Ball!

Good morning. Baseball is back, ladies and gentlemen. Well, almost.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced his intention to impose a season of undetermined length late last night - players are expected to report to spring training by July 1.

Daily Sprinkle

“Have faith in yourself and in the future.”

– Ted Kennedy

The Race To The White House

Presidential primaries are being held today in Kentucky and New York. Let’s get you up to speed on the 2020 election.

News From The Right

President Trump held his first rally in two-and-a-half months in Tulsa, OK, on Saturday.

The event reportedly had 6,200 attendees (according to the Tulsa Fire Department) despite nearly 1 million RSVPs.
The low turnout was allegedly caused by a viral Tik-Tok movement that encouraged viewers to register online for tickets - but not attend - to derail attendance numbers.

Campaign officials argue the low turnout was due to protests and fears of COVID-19.

News From The Left
Last week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar withdrew from consideration for Joe Biden’s running mate, announcing that she’d rather see a woman of color on the ticket.

Biden plans to announce his running mate - whom he pledged will be a woman - by Aug. 1. You can find a complete list of prospects here.

Federal filings show Biden and the DNC raised more money than Trump and the RNC last month for the first time ever - $81 million to $74 million. The Trump campaign still likely has an advantage when it comes to cash-on-hand, with ~$265 million in the bank.

What do the polls say?
According to the most recent RealClearPolitics data, roughly 50.6% of registered U.S. voters support Biden compared to 41.1% for President Trump. See how each candidate’s support has changed in 2020.

In the battleground states:

   FL PA WI NC AZ
Biden:   50.5 49.3 47.7 45.2 47.0
Trump: 44.3 43.7 42.3 45.8 43.0

What’s Next?
After today’s contests, five more presidential primaries are scheduled for the next two months.

The Biden campaign agreed to participate in three previously-scheduled presidential debates yesterday afternoon. The Trump campaign had previously requested an additional fourth debate.

Each party will hold their national convention in mid-late August (DNC: Aug. 17 to Aug. 20, RNC: Aug. 24 to Aug. 27).

So… what are people saying?

America’s Wannabe Autocrat Is in the Home Stretch. How Worried Should We Be?

LEFT CENTER → New York Times (Opinion)

Trump’s Tulsa rally sheds light on his commitment to building up the black community

RIGHT CENTER → Tulsa World (Opinion)

My mom blazed trail for women VP picks. Biden's choice is crucial

LEFT → CNN (Opinion)

Joe Biden could still save Trump by tapping Kamala Harris as vice president

RIGHT → Washington Examiner (Opinion)

Questions about the rating system we use?
Learn more

Share Today's Dose of Discussion

Protests & Coronavirus Updates

Global cases rose to nearly 9.17 million yesterday (up ~140k from yesterday), with almost 473,300 deaths (up ~3.8k). The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to nearly 2.39 million (up ~35k), with 122,589 confirmed deaths (up ~350).

Saudi Arabia will shrink the hajj pilgrimage (the second-largest annual gathering of Muslims in the world) this year amid COVID-19 concerns. Only a small number of people from the kingdom will be allowed to attend the five-day event in late July.
U.S. COVID-19 cases are increasing, but deaths are still dropping. See how cases are changing in your state.
President Trump will sign an executive order to extend restrictions blocking foreign workers from receiving a green card and most work visas through the end of the year.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan in a press conference yesterday said officials would begin the process of dismantling the occupied protest zone within the city.

FBI, DOJ Investigating Noose At NASCAR

The FBI and DOJ have opened an investigation into a noose found in NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace’s garage in Talladega on Sunday. Wallace is the only full-time black driver in the Cup Series, NASCAR’s highest level. Earlier this month, NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from all events.

LEFT CENTER → USA Today	RIGHT CENTER → WSJ (No $)

U.S. Places Restrictions On Chinese Media

The State Department designated four Chinese state-run media outlets as “foreign missions” on Monday. The media outlets join five other news agencies who received the same label back in February. The move requires employees working for those companies on U.S. soil to register with the State Department.


NEUTRAL → Reuters	NEUTRAL → The Hill

Protests & The Coronavirus Effect

U.S. existing home sales fell 9.7% in May, the third straight monthly decline. The median price of a home sold in May was $284,600 - up 2.3% from last year.
Google’s ad revenue is projected to decline in 2020 for the first time ever, according to research firm eMarketer.
More than 1,650 Google employees (and counting) have signed a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai demanding the company stop selling its technology to police departments.

Apple’s Adjustments

Apple kicked off its entirely virtual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. The company announced a transition to using homegrown chips in its devices, ending a decade-long partnership with Intel. Apple also unveiled the newest generation of its iPhone operating system, iOS 14.

More: Among other things, iOS 14 will include the ability for iPhone owners to use their device as a digital car key with compatible vehicles, the first being BMW’s 5-series starting next month.

Saturday Night Drive

Tour promoter Live Nation announced its first-ever drive-in concert series in the U.S. on Monday. The nine-show series will take place in three cities - Nashville, Maryland Heights, MO, & Noblesville, IN - from July 10 to July 12. Attendees will be able to drive (four max to a car) into the parking lot of amphitheaters, with two empty parking spaces between each vehicle.

More: Country star Brad Paisley will headline one show in each location, with other performances featuring Darius Rucker, Jon Pardi, and Nelly. See the full list here.

Ice Cream Dream Job

Bill Losasso, a pastor in St. Petersburg, FL, has dreamed of driving an ice cream truck for more than 56 years. When he was 17 years old, Bill worked as an ice cream truck driver for a single day and has been eager to return to the jolly job ever since.

Last week, Pastor Bill realized his life’s ambition by driving an ice cream truck to celebrate his 73rd birthday, handing free frozen treats to children of all ages. The pastor is no stranger to spreading joy in his community. He previously founded the Florida Dream Center, which gives away 25,000 pounds of food each week to those in need.

Harried Styles

A hairstyle is not just a fashion statement – it is a manifestation of social identity and individual pride. Hair can also vary wildly among different cultures and races. For many interracial adoptive families, a parent’s inexperience with their child’s hair type can negatively impact the young person’s self-image.

Recognizing the need to educate interracial adoptive and foster parents about proper black haircare techniques, Tamekia Swint founded Styles 4 Kidz, a nonprofit salon in Chicago, Illinois. Through the organization, Tamekia has helped more than 1,000 families overcome cosmetic frustration through lessons on hair washing and styling.

Selfless Sisters

In September 2018, Mark Goralski of Illinois passed away from kidney failure after a long battle with Crohn’s disease. Before his death, Mark’s daughter, Bethany, was prepared to donate her kidney to her father. However, doctors said that he was not healthy enough for a transplant.

Determined to help other families avoid the loss they had endured, Bethany and her sister, Hannah, each donated a kidney to a stranger in need of a transplant. The two sisters - who underwent surgery within 24 hours of one another - now encourage other healthy young people to become organ donors.

TOGETHER WITH

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🕶️ 3D Or Not 3D… Facebook has unveiled new technology that allows users to construct 3D models of human beings from a still photo.

🖥️ The Lead For Speed… Honeywell last week said its quantum computer, called H0, had officially surpassed IBM’s version in performance, making it the fastest quantum computer in the world.

🌿 A Study In Green… two new studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggest that laws legalizing recreational marijuana use may lead to higher traffic deaths, though the results are far from conclusive.

🗿 Stepping Stone… archaeologists have discovered a mysterious circular pit structure at the site of an ancient village near Stonehenge, making the landmark the largest prehistoric structure in Britain.