What A Day - Convention Goes Electric

Episode Date: August 6, 2020

Joe Biden is no longer traveling to Milwaukee for the DNC, and neither are other primetime speakers like President Barack Obama. A sized-down RNC will be held in Charlotte, with Trump planning to deliver his speech from The White House. Six of the seven largest school districts in the country will begin the school year entirely online, with New York City as the only holdout. One Yale student is suing his school for charging full tuition for an online education he considers inferior. And in headlines: today is the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, more updates on the disaster in Beirut, and Facebook blows minds by inventing TikTok.Plus, Crooked's own Jon Lovett fills in for Akilah.

It is Thursday, August 6th. I'm Gideon Resnick. And I'm John Lovett, filling in for Akilah. And this is what? A day where we are willing to accept gifts from anyone being reckless with their PPP loans. The whole point of this money is to boost the economy by renting us a house in Malibu where you don't, like, feel the other houses. There's no shortage of prime real estate out there. And it's for the taking. On today's show, the ever changing state of schools, then some headlines. But first, the latest, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions are right around the corner. And with each passing day, they are looking less and less like conventions. Yesterday, we got more news on the DNC, which is up first,

and how it's being scaled back even more. Gideon, take us through the gritty details. Okay, so we now know that the presumptive nominee, that's former Vice President Joe Biden, is actually not going to Milwaukee. And essentially what was already a really limited event is turning almost entirely virtual, as is much in our daily lives.

And Biden is going to deliver his acceptance speech from Delaware now. And according to organizers of the DNC event, the other primetime speakers are also not traveling to Milwaukee anymore either. And as you mentioned, John, this comes after Democrats had already significantly pared back their plans due to COVID-19 and the risk that large events like this could have on attendees and the host city. Delegates had already been told not to come to the event, which is set to begin on August 17th. And in terms of the other big speakers that we know about thus far, there's President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Jill Biden. And according to the Washington Post, the plan had already been for them to record their speeches and or

do them live but remote. There's also reporting that there will be a tribute to the late civil rights leader, Congressman John Lewis. And of course, Biden's yet to be named running mate is expected to speak as well during the course of this. So yes, clearly going to be a lot different than anything we've seen before. And another reminder of how utterly odd this whole election season has been. John, what do we think about all of this? I hope it's not a huge disaster, Gideon. I hope it works because the stakes are so high. Oh, my God. Yeah, the country is on the line and it depends on these Wi-Fi streams. Oh, my God. OK, so that's the DNC, Gideon. Let's talk about the RNC, which is also in flux due to the pandemic. But get this,

has been made more chaotic and confusing by Donald Trump. Gideon, take us through what happened. Gladly. I love relitigating this every single day. First, everything was supposed to be in Charlotte, North Carolina. Then Trump was annoyed that the event couldn't be full capacity due to public health restrictions. So then he decides to move his own acceptance speech to Jacksonville, Florida, where, you know, ideally he could have done done it in front of a large adoring crowd. But that was also scuttled recently, for the best for all parties involved. So now apparently, beginning on August 24, Republican delegates are still going to go to Charlotte to formally nominate Trump, but in a more sized down setting. Then there are also speeches that are expected for the next three days, followed by Trump doing his actual acceptance speech at the end of that week. So where is that

going to take place? Potentially the South Lawn at the White House, which would involve not a tremendous amount of traveling for Trump. And this is not often how this is done. Yeah, the South Lawn has traditionally been reserved for official, not political events, like when Trump is sad and they let him pretend to drive a truck. Yes, that was a great moment that I hope he brings back for the RNC. And so, of course, there are questions about ethics in terms of holding this event on government property. Legal experts point to the Hatch Act, which bans most forms of political activity from taking place on White House grounds. But I, for one, think it's fitting that Trump's convention speech itself is a breach of ethics,

if not illegal, and only taking place there because of his failure to contain a crisis. That is the brand, and the brand is strong. Yeah, he's just embracing his natural skills as a marketer. So that's the ever-changing unconventional conventions. But let's move on to a more pressing issue that we are continuing to follow, and that is schools. John, want to take us through where things stand on that? Sure so there was a big update yesterday. Chicago announced it will start the year with online classes instead of a hybrid model as they had planned. This comes after the Chicago Teachers Union raised the threat of a strike

unless classes moved online but Chicago Mayor's Lori Lightfoot said the decision was based on science and rising infection rates. We're at the point now where six of the seven largest school districts in the country have moved entirely online for the start of the year. The holdout is New York City, which for now is still moving forward with Mayor Bill de Blasio's hybrid plan for September. We're likely going to get an update in the coming days as Governor Andrew Cuomo weighs in. So now these two guys will bring their electric will-they-or-won to life and death decisions about schools. Terrific. There are also reports that New York City doesn't have enough school nurses to staff each location. And there are questions about ventilation in old buildings. On the other hand, remote learning has a ton of challenges,

too, and has particularly failed for the city's most vulnerable students, including kids with special learning requirements or kids who are unhoused. Plus, there's the issue of child care. Right. Just a few large things to have to deal with. And those are the biggest districts. And we know quite a few other large ones are beginning remote as well. But let's check in on some of the smaller school systems, too. There's a particularly disturbing story developing at a high school in Paulding County, Georgia, about an hour outside of Atlanta. It reopened on Monday despite an outbreak among members of the football team, as well as reports of at least one other case on staff. Despite CDC recommendations, the district is not requiring masks, though they are provided, and said that social distancing will not be possible to enforce in most cases. Students

can opt out of in-person schooling, but only if virtual learning spots are available and those were limited. BuzzFeed spoke to one student who took a picture of a crowded hallway with many students not wearing masks. This was shared widely on the internet, but only by people who care if children and teachers live. The students, very dark. After seeing the picture, the student's parents wanted to keep him home from school, but were told that students who chose not to go to school could face suspension or expulsion. So a pretty awful situation there. And it's not the only school in Georgia dealing with coronavirus cases. Already, a second grader in a different district tested positive this week.

Yeah, it just doesn't seem like this is a conceivably possible thing to avoid. And before we go, let's quickly touch on some of what is going on at the college level with this one story about a student at Yale suing to get his tuition back. So there have been a number of lawsuits filed by students against their colleges for moving to online learning. In this case, the student is a junior and he wants a refund for the tuition he paid to Yale in the spring after the campus shut down and went online. Basically, the claim here is that the education was in fear given that it was all on Zoom or Zoom equivalent. His lawyers are looking at class action status for the case to bring in other students as well. For what it's worth, Yale's yearly tuition is approximately $55,000, according to the Hartford Courant.

Courant? Courant. Yale is planning a strong defense, which is a go fuck yourself. We want the money, I guess. I don't know what the defense is. No, it's fine. Yeah, no., I guess. I don't know what the defense is. No, it's fine. Yeah, no, forget the IV. You don't need it.

Bricks, they're fancy and old, but you're fine. More on this soon, but that Squad, and for today's Temp Check, we are talking about some activism among athletes. On Tuesday, players from four different WNBA teams, including the Atlanta Dream, were seen wearing shirts that said, Vote Warnock. Warnock is Reverend Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who is challenging Republican Senator

and Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler for her seat this November. Now, Loeffler has criticized activism among WNBA players in the past, expressed opposition to Black Lives Matter, and described this current move as part of the, quote, cancel culture. So, John, my question for you,

can a t-shirt be cancel culture? Look, I think that maybe more appropriate, more appropriate to describe as cancel culture is when the New York Liberty wore that shirt that says, I think there should be some changes in the New York Times op ed board. Yes, that to me. Right. That's sort of very hyper specific. It's looking to, you know, silence voices. They they really went after brett stevens i thought that that was both an odd choice and an interesting one um but yeah no i think loffler is is wrong yeah oh yeah i think she's yeah getting i think i think kelly loffler is wrong again getting are you a big fan of the wNBA? Where's your head at? Yeah, I just, I feel like they have gotten some of the credit they've kind of long been deserving

because of all the stuff now. Like the fact that they are doing more like hyper-specific activism like this, which is like better than some of the, you know, NBA jerseys that say like education reform and stuff. And also the fact that like they're similarly in a bubble in Florida, but their bubble is at like a boarding school. And when they first got there, there were bugs in some of the rooms.

It very clearly like showed the lines in treatment. And I think they're getting some long deserved due here. I love the move of the T. I like the T-shirt. I mean, look, I also think, you know, probably adds insult to injury that Kelly Loeffler is probably also betting against her own team all the time. Because that's her vibe, you know? Yes. Another thing that she is trying to short. And just like that, we've checked our temps and Kelly Loeffler's temps. Stay safe and we will check in with you all again tomorrow. Let's wrap up with some headlines.

Headlines. thousand people in Japan were killed. In the years after the war, the U.S., the Soviet Union, and at least six other countries continued to develop their nuclear arsenals, setting off more than 2,000 test explosions in the process and resulting in thousands more deaths from radiation exposure and accidents. Earlier today, Hiroshima held its annual peace memorial ceremony to commemorate the attack and honor the survivors, many of whom have spent their lives working to abolish nuclear weapons and spreading a message of peace. North Korea is the only country that has tested nuclear bombs in the 21st century, but in May, the Trump administration did discuss conducting the first U.S. nuclear test since 1982. More updates on the deadly explosion in Beirut. The number of casualties rose to 135 yesterday, but it's likely to get higher as searches continue.

5,000 people were reported continue. 5,000 people were reported injured, 300,000 people were displaced from their homes, and Beirut's governor estimated up to $5 billion in damage. The Lebanese government continued to investigate the cause of the explosion, putting some port officials under house arrest for their role in storing deadly materials. Records show that customs officials repeatedly asked the courts what they should do with the 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that arrived at the airport six years ago, but never got any response. If you want to help, Impact Lebanon has set up a fund for first responders and victims of the disaster. Five states had their primaries on Tuesday, and here are the big takeaways from those.

Progressives had a great night in Missouri, where Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush was able to unseat the 10-term incumbent Representative William Lacey Clay, Jr. In her acceptance speech, Bush spoke about her experiences at protests this summer and said she would hold police officers in her district accountable for their actions. If she is elected in November and her odds are quite good, she'll be the first Black woman to represent the state of Missouri in Congress. On top of that, the state also passed an amendment to expand Medicaid eligibility. Then in Michigan, Representative Rashida Tlaib won her primary against the same challenger she faced in 2018. Lastly, in Kansas, former State Secretary Trump friend and reliable racist Chris Kobach lost his bid in the Senate primary. State Republicans saw his opponent, Representative Roger Marshall, as a safer choice

for the party to win the seat in November because Chris is a recent loser. And, and less recent loser, if you think about it. Constant loser. Facebook blew minds yesterday by inventing TikTok. Their new Reels feature on Instagram allows users to post 15-second videos with TikTok-style effects and music syncing. The launch comes as TikTok faces threats from Donald Trump and considers a sale to Microsoft. It's also not surprising coming from Facebook, the social media company that just wants to bring us together while also crushing its competitors until they are computer dust. Facebook CEO, fearsome sea ghost Mark Zuckerberg emerged from the watery deep to testify before Congress last week, where he denied that his company used anti-competitive tactics, but he admitted that Facebook has, quote,

clearly adapted features that others have led in. By the way, check out Ocean's Eleven where a smooth gang led by Brad Pitt goes to great lengths to adapt features from a casino. Anyway, the Reels feature just launched, so if you're good at dancing, now is your best chance to use it to become a millionaire or a 39-year-old millennial who hasn't faced reality.

I get it. That I get. You know. Yeah. Those are your choices and use them wisely. And those are the headlines. Quick announcement before we go to celebrate the life of Congressman John Lewis and mark the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act today. Votes of America is hosting a special virtual screening of the new documentary, John Lewis, Good Trouble. Tune in tonight at 4 p.m. Pacific or 7 p.m. Eastern and

join Jon Favreau, Crooked's political director, Shaniqua McClendon, and special guests for a panel discussion about the life and legacy of Congressman Lewis. $5 from each virtual ticket will go to our Every Last Vote fund to support PowerPack and on-the-ground efforts to mobilize Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities that are routinely victims of targeted voter disenfranchisement. Visit crooked.com slash goodtrouble to get your ticket. That's crooked.com slash goodtrouble.

That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, adapt features that we have let in, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, and not just the t-shirts of WNBA players who hate the owners of their teams, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jon Lovett.

I'm Gideon Resnick. And please hit like on our reels. It'll make me feel like a proud 39-year-old millennial millionaire. Sure will.