What A Day - Season's Briefings

Episode Date: July 21, 2020

Trump says he’s bringing back coronavirus briefings starting today. The largest teachers union in Florida is suing Governor Ron DeSantis for using an emergency order to compel public schools to fully reopen next month. Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at record high rates early on in the pandemic. Food stamps were set to be gutted by the Trump administration in March, but the pandemic led Congress to expand benefits temporarily. And in headlines: State Senator Nikema Williams will replace late Rep. John Lewis on the ballot in Georgia, more delays for Chris Nolan’s “Tenet,” and the latest moon hex updates from WitchTok.

It's Tuesday, July 21st. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick, and this is What The Day, where we're encouraging Mark Zuckerberg to keep it up with the sunscreen. I had no idea that's what was happening in that photo. I thought it was just him showing off them big old booty cheeks and doing like a mime routine, but I guess that was protection. Yeah, he's just a booty influencer now. On today's show, an update on schools, new data on vaccines, and millions of Americans are turning

to food stamps, then some headlines. But first, the latest. And we'll begin in D.C., where President Trump says he's bringing back daily coronavirus briefings starting today. Yay. Yes. So the stated reason that Trump gave for bringing these back is that, A, the ratings were very good. That was an important sell from him. And B, there's more to talk about now on the advancement of various vaccines and therapeutics, a topic that we're going to get into later in the show. But as we all remember, the briefings ended in April, and their return is being read as an acknowledgement that Trump's current strategy of ignoring the pandemic and leaving it to the states just isn't working. Surprise, surprise. Plus, it's deeply, deeply damaging to him politically, according to all the polling data that is available. And to that end, too, Trump posted a tweet with him wearing a mask and calling it, quote, patriotic.

So there definitely appears to be some shoddy attempts at men in black memory erasing going on. And back in March and April, these briefings usually featured experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci of the NIH talking, other folks from that task force. And then Trump would often derail them, spew some incorrect information, and treat it like a glorified replacement for political rallies, culminating in that infamous line about ingesting disinfectants. Yeah, I guess that research didn't pan out just like the hydroxychloroquine thing. We're waiting for more findings for sure. But at the time, there was this conversation among

news networks about whether they should grant airtime to the president to deliver these briefings. We can see that happening again now, depending on what form they take. And then another kind of interesting thing here is that Trump stopped giving these because they seem to hurt him with all the crazy things he'd say. So we'll have to see if bringing them back is any sort of fix there. All right. Well, on a more important note out of D.C., we've got negotiations over the next relief bill, which is likely to be the last one before the November election. Republicans are still working out what they want in the bill, but let's check in on where they're at. Right. So this is supposed to be this $1 trillion bill that is the response to that Democratic bill that passed months ago that Republicans rejected outright.

We'll know more as the week progresses, but per reporting from The Washington Post and some other folks yesterday, here are a couple of things Republicans are talking about. It's seeming like a payroll tax cut may make it in at Trump's urging, though there are some Senate Republicans that don't really want that. That's the tax that's paid by employers and employees to Social Security and Medicare funds. Also, reportedly, there's going to be a reduction of that $600 weekly unemployment benefit that was passed in the last package, which is due to run out by the end of the month and has been keeping many, many Americans afloat. The last checks for those are actually going to go out this very weekend. And also there's money for small businesses, hospitals and schools and some other things as well.

But on the topic of school funding, which is a big conversation that's happening, the Washington Post reports that for now, at least this could change. There's some talk of tying that money to schools actually reopening, which is something that Trump has talked about frequently. It's unclear what exactly that means or how it would work in practice, i.e. would schools that don't reopen in person get less money in these circumstances? But I'm sure that overall, that is the exact message that teachers trying to figure out their plans this fall want to hear. Yeah, it's definitely great to put that on teachers and we're already not paying them enough and they already have to deal with this bullshit. But speaking of those teachers, there's a pretty significant lawsuit in Florida over schools right now. So the largest

teachers union in the state is suing Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. Let's go through those details. Yeah, so they are suing for using for him using an emergency order to compel public schools to fully reopen next month, even as the state is dealing with a massive number of COVID-19 cases. And it's pretty significant because it seems to be the first suit of this kind. Basically, what this union is arguing is that DeSantis and his administration are in violation of Florida law saying that schools need to be safe and secure. The union wants a court in Miami to block the governor's order and just let schools

and health departments take the reins here for their own communities when they're making these decisions. And as we had mentioned before, the current thought is that districts should open for in-person classes only if they are around 5% or lower in positive test rates. Miami-Dade County, it should be noted, has been averaging about 13 to 14% recently. So that is almost triple the maximum safety level. But anyways, the reopening of schools is obviously a major safety concern, but also an economic one. So on that particular note, Akilah, take us through this new report we got on Americans using food stamps. All right, word. So according to state data compiled by the New York Times, in the first three months of the pandemic, more than six million Americans enrolled to receive SNAP benefits.

This is three times faster than any recorded three months in history. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides food assistance to people from all backgrounds whose income or lack thereof can't sustain them. It's a lifesaver. And like masks, it's just something that the Trump administration is really slowly trying to understand. Right. And those benefits were set to be gutted by the administration in March. But with the pandemic, Congress expanded SNAP benefits temporarily to that maximum amount. So for a three person household, that would be about 500 per month. Yeah, the New York Times article does a really great job of humanizing these people who are receiving food assistance. You know, often the discourse around any kind of welfare program is had by people who

just never experienced hardship. So I would recommend checking it out. But what's also really interesting in that, too, is that Republicans are against social safety nets unless it's for the rich, right? Like we all know about the billions of dollars rich people gain in the stimulus that was meant for regular Americans. And it actually happens to be Republican led states like Florida and Georgia that have the highest upticks in SNAP enrollment. Still, you know, even with all of this great news about SNAP benefits being expanded, food insecurity is a massive issue. And the agencies that dole out those funds have had a really hard time responding quickly to the demand. Right. And we've gone through D.C. schools, economics, all related to COVID-19. But there's one last update on vaccines. Yesterday, we got reports from two separate groups that are involved

in this. What did we learn there? All right. So overall, the results from these two reports were encouraging. The first was from scientists at Oxford and AstraZeneca. Their vaccine candidate is one of the furthest along and is being backed by big money from the U.S. and European governments. In a study of 1,000 healthy people, the vaccine was found to be safe and provoked an immune response that lasted for nearly two months. But scientists say it's still unclear if that's enough to prevent infection in the real world or across different demographic groups. Phase 3 trials of tens of thousands of people are already underway to figure that part out. The second report was from a Chinese company called CanSino. Their vaccine showed modest positive results. The World Health Organization has a running tally of vaccines, and there are currently 23 being tested in humans.

Later today, executives from five drug companies working on vaccines are set to testify to a House subcommittee. We've heard some really bold promises from manufacturers about millions of doses being ready, you know, by early next year. So lawmakers are likely going to press them on that timeline, but also on pricing, which is the most important thing. And that's the latest for now. It's Tuesday, WOD Squad, and for today's Temp Check, we're talking about a little-known at-risk population. You may have heard of them. They're the Beefeaters. It's the iconic British guards with red jackets and black hats who guard the Tower of London. Apparently, visitors to the tower have fallen off amid the pandemic,

and now the jobs of beef eaters are at risk. Some beef eaters already left their positions, and more layoffs are to come. So Giddy, would you visit a beef eater-free Tower of London? I can't say that I would, because I think that these eaters of beef are guiding against the various scary ghosts and spirits that are haunting that place it just seems like a place in general that has some uh creepy history attached to it and if they're not there you know holding weird medieval looking weapons and dressed in kind of Alice in Wonderlandy outfits I personally would not feel safe to set foot yeah absolutely they definitely have like a Tweedledee, Tweedledum vibe. Like it's something about it is just unsettling.

And so I don't think it was ever the draw for me to go there in the first place. So I don't think that, you know, even if I went now, I don't think that it would even occur to me that I was missing something. Right, right. Yeah, for me, it's like their unsettling energy is what offsets

the unsettling energy of the rest of the entire place. So it's like two negative sides of a battery bouncing against each other. But you're not going there when everybody takes our grand trips back to London. But what is your top London tourist destination when you're back? Oh, man. I mean, this is, should come as no surprise, but I would say Dishoom, which is an Indian restaurant. There are two locations in London. It is easily the best Indian food I've ever had. But like, I am always skeptical of when people tell me that something is the best of something. And all of my Indian friends are like, it is the best Indian food you can get outside of India. And it's a long ass wait with lots of people in a crowded bar which means it is not happening until this shit is over but

when it is over i'm going to run into the arms of a chicken curry and it's gonna be delicious that sounds incredible yeah i like have always heard the same thing about london i feel like there's like two things that people say it's's like rain and then also like amazing Indian food. Yeah, that was literally my entire experience when I was there. Those two things. Honestly, like one is amazing and it offsets the other that's not so amazing. So I'll take it. But yeah, that place sounds awesome. There you go. Well, just like that, we have checked our temps. They are warm like a bowl of chicken curry that I want to eat. Stay safe and we will check in with you all again tomorrow.

Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. and wounding her husband. The FBI identified the suspected gunman as attorney Roy Den Hollander, who was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Hollander was a self-described anti-feminist lawyer who sued over things like ladies' drink night specials and college women's studies programs. Yuck. He had one case under Judge Salas where he was contesting the government now allowing women to register for the military draft. Judge Salas has handled several high-profile suits in her career, and most recently she was assigned to preside over a class-action lawsuit against Deutsche Bank from investors alleging that the company failed to monitor high-risk customers like Jeffrey Epstein. Authorities have not yet confirmed any motives in the shooting thus far.

Democrats in Georgia have decided who will replace late U.S. Representative John Lewis on the ballot in November. State Senator Nakima Williams won a vote by her party's executive committee, securing her spot as a Democratic nominee to represent Georgia's 5th District. Representative Lewis had presided over that district since 1987. Williams is a veteran activist and the first black woman to chair the Georgia Democratic Party. And in a speech yesterday, Williams called Lewis a, quote, personal hero, friend and mentor. She mentioned a time two years ago when she was arrested during a voting rights demonstration, signaling that she was down to make what Rep Lewis called good trouble. In November, she'll face off against Republican Real Housewives of Atlanta star Angela Stanton King, who Trump pardoned for her role in a vehicle stealing ring.

That's what I call dumb trouble. Yeah, never been a clearer choice. A wise man once said that nothing in this world is certain except death, taxes and release delays for Chris Nolan's new mind bending thriller tenant. So the movie was originally intended to come out on July 17th during summer blockbuster season. Now that the word summer blockbuster season have lost all meaning its release has been pushed again, this time indefinitely. tenants long and honestly mind bending journey to theaters has been followed closely because it tells us how and when the industry might resume operations. One surprise from this latest delay is that Tenet's studio Warner Brothers is willing to forego a same-day worldwide release for the movie, meaning that countries that have coronavirus under control would get it earlier

than we would here in the U.S. If that happens, I'm going to count on WOD Squad International to help keep my feed spoiler free. Tenet's delay doesn't bode well for Disney's Mulan, which is currently slated to come out on August 21st. Yeah, you know, when will my reflection show when these movies will come out? We want to know. Well, there's a lot going on in the world right now, way too much for us to cover, but we'd be neglecting our journalistic duty if we didn't tell you what's happening on Witch Talk. So Witch Talk is a community of witches on TikTok. And they've been melting down over the past few days amid rumors that a so-called baby witch, i.e. a person new to being a witch, put a hex on the moon.

Witches need the moon to give them energy and power for spells not to mention some witches said the hex on the moon caused the gods that rule the moon to fight which is obviously bad cosmo interviewed one witch who claimed to be behind the hex he said he recited a spell until the moon got dimmer and by the next day others knew something was wrong now before you and your loved ones go hide underground to get as far away from the moon as possible you should know that cosmo also interviewed a bunch of more experienced witches who all agreed that this hysteria is overblown and that the moon cannot be hexed. DC's liaison to the witch community, Dr. Marianne Williamson,

stirred this news in her cauldron and came out with a bubbling hot take. Quote, that's got to be some really drunk or stoned hashtag baby witches if they think that in the midst of a hashtag secret police invasion of Portland, the best they can do is hex the moon, all caps. I gotta say, like and retweet, I think. And those are the headlines. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe,

leave a review, please unhex the moon and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just Alice in Wonderland like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at cricket.com slash subscribe. I'm Akilah Hughes. I'm Gideon Resnick. And please use your witch powers for social justice.

Like what's the point of having them if you're just going to fuck it up? Do some good You could bring the moon down on the federal officials in Portland That way you're like kind of combining the two things There you go Crush them with the moon What a Day is a Crooked Media production It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis.

Sonia Tun is our assistant producer. Our head writer is John Milstein, and our senior producer is Katie Long. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kshaka.