What A Day

The US has imposed a ban on flights from Brazil because of a dangerous surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. This comes after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro repeatedly dismissed the severity of the pandemic and mocked social distancing efforts... even as the country became a global hotspot for coronavirus. A federal judge in Florida has ruled against a state law that required people convicted of felonies to pay off all their court fines and fees before they were eligible to vote. That law was pushed last year by Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis. Judges said it is akin to a poll tax and therefore unconstitutional. And in headlines: the FBI is investigating two district attorneys involved in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, Tyler Perry’s ‘Camp Quarantine,’ and an old and oft-slandered gator passes away in Moscow. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

China’s leaders are poised to impose a controversial new national security law in Hong Kong. The law would reportedly ban secession, subversion of state power, foreign interference, and terrorism. All that will essentially put Hong Kong more under China’s control and political system.Facebook has followed Twitter’s lead and will move to allow employees to work more from home, even after the pandemic. Two Ford factories had grand re-openings and grand re-closings this week. Both factories saw employees test positive for COVID-19 after returning to work and had to shut down.And we’re joined by comedian, writer, and actor Janelle James for headlines: New Zealand’s PM endorses a 4-day work week, Kendall Jenner pays for Fyre Fest post, and Aunt Becky pleads guilty. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The CDC has quietly posted a report with detailed suggestions about how to reopen. We dig into it and how the states might or might not use it.More than 900 children have been deported since March under a new pandemic border policy. Before, children had the opportunity to speak with a social worker or make a plea for asylum. Now, they can deported within hours of arrival in the US. And in headlines: an Ohio county declares racism a public health issue, a QAnon believer scores a Senate nomination in Oregon, and two men are arrested for helping Nissan's ex-CEO escape Japan in a box. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Contact tracing apps have been adopted in countries around the world to track the spread of COVID-19, but they’re not being used as much in the US. American tech companies are working to get these apps up-and-running… despite some privacy concerns. Cybersecurity reporter Patrick Howell O'Neill joins the show to update us on how these apps are working worldwide.Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Fed Chair Jerome Powell took questions from the Senate yesterday on how we’ll get out of the current economic crisis. They offered up starkly different opinions on how the US can avoid permanent economic damage. And in headlines: major corporations cut ‘hazard pay’ for essential workers, Qatar Airlines takes a pumped-up approach to PPE, and the data scientist who made Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard gets axed for refusing to fudge data. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will testify this morning about the economic crisis and response. We preview the hearing.A biotech company called Moderna reported preliminary results from a phase one trial of their coronavirus vaccine. So far, the results are positive—but the vaccine still has a lot more testing to go. Plus, California starts its program to give out economic relief to people who are undocumented.And in headlines: embattled politicians scuffle inside Hong Kong’s legislature, Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” hates breath, and South Korean pro soccer team gets cheered on by sex dolls. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Democrats in Congress are launching an inquiry into Trump’s firing of an inspector general at the State Department. It comes after three other inspector generals were also removed from their positions earlier this year.GrubHub is doing great business during the pandemic as more people rely on delivery. But a recent Buzzfeed report shows that the company is also making money from transactions they’re not involved in—and it’s making it harder for restaurants to stay afloat.And in headlines: Justin Amash won’t run for prez, NYC experiences pandemic fatigue, and Puerto Rico’s governor will hold a vote on whether the territory should try for statehood. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today the House is set to vote on a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package that Senate Republicans say is dead on arrival. They’ll also vote on rules to allow for remote voting—which means we could be seeing a lot more technology barriers and funny Zoom mishaps in the near future.Late Wednesday night, FBI agents showed up to the house of Senator Richard Burr, served him a search warrant and took his cell phone. That’s in relation his sketchy sale of a ton of stock right before the market collapsed as a result of the pandemic. And writer and comedian Bridger Winegar joins us for headlines: McDonald’s sends US franchises a 59-page guide to reopening their dining rooms, South America’s soccer league issues temporary ban on kissing, and Ikea France snoops on customers and staff. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Former vaccine chief Dr. Rick Bright will testify before a house subcommittee today—he’s the guy who says he was removed from his job because he didn’t want to push for widespread use of unproven anti-malaria drugs as a treatment for coronavirus. Bright’s pre-released statement said we’ll be in trouble if we keep following Trump off a cliff. In their latest show of unity, Former VP Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders announced the members of their joint policy task forces. Names include: Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep Pramila Jayapal, and Former Secretary of State John Kerry. And in headlines: local governments in Brazil are issuing mandatory lockdowns since their president won’t, Flynn’s “unmasking” was normal, and glittery worms of the deep blue sea. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Top U.S. health officials took questions from the Senate Health Committee yesterday on coronavirus. The partially teleconferenced testimonies featured weird background filters, quarantine beards, and one notable poster for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The main takeaway was that the U.S. is far from "out of the woods" in the fight against COVID-19. House Democrats put out a draft of their new economic relief bill. It’s a 3 trillion dollar package that includes money for states, another round of $1,200 checks for some households, hazard pay for essential workers, and more. Republicans rejected it without even seeing it.And in headlines: investigating the killing of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Twitter to let staff work from home forever, and one Australian soap opera resumes production sans kissing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The governor of South Dakota threatened to sue two Sioux tribes over road checkpoints they have set up to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to their reservations. Members of the tribe say that establishing checkpoints is a matter-of-life and death. South Dakota’s governor, who never issued a stay-at-home order for her state, says the checkpoints are illegal and causing traffic. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in three cases regarding Trump’s financial records today. These cases will help determine the limits of Trump’s power to ignore subpoenas from Congress and state prosecutors.And in headlines: Georgia’s AG appoints a new prosecutor to oversee the case of Ahmaud Arbery, Poland holds a “ghost election,” and Shanghai Disneyland re-opens. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.