July 30, 2020 News Summary
US Politics and Economics
The U.S. economy suffered its worst plunge in this second quarter with the GDP falling a historic 32.9 percent amid the COVID-19 induced shutdown. According to CNBC, “economists surveyed by the Dow Jones [Industrial Average] were looking for a decline of 34.7 percent” and “neither the Great Depression nor the Great Recession nor any other slump over the past two centuries has ever caused such a sharp drain on the economy.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden, a present candidate in the 2020 Presidential Election, announced on Tuesday that he will pick his running mate by the first week of August. Biden has continuously insisted that his vice president will be a woman of color, deriving from a large support base and the given nationwide demonstrations against racial injustice.
Of course, his VP should be able to work with him well, and pick up young adult support, an area in which Biden is currently lacking support from. His team narrowed the pool down to a list of senators, advisers, and governors, such as Sen. Kamala Harris, California Rep. Karen Bass, former Nat. Security advisor Susan Rice, and former competitor and current Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Though his options are plentiful and undecided, the public need only wait till the beginning of August to know.
Texas Politics
A few days ago, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) changed the way fatalities are being reported due to COVID-19. Previously, COVID-19 fatalities required health departments to receive a notification and then verify the death, which, according to DSHS, “...does not provide timely demographic information on most fatalities.” Thus, in response to these delayed results, fatalities are now identified through the given death certificate, which is required to be filed within ten days after a person’s death. The DSHS claims that this new procedure can be, “counted faster with more comprehensive demographic data” and in a presumed more efficient practice.
Health
As of Jul 30, 2020, 12:31 PM, there have been 4,405,932 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. On a statewide scope, domestically, California and Florida have hit the new daily record for coronavirus deaths at 197 deaths in California and 216 in Florida.
Recent studies have shown that COVID-19 may leave an impact on the heart, even after recovering. Moreover, the pandemic holds the capacity of inciting more permanent damage that even young adults, the least susceptible age group as of now, are not exempt from.
As an effort to combat the growing number of cases, an experimental COVID-19 vaccine, DRNA - 1273, has been formulated. When tested on nonhuman primates, this vaccine successfully controlled the virus in the upper and lower airways (the windpipe and the lungs) quickly.
Science and Technology
SpaceX has already launched 60 more satellites for its broadband internet constellation and its fourth batch of internet-beaming satellites Wednesday. The company plans to make an unprecedented push to build a broadband internet business by deploying hundreds of satellites in one year. Such peculiar small satellites were fired into orbit atop of SpaceX Falcon 9-- Space X’s reusable launch vehicle-- from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida: liftoff occurred shortly after 9 a.m. Eastern Time. Space X plans for these satellites to emulate the wireless fidelity (WiFi) that we currently have.
World Politics and Economics
Per CNBC’s report, European stock markets lowered today because of a record drop in U.S. gross domestic product and major corporate earnings. The Pan_European Stoxx 600 fell over 2% and the second quarter of the U.S. GPD plunged 32.9 percent from April to June. Presently, U.S. weekly jobless claims rose for a second week straight, totaling to 1.434 million. On Wall Street, stocks fell staggeringly low, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average off by more than 300 points with the S&P 500, and Nasdaq dropping as well.
Southeast US Weather
Tropical System 9L has developed into Tropical Storm Isaias, which is expected to peak at 60 mph, miss Florida, and then continue toward the East Coast. Hence, Isaias has become more organized and is developing a clear center. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) claims that there is a chance for this system to intensify into a hurricane. Some sources, however, believe that Isaias will only peak as an intense tropical storm, while others guess that Isaias will at least pick winds of 70 mph before weakening, after it barely misses Florida.
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Writers:
US Politics and Economics: Dylan, Miranda, Katherine, and Aiden
Texas Politics: Stephanie and Vicki
Health: Matthew, Megan, and Allison
Science and Technology: Bryan, Andrew, and Yiqi
World Politics and Economics: Joseph, William, and Jake
Southeast US Weather: Jade and Aiden
Editors: VIA and Isabel
(All writers and editors are in middle to high school)