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Amazon sets Black Friday, Cyber Monday records; COVID case anniversary

December 1, 2022

Today marks a grim COVID-19 milestone; Tesla unveils its electric semitruck; and Amazon hits record high. These stories and more highlight the midday rundown for Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.

First COVID-19 case in China 3 years ago

Today is the three year anniversary of the first COVID-19 patient in China. It’s been three years since the first infection in China and there are still many questions surrounding the virus, including its origins.

“what we would really like to know is the details with the original people who were infected. We keep a completely open mind as to what the origin is,” said Director of NIAID Dr. Anthony Fauci.

COVID-19 wasted no time spreading around the globe, altering the way of life and killing more than 6 million worldwide. Deaths in the U.S. topped one million this year.

EU’s plan to cap Russian oil stalls

The European Union decided months ago it would ban the purchase of Russia’s crude oil in an effort to hurt Russia’s economy amid its conflict with Ukraine. They set a deadline for Dec. 5, but an agreement on how to execute the squeeze on Russia has yet to be settled among the 27 countries.

The world is too reliant on Russia’s crude oil for a complete ban. The countries concluded that would only send prices soaring and disrupt their own markets. So instead, they’re considering a price cap on how much Russian oil they’ll purchase.

The EU is still at odds over how high to set the cap. Many nations agreed to $60 per barrel. Without a full consensus, Russia will continue to rake in profits while the world considers how to implement repercussions.

Florida pulls $2 billion from BlackRock

Republican states are making their biggest move yet against a giant investment bank that’s accused of taking a political stance on where it invests money.

Florida is pulling $2 billion worth of assets managed by BlackRock. It’s the biggest divestment by a state opposed to BlackRock’s “environmental, social and corporate governance” policies.

BlackRock is accused of focusing on ESG investments and turning away from the fossil fuel industry. Louisiana and West Virginia have also transferred state funds out of BlackRock investments.

Tesla unveils all electric semi truck

Tesla is set to unveil its new all-electric 18-wheeler Thursday. Tesla semitrucks are finally hitting the road, three years later than originally planned.

Pepsi is set to receive the first electric semitruck during a delivery event after its reveal.

The truck’s battery power can reportedly last about 500 miles carrying an 80,000 pound load.

Record high of holiday sales on Amazon

For many Americans, packages are now arriving daily from online shopping orders placed over the weekend. From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, shoppers shelled out a record number of spending.

Amazon is now saying it was their biggest ever holiday shopping weekend on record. Inflation on prices was not a deterrent this year, with an estimated 200 million Americans participating in the holiday shopping rush.

Rosa Parks arrested on this day in history

It was on this day, 67 years ago, when a Black seamstress took a seat on the bus and was told to go to the back based on her skin color. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger, and was arrested by police for her protest.

“As I look back on those days it’s just like a dream and only thing that bothered me was we waited so long to make this protest and let it be known wherever we go that all of us should be free and equal and have opportunities,” said Rosa Parks in a past interview.

Rosa Parks was later named the first lady of civil rights. Her protest created a law that prevented segregation on city buses.
China to ease ‘zero-COVID’ policy after protests

December 1, 2022

China’s “zero-COVID” policy is one of the most stringent in the world. Things could soon change, however, for China’s 1.4 billion residents.

For the last week, unprecedented protests have occurred in at least 23 cities across China, including Shanghai and Beijing.

The protests started after a fire on Nov. 24 killed 10 people and injured 9 others. It’s believed that because of COVID-19 lockdown procedures, rescue crews couldn’t get inside the building to put out the flames.

Protesters want to end the “zero-COVID” policy, and some are even calling for Chinese President Xi Jinping to step down.

In an apparent response to the protests, some leaders in China are signaling their willingness to ease COVID-19 restrictions. Proposed measures include a reduction in mass testing and allowing people who test positive for COVID-19, or were in close contact with a person who tested positive, to quarantine at home instead of in a government-run isolation facility.

It’s a dramatic shift from previous policies which saw entire communities locked down for weeks after just one positive case. The exact timeline for the ease in restrictions is unclear, but Reuters reported the measures would be unveiled soon.

On Thursday, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees China’s COVID-19 efforts, said the virus was “weakening in its ability to cause disease, allowing China to improve prevention efforts.”

This week, authorities in at least seven Chinese districts said they were also lifting some lockdown measures. One district said schools, restaurants and movie theaters could also reopen.

China’s strict methods for containing COVID-19 impacted both China’s and the international economy, causing supply chain disruptions in a number of sectors. With the apparent easing in COVID-19 restrictions though, there is growing optimism China may reopen its borders at some point early next year.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Communist Party in China flooding Twitter with porn to hide protests info

November 29, 2022

The ruling Communist Party in China will do just about anything to snuff out speech or news it doesn’t like. Lately, that includes spamming Twitter with porn to hide information about the ongoing protests in that country.

According to a China-focused data analyst, there has been a dramatic increase of spam accounts tweeting relentlessly since last week. The suspected bot accounts appear to be linked to the Chinese government and have one goal: crowd out and hide information about the ongoing protests in China.

Thread: Search for Beijing/Shanghai/other cities in Chinese on Twitter and you'll mostly see ads for escorts/porn/gambling, drowning out legitimate search results.
Data analysis in this thread suggests that there has been a *significant* uptick in these spam tweets. pic.twitter.com/Ao46g2ILzf

— Air-Moving Device (@AirMovingDevice) November 28, 2022

According to the analyst, @AirMovingDevice, if someone searches for a protest hot spot in Chinese, they’ll see a stream of porn, escort services, gambling content and seemingly random word and sentence fragments.

The uptick in apparent bot activity has coincided with wide scale protests in China, and comes on the heels of a deadly apartment fire in Xinjiang where 10 people died. Fire crews couldn’t put out the fire quickly because China’s harsh COVID-19 restrictions prevented access to the building.

Twitter is officially blocked in China, but some people still have access to the site through the use of virtual private networks. However, VPNs are disappearing from app stores in China as well.

New Twitter CEO Elon Musk almost walked away from buying the social media company over concerns about bot activity on the site. However, about a week after taking over, Musk fired half of Twitter’s staff. The layoffs included the team responsible for taking down propaganda from bad actors.
Black Friday gun sales third busiest on record

November 29, 2022

Some of the most popular items sold during this year’s Black Friday include things like electric toothbrushes, wireless headphones, and Legos. But Americans also bought a lot of guns. This year’s Black Friday gun sales numbers made it one of the busiest gun sales days in history.

The National Shooting Sport Foundation said the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Checks System ran more than more than 711,000 background checks last week, including more than 192,000 on Friday alone. That’s enough to make Nov. 25, or Black Friday, the third busiest day on record for NICS.

The NICS data are raw, so it’s unclear what types of firearms were purchased. Also, just because a background check is run doesn’t mean a gun was sold. However, NICS is still the best way to track the number of gun sales in America.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, American gun ownership increased dramatically. NSSF said more than 5 million Americans became first-time gun owners in 2021.

According to a Pew research study, 40% of adults in the U.S. now live in a home with a gun present, and 30% of adults personally own one. While most people buying guns are white men, plenty of women and people of color are buying guns, as well. One-third of first time gun buyers last year were women.

The increase in gun ownership comes during a time of rising crime rates across the country and a renewed push by Democrats for a ban on so-called “assault weapons.” On Thanksgiving, President Biden said the idea of selling semi-automatic weapons is “sick.”
Congress working to fund government, avoid Dec. 16 shutdown

November 28, 2022

Congress is coming back to Washington after Thanksgiving break and it has until Dec. 16 to approve a funding bill or the government will shut down. The preference is to pass what’s called an omnibus package that covers every governmental department for all of next year.

But it’s possible Congress may have to pass a short term extension, maybe until Dec. 23, to get all the details worked out. Negotiations are still taking place as lawmakers try to agree on the White House’s request for $37 billion in Ukraine aid and Democrats’ COVID-19 funding request–all while Republicans dislike liking omnibus bills in the first place.

Any bill will need to be bipartisan to get across the finish line. The bill has to overcome a filibuster, meaning 10 Senate Republicans must approve, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will likely need Republican support to pass it in the House.

Even Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is pushing lawmakers to get this done. In a letter to Congressional leaders, Austin said operating on temporary funding would harm national security and competitiveness.

“We must break this pattern of extensive inaction. We can’t outcompete China with our hands tied behind our backs three, four, five or six months of every fiscal year,” Secretary Austin wrote.
Iran wants U.S. kicked out of World Cup; NFL star kicked off plane

November 28, 2022

A social media feud has Iran wanting the U.S. removed from the World Cup; the Buffalo supermarket shooting suspect is in court; and an NFL star was kicked off a plane. These stories and more highlight the morning rundown for Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.

Early voting begins in Georgia runoff election

Early voting is officially underway in the Senate run-off election in Georgia. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock faces Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

The race will determine whether the Democrats can extend their majority after they already won control of the Senate in the midterms.

Certification of Arizona elections

In Arizona, six counties are deciding today whether to certify the election results from November. Arizona has been a state filled with skepticism, lawsuits, and uncertainty.

Although counties have no power under state law to reject the results, some county officials are waiting until the last minute to certify.

Buffalo supermarket shooting suspect in court

The man charged in the mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, will be in court this morning. He is expected to plead guilty to shooting and killing 10 people inside a supermarket back in May. He faces murder and hate crime charges.

The shooter is accused of targeting and killing 10 black people in his rampage. He is facing life in prison or the death penalty.

Protests ignite again over China policy

Over the weekend in China more protests erupted over the country’s strict COVID lockdowns. For months, rare images from fed-up residents have been leaked.

Last week, firefighters reportedly couldn’t get into a residential building fire because of lockdowns, and 10 people died.

The protests are taking on a broader issue of government control, not only with their “zero COVID policy” but China’s censorship. The government has tried to keep the protests under wraps.

Now Apple is limiting its AirDrop feature in China, which could help China’s efforts to squash protests. AirDrop is used to share files, pictures, videos, and information that protesters have been using to spread their message. But in the latest iPhone update, Apple has restricted that feature in China.

U.S. soccer scrubs Iran flag emblem

The World Cup has been a scene of excitement, major upsets, and controversy. The latest drama is unfolding ahead of tomorrow’s match up between the U.S and Iran. The U.S. men’s soccer team posted a picture of Iran’s flag on social media. But the image had scrubbed out the Islamic-Republic emblem in the center of the flag.

The U.S. Soccer Federation said the move was in support of high-profile protests happening in Iran. Iran soccer officials called for disciplinary actions, calling for the U.S. to be kicked out of the World Cup.

The post was deleted on social media.

NFL’s Odell Beckham Jr. kicked off flight

NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. was kicked off a flight from Miami Sunday. The free agent wide receiver was reportedly told to put his seat belt on but was coming in and out of consciousness, according to a police statement.

Out of a safety concern, the airline removed him.

Odell Beckham Jr. tweeted “comedy hour” in reference to the incident.
Black Friday amid inflation; frustration over China COVID lockdowns

November 25, 2022

Americans take part in Black Friday amid record inflation; Musk grants Twitter amnesty; and Covid lockdown frustrations are growing in China. These stories and more highlight the morning rundown for Friday, Nov. 25, 2022.

Black Friday begins amid record inflation

It’s the biggest shopping weekend of the year and Americans are ready for deals after dealing with four-decade-high inflation all year. A record 166 million people are expected to shop now through Cyber Monday, up about 8 million from last year, according to the National Retail Foundation.

The group expects sales growth will slow to 6%-8% this weekend, down from last year’s 13.5% growth. And that’s not adjusted for inflation, so real spending could actually be down this year.

With high prices on the mind, shoppers are willing to wait for steep discounts, forcing retailers to extend Black Friday-like deals far beyond the holiday shopping weekend.

Elon Musk grants amnesty to suspended accounts

Elon Musk is giving blanket amnesty to suspended Twitter accounts that may have posted hate speech and other company violations. The new chief said he’d reinstate suspended users next week as long as they haven’t “broken the law or engaged in egregious spam.”

Musk continued the trend of making his leadership decisions via Twitter polls: 72% voted in favor of general amnesty.

This decision comes about a week after Musk reinstated former President Donald Trump’s account after another poll showed 52% of respondents in favor of the move. Trump has so far declined to tweet on the platform.

In other Twitter news, Musk tweeted today that the verified system will relaunch next Friday with different color checks for companies, government and people, which will all be manually verified.

The blue check system was put on pause after an explosion of imposter accounts.

Witness: Walmart shooter was going hunting

Employees who were in the break room of the Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart are talking about what they saw when their supervisor opened fire on them, killing six coworkers.

One employee told the Associated Press it looked like he was going hunting and seemed to target people, even going back and shooting victims who were already dead. But others say he shot wildly.

“As soon as my team lead said, ‘All right, guys, you know, we have a light night ahead of us,’ I looked up and my manager turned around and he just opened fire on everybody in the break room. And it is by the grace of God that a bullet missed me,” witness Briana Tyler said.

The city of Chesapeake says at least two employees are still hospitalized, including one in critical condition.

The FBI went through the shooter’s home Wednesday searching for any clues in this Chesapeake tragedy.

Frustration over China COVID lockdowns grows

China is facing record COVID infections with outbreaks in every region of the country. Lockdowns continue to batter the economy as worker frustration grows.

Employees clashed with authorities at a major iPhone factory in the Henan province this week, rebelling over lockdown conditions and pay. Now, the company Foxconn is offering severance payments of $1,400 to get disgruntled workers to leave.

Conditions in China are rippling through the global oil market as experts see demand weakening. A measure of Asian crude consumption tumbled to a seven-month low.

U.S. takes on England at World Cup

The U.S. is facing a tough matchup against England today in the World Cup. After settling for a draw against Wales, the American team is fighting to get to the knockout stage in its group, going up against a team that’s not only a favorite, but cruising from its decisive 6-2 victory against Iran earlier this week. The kickoff is at 1 p.m. CST.

Meanwhile, one of the best players in the world went down with a severely sprained ankle Thursday. Brazil’s Neymar limped off as his team held on to win against Serbia.

Brazil is the overall favorite for the Cup, but it’s not clear whether Neymar will be able to play in its next match Monday against Switzerland.
Violent protests in China rock world’s largest iPhone factory

November 23, 2022

Workers clashed with police at the world’s biggest iPhone production plant amid protests over compensation and COVID-19 restrictions on Wednesday. Videos on social media authenticated by the Associated Press showed authorities beating employees at the Foxconn facility in Zhengzhou, China.

One of the videos circulating online show dozens of riot police officers storming the factory before confronting the employees who had torn down at least one fence.

Employees have been forced to live at the facility with no outside contact due to China’s “zero-COVD” strategy. The Chinese Communist Party is attempting to stop the spread of the virus in the nation without shutting down factories as it did in 2020, which deeply affected its economic growth.

Thousands of Foxconn employees walked off the job last month due to complaints over the lockdowns and the assertion that those who became ill were not receiving treatment.

The company offered higher pay and bonuses to attract more workers to the factory, but an employee, Li Sanshan, told the Associated Press that employees who traveled long distances to Zhengzhou arrived to find the company had changed the terms of their pay.

Foxconn said in a statement it is fulfilling its contractual obligations to the employees.

“Regarding any violence, the company will continue to communicate with employees and the government to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” Foxconn said.

The company also took issue with claims that employees who tested positive for COVID-19 are living in the provided dormitories with non-positive workers, saying it is “patently untrue.”

The protests deliver another major disruption for Apple products ahead of the holiday shopping season. Apple previously issued a statement in early November warning lockdowns in Zhengzhou would affect its ability to fulfill timely iPhone 14 orders.

“COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China,” the company wrote on Nov. 6. “The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity.”

Apple added that it expects “lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated and customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Republicans win House majority

November 17, 2022

Republicans win: Republicans will take a majority in the House of Representatives. Although it’s still unclear exactly what the final balance of power will be, current return data indicates they will win at least the 218 seats necessary to control the chamber. Control of the House is crucial for 3 main reasons:

1. Legislation

The House majority will determine the future of President Joe Biden’s agenda. Democrats had a razor thin 220-212 advantage for the first half of Biden’s first term in office and struggled at times to get key bills over the finish line, including the Inflation Reduction Act. Any further loss means the president will have to curb or abandon some of his more ambitious plans, especially when it comes to climate change and social spending.

2. Investigations

Democrats want to continue to look into former President Donald Trump’s time in office and his business dealings. Republicans meanwhile say they want to investigate the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the origins of the coronavirus, and the Biden family’s business deals.

But only one party can have its way. A majority in the chamber also means that party gets a majority in the committees. That brings the power to call hearings, direct where committee resources are used, and perhaps most importantly, the power to subpoena.

3. The Speaker

The speaker of the House is second in line to the presidency, behind only the vice president. But on Capitol Hill, they are in charge. The speaker can determine who sits on which committees and which bills are brought up for a vote on the House floor. A member needs a majority vote from the whole House to become speaker. Although the vote typically follows party lines, it is not solely a majority party decision.

It’s unclear who would rise to the top for Democrats. Current Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has been the leader of the House Democratic Caucus since 2002. Reports indicate Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the current Democratic Caucus chair, is in the lead to become the next Democratic leader on Capitol Hill.

Republicans appear poised to select the current Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Calif. He has made it clear he wants the job after losing a previous bid to become speaker in 2015.
Rise in COVID-19 cases sparks unrest as China eases curbs

November 16, 2022

Crowds of people in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou crashed through barriers and marched down streets in a show of public resentment over China’s COVID-19 curbs. Videos widely shared on Twitter showed people in Guangzhou’s Haizhu district charging down streets and clashing with workers in white hazmat suits.

“It was quite tense out there last night. Everyone made sure their doors were locked,” a Guangzhou resident who uses the name Chet said Tuesday. “When it happened so close to me I found it really upsetting. I couldn’t sleep last night after watching those images.”

A breakout of infections at a manufacturing facility in Guangzhou had barred the surrounding community from leaving their homes. The whole country of China is dealing with outbreaks, reporting the most daily cases since April on Tuesday.

Among the latest COVID-19 outbreaks in China, Guangzhou’s is the largest. New daily infections of COVID-19 have topped 5,000 for the first time, fueling speculation that localized lockdowns could widen.

“The infection curve of Guangzhou is tracking the pace of Shanghai’s March-April outbreak, raising the question of whether a city-wide lockdown will be triggered,” JPMorgan analysts wrote. “It would become a testing point regarding the government’s determination to push for the relaxation of COVID control measure.”

The unrest in Guangzhou comes just days after Beijing announced it would try to reduce the impact of its “zero-COVID” strategy. China planned to ease curbs by shortening quarantine for travelers arriving from abroad, and several Chinese cities began cutting routine community COVID-19 testing.

“This will help making epidemic prevention and control more scientific and accurate, better protect people’s safety and health, and minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development,” China’s National Statistics Bureau spokesperson Fu Linghui said Tuesday. “With the effective implementation of these measures, normal production and living order will be better maintained, market demands and economic cycles will be resumed and unblocked.”

Reuters contributed to this report.