Tuesday,  Sept. 1st, 2020

McDonald’s was sued by 50 black owners for racial discrimination. According to the lawsuit, McDonald’s steered black franchisees to stores which had lower revenue and higher security expenses than stores in more affluent areas. (AP)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order temporarily halting residential evictions on public health grounds, with the goal to slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The order lasts through 31 December and applies to individual renters earning no more than $99,000 in annual income. (Newsmax)

Trump says politicians are pushing a ‘destructive message’ that the nation is ‘oppressive or racist’ President Trump visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, despite local officials sharing their concerns that his trip would incite further unrest. Trump’s campaign has pushed the message that if he is not re-elected, extreme riots and violence will overtake the United States. While speaking at a roundtable discussion on community safety, Trump said in order to “stop the political violence, we must also confront the radical ideology that includes this violence. Reckless far-left politicians continue to push the destructive message that our nation and our law enforcement are oppressive or racist.” Late last month, a white police officer in Kenosha shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, at least seven times in the back, leaving him paralyzed. Anti-police brutality protests broke out, and during one demonstration, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly fatally shot two people and wounded a third; he has been charged with murder. Source: NBC News

U.S. refuses to join 170 countries teaming up to produce a coronavirus vaccine More than 170 countries are considering joining the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or Covax, aimed at quickly developing a coronavirus vaccine and distributing it to the most vulnerable populations. But the Trump administration said Tuesday it won’t be joining them, in part because the World Health Organization is helping to lead the coalition. The U.S. has withdrawn from and criticized the WHO, accusing it of contributing to the coronavirus’ spread. White House spokesperson Judd Deere said the U.S. would work with other countries in its vaccine development efforts, “but we will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China.” It suggests the U.S. is confident it will develop a vaccine early, and would rather not put its confidence in other countries or necessarily share whatever vaccine it develops. Source: The Washington Post

Trump visits Kenosha, Wisconsin to ‘survey the damage’ President Trump is visiting Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday to “survey the damage,” as White House Press Secretary Kaleigh McEnany put it. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) asked Trump not to visit, saying he would stoke division and “will only hinder our healing.” After Kenosha police shot and injured Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, protests broke out, with some leading to property damage. When a self-described militia arrived in town to face off against protesters, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly shot and killed two demonstrators, and injured one other. Trump has no plans to meet with the family of Blake, and declined to condemn Rittenhouse. Trump claimed his visit would help heal racial tensions. Source: The Washington Post

House flags 11,000 PPP loans totaling $3 billion for potential fraud The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a report Tuesday detailing its analysis of the Paycheck Protection Program’s loans for small businesses. The program did help “millions of small businesses” survive the COVID-19 pandemic, but also likely saw “billions of dollars being diverted to fraud, waste, and abuse” due to a “lack of oversight and accountability,” the committee found. More than 11,000 loans totaling more than $3 billion raised “red flags” for the subcommittee. For example, 10,856 loans totaling $1 billion went to companies that got multiple loans, which was against the PPP loan rules. The Treasury Department should’ve noticed these issues, the subcommittee said. But only PPP loans over $2 million were audited, constituting just .6 percent of all loans issued. Source: CBS News

AstraZeneca begins Phase 3 trial of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in U.S. AstraZeneca began a Phase 3 U.S. human trial of its COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, hoping to enroll up to 30,000 people to test its shot, developed with Britain’s Oxford University. This will be the third final-stage trial of a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., joining efforts by Moderna and Pfizer. The U.K. is already in the midst of its AstraZeneca-Oxford Phase 3 trial, and preliminary results could be released as early as October. The U.S. trial’s launch had been postponed for a couple of days for reasons researchers could not explain. But William Hartman, a University of Wisconsin investigator helping to lead the trial, and AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot both emphasized that the research will be conducted carefully, rigorously, and free of political pressure. Source: Bloomberg

White House warns Iowa it has the highest coronavirus rate in the U.S. The White House Coronavirus Task Force told Iowa officials on Sunday that the state has the country’s highest per capita infection rate and must enact stricter restrictions to curb the spread. In a report, the task force recommended closing bars in 61 counties, imposing a statewide mask mandate, and testing every returning college student, the Des Moines Register reports. “Common sense preventative measures must be implemented to stop further spread,” the report states. The Iowa Department of Public Health shared with the Des Moines Register the last three reports sent by the task force, and a document dated Aug. 23 shows that at the time, Iowa had the ninth-highest case rate in the United States. Over the last two weeks, 10 percent of all people who have tested for COVID-19 in the state have had positive results. Source: Des Moines Register

New York City delays start of in-person classes, avoiding teachers strike New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced on Tuesday that as part of a deal to avoid a potential teachers strike, the start of in-person classes in the nation’s largest school district will be delayed ten days to Sept. 21. This delay, the mayor said, will allow for more time “for our educators and staff to get ready under these unprecedented circumstances.” The United Federation of Teachers had previously threatened a possible strike as educators called for more time before the reopening of schools. There will be a “three-day transitional period” beginning on Sept. 16, during which remote instruction will begin. When classes resume in person, New York City schools will be following a blended learning plan with not all students being in school in person on the same days. Source: The New York Times

 The End