WHAT'S BREWING
U.N.: 10,000 EXTRA CHILD HUNGER DEATHS A MONTH All around the world, the coronavirus and its restrictions are pushing already hungry communities over the edge, cutting off meager farms from markets and isolating villages from food and medical aid. Virus-linked hunger is leading to the deaths of 10,000 more children a month over the first year of the pandemic, according to an urgent call to action from the United Nations. Further, more than 550,000 additional children each month are being struck by what is called wasting, according to the U.N. — malnutrition that manifests in spindly limbs and distended bellies. [AP]
YOUTH CORONAVIRUS HOSPITALIZATIONS UP 23% IN FLORIDA As Florida schools prepare to reopen, state health officials reported disturbing new statistics about the state’s children. The state had 31,150 COVID-19 cases reported among people under 18 as of July 24 -- a 34% jump from July 16. Perhaps even more concerning, the latest data shows 303 youth hospitalizations for COVID-19, up 23% from July 16. About one-third of those cases are in children 14 to 17 years old, followed by 67 cases among children under 1. [HuffPost]
TRUMP CLAIMS TWITTER'S TRENDING TOPICS ARE 'ILLEGAL' AND 'UNFAIR' On Monday, Trump decided ― in the middle of a pandemic and an ensuing economic crisis ― that his priorities should focus on how badly he’s treated by Twitter’s trending topics. He tweeted: "So disgusting to watch Twitter’s so-called “Trending”, where sooo many trends are about me, and never a good one. They look for anything they can find, make it as bad as possible, and blow it up, trying to make it trend. Really ridiculous, illegal, and, of course, very unfair!" Trending topics are determined by an algorithm. [HuffPost]
THE NYPD CAN SEE MILLIONS OF ARREST RECORDS THAT WERE MEANT TO BE SEALED For over 40 years, it has been illegal for police in New York state to access a person’s sealed arrest records. Details of arrests of people who were charged but not convicted or whose cases were dismissed ― as well as juveniles or people who completed drug treatment programs or committed noncriminal offenses ― aren’t supposed to influence law enforcement should police encounter those people again. But new court documents obtained by HuffPost show that the New York City Police Department has been breaking that law for years. [HuffPost]
CHILD CARE WORKERS WIN BIGGEST UNION ELECTION IN YEARS Publicly funded child care providers in California have voted overwhelmingly to form a union, marking what organizers believe is the biggest U.S. union organizing election victory in years. Roughly 43,000 child care providers will now be able to negotiate with the state over a contract that could impact the funding and training they receive for their work. The election was the result of a 17-year campaign waged by public-sector unions to pass state legislation allowing these workers to bargain collectively. [HuffPost]
TRUMP WON'T PAY HIS RESPECTS TO JOHN LEWIS ON CAPITOL HILL Thousands of people are expected to visit Capitol Hill to pay respects to congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, but Trump won’t be one of them. “No, I won’t be going,” the president told reporters without elaborating. “No.” The president made his comment as he was leaving the White House for North Carolina just as Lewis’ American flag-draped casket was arriving at the Capitol carried by a military honor guard into the rotunda. Trump has a well-marked history as a racist. [HuffPost]
LEADER OF NEO-NAZI GROUP UNDER INVESTIGATION A prominent white supremacist propagandist who once claimed to have influenced the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter is under investigation by authorities in California, a law enforcement official said on Monday. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department told HuffPost that Andrew Richard Casarez has been under investigation for several weeks and that his home has been searched. “Detectives obtained a Gun Violence Restraining Order against him and served a search warrant at a residence ... where they seized a firearm,” the department said. [HuffPost] |
