What A Day

The last time we spoke with Monise Seward, a 6th grade special education teacher in Georgia, it was April and schools had just begun to tackle remote learning. It's now the new year, and her class remains completely online. We spoke to her about the challenges of the new normal and her thoughts on in-person classes.

Senator Kamala Harris and VP Joe Biden made their first appearance as running mates yesterday. Harris has already begun laying out the case against Trump.

And in headlines: anti-government protests in Bolivia, Ilhan Omar wins her primary, and Trump will not let up on showerheads.

Senator Kamala Harris was announced as Biden’s VP pick yesterday, which will make her the first black woman and first Asian American to be a on major party ticket. We discuss her record on the 2020 campaign trail, as an incisive presence in Senate hearings, and as California’s attorney general. 

The Big 10 and the Pac 12 college conferences announced yesterday that they will postpone their fall sports seasons due to the pandemic. A group of student athletes have formed an informal union, and say they want to play this season: but only if schools institute universal health and safety standards. 

And in headlines: Russia approves a Covid-19 vaccine, TSA seizes more guns than ever at security, and gaiters might not be good medical masks.

Five states hold primaries today, including Minnesota, where Rep. Ilhan Omar is running to keep her seat in Congress. The elections come a week after another progressive, Cori Bush, won a major upset in her race against a longterm incumbent in Missouri. We speak to Bush about her path to politics and check in on Justice Democrats, the political group that backed Bush, Omar, and a handful of other progressive Democrats since 2017. Read our full interview with Cori Bush at crooked.com/articles/cori-bush-democratic-party/

Lebanon Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his resignation yesterday, following mass protests after the chemical explosion in Beirut. Protests continue in the country with demonstrators demanding that other top leaders resign as well. Donate: ImpactLebanon.org

And in headlines: protests in Chicago and Belarus, a big loss for Uber and Lyft, and Nikki Haley tries to cancel popcorn.

To read more of Gideon's reporting on primary races, check out: https://crooked.com/articles/kentucky-underdog-booker/

Trump signed a bunch of executive orders and actions over the weekend that he presented as a fix to our economic problems. But the reality is much less transformative. We explain what his actions do (cut unemployment) and what they don't do (protect renters from eviction).

ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, is planning to sue the Trump administration over its ban on US companies doing business with the app. The executive order against TikTok also bans US dealings with WeChat, another Chinese-owned app.

And in headlines: a massive oil spill in Mauritius, protests in Beirut, and Amazon goes to the mall.