Author: Rachel Masloske

Rachel Masloske is a digital intern at Unmutedco.

A new NBC News analysis shows that the current COVID-19 vaccination distribution would take ten years to keep the pandemic under control.  What We Know:  Operation Warp Speed, led by Vice President Mike Pence, aims to produce and deliver safe coronavirus vaccines to the public. The goal is 80% of the country vaccinated by late June. More than 3 million people would need to get vaccinated each day to reach this goal.  Only 2 million people have received their first dose of the vaccine. Front-line health care workers and nursing home residents are the majority that has received the vaccine so far.…

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An Alabama kills his girlfriend on Christmas Eve.  What We Know:  Ace Antonio Pierre Belcher, 32, is accused of the murder of his girlfriend Traci Melvin Wilemon, 50. Authorities took Belcher into custody Friday. According to The New York Post, he was charged with murder and abuse of a corpse. Police found Wilemon dead at the couple’s residence after Belcher called 911 Thursday night, explaining she was unresponsive on the floor. Belcher confessed that the two had an argument that turned physical, eventually leading to her death. He also tried to burn her remains.  Unusual circumstances at the scene led police…

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An American Enterprise Institute survey finds the most common religion for ages 18-29 is “none.” What We Know: Most young Americans are religiously unaffiliated. An American Enterprise Insititute report suggests that 34% of Americans ages 18 to 29 responded their religious identity to be “none.” The survey collected data from 4,067 adults, asking about their religious beliefs and how their social network impacted their identity. Respondents told researchers that they were atheist, agnostic, or didn’t identify with any religion. Daniel Cox, the author of the report, told the HuffPost, “young people are more likely to know an atheist than an evangelical Christian.” AEI asked…

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California delays the ban on flavored tobacco products. Tobacco companies led the way, collecting enough signatures to put the law to a statewide vote.  What We Know:  The ban on flavored tobacco in California is delayed due to signatures leading the law to be voted on. California has put the law on delay until county clerks verify there are at least 623,000 valid signatures. Secretary of State Alex Padilla told county officials to begin verifying signatures on December 7th. Two days later, he and Attorney General Xavier Becerra delayed the law’s effective date.  The law would prohibit retailers from selling…

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An Ohio cop was fired after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man. This comes as the second shooting in Ohio in two weeks. Ohio mayor expresses his disappointment.  What We Know:  Last Tuesday morning, Adam Coy responded to a non-emergency call of a person turning on and off their car. Coy shot 47-year-old Andre Maurice Hill, carrying a cell phone and walking out of a garage.  In a HuffPost report, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther spoke at a press conference Wednesday. “Mr. Hill was known to the residents at the home,” Ginther commented on Hill. “He was expected. He was not…

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On Tuesday, a Florida man walked home profusely bleeding after being bitten by a shark.  What We Know:  An unidentified man was swimming off the coast of Siesta Key, 70 miles south of Tampa when a shark attacked him. The man attempted to walk home despite his injuries.  In a report by NBC News, an unidentified woman called 911 explaining a shark had bitten the 39-year-old man’s arm and hand. The man was still responsive despite being described as “pale” and “bleeding to death” by the caller.  The dispatcher instructed the woman to help the man stop the bleeding until the…

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A North Carolina drug ring was broken up Thursday. Authorities found the drugs were being sold to college students.  What We Know:  In an NBC News report, the North Carolina ring supplied cocaine and marijuana to college students. Twenty-one arrests have been made, some of which are students. Fourteen of the defendants are younger than twenty-five, the youngest being twenty-one.  Authorities accused the defendants of using fraternities to supply the drugs to students. The schools involved include the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and Appalachian State University.  U.S. attorney Matthew Martin told reporters, “This really is a…

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President-elect Joe Biden nominates former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg to head the Department of Transportation.  What We Know:  On Tuesday, Joe Biden announced his nomination of Pete Buttigieg for transportation secretary. If confirmed, he will be the first openly gay cabinet member. Buttigieg, 38, is the youngest person nominated for Biden’s Cabinet. He would be the average age of Cabinet members, down from 61 to 59.  Buttigieg is the first former rival of Biden to join Biden’s administration since Kamala Harris, says ABC News. After ending his presidential campaign in March, he quickly endorsed Biden and campaigned with his husband Chasten on behalf of the then-presidential…

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A Nielsen report breaks down LGBTQ visibility. While representation has increased, there is more work to be done, the LGBTQ community responds.  What We Know:  The LGBTQ community makes up 4.5% of the U.S. population, says NBC News. LGBTQ characters made of “6.7 percent of the top 10 recurring cast members in the top 300 programs on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms in 2019”. Additionally, 26% of the programs had a cast member who identifies as LGBTQ.  While the numbers show that there is increased visibility, presence is different than representation. Stacie de Armas, Nielsen’s senior vice president for diverse consumer insights, commented on…

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MacKenzie Scott gives away $4.1 billion over the past four months to hundreds of organizations in a pandemic charity spree.  What We Know: Author, philanthropist, and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott donates billions as part of “The Giving Pledge,” a promise she made in 2019. So far, she has donated $4.1 billion in the past four months to 384 organizations.  Scott previously donated 1.68 billion in July to various organizations. After the donations, she asked advisers to help her give to communities who needed immediate help because of the pandemic’s effects.  Scott posted her donations in…

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