Axios PM: Voice boomed before Music City explosion — 🎮 Video games now lead your workout

1 big thing: Voice boomed before Music City explosion | Friday, December 25, 2020

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Facebook   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Dec 25, 2020 🎁 Happy Christmas afternoon! Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 536 words, a 2-minute read.     1 big thing: Voice boomed before Music City explosion Photo: Elliott Anderson/The Tennessean via Reuters Police say a spooky audio recording boomed from an RV parked in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning, just before the vehicle blew up and turned a historic stretch of the bar-lined tourist district into a glass-strewn shambles. Officers, responding to a 5:30 a.m. CT call for shots fired, encountered the RV as the recording played, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said at a televised briefing. The officers began evacuating nearby buildings. "Shortly after that, the RV exploded," Drake said. An officer was knocked to the ground. No one was seriously hurt. The Tennessean reports that witnesses heard a voice from the RV: "Evacuate now. There is a bomb. A bomb is in this vehicle and will explode."  "Then, the voice started a 15-minute countdown." Mayor John Cooper described insulation "blown up" into trees, and he estimated about 20 buildings were hit. Authorities said the blast appeared intentional. The FBI took the lead. Black smoke billowed from the area, which is packed with bars and restaurants, AP reported. Buildings shook after a loud boom was heard. A 33-story AT&T building, the tallest building in Tennessee, was hit. Some service in the region was interrupted, the company tweeted. Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP     2. COVID Christmas: Pictures of America Photo: Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal via Reuters Steven Burchfield stirs a pot of corn today as he works with fellow volunteers to prepare a Christmas meal of turkey, chicken and fixin's at Westy's in downtown Memphis, which has hosted free meals since 2003. Photo: Go Nakamura/Getty Images Anne Aguilar draws Santa on a coverall suit in the nursing station of the COVID ICU at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP Registered nurse Romina Pacheco disinfects her air-purifying respirator after tending to a patient in a COVID unit at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif.     A message from Facebook It's time to update internet regulations     The internet has changed a lot in 25 years. But the last time comprehensive internet regulations were passed was in 1996. We want updated internet regulations to set clear guidelines for addressing today's toughest challenges. Learn More     3. Catch up quick Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve mass with only a few faithful able to participate. Photo: Vatican Media via Reuters In L.A. County, some hospitals are running dangerously low on oxygen, and patients "are waiting as many as eight hours in ambulances before they can enter the emergency room," the L.A. Times reports. Georgia's Democratic Senate candidates, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, each raised more than $100 million in the last quarter of 2020 — the largest single-quarter totals by any candidate in U.S. Senate history. Go deeper. Queen Elizabeth said in her annual festive message that in these socially distanced times, all that many people "really want for Christmas is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand." Go deeper.     4. 1 fun thing: Video games offered 2020 lifeline Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Video games n0w transcend escapism and are exercise companions and social gathering places, chief tech correspondent Ina Fried writes in Axios Login. Why it matters: 2020's transformations will likely outlast the pandemic. For many, gaming will keep a central place. Minecraft and Roblox filled in as virtual substitutes for shuttered concert halls and canceled Thanksgiving gatherings. Xbox recently launched a campaign to get older people in on gaming to connect with their grandkids. Minecraft saw a nearly 90% increase in multiplayer sessions after the start of the pandemic. Just Dance and Fitness Boxing combine fun and a workout. Of course, video games continue to transform us from couch potatoes to superheroes, star athletes and, in the case of the extremely popular "Animal Crossing: New Horizons," a creature ruling — and customizing — an island. Share this story.     A message from Facebook Internet regulations need an update     It's been 25 years since lawmakers passed comprehensive internet regulations. But a lot has changed since 1996. We want updated regulations to set clear guidelines for protecting people's privacy, enabling safe and easy data portability between platforms and more. Learn More     Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: