Wednesday,  June 24th, 2020

Fauci ‘really quite concerned’ about ‘disturbing surge’ of coronavirus cases  Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is “quite concerned” as numerous states experience a “disturbing” surge in COVID-19 cases. Fauci testified before the House of Representatives on Tuesday as in recent days states like Arizona, Texas, and Florida have reported a record number of new coronavirus cases. Fauci said “an increase in community spread” seems to explain some spikes, and “that’s something that I’m really quite concerned about.” Fauci also reiterated that he believes there’s a “reasonably good chance” of having a COVID-19 vaccine by early 2021, and he denied that the White House coronavirus task force has been told to slow down testing, despite President Trump recently saying that he told “my people” to do so. Source: NBC News

Fulton County authorities charge a woman with arson after she set fire to a Wendy’s restaurant the day after police killed Rayshard Brooks following a DUI investigation. (The New York Post)

American porn star Ron Jeremy is charged with rape and sexual assault of four women. (The Guardian)

President Halimah Yacob dissolves Parliament and polling day is set on 10 July. (CNA)

NASCAR and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conclude their investigation of the noose found in the garage area of Bubba Wallace, the lone African-American driver in the series, at Talladega Superspeedway. The investigation concluded the “noose” was in fact the garage door pull, and had not been touched or moved since early last fall. (ABC)

 The End

217 BC – The Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, are ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene.

109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Rome.

1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.^[5]

1374 – A sudden outbreak of St. John’s Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.

1497 – John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.

1762 – Battle of Wilhelmsthal: The British-Hanoverian army of Ferdinand of Brunswick defeats French forces in Westphalia.

1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.

1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon’s Grande Armée crosses the Neman river beginning the invasion of Russia.

1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army.

1866 – Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.

1916 – Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract.

1943 – US military police attempt to arrest a black soldier in Bamber Bridge, England, sparking the Battle of Bamber Bridge mutiny that leaves one dead and seven wounded.

1947 – Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington, leading to the coining of the phrase “flying saucer”.^[7]

1975 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 encounters severe wind shear and crashes on final approach to New York’s JFK Airport killing 113 of the 124 passengers on board, making it the deadliest U.S. plane crash at the time. This accident led to decades of research into downburst and microburst phenomena and their effects on aircraft.^[9]

1982 – British Airways Flight 9 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines.^[10]

1989 – Jiang Zemin succeeds Zhao Ziyang to become the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

2002 – The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.

2012 – Death of Lonesome George, the last known individual of Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise.

2013 – Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is found guilty of abusing his power and engaging in sex with an underage prostitute, and is sentenced to seven years in prison.