May the fourth be with you.

 

Saturday,  July 4th, 2020

New U.S. coronavirus cases hit another daily record The United States confirmed 55,220 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, another single-day record. More than 10,000 of those cases were in Florida. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) became the latest to issue a statewide order requiring people in most counties to wear masks to bring surging coronavirus infections under control. Abbott ordered face coverings for anyone inside a business or other buildings open to the public, or in an outdoor public space where social distancing is impossible. The order takes effect Friday. Cases are rising in three dozen states and some, such as Tennessee, on Thursday joined a growing number that have rolled back reopening plans. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who issued a statewide mask order last week, vetoed a bill calling for letting gyms and amusement parks reopen. Source:  The Texas Tribune

Trump to start July 4th weekend at Mount Rushmore celebration President Trump will start the three-day Independence Day weekend at Mount Rushmore, where 7,500 people are expected to attend a fireworks display Friday. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), a Trump ally, said masks will be optional and social distancing won’t be required at the event. That prompted objections from local officials, including the Republican mayor of nearby Rapid City, Steve Allender. Leaders of several Native American tribes in the region also warned the event could result in a coronavirus spike among their members. “The president is putting our tribal members at risk to stage a photo op at one of our most sacred sites,” said Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Source: The Associated Press

German lawmakers agree to a deal to end nuclear power by 2022 and the use of coal by 2038. (AP via Seattle Times)

Scotland’s Court of Session fines Greenpeace £80,000 for breaching an injunction against the occupation of a Transocean oil rig in the North Sea. (The Guardian)

The European Union approves the use of the drug remdesivir to treat severe cases of COVID-19. (DW)

An investigation led by the Federal University of Santa Catarina uncovers traces of SARS-CoV-2 in Florianópolis sewage samples drawn on November 27, two months earlier than the first official confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Americas on January 21, and much earlier than the first reported case in Brazil at the end of February. (CGTN) (Web24)

The University of Cambridge accepts the resignation of historian David Starkey and strips him of his honorary fellowship, following controversy over his remarks about slavery. (BBC)

 

China appoints Zheng Yanxiong to head up the newly formed Office for Safeguarding National Security of the CPG in the HKSAR; Yanxiong is best known for his suppression of protests in Wukan in 2011. (BBC)

Government watchdog says unemployment won’t recover until 2030 America’s unemployment rate won’t reach its pre-pandemic low for at least a decade, the Congressional Budget Office predicted in a report released Thursday. Unemployment was at a 50-year low of 3.5 percent before the coronavirus hit, and the CBO projects a tough road for the U.S. to get back to that point. It’s projecting a 7.6 percent unemployment rate at the end of 2021, 6.9 percent at the end of 2022, and a 4.4 percent unemployment rate by the end of 2030. Still, the CBO noted there’s “an unusually high degree of uncertainty” when it comes to predicting America’s economic future after an unprecedented shutdown. Thursday’s jobs report saw the U.S. unemployment rate lower to 11.1 percent in June, but it could rise again as COVID-19 grows in more states. Source: CNN

The Los Angeles Clippers close their training facility after one of the players who is expected to play in Orlando tested positive for COVID-19. (Los Angeles Times)

The End