Tuesday,  July 28th, 2020

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell cancels the preseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (NFL)

Trump reportedly sending 100 more federal agents to Portland The Trump administration has begun deploying 100 more federal agents to Portland, Oregon, The Washington Post reports via internal U.S. Marshals Service emails. Militarized agents, some of them unmarked, have patrolled the city for several weeks. Another round of 100 agents began arriving in Portland on Thursday. A final decision on the next deployment hasn’t been made yet, senior administration officials say. Agents have detained protesters seeking to protect federal property, even though several of those arrested said they were nowhere near federal buildings. The mayors of Portland; Seattle; Chicago; Kansas City, Missouri; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Washington D.C. sent a letter to Congress urging it to bar the federal government from deploying more agents. Source: The Washington Post

University of Notre Dame backs out as host of 1st presidential debate The University of Notre Dame on Monday announced it will no longer host the first presidential debate scheduled to take place on Sept. 29. Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins described this as a “difficult decision” that was made “because the necessary health precautions would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.” The first presidential debate is now moving to Cleveland, Ohio, and will be hosted by Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic. Previously, the University of Michigan withdrew from hosting the second debate, with University President Mark Schlissel saying at the time “it is not feasible for us to safely host.” Source:  Axios

National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien tests positive for COVID-19 National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien tested positive for coronavirus, Bloomberg reported and an administration official later confirmed. O’Brien is the highest ranking White House official and the closest to President Trump known to test positive for the virus. He reportedly came down with the virus after a family event and has been working at home since late last week. He had recently been in Europe, meeting with officials in the U.K., France, Germany, and Italy, CNN notes. O’Brien, senior National Security Council staff, and other people close to Trump are tested daily for COVID-19. The U.S. has so far seen a third of the world’s 16 million coronavirus cases and about a quarter of its 650,000 deaths. Source: Politico

Belgium announces the unveiling of drastic social distancing measures aimed at avoiding a new lockdown. These measures include restricting social contact outside every household to five people over the next four weeks and limiting crowds at public events to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. This measure will take effect next Wednesday. (France 24)

Antwerp imposes a curfew from 11.30 p.m. to 6 a.m and the mandatory wearing of face masks in public spaces should a distance of 1.5 meters between individuals not be observed. (The Washington Post)

The price of gold hits a record high of US$1,944 per ounce as uncertainty over the global economy grows due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. The previous record was set in 2011 when prices hit US$1,921 per ounce. (CNN)

Hong Kong announces a ban on all dine-in services at restaurants and restricting public gatherings not from the same family to only two people starting 29 July and orders the compulsory wearing of masks in outdoor public areas, with only medical exemptions. Sports venues and swimming pools are also closed. (Bisnis Indonesia)

Musician Drake breaks the record for the most top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing Madonna. (Billboard)

China reports 61 new cases, up from 46 cases a day earlier, with new infections not involving people returning from overseas hitting the highest number since early March of 57. (U.S. News & World Report)

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Government of India bans 47 Chinese-origin apps that are clones of the original 59 Chinese apps that were banned in June, including TikTok and Helo. India has also prepared a list of over 250 Chinese apps that it will examine for any user privacy or national security violations including Tencent-backed gaming app PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. (India Today)

French Environment Minister Barbara Pompili announces that France will ban the use of terrace heaters in restaurants and cafes by the end of this winter to cut down on carbon emissions. (Reuters)

The End

 

 

 

 

Monday, July 27th, 2020

 

Da Nang becomes Vietnam’s first province or centrally governed city to reinstate social distancing measures after two new local infection COVID-19 cases with unknown source of transmission. (Reuters)

North Korea declares a state of emergency after its first case of COVID-19 is confirmed. The government claims the patient defected to South Korea then returned to North Korea. (The Daily Beast)

The Supreme Court of New South Wales grants the New South Wales Police permission to block a Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney that is due to be held on July 28. The Supreme Court ruled that the rally is a prohibited public assembly, but police agreed to a stay stopping the order taking effect until 10am on July 27 pending the lodging of any appeal. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

 

Trump officials: New stimulus bill to include another round of $1,200 checks Several top members of the Trump administration hit the morning shows on Sunday to discuss a new stimulus bill being finalized by White House officials and Senate Republicans, due to be unveiled on Monday. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on CNN’s State of the Union that the bill would provide for a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks, retention bonuses, and tax credits for small businesses and restaurants. He also said it will extend the federal eviction moratorium that expired on Friday. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government has been supplementing state unemployment benefits by giving workers $600 per week. This is set to expire, and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said on ABC’s This Week the new bill will not include this benefit. Instead, unemployment insurance will cover 70 percent of a laid-off worker’s pre-pandemic wages. Source: CNN

Forty-five people are arrested after protesters throw explosives and rocks at police in Seattle. Other rioters set fire to a portable trailer and a construction site, police allege in a series of tweets. Twenty-one officers were injured, including one who was hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive. (CNN)

During an evening protest in Austin, Texas, a man is fatally shot as he approached a vehicle and the driver inside opened fire. A police spokesperson says the victim may have been carrying a rifle. She added that the suspect was detained and is cooperating with police. (AP via Dallas Morning News)

A record high temperature of 21.7°C (71.1°F) is recorded on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. (Global News)

The End