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