Thursday,  Sept. 3rd, 2020

Bloomington-based HealthPartners announces that they are seeking 1,500 patients for the phase 3 trials for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. (The Star-Tribune)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requests state governments for their assistance to dispatch an unspecified, potential COVID-19 vaccine to local wholesalers by November 1. (AFP via The Philippine Star)

Thailand marks 100 days without new COVID-19 cases. (The Hill)

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rules that the global surveillance programs of the National Security Agency disclosed by former Central Intelligence Agency employee Edward Snowden in 2013 are unconstitutional, having violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. (DW)

The German government reports it has “unequivocal evidence” to confirm the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny by a Novichok agent, according to tests conducted by a Bundeswehr-run laboratory. Chancellor Angela Merkel calls Navalny “a victim of attempted murder”.  (NPR)

   The End

Wednesday,  Sept. 2nd, 2020

The Brazilian economy officially enters a recession after the country’s statistics institute reported a 9.7% decline of its gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter, which is the second consecutive quarter of a decline in its GDP. It is Brazil’s largest quarterly drop since 1996.  (Financial Times)

German economic minister Peter Altmaier reports that the country’s economy is facing an “unexpected” V-shaped recovery with its GDP currently forecasted to decline by 5.8% in 2020, in contrast to an earlier projection of a 6.3% decline. (AFP via Malay Mail)

The Eurostat reports that consumer prices in the Eurozone have deflated from 0.4% in July to -0.2% in August, the bloc’s first deflation since May 2016. (AFP via Rappler)

The city council of Ames, Iowa passes a mask mandate with a vote of 5-1. The decision came after the New York Times named the city as a COVID-19 hotspot. (The Ames Tribune)

The number of cases in Mexico reaches past 600,000. The death toll in the country reaches to 65,241. (Reuters)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues an order temporarily halting residential evictions on public health grounds, with the goal of slowing the spread of the COVID-19. The order lasts through December 31 and applies to individual renters earning no more than $99,000 in annual income. (Newsmax)

Protests in Los Angeles continued for a second night following the police shooting of Dijon Kizzee, 29, who Los Angeles Police Department officers say was riding a bike in “violation of vehicle codes”. (Forbes)

The National Football League will require all coaches and staff in bench areas to wear masks. (USA Today)

The End