Monday, July 6th, 2020

For the first time scientists at the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope discover neutral hydrogen atoms outside of the Milky Way. (RT)

At least two people are killed and eight injured, four critically, in a mass shooting at a nightclub in Greenville, South Carolina. No suspects have been arrested.  (CNN)

American rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West formally announces his campaign in the U.S. presidential election on Twitter. He is running as an independent. (Billboard)

A female Siberian tiger attacks and kills a 55-year-old zookeeper at Zürich Zoo in Zürich, Switzerland. (Reuters)

Florida’s new daily high in coronavirus cases just shy of New York’s record Florida on Saturday recorded another daily high in coronavirus infections. The state’s 11,458 new cases is just shy of New York state’s one-day record of 11,571 positive tests in April. Texas also set a new state record, tallying 8,258 newly confirmed cases, while it also registered an all-time high in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 for the sixth straight day. Health experts are concerned celebrations during the July 4 weekend will exacerbate the problem in several states that are already dealing with a rising number of cases and positive test rates. While the surge in cases in some states mirror what happened in New York earlier this year, the average daily COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. has continued to decline, perhaps because younger, healthier people are making up a larger percent of those infected, but there are concerns that trend won’t hold.Source:  Reuters

Trump vows to defeat ‘radical left’ in White House Independence Day speech Just one day after his divisive speech at Mount Rushmore, President Trump on Saturday delivered a similar Independence Day address — this time at the White House — in which he said his administration was “in the process of defeating the radical left” amid nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, which have included efforts to remove numerous statues and monuments. “We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children, or trample on our freedoms,” he said to an audience that included front-line medical workers and others central in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump did touch on the pandemic in his speech, as well, defending his administration’s response and expressing optimism that “we’ve learned to put out the flame” despite a record-setting rise in daily infections in states like Florida and Texas. Source: The Associated Press

Biden urges Americans to ‘rip the roots of systemic racism out of’ U.S. in July 4 message Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, on Saturday delivered an Independence Day message calling on Americans to “commit to finally” fulfilling the goals of the Declaration of Independence. Biden said the U.S. was founded on the idea “that all men are created equal” but “we’ve never lived up to it.” From there, Biden’s short video then took an optimistic turn as he claimed “we have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country” and “live up to the words that founded this nation.” The former vice president did not mention his likely future opponent, President Trump, by name. Source: Slate

The Indian government extends the lockdown in the city of Agra and delays the reopening of the Taj Mahal for tourists and visitors after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. (Reuters)

Michigan reports no new deaths from COVID-19 for the first time since March 17. (MLive.com)

Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports the highest daily death toll to date from COVID-19, recording 163 deaths. Iran’s cases reach 240,438 while the deaths jump to 11,571. (Reuters)

The death toll amid civil unrest in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, rises to 166 people, including 11 security personnel. More than 1,000 people have been arrested. (BBC)

 

 

 

Sunday,  July 5th, 2020

The USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan participate in dual-carrier operations and exercises in the disputed South China Sea. (Reuters via NBC)

In Seattle, a woman died after being hit by a car during a George Floyd protest on Interstate 5. A second woman also hit remains in critical condition. (BBC)

Black Lives Matter protesters tear down the Statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore, Maryland, and throw it into the city’s Inner Harbor. Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott had previously called for the statue to be removed. (CNN)

President Donald Trump announces the building of National Garden of American Heroes through executive order, which will consist of statues of notable American political figures, activists, businesspeople, and pop culture icons. (CBS News)

Pubs and barbershops are allowed to re-open in England for the first time since March. (NBC)

Donald Trump signs an extension of the Paycheck Protection Program to extend the filing deadline to August 8. (AP via NBC)

The Catalan government locks down the county of Segrià, with 200,000 inhabitants, due to a major outbreak, becoming the first confinement after the end of the state of emergency. (Daily Mirror)

President Hassan Rouhani announces new measures to curb the spread of the virus, including mandatory wearing of masks in covered public areas. (Reuters)

The World Health Organization suspends its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination of HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir after they fail to reduce mortality in infected patients. (Reuters)

 

The End

 

 

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