Over The Hump

COVID-19 Snapshot

• Check your state’s ICU bed capacity.
• Major virus news: Russian intelligence operatives are reportedly using three English-language websites to publish hundreds of misleading articles about the pandemic response, U.S. officials told the Associated Press.

Barr Testifies Before Congress

Attorney General William Barr testified before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time yesterday. Barr touched on several topics but primarily focused on the deployment of federal agents to cities. Read his written testimony or watch it here.

Trump Admin. To Reject New DACA Claims

On Tuesday, the Trump administration said it will reject new applicants to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and take steps to wind down the deportation protections laid out in the Obama-era legislation. The DACA program prevents the deportation of thousands of immigrants living in the U.S. who entered illegally as children.

More: A senior Trump administration official also said there would be a lengthy review of last month’s SCOTUS decision that found the administration had erred in trying to end the program.

Worth Noting: Six U.S. mayors signed a letter to Congress urging the halt of federal troop deployment in their cities.

Also Worth Noting: Joe Biden announced he will pick a running mate by the first week of August. In other election news, Kanye West filed to appear on New Jersey’s ballot as a presidential candidate.

The Coronavirus Effect

• CES, the world’s largest consumer-electronics exhibition, will be held entirely online in 2021 rather than its usual in-person showcase in Las Vegas.
• Kodak has secured a $765 million loan from the U.S. government to produce ingredients for a number of generic drugs through the Defense Production Act.
• Two Chick-fil-A locations in AL & VA have offered free food to customers who swap $10 worth of change for bills amid the national coin shortage.

Coming Soon To Theaters

AMC Theaters and Universal have reached a new agreement to limit the exclusive theatrical release of movies to 17 days. The deal marks a radical shift from the standard release window, as theaters in recent years generally had between 70 and 90 days to show films before they became available online.

Going Nuclear

The world’s biggest nuclear fusion project, called ITER, has begun its five-year assembly phase in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France. Construction of the ~$23.5B facility is a collaboration between the U.S., EU, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Russia, who all share in the cost. Advocates say nuclear fusion could be a source of clean, unlimited power to help combat climate change.

Worth Noting: Twitter banned Donald Trump Jr. from tweeting for 12 hours after he posted a video containing “misleading and potentially harmful” information regarding COVID-19.

Also Worth Noting: The Big Four tech CEOs – Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, & Tim Cook – will testify before the House Antitrust Subcommittee today starting at noon. Watch it live.

Take It To The Bank

In Washington state, the extended closure of restaurants due to the pandemic has caused demand for the region’s potato and onion harvests to plummet, forcing many farmers to destroy their crops or leave them in the fields to rot. Meanwhile, the number of food-insecure households in the state continues to rise as fears of the virus cause unemployment levels to rise.

Perceiving an intrinsic solution within these two crises, a man named George Ahearn founded the nonprofit EastWest Food Rescue, which transports the unused potatoes and onions from oversupplied farms to the state’s struggling food banks. The nonprofit, which also raises money to compensate farmers for the food, has hauled more than 2.4 million pounds of produce to date.

Game Of Bones

For sports fans around the globe, the instantly recognizable voice of BBC broadcaster Andrew Cotter is a staple of viewing beloved athletic competitions such as Wimbledon and the Olympic Games. This summer, Andrew, who relaxes audiences with his gentle yet agile commentary, has been out of work as these athletic competitions have been canceled or postponed.

To pass the time during quarantine, Andrew began posting YouTube videos in which he commentates on the daily lives of his two dogs, Olive and Mabel, describing their peaceful routines as if he was witnessing the final round of a high-stakes athletic tournament. From footage of eating competitions to leisurely walks, Andrew captivates viewers with his hushed remarks.

The Need For Seeds

With a rapidly growing population, India is currently suffering the adverse environmental and health effects of excessive carbon dioxide in the air. In an attempt to dramatically reduce the country’s carbon dioxide pollution by 2030, the country’s government recently committed to the lofty goal of increasing its forest cover to 235 million acres by 2030 – a land area the size of Texas and New Mexico combined.

This month, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 2 million residents demonstrated their commitment by gathering to plant more than 20 million trees along the banks of the Ganges river. To complete the enormous project, the region’s officials handed out saplings to the volunteers, all of whom adhered to social distancing measures.

Your Company… It’s Your Turn

Fortunes are made or lost, not by what happens to us, but by how we react.

Bad things happen to good businesses.

Now you have to decide how you will respond.

Some owners will cut expenses to the bone. Others will become paralyzed by fear.

A rare few will use this opportunity to rethink their business from the ground up. Throw out what wasn’t working and re-commit to strategies that impact long term business value.

ProvenGain uses a simple system for boosting the value of the companies called The Value Builder System™. We’ve recently created an eBook called 8 Ways To Re-Invent Yourself In A Crisis, which I thought might be helpful as you contemplate what’s next. Just send me an email at: paulwildrick@provengain.com for your copy or I can help you with some ideas on a quick 30 or 60-minute call. Schedule here: www.calendly.com/paulwildrick