Coronavirus Updates

Global cases rose to nearly 6.26 million yesterday, with more than 373,700 deaths. The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to nearly 1.84 million, with 106,187 confirmed deaths.

• Indian officials confirmed blood samples of four patients with COVID-19 were stolen from a lab technician by monkeys last week near Lucknow, the capital of Upper Pradesh state.
• Los Angeles County reopened in-person dining and other personal care services on Friday. See how your state is reopening here.
• India is extending its lockdown until June 30 in high-risk areas. The country will ease restrictions on retail, hospitality, and places of worship everywhere else starting June 8. In Europe, Spain’s prime minister asked parliament to extend the country’s lockdown until June 21.
• Mosques in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem reopened with restrictions on Sunday.
• The CDC said in a press conference that COVID-19 made its way to the U.S. as early as late January – first from China, then Europe.

Venezuela To Offer Gas At Market Prices

Venezuelans will be able to buy gasoline at international market prices starting Monday for the first time in over two decades, according to President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuelan consumers were previously allowed to buy a limited amount of gasoline each month – paying $0.025 per gallon – but with this change can now purchase additional fuel at the equivalent of $1.90 per gallon.

More: Maduro’s move comes after the last of five Iranian fuel tankers, sent to circumvent U.S. sanctions, arrived in Venezuela over the weekend. It remains unclear if the two governments can supply enough gasoline to meet Venezuelan consumers’ demands.

U.S. Responds To China’s Hong Kong Maneuvers

President Trump in a press conference on Friday said the U.S. will end special trade relations with Hong Kong, eliminate funding to the WHO, and suspend entry to Chinese nationals seen as security risks. The announcement comes after the National People’s Congress of China passed national security laws for Hong Kong on Thursday, which ban “any acts or activities” that threaten China’s national security.

More: Beijing’s move effectively overturns the “one country, two systems” principle that has governed Hong Kong since it was handed over to China by the UK in 1997.

Protests & The Coronavirus Effect

• Brex will restructure its credit card for startups business and lay off 62 employees (~13% of its workforce) due to COVID-19 disruptions.
• United Airlines announced plans to lay off 13 of its 67 executive officers effective Oct. 1.
• CVS closed some stores across 20 states over the weekend due to mass protests, though it did not provide a comprehensive list of closures due to the ongoing nature of the situation.
• Several major retailers – including Target, Apple, Whole Foods, and Walmart – have temporarily closed hundreds of stores across the country due to protests.

Where No Company Has Gone Before

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken became the first to enter the ISS via commercial spacecraft yesterday, following the successful launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on Saturday. The capsule’s process of docking with the ISS – handled completely autonomously by the Crew Dragon itself – went off without a hitch Sunday morning.

More: Watch a recap of the launch and subsequent docking.

Forbes Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Forbes Magazine on Friday revoked its declaration of Kylie Jenner’s billionaire status, releasing an investigative report that accuses the celebrity of inflating the supposed income from her business, Kylie Cosmetics (among other things). Jenner sold 51% of her brand to beauty company Coty last November in a deal valuing the company at $1.2 billion.

More: Regulatory filings from Coty since the purchase shed light on underwhelming 2018 sales for Kylie Cosmetics, leading Forbes to call previous earnings statements into question and revoke Jenner’s billionaire status.

The Dad Grad’s Fad For Non-Dad Lads

Rob Kenney had a fractured childhood – when he was 12 years old, his father walked out on his family. Lacking a strong paternal influence, Rob relied on his brother and his own intuition to develop self-sufficiency.

Now a father of two adult children, Rob launched the YouTube channel “Dad, How Do I?” in April to teach practical tasks – such as checking tire pressure, ironing a shirt, and unclogging a drain – to young adults on the Internet who are growing up without dads. Rob initially expected to help 30 to 40 teenagers, but his channel quickly grew to more than two million subscribers.

Some Heroes Do Wear Capes

With the transition of workplaces across the country to online platforms during the COVID-19 shutdown, many working parents have experienced the stress that results from combining professional world challenges with the distractions of being home. Such has been the experience of Cara Fields, a Director and Marketing Chief of Staff in Indiana, who has also been supporting her children’s digital education.

Determined to provide some laughs for the hardworking Cara, her husband Matt has made a hobby of ‘Zoom bombing’ her by wearing silly costumes in the background of her work conference calls. Appearing as a range of characters – from Where’s Waldo to Batman – Matt sneaks into view of the camera and waits for Cara’s coworkers to point him out.

Hugs, Not Bugs

Family members around the world have felt increasingly isolated as social-distancing guidelines encourage people to remain six feet apart – especially from elderly relatives. After three months of such measures, the children of a family in Rockford, Illinois found themselves missing hugs from their great-grandmother.

Using supplies easily found at the hardware store – including PVC pipes, a window installation kit, and disposable plastic gloves – the Marinaro family crafted a “Hug Time” device allowing the great-grand-children to safely embrace their Nana.