Coronavirus Update

Global cases rose above 119,000 with more than 4,250 deaths. According to the NYT, the number of confirmed U.S. cases rose above 1,000, with at least 31 deaths. Yesterday:

• NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo deployed the National Guard to New Rochelle on Tuesday - the small town just north of NYC has 108 of the state’s 173 confirmed cases.
• Massachusetts, Colorado, Michigan, and North Carolina joined the 11 other states who have made declarations of emergency.
• Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the center of the coronavirus outbreak.
• Coachella & Stagecoach - two sizeable California music festivals - were both postponed until October.

More: Both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders canceled rallies in Ohio scheduled for Tuesday night.

Afghanistan’s Two Presidents

Both rival Afghan ‘presidents’ declared themselves the winner of last September’s election and took the oath of office in separate inaugurations on Monday. Afghanistan’s electoral commission says incumbent Ashraf Ghani narrowly beat challenger Abdullah Abdullah, who has made claims of a fraudulent election process.

More: A U.S. military official said American troops had begun to leave Afghanistan as part of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal signed late last month.

Putin Backs Constitutional Amendment

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin threw his support behind a constitutional amendment that would effectively reset his term limit as president. Under Russia’s constitution, the president is only allowed to serve two consecutive terms of 4 years - the amendment would allow Putin to legally run again in 2024. The amendment is different from previously proposed changes, which would bolster the power of the prime minister after Putin leaves the presidency - the measure was .

In unrelated legal news: The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision to allow the House to see an unredacted version of the Mueller Report.

Market Mania

All three major U.S. stock indexes rose nearly 5% yesterday, in stark contrast to Monday’s historically bad trading results. Late Monday night, President Trump said he would be meeting with Congressional Republicans to consider potential payroll tax relief, which sent stock futures soaring ahead of the opening bell on Tuesday.

More: Dow futures indicate an opening loss of more than 500 points today. 

Jumping the Gun

Dick’s Sporting Goods announced it will stop selling guns at 440 more locations (out of 850 total stores). Shares rose 13% yesterday, as the company also reported its latest financial results.

More: Following the 2018 Parkland shooting, Dick’s said it would only sell guns to people at least 21 years old and banned assault-style rifles from some stores.

Got You Covered

Insurance broker Aon has agreed to purchase rival broker Willis Towers Watson for nearly $30 billion in stock. The deal is the largest ever in the insurance sector, and creates a combined company that will become the world’s most valuable broker (beating out Marsh & McLennan).

A New Hope

The second person in the world to be cured of HIV publicly revealed his identity on Monday, looking to become an ‘ambassador of hope’ to others who suffer from the disease.

Forty-year-old Adam Castillejo was cured after he underwent a stem-cell treatment for unrelated cancer he also had - the stem cell donor carried an uncommon gene that protects him (and now Adam) against HIV.

Art From the Heart

After his pet dog passed away nearly two years ago, 9-year-old Pavel Abramov decided to turn his attention to other pets in need of his love and affection.

The precocious Russian artist started accepting online commissions for pet portraits and donates the proceeds from each masterpiece to a local animal shelter.

Ebola Eradicated

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was recently hit by an Ebola epidemic beginning in August 2018 - more than 3,400 have been infected since then, leading to 2,200 deaths.

Last week, the DRC released its final infected patient from the hospital, signaling a welcome end to the second-largest Ebola outbreak the world has ever seen.

Primary Care For Your Home

Home care can be overwhelming. It’s often hard to know where to start.

And that’s where we come in...
Like a primary care physician, Homepoint uses the latest technology to diagnose your home’s health, plan to optimize its condition, and get the necessary work done - all in a cost-effective manner.

Spend your time enjoying your home, not taking care of it.

Visit http://gohomepoint.com to learn more. Let us know the DONUT sent you and we’ll throw in an extra handyman hour for free!