The Final Frontier

Coronavirus Updates

Global confirmed cases rose to nearly 5.69 million yesterday, with more than 352,200 deaths. The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose above 1.725 million, with 100,572 deaths.

• A recent USA Today/Ipsos poll found 1 in 5 teachers surveyed would not return to the classroom if their school reopened in the fall. In a separate poll, 60% of parents said they are likely to continue online learning for their children if given the option.
• Brazil recorded the highest daily COVID-19 death toll in the world on Monday, with 807 deaths. The country has 374,898 confirmed cases, with 23,473 deaths.
• California will allow barbershops and hair salons to reopen in a majority of the state’s counties; on the East Coast, Long Island is easing restrictions on nonessential businesses starting today. See where your state stands on reopening here.

Four Officers Fired In George Floyd Case

Four Minneapolis police officers were fired yesterday for their involvement in the detainment and subsequent death of an unarmed man named George Floyd. A video of the incident was released Monday evening. The FBI, along with Minnesota state authorities, launched an investigation into Floyd's death on Tuesday.

**Warning - Graphic Content: The video in question can be seen here.

DOJ Drops Investigations Into Three Senators

The DOJ closed insider trading investigations into Senators Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), James M. Inhofe (R-OK), & Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on Tuesday. The investigations pertained to stock trades executed before the COVID-induced market downturn in mid-March, but all maintained their investment advisors made the trades without their knowledge. A separate investigation into similar allegations against Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) will continue.

More: It was previously discovered that Burr sold between $628K and $1.7 million in stock prior to the market downturn (Roll Call estimated Burr’s net worth was $1.7 million in 2018).

Even More: Burr temporarily stepped down as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on May 14 after the FBI seized his cellphone while executing a search warrant at his home the night before.

The Coronavirus Effect

• Vaccine company Novavax on Tuesday announced the beginning of Phase 1 clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Preliminary results from the trial are expected in two to three months.
• Amtrak is reportedly preparing to cut up to 20% of its 18,000-member workforce by the end of October.
• The DOJ is reportedly investigating whether the four largest meatpacking companies - who account for ~85% of the U.S. market - are conspiring to fix or manipulate prices. The cost of beef in supermarkets has recently spiked, despite a decrease in cattle prices.
• The TSA screened nearly 350,000 people in airports on Friday, more than triple the number of people present on April 28.

Max’d Out

HBO Max will be available to consumers starting today for a price of $14.99 per month, making it the most expensive streaming service within its competitive set. HBO Max grants users access to the entire AT&T catalog of content, which includes HBO, TNT, TBS, and Warner Bros.

More: AT&T will automatically upgrade the millions of HBO Now subscribers to HBO Max for the same monthly fee ($14.99).

Pick Up The Pieces

UK aerospace company Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket booster was terminated after it failed an initial test flight intended to deliver a dummy satellite payload into orbit. A company spokesperson said the test failed due to an undetermined anomaly, but there was a “treasure trove” of flight instrument data for engineers to sift through to identify its source.

More: The LauncherOne was carried into low orbit (then released) by a custom Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl.

Check Yo’ Self

North Carolina resident Antonio Hernandez was taking out the trash at the car wash where he worked when he spotted what looked like a check among the other garbage, lying next to a bill with the recipient’s address.

As it turns out, Antonio had found an accidentally-discarded stimulus check belonging to one Charles Thompson. Antonio enlisted his wife and daughter to do a little sleuthing and track down Charles after they discovered the check had been mailed to his previous address.

Her Father’s Daughter

Last week, we covered native Texan Julio Segura, who made a 1,100-mile round-trip in a single day to buy lunch for his daughter on her birthday. Today, we’re bringing you the story of a daughter from India who transported her injured father hundreds of miles across the country.

Jyoti Kumari’s father was recovering from injuries suffered in an accident when the COVID-19 lockdown began on March 25. The two quickly ran out of money to buy food and supplies, prompting Jyoti to embark on an incredible 745-mile journey with her father to seek treatment in Delhi.

2020 Vision

Although they are unable to personally interact with their students, bus drivers from Ohio’s Loveland School District managed to pass a congratulatory message to their 392 graduating seniors last week.

With the help of six other drivers, Lisa Moorhead spent about 3-and-a-half hours arranging a fleet of 22 buses to spell out “2020,” even enlisting the school’s art teacher to fly over the area with a drone to examine her handiwork.

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