The Game Is On

Coronavirus Updates

Global cases rose above 7.44 million yesterday, with over 418,000 deaths. The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to nearly 2.07 million, with 115,115 confirmed deaths.

• The EU will lift its border restrictions for international travelers starting July 1.
• The U.S. government announced plans to fund and conduct studies on three experimental COVID-19 vaccines this summer. The studies will begin with Moderna’s candidate in July, then AstraZeneca’s in August, and finally Johnson & Johnson’s in September.
• Arizona’s Department of Health Services told hospitals to activate their emergency plans - which includes suspending elective surgeries and increasing bed capacities - as the state continues to see a rise in COVID-19 cases. See how cases are changing in your state.
• The U.S. government recorded a $1.88 trillion deficit through the first eight months of the 2020 budget year - already the largest annual shortfall in American history.

Georgia To Investigate Voting Issues

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger yesterday announced an investigation into widespread voting issues in Tuesday’s primary. Voters in two Atlanta counties reportedly faced hours-long lines due to problems with new voting machines and a lack of available ballots.

South Korea Cracks Down On Leaflets

South Korea on Wednesday said it will press charges against two defector activist groups for sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea. The move comes a day after North Korea threatened to sever all communication with South Korea due to the leaflets.

More: For years, South Korean defector activist groups have flown hot-air balloons over North Korea to drop pamphlets that criticize leader Kim Jong Un for his oppressive regime.

Protests & The Coronavirus Effect

• The Federal Reserve released a statement after the conclusion of its Wednesday meeting. Here’s what changed from their last statement.
• Starbucks said it expects to lose more than $3 billion in revenue in its fiscal quarter ending June 28.
• NASCAR on Wednesday banned the display of Confederate flags at all of the company’s events and properties.
• Simon Property Group announced plans to terminate its $3.6 billion deal to acquire fellow landlord Taubman Centers, citing COVID-19 concerns. Taubman is expected to contest the termination.

Join The Grub Club

Grubhub will merge with European food delivery company Just Eat Takeaway.com, both companies announced on Wednesday. The deal - which values Grubhub at roughly $7.3 billion - is expected to close by the end of Q1 2021.

More: For the past year, Grubhub has held off-and-on merger talks with Uber. According to CNBC, the ride-hailing service ultimately pulled out of the potential deal Wednesday morning due to antitrust concerns.

Even More: Here’s a breakdown of the U.S. meal delivery industry by market share: Doordash - 42%, Grubhub - 28%, Uber Eats - 20%, Postmates - 9%.

Face/Off

Amazon implemented a one-year ban on police use of Rekognition - its facial recognition technology - on Wednesday. The company said it hopes the one-year moratorium will give Congress enough time to implement stronger regulations governing the ethical use of the technology.

More: The move comes a day after IBM CEO Arvind Krishna in a letter to Congress said the company will no longer offer, develop, or research facial recognition technology.

Some Good News

Greg Dailey has woken up at 4 a.m. every day for the past 25 years to work his second job delivering newspapers. Since stay-at-home orders forced the closure of his frame shop, his newspaper route through East Windsor, New Jersey, has become his primary source of income.

After an 88-year-old customer asked him to deliver the paper closer to her front door for fear of exposure to the virus, Greg realized that he could provide more than periodicals. Over the past two months, Greg has made over 500 trips to the grocery store for elderly patrons along his route, distributing the food to customers for free.

Loyal To The Red White & Blue

When Corporal Byung Kang of the U.S. Marines was stationed in Afghanistan in 2011, he volunteered to work as an IED detection dog handler, partnering with a black Labrador named Blue. Throughout 300 combat missions, the courageous canine saved Byung and his fellow servicemen from countless deadly IED blasts.

When Byung and Blue parted ways, the marine promised to give the heroic hound the comfortable life she deserved. He fulfilled his word six years later by adopting the retired military dog, who has since been honored for her service by the United States War Dogs Association.

Hearts & Crafts

To give his daughter a break from sheltering in place, Tom Rutledge of Simsbury, Connecticut, took her for a tour of his company’s nearby woodshop. Inspired by the workplace, the 10-year-old Macy declared that she wanted to use her father’s machinery to make a sign thanking essential workers for their service during the pandemic.

When Tom’s family placed Macy’s heart-shaped creation in their front yard, requests from neighbors poured in, asking for a sign of their own. The Rutledge family has made nearly 1,000 of the supportive symbols to date, raising $11,000 for MakerspaceCT, an organization that 3D-prints face shields for local medical facilities.

Prowess Project

Are you too busy with the daily “fire drills” to tackle your to-do list? Prowess Project helps companies get stuff done by harnessing the skills of women. We have tapped into a pool of 3+ million “MBA moms” who have taken time off to raise a family and want to get back into the workforce. Prowess Project certifies this educated, experienced talent in project management, the latest technology and emotional intelligence. The untapped (wo)manpower then is matched with companies to provide skilled, vetted talent at a lower cost.

So, how can we help? We specialize in:

Business operations

Sales workflow build outs

Social media & content marketing

Project management

… and much, much more. Want info? Contact us.

OR, have a mom in mind who would like to join our talent pool? Send her here.