Weekend Warriors

Protest & Coronavirus Updates

Global cases rose to nearly 9.67 million yesterday (up ~160k from yesterday), with over 488,900 deaths (up ~5.1k). The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to nearly 2.50 million (up ~40k), with 124,852 confirmed deaths (up ~617).

• The Government Accountability Office reported on Thursday that the U.S. Treasury delivered $1.4 billion worth of stimulus checks to more than 1 million dead Americans.
• The CDC expanded its list of who is most at risk for COVID-19 to include younger people with obesity and other medical conditions.
• NASCAR released a picture of the ‘noose’ found in Bubba Wallace’s garage. View it here.
• The House passed a sweeping police reform bill late Thursday in a 236-181 vote - largely along party lines.
• An NYPD officer was arrested and charged with illegally using a chokehold, becoming the first cop prosecuted under the new state law banning its use.

Supreme Court Immigration Decision

The Supreme Court sided with the Trump Administration on Thursday, authorizing the deportation of immigrants without an appeal if they are discovered less than 100 miles from the border within two weeks of entering. The 7-2 decision means that asylum-seekers whose initial claims are denied cannot appeal the decision to a federal court.

Senate Targets China’s HK Security Law

The Senate passed a sanctions bill by unanimous consent yesterday, targeting people or companies that back China’s proposed national security law. The bill also imposes mandatory sanctions against banks that do business with individuals or companies that support the legislation.

More: Beijing’s new national security law 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.

The Coronavirus Effect

• Another ~1.5 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, roughly the same as the week before. Continuing claims fell by ~800k to 19.52 million.
• Apple will temporarily close 14 stores in Florida due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. The company re-closed seven stores in the Houston, TX, area on Wednesday.
• Chuck E. Cheese filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, citing closures due to COVID-19.

Wire Fraud Pt. 2

German payments firm Wirecard filed for insolvency Thursday after an audit revealed ~$2.1 billion in cash on the company’s balance sheet had gone missing. On Monday, Wirecard confirmed the money - which represented about one-quarter of its balance sheet - was missing, and CEO Markus Braun turned himself in to German authorities.

Ticket To Glide

Virgin Galactic successfully completed the second test of its VSS Unity spacecraft on Thursday. The craft was taken up to the stratosphere and then released by a modified Boeing 747 (called VSS Eve), after which the Unity performed an unpowered glide flight down to Earth. The spacecraft - which hopes to eventually carry tourists to the edge of space - will carry out a powered test flight later this year.

More space news: Elon Musk showed off two of SpaceX’s massive Starship fuel tanks yesterday (photo).

Beat The Heat

Don Rosario has sold paletas – a type of Mexican ice pop – on the East Side of Chicago for more than 50 years. Now seventy years old, Rosario has rolled his refrigerated cart past parks and outdoor parties each day since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

When Rosario pushed his cart by Michelangelo Mosqueda’s family gathering last Sunday morning, the group bought all of his remaining paletas - allowing him to escape the heat and return home for Father’s Day. The family also launched a GoFundMe campaign to support Rosario’s retirement, raising $40,000 for the venerable vendor in just one day.

The Man In The Hero Mask

After his mother Lynda passed away from cancer in 2009, Yuri Williams, a youth corrections officer in LA, entered a period of immense grief. Seeking an escape from his inner turmoil, Yuri decided to start wearing a mask – long before anyone had heard of COVID-19.

Dressed as comic book superheroes Spiderman or Deadpool, Yuri visits children battling cancer in hospitals around the country through his non-profit organization, A Future Superhero and Friends. This real-life superhero, who has uplifted sick children in all 50 states, also delivers groceries and clothing to the homeless.

Lost & Found

Over the past three years, Debi Blaney of Washington, D.C., and her dog, Finn, have become inseparable. Sticking through a cross-country move, a divorce, and the onset of a pandemic, the faithful Finn has always been by Debi’s side - until one day in May, when Finn ran away.

Following a community-wide search effort, Finn was found and reunited with Debi a week after his disappearance. The campaign to find the canine, which involved hundreds of fliers and phone calls, united an army of sympathetic neighbors, students, and spiritual leaders.

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