Sunny Side Up

Protest & Coronavirus Updates

Global cases rose to nearly 11.54 million yesterday (up ~760k from Thursday), with nearly 536,300 deaths (up ~18.5k). The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to nearly 2.98 million (up ~210k), with 132,549 confirmed deaths (up ~1.8k). See how cases are changing in your state.

• Protestors in Baltimore, Maryland toppled a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it in the harbor on Saturday night.
• Four recent polls suggest that 15 million to 26 million people participated in protests following the death of George Floyd. This would make the BLM movement the largest in U.S. history.
• England reopened pubs on Saturday with social-distancing rules. The next day, a top UK police official said it was “crystal clear” that drunk people would not adhere to social distancing protocols.
• Spain reimposed restrictions on ~210,000 people in its eastern region of Catalonia on Saturday. The country also locked down ~70,000 people in the northwestern region of Galicia on Sunday.
• California denied Santa Clara County’s reopening plan that would have allowed most businesses to resume operations. See how all 50 states are reopening.

President Trump’s Independence Day Address

President Trump gave an Independence Day address from the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday. You can view the full speech here.

Landslide Kills Hundreds In Myanmar

At least 200 people were killed in a jade mine landslide in Myanmar on Thursday. The disaster was caused by a collapsing wall that had weakened due to heavy rainfall from the annual monsoons.

More: Myanmar produces ~70% of the world’s jade, with most of it exported across the border to China. Read more here.

Protests & The Coronavirus Effect

• Take a peek at five charts across the auto, restaurant, hotel, airline, and real estate industries that are tracking the economic recovery.
• Instacart has raised another $100 million per Axios (in addition to $225 million announced last month), bringing its valuation to $13.8 billion.
• JPMorgan analyzed data from 30 million Chase cardholders and found that in-person restaurant spending appears to predict a rise in COVID-19 cases three weeks later, though the surge in cases can be attributed to a medley of reasons.
• Walmart is converting 160 of its parking lots across the U.S. into drive-in movie theaters.
• In the world of sports:
  • MLB players reported to their clubs to begin ‘spring’ training on Friday. The first games are set for July 23, with the entire schedule to be released later today.
  • The NFL’s Washington Redskins and MLB’s Cleveland Indians are re-considering their respective names.

Pipe Dream

Duke Energy and Dominion Energy officially canceled the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a proposed $8 billion natural gas pipeline that would have run through WV, VA, and NC. Separately, Dominion announced the sale of its natural-gas transmission and storage network to Berkshire Hathaway for $9.7 billion including debt.

Satellite State

The British government was declared the winning bidder of bankrupt satellite company OneWeb at a New York auction on Friday. The $1 billion+ rescue bid - which was made through a consortium involving India’s Bharti Global - features a $500 million pledge from the UK government for a reported 20% stake.

More: Similar to SpaceX’s Starlink initiative, OneWeb is in the process of launching a satellite network to beam high-speed, low-latency internet down to Earth.

The Golden Years

When Jennifer and Steve Hetterschuidt of Oakland, TN, adopted a 14-year-old golden retriever named August in 2014, the dog had spent the first 14 years of her life in and out of shelters and foster homes. Since the average lifespan of the golden retriever breed is 12 to 14 years, Jennifer and Steve assumed that they would only get to spend a short time with their aged ‘Augie.’

On April 24th, 2020, August celebrated her 20th birthday, making her the oldest living dog of her breed – and the 19th oldest dog in the world. Despite her early-stage kidney problems and wobbly legs, the persistent pooch continues to live a happy life, taking long walks and playing fetch with her family's other dogs.

Start Spreading The News

Since the pandemic began, NYC has been a shell of its former self as commuters and entertainers remain indoors. After coming to a jarring halt in March, ‘The City That Never Sleeps’ has been eerily subdued, as flashing lights and breathtaking billboards perform for sullen streets.

Resolved to restore the Big Apple's vibrancy, image sharing company Shutterfly mounted billboards in the city's busiest intersections that displayed young children's drawings thanking frontline workers for their service. The children, who submitted the artwork through Shutterfly's #CreateThanks social media campaign, were awed by the surprise unveiling of the compassionate display.

Livin’ La Vida Loca

In his day job, construction contractor Ed Astrid of Orange County, CA, realizes his clients' ambitions by completing desired improvements to their homes. Although Ed continued to work full-time when the quarantine began, his extra hours at home convinced him to focus on fulfilling his dream renovations.

Over the past three months, the ecstatic Ed constructed a fully-functioning miniature coffee shop in the corner of his backyard using discarded materials from his construction worksites. Lovingly labeled "La Vida," Ed's elaborate pet project features a coffee counter, seating area, and a gaming section.