Playing Catch-Up

COVID-19 Snapshot

• Fourteen states reported ICU bed capacity above 70% on Friday, led by Rhode Island (83%), Georgia (81.5%), and Arizona (81.3%). Check out your state.
• Major virus news: The WHO on Sunday reported the highest global daily COVID-19 case increase thus far.

Trump Commutes Sentence Of Roger Stone

President Trump commuted the sentence of Roger Stone - a longtime GOP operative - on Friday, days before he was set to begin serving a 40-month jail sentence. A jury last fall found Stone guilty of seven charges related to supplying lawmakers with false statements in connection with the Mueller report.

More: On Sunday, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he will ask Robert Mueller to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first time since last year.

Protests Continue In Eastern Russia

On Sunday, thousands gathered for the second straight day in eastern Russia to protest President Vladimir Putin’s decision to arrest Sergei Furgal, the region’s governor. Furgal - who defeated a Kremlin-backed opponent in 2018 - was detained and flown to Moscow last Thursday in connection with his alleged involvement in a series of murders 15 years ago, which he has denied.

More: Last month, Russian citizens overwhelmingly voted to approve constitutional changes that could keep President Vladimir Putin in power until 2036.

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.
• Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopened in Orlando, FL, on Saturday, with temperature checks for guests and a mandatory mask policy in place.
• The FDA expanded the list of hand sanitizers that it recommends U.S. consumers avoid due to the potential presence of toxic chemicals.

TikTok O’Clock

Early Friday morning, Amazon sent an email to thousands of employees ordering them to delete the TikTok app from all mobile devices that can access company email. Amazon later that day reversed course, saying the original email “was sent in error” and that the company had not changed its policy regarding TikTok.

More: Over the weekend, Wells Fargo instructed company employees to remove TikTok from all company devices due to privacy concerns.

Picking Up Some Cash

Electric pickup-truck startup Rivian announced a $2.5 billion funding round led by T. Rowe Price, featuring several newcomers in addition to existing investors. The money will help the EV startup compete with Nikola and Tesla as it plans to launch three new models in 2021, including delivery vans (as part of a contract with Amazon) and a fully-electric pickup.

More: The company’s first two models, a pickup & SUV, were expected later this year but have been delayed due to supply-chain disruptions stemming from the pandemic.

Dog Days

When Tim Livesey of Henderson, NV, adopted his three Australian cattle dogs, they had each been dealt a challenging lot in life. Bella, 7, was left abandoned in a cardboard box by her owner as a puppy. Bonnie, 3, was deaf and had been rejected by her owner. Bolt, 2, was born with a broken tail, making him worthless to his breeder.

United by Tim’s affectionate acceptance, the dogs are now living life to the fullest, enjoying daily 7-mile walks and weekend hikes through Nevada’s rugged terrain. To prepare for their adventures, Tim outfits his dogs with specialized gear to accommodate for their safety (photos).

Rent Control

Since graduating from college in 2011, Todd Burkemper of Wentzville, Missouri, has stringently supervised his finances, balancing his house, car, and student loan payments on a tight budget. Thus, when he let his younger brother, Alex, move into his house with him in 2017, the endlessly economical Todd asked his sibling to pay rent.

In May, after Alex closed on his own house, Todd revealed that he had secretly deposited each rent payment into a savings account. He had also added some of his own money so that Alex could afford the down payment on his first home. In a YouTube video shared by the siblings’ mother, the awed Alex tearfully accepts Todd’s gracious gift.

Stranger Than Fiction

Mandy Perry of Kingsburg, CA, was four months pregnant with her son, Kaleb, when doctors detected that the baby had prune belly syndrome. This rare disease affects the urinary tract and can cause kidney failure. Despite undergoing five surgeries on the affected organs in utero, doctors determined that Kaleb would need a kidney transplant to survive.

After sharing a desperate plea for an organ donor for Kaleb on Facebook, Mandy was contacted by a complete stranger (a 35-year-old mom of three named Susie LeRoy) who matched the baby’s blood type. Last summer, the selfless Susie successfully donated her kidney to Kaleb - and this month marks the completion of the healthy Kaleb’s first full year since the transplant.