100 Days

COVID-19 Snapshot

• Check your state’s ICU bed capacity.
• Major virus news: The CDC changed its guidance on isolating COVID-19 patients, now recommending ten days of isolation after symptoms first appear (down from two weeks).

Protests Continue Across U.S.

Protests against racial injustice continued in at least eight major locales over the weekend. Local police in Seattle and Portland declared riots Saturday night due to ongoing public safety risks. Tense situations also unfolded in Austin, TX (where a man was shot and killed), and in Louisville, KY (where two armed militia groups converged but avoided violence).

China Orders U.S. Consulate To Close

On Friday, Beijing ordered the U.S. consulate in Chengdu to shut down within 72 hours. The retaliatory move comes after the U.S. ordered China’s Houston consulate to close last week after accusing its diplomats of stealing data.

More: Singaporean national Jun Wei “Dickson” Yeo pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to spying in the U.S. for China. How he used LinkedIn to hunt for targets.

Even More: The FBI arrested UC Davis researcher Juan Tang - who took refuge in the Chinese consulate in San Francisco - for visa fraud on Friday.

Worth Noting: Hurricane Hanna, the first of the 2020 Atlantic storm season, made landfall in south Texas Saturday night.

Also Worth Noting: Regis Philbin - the longtime TV host of programs “Live with Regis and Kelly!” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” - passed away on Friday at age 88.

The Coronavirus Effect

• McDonald’s will require all U.S. customers to wear masks within its restaurants starting this Friday (Aug. 1).
• Take a peek at five charts across the auto, restaurant, hotel, airline, and real estate industries that are tracking the economic recovery.
• The retail industry has been hit especially hard by the pandemic. The retailers that have filed for bankruptcy in 2020.

Garmin’s Margins

Sport and fitness tech giant Garmin is experiencing an ongoing global outage reportedly caused by a ransomware attack. Per TechCrunch, the incident began late last Wednesday and continued through the weekend and into Monday, causing disruption to the company’s online services for millions of users. In a brief update, Garmin said it had “no indication” that the breach has affected user data.

Blank Space

The U.S. Space Force debuted its official logo - a skyward-pointing delta shape containing Polaris, the North Star - on Friday, to go along with the seal it unveiled back in January.  The newest American military branch also announced a motto: “Semper Supra” (“always above”).

More: Go behind the scenes of Space Force and America’s fight for superiority in the space arms race.

Worth Noting: Rivian has begun a pilot production run at its plant in Normal, IN. The company said deliveries of its R1T electric pickup truck will begin in June 2021.

One(sie) Shining Moment

When Sydnee Geril of Ocala, FL, began receiving chemotherapy for rare bone cancer in 2017, she discovered that the strenuous treatment caused her to faint frequently. To avoid using a wheelchair, Sydnee adopted Tulsa, a German Shepherd who warns her owner before she loses consciousness. However, when the pandemic hit in March, Sydnee had to be quarantined from Tulsa for fear that her service dog’s fur could transmit the virus to her weak immune system.

In May, Sydnee and Tulsa were reunited after the 25-year-old purchased a onesie for her canine companion that minimizes shedding and thus decreases the dog’s chances of spreading the virus. The two-year-old Tulsa, who wears booties on her feet for additional safety, boosts Sydnee’s confidence and health with her presence.

Mask, And You Shall Receive

As businesses and government systems around the country increasingly encourage the use of face masks in public spaces and essential stores, one group of people has been largely overlooked – those experiencing homelessness. These members of the population, who rely on public places for shelter but do not have access to masks, are especially vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19.

In response to this lack of personal protective equipment, the clothing brand Hanes is donating 1 million face masks to homeless communities across America. Hanes, which distributes the coverings in cooperation with the homelessness advocacy group, Invisible People, also launched the social media campaign #MaskAround to encourage young people to follow social distancing measures.

Half Of My Heart

Ever since they first met, best friends Thomas Cook and Joseph Feeney of Elk Mound, WI, have shared almost everything, from stories to meals to vacations. The two fishing buddies are so committed to making memories together that in 1992 they committed to a fantastical pact: if either of them ever won the Powerball lottery, they would evenly split the winnings.

Thomas kept his promise last month when, after 28 years of each man buying a weekly lottery ticket, he won the $22 million Wisconsin Powerball jackpot and gave half of the money to Joseph. The inseparable pals, who each received $5.7 million after taxes, plan to use a portion of their winnings to enjoy a road trip together.