🎵 They’re Playing Basketball 🎵

COVID-19 Snapshot

• Check your state’s ICU bed capacity.
• Major virus news: In separate interviews yesterday, Dr. Anthony Fauci and former FDA Commissioner Doug Gottlieb (who served under President Trump) both said hydroxychloroquine is not effective in treating COVID-19 a day after Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube removed a viral video promoting the drug. (More to come: Tomorrow we’ll take a deep dive into what the science and data says on hydroxychloroquine.)

Federal Agent Deployment Update

The Trump administration reached an agreement with Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) on a “phased withdrawal” of Customs and Border Protection and ICE officers brought into Portland in recent weeks, though agents from the U.S. Marshal service will remain. Separately, the DOJ announced an expansion of Operation Legend, and will send dozens of federal agents to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee due to their “disturbing increases in violent crime, particularly homicides.”

Pentagon Plans German Troop Withdrawal

Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday announced plans to withdraw roughly one-third of the 36,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in Germany. Nearly 5,600 troops would be sent to other NATO countries, with the other ~6,400 returning to the U.S. President Trump said the move was due to Germany failing to pay its fair share of NATO fees, though Esper and other Pentagon officials maintained the move was strategic. The major military move - which officials projected would cost $6B to $8B and take years to complete - requires Congressional approval to enact.

Worth Noting: Speaker Nancy Pelosi imposed a mandatory mask order for the House floor on Wednesday after Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) tested positive for COVID-19.

Also Worth Noting: Malik Abdul Bassit (known as Malik B.), a rapper and founding member of The Roots, passed away at the age of 47.

The Coronavirus Effect

• Kodak’s market capitalization rose above $2 billion during trading Wednesday (compared to ~$115M at Monday’s close) after the company disclosed a ~$750M loan from the U.S. government to produce drug ingredients on Tuesday.
• The Federal Reserve decided to leave interest rates unchanged following the conclusion of its two-day meeting on Wednesday. (Full statement)
• The FDA granted Quest Diagnostics emergency use authorization to use a new testing technique the company says will reduce average turnaround times to 2-3 days.

NASA’s Window Of Opportunity

NASA is set to launch its $2.7B mission to Mars from Cape Canaveral, FL, this morning. The two-hour launch window will begin at 7:50 a.m. EDT. The mission’s objective is to seek signs of ancient life on Mars that can be packaged and sent back to Earth for the first time. Watch the livestream.

The Last Dance?

Per Reuters, ByteDance - who owns TikTok - has received a takeover bid from existing investors seeking a controlling share of the privately-owned company (which the offer values at ~$50B). Separately, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed the social media app is being reviewed by the department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which will make a recommendation to the president.

Worth Noting: A Reuters investigative report found that Rite Aid deployed facial recognition systems in 200 U.S. stores over the past eight years - largely in lower-income, predominantly minority neighborhoods in LA & NYC.

Also worth noting: Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram permanently deactivated the accounts of high-profile British rapper Wiley after he posted a series of anti-Semitic messages last week.

Best Friends Forever

When Odin Frost and Jordan Granberry met on the first day of kindergarten in the early 2000s, neither of them could walk or talk, so they bit and pinched each other as their first greeting. Odin was non-verbal autistic, and Jordan had experienced brain damage due to complications at birth. Each of the boys had only a two percent chance of surviving past early-childhood.

On June 16th, Odin and Jordan, who have best friends since the day they met, graduated from high school together. Over the years, the two boys have developed nonverbal ways of playing and communicating, sticking by each other’s side as they defied doctors’ expectations and reached new milestones.

I’d Be De-Lighted To

Karuppu Raja, a college student in Pothakudi, India, has flipped the switchboard for his community’s streetlights on each evening and off every morning since he was a child, controlling the illumination for a region of about 100 houses. However, one afternoon in early June, Karuppu noticed a bird flying back and forth from the switchboard and found that the Indian robin had built a nest with three eggs in the control center.

Worried that turning on the lighting system would destroy the mother bird’s home, Karuppu convinced his neighbors to go without streetlights for 35 days until the nest was abandoned. Although the other community members were initially skeptical of the sacrifice, they quickly embraced the effort as they grew to adore the baby birds.

Like Riding A Bike

World War II veteran Thomas Kemp of Poole, England, has long attributed his longevity and overall good health to his love for the open road. Thomas is a lifelong biking fanatic who acquired his first motorcycle as a teenager and often rode his choice choppers to work when he served as a farm equipment repairman. Nevertheless, due to his age, the 93-year-old finally had to give up riding for good – or so he thought.

Thomas recently bought a TGA Supersport – a mobility scooter that looks like a classic Harley Davidson motorcycle. Clad in his old army shorts (which miraculously still fit), the vivacious veteran now makes frequent joyrides to the local seafront and boasts that his new wheels make him feel 50 years younger.

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