The News Ensues

U.S. Intelligence Details Foreign Election Interference

On Friday, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, William Evanina, released an update on foreign attempts to influence the 2020 election. Evanina said that China and Iran appear to prefer that President Trump does not win reelection, while Russia has employed various measures to undermine Joe Biden’s candidacy. Read the full statement here (3-4 mins).

Thousands Protest In Beirut, Lebanon

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Beirut, Lebanon, this weekend to demand justice for last week’s massive explosion that killed at least 158 people and injured over 6,000. More than 700 people were injured, and one police officer died in Saturday’s massive protest, while a smaller, more peaceful event on Sunday drew hundreds of demonstrators.

More: Several countries pledged to deliver aid directly to the Lebanese people on Sunday, bypassing the country’s government.

U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Chinese Officials

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and ten other top officials from Hong Kong and mainland China. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions, which include Hong Kong’s police commissioner and several political secretaries, were used to target those undermining the region’s autonomy.

COVID Roundup: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo said schools can reopen in-person if their community infection rate remains low. | Princeton, Johns Hopkins, & Howard universities will hold all fall classes online. | The U.S. passed 5 million confirmed cases this weekend. Check your state’s ICU capacity.

Jobs Report Card

The U.S. economy gained 1.8 million new jobs last month as the unemployment rate fell to 10.2% from 11.1%, according to the July jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. July’s new jobs figure is lower than the previous two months (May: 2.5M, June: 4.8M), but well ahead of April (-20.8M).

More: Take a peek at five charts across the auto, restaurant, hotel, airline, and real estate industries that are tracking the economic recovery.

Star Wars

SpaceX launched 57 additional Starlink satellites into orbit on Friday, bringing the total number of ‘Starlinks’ in orbit to 595. In response to complaints from the astronomy community, all of the satellites launched in this batch have been fitted with a new visor aimed at reducing the brightness of the Sun’s reflection, though some scientists are not satisfied.

More: The U.S. Air Force on Friday awarded contracts worth billions of dollars to rocket builders United Launch Alliance (60%) and SpaceX (40%) to launch national security missions for five years starting in 2022.

The Rumor Mill:

• Amazon is reportedly in discussions with mall-owner Simon Property Group to turn closed Sears and J.C. Penney stores into Amazon fulfillment centers, per the WSJ.
• TikTok has reportedly held preliminary talks about a possible combination with Twitter (again reported by the WSJ).
• TikTok is reportedly planning to sue the Trump administration over the president’s executive order banning the app in the U.S., per NPR.

Worth Noting: The Mid-American Athletic Conference canceled all fall sports on Saturday, becoming the first major college football league to do so.

A Royal Reunion

When Gregory Dabice and Janet Fenner were crowned homecoming king and queen of their class at Montclair State University in 1992, they could not have been more different. Gregory was a raucous partier known for pulling goofy shenanigans with his fraternity, while Janet was a straight-A student and committed athlete who served in her sorority’s student government. Thus, following the homecoming ceremony, the two went their separate ways.

Last week, after reuniting on the Bumble dating app last year, Janice and Gregory got married – holding the ceremony on the same football field where they celebrated their homecoming coronation. The newlyweds, who enlisted the school’s mascot to serve as ring bearer, now share a family of nine children.

Hit The Ground Running

Jeremy Humphrey of McCall, ID, is deeply familiar with the woods of the nearby Valley County. The 41-year-old is an ultrarunner – an athlete who participates in races longer than a traditional marathon – and has spent years running, hiking, and climbing through the region’s rough wilderness. Thus, when Jeremy learned last month that a woman and her dog had been missing in the Valley County forest for a week, he felt confident that he could help find them.

On July 10th, Jeremy ran more than 20 miles up and down mountainous terrain, around lakes and through dense brush, calling the woman’s name until he finally found her. Although the woman and her dog had not eaten in four days, both suffered only minor sunburns and made a full recovery after being taken to the local fire station.

‘Show’ Me The Money!

Growing up, Virginia Sharp of Macon, GA, dreamed of being a model. However, her parents strongly disapproved of such a career path, encouraging Virginia to enter the medical field instead. As a result, Virginia eventually worked as a nurse for more than 30 years. Still, she never stopped loving fashion, and opened her own boutique in 2014. Thus, when the pandemic shutdowns mandated the closure of her storefront in March, Virginia acted quickly to keep her dream alive.

Every Friday evening, Virginia streams a live fashion show to advertise the clothes available at her store, Daemarii’s Unique Boutique. The virtual showcases, which each present a different theme – such as Yacht Party and Girl’s Trip – have caused demand for Virginia’s vestures to spread across the nation, saving the beloved boutique from closing for good.