September Slumber

Lebanon Names New Prime Minister

Lebanese President Michel Aoun appointed Mustapha Adib, the ambassador to Germany, as the country’s new prime minister on Monday. Adib’s predecessor, Hassan Diab, resigned along with his cabinet shortly after a massive explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4 that killed at least 190 people.

Hotel Rwanda Hero Arrested

Paul Rusesabagina - portrayed in the film Hotel Rwanda as a hero who housed 1,200 minority Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide - was arrested by the Rwandan government and charged with financing terrorism, arson, kidnapping, and murder. Rusesabagina, a well-known critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, has denied the charges.

More: Rusesabagina is accused of collaborating with the National Liberation Front group to attack Rwanda’s southern border shared with Burundi. For a deeper dive into the region's humanitarian crisis (specifically Burundi), check out the DONUT’s Helping Hands: Burundi.

Baltic States Sanction Belarus Officials

The Baltic EU members - Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania - announced sanctions against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and 29 other high-ranking government officials on Monday. The sanctions are part of a coordinated effort from the countries to support ongoing domestic protests stemming from alleged election fraud.

Worth Noting: A federal court of appeals on Monday rejected Michael Flynn’s request for his criminal case to be dropped. Go deeper: Right-Center | Left-Center.

🏀 Former Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson, who in 1984 became the first Black head coach to win an NCAA basketball title, passed away at 78.

✈️ Fight Or Flight… the first commercial flight to the UAE from Israel took off from Tel Aviv and landed in Abu Dhabi on Monday. (On board the historic flight)

🪁 Human Flight IS Possible… a runaway kite lifted a 3-year-old girl ~30 feet into the air at a festival in Taiwan (she was brought back to the ground safely - here’s the video).

Taking Stock

All three major U.S. stock indexes posted their best month since April, turning in a fifth consecutive month of gains. The S&P 500 rose 35% over that period, its largest five-month percentage gain since 1938.

More: According to Bank of America, the market cap of the U.S. tech sector ($9.1T) has exceeded that of the entire European stock market ($8.9T).

Amazon Drones On

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday granted Amazon approval to operate its fleet of Prime Air delivery drones in the U.S. Amazon said in a statement that it isn’t ready to immediately deploy Prime Air package deliveries at scale, but will continue actively flying and testing the technology.

Change Of Heart (Pt. 2)

American and Delta announced the elimination of domestic change fees on Monday, one day after a similar announcement from United. The three companies - which collected a combined $2.27B in change fees last year - had already eliminated such fees through the end of the year due to the pandemic.

Worth Noting: Stock splits for Apple (4-to-1) and Tesla (5-to-1) took effect Monday morning. Apple shares rose 3.4% on the day, while Tesla shares jumped 13%.

🕒 TikTok O’Clock… ByteDance has reportedly chosen a bidder for TikTok’s U.S., New Zealand, and Australian businesses, and could announce the sale as early as today.

🧾 Tax Relaxed… the payroll tax deferral begins today. What that means for your paycheck.

Be Our Guest

Before the pandemic hit, Tyler and Melanie Tapajna of Parma, OH, had spent months planning an impressive summer wedding, inviting 150 people to the ceremony. In July, with large gatherings strictly regulated by COVID-19 safety measures, Tyler and Melanie resolved to forego their initial plan and instead marry in a small ceremony with close family – the only issue was the pre-ordered catering for more than 100 guests.

On August 15th, following their intimate nuptials, Tyler and Melanie donated the food prepared for their wedding to Laura’s Home, a Cleveland-based nonprofit that provides meals and housing to homeless women and children. The benevolent bride and groom went directly from their ceremony to the nonprofit’s cafeteria and, still wearing their wedding dress and tuxedo, served the residents' meals.

Second Chance U

When Hector Guadalupe was released from federal prison following a 10-year sentence for drug trafficking, he struggled to find a job, discovering that many employers are hesitant to hire formerly incarcerated people. Thus, Hector, who utilized physical fitness to stay focused and optimistic during his time in prison, decided to exercise his freedom by becoming his own boss.

In 2012, Hector founded A Second U Foundation, a nonprofit that offers fitness training certification programs to formerly incarcerated individuals to help them achieve employment. Over the past eight years, Hector’s organization has certified more than 200 successful graduates, offering the former inmates livable wages and a promising future.

He Bought A Zoo

Ever since he was four-years-old, Martin Blyth of Worcestershire, England, has dreamed of creating a zoo without bars, where animals can roam free without the limitations of isolated habitats. However, until recently, Martin’s vision remained just a fantasy – until the 28-year-old quit his job and sold his house to fund the project.

Now, the former private school teacher follows his passion as the proud director of the Heart of England Wildlife Park, a safari-style attraction dedicated to wildlife education and conservation. The park, set to open its first exhibits in Spring 2021, will house approximately 300 animals and allow visitors to stroll among sprawling enclosures safely.

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