Every Vote Counts

DOJ Labels Three Cities “Anarchist Jurisdictions”

The Justice Department on Sunday labeled New York City, Portland, and Seattle “anarchist jurisdictions,” targeting them to lose federal funding. The move comes a month after President Trump released a memo asking the DOJ to identify cities “permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction.” NY AG Letitia Jones said she is planning to challenge the Trump administration’s move in court.

NYPD Officer Charged With Spying for China

NYPD officer Baimadajie Angwang was arrested in Long Island on Monday and charged with acting as an illegal Chinese government agent. Federal prosecutors accuse Angwang of monitoring the activities of ethnic Tibetans in New York on behalf of China.

Botswana Solves Mystery of Mass Elephant Deaths

On Monday, Botswana announced that toxins produced by cyanobacteria found in seasonal pans (water sources) killed roughly 330 elephants in the Saronga area this year. Officials from Botswana, which is home to some 130,000 elephants, said the unexplained deaths stopped once the pans dried up.

More: Botswana is home to 130,000 elephants, approximately one-third of the world’s total elephant population and more than any other African country.

Worth Noting: New York City resumed in-person schooling on Monday, with up to 90k children of the city’s pre-K and advanced disability students reporting to the classroom.

Also Worth Noting: The late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, becoming the first woman in history to do so.

🚀 To Infinity and Beyond… the U.S. Space Force is sending a squadron to Qatar, its first deployment outside the U.S.

Microsoft Goes To The Max

Microsoft will acquire video game developer Bethesda Softworks - creator of popular titles such as Doom, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls - as part of a larger acquisition of ZeniMax Media for $7.5B. The deal marks the company’s first major move since failed talks over the summer to buy parts of TikTok, though analysts said the ZeniMax deal was probably long in the making.

The View From Halfway Down

Viewership of Sunday’s 72nd Emmy Awards fell 11% year-over-year, according to preliminary ratings from Nielsen, continuing the downward viewership trend of major award shows in 2020. Even before the pandemic, the Oscars and Grammys saw historically low ratings.

The Holy Grail

Grail, a biotech company spun-off from genetic sequencing giant Illumina in 2016, is being re-acquired by Illumina in a $8B deal announced Monday morning. Illumina, which currently owns 14.5% of Grail’s outstanding shares, originally invested $100M in the spinoff, which would go on to raise about $2B in funding from other sources.

🔋 Battery Flattery… Tesla’s “Battery Day” presentation is scheduled for this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET. Watch here.

🏈 What Happens In Vegas… the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders debuted their new $1.9B stadium, nicknamed the ‘Death Star,’ on Monday Night Football. Check it out.

Bonus Read: Per the WSJ, Quibi is exploring several strategic options, including a possible sale, following struggles since its April launch.

Joy Ride

When Kerry Wiles of Nashville, TN, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, she felt the need to reevaluate what was important in her life. Kerry, who already had a busy schedule working full-time as a scientist with the Cooperative Human Tissue Network at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, decided that she wanted to restructure her time to make more meaningful connections with others in her community. So she took on a side gig as a rideshare driver.

Over the past two years, Kerry has spent her weekends driving for Lyft, using the earnings from her rides to make lunches for Nashville’s homeless population. With the help of 24-year-old Ryan Caldwell, a former rider turned best friend, the selfless scientist provides approximately 100 sandwiches to those in need every Saturday and Sunday.

Amazin’ Emma Zen

In 2017, a four-month-old Great Dane and Labrador retriever mix was rescued from a wildfire in Southern California by firefighters and taken to a shelter in Anaheim to be reclaimed by her family. However, the poor puppy’s owners never showed up to take her home, which meant she would have to be put up for adoption.

The deserted dog’s luck changed when she was adopted by Debra Chiapuzio, a tattoo artist who works with burn victims. Over the past three years, Debra and the puppy – who Debra named Emma Zen – have led the Emma Zen Foundation, an organization that donates pet oxygen masks to fire departments. The foundation has donated more than 7,500 masks to date, used across the country to resuscitate dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and even an iguana.

Chain Reaction

On September 3rd, a man swimming in the surf at a beach in Dorset, England, was pulled away from the coastline by a strong undercurrent and was unable to return to the shore. When passersby back on the sand noticed the man thrashing his arms from beyond large, crashing waves, they were unsure whether he was waving in greeting or calling for help. Within moments, it was clear that the stranded swimmer was in a dire situation.

That was when 20 brave beachgoers ran into the tumultuous water to assist the man, with some attempting to swim out past the roaring waves to retrieve the struggling swimmer. After multiple failed solo attempts, the heroic group formed a human chain that stretched far into the surf, finally reaching the man and bringing him safely to shore. (Video)

Primary Care For Your Home

Home care can be overwhelming. It’s often hard to know where to start.

And that’s where we come in...
Like a primary care physician, Homepoint uses the latest technology to diagnose your home’s health, plan to optimize its condition, and get the necessary work done cost-effectively.

Spend your time enjoying your home, not taking care of it.
Let us know the DONUT sent you and we’ll throw in an extra handyman hour for free!

Learn more →