🚀 Bezos Blasts Off

Image: ABC News

On the anniversary of the 1969 moon landing, aerospace pioneer Wally Funk (the oldest; 82 years old), Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen (the youngest; 18 years old), Bezos, and his brother Mark will blast to space inside a five-story rocket that has flown successfully 15 times – but never with people onboard.

Image: Reuters

🌍 Inside the cabin... If all goes according to plan, New Shepard will autonomously lift off the launch pad in West Texas and fly to the edge of space, subjecting its passengers to over three G's of force for 150 seconds.

• The rocket booster will then separate from the passenger capsule and fall back to Earth. The capsule will continue to rise past the Kármán line, where space officially begins (at least, according to some).
• The crew will be weightless for about three minutes. They can unbuckle and float around the cabin, observing Earth and the great expanse through "the largest windows to have flown in space," per Blue Origin.

⏰ On the horizon... The launch is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET.

• Watch it live.

🎁 DONUT Headline: The U.S. and many of its Western allies formally blamed China for the Microsoft Exchange email server hack first disclosed in March and accused Beijing of hiring criminal contract hackers (AKA cyber-privateers).

Your Official Pet Olympics Update

First things first: A big thank you to everyone who sent in a submission – you made it REALLY difficult for us to choose.

• Quick Note/Comment on the Number of Submissions: Apparently #dogzrule. We received 37x the amount of dog submissions as any other animal, so we decided to split the bracket into two regions: “Dogs” and “Everybody Else” – and then to narrow it down even further, we introduced some “play-in” games for the Dog region.

👀 Looking ahead… The play-in games continue through today, meaning the Dog region should be finalized as of midnight tonight. Head on over to our Instagram to check it out & participate in the voting.

• To participate in Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday’s voting, make sure to follow us on Instagram and open our stories!!!!

May the best pet win.

Image: Hunter D’Antuono/AP

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a statement Monday recommending all students older than two years old wear masks - regardless of vaccination status - when schools reopen in the fall.

• From the statement: "AAP recommends universal masking because a significant portion of the student population is not yet eligible for vaccines, and masking is proven to reduce transmission of the virus and to protect those who are not vaccinated."

✋ Yes, but... Current CDC guidance say fully vaccinated students do not need to wear a mask – though this distinction is only relevant in middle and high schools, for now.

• The FDA is not expected to authorize any vaccine for children under 12 before midwinter. Pfizer's shot was approved for emergency use in 12-15 year-olds in May, while Moderna requested FDA clearance for 12-17 year-olds last month.

📅 Looking ahead... The CDC and AAP's guidance are only recommendations, leaving it up to individual states and local school districts on how best to handle the fall semester.

• At least eight states have passed legislation banning schools and colleges from requiring COVID-19 vaccines, while at least three states - AZ, AR, & OK - have outlawed mask mandates in schools.

🩺 Take Heart

Image: Duke University

When the recipient, Matthew Moore of Shallotte, NC, was unexpectedly diagnosed with heart failure and referred to Duke Health back in June, he expected to only undergo heart bypass surgery.

• When his condition suddenly and rapidly deteriorated, traditional options - including a heart transplant - became too risky.

Fortunately, Duke was among just three transplant centers in the United States to be selected to join an FDA-approved study to evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed artificial heart that's already been approved for use in Europe.

• The implantable prosthetic device is equipped with biological valves derived from bovine tissue, which help pump blood through both ventricle chambers of the heart – as opposed to current technology, which can only support the left chamber.

Moore underwent the procedure last week and is reportedly doing well.

Keep reading.

Image: YouTube

Rebecca Cicozzi was pregnant with her daughter Gwen when she was faced with a reality no new mother wants to bear – her baby had suffered a stroke inside the womb.

• Born with cerebral palsy and limited motion in the entire right side of her body, Gwen was wheelchair-bound for most of her early childhood.

Defying all expectations, the now-seven-year-old has learned to walk, talk, and go to school like any other child.

• Gwen’s favorite place? Like most kids would say, the playground.

There’s an inclusive playground ~20 minutes away from their Ohio home, but that means Rebecca and Gwen need to commit to a 40-minute round trip.

That's all about to change.

Keep reading.

How many national parks are in the U.S.?

A) 63
B) 105
C) 81
D) 49

(keep scrolling for the answer)

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A) 63

The U.S. National Park Service manages 423 national park sites, but only 63 of them have the official "National Park" designation in their name.