Important | 1 | | Even as President Donald Trump encourages states to reopen businesses, White House expert Dr. Anthony Fauci testified before the Senate Tuesday that such moves could “trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control” — and even more economic devastation. The death toll in the U.S. has passed 82,000, though Fauci noted that’s likely an undercount. Public health experts have said widespread testing is needed to safely reopen, but so far not enough is happening: While the U.S. says it’s conducting 300,000 tests daily, Harvard scientists estimate about 900,000 per day are needed. For all OZY’s coronavirus coverage, click here. | |
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| 2 | | Two newborn babies were reportedly among the dead after gunmen stormed a 100-bed hospital in Kabul. It’s not clear who was responsible for the attack, which ended in a four-hour shootout with police, or why they targeted the maternity facility run by Doctors Without Borders. The Taliban have denied responsibility, and a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemning the attack encouraged the Afghan government to work with the Taliban to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Read OZY’s deep dive into a mysterious PR professional with the Taliban. | |
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| 3 | | Lawyers for the U.S. House of Representatives went head to head with President Trump’s lawyers yesterday before the Supreme Court over the question of Trump’s financial records. The House wants to examine them in order to update laws about ethics and money laundering, but it’s widely expected that they’ll also make the documents public ahead of the election. Justices seemed skeptical of the Trump team’s argument that the president should be exempt from this kind of disclosure, but also raised eyebrows at the House’s continued investigation of Trump and whether it qualifies as harassment. A verdict is expected this summer. | |
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| 4 | | In a move that could reshape the landscape of food delivery — one of the few industries that’s seen a boom during the COVID-19 pandemic — Uber is reportedly seeking to buy competitor Grubhub. That would unite two of the top delivery players, consolidating the industry at a time when even the big four (which also includes DoorDash and Postmates) are facing challenges, with increased pushback from restaurants and a consistent tendency to lose money. Grubhub’s shares zoomed up 29 percent at the news, despite Uber’s disappointing performance recently as the pandemic has devastated its core ride-hailing business. | |
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| 5 | | A judge has put the Justice Department’s bid to drop charges against former Trump adviser Michael Flynn on hold. The oldest woman in Spain has beaten COVID-19 at the age of 113. And the Australian branch of a global church group has been fined $150,000 for peddling bleach as a cure for coronavirus. Coronavirus update: Efforts to help the 300,000 people displaced by a cyclone in Vanuatu have been hampered by the virus, which has distracted the world from coming to the island nation’s aid. Listen up! Episode three of OZY’s brand-new history podcast, Flashback, is now live on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Radio app, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. In just seven days we’ve climbed to No. 3 on the Apple History charts — help us get to No. 1! Listen, subscribe, rate and review by clicking here. This week: how the invention of air conditioning triggered a new political geography that impacts our elections to this day. For this and many more intriguing stories hidden throughout history, subscribe now to Flashback. |
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| Intriguing | 1 | | Is this the fabled Planet B? Maybe not, since it’s 25,000 light-years away, but it is one of just a handful of planets astronomers have discovered that are rocky and orbiting their stars at an Earth-like distance. The team that found it at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury says the star it circles is much smaller than the sun, making the planet’s year about twice as long as Earth’s. They believe it’s located near or even within the galactic bulge at the center of the Milky Way. Read OZY’s profile of a doctoral student with a knack for exoplanets. | |
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| 2 | | Home is where the work is. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey emailed employees yesterday to let them know they can stay full-time remote even after lockdowns lift and offices reopen. It’s a change a lot of companies are expected to make — and could see employees leaving big cities to maximize home office space when their jobs are no longer tied to one location. That could decimate the tax bases of places like New York City, which are accustomed to a huge number of wealthy residents lured by the city’s opportunities. Read OZY’s take on the coming exodus from cities. | |
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| 3 | | Money isn’t everything. As the coronavirus spreads across the world, so have concerns about how poorer countries will be able to fight back against it — and Ghana, OZY reports, is doing great. Early travel bans, widespread testing and innovative use of drones to get testing kits to far-flung rural areas have left it with a notably low fatality rate. Its economy has also been boosted by the government’s commitment to buying millions of locally made masks. Still, a lack of hospitals could eventually mean even forward-thinking Ghana is overwhelmed by the challenges of COVID-19. | |
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| 4 | | Will it be enough? Disney had aimed for an October 2021 theatrical release of its recording of a live Hamilton performance with the musical’s original cast, but instead viewers won’t have to wait for it: The show will be available July 3 on Disney+. It’s a huge shift for Disney, which paid a reported $75 million for the Tony-winning musical, because it means it’s throwing away its shot at a theatrical run in order to attract and keep streaming subscribers now. But that may be a necessity: Other shows that were expected to draw viewers haven’t happened due to the pandemic. | |
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| 5 | | Ready, set … oh, whenever you’re ready. Normally college sports have an agreed start date each season, but NCAA President Mark Emmert says now each school will have to figure out for itself when it’s safe to return due to the way coronavirus has affected localities differently. Some schools may not have an on-campus academic presence — the California State system says it will be holding most classes online this fall — and college football authorities are even preparing for a possible worst case scenario of no games until 2021. Read OZY’s coverage of the 1968 revolution … in college ball. | |
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