If you think it's hot now, just wait a few years. A new study suggests humans could face 30 times the amount of extreme heat by 2100 compared with the early 2000s.
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1. Coronavirus
First, the good news: A recent round of studies shows humans have a "robust" immune response to Covid-19 that may protect them from further infection. It's still not clear how long such a response could last, but scientists are hopeful this means people will not have to endure repeated coronavirus infections. Plus, it could point to a good vaccine response. Now, the bad news: Dr. Anthony Fauci says the long-term effects Covid-19 can have on survivors, especially younger people, are "really troublesome." In parts of Latin America and Asia, cases are rising at crucial rates, sparking protests in Argentina and concerns of a new national epidemic in South Korea. Meanwhile, everything seems laid back in Wuhan. Thousands of people gathered in an open air water park for an electronic music festival -- no masks or social distancing in sight.
2. Democratic National Convention
The first night of the DNC featured a diverse array of speakers all looking to make the case for presumptive nominee Joe Biden while denouncing Donald Trump's presidency on several fronts. The night's headliner was former first lady Michelle Obama, who made a moral case against President Trump and called him "the wrong president for our country." Sen. Bernie Sanders, plus former Ohio GOP Gov. John Kasich and a trio of other former top Republicans also spoke. Non-politicians made a big impact, too. A woman who lost her father, a Trump supporter, to Covid-19 gave a moving speech, and family members of George Floyd addressed the national audience, urging Americans not to give up the fight for racial justice.
3. Postal Service
The House is set to return this weekend to vote on a bill that would provide $25 billion in funding for the US Postal Service, despite objections from the White House. The bill isn't done yet, but House leaders say it will also prohibit some of the controversial changes to the USPS that were recently enacted by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. (By the way, DeJoy is a Trump campaign donor and owns a substantial stake in a company doing business with the Postal Service.) The bill and its massive funding promises make up the latest push by Trump critics to curtail what they say is an obvious attempt at voter suppression in the form of hamstrung postal operations during a year when mail-in voting is of utmost importance.
4. Economy
Stimulus negotiations are sputtering, the pandemic is still spreading, US and China are at each other's throats and economic uncertainty is rampant, but Wall Street rages on. The Nasdaq Composite clinched a new closing record yesterday, and the S&P 500 came close to beating its February high -- a growth of 51% since its lowest points in March. These numbers could signal the end of 2020's excruciating bear market, but there are some indicators that the high times could sink yet again. CEOs, leading shareholders and other senior executives have dumped more than $50 billion worth of shares since the start of May, indicating that, for whatever reason, insiders aren't hopeful that the rally will last. (And of course, the unpredictable nature of the presidential election doesn't help.)
5. Taiwan
The US has finalized a sale of 66 new American-made F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, marking the largest arms sale to the self-governing island in years. As you can imagine, China was not happy about it. Chinese state-run media published a critique of the deal and implied the US was aiding Taiwan in trying to become more independent from Beijing. The US says the deal will help Taiwan keep pace with Beijing's military might. Tensions over the island have been building for a while. When US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar visited Taiwan last week, China condemned the visit and launched military demonstrations in response.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
A heat wave will continue to scorch the US this week
Can you socially distance from the weather? Is that even possible?
Tiger Woods' 11-year-old son wins junior golf tournament
And so, the next generation of golf dominance begins.
300 Pizza Huts are closing after a giant franchisee goes bankrupt
Everything you knew and loved as a younger person is slowly going extinct ...
... except for Payless
The shoe store is bouncing back from bankruptcy and is planning to reopen hundreds of stores in the next few years.
A new Dolly Parton mural popped up in Nashville, honoring the singer and her thoughts on Black Lives Matter
There's a reason she's a queen.
TODAY'S NUMBER
$2.15 trillion
That's how much opioid manufacturers have cost the American economy, according to a claim filed against Purdue Pharma and other distributors and manufacturers by nearly every US state and many territories.
TODAY'S QUOTE
"Jesus sat the 500 down in rows. But not this one."
One of the signs adorning empty pews at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New Orleans. The church's humorous enforcement of social distancing rules has gotten lots of love online.
TODAY'S WEATHER
Check your local forecast here>>>
AND FINALLY
One by one
It's amazing what kind of tasks can be utterly satisfying to watch, especially if they're done with a skilled hand and a little soothing music in the background. (Click here to view.)
