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The Nasdaq topped 10,000 for the first time ever, proving that during this period of economic uncertainty, America still has faith in tech stocks like Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Netflix.
Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
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1. Police reform
The Supreme Court has blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. It’s the Court’s second major blow to the President after the pro-LGBTQ rights ruling earlier this week. The 5-4 decision was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, who said the administration didn’t provide an adequate reason for ending the program. Roberts, a conservative, is now facing scathing criticism from top GOP lawmakers. The Trump Administration has long wanted to phase out the Obama-era program, which protects from deportation nearly 700,000 young undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. Lower courts have blocked it in the past, and now the Supreme Court has put a definitive end to current efforts – for now. Keep in mind, the ruling took issue with how the administration was trying to phase out DACA – it didn’t weigh in on the legality of the program itself. So, there’s no guarantee that future legal challenges would be met with the same result.
MONDAY
Coronavirus cases are ticking up across the country, bringing some states back to the table on mandatory safety precautions. In California, people now will be required to wear face masks in indoor public areas. Oregon has adopted a similar mandate for seven counties. North Carolina and Arizona are considering face mask regulations, too. These four states, plus six others, are reporting their highest seven-day averages of daily new coronavirus cases since the crisis began. The governors of two of those states, Florida and Texas, are blaming the spikes on increased testing, even though local leaders are pleading for more action. Cases are also rising in Oklahoma, where President Trump is set to hold a massive rally Saturday, much to the concern of medical experts. The ominous numbers are another sign that the pandemic isn’t going away anytime soon, something people half a world away in Beijing already know too well. The Chinese capital went 55 days without any new locally reported infections but is now battling a rapid resurgence.
3. Election 2020
The New York City Council has passed a sweeping package of police reform bills, some of which have been in the works since the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, in 2014. The package includes requirements for officer badge numbers to be visible, an official ban on choke holds or any other maneuver that restricts blood or air flow, and a bill requiring oversight of the New York City Police Department’s surveillance technology. It also creates a penalty system for police officers with disciplinary issues, and sanctifies the right to record police interactions. In Washington, things aren’t progressing so quickly. Senate Democrats are trying to decide whether to block a Republican police reform bill they believe is too weak. If they don’t block it, they could miss an opportunity to change the bill to their liking. Meanwhile, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has promised a thorough investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor, a black EMT who was shot by police in her home in March. Some believe her case has gone under the radar in the rapidly evolving push for police accountability.
4. Coronavirus
The Trump administration is revving up its dispute over the forthcoming book by former national security advisor John Bolton. Now, President Trump is saying he wants courts to stop its release because it could reveal government secrets. CNN and several other news outlets got early copies of the book, and among his allegations, Bolton says the President asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for help in winning reelection and at times casually offered to intervene in the criminal justice system for foreign leaders. According to Bolton, Trump claimed Venezuela was essentially part of the US to justify military action there, and he once asked if Finland was part of Russia. Bolton also said the President’s own senior officials, perhaps including a famously loyal Mike Pompeo, mocked him behind his back.
5. Nigeria
Europe is vowing to move ahead with levies that could hit big tech companies after the US slammed the brakes on diplomatic negotiations over global corporate tax rules. Since those talks shuttered, major European economies like France and the UK may move forward with their own levies to capture more taxes from companies like Apple, Google and Facebook. If that happens, the US has vowed to hit back with tariffs. This brewing conflict could heap even more pain on struggling economies. The UK is already facing its worst downturn in 300 years, and The Bank of England is adding even more money to the trillions in stimulus funds already propping up the economy.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
A woman asked the Merriam-Webster people to update their definition of ‘racism.’ They listened
McDonald’s is hiring 260,000 people in the US this summer
It’s a perfect time to see if you actually like those Impossible Burgers everyone talks about.
A golden opportunity for the golden arches.
Kristen Stewart is going to play Princess Diana in an upcoming movie
Yes, she’s the one who got her start in “Twilight.”
Football may not even happen this year, according to Dr. Fauci
Now it will just be called Sunday Night SADNESS.
Americans are currently beset with record levels of unhappiness
Sir Isaac Newton once suggested curing the plague with lozenges made from toad vomit
You know what would fix this? Football.
TODAY’S NUMBER
63 million
That’s how many calls a health insurance telemarketing group called Rising Eagle allegedly made in the first half of 2019, in violation of Federal Communications Commission rules. The US government is seeking fines of up to a record-breaking $225 million.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“Ebola was scary, but Ebola would never be easily transmitted … HIV, as important as it is, was drawn out and over an extended period of time … Now, we have something that turned out to be my worst nightmare.”
Microsoft President Brad Smith, who said during an interview with Politico that the company does not sell facial recognition technology to US police departments or federal law enforcement. Smith also urged lawmakers to develop federal regulations for such tools.
TODAY’S WEATHER
Check your local forecast here>>>
AND FINALLY
Ahhhhh …… It’s Friday
The world’s largest (but also smallest) railway