5 things to know for July 15: Coronavirus, CDC, election, Taliban, Weinstein

The Trump administration has dropped its policy barring international students from staying in the US if they take only online courses. Major institutions like Harvard and MIT were all set to fight the policy in court.

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

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1. Coronavirus

The US set another single-day record for coronavirus cases, recording 67,000 new cases yesterday. It’s just another indication that infection rates aren’t just persisting; they’re accelerating. Worldwide, coronavirus cases have soared by more than 1 million in just five days. As a result of rising cases, the borders between the US and its two closest neighbors, Mexico and Canada, will now remain closed to nonessential travel through at least late August. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is also willing to delay August’s congressional recess to get another relief bill in the can. There is some hopeful news on the medical front, though. The Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the drug company Moderna has been found to induce immune responses in all the volunteers who got it in a Phase 1 study. However, a lot more research — and testing — is needed.

2. CDC

Hospitals now have to send their data on coronavirus patients to the Trump administration instead of the CDC. Michael Caputo of the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the change, saying the CDC’s system for gathering hospital data is inadequate, and the administration will implement a “new faster and complete data system” that the CDC will participate in but no longer control. President Trump and CDC officials have been criticizing each other for months over their respective coronavirus responses. This week, four former CDC directors blasted the administration’s efforts to disregard and politicize guidelines from the agency, and said the President is trying to undermine the CDC’s attempts to address the crisis.

3. Election 2020

Another round of primary elections is setting the stage for more key races in November. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions lost his US Senate GOP primary runoff to former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville (pronounced TUB-er-vil, for all you non-football fans), CNN projects. This one went exactly the President’s way: Trump had endorsed Tuberville and spoken out against his onetime ally’s candidacy. Meanwhile, the President’s former chief physician Dr. Ronny Jackson won his Republican runoff for a US House seat in Texas, CNN projects. And in Maine, Democrats chose state House Speaker Sara Gideon to try to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

4. Taliban

The US has withdrawn from five bases in Afghanistan and reduced the size of its forces in the country as part of an agreement made this year with the Taliban. A Pentagon spokesperson said the five bases are now in the hands of the US’ Afghan partners, while more than 8,000 US troops remain in the country. February’s “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” outlined a series of commitments from the US and the Taliban related to troop levels, counterterrorism and an eventual ceasefire. However, there’s been some concern about whether the Taliban is holding up its end of the deal. A Defense Department report this month detailed the group’s continued ties to al Qaeda. Data provided to the Pentagon also showed that the Taliban increased its attacks on America’s Afghan allies in the month after the peace deal was signed.

5. Harvey Weinstein

A federal judge in New York rejected a proposed $19 million settlement for disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s accusers. An attorney for several victims said he and his clients have argued for years that the deal’s conditions were unfair and “should never be imposed on sexual assault survivors.” Under the plan, a large victims’ compensation fund would have been created and the women accusing Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment would have been released from any confidentiality agreements keeping them from telling their stories. However, attorneys pointed out that, among other things, the settlement didn’t require Weinstein to take responsibility for his actions. Weinstein is serving 23 years in prison in New York for criminal sex act and rape. He faces more charges in Los Angeles.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized for an infection

Sending her Supreme well-wishes.

MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays are seeking an exemption to play games in their home stadium 

Canada’s coronavirus restrictions may force them to become, temporarily, the New York or Florida Blue Jays, which just seems wrong.

How many hot dogs can one person possibly eat? Science finally has an answer

No humans were harmed in the making of this study.

Here’s what’s getting more expensive — and cheaper — at the grocery store

Yes, meat and coffee continue to be precious commodities.

Barbados is welcoming foreigners who work from home to do so from the island nation

Don’t tease us, Barbados. Because we’ll do it. 

TODAY’S NUMBER

9.7 billion

That will be the peak population of the world, according to a new study. Humanity will reach its population zenith in 2064, then decline to about 8.8 billion by the end of the century, the study predicts, as women get better access to education and contraception.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“Normally, people don’t play with kids’ lives.”

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, criticizing the Trump administration for pushing schools to return to in-person classes in the fall despite a lack of guidance and funding

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

These mind-bending kinetic sculptures are art in motion

Or optical illusions come to life. Either way … whoaaa! (Click here to view.)