Coronavirus In Colorado; The Numbers

According to today's data release, in Colorado there have been 285,130 people tested, 30,705 positive cases, 5,343 hospitalized, 1,651 deaths among cases (1,438 deaths due to COVID), 330 outbreaks at residential and non- hospital health care facilities, 60 of 64 counties with positive cases. In Adams County we have 3,932 cases and 153 deaths. Read More from CDPHE HERE

Adams County Wins Judgement For Violations Of An Intergovernmental Agreement With City And County Of Denver

A Jefferson County judge ordered the City and County of Denver to pay Adams County more than $33 million for violations of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) regarding noise levels at Denver International Airport (DIA) during the years of 2014, 2015, and 2016. DIA was found in violation of 67 Class II noise exposure performance standards (NEPS) during the aforementioned years. Read More from Adams County HERE

Governor Polis Takes Action In Response To COVID-19

Gov. Polis signed Executive Order D 2020 109, extending the state of disaster emergency and providing additional funds for response activities due to the presence of coronavirus. Gov. Polis also signed Executive Order D 2020 108, to increase the Medicaid home health workforce and eliminate cost-sharing for coronavirus testing and treatment for Medicaid enrollees. Governor Polis also extended Executive Order D 2020 112, concerning criminal justice as well as Executive Order D 2020 111, issuing emergency rules extending the expiration date of licenses and other documents. Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE

Governor Inks A Cash-Strapped Colorado State Budget

The budget Gov. Jared Polis signed under the bright summer sun on Monday at lunchtime was nothing like the spending plan he could have envisioned when his second legislative session began in January. The General Assembly delivered him a budget that is $3.3 billion lighter than last year's, because of the economic devastation delivered by the COVID-19 crisis that arrived in March, halting the session in March and resuming in late May to amend the governor's best laid plans. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE and Governor Jared Polis HERE

Reasons Colorado Is Still In A State Of Emergency

Governor Jared Polis has extended Colorado's state of emergency for thirty days from June 19 — one of many actions he's taken in recent days to address the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The various moves, which continued today, June 22, when Polis was scheduled to sign several newly passed pieces of legislation designed to address fallout from the novel coronavirus, are taking place against the backdrop of the state's latest financial forecast, which predicts a rough 2020-2021 fiscal year followed by a rebound that, while sizable, will certainly fall short of the levels hit before the pandemic. Read More from Westword HERE

Polis Signs Colorado Coronavirus Relief Legislation

Gov. Jared Polis on Monday morning put his name on a package of bills the legislature passed to help Colorado recover from the worst global health crisis in a century. Polis applauded lawmakers' work on money that's needed right away and called for another round of federal stimulus money soon. Legislators gathered behind him as they directed the spending of mostly federal dollars. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Governor Polis Announces COGCC Appointments

Gov. Polis today announced new appointments to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Last year, the Governor signed the landmark SB19-181, which transitions the commission from 9 appointees to a professional 5-member commission. Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE

Colorado Spared More Budget Cuts For Now, But An Additional $1 Billion In Reductions Looms On 2021 Horizon

No further budget cuts are immediately necessary as an economic forecast from the Polis administration shows a series of tax changes approved by Colorado lawmakers generated enough revenue to preserve the state’s slim budget cushion. Gov. Jared Polis’ office says a new economic forecast shows that tax revenue will allow the state to carry a reserve slightly above the $300 million required for next fiscal year’s $30.3 billion state budget, but warned that Colorado’s finances remain tenuous. If tax revenue drops by half, state law forces the governor to slash spending, which historically takes the form of state employee furloughs or pay cuts. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) Extended

Typically, the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) ends on April 30 each year. This year, it’s being extended through July 31 due to COVID-19. Residents can apply for LEAP through Colorado PEAK or over the phone through the Health Helpline: 1.866.432.8435. Paper applications are also available in front of the Human Services Center, 11860 Pecos St., Westminster, and completed applications can be placed in the HSC drop-box located in front of the building. Read More from Adams County HERE

Colorado’s Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Top 30,000

Confirmed coronavirus cases in Colorado reached 30,539 on Sunday — an increase of 190 from the prior day. No new deaths were reported Sunday in either of the fatality categories tracked by the state health department. Sunday’s data shows 1,647 people with COVID-19 have died in Colorado, and 1,429 deaths have been directly attributed to the novel coronavirus. About three-fourths of those who have died were 70 or older. About 280,000 people have been tested for the virus in Colorado, and authorities have tracked 330 outbreaks at facilities like jails, nursing homes or factories. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

We’re Dealing With A Pandemic, But Remember The Opioid Crisis? Coronavirus Is Likely To Make It Worse

The coronavirus pandemic overshadowed a long list of other problems that suddenly seemed less urgent in the wake of a deadly virus and its economic destruction. Included at the top of that list: the opioid epidemic. That crisis is still raging in Colorado and predicted to get even worse thanks to the stress, isolation and financial devastation of the coronavirus. Medical professionals, therapists and others are expecting a “wave,” or an aftershock, of substance abuse and overdose deaths because of the pandemic. And if it comes, Colorado will have fewer resources to handle it. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE 

Winners And Losers Emerged From A Broken Session

The pandemic provided an opportunity for Democratic majorities in the House and Senate to flex their legislative muscle in the truncated session, making deep inroads on health care, tax policy, police reform and school immunizations. The party holds a safe majority, 41-24, in the House, and the Senate offers too few options for the Republicans to overthrow Democrats’ 19-16 majority there. Colorado Politics lists more winners and losers from the now concluded legislative session. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Working From Home- The Pros, Cons And Potential Pitfalls Of It Becoming Permanent

Employers had to scramble when the pandemic took hold in mid-March, emptying out workplaces and sending workers home to do their jobs for what was expected to be at most two or three months. But the coronavirus outbreak has persisted, productivity hasn’t taken a big hit, and a large percentage of workers actually prefer skipping the commute. More employers are extending remote work assignments, and in some cases, planning to make them permanent. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

COVID-19 Safety Slipping At Costco, Target Stores

In recent discussions of Colorado's fight against COVID-19, Governor Jared Polis has warned about "backsliding" when it comes to best safety practices, such as wearing masks in public and physical distancing. If residents and businesses don't "double down" on such measures, Polis warned, Colorado's flattened curve could start tilting upward again, as has happened in neighboring Arizona, now experiencing a spike. This scenario seems plausible based on our observations at some major Denver-area retailers over the weekend. Read More from Westword HERE

State To Receive Crisis Counseling Money From FEMA

Colorado will receive nearly $1.8 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for community-based crisis counseling. The grant will enable 16 mental health and community services providers to deliver crisis counseling, focusing on communities with a disproportionate impact from COVID-19. The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus will also operate a statewide hotline to provide resources for healthcare workers who give support to patients. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Coloradans Are Nearly Moving Around At Pre-Pandemic Levels. Will A Second Coronavirus Wave Follow?

In Larimer County, as June barrels into July and Colorado nears the end of its fourth month mired in the coronavirus pandemic, Colorado State University professor Jude Bayham has noticed a trend: There are a lot more people visiting restaurants than there were in April and May. Coloradans across much of the state are almost back to moving around at pre-pandemic levels. At restaurants, salons and clothing stores, Coloradans in many counties are approaching near-normal levels of activity. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

Pivoting, Jeffco Now Says Elementary Students Will Return To School Full Time In The Fall

Citing parent feedback and concerns about equity, the Jeffco school district announced plans to allow elementary students back in schools full time this fall. The finalized plan, announced to staff Thursday, is based on the assumption that health guidelines will permit gatherings of more than 10 people by August. That would eliminate a challenge of finding staff and space to keep classrooms to nine students each. The district will announce plans for middle and high school students by July 8. Read More from Chalkbeat Colorado HERE

The Need for Diagnostic Assessments

A letter to CDE from ten Colorado organizations asking to consider setting aside funding to support Colorado school districts to have a set of diagnostic assessments so they can better understand what students know when they return to some form of school in the coming months. Read More from A+ Colorado HERE

Colorado Students Need A Back-To-School Test To Get Back On Course After Coronavirus, Advocates Say

Just how much knowledge Colorado students gained, retained or lost during a school year disrupted by a pandemic — and how their knowledge base changes over summer — is one giant guessing game. Education advocates are determined to get answers. Education groups are urging the Colorado Department of Education to invest federal coronavirus relief money in a statewide assessment that would measure students’ academic standing in the fall. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

State Agriculture Department Releases Suggestions For Protecting Farmworkers

Colorado’s Department of Agriculture has released a multilingual guide for the agricultural sector of COVID-19 protocols that touch on physical distancing measures, access to medical care and safety in employer-provided lodging. The guidelines acknowledge the discomfort that cloth face coverings pose in hot environments, and advise employers to be aware of a potential for heat stroke. The United Farm Workers union has warned of the consequences of not providing firm mandates to employers for allowing laborers to remain cool. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Week After East Canyon Fire Blew Up Near Durango, It's Now 79% Contained

The East Canyon Fire in southwestern Colorado hasn't grown over the past 24 hours, while containment has continued to increase, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team said on Monday. As of 8 a.m, the wildfire was 2,905 acres, which was the same size as the day before. Containment jumped from 53% to 79%, according to a press release from the incident management team. Read More from 9News HERE 

Colorado State Fair Re-Imagined Amid Coronavirus

Colorado State Fair organizers are moving forward with a re-imagined expo this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Scott Stoller, the fair’s general manager, received unanimous support last week from the event’s board of authority to move forward with a pared-down celebration that respects health directives limiting the number of people that can gather in one place at one time. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

Water-Related Recreation Pumps $18B Into Colorado Economy, Business Group Says

As the outdoor recreation industry steers through the rapids of the coronavirus-era economy, a business group has released a report that puts the annual value of water-related recreation in Colorado at nearly $18 billion. The report released Monday by Business for Water Stewardship said 6.7 million people participate in water-related recreation annually, supporting more than 131,000 direct and indirect jobs. That translates to $6.3 billion in household income and $2.7 billion in tax revenue, according to the analysis by Southwick Associates. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

Caps On Event Attendance 'Absolutely Strangling' Colorado Hotel Sector, Industry Leader Says

Colorado hotel leaders say rules issued late Thursday for re-starting special events will not halt the tidal wave of layoffs that is about to sweep over the industry, as they limit participants at a figure that doesn’t take into account the cavernous size of some ballrooms across the state. The rules are very similar to draft guidelines floated Tuesday by Gov. Jared Polis, limiting the size of events such as trade shows and weddings based on room size but capping crowds at 100 for indoor events and 175 for outdoor events, no matter the size of the facility. Read More from Denver Business Journal HERE

Before Coronavirus, PERA Had One Of Its Best Years In Decades. Here Are 3 Concerns Going Forward

Buoyed by stellar investment returns and the ongoing implementation of a legislative rescue package, Colorado’s state pension system in 2019 had one its best years in decades. But — pension officials acknowledged with Friday’s release of the system’s annual finance report — the topline numbers belie the depths of the challenges the Public Employees’ Retirement Association may soon face as the economic fallout of the global pandemic comes further into focus. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

Colorado Leaders Look Ahead From Unexpected Turns

What happens next under the gold dome in Denver has too many moving parts to predict with clarity, legislative leaders said on the way out the door when the General Assembly finally adjourned last Monday. This year they had to dig out of the $3.3 billion hole blasted in the state budget literally in the middle of the legislative session in March. How deep the hole is next year is the multi-billion dollar question, but it's not the only question. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE 

Denver Expands Coronavirus Testing In Underserved Communities

The city of Denver and Denver Public Health have made it a point to get COVID-19 testing to as many people as possible. That includes communities of color. On Saturday testing was offered at the New Hope Baptist Church. Read More from CBS4 Denver HERE

With Last Thursday’s Supreme Court Ruling On DACA Comes More Time, But No Less Uncertainty

As of the end of last year, Colorado was home to 14,640 DACA recipients. They have always known their freedom runs on a clock. Last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the Trump administration cannot summarily shut down the program does not change the precariousness of their legal status in this country, but it buys more time here. For now, Colorado recipients say, that is more than enough. Read More from The Colorado Independent HERE

Coronavirus Has Politicians Struggling As Campaigns Stumble Out Of Gate

Doug Lamborn couldn’t have been happier. Ramming around the county in his well-worn Saturn SUV, the seven-term Republican congressman was back on the road last week and pressing the flesh after three months in isolation. Like Lamborn, politicians of all stripes are beginning to emerge like so many wildflowers as coronavirus restrictions ease after a long winter. And they are heading into what will be a compressed, wild election season with less than five months of politicking before voters head to the polls. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Rep. Scott Tipton Faces A Primary Challenger

Last December, Republican Rep. Scott Tipton received an early Christmas present. The endorsement of President Donald Trump. Lauren Boebert doesn’t think Trump had all the facts. Boebert is a business owner and a political novice challenging Tipton’s conservative credentials in the June 30 primary. Boebert placed first in the Colorado GOP district assembly, but she faces an uphill fight against the incumbent. She doesn’t have the support of the party and her fundraising has trailed Tipton’s. Read More from CPR HERE

Ballots Returned- 8 Days From Primary Election Day

With just over one week before polls close for the statewide primary election, 15% of the state’s 3.5 million registered, active voters have returned their ballots. While 97.5% of voters in the March presidential primary returned their ballot by mail or drop box, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed that rate up to 99.9%. Both Democratic and Republican turnout exceeds the level to this point in 2018. Statewide, the only competitive primary election is for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat of Cory Gardner. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

What We Learned About Biden And Trump From Their Latest Fundraising Numbers

Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee hit an all-time monthly fundraising record in May, bringing in $80.8 million. That total topped Trump and the Republican National Committee, which together raised $74 million over the same period. But Trump — who has been able to jointly fundraise with the Republican Party at higher levels as the Republican presidential nominee for months — leads Biden in cash on hand, $265 million to $122.2 million, an all-important number that shows how much the candidate and committee can still spend. Read More from Politico HERE

Sunday Was Record Day For Coronavirus Infections

More than 183,000 new cases of coronavirus infections were reported to the World Health Organization on Sunday in what was a record single-day increase. Since the start of the outbreak, more than 465,000 people have died, while some countries that had previously suppressed the virus are seeing new upswings. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, stated that he didn't believe the increase was simply due to more testing. Read More from Politico HERE

Health Officials Say The Increased Caseload In The U.S. Is Not Solely The Result Of More Testing

As the curve of infections in the United States begins to bulge again after flattening in the spring, the Trump administration tried to reset expectations about its efforts to contain the coronavirus and acknowledged that there would most likely be another wave of cases this fall. Nationwide, cases have risen 15 percent over the past two weeks, with the most significant increases reported in the South, West and Midwest. Read More from The New York Times HERE

How The U.S. And Italy Traded Places On Coronavirus

Three months ago, public health officials feared that America would be swamped by COVID-19 like Italy. Today, the U.S. would be lucky to swap its coronavirus crisis for theirs. Global health officials seized on Italy — as the first country outside of China to be battered by the virus — as a disturbing case study for the rest of the world. In private meetings, White House officials worried that Italy was a preview of the storm about to hit the U.S. health system. Read More from Politico HERE

Amid Threats And Political Pushback, Public Health Officials Are Leaving Their Posts

Public health workers, already underfunded and understaffed, are confronting waves of protest at their homes and offices in addition to pressure from politicians who favor a faster reopening. Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said more than 20 health officials have been fired, resigned or have retired in recent weeks “due to conditions related to having to enforce and stand up for strong public health tactics during this pandemic.” Read More from The Washington Post HERE

LBGTQ Advocates Sue Over Trump Rollback Of Protections

A coalition of advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its rollback of LGBTQ patient protections, arguing that last week's Supreme Court decision extending workplace legal protections to gay and transgender employees invalidates the new rules.The suit marks the first challenge stemming from the 6-3 high court decision that anti-discrimination protections based on sex also apply to a person's gender identity and sexual orientation. Read More from Politico HERE

Supreme Court Unleashing Power Over Pipelines, Natural Gas

A decade of battles against pipelines proposed to crisscross the country is arriving at the Supreme Court. The court ruled last week on the first such high-profile case, and two other actions also on pipelines are pending before the justices in decisions whose impacts could be far-reaching. These court battles represent the culmination of fights over fossil-fuel infrastructure of all kinds — beginning with the Keystone XL pipeline — as a proxy for a larger debate about climate change and energy. Read More from Axios HERE

America Is Reopening. Coronavirus Tracking Apps Aren’t Ready

Local officials in Teton County, Wyo., home to Yellowstone National Park and resort town Jackson Hole, want to prevent a new wave of coronavirus cases as the area reopens. The county signed up for a location-tracking app developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to help accelerate contact tracing, the process of notifying and isolating people who might have been exposed to the virus. But as tourists stream into Yellowstone—rangers spotted license plates from 41 states the day it reopened in mid-May—the app isn’t ready. Read More from The Wall Street Journal HERE

Counties Step Up Mental Health Services

As the tolls of physical distancing and economic uncertainty, along with anxiety resulting from the many unknowns of the novel coronavirus, add up to emotional stress and turmoil, effective mental health services have proven crucial to keeping residents functioning while they wait out a return to a somewhat familiar life. Nearly one-third of Americans have been reporting signs of anxiety or depression since the pandemic began, according to the Household Pulse Survey by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau. Read More from NACo HERE

Survey- Most Americans Are Feeling Anxious About Their Money

According to a recent survey from NextAdvisor, 51% of Americans feel at least somewhat anxious about their financial situation following the coronavirus outbreak. Nearly three in 10 Americans’ financial situation (29%) has been negatively impacted since the pandemic began. While some face new challenges resulting from loss of income or uncertainty for the future, for many the current economic crisis only exacerbates already present stressors related to monthly bill payments, consumer debt balances, lack of emergency savings, or even just putting food on the table. Read More from Time HERE

Survey- American Happiness Reaches 50-Year Low

The new COVID Response Tracking Study is an effort to examine the social, psychological, and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on American society. The historical context reveals unique effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on public sentiment: An all-time low in people saying they are very happy (14%), combined with an all-time high in people saying they are satisfied with their family’s financial situation (80%). Read More from Government Executive HERE

The Economy Is A Mess. So Why Isn’t The Stock Market?

We’ve said it before: The stock market is not the economy. Usually, this simply means that fluctuations in the markets may have little to no real bearing on the underlying realities we think of as making up the economy. Or that there are many important structural factors that make the markets’ outlook different from how ordinary citizens view the country’s overall economic health. But now, those usual bromides risk wildly understating the disconnect. In the time of COVID-19, the stock market couldn’t be more divorced from the United States’ broader economic situation. Read More from FiveThirtyEight HERE

Wall Street Drifts As Virus Cases Rise

Stock markets wavered on Monday, as investors’ hopes for the reopening of economies vied with persistent worries about the ability of global leaders to stop the coronavirus from spreading further. The S&P 500 was unchanged after recouping early losses. The major stock markets in Europe opened lower but then rose through the morning, eventually breaking into positive territory. Asian markets ended mixed. Read More from The New York Times HERE

How Retail Investors Are Beating The Pros At Their Own Game

Call it the Robinhood effect. In a tectonic shift that shows how the coronavirus pandemic has upended seemingly every part of our reality, millennials and Gen Z have started to abandon video games and sports betting in favor of a new craze: the stock market. Read More from Axios HERE

Rally In Raw Materials Signals Economic Rebound

Prices for raw materials including oil and copper are surging as the world economy reopens for business, a signal to many investors that global growth is returning more quickly than anticipated. The recent gains come after coronavirus lockdowns dented commodity prices earlier in the year and are a boon for battered producers like copper miner Freeport-McMoRan Inc. and energy giant Exxon Mobil Corp. —many of which have cut supply in response to industry turmoil. Read More from The Wall Street Journal HERE

The Latest Pandemic Shortage- Coins Are The New Toilet Paper

Just as supplies of toilet paper are finally getting back to normal, the coronavirus has triggered another shortage of something we typically take for granted: pocket change. Banks around the U.S. are running low on nickels, dimes, quarters and even pennies. And the Federal Reserve, which supplies banks, has been forced to ration scarce supplies. Rural banks in particular seem to be getting shortchanged. Read More from NPR HERE

Still The World’s Safe Haven? Redesigning The U.S. Treasury Market After The COVID-19 Crisis

The market for U.S. Treasuries has long been viewed as the world’s most liquid and deepest financial market. That presumption was questioned when the COVID-19 crisis triggered heavy investor demands for trading that overwhelmed the capacity of dealers who usually serve as middlemen in this market. Over several tense days in March, yields rose sharply, calling into question the longstanding view that Treasuries are a reliable safe haven in a crisis. Read More from Brookings HERE  

The Fed Has Been Supporting Markets. Now It Must Find Ways To Boost Growth

It seems as if there is nobody to whom the Federal Reserve will not lend. Since the COVID-19 pandemic wrought havoc on financial markets in March, America’s central bank has promised to buy up to $750B in corporate bonds and $500B in state- and local-government debt. On June 15th lenders were invited to register for its “Main Street Lending Program”, which will purchase loans to small- and medium-sized businesses. The same day it announced that it would buy corporate bonds not only through exchange-traded funds, but directly, too. Read More from The Economist HERE

President Trump Extends Foreign Worker Restrictions Through End Of Year

President Donald Trump will sign an executive order extending foreign-worker restrictions through the end of the year, the White House announced. The new order extends restrictions originally enacted in April due to the coronavirus pandemic and expands on the previous directive, which blocked most people from receiving a permanent residency visa — or green card. The new order also prohibits visas for most guest workers who come to the U.S. for temporary or seasonal work, but exempts farm workers, among others. Read More from Politico HERE and NPR HERE

Resources To Understand The Long History Of Injustice And Inequality

The video of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis triggered protests around the world. It brought renewed attention to the high-profile deaths of black Americans during the past decade and ongoing concerns about systemic racism in the criminal justice system. To help provide context to the issues driving the debate among people attending marches and rallies or those having more quiet conversations with their families and friends, The Washington Post compiled deeply reported stories, videos, photo essays, audio and graphics on black history, progress, inequality and injustice. Read More from The Washington Post HERE

The Longest Professional Sports Drought Since 1918

Today marks 103 days since the last MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL game — the longest such drought since the fall of 1918, when the World Series was held in September amid WWI and the Spanish flu. Of course, there was no NFL or NBA back then, and the NHL had only been around for a year, so there wasn't nearly as much to miss. Television hadn't been invented, either, so unless your ancestors lived down the street from Ebbets Field, they probably didn't miss the Dodgers games. Following a rough weekend, the comeback might have to keep waiting. Read More from Axios HERE

How The Coronavirus Recovery Is Changing Cities

If one thing is certain, it's that our definition of normal has changed. After months in lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, cities are reopening — some with masks and social distance, others with still growing numbers of infection. It’s unclear what cities will look like in a year or more, but in many areas the landscape is already starting to shift. Read More from CityLab HERE

New Coronavirus Cases Linked To Tennis Tournament In Croatia After Several Players Tested Positive

Croatian authorities have banned visits to nursing homes and hospitals in the Croatian coastal town of Zadar following an outbreak of the new coronavirus at an exhibition tennis tournament there. Tennis players Grigor Dmitrov from Bulgaria, Borna Coric from Croatia and two more people have tested positive after participating in the Adria Tour event organized by top-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Authorities said Monday that dozens more tests are underway in Zadar. Read More from Time HERE

COVID-19 Raises The Risks Of Violent Conflict

COVID-19 has thus far taken its most serious toll on rich, peaceful countries. America, Britain, Italy, France and Spain, five of the six worst-affected, have collectively borne over half of recorded deaths from the virus worldwide. But the disease is now rippling through less stable places. What will happen as it does? There are reasons to fear not only that conflict will help the virus to spread, but also that its spread may worsen wars. The two could feed upon each other, creating a cycle of misery it is difficult to arrest. Read More from The Economist HERE  

The Worrisome Link Between Deforestation And Disease

In 2013, an 18-month old boy got sick after playing near a hollow tree in his backyard, in a remote West African village. He developed a fever and started vomiting. His stool turned black. Two days later, he died. Two years and more than 11,000 deaths later, the World Health Organization put out a report saying the Ebola outbreak that likely emanated from that hollow tree may have been caused in part by deforestation, led by "foreign mining and timber operations." Read More from NPR HERE

Top European Official Warns China Against Targeting Hospitals With Cyberattacks

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that she warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against hacking European hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Von der Leyen’s remarks were made following the European Union (EU)-China Summit that took place virtually on Monday, which came in the midst of international tensions over the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More from The Hill HERE

Massive Sahara Desert Dust Plume Drifting Towards The United States

Each summer massive plumes of dust traverse the atmosphere above the tropical Atlantic Ocean, traveling 5,000 miles from the Sahara desert in northern Africa all the way to the southern United States. While summer dust plumes are a common occurrence, the one sailing through the Caribbean right now is generating quite the buzz. That's because it appears to be one of the most extreme in recent memory and it's heading for the southeastern states. Read More from CBS News HERE