Coronavirus In Colorado; The Numbers

According to today's data release, in Colorado there have been 330,359 people tested, 33,029 positive cases, 5,513 hospitalized, 1,697 deaths among cases (1,520 deaths due to COVID), 362 outbreaks at residential and non- hospital health care facilities, 61 of 64 counties with positive cases. In Adams County we have 4,226 cases and 156 deaths. Read More from CDPHE HERE

Governor Polis Extends Safer At Home And Updates Protect Our Neighbor Framework, Announces Closure Of Bars

Governor Jared Polis extended the Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors Executive Order, and provided an update on Colorado’s next steps during the COVID-19 pandemic, introducing more details on the Protect Our Neighbors framework. Protect Our Neighbors will give local communities more freedom to provide economic opportunity while ensuring that they have the necessary public health capacity. Gov. Polis also ordered Colorado bars and nightclubs to close once again to in-person service because of the coronavirus crisis. Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE, The Denver Post HERE , and The Colorado Sun HERE

Colorado Lawmakers Brace For Possibility Of Governor Polis’ First Veto In 2020

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is likely to veto a bill meant to limit opioid prescriptions — and, thus, to curb future opioid addiction and overdose cases. A Polis spokesman wouldn’t confirm Monday whether a veto is coming, but the governor did make clear in an April 1 letter to lawmakers that he would not sign any more insurance mandates in 2020, “except where there is an urgent need for additional benefits related to COVID-19.” Read More from The Denver Post HERE

All Colorado Eggs Must Be Cage-Free By 2025 Under Law Passed To Head Off Stricter Ballot Measure

About 5.5 million hens, mainly from four major egg producers in the state and mostly in Weld County, live in conventional, caged housing. But not for much longer. Colorado egg producers were just handed a deadline by the state legislature to convert all hen housing to cage-free by 2025. Egg producers estimate it will cost them about $30 per bird, totaling about $165 million for the industry in Colorado. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

While Other States Battle New Coronavirus Outbreaks, Colorado Faces Only An Uptick. Why?

The end of June marks nearly four full months in Colorado’s battle with COVID-19. While states like Texas, Arizona, Florida and more than 10 others have seen dramatic outbreaks of the virus, Colorado has seen only a minor uptick in recent weeks. While the number of positive cases has grown here in June, so has the amount of testing the state is doing, including finally hitting the goal of 8,500 tests on a single day last week. The number of those tests turning up positive, however, has stayed flat, never getting back above 4 percent since it was last there on June 4. Read More from CPR HERE

Colorado Turnout Sets New Record For Nonpresidential Primary Before Polls Even Close

Vote casting in Colorado’s Tuesday primary contest has been fast and furious, eclipsing the million mark over the weekend and easily outpacing the number of ballots returned on primary Election Day two years ago. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 1.4 million ballots had been returned to clerk’s offices statewide compared to the 1.16 million ballots cast in the 2018 primary. Politics watchers in Colorado have theories for the surge in voting this year ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the roiling political atmosphere centered on racial injustice to the fact that the state’s first presidential primary in 20 years helped smooth out registration hiccups that can lower voter participation. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

Primary Voters Pick Hickenlooper To Take On Republican Cory Gardner In Colorado

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner in November, voters decided Tuesday night in the state's Democratic U.S. Senate primary. Hickenlooper jumped out to an early lead over former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff when initial results were posted shortly after the 7 p.m. deadline to return ballots in the all-mail election, and he never relinquished it. The Associated Press called the race for Hickenlooper at 7:37 p.m., when he led by 20 percentage points, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Republican Upstart Lauren Boebert Topples Scott Tipton In The 3rd Congressional District

In a surprise upset, GOP challenger Lauren Boebert defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton for the GOP nomination in Colorado’s massive 3rd Congressional District. The conservative neophyte will face Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush, a former Routt County commissioner and state legislator. Read More from CPR HERE and The Colorado Sun HERE

Moderate Republicans Make Gains In Races Throughout The State

Independent expenditure committees usually wait until after the primary to place their bets, but in 2020, they’re betting early and often. Some two dozen independent committees have so far spent more than $3.1 million, mostly in favor of moderate Republicans. Moderate Republicans appeared to win the night in both Jefferson and Weld counties, turning back challenges from more conservative candidates. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Incumbents, Slate Backed By Super PAC Cash Head To Victory In Run For Colorado Statehouse

Five incumbent state lawmakers appeared poised to hold off primary challengers Tuesday, while candidates backed by big outside money took the lead in four open seats in Weld County. Nearly $1.6 million in cash poured into eight highly contested seats, often supporting Republicans, and occasionally Democrats who were viewed as more middle-of-the-road. For the primary winners, most of those seats are considered safe in the November general election. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

The 0.4%: Who Are The In-Person Voters During A Pandemic Primary?

Statewide, 1,279,267 Coloradans had voted as of June 30 at noon, and only 5,257 of them — just over 0.4% — came in person to do so. This compared to 2.5% in the March election and 1.3% in the 2019 off-year election. Several clerks across the state echoed the sentiment that very few people were voting in person amid the COVID-19 pandemic because they preferred it to mail-in voting. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

5 Takeaways From Colorado’s 2020 Primary Election And Election Results

Tuesday’s statewide primary elections boasted record-high turnout and a short list of interesting contests in both parties. Here are hot takes on the results from members of The Denver Post’s politics team. Read More from The Denver Post HERE and HERE 

Despite Pandemic And Recession, Colorado Biz Leaders Entertain Some Positive Thinking

Colorado business leaders’ optimism is rebounding, but the COVID-19 pandemic remains a drag on hiring and capital spending. Expectations for sales and profits jumped during the third quarter relative to the historic lows in the prior three-month period as business leaders cited pent-up demand and resiliency, according to the report. A majority of company managers anticipate sales and employment reaching pre-pandemic levels during the next 12 months. Still, others don’t expect a recovery until 2022 at the earliest, and a small segment never expects to recover. Read More from CPR HERE

Colorado Oil, Gas Commission Proposes Tax Hike To Cover Shortfall Due To Falling Energy Production

To cover an anticipated budget shortfall of nearly $4 million, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is proposing a higher mill levy on companies. Julie Murphy, the newly appointed director, said Tuesday that the COGCC is looking at raising the current levy of 1.1 mills to 1.7 mills. The increase would keep the budget at current levels, a little more than $13 million, in the new fiscal year, Murphy said. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

Lt. Governor Primavera To Offer Free Webisode Instruction For Colorado Educators With Space Foundation Partners

Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera and the Space Foundation announced 10 free instructional webisodes to Colorado educators this summer. The innovative curriculum developed by the Space Foundation education team utilizes Immersive Education, which puts students in real-world scenarios where they can see the connection to real-world jobs. This promotes lifelong learning and interest in STEAM careers (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics). It also helps grow a community’s organic workforce and strengthen economic development. Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE

$41.7 Million In Federal Payments Destined For 56 Counties

Fifty-six of Colorado’s 64 counties will receive $41.7 million this year under the four-decade-old program that provides federal payments to jurisdictions with nontaxable public lands within their borders. The Payments in Lieu of Taxes program began in 1977. This year it will compensate more than 1,900 local governments with a total of $514.7 million for national parks, wildlife refuges and recreation areas that do not generate property tax revenue. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

As Colorado Counties Debate Welcoming Visitors, They Also Get The Chance To Opt Out Of Tourism Promotion

Unemployment rates were far higher in Gilpin County, the gaming community that recorded just five cases, and Winter Park Resort’s Grand County, with its 15 cases, than in Denver County, which was the site of 22% of all cases in Colorado. Now, as counties reopen to visitors, the Colorado Tourism Office is working individually with counties to determine which want to be promoted and which don’t this summer, offering them a choice even as restrictions begin to be lifted statewide. Read More from Denver Business Journal HERE

RTD Fare Collection Resumed July 1

Fare collection on all Regional Transportation District (RTD) transit services and front-door boarding on buses resumed Wednesday, July 1. Riders are asked to pay with a ticket, pass or cash when riding on the RTD system. RTD’s Mobile Tickets app will be available for purchases. Riders are encouraged to use apps for purchasing tickets to reduce contact with the farebox. Tickets can be purchased through the following apps: mobile ticketing, Uber and Transit. Read More from 9News HERE

These 4 Maps Show How RTD’s Bus Service Could Change (And Shrink) Next Year

The Regional Transportation District offered a peek this week at how its bus network could change in 2021. The revamp is part of RTD’s “Reimagine” process, which the agency launched to put itself on more stable financial footing. Consultants on Tuesday presented the board with four different service scenarios, each emphasizing a different objective — from maximizing ridership by focusing on dense areas to stretching service across RTD’s sprawling district. Read More from CPR HERE

RTD Revenues To Rebound Faster Than Projected From Pandemic

Revenue for the Regional Transportation District could return to pre-pandemic levels as early as 2023, two years sooner than predicted. The University of Colorado, Boulder’s Leeds School of Business prepared a forecast for the RTD board of directors, which estimated RTD would take in an estimated $38.2 million more than anticipated this year, and $104.7 million more in 2021. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Denver To Open Temporary Sanctioned Camps For People Experiencing Homelessness

Denver will be opening temporary sanctioned camps where people experiencing homelessness can shelter amid the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the city to clear other camps that have sprung up around town. Mayor Michael Hancock said Wednesday it had not yet been decided how many sanctioned camps would be needed or where they would be located, saying the neighborhoods that will host them could be anywhere in the city and would need to be informed first. Read More from Denverite HERE

Colorado’s New Access Rules For State Wildlife Areas Kicked In July 1

In response to the increased traffic, there was a major change starting July 1, 2020, for anyone who wants to access a State Wildlife Area or State Trust Land leased by CPW. Any visitor 18 or older is now be required to have a valid hunting or fishing license to be on the land. Read More from CPR HERE

Why Now? The Roots (And Possible Future) Of Colorado’s Reckoning With Racism Past And Present

At a time when many of the usual diversions of everyday life have been removed by the coronavirus pandemic, race has received laser focus — not only from people of color, but white people as well. Mostly peaceful protests across the state from May into June, repeated for days on end, decried the slow killing of an unarmed George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop — and police violence in general. Whirlwind legislation on police oversight, at the local and national level, became reality. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

Racist Hacker Takes Over Virtual Town Hall On ‘Reimagining Policing’ In Denver

A hacker took over a virtual town hall Tuesday night hosted by the Denver Citizen Oversight Board to get Denverite’s input on "reimagining policing.'' About 40 minutes into the meeting, after a number of community members spoke up about what they would like to see in a city’s police department, the text chat of the Zoom call became flooded with racial slurs and statements like, “Keep Colorado White.” Videos of half-naked white men popped up on the screen at least twice. Music with racial slurs began taking over people trying to speak. Read More from 9News HERE

Black Lives Matter Protests May Have Slowed Overall Spread Of Coronavirus In Denver And Other Cities, New Study Finds

As protests against racism and police violence swept across the country, drawing massive crowds into the streets amid a pandemic, public health officials worried about what the overall impact would be. A new study by a nationwide research team that includes a University of Colorado Denver professor has found something surprising: The protests may have slowed the overall spread of the coronavirus in cities with large demonstrations, including Denver. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

Colorado Supreme Court Rules Against Polis On Signatures For Ballot Measures

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Wednesday against the governor and his executive order to make it easier to get citizen initiatives on the ballot during the pandemic. In a decision released Wednesday, the court reversed a district court ruling and said petitions for ballot measures have to be signed in person. The governor’s executive order had suspended some rules for ballot petitions during the pandemic, allowing campaigns to collect signatures by mail or email. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

US Supreme Court Strikes Down Blaine Amendment, With Implications For School Choice In Colorado

In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday said the 1870s Blaine amendment, which has been used for nearly 150 years to prohibit taxpayer money from going to religious schools, is a relic of "religious bigotry" and barred its use. Colorado is among the 38 states with what the Court calls "little Blaine Amendments" in their constitutions. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Supreme Court Lifts Ban On State Aid To Religious Schooling

States can’t cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private education, a divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. By a 5-4 vote with the conservatives in the majority, the justices upheld a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling in which almost all the recipients attend religious schools. Read More from PBS HERE

Progressives Begin New Push To Elevate Supreme Court As A Campaign Issue

As the political focus on the makeup of the Supreme Court intensifies, national progressive leaders are initiating a new effort on Wednesday to try to make the court a driving issue for liberal voters in November. Known as Supreme Court Voter, the nonprofit advocacy project will start with $2 million in digital advertising in politically competitive states in attempts to mobilize voters around the idea that the long-term direction of the court — and the outcome of its rulings on hot-button policy and cultural issues — will be set for decades in the coming election. Read More from The New York Times HERE

What Went Down In Colorado, Oklahoma And Utah

Colorado, Oklahoma and Utah held primaries on Tuesday, and with the help of mail-in balloting and absentee ballots, these states largely held seamless elections. The contests in these states helped decide the nominees in a pivotal Senate race and a handful of competitive House districts, shaping the November matchups that will play a role in deciding which party controls Congress. One other state — Kentucky — also reported results from the primary it held last week; for New York, we’re going to have to wait a little while longer on full results. Read More from FiveThirtyEight HERE

Dr. Fauci Warns Of "Very Disturbing" Trends In U.S. Coronavirus Outbreak

The United States is “going in the wrong direction” when it comes to the novel coronavirus, Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, warned Tuesday. If the current trajectory continues, the country could start seeing 100,000 new cases each day, more than double the current rate. Fauci’s dire warning came as many communities are hitting the brakes on reopening due to the rising tide of infections. Read More from Axios HERE and The Washington Post HERE

Dr. Fauci Says New Virus In China Has Traits Of 2009 Swine Flu And 1918 Pandemic Flu

White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that U.S. health officials are keeping an eye on a new strain of flu carried by pigs in China that has characteristics of the 2009 H1N1 virus and 1918 pandemic flu. The virus, which scientists are calling “G4 EA H1N1,” has not yet been shown to infect humans but it is exhibiting “reassortment capabilities,” Read More from CNBC HERE

Health Officials Make A Plea For The Holiday Amid Record Caseloads In The U.S.

Health officials are urging Americans to scale back Independence Day plans after coronavirus case levels reached disheartening new highs on Tuesday, with eight states setting single-day reporting records. Read More from The New York Times HERE

Six Months In, Coronavirus Failures Outweigh Successes

In the six months since the World Health Organization (WHO) detected a cluster of atypical pneumonia cases at a hospital in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus pandemic has touched every corner of the globe, carving a trail of death and despair as humankind races to catch up. At least 10.4 million confirmed cases have been diagnosed worldwide, and the true toll is likely multiples of that figure. In the United States, health officials believe more than 20 million people have likely been infected. Read More from The Hill HERE

CDC Issues Guidance For Colleges On COVID-19 Testing

The health agency cautioned colleges and universities against testing all of their students and faculty for the novel coronavirus before allowing them onto campus, as part of new recommendations made public on Tuesday. But federal health experts still recommend that higher education institutions test people suspected to have been in close contact with infected patients, even if they’re not showing symptoms. Next up: More CDC guidance on reopening K-12 schools is expected later this week. Read More from Politico HERE

Drug Overdoses Are Soaring During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Nationwide, federal and local officials are reporting alarming spikes in drug overdoses — a hidden epidemic within the coronavirus pandemic. Emerging evidence suggests that the continued isolation, economic devastation and disruptions to the drug trade in recent months are fueling the surge. Data obtained by The Washington Post from a real-time tracker of drug-related emergency calls and interviews with coroners suggest that overdoses have not just increased since the pandemic began but are accelerating as it persists. Read More from The Washington Post HERE

New Supplies Of Remdesivir For The United States

HHS announced an agreement that will secure large supplies of remdesivir from Gilead Sciences through September and will allow American hospitals to purchase the drug in amounts allocated by HHS and state health departments. Read More from HHS HERE

Changes To Staffing Information And Quality Measures On Nursing Homes

CMS announced plans to end the Medicare emergency blanket waiver requiring all nursing homes to resume submitting staffing data by Aug. 14, 2020. The reporting system CMS uses to collect nursing home staffing information impacts the quality of patient care. The waiver was intended to temporarily allow the agency to concentrate on combating COVID-19 and reduce administrative burden on nursing homes. Read More from CMS HERE 

Cities VS. States

Nashville moved to increase property taxes by around a third, Seattle officials are once more seeking to hike taxes on Amazon (and other big businesses) and San Francisco policymakers are pushing something they’ve dubbed an “Overpaid Executive Tax.” Other big-name American cities (Chicago and Philadelphia, for instance) are also looking into whether to hike taxes. And for a variety of reasons, states arguably haven’t been in the same kind of rush to talk about broad tax hike taxes. So why might that be, especially considering that COVID-19 didn’t necessarily hit cities any harder than states? Read More from Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center HERE and Politico HERE 

States Are Abusing Preemption Powers In The Midst Of A Pandemic

At a press conference in mid-June, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts encouraged residents to wear masks. But he would stop short of requiring them. Around the same time, several other states including Texas, Florida, and Arizona said they would block local mask requirements, before eventually ceding to demands and reversing their positions. And in North Carolina, if the state legislature doesn’t act, wearing masks will actually become illegal in the state on Aug. 1, setting up one of the most dramatic tensions with the policies of cities such as Durham, where masks are required in some public spaces. Read More from CityLab HERE

President Trump- "I’ll Veto Defense Bill To Keep Confederate Base Names"

President Donald Trump is vowing to veto a massive defense bill to keep military bases such as Fort Bragg named after Confederate officers, swimming against sentiment in his own party and imperiling a 3% pay raise for the troops. Trump took to Twitter late Tuesday to threaten a veto of a $741 billion annual Pentagon authorization bill because it would require a host of military bases named after Confederate figures to be renamed within three years. Read More from The Associated Press HERE

House Passes $1.5 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

The House passed a broad, $1.5 trillion effort to rebuild the nation’s roads, railways and schools, as Democrats pursued their own infrastructure legislation without the bipartisan deal discussed for years during the Trump administration. The change aims to bar the government from using funds in the bill to enter into contracts with Chinese state-owned companies or Chinese companies that construct facilities for interning Uighurs in western China. Read More from The Wall Street Journal HERE

Congress Passes Extension Of Paycheck Protection Program

The House and Senate both unanimously voted to extend the application period for Paycheck Protection Program loans through Aug. 8, just hours before it was set to expire. There's still over $130 billion in PPP funds available, which could help small businesses pay overhead and keep employees on payroll. It also could help independent contractors like Uber drivers. The application period can't be extended until President Trump signs it into law. But, more importantly, it's unclear that there's much demand for this money. Read More from Axios HERE

US Added Nearly 2.4 Million Workers To Private Sector Payrolls In June- ADP

U.S. private-sector businesses added nearly 2.4 million workers in June, according to the monthly employment report from the ADP Research Institute and Moody’s Analytics released Wednesday. Nonfarm private sector businesses added 2,369,000 workers to payrolls in June, according to the report, almost 1.9 million of which were at service-sector businesses shuttered by the pandemic throughout Spring. Read More from The Hill HERE

Pay Cuts Are Becoming A Defining Feature Of The Coronavirus Recession

At least 4 million private-sector workers have had their pay cut during the pandemic, according to data provided to The Washington Post by economists who worked on a labor market analysis for the University of Chicago’s Becker Friedman Institute. Workers are twice as likely to get a pay cut now than they were during the Great Recession. Salary cuts are spreading most rapidly in white-collar industries, which suggests a deep recession and slow recovery since white-collar workers are usually the last to feel financial pain. Read More from The Washington Post HERE

Wall Street Had Its Best Quarter In Decades

The stock market logged its best quarter in decades after severe selloffs in March. The S&P 500 increased 20 percent from April to June, its best quarter since 1998. The Dow? Up 18 percent, its best quarter since 1987. Harvard Kennedy School’s Megan Greene said she doesn’t think the mismatch between the markets and the economy “reflects investor optimism about a rebound or that investors are crazy.” Read More from Politico HERE

The Numbers Behind The Jobs Numbers Don't Look So Hot

Some private data the White House closely monitors has been pointing to an economic recovery that’s plateauing — and that could bolster the case for more stimulus this summer. June's unemployment rate were released this morning, but the official jobs numbers are practically dated the moment they flash on financial terminals. The White House watches other private data to get an earlier sense of what's happening — and that data suggests the recovery may be cooling off. Read More from Axios HERE

McConnell Eyes Next Coronavirus Package After July Recess

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday gave his clearest signal yet that Republicans are willing to move swiftly on another coronavirus relief package, after some states have seen a spike in cases. The Kentucky Republican said that the Senate will focus on the next coronavirus package when it returns from the two-week July 4 recess, with the goal of finishing before both chambers depart for their lengthy August break. Read More from Politico HERE

The Big Divide Over The Next Stimulus

As lawmakers turn their attention to another coronavirus stimulus package, Republicans and Democrats each say they’ve learned many lessons from the $2 trillion CARES Act. The problem is, they can’t agree on what those lessons were. With just an 11-day window in late July to act, and without the market free-fall of March to motivate them, Congress may choke on a compromise package that many economists see as necessary to keep the economy upright. Read More from Axios HERE

Furlough Notices In Hand, Citizenship And Immigration Employees Look For New Jobs

The Trump administration has begun sending furlough notices to more than 13,000 employees, and the warnings of more than 30 days of unpaid time off are causing some employees to seek new jobs altogether. Nearly three-quarters of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services workforce will receive their notices of administrative furlough this week, which, due to their duration, were issued under reduction-in-force procedures. Read More from Government Executive HERE

As The U.S. Reports Record Numbers Of New Cases, States And Localities Tap The Brakes On Reopening

Hopes that a spring that was largely lost to the virus would give way to a far freer summer are beginning to wane in many parts of the country. Many states and localities are pausing and even reversing their plans to ease restrictions as the United States records more new cases each day than ever, new outbreaks are disrupting large states in the South and West, and areas that had made progress against the virus show worrying signs of resurgence. Read More from The New York Times HERE

California Halts Many Indoor Businesses In 19 Counties As Coronavirus Cases Spike

Gov. Gavin Newsom is ordering 19 counties to shift many business operations outdoors or close them immediately, citing a sharp spike in new coronavirus cases. The state recorded nearly 6,000 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the governor said. Ranging from Los Angeles and Riverside to Sacramento and Fresno, the counties account for a third of the state's total. But Newsom noted, "These 19 counties represent over 70% of the population" in the state. Read More from NPR HERE

Arizona Reports New Coronavirus Records Ahead Of Pence Visit

Health officials in Arizona on Wednesday reported record numbers of daily coronavirus cases and new deaths because of the disease, just hours before Vice President Mike Pence’s arrival in Phoenix. The state logged 4,878 new Covid-19 infections and 88 additional deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. More than 84,000 people have now tested positive statewide, resulting in an overall death toll of 1,720. Read More from Politico HERE 

Mississippi Governor Signs Bill Changing State’s Flag, Abandoning Confederate Symbol

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed a bill Tuesday abandoning the state’s flag and stripping the Confederate battle flag symbol from it, capping a remarkable turnaround on a banner that had flown over the state for more than a century. With Reeves’s move, Mississippi will take down one of the country’s most prominent Confederate tributes, withdrawing the only state flag that still bears such an emblem. Read More from The Washington Post HERE

Top Intelligence Officials To Brief 'Gang Of Eight' On Thursday

CIA Director Gina Haspel and NSA Director Paul Nakasone will brief congressional leaders known as the “Gang of Eight” on intelligence related to suspected Russian bounties on U.S. forces on Thursday. The “Gang of Eight” includes the top Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate as well as the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. Read More from The Hill HERE

Hong Kong Begins Life Under A New Chinese National-Security Law

If China's rulers hoped the new national-security law they have imposed on Hong Kong late on June 30th would immediately cow its critics there into silence, they have been proved wrong. Protests to mark July 1st, the anniversary of the handover of the territory from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, defied both the law and a ban this year on what has become an annual event. So the first arrests under the law came almost at once. By the evening hundreds of people had been detained. Police carried banners warning the law would be enforced. They also deployed water-cannon, tear-gas and pepper-spray. Read More from The Economist HERE and CNN HERE

India’s Ban Of 59 Chinese Apps Is The Latest Test For Beijing’s Faltering ‘Wolf Warrior’ Diplomacy

Sino-Indian relations have taken another hit following New Delhi’s decision to ban 59 Chinese apps that it claims pose a “threat to sovereignty and integrity.” The move marks the latest salvo between the nuclear-armed neighbors after a Himalayan border skirmish on June 15 that saw at least 20 killed when troops from both sides clashed with clubs and rocks. On Monday, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released a statement claiming that popular Chinese apps were harvesting data and sending it to foreign servers. Read More from Time HERE