Good morning. It's Friday, June 11, we're covering a plateau in COVID-19 vaccinations, a breakthrough against a deadly virus, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Vaccine Pace Slows

Roughly 61.5% of Americans over the age of 12 have received at least one vaccination dose, a figure that has only risen by a few percentage points over the past two and a half weeks. The number of doses administered has dropped by more than two-thirds since a mid-April peak. The US is averaging about 1.1 million shots per day, with 400,000 of those going to people receiving their first dose.

The slowdown threatens the Biden administration's goal of having 70% of US adults receive at least one shot by July 4. About 15 million people would need to receive their initial dose over the next three weeks to meet the goal. See vaccination rates in your state here. 

The seven-day rolling average of new cases in the US is around 14,000 per day (see data), with average daily deaths falling to around 320 per day. The country is likely to pass 600,000 total reported COVID-19 deaths over the weekend or early next week. 

'Miraculous' Mosquito Hack

Cases of dengue fever were cut by more than 77% in an Indonesian trial using mosquitoes infected with bacteria that provide a natural defense against the virus. Hailed as a groundbreaking study, the approach raises the possibility of eliminating a debilitating disease responsible for up to 400 million infections and thousands of deaths each year.

The insects were infected with the Wolbachia bacteria, found in about 60% of insects but not in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the main carrier of dengue. The bacteria occupy the same space as the virus, competing for resources and dramatically slowing the replication of the virus. Scientists released infected mosquitoes into the local environment; after 10 months, the bacteria had spread through the insect population. 

Watch an overview of the science here.

Queenpin Pleads Guilty

The wife of former Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán pleaded guilty yesterday in a US court to charges of international drug trafficking and money laundering. Admitting she helped run the multibillion-dollar Sinaloa cartel, 31-year-old Emma Coronel Aispuro faces up to life in prison. 

Her husband, El Chapo, was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 in a trial that included more than 200 hours of testimony from 56 witnesses. At the time he was finally arrested, he had reportedly racked up nearly $14B in total wealth. Read the history of the Sinaloa cartel here.

Coronel was born near San Francisco but grew up in a remote village in the northern Mexican state of Durango. Guzmán was said to have met her at a 2007 party thrown as part of a beauty pageant Coronel had entered; the pair reportedly agreed to marry that day.

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INVESTING IN DIGITAL SAFETY

With growing concern for cyber safety on topics like ransomware, malicious spyware, and children's exposure to inappropriate online content, the market for cybersecurity is expanding rapidly.

And Gryphon, a cybersecurity company specializing in easy-to-use cloud-managed, network-based solutions, has been around since 2018 to help people be safer online. Their powerful intelligent mesh WiFi routers protect users from malware and unsavory content for children—and they've already experienced significant traction. With over $5M in sales (25,000+ Gryphon units), 160% annual revenue growth, and the cybersecurity market positioned to reach $270B in value, Gryphon is now searching for investors like you to help expand their business and service their growing market. 

Learn more about the Gryphon story, technology, and potential through their site. Check out Gryphon's investment opportunity today.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Brisbane, Australia, tapped to host 2032 Summer Olympics; will be third time the summer games are in Australia after Melbourne (1956) and Sydney (2000) (More)

> "Friends" reunion draws 5.3 million viewers on Sky One, a record for the UK network (More) | "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" ends after nearly 14 years and 20 seasons (More)

> Oklahoma tops Florida State 5-1 in decisive Game 3 to win Women's College World Series, their fifth national softball championship (More) | Men's baseball super regionals begin today (More)

Science & Technology

> European Space Agency announces orbital mission to Venus; will use radar mapping of land formations and pair results with atmospheric data in effort to understand the planet's evolution (More)

> Laughing gas—a mix of oxygen and nitrous oxide—shows positive effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression; improvement shown to last for weeks (More)

> Canadian telescope records 535 instances of mysterious fast radio bursts, quadrupling the total number of events recorded to date; dataset reveals two types, likely linked to two distinct but unknown phenomena (More)

Business & Markets

Brought to you by The Ascent

> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq +0.8%); May inflation jumps 5% representing largest year-over-year gain since 2008 (More) | Q1 US household net worth reaches highest-ever $137T on stock market gains (More) 

> An estimated 376,000 Americans filed initial jobless claims last week, falling for the sixth consecutive week; figure still above pre-pandemic average of approximately 225,000 (More)

> Facebook to provide its 60,000 employees the option of working remotely; CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to spend as much as half of the next year working remotely (More) | Didi—the Uber of China—files for initial public offering; company reported $21.6B in 2020 revenue, was last valued at $62B (More)

From our partners: Mortgage rates are still sliding, and you could be saving big by refinancing. See if you can decrease your monthly payments and enjoy a streamlined process, amounting to many thousands of dollars in possible savings. Check it out now.

Politics & World Affairs

> Israeli parliament set to vote on eight-party coalition government Sunday; move would oust Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister after a 12-year term (More)

> President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson sign updated Atlantic Charter, a nonbinding commitment focusing on eight broad areas of partnership (More) | Read the original Atlantic Charter, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill (More) | What to expect from the G-7 summit (More)

> Report finds the administration of former Tennessee Gov. Ray Blanton (D) helped fund the 1979 contract killing of a federal witness set to testify in a corruption trial; all major players in the scandal have passed away (More)

IN-DEPTH

'This Should Be the Biggest Scandal in Sports' 

Sports Illustrated | Stephanie Apstein, Alex Prewitt. The sly (and illegal) trick used by major league pitchers to dominate batters. (Read)

About that Lab Leak

Nature | Amy Maxmen, Smriti Mallapaty. What scientists do and do not know about the possibility the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab. (Read)

... In related news, a leading scientist pulls back on his oft-cited claim of a "smoking gun."

A Mission for Father Stewart

Smithsonian | Joshua Hammer. The American monk on a mission to collect and safeguard ancient documents that detail humanity's story. (Read)

Perplex City

Wired UK | Will Coldwell. The incredible story of an alternate reality game and a puzzle that took 15 years to crack. (Read)

INNOVATING A SAFER INTERNET

In partnership with Gryphon

Did you know that incidence of hacks has risen 330% through the COVID-19 pandemic? It's escalated so much that the federal government now urges all businesses to take defensive steps.

Gryphon wants to help consumers and businesses be safer in a world of increasingly connected devices. With over 5 million threats blocked, 25,000 units sold, five patents issued, and more than $5M in sales, their team is looking for investors to help expand their business. Learn more about the investment opportunity today.

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ETCETERA

The best photos from yesterday's solar eclipse.

National Geographic adds a new ocean.

Elon Musk's Boring Loop transports its first passengers.

The Earth's core is growing lopsided.

The best children's museums in the US.

Burial headstone fudge recipe goes viral.

Distant Viking relatives reunited via DNA analysis.

Track athlete with cancer crosses the finish line at her last meet.

Clickbait: Hit the post-pandemic club scene in high-heeled Crocs.

Historybook: Politician and suffragist Jeannette Rankin born (1880); President John F. Kennedy sends in Alabama National Guard to integrate University of Alabama (1963); Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington are first two women to become generals in the US Armed Forces (1970); RIP actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee (2014).

"The greatest gift is not being afraid to question."

- Ruby Dee

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