Good morning. It's Wednesday, July 21, and we're covering COVID-19 infections in Washington, DC, the first NBA title in Milwaukee since 1971, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

COVID in the Capital

A senior aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D, CA-12) and an unnamed White House official have both tested positive for COVID-19, according to reports. The infections were linked to a delegation of Democratic lawmakers from Texas who left the state last week in an effort to stymie consideration of an election and voting reform bill in the state Legislature. At least six lawmakers in the delegation have tested positive. Both aides were fully vaccinated but displayed mild symptoms.

Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly tested negative for the virus, while Pelosi's office said she had no contact with the infected staffer. Administration officials indicated it was not the first case of breakthrough infections—positive COVID-19 tests after full vaccination—among White House staff. Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed the administration had only committed to disclosing commissioned officers, the term for senior staff working directly for the president.

See current US COVID-19 stats here.

Fear the Deer

The Milwaukee Bucks claimed their first NBA championship in 50 years after beating the Phoenix Suns last night 105-98 in Game Six of the finals. The Bucks ripped off four straight victories after losing the first two games of the series in Phoenix. 

Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo was named Finals MVP. The superstar accounted for 50 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks in last night's win, capping a masterful series despite battling a lingering knee injury. Watch Antetokounmpo celebrate with his family immediately following the buzzer.

The Bucks and Suns were two of five teams in the NBA who hadn't won a championship in at least five decades. Suns star point guard Chris Paul, who has never won a title despite playing on star-laden teams, dismissed the idea of retirement following the loss. 

In a way-too-early look at next season, the Brooklyn Nets open as 2021-22 favorites, followed by the Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Opioid Settlement

Four major pharmaceutical companies are nearing a $26B settlement with states to end yearslong litigation over their role in fueling the US opioid crisis, according to reports. Three drug distributors—AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson—and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson are negotiating the deal. If agreed upon, the three distributors will pay $21B over 18 years, with Johnson & Johnson paying $5B over nine years. States will have 30 days to sign on to the deal. 

The lawsuits accused the distributors of lax controls over shipments and Johnson & Johnson of generally downplaying the addictive nature of prescription opioids. Health officials have linked a rise in the use of medical opioids in the late 1990s to a subsequent wave of overdose deaths from heroin and fentanyl from 2010 onward. Overdose deaths from all opioids rose 37% between 2019 and 2020 amid the pandemic, totaling more than 93,300. 

In a separate agreement, New York announced a $1.2B settlement yesterday with the same drug distributors.

Editor's note: We confused our terminology in yesterday's story about Chinese involvement in January's Microsoft Exchange Server hack. Microsoft had not confirmed the zero-day bugs prior to the first observed breach (a patch was not released until March). Read more about the definitions here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Amazon cofounder Jeff Bezos donates $100M to celebrity chef José Andrés and journalist Van Ness (More)

> Harvey Weinstein extradited from New York, where he's serving a 23-year prison sentence, to California to face multiple sexual assault charges (More)

> Women's Olympic soccer tournament begins this morning; see full preview and schedule (More)

From our partners: Grow uber-healthy microgreens from home. Veggies like kale, cabbage, and broccoli are super nutritious and flavorful at just 7-10 days old. And growing them from home couldn't be easier, with Hamama's patent-pending Seed Quilts. Just add water once and harvest your own microgreens in a week.

Science & Technology

> Amazon cofounder Jeff Bezos, three others successfully travel aboard Blue Origin's inaugural crewed flight; analysts say the trip is a milestone for the company's space tourism ambitions (More) | Watch video from the cockpit (More)

> China launches national marketplace for trading carbon emission credits, the world's largest; the country leads the world in greenhouse gas production, accounting for 27% of global emissions in 2019 (More)

> Researchers use snakes to monitor and map residual radiation from Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets rebound (S&P 500 +1.5%, Dow +1.6%, Nasdaq +1.5%) after Monday’s sell-off (More)

> United Airlines sees sixth consecutive quarterly loss, but revenue tops estimates and quadruples from last year; shares up 7% (More)

> Netflix sees higher revenues and subscribers than expected with a net of 1.5 million new global subscribers, but delivers profits lower than expected (More) | Payments giant Square launches business banking accounts targeted at small businesses; shares up 5% (More) 

Politics & World Affairs

> India COVID-19 death toll may be 10 times higher than the 414,000 reported, according to an excess deaths analysis (More) | Death toll in Western European floods rises to 197 in Germany and 31 in Belgium, with at least 300 people still missing (More)

> Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) schedules a procedural vote on a bipartisan infrastructure package for today, despite the bill being unfinished; negotiations are reportedly stuck on how to pay for $579B in new spending (More)

> Thomas Barrack, ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump, indicted on illegal foreign lobbying charges (More) | Rep. Marie Newman (D, IL-3) agrees to settlement in lawsuit that she bribed primary opponent (More)

ONCE IN A DECADE

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ETCETERA

Rare glass octopus captured on video. 

Smoke from Oregon's Bootleg Fire is now over the East Coast (click on "vertically integrated smoke").

... and a toxicologist breaks down what's in wildfire smoke.

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Usain Bolt narrates the National Baby Trials.

Americans are itching to date.

Italian museums need AI to see if you're still feeling the art.

Paralympian quits Team USA after being told to go it alone.

How to weigh a baby koala.

Clickbait: Save a squirrel, destroy Lincoln's house. 

Historybook: Author Ernest Hemingway born (1899); Actor and comedian Robin Williams born (1951); HBD soccer great Brandi Chastain (1968); Jay Silverheels becomes first Native American to have a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame (1979) NASA’s Space Shuttle program ends (2011).

"There’s no shame in failing. The only shame is not giving things your best shot."

- Robin Williams