Good morning. It's Wednesday, July 8, and we're breaking down the detailed relationships of aquarium penguins. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Brazil's President Tests Positive 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro revealed yesterday he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The news followed the onset of COVID-19 symptoms over the weekend, including a fever. A chest X-ray looking for scarring of lung tissue—a common symptom in severe cases (see more)—was reportedly negative, and Bolsonaro said he would continue working as the fever subsides. The 65-year-old populist politician has argued the threat of the virus has been inflated by the media, and has pushed to keep the economy open, saying widespread infections are inevitable.

Brazil has emerged as one of the pandemic's epicenters. With the world's sixth-largest population, the country ranks second in total COVID-19 cases (1.6 million) and deaths (65,000) behind the US. New cases, which critics say are being undercounted due to lack of testing, have risen by 16% since last week. Major cities in Brazil began reopening roughly a month ago.

Meanwhile, the US passed 3 million reported cases, with 131,480 deaths as of this morning. In the race for a treatment, the government inked a $1.6B deal with vaccine maker Novavax to develop and test a drug regimen that began early trials in May. The company joins three others backed by the administration's Operation Warp Speed vaccine development effort. 

Separately, new US immigration guidelines would require international students to return to their home countries in the fall if their classes have been shifted entirely online. 

Death Toll Rises in Japan

At least 58 people have been killed with more than a dozen missing as torrential rains caused widespread flooding and landslides in southern Japan. The government advised at least 3 million people to evacuate Kyushu, Japan's third-biggest island, if possible. The downpour began Friday and intensified yesterday, with some areas seeing up to 4 inches of rain per hour.  

Much of the devastation was localized around the Kuma River (see photos), whose fast-moving rapids begin in the island's mountains before traveling 70 miles out to sea. At least 2,000 homes were said to be cut off by rising waters, with a number of bridges washed away. The death toll is expected to rise as more search and rescue teams comb the area. The floods come less than a year after Typhoon Hagibis left more than 90 dead. 

Fourteen of the victims, reportedly from a senior living facility, were trapped when a river embankment collapsed. 

Johnny Depp Libel Trial

A high-profile lawsuit expected to expose details of actor Johnny Depp's life began in London yesterday. At the center of the case is a charge by Depp that the British tabloid The Sun falsely accused him of domestic violence in a 2018 article. Company officials said the charges were warranted and based on accounts from Depp's former wife, actress Amber Heard. 

The relationship between Depp and Heard reportedly began on the set of "The Rum Diaries" in 2012, and quickly became tumultuous (see timeline). Married in 2015, Heard filed for divorce after one year, claiming Depp was abusive. Depp denied the claims, countering that Heard was abusive, and suing the actress for $50M over a 2019 op-ed in which she claimed he physically abused her.  

The trial is likely to push a number of salacious details into public view, adding to a swirl of issues around Depp, the world's 10th highest-grossing actor. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Major theater chains including AMC, Cinemark sue New Jersey over coronavirus closures (More) | 77th Venice Film Festival announces reduced lineup (More)

> MLB releases 2020 schedule, with a 60-game regular schedule that opens July 23 (More) | Handful of teams cancel workouts over coronavirus risks (More)

> Mary Kay Letourneau, ex-teacher who made headlines in 1997 when she was convicted of rape of sixth grade student she later married, dies of cancer at 58 (More)

Science & Technology

> Preliminary data suggest experimental drug regimen successfully cleared AIDS virus from 36-year-old Brazilian man; known as the "Sao Paolo patient," the treatment ended in March 2019, with no signs of the virus returning to date (More)

> Alphabet's (Google) Loon debuts its balloon-powered internet service in Kenya, the first use of the technology worldwide; 35 balloons provide service to roughly 30,000 square miles, with speeds near 20 Mbps (More)

> Tech firms including Facebook, Microsoft, and others pause data-sharing cooperation while they consider new national security law in Hong Kong; social media platform TikTok pulls out of the city (More) | US official floats ban of TikTok as tensions with China grow (More)

Business & Markets

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> US stock markets down (S&P 500 -1.1%, Dow -1.5%, Nasdaq -0.9%) as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country (More)

> Deutsche Bank to pay $150M fine for supporting financial transactions by sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including payments to Russian models (More)

> Facebook executives meet with leaders from civil rights groups leading ad boycott charge including NAACP; groups call meeting a “disappointment” (More) | Data analytics firm Palantir confidentially files for IPO (More)

Find us a better cash back card than this, we dare you. With this card, you’ll earn up to 5% cash back at places you actually shop, avoid credit card interest until 2021, and pay no annual fee (More) #Ad

Politics & World Affairs

> President Trump, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to push governors and state officials to fully reopen schools in the fall (More) | The US gives formal notice of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, effective 2021 (More) | What does the WHO do? (More)

> The Supreme Court reveals Chief Justice John Roberts was briefly hospitalized last month after falling and hitting his head; incident required stitches and an overnight stay (More)

> US Army officials confirm remains found in Texas were of Fort Hood Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who was killed by fellow service member Spc. Aaron Robinson; Robinson died by suicide July 2 when confronted by police (More)

1440 FINDS

Calling all moms. The Mom Project is a job-search site for mothers seeking world-class employers that respect their needs for a work-life balance. In recent news, they just raised a whopping $25M in Series B funding, making us all think "they grow up too fast!"

Enough with goals. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says goals aren't the best way to approach habits. Instead, try systems. He got us thinking, you can check out the excerpt from his book here.

All we need's a little lift. This Spotify playlist (aptly named "The Ultimate Happy Playlist") will get you out of the post-holiday-weekend blues, and keep you in high spirits until your next day off on Labor Day. It's hump day folks, listen away!

* = Sponsored content. Sponsored or not, all Finds have been thoroughly vetted by our team!

ETCETERA

Horseshoe crabs are the surprising ingredient needed for testing new drugs.

A perfectly preserved 17th-century warship was pulled from the Baltic Sea.

Go inside the doomsday bunker of the rich and frightened. 

You think of a fragrance, Demeter Fragrance Library probably has it. Thunderstorm, PB&J, Gold, the list goes on. And when they’re not making unique and exotic fragrances, they’re producing unscented hand sanitizer spray to keep our lives safe and sterile, with 80% ethyl alcohol (the highest allowable concentration). This month, they’re celebrating "Christmas in July", with 15% off everything on site. The options are endless, check it out. #Ad

The Far Side returns after a 25-year hiatus.

Student goes from sanitation worker to Harvard Law. 

Not all heroes wear capes: Houston mom beats the coronavirus, has C-section, gives birth to triplets. 

Hyperdetailed flowcharts detail the salacious love life of aquarium penguins.

This parrot outperforms college students in memory tests.

Clickbait: Please watch this dog apologize to his buddy. 

Historybook: Vasco da Gama is first European to reach India by sea (1497); Businessman and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller born (1839); RIP "Gone with the Wind" actress Vivien Leigh (1967); Atlantis is launched on final mission of US Space Shuttle program (2011); RIP former first lady and social activist Betty Ford (2011).

"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."

- John D. Rockefeller

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