Good morning. It\'s Tuesday, Aug. 3, and we\'re covering a sweeping infrastructure proposal, rising COVID-19 vaccinations, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Infrastructure Debate Begins

The US Senate began debating a bipartisan infrastructure package yesterday after the proposal was formally introduced in a rare Sunday session. Led by Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), the 2,700-page proposal provides roughly $1.2T in funding over eight years—about $550B will be new spending. 

Included in the bill is $110B for roads and bridges, $73B for power grid upgrades, $66B for freight and passenger rail, $65B for broadband expansion, and $55B for water projects, among other items. A grab bag of provisions is meant to partially fund the package, including reallocating $205B in unspent pandemic aid and $53B in unspent unemployment aid that went unused by a number of states.  

Seventeen GOP senators supported the bill during a procedural vote last week—including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)—and negotiators say they hope it will clear the Senate by the end of the week. 

Canada Defeats the US

The US women\'s soccer team fell to Canada yesterday in the Olympic semifinals, relegating the Americans to a match for the bronze medal. Canada will face Sweden, who blanked the US 3-0 in the opening round-robin matches, for the gold medal. The US didn\'t register its first shot on goal until minute 65.

The US squad failed to gel despite entering the Games as the favorite to win gold, having won 40 of its last 44 matches, including winning the 2019 World Cup. It also likely prevents a number of longtime stars, including Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and Alex Morgan, from ending their Olympic career with gold. The team faces Australia Thursday in the bronze medal match.

Separately, Simone Biles returned to action this morning on the balance beam. See the results here.

See the current medal count here, currently led by China, the US, and Japan.

70% Vaccinated

At least 70% of US adults have received at least one vaccination dose, US health officials announced yesterday, with more than 60% having been fully vaccinated. The figure translates into about 58% of those over 12 having received both shots, or just under 50% of the total US population (see data here). No vaccines have been approved or have received emergency use authorization for children under 12 years old. 

After falling for more than three months, the number of vaccines administered in the US has risen by about 30% over the past two weeks. The seven-day rolling average currently sits at 660,000 shots administered per day. Officials say the spread of the more transmissible delta variant has prompted many people who were previously noncommittal to receive the vaccine. 

As of July 26, around 6,240 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 1,260 deaths have been reported in patients who were fully vaccinated, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Roughly 165 million Americans are fully vaccinated, implying the vaccines are more than 99.9% effective against severe illness and death from the coronavirus. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Olympics: Belarusian sprinter granted asylum in Poland after expressing fear for her safety if forced to return to Belarus (More) | Norway\'s Karsten Warholm breaks own world record to win gold in 400-meter hurdles (More)

> Frank Ocean tapped to headline 2023\'s Coachella festival, with Travis Scott and Rage Against the Machine headlining in 2022 (More) | "The Lord of the Rings" series gets September 2022 release date on Amazon Prime (More)

> Reese Witherspoon sells media company Hello Sunshine to a Blackstone-backed venture for $900M; Witherspoon to join board of new company (More)

Science & Technology

> Boeing scheduled for a key uncrewed test launch of its Starliner spaceship today at 1:20 pm ET (More)

> New theory links a slowing of the Earth\'s spinning on its axis about 3 billion years ago and the development of complex life; longer days potentially allowed for more photosynthesis and oxygen production (More)

> Scientists demonstrate new tin-based thermoelectric material with record-setting efficiency; such materials capture heat that would otherwise be lost and convert it into usable electricity (More)

Business & Markets

> Walmart, State Grid (Chinese state-owned utilities), and Amazon top Fortune’s 2021 Global 500 list of world’s largest companies by revenue (More)

> Growing list of US companies, including Disney and Facebook, require workers to be vaccinated before returning to the office (More)

> Zoom agrees to pay $85M “Zoombombing” settlement, which accused company of sharing data with third parties and enabling unapproved attendees to join meetings (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) becomes first senator to report a positive COVID-19 test after being fully vaccinated; Graham reports mild symptoms (More)

> Ohio holds two special election primaries for House districts 11 and 15; observers say the latter may be a bellwether for former President Donald Trump\'s influence in the 2022 midterms (More)

> New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) reportedly questioned for 11 hours as part of probe into sexual harassment allegations (More) | Separately, documents show Cuomo\'s administration spent $106M on a failed plan to decorate the state\'s bridges with lights (More)

IN-DEPTH

Murder in Whip City

Truly*Adventurous | Deborah Halber. In 1940, mild-mannered chemistry professor Lewis Allyn was gunned down through the window of his Westfield, Massachusetts, home. More than 80 years later, the mystery remains the town\'s lone unsolved murder. (Read)

Pedestrianism

BBC | Zaria Gorvett. Inside the wildly popular 19th-century sport where people paid to watch athletes walk around in circles—literally. (Read)

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ETCETERA

Olympic acts of kindness. 

Take a slice of Princess Diana\'s cake.

The most popular cocktail in every country.

From our partners: If the new hybrid work model is wreaking havoc on company morale, this employee engagement platform can help you turn things around. This one tool can do it all. #Ad

Rescue crews save a stranded killer whale. 

French zoo welcomes giant panda twins. 

Stay on the move with these foldable houses.

When your Tesla autopilot mistakes the moon for a stoplight.

Alpacas and llamas are beautiful creatures.

Clickbait: This woman has the world\'s biggest mouth.

Historybook: HBD singer Tony Bennett (1926); HBD Martha Stewart (1941); Rival basketball leagues merge to form NBA (1949); HBD Tom Brady (1977); 23 killed and 23 injured in mass shooting in El Paso, Texas (2019).

"When the uncreative tell the creative what to do, it stops being art."

- Tony Bennett

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