| Greetings, QuickTake readers! In this edition: Global coronavirus cases top 22 million, S&P 500 closes at highest level ever, and SpaceX completes a record-breaking launch.  'We all saw this coming' UNC-Chapel Hill students packed up and moved out on Tuesday after the university announced a full pivot to remote learning following several coronavirus outbreaks on campus just a week after classes began. With more than 19,000 undergrads, the college was one of the biggest in the U.S. to attempt in-person learning. Masks and social distancing were encouraged, and dorms were held to 60% capacity and classroom seats to 30%. It didn't require students to be tested when they arrived. Last week, 130 students and five employees tested positive for the virus, the university said, reporting four clusters of Covid-19, including one in a freshman dorm and another in an off-campus fraternity house. And for many, it wasn't a surprise. Before classes began, staff and the county's health director asked the university to reconsider reopening, and students staged a "die-in," calling for online-only classes. Now, the Chapel Hill experiment is raising alarms elsewhere. On Tuesday, Notre Dame University canceled classes for two weeks after a spike in cases, and Michigan State University began a transition to remote learning, telling students to stay home. $ignificant figures 22 million. The number of global coronavirus cases surpassed that mark, with the U.S., Brazil, and, India accounting for more than half of the total. Worldwide deaths exceeded 778,000. 4.9%. The S&P 500 rose that much this year after closing at its highest level ever on Tuesday, capping a 52% rally from its March low, the fastest-ever recovery from a bear market in just 126 trading days. $7.8 billion. Elon Musk's net worth increased that much on Monday after Tesla shares surged 11% and closed at a record high, making him the world's fourth-richest person with an overall fortune of $84.8 billion. Highly quotable "Suspend initiatives until after the election." Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he'll halt service changes "to avoid impact on election mail" after Democrats accused Trump of impeding the vote-by-mail process. "Moscow's intent was to help the Trump Campaign." Vladimir Putin ordered the 2016 hacking of Democratic Party email accounts to harm Hillary Clinton's campaign, a Senate Intelligence report concluded. "Forced detention." Soldiers detained Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cissé in the capital, Bamako, in an apparent coup following weeks of protests against his government. This is not normal Thawing out. Scientists say by 2035, Arctic summer sea-ice could vanish for the first time in 130,000 years—since primitive humans left Africa—as the polar region warms more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet.  The future is now Rocket reusability. SpaceX launched and landed a Falcon 9 booster on a record-breaking sixth flight for the vehicle, deploying into orbit 58 of its internet-beaming Starlink satellites, setting up a potential seventh flight.  What's good Facing history. Houston's Museum of African American Culture put on display the "Spirit of The Confederacy," a 1908 statue removed in June, to let Black Americans confront slavery's painful legacy, and, ultimately, heal.  Now that you're caught up... Tell your friends to sign up to receive our newsletter five days a week. Follow QuickTake on Twitter , YouTube , Instagram, and Facebook . BTW: Democrats officially nominated Joe Biden for president on the second night of the DNC in a virtual roll call that spanned the country. Watch. Thanks for reading!
-Andrew Mach | 
Post a Comment