| Greetings, QuickTake readers! In this edition: Trump's plane nearly hit by small drone, two men charged in death of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, and brutal heatwaves boost California's wildfire risk.  Congress takes up USPS crisis Members of the U.S. House are returning early to Washington this week to work on legislation that would shore up funding for the U.S. Postal Service to avert delivery and service cutbacks ahead of November's elections. House Democrats plan to call for $25 billion in funding to be voted on the Saturday after the DNC, to help process a surge of mail-in ballots from voters wanting to avoid Election Day polling places during the pandemic. Last week, Trump blocked a $25-billion bailout for the postal service, as well as a Democratic plan to give $3.6 billion in election aid to states, amid a stalemate between Republicans and Democrats on broader virus relief. On Monday, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee and GOP megadonor, agreed to testify Aug. 24 to Congress following outcry over the agency's removal of official USPS mailboxes and mail sorting machines, and the reduction in hours for workers across the country. Separately, a group of voters and political candidates sued Trump and DeJoy, claiming they've "set out to ensure USPS cannot reliably deliver election mail." State attorneys general are likely to file similar claims, and lawmakers are calling for a federal criminal investigation of DeJoy. On Monday, Trump said USPS was "running very well" and that he urged the agency to "speed up, not slow the mail," before adding, one reason the agency is "losing so much money is on delivering packages for Amazon." $ignificant figures 220,000. That many Belarusians rallied in Minsk Sunday against long-time President Alexander Lukashenko in the nation's largest opposition protest. Meanwhile, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said she'd act as an interim leader. 1.56 million. The White House approved a plan to sell oil drilling rights in that many acres of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area the size of Delaware, setting up a likely clash if Trump loses the election. 33%. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said gyms and health clubs can reopen Aug. 24 with a third of normal capacity after the state issued strict guidelines, including official inspections and adjustments to ventilation. Highly quotable "Cause for concern." New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern delayed the country's general election by four weeks until Oct. 17 amid a new outbreak of coronavirus in Auckland that forced the city into lockdown last week. "They walked in and murdered him in cold blood." Two men were indicted in the 2002 unsolved murder of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, who, at 37, was fatally shot at a recording studio in Queens, New York. "Resembled a drone." Trump's jet was nearly hit by a small yellow and black object shaped like a cross shortly before it landed at an airport near Washington Sunday night, several people aboard Air Force One said. This is not normal Red hot. Temperatures in Death Valley, California, climbed to 130°F on Sunday amid the state's worst heatwave in 70 years, straining power grids and drying out vegetation—and ripening conditions for more wildfires.  The future is now Smart farming. Ranchers in Australia are getting extra help herding cattle from drones that allow a single worker to safely corral as many as 1,000 animals with just a flick of their thumbs.  What's good Positive impact. What can the government say to get people to wear masks? A survey of more than 2,000 Illinois residents found that likening them to helmets and seatbelts swayed 92% of respondents to mask up.  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: Day one of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention begins Monday. Here's what to watch for. Thanks for reading!
-Andrew Mach | 
Post a Comment