Virus Treatment Shows Promise | Robots Are Coming For You

Smart news for busy people [presidential daily brief]( *Podcast available from 8 am et Monday, July 20, 2020 Sponsored by Important 1 1 [UK Trumpets Virus Treatment Breakthrough]( A relatively small trial of an inhaled protein treatment for COVID-19 from U.K. biotech company Synairgen has seen startling results: The treatment cuts the odds of hospitalized patients developing severe symptoms by almost 80 percent. Britain, which has the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe, has committed to buying 90 million doses of French and German vaccines. North Korea also announced that it’s developing its own [COVID-19 vaccine](, though it has reported zero cases. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Sunday was the 41st consecutive day of rising infections: The national death toll ticked past 137,000, pushing global fatalities to 600,000. SOURCES: [BBC]( / [FT (sub)]( / [Washington Post]( / [Reuters]( / [CNN]( 2 2 [Judge's Son Killed in 'Targeted' Shooting]( An assailant wearing a FedEx driver’s uniform opened fire at the New Jersey home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas on Sunday afternoon, officials say. Her son, 20, was shot through the heart and died, while her husband was wounded. Salas, confirmed in 2011, was the first Hispanic woman to serve as a federal district judge in the state. While there’s no clear motive or any known recent threats against Salas, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service are both investigating the crime and seeking information on the lone gunman. Read OZY on [the historical reprisal killing of Francis Scott Key’s son](. SOURCES: [CNN]( / [Washington Post]( 3 3 [Oregon Leaders Want Federal Officers Out]( Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler have both decried the Trump administration’s move to send heavily armed federal law enforcement officers to the Rose City, saying their use of tear gas and violence against [peaceful protesters]( is making the situation worse. Local media report that unidentified federal officers have been nabbing people off the streets and taking them away in unmarked cars without the legal rights normally afforded to those arrested. Top Democratic legislators are calling for a probe into this behavior, and into federal intervention in the first place. SOURCES: [FT (sub)]( / [NPR]( 4 4 [White House Wants Cuts to Testing and CDC]( Senate Republican leaders oppose White House efforts to cut funding for coronavirus testing and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports say. As part of their next pandemic relief bill, GOP lawmakers are seeking $25 billion for states’ testing efforts and $10 billion for the CDC. In Brussels, patience is also running thin as European Union leaders spend a fourth day hashing out economic relief for pandemic-ravaged member nations. To some, the $857 billion proposal is too generous. To others — particularly devastated Italy and Spain — it’s far too frugal. OZY introduces you to the [new COVID-19 normal](. SOURCES: [ABC]( / [BBC]( 5 5 [Also Important ...]( British officials are expected to announce the [suspension of the U.K. extradition treaty]( with Hong Kong today. Some U.S. companies [received pandemic relief money while being paid]( under government contracts. And in a Fox News interview Sunday, President Donald Trump [refused to say if he’d accept the results]( of the November election. Tweet us! Do you want to stay up to date with the latest from OZY throughout the day — not just in your morning newsletter? Be sure to [follow us on Twitter]( @OZY. [A gift guide for money mavens]( — It’s an age-old dilemma that’s become even more layered in this age of quarantine and social distancing: What do you get someone who has enough of everything, especially money? Try our collection of brilliant but overlooked options for your comfortably heeled family and friends. Check them out at the [OZY Store]( today. 6 [Time to Learn]( [6 ¿Quieres Aprender Español?]( Use your time at home to pick up a new skill, like learning Spanish! Our partners at [The Great Courses Plus]( are offering OZY readers an exclusive [month free]( when you sign up for at-home classes like [Learning Spanish]( today. [Sign up now!]( SOURCES: [The Great Courses Plus]( Intriguing 1 [1 'Naked Athena' Emerges From Tear Gas]( This is Portland, after all. In the middle of battles between [Black Lives Matter]( protesters and police, along with state versus federal authorities, she emerged. A woman protected only by a black mask placed herself between activists and police lobbing tear gas and pepper balls. Since dubbed “Naked Athena,” she struck ballet and yoga poses, seemingly oblivious to the gas and projectiles flying around her, before vanishing. While a nude woman in that environment is surprising for many, public nakedness is a Portland tradition — one even judges have cited when clearing protesters of public indecency charges. SOURCES: [LA Times]( / [Portland Oregonian]( 2 [2 Robots Are Coming — for You]( Never has tech captured mankind’s imagination the way robots have: They promise to ease our burdens while simultaneously threatening to replace us. The good news, [OZY reports]( in one of several Sunday Magazine stories about artificial intelligence and robotics, is that they’ve made great strides in relieving us of heavy lifting and they can’t really stand in for us — yet. But there’s still the thorny issue of [killer robots](, which are getting close enough to deployable to prompt the creation of a serious international entity called the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. SOURCES: [OZY]( 3 [3 Arab World's First Mars Mission Takes Off]( Will there be an Arabian Gulf on Mars? The Arab world’s first mission to the red planet, the unmanned Amal (which means “hope”) probe, blasted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center this morning for a seven-month journey. Once set into orbit, it will send back data about the Martian climate and atmosphere. The $200 million project is expected to reach Mars’ orbit by February 2021 to mark the 50th anniversary of the unification of the seven emirates. China and the U.S. also plan to launch their own missions to the planet this month. OZY looks at [America’s cosmic ambitions](. SOURCES: [The Independent]( / [Khaleej Times]( / [TIME]( 4 [4 Kanye Offers Parents $1M at First 2020 Rally]( It’s way better than a chicken in every pot. Rapper Kanye West is suggesting that “everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars or something in that range.” In a raucous first rally in South Carolina Sunday, he stood in a bullet-proof vest and rambled about abortion (against), God (very much for) and marijuana (“should be free”). He also commented that famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman “never actually freed the slaves.” West, a former Trump supporter, has missed several key states’ ballot deadlines, and has until noon Monday to get 10,000 signatures in South Carolina. OZY explains [how to disrupt an election](. SOURCES: [The Guardian]( / [ABC]( 5 [5 LeBron Rookie Card Nets $1.8 Million]( Now he’s the king of cards. A LeBron James rookie card fetched $1.8 million Sunday — the priciest basketball card ever sold. Bought by Lob.com CEO Leore Avidar, it wasn’t just any Cleveland Cavaliers 2003-04 season card. It includes a patch from the star player’s jersey and was from a special edition of which only 23, matching LeBron’s jersey number, were made. “It’s shocking news,” said the founder of the New Jersey auction house that handled the sale — considering the card was made only 17 years ago for someone who’s still playing. Hearken back with OZY to marvel at [the NBA’s WOAT](. SOURCES: [ESPN]( / [Sports Collectors Daily]( caught up? now vault ahead ... Gift Guides [A Gift Guide for Money Lovers & Financially Savvy Folks]( Because even money lovers and money-havers deserve creative gifts too. [READ NOW]( OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy](