Vote Delay Crashes and Burns | Virus Takes Herman Cain

Sponsored by Friday, July 31, 2020 *available from 8 am et important 1. Trump’s Election Delay Tweet Crosses GOP Line Even Stephen Calabresi called it “fascistic.” After President Donald Trump suggested delaying the Nov. 3 election, the conservative Federalist Society co-founder, who’s generally [supported Trump](, said it was grounds for “immediate impeachment.” In the face of slumping poll numbers, Trump repeated the debunked idea that expanding voting by mail would lead to historic fraud, tweeting, “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???” Outraged Democrats and even members of Trump’s own party cited Congress’ sole power to schedule presidential elections, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the date “set in stone.” Sources: [Fox News](, [Washington Post](, [NYT](, [AP]( 2. UK Has Worst Death Rate in Europe These dead tell a tale. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims Britain’s high [COVID-19 death rate]( is skewed by national reporting methods, new analysis indicates otherwise. The Office for National Statistics looked at excess mortality — fatalities exceeding the five-year average of deaths from any cause — and found the U.K.’s 65,000 extra deaths this year topped 21 other European nations. That includes hard-hit Italy and Spain, which was recently slapped with new British travel restrictions. On the bright side, British researchers are starting a vaccine trial on about 300 people after it safely cleared a smaller trial. Sources: [Reuters](, [AP]( 3. Hong Kong Bars Opposition, May Postpone Poll This is the way democracy ends. Not with a bang, but with a few adjustments. Yesterday, Hong Kong’s once-semiautonomous government disqualified 12 pro-democracy candidates, including activist Joshua Wong, from running for the Legislative Council, citing China’s new national security law. Today, the deadline for nominations, officials will reportedly announce that Sept. 6 elections will be delayed as much as a year [because of the pandemic](. A coalition of lawmakers from countries including Australia, Canada, Japan and many EU nations called the moves “unacceptable obstructions” of democracy that raised concerns about the “erosion of rights and freedoms.” Sources: [SCMP](, [LA Times](, [CNBC](, [Al Jazeera]( 4. US Economy Has Never Been This Bad It can’t get much worse — one hopes. Since record keeping began in 1947, the U.S. [economy]( has never fallen so far, with the country’s GDP dropping 32.9 percent between April and June. And with a $600 supplemental weekly unemployment benefit expiring today, lawmakers appear deadlocked on fresh relief, with Democrats insisting on long-term, rather than temporary aid. But big tech, whose top CEOs were grilled on Capitol Hill Wednesday, reported major gains yesterday. Facebook’s revenue rose to $18.7 billion, Amazon’s profit doubled to $5.2 billion and Apple raked in $11.25 billion. Sources: [BBC](, [Roll Call](, [The Verge]( 5. Also Important … Former President Barack Obama, eulogizing civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis, yesterday said “those in power” are [threatening U.S. democracy](. After a five-month review, a St. Louis County prosecutor says he [will not charge the police officer]( who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. And [former President Lee Teng-hui](, who fostered Taiwan’s first direct elections in the 1990s, has died at the age of 97. Are you ready to put this week behind you? First, see how much you’ve been paying attention by taking the [OZY News Quiz](. There's some new magic cooking in the OZY kitchen. But shh! It's a secret … for now. But as loyal OZY fans, we want you to be the first to know. To get an exclusive sneak peek at the magic, subscribe to the [OZY YouTube channel]( today by clicking [here](. You don't want to miss this! [these shoes fly…]( … off the shelves. Our favorite sneaker brand, Cariuma, has gotten so popular their shoes sell out in days. For a limited time, OZY and Cariuma have teamed up to give our readers access to the sneakers while they’re back in stock. [Click here](to buy now, and get $15 off with code OZYxCariuma. [Buy Now]( intriguing 1. Herman Cain, 2012 Presidential Hopeful, Dies of COVID-19 He was a contender. Eight years ago, he was a front-running challenger for the GOP nomination — a remarkable feat for a Black candidate. But politics may have led to Cain’s death in an Atlanta hospital Thursday. His last major public appearance was at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, Trump rally that’s been blamed for spreading the coronavirus. Cain did not wear a mask despite being high-risk at age 74. But Black Americans are also dying at nearly triple the rate of their white peers. In a tweet, President [Trump called Cain]( “an American Patriot, and great friend.” Sources: [WSJ (sub)](, [Forbes]( 2. Helicopter, Rover Headed to Red Planet It’s Mars or bust. Hopefully NASA’s Perseverance rover, [launched]( from Florida atop an Atlas V rocket yesterday, isn’t actually busted, but it has gone into “safe mode.” Scientists suspect that was caused by unexpectedly cold temperatures in Earth’s shadow, but they’re optimistic Perseverance will complete its 350 million-mile mission Feb. 18. It’ll collect rocks to bring back to Earth and will dispatch the first Martian helicopter, Ingenuity, to search for evidence of ancient life. It’s the third Mars mission launched in 10 days after Emirati and Chinese craft departed last week, taking advantage of the planets’ prime orbital positions. Sources: [Space](, [Nature]( 3. Finding Love On and Off the Spectrum Digital dating is hard enough. For people on the autism spectrum, Tinder may do little to change the odds that only 1 percent are hitched by the average American marriage age. But there are more welcoming avenues, [OZY reports](. Take Aspie Singles, with 4,500 members, started by a Dutch web designer who’s also on the spectrum. Others, like app Uneepi and its 9,000-strong community, don’t just match people but provide relationship coaching, developing skills like recognizing emotions in a potential partner. And not being smitten is OK: Many users are happy to find friends too. Sources: [OZY]( 4. COVID-19 Survivor Bryan Cranston: Wear Your ‘Damn Mask’ Like his infamous character Walter White, he stared death in the face. But in revealing Thursday that he’s recovered from [COVID-19](, the actor is using his survival to get the message out: “I was one of the lucky ones,” Cranston said in an Instagram video, explaining that his symptoms were mild and he’s donating his plasma to UCLA researchers. Noting the tragic U.S. death toll of 150,000, he said “we can prevail” as long as people “keep wearing the damn mask, keep washing your hands and stay socially distant.” Sources: [People](, [Yahoo]( 5. NBA Restarts Season on Its Knees Welcome to “the bubble.” That’s where the basketball league resumed its pandemic-cloistered season yesterday in Orlando, Florida. Players and refs knelt for the national anthem in solidarity with the civil rights movement, near the words Black Lives Matter emblazoned on the parquet above the league’s logo. But only 22 of 30 teams will play in this “tournament” to close the season, and even with limited outside contact, there’s [no guarantee]( players won’t be sidelined by infection — as baseball’s Miami Marlins have been. Meanwhile, in college football, the Southeastern Conference delayed its opening to Sept. 26, with only intraconference games. Sources: [AFP](, [AL.com](, [CNN]( Join OZY and our partners at [Cariuma]( in their mission to help replant the Brazilian rainforest. For each [email sign-up](, Cariuma will plant a tree in your name. Just [click here]( to do your part. Stay safe and fight on: Hit the streets for justice, but keep yourself and others safe with our [breathable two-ply cotton Reset America mask](. You can wash and reuse it, making a statement each time you mask up. Best of all, 100 percent of profits go to your choice of racial justice organization. [Get it from the OZY store today](. [TV]( | [Podcasts]( | [News]( | [FESTIVALS]( Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy](