The Rundown: Final Testing Begins for Virus Vaccine

SIGNS OF SLOWING IN ARIZONA, TEXAS, FLORIDA: Final-stage testing began Monday of an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health, with the first of what will be some 30,000 U.S. volunteers injected at different sites across the country with either the vaccine or a placebo. They will be tracked as they go about their daily lives to see which group has more coronavirus infections. We won't have results for months, with Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIH's infectious-disease head, saying it would likely be November or December. Meanwhile, Pfizer announced it's going to start testing its own experimental vaccine and is also looking to recruit 30,000 volunteers, and China and Britain's Oxford University began smaller final-stage tests on their vaccines earlier this month.

Meanwhile, after coronavirus cases have been increasing in the U.S. for weeks, the rate of growth in average daily new cases fell across the country Sunday for the first time since June 12th. In Arizona, Florida and Texas, which have been among the biggest recent hot spots, there seems to be a slowing down of new cases as more people social distance and wear masks, and some reopening plans have been stopped. Arizona is also starting to see a slowing down in hospitalizations, but while Florida and Texas are seeing new cases slow, their hospitalizations and deaths are continuing to rise.

There have been more than 148,000 deaths in the U.S. as of this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's count, and more than 4,290,000 confirmed cases.

Republicans Introduce $1 Trillion Aid Package: Senate Republicans introduced a new $1 trillion coronavirus aid package yesterday, which includes another round of $1,200 stimulus payments to Americans, another round of Paycheck Protection Program loans to help keep small businesses open and paying their workers, and a reduction in the extra federal unemployment benefit of $600 weekly to $200. It also includes funds for virus testing and to help schools reopen in the fall, as well as liability protection from coronavirus lawsuits for businesses and schools. Now the Republicans have to negotiate final legislation with House Democrats, who passed their own $3 trillion relief package two months ago that hasn't been taken up by the Senate. Among their differences, Democrats object to cutting the $600 weekly extra unemployment benefit, and want the package to include funds for states and cities that have been left in big financial holes because of the coronavirus, which isn't in the Republicans' bill.

National Security Adviser O'Brien Positive for Coronavirus: National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien has tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest-ranking U.S. official so far. The White House said yesterday that he has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from what it said was a "secure location off site." The White House also said, "There is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President."

➤U.S. ATTORNEY: FED AGENTS TO STAY IN PORTLAND UNTIL ATTACKS STOP; MAYORS ASK FOR BAN: Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler and the mayors of five other major U.S. cities -- Seattle, Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque and Washington, D.C. -- yesterday urged Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized federal agents in cities that don't want them there. That came as protests and sometimes violent clashes have ramped up in Portland over the past couple of weeks after federal agents were controversially sent earlier this month to protect the federal courthouse.

Barr to tell House Judiciary Committee that Portland protests are "an assault on the government of the United States" https://t.co/t8NZDbWj5Y

— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 28, 2020

But U.S. Attorney Bill Williams said earlier yesterday that the agents would remain in Portland until the attacks on the courthouse stop. City officials have said that the protests that had been going on nightly since George Floyd's death had started to wind down, but they swelled again in opposition to the agents, after they were deployed. Although most of the protesters have been peaceful, there have been a few, largely at night, who have been throwing objects, including firecrackers, at the agents and trying to tear down the fence that was put up around the federal courthouse.

➤NATIONAL GUARD OFFICIAL TO TESTIFY PARK OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE FORCEFULLY CLEARED LAST MONTH DESPITE PROTESTERS BEING PEACEFUL: A National Guard official will testify at a congressional hearing today that Lafayette Park outside the White House was forcefully cleared last month before President Trump walked across it to take a photo in front of a church even though the protesters had been peaceful, contrary to what top Trump administration officials have said about the incident that drew widespread criticism. Washington, D.C., National Guard Major Adam D. DeMarco, who says he was one of the senior National Guard officials on the scene, is expected to say, "The demonstrators were behaving peacefully, exercising their First Amendment rights." He's also set to say that he was surprised the park began to be forcefully cleared well ahead of the 7 p.m. curfew put in place by the mayor. Attorney General William Barr has said his decision to have the protesters cleared came after signs they were becoming, quote, "increasingly unruly." Barr has also denied the protesters' removal had anything to do with Trump walking to the church minutes later for a photo holding up a Bible. Park Police acting Chief Gregory Monahan will testify the decision was made to remove the protesters once fencing arrived, saying there was a, quote, "on-the-ground assessment of the violence and danger presented by the crowd."

➤REP. JOHN LEWIS LIES IN STATE AT CAPITOL: The body of civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis is lying in state at the U.S. Capitol after a memorial service yesterday in the Capitol Rotunda, making him the first African-American to lie in state in the Rotunda. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at the memorial, calling the Georgia Democrat who died on July 17th at age 80 the "conscience of the Congress," and saying he was "revered and beloved on both sides of the aisle." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also spoke, saying, "History only bent towards what's right because people like John paid the price." As Lewis' flag-draped coffin sat in the center of the Rotunda, a recording of him giving a commencement address was played in which he said, "You must find a way to get in the way. You must find a way to get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble."

After the service, Lewis' body was moved to the steps of the east side of the Capitol for visitors to file by and pay their respects, done this way because the Capitol is closed to visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic. The public viewing was held until 10 p.m., and will take place again today from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Among those paying their respects yesterday were presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence, but when President Trump was asked by reporters if he'd be going, Trump said, "I won’t be going, no." Lewis once called Trump an illegitimate president and charged that he stoked racial discord, and Trump responded by calling Lewis' Atlanta district "crime-infested."

➤SWIMMER KILLED BY SHARK IN MAINE: A woman was killed in an apparent shark attack while swimming off the coast of Maine on Monday. Witnesses saw the woman swimming off Bailey Island in Casco Bay when she was injured in what appeared to be a shark attack. Two kayakers helped get her to shore and an ambulance was called, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Shark attacks are rare in Maine, with only one other having been recorded before by an unprovoked shark.

➤KATHIE LEE GIFFORD RECALLS LAST MOMENTS WITH REGIS PHILBIN: Kathie Lee Gifford, 66, appeared on The Today Show Monday to recall her last visit with her former co-host, just weeks before Regis Philbin died at age 88.



She said: "They came over about two weeks ago. I saw Reg get out of the car with Joy and I sensed much more fragility than I had seen in him since the last time in January out in Los Angeles." The group spent the day sitting on Gifford's screen porch where they "laughed ourselves sick" and "picked up right where" they left off. But she sensed that his time was coming: "We became dear friends through the years since then. Always, always getting together every chance we could and just picking up right where we left off. We just had the best time. After they left I thought to myself, 'Lord is that the last time I am going to see my friend?' Because he was failing. I could tell." It was also revealed Monday that Philbin will be buried at his alma mater, Notre Dame. 

➤TARGET FOLLOWS WALMART'S LEAD TO BE CLOSED THANKSGIVING DAY:  After Walmart announced last week that it would be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Target announced Monday that it also will be keeping its stores closed on the holiday, after having gotten an early start on Black Friday sales for a decade by opening on the holiday. Retailers are reconsidering how Black Friday shopping will be done amid the coronavirus pandemic, when stores packed with shoppers are not what you want. Target said in a blog post, "Historically, deal hunting and holiday shopping can mean crowded events, and this isn’t a year for crowds." But it said that it will be starting its holiday deals earlier than ever, beginning in October. Even before the pandemic, some retailers who'd started opening on Thanksgiving in recent years had gotten criticism for taking their workers away from their families. Still to be worked out and made public is how retailers will handle Black Friday, and AP cited analysts as saying retailers will likely do more online and limit the number of shoppers in stores. They could also, like Target, start holiday sales earlier. 

NY Post 7/28/20

➤AT LEAST THREE MLB GAMES POSTPONED DUE TO MARLINS' CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK: At least three MLB games have been postponed just a few days into the coronavirus-shortened season because of an outbreak of the virus among the Miami Marlins, who have more than a dozen players and staff members who've tested positive. Miami's home opener against the Baltimore Orioles yesterday was postponed as was their game tonight. The New York Yankees' game against the Phillies in Philadelphia was also postponed, where the Yankees would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins had used days before. Despite the outbreak just as the season had finally started, Commissioner Rob Manfred said yesterday, "I don’t see it as a nightmare. We built the protocols to allow us to continue to play. . . . we think we can keep people safe and continue to play." All the Marlins players and staff are being tested and the MLB teams all have extra players if players have to miss games with the virus, and Manfred said yesterday, "If the testing results are acceptable, the Marlins will resume play in Baltimore on Wednesday against the Orioles."

➤NFL'S BAKER, DUNBAR, LATIMER PUT ON COMMISSIONER EXEMPT LIST: New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar and Washington wide receiver Cody Latimer were put on the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt List yesterday (July 27th) while they're facing felony charges from incidents during the offseason. Players on the list can't practice or play in games, but do get paid. Baker and Dunbar were charged after a robbery at a Florida cookout, and Latimer was charged with a felony count of illegal discharge of a firearm in a separate incident in Colorado.