The Rundown: Miami Shuts Down

USAToday 7/7/20

➤CORONAVIRUS HOSPITALIZATIONS RISE; MIAMI CLOSINGS REIMPOSED; MASKS ORDERED IN WEST VIRGINIA: Hospitals are moving closer to capacity as coronavirus cases have been surging across states in the South and West, with cases rising in 41 of 50 states and the percentage of tests coming back positive also increasing in 39 states. In California, coronavirus hospitalizations have risen 56 percent in two weeks, and in Texas they are up fourfold over the past month. Hospitals in Arizona are at 89 percent capacity as confirmed cases passed 100,000.

In response to the surges, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Monday ordered closed indoor dining at restaurants, gyms and vacation rentals, seven weeks after they reopened. In West Virginia, Governor Jim Justice ordered that face masks be worn indoors, saying, "[I]f we don’t . . . do this now, we’re going to be in a world of hurt." Those moves came as U.S. deaths passed 130,000 yesterday, according to Johns Hopkins University's county, and confirmed cases were more than 2,936,000.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced yesterday that she'd tested positive for the coronavirus. The 50-year-old tweeted, "COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive." Bottoms said her husband and one of her four children had also tested positive. Bottoms is among the women who've been named as a potential vice presidential running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Three Percent of Americans Have Moved Due to the Coronavirus: The coronavirus kept many of us locked down in our homes, but for some people, it caused them to move where they were living. A new Pew Research Center survey found that three percent of U.S. adults moved permanently or temporarily due to the pandemic, and six percent had someone move into their home. Young adults were the most likely to have moved due to the coronavirus, with nine percent of those ages 18 to 29 saying they'd done so. Among the reasons for moving, 28 percent said it was to reduce their risk of getting the virus, 23 percent said they had to move when their college campus closed, 20 percent said they wanted to be with family, 10 percent had financial reasons other than jobs loss, and eight percent said it was due to job loss. About 61 percent moved in with a family member, 13 percent moved to a second or vacation home, and nine percent rented or bought a new place.

➤WEALTHY, WELL-CONNECTED AMONG THOSE WHO GOT PPP LOANS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES: The federal government on Monday released information about some of the 650,000 recipients of loans from the Payroll Protection Program, which was passed by Congress to allow small businesses to keep their workers employed during the pandemic. While mostly small businesses and nonprofits got money through the program, which has given out $521 billion, there were also wealthy and well-connected recipients. Among them were: Kanye West's clothing and sneaker brand; the anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform; companies owned by the family of President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner; California Rep. Devin Nunes' winery; family companies of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, considered to be the state's richest person; Washington, D.C., political strategy companies; legal firms, and big-money hedge funds. The Treasury Department only named companies that got more than $150,000, which made up less than 15 percent of the companies that received loans.

➤GEORGIA GOV. DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER VIOLENCE, CALLS UP NATIONAL GUARD: Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Monday (July 6th) after what he said was, quote, "weeks of dramatically increased violent crime and property destruction in the city of Atlanta," and called up as many of 1,000 members of the National Guard.

Kemp said more than 30 people were shot over the July 4th holiday weekend, five of whom died. The governor also referred to protests in Atlanta following the death of George Floyd, several of which were followed by looting and vandalism. He said, "Peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead. This lawlessness must be stopped and order restored in our capital city." The order says the National Guard will provide support at state buildings like the Capitol and Governor's Mansion so state police can increase patrols.

➤ICE: FOREIGN STUDENTS MUST LEAVE U.S. OR TRANSFER IF SCHOOL'S CLASSES ARE ONLINE: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued new guidelines Monday (July 6th) that require foreign students going to college in the U.S. to leave the country or transfer to another school if their college or university will be holding classes entirely online this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines put more pressure on colleges to fully reopen, as President Trump has been insisting that schools and colleges return to in-person instruction as soon as possible. The American Council on Education, which represents university presidents, called the guidelines "horrifying" and said they will lead to confusion. They could also be financially devastating to some colleges, since many depend on tuition from international students, who typically pay higher rates.

Ghislaine Maxwell

➤EPSTEIN COMPANION TRANSFERRED TO NEW YORK AFTER ARREST: Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who was the former girlfriend and longtime close associate of Jeffrey Epstein, was transferred to a jail in Brooklyn, New York, Monday after being arrested in New Hampshire last week, where she'd been secretlyholed up in a $1 million estate. The 58-year-old is facing charges that she recruited underage girls, one as young as 14, for Epstein to sexually abuse. Maxwell has denied the claims, which she called "absolute rubbish." She will have a remote appearance in Manhattan federal court next week. Epstein killed himself in jail last August as he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

➤SUPREME COURT RULES STATES CAN REQUIRE ELECTORS TO VOTE FOR POPULAR VOTE WINNER: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday (July 6th) that states can require presidential electors to vote for their states' popular vote winner in the Electoral College. The decision leaves in place such laws in 32 states and Washington, D.C. "Faithless electors," who vote for someone other than who won the popular vote in their state, are rare, and have never affected the outcome of a presidential election, but they potentially could in a close election decided by just a few electoral votes. The legal issue came from lawsuits filed by three 2016 Hillary Clinton electors in Washington state and one in Colorado who refused to vote for her in the Electoral College despite her popular vote win in both states.

NY Post 7/7/20

➤MAHOMES AGREES TO 10-YEAR, $503 MILLION EXTENSION WITH CHIEFS: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first championship in 50 years in February's Super Bowl, has agreed to a 10-year extension with the team worth up to $503 million. Mahomes is already under contract with the Chiefs for the next two seasons, so the extension will start in 2022. The contract for the 24-year-old reigning Super Bowl MVP is the biggest in pro sports history, topping centerfielder Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal with MLB's Los Angeles Angels.

➤MLB RELEASES 2020 SCHEDULE, PLAY TO BEGIN JULY 23RD: MLB released the schedule for its coronavirus-shortened season on Monday, which shows that opening day will be Thursday, July 23rd, with two high-profile match-ups between the World Series champion Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants. There will then be 14 games on July 24th. Games will be played without fans.

➤NHL GAMES TO BEGIN AUGUST 1ST AFTER LABOR DEAL REACHED: The NHL and the Players' Association on Monday announced a tentative deal on returning to play after its coronavirus suspension, as well as on a four-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement. It both are ratified by owners and players, games would resume on August 1st, with the NHL going straight to its expanded 24-team playoff format. The hub cities for play will be Canada's Toronto and Edmonton for the qualifying round and at least the first two playoff rounds, AP reported.

➤PGA TOUR, MEMORIAL CANCEL PLANS TO HAVE SOME FANS AT TOURNAMENT: The PGA Tour and the Memorial canceled plans Monday to have a limited number of fans at the golf tournament next week because of what it described as the quickly changing dynamics of the coronavirus pandemic. The Memorial, hosted by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus at his Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio, was set to be the first tournament with fans in attendance since golf resumed on June 11th.