Virtual Democratic Convention Launches | An Asteroid Almost Hit Earth

1. Democrats Band Together for Virtual Convention

“He cannot meet this moment.” That was former First Lady Michelle Obama’s message about President Donald Trump in her speech during the first night of the Democratic National Convention — delivered virtually to avoid spreading COVID-19. Other speakers included Sen. Bernie Sanders, Republican former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Kristin Urquiza, a young woman who lost her father, “whose only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump,” to COVID-19 after Arizona lifted restrictions. Trump responded by mocking convention organizers for using some pre-recorded speeches (which the GOP convention plans to use next week). Joe Biden will officially accept the presidential nomination Thursday.

Sources: Washington Post, NYT

2. Protests Grow in Belarus as EU Mulls Response

As many as 100,000 people marched in the streets of Minsk Sunday in what’s thought to be the country’s biggest protest in history, and neither they nor President Alexander Lukashenko show any sign of backing down. In an unusual move, the EU hasn’t recognized the disputed Aug. 9 results that reelected Lukashenko, and the bloc’s leaders plan a video conference tomorrow to map a response. Meanwhile, the red-and-white protest banner, which was used to defy the Soviet Union in past decades, may serve as a red flag to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who’s offered military support for Lukashenko’s regime.

Sources: The Guardian, DW, SCMP

3. Trump Administration Opens Arctic Refuge to Oil Drilling

If you open it, will they come? President Trump’s White House has approved an oil leasing program in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for the first time, which could allow oil companies to bid on drilling rights by the end of the year. Energy firms and the state have long sought access to the pristine federal area that’s nearly as big as South Carolina. With the global oil market glutted, analysts now doubt big oil even wants such controversial leases. But they could last for decades, allowing even a lame-duck Trump administration to grant companies carte blanche to drill, baby, drill for years.

Sources: WSJ (sub), Reuters

4. Oracle Trying to Outbid Microsoft for TikTok

Perhaps this can be settled with a dance challenge. Microsoft has been the most public suitor to buy TikTok’s business in North America, Australia and New Zealand, though it’s also sought to take over operations in India and Europe. But the fact that tech giant Oracle has held preliminary talks with the app’s Chinese owner ByteDance about the same sale gives TikTok a bit more negotiating leverage. Both efforts still face the same White House-imposed Nov. 12 deadline to shut down the app's stateside presence if it's not sold to a U.S. company. Meanwhile, President Trump has joined competing U.S.-based app Triller.

Sources: FT (sub), BBC

5. Also Important …

President Trump’s recent order extending a pandemic-era boost to unemployment benefits may only last three weeks. The entire island of Sri Lanka was hit by a seven-hour power outage. And Congress will vote Saturday on a bill to provide funding to the U.S. postal service and protect it from operational changes that threaten its ability to deliver mail-in ballots on time.

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1. UNC Cancels Classes After a Week as Virus Spreads

Maybe they’ll learn their lesson. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill was one of the largest U.S. universities to attempt to bring students back to campus for fall classes — but after just one week, more than 500 people are in quarantine or isolation and over the weekend 135 staff and students tested positive for COVID-19. Students will learn remotely for the time being, though it’s not clear when they might be allowed to return to the classroom. COVID-19, which has killed more than 170,000 Americans, is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S. after cancer and heart disease.

Sources: CNBC, The Hill

2. Unexpected Asteroid Whizzes Right by Earth

That was a close one. A car-sized rock labeled 2020QG flew within 1,830 miles of Earth on Sunday, closer than any asteroid has ever come without actually hitting the planet. Nobody even noticed until it was speeding away, and astronomers say it was too small to do much lasting damage. But it does highlight gaps in current systems for detecting asteroids heading for Earth — NASA said last year that it currently spots less than half of the big objects that zoom through the skies — which could prove disastrous when the next “city killer” rock comes along.

Sources: Forbes, BI

3. ‘Dream Team’ Fights for Floridians’ Benefits

Former Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s administration reportedly designed the state unemployment assistance website not to offer a safety net, but to save money by denying as many claims as possible. With the issue suddenly relevant to far more people, three women — insurance agent Laura Tweed, compliance officer Tami Bohm and bartender Aimee Matz — have teamed up to help, OZY reports. With a network of volunteers, they’ve aided some 50,000 people in troubleshooting claims while publicizing a broken system paying some of the lowest benefits in the country.

Sources: OZY

4. Two Arrested Over Jam Master Jay’s 2002 Killing

When Jason Mizell, aka Jam Master Jay of the pioneering rap group Run-DMC, was gunned down in his Queens studio in 2002, it sparked outrage in the hip-hop community — and became one of the genre’s most mysterious cold cases. But federal authorities now say they’ve charged two men long suspected to have been involved with Mizell’s murder, which they say was sparked by a cocaine distribution dispute. Alleged triggerman Karl Jordan Jr., a teen when Mizell was killed, has pleaded not guilty and accused accomplice Ronald Washington will be arraigned later this week.

Sources: New York Post, NYT

5. Washington Hires First Black Team President in NFL

They’re headed in the Wright direction. Former NFL running back Jason Wright was just named president of the Washington Football Team, which is currently seeking a new name after the decades-long controversy over the racial slur that sullied its brand. He’s a barrier-breaker in lots of ways: The first Black team president, the youngest team president at 38 — and only the fourth former player to fill such a position with an NFL team. He’ll not only be tasked with leading the team out of a recent harassment scandal, but also with helping it reestablish its identity and secure a lease on a new stadium.

Sources: NPR, ESPN