Nearby Black Hole, Georgia Shooting, and America's Best New Restaurants

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5.07.2020

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Need to Know

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Concerns of a Second Wave

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said yesterday the state may begin a phased reopening next week, citing slightly decreasing hospitalizations and a plateau in the number of intensive care admissions. The news follows Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) saying he may loosen restrictions May 15. The Washington, DC region, sandwiched between the two states, is the sixth-largest metro area in the country. The number of new cases reported each day in the DC metro area has continued to grow steadily from March (though cases yesterday were below the region's single-day high).

Public health officials have warned of a second wave of infections as areas around the country gradually attempt to return to normal. As large urban areas begin to tamp down new cases, the virus has begun to spread into rural counties.

Overseas, India may be poised to become the next global epicenter. New cases have spiked as a strict lockdown has been somewhat loosened. Officials worry blistering temperatures - it typically exceeds 100 degrees in most cities during the summer - will force residents outside and into crowds. Separately, Germany unveiled a plan to reopen most of its economy over the coming weeks, with states agreeing to reimpose restrictions if daily new cases rise above 50 per 100,000 residents.

President Trump said yesterday the White House coronavirus task force would continue, while shifting its focus to a safe reopening of the economy. Previous reports said the group would be wound down.

The US has reported 1.23 million cases, with 73,431 deaths, as of this morning (see stats). Deaths increased 3% from yesterday's report.

Want to explore more? Check out our coronavirus resource page, curated by a team of PhD experts.

Earth's New Neighbor

Astronomers have discovered a black hole roughly 1,000 light-years away from Earth, nearly three times closer than what was previously believed to be the nearest black hole. The discovery was made while researchers were studying the odd orbit of a binary star pair in the host constellation, Telescopium.

Black holes are ultradense collapsed stars whose gravitational pull is so strong that not even light escapes if it gets too close. What happens at the boundary and inside a black hole represents one of the enduring mysteries of science, but at sufficient distances, its gravitational pull behaves as if it were a regular star. In this case, calculations of nearby orbits suggested any star would be more than four times the size of the sun - and very bright - leaving a black hole as the only possibility.

Here's a primer on black holes, and how little we know about them.

Video Surfaces in Georgia Shooting

The February shooting of a black man that left racial tensions simmering in a Georgia community will be referred to a grand jury, the Atlanta district attorney's office said yesterday. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will also assist in the case. The developments came less than 12 hours after a new video surfaced, showing 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery jogging down a country road just before the incident.

Arbery was killed after a confrontation with a father and his adult son, neither of whom is law enforcement. Believing he resembled someone caught on tape during a recent burglary, the pair pursued Arbery, who they say attacked them when confronted (see police report). Relatives said he was out for a jog, and Arbery was found unarmed. The original district attorney, who has now recused himself, previously said the pair were within their rights to pursue Arbery if they believed he had committed a crime, and no arrests or charges had been made before Tuesday's anonymous uploading.

You can see the new video here (warning: content may be disturbing).

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Get your eyes covered.

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In the Know

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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> The 2020 Tony Awards at risk of cancellation due to the pandemic; judges must see Broadway performances live, but shows have been closed since March 12 with no current return date (More)

> Germany’s Bundesliga becomes first major European soccer league to return; matches will begin as early as May 15 and will be played without fans (More)

> Florian Schneider, cofounder of influential German electronic band Kraftwerk, dies at 73 (More)

Science & Technology

> Brain-like tissue grown in a lab dish and infected with the herpes virus shows signs of Alzheimer's disease; study is the first to directly link amyloid plaque formation with the common infection (More)

> Facebook announces the first 20 members of its oversight board, designed to tackle challenging problems like hate speech and harassment; board will have the ability to overrule CEO Mark Zuckerberg (More)

> Ants store long- and short-term memories on different sides of their brains; study is the first to document brain lateralization in ants (More)

Business & Markets

> Estimated 20.2 million jobs lost in April according to payroll company ADP’s monthly jobs report; official figures from Labor Department to be released tomorrow, economists project 16% unemployment rate (More)

> Uber plans to lay off 3,700 employees (14% of workforce) amid reduced rideshare demand (More) | Connected exercise company Peloton shares surge 10% after revenues increase 66% over last year (More)

> Sinclair Broadcast Group to pay record civil fine of $48M to FCC related to failed Tribune Media acquisition (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Department of Education overhauls rules for how universities and schools are required to handle sexual misconduct claims; guidance allows those accused to examine all evidence against them and cross-examine their accusers (More)

> Iraq's parliament votes for US-backed Mustafa al-Kadhimi as prime minister, ending six-month struggle to fill position (More)

> Israel's Supreme Court allows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form unity government despite looming trial on corruption charges; decision gives green light to power-sharing deal between Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz (More)

In-Depth

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Profile of a Killer

Nature | David Cyranoski. There are hundreds of known coronaviruses - a general term for a family of large, spike-covered RNA viruses - but only seven have been known to infect humans. In one of the best overviews we've found, read about the history of coronaviruses, how SARS-CoV-2 differs from the others, and what about its pathology makes it so hard to pin down. (Read)

What to Make of Murph the Surf?

Sports Illustrated | Brian Burnsed. Legendary surfer, cunning thief, and a brutal murderer. Now working as a minister while serving a life sentence in a Georgia prison, is Jack Murphy repentant and reformed, or the same self-serving and violent criminal he always was? (Read)

What's your style?

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Etcetera

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Almost one in five American children are going hungry during the pandemic.

How to decide who receives medical care first during a crisis.

Check out GQ's best new restaurants in America.

From our partners: Eager to learn something new? Learn up to 14 different languages with a lifetime subscription to this innovative language learning app. Now 60% off. #Ad

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrate son Archie's first birthday with a video.

... while the Shedd Aquarium celebrates its oldest otter's birthday with seafood cake.

The Irish are returning an old favor to Native Americans.

Ranking the top 74 sneakers in NBA history.

Unemployed elephants are trudging home in Thailand.

Clickbait: Less trash, more cannibal rats in Pittsburgh.

Historybook: German submarine sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 (1915); Eva "Evita" Perón born (1919); Football legend Johnny Unitas born (1933); Germany unconditionally surrenders, ending its participation in WWII (1945); The Scream is recovered undamaged after being stolen for three months (1994).

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