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NEED TO KNOW

Drilling in Alaska's ANWR

The Trump administration approved yesterday a directive allowing oil and gas drilling in a stretch of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The plans would open 1.5 million acres of the protected region's northern coastal plain for exploration. While that area represents roughly 8% of the refuge's total area, plans limit the surface footprint of facilities to 2,000 acres. However, critics counter (map, PDF) small footprint facilities could support a network spanning the entire area without exceeding the acreage limit. The approval follows a 2018 vote by Congress to allow drilling—the first Congressional approval since protections were put in place in 1980. 

Studies estimate four to 12 billion barrels of oil are recoverable from the area (the US consumes about 20 million barrels daily). The decision is expected to face legal challenges from opponents who argue development would irrevocably damage the country's largest stretch of protected wilderness. 

Suffrage Centennial 

Today marks the centennial celebration of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote in the US. Its passage was the culmination of a seven-decade-long battle waged by the women's suffrage movement (see timeline), which promoted civic action through organizations like the League of Women Voters. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, two of the more famous suffragettes, organized the first women’s rights convention in New York in 1848. In 1919, the House and Senate passed the amendment and in August 1920, it was ratified by Tennessee, the last of the 36 state approvals necessary to secure its adoption.

Suffrage was the first step in a long journey for gender equality—which many Americans believe still has work to be done. Modern-day activists have focused on spotlighting and ending sexual harassment, achieving equal pay, and increasing female representation in political and executive positions, among other issues. 

See a list of virtual celebrations here. 

Jam Master Jay

New York City officials announced yesterday the indictment of two men in connection with the 2002 murder of hip-hop pioneer Jason Mizell, also known as Jam Master Jay. The pair, 56-year-old Ronald Washington and 36-year-old Karl Jordan Jr., are alleged to have shot Mizell in a recording studio in Queens, New York. Washington, currently serving a federal prison sentence for robbery, was previously named a suspect in 2007, and is also a suspect in the 1995 killing of an associate of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur. 

As a DJ, Jay was one-third of Run-DMC, widely known as one of the most influential groups in hip-hop history. The trio is credited with transitioning hip-hop away from its disco and funk origins and toward a more aggressive style with sharp lyrics and distinct beats, while popularizing an underground fashion and cultural aesthetic with a mainstream audience. Their self-titled debut was also the first hip-hop album to achieve Gold status. 

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

Hi there, Tim here, 1440's CEO. Our editorial team hears me ramble on about how pleased I've been with Motley Fool Stock Advisor's service. So much so, that our copywriters requested that I put pen to paper a couple of months ago in writing our sponsorship messaging for The Motley Fool. Whether you caught it or missed it then, I've got an update for you today!

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Disclaimer: Members of 1440’s leadership own shares of Amazon, Tesla, and Shopify. John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon, Match Group, Inc., Netflix, Shopify, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Returns as of 8/10/2020.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Washington Football Team hires Jason Wright as the NFL’s first Black franchise president (More) | Canadian Football League cancels season (More)

> Three top producers at “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” ousted after allegations of racial insensitivity and sexual misconduct (More)

> Will Smith and Kevin Hart tapped to coproduce and star in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" remake with Paramount (More) | Prosecutors seeking 60 days in federal prison for Lori Loughlin in college admissions scandal (More)

Science & Technology

> The US tightens restrictions on Chinese telecom giant Huawei, further limiting its access to commercially available computer chips (More) | Huawei has previously said it may run out of chips for its smartphones by mid-September (More)

> Study finds regulation of a specific gene, typically involved in memory formation, helps protect against post-traumatic stress disorder (More)

> Transparent solar panels hit record efficiency of 8%; materials can be used to make electricity-generating windows for buildings and homes (More)

Business & Markets

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> US states claim $2.2T in damages from Purdue Pharma for OxyContin’s alleged role in the opioid epidemic (More)

> Japan’s economy declines 27.8% in second quarter amid pandemic, largest contraction on record (More)

> Free stock trading firm Robinhood raises $200M at $11.2B valuation as revenues grow amid pandemic (More) | American Express acquires small business lender Kabbage for undisclosed amount (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> New Zealand delays national elections amid new coronavirus outbreak (More) | UNC-Chapel Hill moves classes online two weeks after students return; 130 cases reported on campus last week (More) | US reports 5.44 million total cases, with 170,548 deaths, as of this morning; see rolling weekly average here (More)

> Democratic convention begins with Michelle Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), and others delivering virtual speeches (More) | President Trump visits Wisconsin ahead of Republican convention, scheduled for next week (More)

> Federal judge temporarily blocks rollback of Obama-era transgender health rules (More) | Voters in four states sue to block Postal Service overhaul ahead of November election (More)

IN-DEPTH

Inside College Football's Wild Week

ESPN | Staff. Over the course of five days, two of college football's five power conferences went from planning for full-contact practice to abruptly canceling their seasons. Then, when it looked as if the dominos would begin to fall, the remaining conferences decided to push forward—for now. (Read)

Editor's note: Also check out this overview of coronavirus-linked myocarditis, which reportedly factored into the decision-making. 

How Corporate Kidnapping Works

NYT | David Yaffe-Bellany. A look at the shadowy cottage industry that helps kidnap—or retrieve, depending on the perspective—children taken to other countries by estranged parents. (Read, $$)

INVEST FOR LESS

In partnership with The Motley Fool

Tim here again. One of my highlights of each month is to review the Stock Advisor picks every third Thursday, to see what new companies and industries co-founders, David and Tom, have unearthed (I have a reminder in my calendar so I don't miss the email).

Today we’re highlighting a report from The Motley Fool titled "5 Stocks Under $49," so you can access incredible potential returns without forking over $100+ for a single share. Get the report today.

Thanks for the support!
-Tim

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ETCETERA

Visualizing the link between consumers and coronavirus cases. 

Machine learning produces photorealistic portraits of Roman emperors. 

Actor Ryan Reynolds unloads his gin brand for a hefty profit. 

Pepperoni is the latest pandemic bottleneck.  

Weary parents are turning to Daniel Tiger for help. 

Before fake news was popular, there was the "Weekly World News." 

Bill Murray inserted into famous historical paintings. 

Are you overpraising your children? Yes, likely. ($$, NYT)

Clickbait: China restaurant apologizes for weighing customers.

Historybook: Actress Shelley Winters born (1920); Baseball great Roberto Clemente born (1934); HBD Hollywood legend Robert Redford (1936); RIP Nobel Peace Prize and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (2018).

"To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there."

- Kofi Annan

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