Forbes - Combating Cognitive Bias

Plus: Social media stars face criminal charges for throwing parties in LA

This week was the Republican National Convention, which took place in Charlotte, North Carolina. Even though events organizers report that diligent safety measures were in place, the first cases of Covid-19 connected to the event were reported today. So far, four cases have been confirmed, including two attendees and two staff members. Like the Democratic National Convention the week prior, much of the RNC took place virtually, hopefully meaning that there will not be any more cases. In North Carolina, Notre Dame University is resuming in-person classes on Monday after a two-week shut down caused by an outbreak on campus. The school says it is optimistic that it won’t have to go online full-time like other colleges across the country, but only time will tell if that is true.

BUSINESS

The market finished higher at the end of the week thanks to good economic data and low interest rates. 

MGM Resorts announced today that the company will be laying off 18,000 furloughed workers. 

This is when major companies, including Twitter, Amazon and Google, are expecting employees to return to the offices for work. (And for some companies, that’s never.)

SCIENCE & HEALTH

Two new studies show how creating “bubbles” can help control the spread of Covid-19, even at schools and summer camps.

How do you convince someone to wear a mask? One analogy: tell them that not wearing a mask is like smoking near a pregnant woman. Here’s why. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci was away for surgery for the past week while the CDC got backlash for a revision of its guidelines. Here’s why he had to get vocal cord surgery in the first place.

ON THE UPSIDE

The Cosmos At Home: Stuck inside this weekend? Why don’t you let NASA know which pictures they should next take on Mars.