Go for the gold: Your Weekend Briefing

July 26, 2020

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. We’re covering record-breaking coronavirus cases, Hurricane Hanna and the return of major league sports.

The New York Times

1. The coronavirus caseload around the United States continues to soar.

Eighteen states set single-day case records in the past week, pushing the country closer to breaking the national single-day record for new cases, set less than two weeks ago. More than 73,500 were reported on Friday and more than 66,300 coronavirus cases on Saturday. The record is 75,697. Here’s the latest map and case count.

With more than 4 million known infections and nearly 146,300 deaths, hospitalizations also continue to climb.

Is it possible to stabilize infections without going into full lockdown? Arizona, which experienced an alarming rate of growth this summer, is presenting as a real-time experiment.

Have you been keeping up with the headlines? Test your knowledge with our news quiz. And here’s the front page of our Sunday paper, the Sunday Review from Opinion and our crossword puzzles.

Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

2. The Amazon River, South America’s essential life source, is unleashing the virus on the entire region. We spent weeks on the river documenting the toll.

Brazil has the second-highest death toll in the world — behind only the U.S. The six cities with the highest coronavirus exposure are all on the Amazon River, according to researchers. Nearly everyone there relies on the river and the boats that travel along it — for transportation, food, medicine. Researchers say they are behind the spread of the virus.

The region’s ability to confront the pandemic has been further weakened under President Jair Bolsonaro, who has publicly mocked it, even though he tested positive himself.

The U.S. still has by far the largest outbreak in the world, while much of Europe and Asia has flattened the curve. This chart shows how the U.S. compares with other hot spots.

Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times

3. We’re tracking Hurricane Hanna as it bears down on southern Texas, a region that is struggling to contain the pandemic.

The Category 1 storm, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, brought harsh winds and rain to Corpus Christi, above, and the surrounding area. Winds could reach up to 110 m.p.h., the National Weather Service warned. A storm surge warning reached as far north as about 75 miles south of Houston. Hanna’s eye made landfall on Padre Island, about 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border with winds of 90 m.p.h.

Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi, has had nearly 2,000 new virus cases and 47 deaths in the past seven days alone. The spike was fueled in part by visitors who flocked to the beach city because of its low case count.

Mason Trinca for The New York Times

4. Federal agents are venturing blocks from the buildings they were sent to protect in Portland. Oregon officials say they are illegally taking on the role of riot police.

“I think it’s absolutely improper,” Oregon’s attorney general, Ellen Rosenblum, said. “It’s absolutely beyond their authority.”

Protests widened in solidarity with Portland’s marchers across the U.S. on Saturday. In Seattle, they smashed windows and set fires. A man died in Austin, Texas.

What began as a movement for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s killing has become a broader campaign to dislodge the federal forces, who arrived this month to help control protests. Ostensibly there to protect federal property, the agents have made dozens of arrests for federal crimes.

Each night, for nearly 60 days straight, a “Wall of Moms” has formed; they’re now joined by a “Wall of Vets,” who have banded together to protect the free speech of demonstrators.

Erik S Lesser/EPA, via Shutterstock

5. Nearly 100 days from Election Day, the fight over free and fair elections — and faith in the outcome — has become a cornerstone of the race.

President Trump has claimed, without evidence, that mail-in voting leads to fraud and pre-emptively cast doubt on the credibility of the final results, while Joe Biden has warned of foreign interference and cautioned that his opponent might seek to disrupt the election.

And then there are the hazards of voting in a pandemic-challenged election year. Take Georgia, for example, where, as one poll worker put it, a “complete meltdown” took place during the state’s June primary. Voters waited for hours, only to be met with malfunctioning equipment.

A Times examination found that Georgia’s top elections official, the secretary of state, remained passive despite repeated warnings about the rollout of a highly complex voting system. Questions have also emerged about the accuracy of the vote count. Above, the State Farm Arena in Atlanta is an early-voting site for the August primary runoff and for the general election.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

6. Sports are … coming back.

The M.L.B. and W.N.B.A. returned to play this week after a long hiatus because of the pandemic.

Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm won the first game of the season against Sabrina Ionescu, above, and the New York Liberty. The season is dedicated to Breonna Taylor, who died in a police shooting.

There may have been cardboard cutouts in the seats in place of fans, but the return of baseball “was so much better than nothing,” our columnist writes. He wasn’t alone: Opening day was the most-viewed regular-season game since 2011.

The N.B.A. and N.H.L. will restart their seasons next weekend. Our basketball reporter says LeBron James looks as dominant as ever.

Chad Batka for The New York Times

7. Regis Philbin, who regaled America over coffee for decades and introduced the hit “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” died. He was 88.

Universally known as Regis, Mr. Philbin climbed to pre-eminence relatively late in life on talk and game shows, with patience, determination and folksy, spontaneous wit. He co-hosted alongside Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelly Ripa in the mornings for decades, and at night he turned “Millionaire” into the highest-rated prime-time game show in TV history.

In a 2011 interview, Mr. Philbin said that for a long time he felt a certain insecurity about what his talent really was. But then he eventually figured it out: “Spontaneous conversation,” he said. “Spontaneity is everything to me, working without a net.”

An Rong Xu for The New York Times

8. A different way to hang out the laundry.

Chang Wan-ji, 83, and Hso Sho-er, 84, have become Instagram stars in quarantine. The Taiwanese couple pose at a place they know well — their laundromat — and their funky fashions are curated from customers’ forgotten garments. They are naturals in front of the camera.

“I had no idea so many foreigners would take interest in my grandparents,” said their 31-year-old grandson and unofficial stylist, who came up with the idea for the Instagram account.

Mr. Chang said he hoped his and his wife’s experience would inspire other seniors to be active. “It’s better than sitting around watching TV or napping,” Mr. Chang said.

Tara Donne for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Chris Lanier

9. Get out the napkins for this one.

The ultimate test of a grill master’s mettle is ribs, and they’re surprisingly easy to make at home. It takes time and effort, but Steven Raichlen, author of “The Barbecue Bible,” laid out six easy steps and a recipe to get that barbecue joint taste.

And it’s officially corn season. You can add it to almost anything. Here are some ideas.

Don’t forget the drinks: Beyond Champagne, excellent bubbly comes in a diversity of styles from all over. Our wine columnist set out to find 12 sparkling wines that offer their own personalities — and need no special occasion.

Roff Smith

10. And finally, our Best Weekend Reads.

A glimpse into the workshops of the world’s finest Panama hat makers, above, global bake sales to fight injustice and surfing’s almost-historic year are among this week’s great stories.

For more ideas on what to read, watch and listen to, may we suggest these 10 new books our editors liked, a glance at the latest small-screen recommendations from Watching, and our music critics’ latest playlist.

Stay cool this week. These photos of opening day for New York City’s pools may help.

Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern.

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