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Good evening. Here’s the latest.
1. The coronavirus summer surge hit its deadliest day so far this month.
Officials across the U.S. reported at least 1,470 virus deaths on Wednesday, the highest single-day total yet in August, according to a Times database. For more than two weeks, the country has averaged more than 1,000 deaths a day. Medics in Houston responded to a nursing home on Wednesday, above.
But even that stark statistic doesn’t tell the whole story. A Times analysis found that at least 200,000 more people have died than usual since March. This is about 60,000 higher than the number of deaths that have been directly attributed to the coronavirus. And by any account, the US. has suffered far more deaths than any other country.
And a new study found death rates in New York City this spring rivaled those seen during the deadliest pandemic in modern history. As one doctor put it: “What 1918 looked like is basically this.”
2. New weekly jobless claims fell below one million for the first time since March.
The Labor Department reported that 963,000 people last week filed first-time claims for benefits under regular state unemployment programs. But layoffs remain exceptionally high by historical standards, and the pace of rehiring has slowed.
The economic pain is particularly severe for families with children. Researchers at the Federal Reserve found that household heads lost jobs in 12.9 percent of families with children since the pandemic took hold, compared with 9.2 percent in households without children. In single-parent households, the share jumped to 23.2 percent.
3. Israel will suspend plans to annex disputed West Bank territory as part of a deal to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates.
In a surprise statement issued by the White House, President Trump said he brokered a deal for Israel and the U.A.E. to sign a string of bilateral agreements on investment, tourism, security and other areas while moving to allow direct flights between their countries and set up reciprocal embassies.
That would make the U.A.E. the third Arab country to establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel, after Jordan and Egypt. Above, Tel Aviv city hall lit up in the colors of the U.A.E. flag.
For its key players, the deal came at an opportune moment: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needed to remind Israelis why they elected him; Mr. Trump needed a diplomatic win; and the U.A.E., under fire for alleged human rights abuses in Yemen and Libya, needed to improve its image in Washington and beyond.
4. President Trump explicitly linked his objections to more funding for the U.S. Postal Service to his aversion to mail-in voting.
In an interview on the Fox Business Network, Mr. Trump cited proposals by House Democrats to allocate $25 billion to the service and another $3 billion specifically to help it handle mail-in voting. Funding for the Postal Service has been a key sticking point in negotiations for a new coronavirus relief deal.
“If we don’t make a deal, that means they don’t get the money,” he said. “That means they can’t have universal mail-in voting, they just can’t have it.”
Separately, the Supreme Court effectively upheld a Rhode Island judge’s order that makes it easier for voters in the state to vote by mail during the pandemic.
5. The Justice Department accused Yale University of discriminating against Asian-American and white applicants in its undergraduate admissions process.
The finding came after a two-year investigation, the department’s civil rights division said. It ordered Yale to suspend the use of race or national origin in its admissions process for one year after which it must seek clearance to use it. A federal appeals court is preparing to hear a challenge against the use of race in admissions at Harvard College.
We also took a look at the push for remote learning this fall. Rising infection rates were clearly the major driver. But President Trump’s demands that schools reopen helped harden opposition to in-person instruction — and gave powerful teachers’ unions fodder to demand stronger safety measures or resist physically reopening.
6. After celebrating 100 days without community spread, residents of New Zealand’s largest city are back under lockdown.
Four new cases reported in Auckland on Wednesday grew to 17 by Thursday. Epidemiologists are racing to determine the source — possibly via a cargo ship or quarantine facilities for returning travelers — and the country is rolling out a huge testing, contact tracing and quarantine blitz to quash Covid-19 for the second time.
And in China, two people tested positive for a second time after recovering earlier this year. The two cases have revived concerns about second-time infections that have baffled experts.
7. The Trump administration formalized the lifting of Obama-era controls on methane, just as new research shows that far more of the potent greenhouse gas is seeping into the atmosphere than previously known.
The reversal effectively frees oil and gas companies from the need to detect and repair methane leaks. The Environmental Protection Agency justified the move by citing agency data showing that leaks from domestic oil and gas wells have remained steady over the past decade. Above, a well pad near Mead, Colo.
However, numerous recent studies show the opposite: that methane emissions from drilling sites in the U.S. are far more extensive than the E.P.A.’s official numbers.
8. How do you make a blockbuster hit in a pandemic? For starters: Rent an entire hotel for the cast and crew, and procure 18,000 Covid-19 tests and 150 hand sanitizer stations.
“Jurassic World: Dominion,” now filming in England, is one of the first major studio films to restart production since the coronavirus led to a global shutdown in March. The set requires constant testing, and has a “Green Zone” that is limited to the director, the cast and essential crew.
It’s a chance for the movie industry to see if it can move past the financial woes caused by the pandemic — including closed movie theaters and audiences increasingly comfortable watching movies from the couch — and keep everyone safe.
9. Animal tears are starting to get more attention.
By studying the numerous ways animals keep their eyes wet and healthy, scientists hope to help address human vision problems. Dr. Arianne Pontes Oriá and her colleagues reported this week that tears can be great equalizers: Vertebrates across the animal kingdom seem to swaddle their eyes with fluid in much the same way.
Their work requires collecting animal tears, like the barn owl above. Not to worry — the entire process comes down to what’s best for the patients. Whatever tears they’re willing to offer, Dr. Oriá said, “we respect that, even if it is only a tiny amount.”
10. And finally, Special Agent Mulder to the rescue.
Rudy Garcia-Tolson’s attempt to make a fifth Paralympic swim team after three years of retirement was missing a crucial element — a pool where he could train. With all of the public pools near his home in Southern California closed, swimming in the ocean was hardly the best way to prepare to face elite competition.
Then David Duchovny, best known for his role on TV’s “The X-Files,” offered up his pool in Malibu. The actor, a fellow swimmer and triathlete, had read an article in The Times about Garcia-Tolson’s struggle.
“The first few days I was in awe that I was in Malibu, at an outdoor private pool,” Garcia-Tolson said. “After I got over that I was able to get into my zone.”
Have a splashy night.
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