Morning Reads for World Humanitarian Day (August 19)

Hello, and good morning! It’s World Humanitarian Day, a day that both commemorates the humanitarian workers killed or injured in the line of duty and also honors those who continue to do this very hard work in extreme conditions across the globe. According to the United Nations, 483 humanitarian workers were attacked in 2019, yet in spite of that, millions were vaccinated against smallpox, received treatment for acute malnutrition, and received drinkable water through the efforts of the brave individuals. I’m grateful for the work they do, as I’m sure many of you are as well.

Now, the news:

Pat Conroy

• Georgia is now the state in which you’re most likely to be exposed to COVID-19.
• With several universities around the country pivoting to remote instruction after outbreaks of COVID-19 on their campuses, the University System of Georgia still does not have a clear threshold for when such a move would happen here.
• Thousands of voters whose absentee ballot requests for the primary were undeliverable will have their status changed to “inactive.” (Alternate link.)
• At least 1,770 absentee ballots were rejected for the August 11th primary runoff election due to lateness.
• Several Georgians spoke at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night. (Alternate link.)

Alice Walker

• The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee has released a 1,000 page report detailing a web of contacts between Russian officials and 2016 Trump campaign advisers. (Alternate link.)
• Former Vice President Joe Biden is now formally the Democratic nominee for the 2020 election.
• Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has said he will suspend the changes he began implementing at the USPS until after the November election.
• People under the age of 40 are driving the spread of COVID-19, according to a new warning from the WHO. (Alternate link.)
• FHA loans have hit their highest delinquency rate in at least four decades. (Alternate link.)

Flannery O’Connor

• There is a growing dent in Earth’s magnetic field above South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean.