The COVID-19 pandemic has caused preventative measures such as international flight and port closures to be put into place by local governments in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. Due to these restrictions in place, an American family with a positive COVID-19 traveler faced difficulties returning home. Facing multiple international border crossings in order to make their way home to the United States, there was not much optimism that they could get home any time soon.

The U.S. is recording 49,000 daily new cases on average over the last week, a 17 percent decrease from the average two weeks ago. The U.S. has now recorded over 5,400,000 confirmed cases and over 171,000 deaths.

On 04 August, approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded at a warehouse in Beirut’s port, creating a massive blast that killed 172 people, injured thousands, and left entire neighborhoods of the city devastated. 

The U.S. is recording 53,700 daily new cases on average over the last week, an 18 percent decrease from the average two weeks ago. The U.S. has now recorded over 5,100,000 confirmed cases and nearly 165,000 deaths.

California, Florida, Arizona and South Carolina are seeing significant declines in daily average cases from two weeks prior, but daily deaths continue to rise.

The presumed cause of the massive explosion was approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port since at least 2014 after being confiscated from a cargo ship. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical used in fertilizer and explosives. For context, the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995 contained just 2 tons of ammonium nitrate.

During afternoon hours local time in Beirut, Lebanon, a massive explosion occurred in a warehouse near the Beirut Port Silos Building at the Port of Beirut. At least 78 people have been confirmed killed and over 3,000 injured. These numbers are likely to rise.

As of this morning, Hurricane Isaias is a Category 1 storm with wind speeds in excess of 75MPH. It is currently tracking northward towards the Bahamas, where a Hurricane Warning is in effect. A Hurricane Watch has just been issued for portions of the Florida east coast from Deerfield Beach northward to the Volusia-Brevard County Line. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Dominican Republic and Turks & Caicos Islands.

Texas and Florida are seeing slight declines in daily average cases from two weeks prior, but daily deaths continue to rise. On 28 July, both Florida and Texas reported record daily deaths at 186 and 223 respectively. Deaths are likely to continue to rise for the next two-three week, as each state continues to report between 8,000-10,000 new cases per day.

On 21 July, the U.S. government gave China 72 hours to close its consulate in Houston, citing Chinese espionage and influence operations. In a tit-for-tat move, Chinese authorities ordered the closure of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu on 24 July. The closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston – which has long drawn FBI counterintelligence scrutiny – follows a 21 July Department of Justice indictment of two Chinese nationals for state-sanctioned hacking of COVID-19 vaccine research. This diplomatic row is the latest development in a series of geopolitical moves as the Trump administration is increasing pressure on China ahead of the November election.