Biden Calls Trump a “Climate Arsonist”

Could there be extraterrestrial life in the clouds floating above Venus? That’s a possibility, astronomers say, after giant telescopes in Hawaii and Chile discovered a mystery gas that on Earth is associated with life. At a time when the world appears on a path toward destruction, we’re not complaining about the dream of another planet that can sustain life.

2. Fire With Fire

The devastating West Coast fires have propelled climate change to the center of the 2020 presidential campaign. Democratic nominee Joe Biden called President Donald Trump a “climate arsonist” while the president blamed the fires on poor forest management, saying other countries “don’t have problems like this.” The truth? They do. Ask Brazil.

3. Stalled Serum

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already unveiled a COVID-19 vaccine. Trump hopes to do so before the election. And Pfizer has said it expects to have a vaccine ready by the end of the year. Here’s a reality check: It could take up to 2024 to produce enough doses for everyone according to Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India. Would you be willing to maintain COVID-era restrictions until then? Vote on Twitter.

4. Win Some, Lose Some

China appears on the cusp of a major trade deal with Europe following meetings between their leaders, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirming “political will” for the pact. Meanwhile, the U.S. blocked the import of some Chinese goods that may be linked to forced labor from the more than 1 million Uighur Muslims in detention camps in the Xinjiang region.

5. New Money

Ethiopia is demonetizing its currency, issuing brand new notes with enhanced security features in a bid to curb corruption and money laundering. One of the world’s fastest-growing economies over the past decade, Ethiopia is in the midst of a political crisis ahead of national elections that Nobel Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has postponed until 2021, citing the pandemic.

Watch the ASU+GSV Virtual Summit 2020 — free of charge — to understand how that’s possible. You’ll find rare insights into digital learning, interactive networking opportunities, and a star-studded group of speakers including Malcom Gladwell, Gloria Steinem, Bill Nye, Gen. Colin Powell and more. Register here.

1. Arm Wrestling

From your Macs to your mobile phones, most major computing products today rely on chips from Arm Limited, a British company owned by Japan’s SoftBank. On Sunday, SoftBank announced it was selling Arm to U.S. firm NVIDIA for $40 billion — a deal that could restructure the future of computing. But the proposed deal is likely to face pushback from NVIDIA rivals that are Arm customers and from regulators in America and China. This Arms race isn’t over.

2. Africa’s Big Break

DPO Group. It’s got the most unsexy name you could imagine for a path-breaking firm. But that hasn’t stopped the Kenyan digital payments giant — which is behind much of the architecture used by e-commerce companies across Africa — from finding a suitor. Dubai-based Network International has snapped it up for $288 million in one of Africa’s largest tech deals.

3. Phone’s Ringing

Spanish telecom behemoth Telefónica is selling its Latin America operations (apart from Brazil) — valued at up to $14 billion — to double down on its core markets in Europe. If one of Latin America’s other telecom biggies, such as América Móvil, buys those operations, it could monopolize the region’s phone market.

Cooke started off with the 1950s gospel group the Soul Stirrers, before going pop in 1957 — a move initially seen as taboo. All church inspired, his croons, piano ballads and cadences became the sounds of the future, influencing everyone from Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to Chance the Rapper and Kanye West

2. Blowin’ in the Wind

His iconic “A Change Is Gonna Come,” an anthem of the civil rights movement, was inspired by Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Cooke felt ashamed he hadn’t written anything like it himself. He went big when he finally did, enlisting a backing band of 30 musicians for the recording.

3. Fit for Two Funerals

Cooke, who died by a gunshot to the torso, was flown to Chicago for a funeral at the Tabernacle Baptist Church, where 200,000 fans lined four city blocks to pay their respects. Then he was flown back to Los Angeles for a second funeral the next day at Mount Sinai Baptist Church, where Ray Charles sang. 

What’s your favorite Sam Cooke song? Tell us.

The Canadian innovator built his first computer at age 11 and filed for a patent application at 19. So it’s little surprise that at 27 he’s on the verge of transforming the commercialization of electric vehicles. His company GBatteries pioneers technology that lets electric cars charge as quickly as filling a gas tank. Read more.

2. Aldo Sánchez

For millennia, we’ve razed forests to grow crops. Now Sanchez and his fellow farmers in central Costa Rica are successfully showing that crops and forests can grow together. It’s an approach that has rapidly transformed the nation from one of the worst-hit by deforestation to an example for others. Read more.

3. Sonya Dyhrman

The 47-year-old Columbia University scientist is going under the sea to look at the impact of climate change on the base of the food chain: marine microbes that are the heartbeat of the ocean ecosystem. Take them out of the equation and we wouldn’t have seafood. Read more.

This AR app takes you on a tour of historical artifacts across British museums and lets you play with them in ways you never could in real life: Try scrubbing a faded sculpture to see what it would have looked like centuries ago!

2. Oculus

You might look like RoboCop when you wear it, but thisVR system is the future of gaming, allowing you to wield lightsabers, fly like an eagle and more.

3. Kat Walk

Allthose who are convinced that the gamer lifestyle promotes bad posture and unhealthy habits should check out Kat Walk — a VR treadmill that lets gamers walk and run while they play.

Jim K., Shoozensox, Jennifer C., Dana S., June M., Cheryl J., Aline W., Helen M., Celine L., Cassandra T., Roxanne H., Lisa B., Beth B., Raymond D., Mary Jane B., V. Quinn, Pat G., Elizabeth B., Kavita J., Bornfree007, J. Barnhill and Sena — you got it right!

1. Pool Blue      2. Marlin Blue     3. Whale Blue