Delaware will host a presidential primary on Tuesday — the first time Joe Biden’s name will appear on the ballot as a viable Democratic nominee for president in his home state. In the two prior presidential primary elections Biden ran in, he dropped out before Delaware voters could vote for him as the nominee. Additionally, Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew will face a fight on both sides in his bid to retain his New Jersey seat. And once-presidential candidate Cory Booker is facing a primary challenge against a little-known opponent, Lawrence Hamm. Hamm, a progressive, is the founder and chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress, which works for social, racial, and economic justice.
Blackout Day encourages shoppers to buy only from Black-owned businesses
Americans have plans to send a message at the checkout counter on Tuesday. Designated as Blackout Day, the economic protest serves as a call to action and “day of solidarity in America where not one Black person in America spends a dollar,” outside of businesses owned by Black people. Blackout Day comes in the wake of protests against police brutality and renewed attention to the nation’s decades-long racial wealth gap. The Blackout Day movement began in 2015 to combat negative stereotypes. It spawned several spinoffs aimed at uplifting the Black community, drawing attention to systemic racism and the nation’s racial wealth gap.
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Johnny Depp’s libel case goes to court
Johnny Depp’s libel case against the British tabloid The Sun is scheduled to start at London’s High Court on Tuesday. Depp is suing the newspaper’s publisher and executive editor for an article that claims that he was violent and abusive toward his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The Sun’s lawyers are attempting to get the case dismissed. In the most recent development on the case, a British judge ruled on July 1 that Depp’s libel case could proceed. Depp, 57, and Heard, 34, met on the set of the 2011 comedy “The Rum Diary” and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. They divorced in 2017.
Former partners back Depp up: Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis have come out in support of the actor.
Washington mandates mask wearing in businesses
As daily cases of COVID-19 have spiked in Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee is directing businesses to require and enforce mask wearing by all patrons starting Tuesday. The statewide order builds on a previous one from Inslee that, since June 8, has required workers to wear facial coverings unless they don’t interact with others on the job. A June 26 order by the state secretary of health also mandates mask wearing by people five years and older in any indoor public setting and when outdoors and unable to maintain social distance.
How the pandemic’s unfolding across the nation: Here’s the latest on all 50 states.
University of Washington students test positive for COVID-19: At least 112 fraternity members have driven up the university’s total to 121.
Beatles rocker Ringo Starr turns 80
Instead of the street party he’s thrown every year in Los Angeles, Ringo Starr will be taking his birthday celebration online on Tuesday. The event will be streamed on YouTube and Starr promises a lot of star power, including Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Keb Mo and Willie Nelson. He’s also asking, as he does each year, for fans worldwide to stop what they’re doing at noon on July 7 and flash the peace sign. Starr has been hunkering down at home due to the pandemic, only venturing out for brief dog walks on weekends. “This year and the beginning of this year have been really tough,” he said. “I am disappointed and I’ve had a few down days.”
