Morning Reads for Tax Day 2020 (July 15)

Good morning! Don’t forget to file your taxes today if you haven’t already! Also, USA Today has a list of deals and free food in honor of the deadline.

On a more serious note, when is the last time you reviewed your family’s plan for what to do in case of a fire? Does it include your pets? As it’s National Pet Fire Safety Day, the Humane Society has some planning tips to keep your four-legged (or winged, or gilled) friends safe during an emergency.

And now the news:

Pat Conroy

• President Trump will be in Atlanta today to discuss changes to the National Environmental Policy Act in what he’s calling a “transportation initiative.” (Alternate link.)
• Access to COVID-19 testing is an increasing frustration throughout the state.
• News outlets are having issues getting access to COVID-19 data from the Department of Health.
• COVID-19 cost Delta nearly $6 billion in the second quarter.
• Does your area having any primary runoffs on August 11? (Mine doesn’t.) Don’t forget to check your sample ballot at My Voter Page.

Alice Walker

• Tommy Tuberville beat Jeff Sessions in the Alabama senate primary, so Auburn fans everywhere are happy.
• Hospital data will no longer be sent directly to the CDC, HHS confirms.
• HVAC systems could be exacerbating the COVID surge during the summer.
• Western countries are showing a united front on confronting China.
• The Pentagon says it has withdrawn from five bases in Afghanistan as part of the agreement reached with the Taliban in February.

Flannery O’Connor

• A body found by the railroad tracks in Liberty County ended up being a sex doll.