A lot more contagious

The news around the delta variant in the U.S. keeps getting worse, threatening progress toward any return to some semblance of normalcy. New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest the variant is as infectious as chicken pox and that vaccinated adults can readily spread it. The study of an outbreak earlier this summer in Cape Cod where many of the infected had been vaccinated contributed to the recommendation that people mask up again. Adding to the nation’s woes: new data puts the CDC’s decision to stop comprehensively tracking so-called breakthrough cases—just as delta was emerging—under scrutiny. Here’s the latest on the pandemic. —Margaret Sutherlin

Bloomberg is tracking the progress of coronavirus vaccines while mapping the pandemic worldwide.

Markets closed lower after being whipsawed by China’s tightening regulatory grip of its technology industries, a slew of earnings and the outlook for continuing federal largesse. Investors have lost around $1 trillion in the China selloff. Amazon’s cautious sales forecast, plus reports from Facebook and Apple, reignited big tech fears. Here’s your markets wrap.

As the climate crisis intensifies, China appears to be pulling back on its promises. Top policymakers urged an easing of the aggressive measures taken to reduce carbon emissions, as Beijing balances economic health with global warming.

On Saturday, millions of Americans could be forced from their homes as the federal eviction moratorium expires. President Joe Biden is facing criticism from some of his allies for his hasty effort to extend it and for not acting sooner. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scrambling to put the votes together, but it’s not clear there’s a consensus.

Amazon faces the biggest-ever European Union privacy fine. The bloc’s lead watchdog hit the online giant with a 746 million-euro ($888 million) penalty for violating data protection rules. EU regulatory powers have greatly expanded of late.

Hong Kong sentenced Tong Ying-Kit, the first pro-democracy activist convicted as part of Beijing’s effort to quash civil liberties under a so-called national security law, to nine years in prison.

The U.S. Department of Justice said the Treasury Department can hand over Donald Trump’s tax returns to House Democrats.

Republicans attack Wall Street. You read that right. Looking for a new message for the 2022 midterms, the party is taking aim at private equity giants—traditional GOP pals—for buying up single family homes as rentals and driving up prices.

When’s the last time you used a travel agent? Thanks to fast-changing Covid-19 testing protocols, border restrictions, shifting airline schedules, rental car scarcity, and limited hotel inventory, even the most confident jet-setters are turning to the pros for help.

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