1. Two Police Shot as Louisville Decision Sparks Anger

Demonstrations erupted across the U.S. after a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not charge the officers who killed Breonna Taylor in March. Two Louisville officers were shot responding to a shooting at a protest and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. State Attorney General Daniel Cameron called Taylor’s death “a tragedy,” but said the officers who fired the fatal shots were justified because Taylor’s boyfriend fired at them first. A Republican who supports President Donald Trump, Cameron said that “as a Black man,” he understood the pain of Taylor’s death. The grand jury charged one officer for endangering lives in a neighbor’s apartment.

Sources: NYT, USA Today, AP

2. Trump Sees Victory in Quashing Ballots, High Court

“Get rid of the ballots,” President Trump said, and “there won’t be a transfer.” He made the declaration when asked if he’d transfer power peacefully if he lost the election. Instead Trump repeated unfounded attacks on “out of control” mail-in voting. Earlier Wednesday, he said he expected the election would “end up in the Supreme Court,” to which he plans to nominate a third justice Saturday. That alarmed many, including Democratic rival Joe Biden, who asked, “What country are we in?” GOP Sen. Mitt Romney tweeted that a peaceful transfer is “fundamental to democracy” and “without that, there is Belarus.”

Sources: Reuters, The Hill

3. Did North Korea Kill a Man in Fear of Contagion?

It’s a deadly lockdown. The South Korean military says North Korean soldiers shot a government official believed to have defected from the South, then burned his body at sea. The isolationist nation has reportedly instituted a “shoot-to-kill” policy to prevent interlopers from bringing coronavirus across its borders. The unnamed 47-year-old vanished from a South Korean patrol boat on Monday off the country’s east coast, according to Seoul officials, before being found Tuesday by a North Korean patrol. On orders from superiors, the soldiers shot the life-jacketed man, then doused his body with fuel and set it alight.

Sources: BBC, CNN

4. US Justice Department Targets Social Media

With great power comes great responsibility. That’s one take on yesterday’s Justice Department call for legislation to weaken Big Tech’s content liability protections on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Democratic Sen. Ron Widen had another interpretation: President Trump, facing platforms’ increasing fact-checking and regulation of his posts, wants to “work the refs ahead of the election.” Trump yesterday warned social media companies that he’s “watching them very closely during this election cycle.” Either way, politicians from both sides of the aisle have been calling for more accountability from the world’s digital gatekeepers.

Sources: WSJ (sub), NPR

5. Also Important …

The U.S. State Department says it no longer recognizes the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko, sworn in yesterday as president after being reelected in a disputed vote Belarusians continue to protest. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts eulogized Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Wednesday as a “rock star” who advanced the principle of “equal justice under law.” And rescuers have freed 70 pilot whales in a mass-beaching in Tasmania, but at least 380 have died.

At OZY, we know a good newsletter when we see one. And there's a reason over 2.4 million people start their day with Morning Brew — the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Business news doesn't have to be dry and dense. Make your mornings more enjoyable, for free. Check it out today.

OZY Tote to Go: Say goodbye to plastic and bag your goodies in our organic cotton OZY tote instead. There’s more than enough room for groceries, books and anything in between.

You may not know Ben Smith but you certainly know his work. The New York Times columnist and former editor-in-chief at BuzzFeed is one of today's most successful journalists. He joins Carlos to discuss why he left the buzzy media company, to debate morals in journalism and to issue a bold warning about coverage of the 2020 election. Be sure to subscribe to the OZY YouTube channel to be notified when it's live, and remember — new subscribers will be entered for a chance to win an invitation to a Zoom taping with a celebrity guest!

The pinging just won't stop. Working from home was supposed to be easy, but now it seems you can never escape the notifications, emails and Slacks. In short, you have no work-life balance. Isn't it time for a workplace rethink? You're invited to join Smartsheet's free, virtual ENGAGE 2020 event and witness the launch of the world's first platform for dynamic work. Let's build the future of work we actually enjoy.

1. North Carolina Could Be the New Wisconsin

The Tar Heel state has its feet in deep-red Dixie. But its complicated politics could well provide Democrats with the upset they need to wrest the Senate from Republican control in November, according to our OZY model with data firm 0ptimus. In just a week, GOP Sen. Thom Tillis’ chances of keeping his seat dropped to 33 percent. But North Carolina’s 15 presidential electoral votes are up for grabs — an outcome that could hinge on President Trump’s Supreme Court fight energizing evangelical voters or the exponential increase in Latino voters since Trump won the state in 2016.

Sources: OZY

2. New California Cars Must Be Zero-Emissions by 2035

Ravaged by record wildfires linked to climate change, California is taking action. Gov. Gavin Newsom yesterday ordered that by 2035, all new cars sold there must not emit pollutants. It’s the first mandate of its kind by a U.S. state, and follows 15 nations with similar policies. The order, seen as a challenge to President Trump, who’s openly skeptical of global warming, prompts environmental agencies to create regulations to meet the goal. Newsom urged other states to enact restrictions on fossil fuel-burning, and also called on state legislators to pass laws banning oil fracking.

Sources: LA Times, Ars Technica

3. With Conspicuous Exceptions, Israel Reinstates Lockdown

Faced with a new COVID-19 surge, Israel has announced a new lockdown beginning Friday and continuing through the Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur this weekend and Sukkot the next. It limits commerce to essential businesses, but allows synagogues to remain open — while strictly curtailing protests that are often aimed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson became the world's fourth company to enter late-stage vaccine trials, and in China, first responders decried a “sexist” TV dramatization of the country’s pandemic response for depicting women as peripheral to the effort and reluctant to volunteer.

Sources: Haaretz, Yahoo, SCMP

4. Bolton Book Security Review ‘Politicized’ by Appointee

Will it need a new chapter? Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton’s tell-all book, The Room Where It Happened, was initially found free of classified information, according to Ellen Knight, the National Security Council official who reviewed it. Knight filed a 17-page letter in court Wednesday in a Justice Department lawsuit that aims to seize the book’s profits, claiming Bolton mishandled the nation’s secrets. Knight said her review was “commandeered by political appointees” who falsely said the book contained classified information. Bolton’s attorney called the letter “a complete surprise.”

Sources: Washington Post, WSJ (sub)

5. Chargers Doctor Punctured QB’s Lung

Pro football is fraught with hazards. But this? Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor was benched with a “chest injury” Sunday, but further explanation didn’t emerge until Wednesday. According to ESPN, his doctor accidentally punctured his lung with a needle he was using to inject painkiller to soothe Taylor’s cracked ribs. To add to the 2015 Pro Bowler’s misfortune, his backup, Justin Herbert, managed to keep pace with Kansas City superstar QB Patrick Mahomes, losing by only 20-23, meaning the puncture, while recoverable, could deprive Taylor of his starting position.

Source: Yahoo, ESPN