Former Republican presidential candidate and businessman Herman Cain died of coronavirus. He was 74.
Herman Cain is dead. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Herman Cain has died of complications related to coronavirus: He was 74. The former Republican presidential candidate, who was briefly considered by President Donald Trump for the Federal Reserve, was hospitalized on July 1, two days after he was diagnosed with the virus.

As CNBC notes, less than two weeks before he tested positive for the 'rona: Cain attended Trump's controversial Tulsa rally sans mask or social distancing. Cain's team said there was "no way of knowing for sure" where he contracted the virus, but...my money is on Tulsa. The story is still breaking this morning, but, in the meantime, check out this tweet from that rally on June 20:

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is testifying in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this morning: It's his first time since April 2019. He's been discussing the State Department budget, America's increasingly sour relationship with China, the Trump adminstration's approach to Russia, and whether Trump can delay an election (more on that later). Tune in here, if you're interested:

Two public beaches in Kirkland closed due to coronavirus fears: The dock and parking lot at Houghton Beach Park and the dock at David Brink Park have been shut down by city officials after big groups of young people continually hung out there without masks.

Explosives were found in a van parked near the East Precinct during last weekend's protests: In a press conference yesterday, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said police officers saw a van following protesters outside near the East Precinct and was present just as explosions started going off outside the building. Once the vehicle was impounded and a search warrant obtained, police found firework pyrotechnics, smoke bombs, stun guns, bear and pepper spray, makeshift spike strips, and gas masks.

No arrests have been made yet: But Best said the cache of explosives in the van was "evidence that not everyone who comes to these protests are peaceful. Peaceful protesters do not show up in a van full of...explosives."

Bothell police shot and killed a man stopped for slashing tires: Last night, the man allegedly advanced toward the officer while holding a knife, which is when the officer fired several shots, striking and killing him. The officer has been placed on administrative leave as is standard policy.

I will resist the urge to make yet another "Smooth" by Santana feat. Rob Thomas reference: But yeah baby, turn up the motherfuckin' HEAT.

"3 Months Of Hell: U.S. Economy Drops 32.9%, In Worst GDP Report Ever": A headline this morning from NPR. Economists are calling this second quarter data "horrific." The economic contraction in April, May, and June was three times worse than the previous record of 10 percent in 1958 and "almost four times the worst quarter during the Great Recession."

The news of this report is apparently what spurred this scary tweet a.k.a. major distraction from Trump: In which he calls mail-in voting "fraudulent" and ponders delaying the presidential election in November.

In case you were wondering if the president can *actually* do that: Yeah, he can't.

And as it's been pointed out: Several top Trump staffers have voted by mail in the past—including Trump himself.

On a related note, the unemployment numbers are in and they are Not Good: 1.4 million Americans filed for first time unemployment last week, the second week in a row that number has actually gone up. Continued claims—people who have filed for at least two weeks in a row—were at 17 million on the week ending July 18. This information comes as Congress has still not reached a deal on a new pandemic relief package and the $600 weekly enhancement is set to expire this week.

Get in loser, we're going to Mars: NASA's nuclear-powered Perseverance Mars rover lifted off into the heavens from Cape Canaveral this morning. This is the beginning of a decade-long program to "search for signs of past microbial life and to collect rock and soil samples for eventual return to Earth." It'll take seven months for the human-made rover to reach the Red Planet—how I wish I could go there with it.

In Skagit County, family gatherings are the main source of coronavirus spike: Officials are reminding people to wear masks when meeting up with loved ones even if it's outside.

The mall really won't ever be the same, huh? California Pizza Kitchen filed for bankruptcy in Texas today, in a pre-negotiated deal between the company and its lenders. The fast-casual pizza chain popular with families from the suburbs is looking to reduce its debt by $230 million.

Oregon Public Broadcasting went deep on the effects of tear gas on protesters' bodies: Many are claiming that regular exposure to the chemical agent has caused irregularities with their period, from debilitating cramps to blood clots "the size of half a fist." There has been little scientific study on the effects of long-term exposure to tear gas, but these protesters' stories are troubling with one even saying, "It's like they're testing it on us."

Something to groove to this morning: This song has big Pure Summer Laying In The Sunshine, Smoking Weed, Laughing At Dumb Jokes With Your Friends, Being Happy, Having Not A Care In The World vibes. Happy pretending!