Dogs have sniffed out bombs, drugs, cancer, and now possibly coronavirus.
Countries around the world have been training dogs to see if they can associate COVID-19 with a certain smell and point out the disease even if someone hasn't tested positive for it. And in Germany, pups are showing promising results with minimal training, Bloomberg reports.
Eight dogs from Germany's armed forces spent just a week training to identify the smell of COVID-19 in a person's saliva in a study for the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover. They then were tasked with smelling the saliva of more than 1,000 sick and healthy people, and identified those with coronavirus infections 94 percent of the time. "We think that this works because the metabolic processes in the body of a diseased patient are completely changed," and dogs can smell the difference, professor Maren von Koeckritz-Blickwede explained.
Dogs in France similarly had a 95 percent success rate when smelling sweat samples for COVID-19. And in Chile, police dogs are being trained to potentially sniff out coronavirus on people. All these efforts are happening with the hopes that they can be deployed in large crowds and track down infected people before they spread the virus too far. Kathryn Krawczyk
Former Vice President Joe Biden could be down to two contenders in his search for a running mate.
A new report from Axios details how Biden confidants believe he has narrowed his list down to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice. While the report cautions that things could change, it notes that these confidants "would be surprised if he picks anyone else."
As far as Harris goes, Axios writes that Biden's brain trust has "deep and trusting relationships" with those who are pushing for the California senator while touting her skills as a prosecutor. But on the other hand, according to the report, Rice is "getting a big bounce" from former President Barack Obama's alumni, who say that picking her would "guarantee the enthusiastic presence" of Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama on the campaign trail.
Other possible contenders include Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), who the report says is in third place behind Harris and Rice, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). The Washington Post previously reported that Biden was expected to interview five or six finalists but that there was a sense that he still doesn't have "a clear favorite."
Though Biden had previously said he intended to make his running mate pick in the first week of August, the announcement is no longer expected to come until next week, prior to the Democratic National Convention's start on Aug. 17. Read more at Axios. Brendan Morrow
In a stunning victory, progressive activist Cori Bush defeated Rep. William Lacy Clay in Missouri's 1st Congressional District Democratic primary on Tuesday.
Clay has represented the district for the last 20 years, and before that, his father, William Lacy Clay Sr., held the seat for three decades. Bush ran against the incumbent in 2018, but lost by a 20-point margin. On Tuesday, with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Bush has 48.6 percent of the vote, compared to Clay with 45.5 percent.
Bush was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and is calling for universal health care, raising the minimum wage, and police reform. In a victory speech, Bush said Missouri's 1st Congressional District "has decided that an incremental approach isn't going to work any longer. We decided that we the people have the answers, and we will lead from the front lines." Catherine Garcia
Voters in Missouri on Tuesday approved a ballot measure expanding Medicaid to roughly 230,000 low-income residents.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, 53 percent voted "yes" on the measure, while 47 percent voted "no." Missouri is the sixth red state to expand Medicaid, and the second to do so amid the coronavirus pandemic, after Oklahoma. The state is now reporting on average more than 1,200 daily new coronavirus cases, nearly three times more than a month ago, Politico reports.
Missouri has until July 1, 2021, to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The measure amends the state's constitution, so lawmakers cannot add requirements to the program. Gov. Mike Parson (R) opposed the expansion, saying it was too expensive and the state doesn't have enough money to pay for it. The federal government gives states up to 90 percent of funding necessary for Medicaid expansion, an improvement over the 65 percent provided to Missouri now under its current program.
"Quite frankly, Missourians are sick and tired of not getting their fair share," Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for the ballot initiative's organizers, told Politico last week "They pay their taxes, they've seen now 37 other states use that money to expand access to health care. Meanwhile, our economy's clearly ailing here." Catherine Garcia
To raise money for cancer research, Andrew Walker and Jacob Adkins traded in their ice skates for rollerblades and hit the road.
Walker and Adkins are hockey players at the University of Massachusetts Boston. They wanted to do something during the pandemic to help others, and came up with a way to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society: the roommates would rollerblade from Boston to Mason, Michigan, a nearly 900-mile journey.
Cancer has affected both of them personally, with Adkins' mother in remission after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and Walker's grandfather dying of the disease. Adkins and Walker — who dubbed themselves the Men in Blades — completed their trek in 10 days, arriving in Mason late last month. They raised $28,100, a feat they are especially proud of since donations to so many charities are down because of the pandemic.
"This experience has humbled both of us and has made us just that much more grateful for the people around us and that much more loving," Adkins told WHDH. Catherine Garcia
Rep. Roger Marshall defeated former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach in Tuesday's Kansas Republican Senate primary.
With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Marshall has 39 percent of the vote compared to Kobach with 26.4 percent. Bob Hamilton is in third place with 19 percent, followed by David Lindstrom with 6.9 percent.
Republicans had been worried about the very conservative Kobach winning the primary but not being able to clinch the general election; he lost the state's governor's race in 2018 to Democrat Laura Kelly. "You have sustained real-world trials and evidence and data that say that Kris Kobach is an extremely poor general election candidate who absolutely could be the first Republican to lose a Senate race in Kansas in over 80 years," GOP political operative David Kensinger told KPR.
State Sen. Barbara Bollier, a former Republican and retired anesthesiologist, won the Democratic primary, and will face off against Marshall in November. They are vying to win the seat being vacated by Sen. Pat Roberts (R), who is retiring. Catherine Garcia
Lebanese officials believe Tuesday's enormous explosion in Beirut's port was likely caused by 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse, and Prime Minister Hassan Diab vowed that those "responsible for this catastrophe will pay the price."
The blast killed at least 78 people and injured nearly 4,000, Lebanon's health ministry said, with many people still missing. The explosion leveled buildings, flipped cars, and blew out windows, and was so strong that it registered as a 3.3 magnitude earthquake.
Beirut's hospitals, already under stress due to the coronavirus pandemic, are now overwhelmed by patients, and medical facilities are asking for blood donations and generators. The city's governor, Marwan Abboud, told reporters he has "never in my life seen damage this enormous ... this is a national catastrophe. This is a disaster for Lebanon."
Lebanon is experiencing high unemployment and poverty rates, and Diab has asked for international assistance. Several countries, including Egypt, Jordan, and the United Kingdom, have pledged to help, and so has Israel, a country with which Lebanon is still technically at war; the country said it offered the Lebanese government "via international intermediaries medical and humanitarian aid, as well as immediate emergency assistance." Catherine Garcia