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Monday 07.31.23

In times of stress or unease, many people channel their nerves through body-focused repetitive behaviors — like nail-biting, skin-picking or hair-pulling. Research shows a simple self-soothing technique may help suppress those bad habits. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.
 

By Alexandra Meeks

City workers use cranes to clean up debris at the sight of another explosion in the Moscow City business center on Sunday.

Ukraine

Russia says it downed three Ukrainian drones trying to attack Moscow on Sunday, the second reported attack on the capital in a week. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war is "gradually" being pushed back to Russian territory. "The war is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair," Zelensky said, hours after a business and shopping development in Moscow were hit. In the wake of the attacks in Moscow, Russia launched a deadly airstrike on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing at least two people and injuring 20 others. Zelensky also issued a warning that Russia may be preparing to attack Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure by this winter, as it did last year to devastating effect.

Trump

An employee who worked at former President Donald Trump's Florida resort is scheduled to be arraigned in the coming hours. According to the latest indictment, Trump "requested" that Carlos De Oliveira — a low-profile property manager at Mar-a-Lago — delete security footage after it was subpoenaed in order "to prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury." De Oliveira is scheduled to appear in a Miami court today, where he will be represented by an attorney paid for by Trump's operation. Meanwhile, Trump's team is creating a legal defense fund to help offset some of the enormous bills incurred as his legal troubles mount. Trump's political action committee, Save America, has already spent more than $40 million on legal fees for him and many of his associates since the start of 2023.

Student loans

The Biden administration is launching a beta website today for its new income-driven student loan repayment plan, officials told CNN, allowing borrowers to begin submitting applications for the program as federal student loan payments are set to resume in October. The SAVE, or Saving on a Valuable Education, plan was finalized after the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's student debt forgiveness initiative in June. The new program will determine payments based on income and family size, and around 1 million borrowers could see their payments shrink to as low as $0, the Department of Education estimates. Borrowers can access the beta website here, and the enrollment process will take an estimated 10 minutes.

Typhoons

A hurricane-level storm could make landfall in China this week as the region is reeling from floods brought by Typhoon Doksuri. More than 31,000 people have been evacuated from Beijing since the damaging typhoon hit the region last week, a Chinese state broadcaster reported. Another half million people in Fujian were forced to evacuate from flooding as several railroads, highways and schools remain closed. The torrential rains from Doksuri have left at least four dead, officials said, but the death toll could rise as crews search for victims. Heavy downpours are also expected to continue through Tuesday, increasing concerns about dangerous flooding and landslides. Doksuri is the most powerful typhoon to make landfall in China and the strongest storm to hit Fujian since Typhoon Saomi in 2006.

Twitter rebrand

A flashing "X" was installed atop the headquarters of the company formerly known as Twitter last week, prompting a complaint from the city of San Francisco that says the sign went up without a permit. A notice of violation was issued for not obtaining a permit for the new sign, as well as for denying city building inspectors to access the roof to ensure its safety. The sign was installed after owner Elon Musk rebranded Twitter from its iconic bird logo to the letter "X" last week. The social media company is also making news for reinstating Kanye West's account over the weekend. The musician's account was suspended in December for violating the platform's rules on inciting violence — and for sharing antisemitic remarks. 

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50 million

That's how many people are under heat alerts from the Plains to the Mississippi River today, as unrelenting heat waves continue to batter swaths of the US. More than 140 heat records could be broken this week, meteorologists say, with some parts of the deep South expected to see several days of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.

I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike.

— Oscar-winning actor Viola Davis, announcing she is pausing work on her upcoming movie, "G20," amid the ongoing actors' and writers' strikes, despite having been granted permission by the guild to move forward with the project. Most Hollywood productions have come to a halt after the Writers Guild of America went on strike on May 2 and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, began a strike on July 14 — the first time the two guilds have been on strike simultaneously since the 1960s.

Whales perform synchronized jump
A family saw this rare sighting while boating in Cape Cod, Massachusetts!