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Sunday, July 11

The Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo space plane Unity flies at Spaceport America, near Truth and Consequences, New Mexico on July 11, 2021.

Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

A historic flight to the edge of space. A tie for the men's all-time tennis record. It's the weekend's biggest news.

Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson successfully reaches edge of space

Billionaire adventurer Richard Branson's dream of space travel and tourism took a leap forward Sunday as Virgin Galactic's rocket ship reached the edge of space via the VSS Unity. Company founder Branson and his crew of two pilots and three mission specialists experienced about four minutes of weightlessness before their space plane glided to a runway landing. "Thank you to every single person who has believed in Virgin Galactic and the team who has worked so hard to make this dream come true," Branson said after the flight. Virgin Galactic has plans for two more test flights before commercial service is expected to begin in 2022. Branson beat Amazon founder Jeff Bezos by days in the race to space. Bezos' own rocket company, Blue Origin, plans to fly him to space on July 20.

•	You could win a trip on the same Virgin Galactic space plane that flew Richard Branson to space.

British billionaire Richard Branson is welcomed as he arrives at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, July 11, 2021 hours before travel to the cosmos aboard a Virgin Galactic space vessel.

PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images

Novak Djokovic wins 20th Grand Slam at Wimbledon, ties men's all-time record

Novak Djokovic defeated Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon men's singles final to win his 20th Grand Slam and third consecutive Wimbledon title. The victory ties the record held by tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most career Grand Slam singles wins. Djokovic came into Wimbledon ranked No. 1 in the world, and he lost only one set prior to the finals. History was also made courtside at Wimbledon: Marija Cicak became the first woman to serve as Chair Umpire at a men's singles final in the 144-year history of the championships. She previously officiated the women's singles finals in 2014 and the women's doubles final in 2017.

•	Novak Djokovic says it's 50-50 whether he'll play in Tokyo Olympics.
•	Opinion: The argument is over, Novak Djokovic is the greatest men's tennis player in history.
•	Duchess Kate steps out at Wimbledon tennis finals, ends isolation after COVID-19 exposure scare.

Novak Djokovic celebrates winning Wimbledon.

Julian Finney, Getty Images

Somber search continues at Surfside condo collapse site

Two weeks after a massive waterfront condominium building crashed to the ground, workers continue to dig through rubble, now without hope of finding any survivors. The death toll rose to 90 on Sunday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced. Seventy-one of the 90 victims have been identified and notice given to their families; 31 people remain unaccounted for. While investigators have not yet determined a cause, owners of Champlain Towers South had been told in 2018 of structural issues with cracking concrete — and then argued for years about paying for repairs. The tragedy has jolted some local governments into deploying building inspectors and condo associations into hiring engineers to look for damage, a USA TODAY Network survey of communities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts has found.

•	"Small miracle": Binx the cat, furry survivor of Florida condo collapse, reunited with family.

The rubble of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, Fla., photographed July 6, 2021.

Seth Harrison, USA TODAY

Real quick

•	Relief in sight as extreme heat wave in West breaks more records. For Death Valley? Cooler temps mean 120-125.
•	"We get cussed at every day": Maui tourist surge raises tensions, renews calls for visitor limits, new fees.
•	UFC 264: Fans react to Conor McGregor's broken leg that resulted in loss to Dustin Poirier.
•	Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter mark 75 years of marriage.
•	"You can't give up on your kids": Signs of progress emerge in Fragile X treatment after decades-long quest to beat the rare disease.
•	Barkevious Mingo arrested for alleged "indecency with a child"; Falcons terminate linebacker's contract.
•	Two-thirds of American congregations heard explicitly political messaging in sermons in the immediate run-up to the 2020 election, according to an analysis.

Remainder of U.S. Capitol fencing is removed months after Jan. 6 insurrection

The security fencing around the U.S. Capitol has been taken down after more than six months of high-level security around the home of Congress after the Jan. 6 insurrection. The U.S. Capitol Police said the fencing was removed "based on the current threat environment and recent enhancements to the USCP's response capabilities." The barricades immediately surrounding the Capitol building are the last ramparts to come down after months of slight relaxing of security measures after a mob ransacked the building. The attack on the U.S. Capitol began when a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump overwhelmed the complex in an effort to stop the certification of the election of President Joe Biden.

Military personal and Capitol Hill Police department stage outside the US Capitol before U.S. President Joe Biden will address a joint session of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol.

Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images

COVID-19 infections rise in 42 states

Forty-two states saw an increase in COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks, a sign that the pandemic is not yet over in the United States. Only Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and West Virginia saw a decline in cases over the seven-day period that ended Saturday from the previous week. The rate of vaccinations has slowed recently, and less than half of all Americans, 47.9%, are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

•	COVID-19 booster shots: Here's why we may need one in the future.
•	As many prepare to return to the classroom amid the spread of the delta variant, lagging vaccination rate among Generation Z is raising concerns among experts.