promoearn: It's 5 o'clock somewhere (Wisconsin)

Thursday, May 14

The Dairyland Brew Pub opens to patrons following the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to strike down Gov. Tony Evers' safer-at-home order on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 in Appleton, Wis.

Wisconsin is open for business. Jeff Bezos could reach trillionaire status by 2026. It's Thursday's news.

Wisconsinites get a taste of post-quarantine beer. Jeff Bezos could be the world's first trillionaire. And a top politician is out.

It's Ashley with the news to know.

But first, lost and found: A 13-year-old found a leg while diving. Turns out, it belonged to a local surfer.

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Wisconsinites just needed a drink

How does the outside world feel, Wisconsin? The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the state's stay-at-home order on Wednesday, immediately lifting all restrictions on businesses and gatherings in place to limit the spread of coronavirus. Soon enough, some bars opened their doors (and taps) and patrons began crawling out of their quarantine bubbles to grab a beer or two. Photos showed small gatherings of Wisconsinites out at bars and restaurants shortly after the ruling came down, while some establishments posted on social media they were staying closed.

On the global scale, total deaths from COVID-19 surged past 300,000 on Thursday, serving as another grim reminder of the enormous damage inflicted by the virus, with the U.S. right in the middle of the pandemic.

•	Now's a good time to re-up these hand-washing and face mask best practices.

State Street Pub in Green Bay quickly opened for business Wednesday, May 13, 2020, after the state Supreme Court overturned Gov. Tony Evers' safer-at-home order.

Karl Ebert/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

A trillionaire is about to enter the game

Remember when Amazon was a mere online bookstore? Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos could become the world's first trillionaire. A new projection estimates that Bezos could reach trillionaire status by 2026 (right now, his net worth is around $143 billion). And like the game of Monopoly, other players aren't too thrilled about Bezos collecting all the cash. The projection has sparked anger on Twitter, noting how many people are financially struggling during the coronavirus pandemic as Bezos rakes in billions of dollars. Remember when Amazon was a mere online bookstore?

•	P.S. Not a trillionaire but aspire to be? (Me, too.) Sign up for The Daily Money, our money newsletter on all things finance.
•	Meanwhile, I'm going on furlough next week, so The Short List will be in the hands of my fabulous colleague Alex Connor.

The world's first trillionaire by 2026 could be Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, according to the company Comparisun, and Twitter is not happy.

Getty

What everyone's talking about

•	A tragedy: An Illinois woman was mauled to death by her recently adopted 55-pound French Bulldog, which had been bred to fight.
•	They weren't even murder hornets: Three dogs in Arizona were killed by an "aggressive" swarm of bees.
•	Who's a good boy? This dog. A formerly abused "aggressive" pit bull believes he's the dad to three foster kittens in his new forever home.
•	Speaking of cats, a study found that cats can get infected by coronavirus and transmit it to other cats — but there's no evidence they can spread it to humans.

A 911 call was made about an alleged trespasser days before Arbery was shot

Days before Ahmaud Arbery was pursued by two white men and fatally shot after being spotted inside a home under construction, neighbors – including one of the suspects – reported an earlier encounter with a person wandering through the site. One of the two men charged in Arbery's death, called 911 on Feb. 11 to report what he considered to be a suspicious man at the construction site, according to audio obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The owner of the site found nothing stolen, his attorney said Wednesday. But added there had been "four or five" instances in which unauthorized people entered the property before Arbery was shot.

Burr, bye!

There's a cold front on the way for Sen. Richard Burr. Who is that, you ask? He's the former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who stepped down from his position Thursday amid an investigation into his stock sales ahead of the coronavirus pandemic. Here's what happened: The Justice Department launched an inquiry into four senators' stock sales in March after financial disclosures showed the lawmakers, their spouses, or advisers sold stocks around the time lawmakers received briefings about the severity of the coronavirus. So how much money are we talking about? Burr and his wife sold up to $1.6 million in February but said they did so based only on public news reports about the coronavirus.

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., at a Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing.

Win McNamee, AP

Real quick

•	It's not Earth. It's SUPER EARTH: A one-in-a-million discovery: Scientists spot "incredibly rare" super-Earth.
•	Criticism of Louisville police is mounting as national attention turns to the March shooting death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT who was killed by police in her own home. Here's the latest on what we know.
•	How one NCAA school is taking the first step toward bringing athletes back to campus amid the pandemic.
•	Hotels are reopening in Florida. Here's a look at what the expect.
•	An immunologist said that if the U.S. doesn't prepare for a second wave of the virus, the country will experience the "darkest winter in modern history."

3 million more Americans filed for unemployment

Almost 3 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, spotlighting another wave of job cuts and adding to the unprecedented economic damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. In the past week, well-known companies such as Uber, General Electric and Airbnb have laid off thousands of workers. More than 36 million workers now have sought jobless benefits in eight weeks.

A break from the news

•	Baby on the way? Congratulations! Here's how to host a virtual baby shower.
•	Christmas in May? During quarantine, anything goes: A dad surprised his toddlers with a "quarantine Christmas" complete with wrapped toys they already own.
•	Virtual playdates FTW: 10 ways for kids to have playdates while social distancing.

Thank you, Erin Lupton

The Short List is featuring stories from health care workers on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. We want to hear your story. Email me at ashley@usatoday.com.

"As a pharmacist, our profession can sometimes be forgotten during these exceptional times. Every day, I come face to face with COVID-19 patients and caregivers and counsel them on medications. Our pharmacists have roles in the ER, ICU floors, and outpatient clinics, and are integral to the medical team. In Ohio, pharmacists are also permitted to run COVID-19 tests themselves. Many of us fought in the beginning of the pandemic to get PPE so that we may be protected alongside our co-workers. I believe I can speak for my fellow pharmacists and technicians that our hearts are 100% in this fight and we are willing to risk our lives to protect our patients. As this pandemic continues, pharmacists around the country are here to lend a hand, a calming voice, or an ear to all of our patients. We are with you."

— Erin Lupton, ambulatory care pharmacist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio

Erin Lupton, a pharmacist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio, says "our hearts are 100% in this fight."

Erin Lupton

Alex Connor chipped in on this compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.