promoearn: Bahamas bars Americans, Home Depot requires masks and Comet Neowise swings by Earth

Wednesday, July 22

In the Bahamas, Grand Isle Resort in Exuma fronts Emerald Bay Beach.

Wednesday's Daily Briefing: Bahamas, Home Depot, Comet Neowise

The Bahamas bars American tourists from entering, Home Depot will require customers wear masks, Comet Neowise will be closest to Earth and more news to start off your Wednesday.

Welcome to Wednesday, Daily Briefing readers!

President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the pandemic will get "worse before it gets better," and as COVID-19 cases continue to spike, Home Depot will require face masks like other many major retailers and the Bahamas will join the growing list of places Americans aren't allowed to go right now.

We're also watching some early morning breaking news. In Alaska, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the peninsula, triggering a tsunami warning. And in Texas, China vowed retaliation after it said the U.S. ordered its Houston consulate closed within 72 hours.

It's N'dea and I've got all the news you need to know today.

American tourists barred from the Bahamas in coronavirus battle 🚫

Three weeks after opening its borders to tourists, the Bahamas has barred American tourists from entering due to COVID-19 . Starting Wednesday, international flights and commercial vessels carrying passengers will not be permitted to enter the borders with an exception for flights from Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union. The situation in the Bahamas has deteriorated "at an exponential rate" since the country reopened its international borders" on July 1, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said in a national address Sunday. Minnis blamed, without specifying, nearby countries' handling of the COVID-19 pandemic "still raging around the world."

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Trump says pandemic will get 'worse before it gets better'

In his first White House coronavirus press briefing since April, President Donald Trump reversed course from his previous position on face masks and urged Americans to wear them. Trump also said the pandemic "will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better." His remarks come as the U.S. reported more than 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths for the first time since May 29 and there were 63,000 new cases and 59,000 hospitalizations — the third-highest total number of hospitalizations recorded by the COVID-19 Tracking Project.

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Home Depot joins retailers requiring face masks amid COVID-19 resurgence 😷

Home Depot will now require all shoppers wear face coverings inside its U.S. stores beginning Wednesday . Home Depot joins a slew of retailers including Walmart, Target, CVS, and Walgreens to mandate masks at stores nationwide as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masks and facial coverings as a way to prevent the spread of the virus, but some consider mask mandates a violation against their constitutional rights.

•	Masks required: Walmart, Target among retailers adding face mask requirements
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Portland protests continue and more on race in America

•	A 'very dark history': Oregon's racist past fuels ongoing protests against injustice in Portland
•	Chicago won't see 'Portland-style deployment' of federal agents, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says
•	'What a disaster': Aggressive federal response in Portland raises legal questions
•	'The timing is right for reparations': Cities propose reparations amid nationwide unrest
•	'Do you belong here?' Lawsuits allege Hilton, other hotels discriminated against Black guests

Watch for Comet Neowise before it disappears for 6,800 years ☄️

Newly discovered Comet Neowise is paying a visit to the inner solar system for the first time in 6,800 years and will be its closest to Earth on Wednesday . To see the comet, start looking about one hour after sunset, and you'll find it just over the northwest horizon as the last of twilight fades into darkness. Look about three fists below the "bowl" of the Big Dipper, which is hanging by its handle high above, and a little to the right. Although it's visible with the naked eye, a simple telescope or pair of binoculars can reveal more details, especially when it is seen before twilight in the morning or after twilight in the evening. The comet will be visible to skywatchers here on Earth through mid-August.

More news you need to know

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•	Frightening video shows tourist trip, fall while fleeing charging bison in Yellowstone
•	Climate change may push polar bears to the brink of extinction within 100 years, study says
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Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip to make rare public appearance 👑

After a rare public glimpse at his granddaughter's surprise wedding, Prince Philip will make another public appearance on Wednesday . The 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II for more than seven decades, will appear in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle for the ceremonial handover of his role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles military regiment. His daughter-in-law, Duchess Camilla of Cornwall will inherit the position. Camilla is a controversial figure in British royalty because of the role she played in the breakup of Prince Charles' marriage to the late Princess Diana in the 1990s but has gradually gained in public acceptance since she married Charles, the queen's heir, in 2005.

•	Prince George turns 7! Duchess Kate shares new photos of the young royal

Fact or fiction? ✔️

Are you seeing misinformation on social media? Find out what stories are legit with our latest newsletter, Checking The Facts.

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Tropical depression forms in Atlantic Ocean; forecasters watching another system in the Gulf of Mexico 🌧️

A tropical depression formed Tuesday afternoon in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters from the National Hurricane Center said . It is one of two systems that forecasters are watching. If its wind speed reaches 39 mph, it would become Tropical Storm Gonzalo, the seventh named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. The other system, in the Gulf of Mexico, has a 40% chance of developing into a depression or storm within the next five days, according to the hurricane center. "This system is expected to ... move over the central Gulf on Wednesday, and reach the northwestern Gulf on Thursday and Friday," the hurricane center said. Meanwhile, far out in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Douglas is forecast to become a hurricane late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

In better news: Would you like some Cheez-Its with that wine? 🍷🧀

Here's a new way to rosé all day: a limited-edition Cheez-It and House Wine package.

The special $29.99 box has a three-liter box of rosé – the equivalent of four 750-milliliter bottles – and about 20 servings of Cheez-It White Cheddar crackers. This combo-pack goes on sale 2 p.m. ET Thursday, ahead of National Wine and Cheese Day on Saturday, at OriginalHouseWine.com.

For those who miss out on the special offer – and want to pair the cheese crackers with wine – Cheez-It has some suggestions: Extra Cheesy Cheez-Its with pinot grigio, Cheddar Jack Cheez-Its with cabernet sauvignon, and Cheez-It Duoz Sharp Cheddar/Parmesan with chardonnay.

For the second year in a row, Kellogg is selling a limited-edition Cheez-It and House Wine box. This one has House Wine Rosé and White Cheddar Cheez-Its. The $29.99 box is available at OriginalHouseWine.com beginning July 23 at 2 p.m. ET.

Kellogg Co.