United States of America eSeries: The COVID-19 Olympics

Monday, July 19

The main dining hall is seen during a press tour of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Village Sunday, June 20, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A growing number of Olympics athletes are testing positive for COVID-19. And wildfires are ripping through the hot, dry West. It's Monday's news.

The number of Olympic athletes to test positive for the coronavirus is growing. More than 1 million acres are burning as wildfires rip through the West. And the first felony sentence was handed down in the Capitol riot.

👋 Hey y'all! It's Laura. Here's Monday's news, just for you.

But first, missing your dog? Check inside the wall! 🐶 When Gertie the dog ran off into the woods, her owner looked everywhere for her. But it wasn't until a neighbor heard cries from inside a wall that they discovered where Gertie had gotten off to. Check out this awesome video of her rescue.

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Olympic athletes test positive for coronavirus

Just four days before opening ceremonies, another U.S athlete will miss out on the Tokyo Olympics. Katie Lou Samuelson, who was instrumental in the U.S. qualifying for the first-ever Olympic 3x3 women's basketball competition, was in COVID-19 health and safety protocols Saturday and will not compete in Tokyo. Samuelson is one of an increasing number of athletes and others in Tokyo who have been placed in COVID-19 protocols. On Sunday, U.S. tennis player Coco Gauff said she tested positive for the coronavirus and would withdraw from the Games, and an alternate on the U.S. women's gymnastics team in Tokyo tested positive for the virus. Fifty-five people connected with Tokyo 2020 had tested positive as of Sunday, according to organizers.

👉 Text with us at Tokyo Olympics! Subscribe to texts, where we'll be your official guide to the Games.

•	Opinion: Olympic leaders' nightmare scenario has become reality in Tokyo.
•	The rumors aren't true: The cardboard beds athletes are sleeping on at the Tokyo Olympics aren't "anti-sex."
•	Want to feel the Olympic spirit? Here's how to celebrate Team USA without being in Tokyo.

Wildfires spreading like wildfire across the West

Powerful storms forecast for parts of the drought-stricken West this week could actually do more harm than good as "fire clouds" and dry lightning sweep across a region already dotted with wildfires fueled by parched vegetation, heat and winds. The storms brought flash flooding to Phoenix and other areas of the Southwest, but less rain is forecast farther north. In California, the Dixie Fire had burned through 30 square miles and was threatening more than 800 homes and other structures. The remoteness of the fire, along with the steep terrain, was adding to the challenges faced by hundreds of firefighters. More than 80 wildfires were burning through 1,157,976 acres in 13 states on Monday, battled by almost 20,000 firefighters. Experts warned that unstable weather conditions could add to the misery in the coming days.

•	Dramatic photos of the wildfires sweeping across California and western states as record heatwave, drought continue.
•	Wildfire explodes near Lake Tahoe, forcing hundreds to flee; critically dangerous fire weather expected through Monday.

Dee McCarley hugs her cat Bunny, whom she took with her while evacuating from the Bootleg Fire, while at a Red Cross center on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 in Klamath Falls, Ore.

Nathan Howard, AP

What everyone's talking about

•	Dude, where's my couch? Foam shortage means delays, higher prices for sofas, boats, RVs, more.
•	Kanye West to debut long-awaited album "Donda" this week at listening party in Atlanta.
•	In a flight decades in the making, Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin are set for launch into space Tuesday.
•	Waves or sways? Bruce Springsteen's manager settles fierce debate over Mary's dress in "Thunder Road" lyrics.
•	Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop comes out, becomes first openly gay player in NHL history.
•	"BYOT": LeBron James responded after fans noticed he had his own tequila bottle at Bucks-Suns game.

First felony sentence handed down in Capitol riot

A Florida man became the first felon sentenced Monday for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He got eight months in prison and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution for a portion of the damage to the building. Hodgkins, 38, of Tampa pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding for interrupting Congress' counting of Electoral College votes. He spent 15 minutes in the Senate chamber, holding a flag supporting former President Donald Trump and taking pictures. District Judge Randolph Moss called literally waving the flag for Trump an unmistakable sign of loyalty to a single person rather than the country and democracy.

•	Indiana woman plans to plead guilty for crimes committed in Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Paul Hodgkins on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

All 50 states see rise in new coronavirus cases

In an ominous run not seen since the spring 2020 surge, new coronavirus cases rose in all 50 states for the fourth day in a row on a rolling seven-day average. In some states the increases were startling. New cases in Rhode Island almost tripled week over week, and Maine and Vermont's increases were almost as large. In Massachusetts, Alaska and Kentucky, new case counts more than doubled in one week, and Minnesota, Florida and Texas were right behind. The pace of deaths also is up sharply – 24.7% from its low point two weeks ago.

📚 2021-22 school year recommendation: The American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday that everyone older than 2 should be wearing masks in schools, regardless of vaccination status. The academy also "strongly recommends" in-person learning and urges all who are eligible be vaccinated to protect against COVID-19.

•	Dow drops more than 700 points, yields tumble as new virus fears circle the world.
•	Biden reverses course on Facebook, says platform isn't "killing people" with vaccine misinformation.
•	Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan tests positive for the coronavirus after being vaccinated.
•	Australia deports British commentator Katie Hopkins for boasting about plans to breach quarantine rules.

Visitors wear masks in a shopping district in Hollywood on July 1. Coronavirus cases jumped 500% in Los Angeles County over the past month, and health officials warned July 13 that the especially contagious delta variant spread rapidly among California's unvaccinated population.

Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

Real quick

•	Seniors' health care suffers because of skyrocketing fees for prescription drugs, pharmacists say.
•	Naomi Osaka becomes first female Black athlete on a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover.
•	Multiple people, including firefighter and ambulance crews, are shot in a series of attacks in Arizona.
•	Volkswagen Passat discontinued: Another sedan is killed as cars give way to SUVs.
•	Biden administration blames China for Microsoft hacking as the Justice Department indicts Chinese nationals in cyberattacks.

First Guantanamo Bay detainee released under Biden

Renewing the process adopted under former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the Biden administration for the first time released a prisoner from Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon announced Monday. Abdul Latif Nasir was transferred from the military prison in Cuba, which was opened after the 9/11 terror attacks, to the Kingdom of Morocco. In 2016, the board overseeing releases from Guantanamo Bay found in it was no longer necessary to detain Nasir for U.S. national security interests, but the steps for Nasir's release could not be completed by the end of the Obama administration, and transfers stalled during the Trump administration. At its peak, the prison population at Guantanamo Bay reached about 700; with Nasir's release, 39 detainees remain.

In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, the control tower is seen through the razor wire inside the Camp VI detention facility, April 17, 2019, in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.

Alex Brandon, AP

A break from the news

•	🤔 15% of workers are delaying retirement because of COVID-19. Should you follow suit?
•	☀️ 3 things parents can do to help their child's mental health this summer.
•	💰 Are you better off putting your emergency fund in a Roth IRA instead of a savings account?

This is a 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.