While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Surfside search-and-rescue shifts to recovery operation
Authorities said the painstaking, 14-day search-and-rescue mission at a collapsed Surfside condominium building has shifted to a recovery operation as hope dwindles of finding survivors.
The heartbreaking news comes after officials said a total of 18 additional victims were found in the rubble on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 54. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said 86 people are still potentially missing and 200 are accounted for.
"Nothing we can do can bring back those we've lost, but we can and we will do everything in our power to identify the victims and to offer closure to the families in this time of unimaginable grief," Levine Cava said.
2. Four suspects killed, two held after Haiti's President assassinated
A squad of gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home Wednesday.
Police killed four suspects and arresed two others hours later amid growing chaos in a country already enduring gang violence and protests of his increasingly authoritarian rule.
The Haitian ambassador to the United States said the attack “was carried out by foreign mercenaries and professional killers — well-orchestrated,” and that they were masquerading as agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
3. Lightning strikes twice: Tampa Bay repeats as Stanley Cup champions
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season.
They beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 Wednesday night to wrap up the series 4-1, with Ross Colton scoring in the second period.
This isn't the only trophy that Tampa has claimed this year, but the Stanley Cup reminded Tom Brady that its too heavy to throw on Twitter. The Buccaneers quarterback bravely and possibly drunkenly threw the Lombardi trophy during their boat parade.
4. Japan to declare COVID-19 emergency lasting through Olympics
Japan is set to place Tokyo under a state of emergency that would last through the Olympics, fearing a COVID-19 surge will multiply during the Games.
The emergency likely to be announced later Thursday would last from next Monday to Aug. 22.
The Olympics begin July 23 and close Aug. 8. The decision likely means the athletic competitions and ceremonies will be held without fans, after foreign spectators were banned earlier.
5. Largest ever four-day workweek trial deemed an ‘overwhelming success’
The world’s largest ever trial of a four-day working week and reduced working time found that working fewer hours for the same pay led to improved well-being among workers, with no loss in productivity.
In fact, in some places, workers were more productive after cutting back their hours. Researchers have called it an “overwhelming success.” You can read the full findings at the link above.
How did they do it? Many participants said they either made meetings shorter or eliminated them completely. Who would've thought?
Today's Forecast
Elsa heads 'Into the Unknown,' but scattered storms possible through the end of the week:
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On This Day In History
On July 8, 1776, a 2,000-pound copper-and-tin bell now known as the “Liberty Bell” rings out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, summoning citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
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