Your weekend long reads 🗞️

Catch up on the most interesting long reads of the week. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

The Short List   Saturday, August 1 Good morning, friends of The Short List!  While things on Earth have been ~ a bit ~ chaotic lately, I thought we might want to focus a molecule of our attention on a space where some pretty cool things are happening: Space!  In the past few weeks, two spacecraft have been launched to Mars, and on Thursday, one more was sent. Here's why that's a big deal: It's bringing NASA one step closer in taking humans to Mars.  But that's not all that's happening in space:  • Two teenage schoolgirls in India discovered an asteroid near Mars. It's moving toward Earth. ☄️ • NASA is launching a balloon the size of a football stadium into the stratosphere so researchers can study the formation of stars. 🚀 • Want to see a meteor shower tonight? Look to the southern sky to see the Alpha Capricornids, notable for the number of bright fireballs produced during its activity period. ✨ And now back to our regularly programmed long reads 👇 NASA's mission to Mars looks for signs of life An unmanned rover will look for clues of ancient life in the dry bed of a vanished lake in NASA's upcoming Mars mission – and, for the first time ever, fly a drone-sized helicopter in the thin Martian air. What GOP, Dems wants in stimulus funding Worried about your kid's screen time? You're not alone. Confederate monuments fall, but state laws block... 'Defund the police'? It's happening already On the Navajo Nation, the wait for water persists Testing failure let virus loose among Latinos Does a 401(k) plan still make sense for you? It might Should I send my child back to school? Hurricane Isiaias: So how do you actually pronounce it? Start your day with the 5 Things podcast: Five news stories. Less than five minutes. Free to subscribe.   FOLLOW US Problem viewing email? View in browser Unsubscribe • Manage Newsletters • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights • Privacy Notice • Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy • Feedback © 2020 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102