News From the Control Tower - 7/29/2020

Interesting reads this week include:

1. TikTok’s Chinese parent is scrambling to hang onto its hit app

America threatens to ban ByteDance’s most valuable digital property—or seize it

2. What China Learned From Cold War America

After the Sputnik launch, the U.S. invested billions in science and innovation. Beijing is trying to follow that example now.

3. King dollar's decline ripples across the globe

An accelerating decline in the U.S. dollar is reverberating around the world, adding fuel to a global momentum rally that has boosted prices for everything from technology stocks to gold.

4. How Does Gender Equality Affect Women in Retirement?

A new study from the Brookings Institute.

"[H]aving a first child reduces a woman’s Social Security benefits (through reduced earnings) by an average of 16 percent. Each additional child increases the gap by 2 percent." The end result: Women's average SS benefits are just 80% of men's. So much great information here.

5. Here are five charts illustrating U.S. economic trends amid the coronavirus pandemic

Bonus - Lockdown was the longest period of quiet in recorded human history

The months of March through May presented scientists with a unique opportunity to listen to our planet.