Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. JULY 29, 2020

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CEOs of four top U.S. technology companies—Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google—are set to answer questions Wednesday in front of the House Judiciary subcommittee on how they wield their considerable market power.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On July 29, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is established by Congress. Created as a direct response to the Soviet Union’s surprise 1957 launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, NASA was charged with focusing on all U.S. space endeavors. Since its establishment, NASA has successfully landed Americans on the moon and launched probes to the far corners of the solar system. NASA has also suffered setbacks, including two space shuttle crashes and a deadly fire during an Apollo 1 training session.

VIDEO: U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr told U.S. lawmakers Tuesday that federal intervention was needed to calm ongoing protests in the Northwestern U.S. city of Portland in Oregon. Barr pushed back against congressional Democrats’ accusations that he has placed loyalty to President Donald Trump ahead of upholding the rule of law in the United States.

Chinese property tycoon Ren Zhigiang has been kicked out of the Communist Party for calling authoritarian leader Xi Jinping a “clown” and now faces a criminal investigation that could end with prosecution.

The United States is pulling almost 12,000 troops from Germany, following through on President Donald Trump’s call to reduce the U.S. military footprint in a country he described as “delinquent” in defense spending.

VIDEO: First Lady Melania Trump was a model before she married businessman Donald Trump 15 years ago. A Slovenian immigrant, she shies away from the public eye except for occasional appearances on behalf of her causes, which focus on children.

VIDEO: Jill Biden, the wife of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, is on leave from her teaching job to assist with her husband’s campaign. She is very familiar with life in Washington, since her husband spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president under Barack Obama.