☀ July 21: COVID-19 concerns ahead of Olympics and masks debated again

Updated: Jul 21, 2021 / 05:25 AM CDT

A German athlete, wearing face mask, walks past the Olympic rings display on their arrival at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Thursday, July 1, 2021. The pressure of hosting an Olympics during a still-active pandemic is beginning to show in Japan. The games begin July 23, with organizers determined they will go on, even with a reduced number of spectators or possibly none at all.(Kyodo News via AP)

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Here’s a look at your news across the nation:

1️⃣🎖 Japanese PM says world should see safe Olympics staged

2️⃣🧫 CDC reports increase in COVID-19 cases, sparking mask debates

3️⃣🏠 Housing market frenzy may have peaked: Sales see record late-spring drop

4️⃣🔥 Couple charged in California fire sparked by gender reveal

📱 [Trending] this morning

Yosemite ranger shares sad encounter with bear whose cub was killed by speeding vehicle

In an effort to get drivers to slow down in Yosemite National Park, a park ranger recounted a heartbreaking story in a now-viral Facebook post of finding a dead baby bear after the cub had been hit by a speeding vehicle.