Happy Friday! “For eight days the political parties held conventions, but on the ninth day, your Morning Dispatchers rested, and were refreshed.” (Exodus 31:17)

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

• The United States confirmed 42,168 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, with 5.6 percent of the 752,177 tests reported coming back positive. An additional 1,119 deaths were attributed to the virus on Thursday, bringing the pandemic’s American death toll to 180,814.

• At least six people have died—including a 14-year-old girl—and more than 910,000 homes are without power after Hurricane Laura ripped across Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas early Thursday morning. Laura has since weakened to a tropical depression.

• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will resign from his post due to ill health, according to the country’s national broadcaster, NHK. Abe had served in the role for nearly eight years, the longest run in Japanese history.