AZ Briefing: Is AZ having a COVID-19 surge? Sentence vacated for man tied to slain BP agent; Why MAGA influencers are boycotting Dunkin'

Good morning, Arizona. Here's what our reporters are working on and what you should know before you start your day.

Wastewater detection shows the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is at a "very high" activity level nationally , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Outpatient and emergency room numbers for COVID-19 are stable in Arizona, but a summer surge is possible .

Other big stories

➤ A Maricopa County Superior Court justice ruled in favor of supporters of the Make Elections Fair Act , who argued the lawmakers' wording emphasized actions the act would allow , while downplaying what would it require.

➤ How can a partition lawsuit be used to sell and divide the proceeds of a co-owned property ? Find out in this week's Arizona real estate law column.

➤ One of the seven men charged and convicted for killing Arizona Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry during a gunfight near Nogales more than a decade ago may get a new trial after an appeals court in San Francisco vacated his life sentence. Here's what to know.

➤ Today, you can expect it to be partly sunny with a high near 107 degrees. Expect it to be mainly clear at night with a low near 88 degrees. Get the full forecast here .

Why MAGA influencers are boycotting Dunkin'

A simple business disagreement between Dunkin' and Rumble inflamed MAGA influencers . Here's what's behind the social media calls to boycott the chain.

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We'd love your feedback about the AZ Briefing. Email us at karen.kurtz@arizonarepublic.com .

Today in history

Here are just some of the events on this date in the past.

• On this day in 1889: Hartford, Connecticut, inventor William Gray received a patent for a “Coin-Controlled Apparatus for Telephones.” A bank in his hometown installed the first public pay phone that same year. Gray got the idea when he needed to call the doctor for his sick wife but couldn’t afford a phone and a local shop wouldn’t let him use theirs.
• In 1910: A committee of more than 150 Black ministers wrote President William Taft asking him to suppress lynching after the racist massacre of July 29-30 in Slocum, Texas. They enclosed a three-page appeal to the American people, urging, “There is no wrong that cannot be put away by good men determined to do it.”
• In 1918: Opha Mae Johnson, 39, became the first woman known to have enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. She held a civil service job at the Marine Corps headquarters and enlisted less than a week after the Marines approved women enlistees to replace men in clerical jobs.
• In 1967: “Bonnie and Clyde,” the stylish crime film starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, was released. Along with its movie popularity, it sparked fashion trends and hit songs.
• In 1969: The U.S. celebrated the Apollo 11 astronauts in a hectic series of transnational events: a New York City ticker tape parade with a ceremony at the United Nations, a parade in Chicago and a state dinner with President Richard Nixon in Los Angeles. The astronauts had spent three weeks in quarantine.
• In 1997: The animated show “South Park” debuted on Comedy Central. In spite of – or because of – its foul-mouthed child protagonists and off-color subject matter, it was an immediate hit that made stars of creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Is AZ having a COVID-19 surge? Sentence vacated for man tied to slain BP agent; Why MAGA influencers are boycotting Dunkin'