CNN Business | Manhattan apartment sales plunge while the suburbs boom

Pending sales for apartments in Manhattan plunged by more than half last month, while deals for homes in the New York suburbs surged.

In July, signed contracts for condos in Manhattan were down 56% from last year and co-op apartments were down 57%, according to a new report from brokerage firm Douglas Elliman and appraiser Miller Samuel.  —more— 

CNN | Michelle Obama says she’s suffering from ‘low-grade depression’

(CNN) – Former First Lady Michelle Obama says she’s suffering from a “low-grade depression.” The reasons? The pandemic, race relations in the US and the political strife surrounding it all, she says.

“I’m waking up in the middle of the night because I’m worrying about something or there’s a heaviness,” Obama said in her “The Michelle Obama Podcast” on Wednesday. “I try to make sure I get a workout in, although there have been periods throughout this quarantine, where I just have felt too low.”

It’s a familiar feeling for many Americans.  —more—

CNN Sports | Lewis Hamilton clarifies anti-vaccine Instagram post after backlash

“I’m not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fight against coronavirus, and I’m hopeful for its development to help save lives,” he wrote. “However after watching the video, I felt it showed that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the side effects most importantly and how it is going to be funded.”

He signed off the statement by saying “I may not always get my posting right” but “I’m learning.”

CNN has reached out to Hamilton’s representatives for further comment.  —more— 

CNN Opinion | We need to address the digital divide causing an educational crisis

(CNN) – Millions of American students won’t be heading back to the classroom this fall, at least not full time. From Los Angeles to New York, remote learning will continue into the fall.

That leaves a staggering number of students at risk of falling behind or dropping out. Up to 30% of schoolchildren — as many as 16 million American kids — lack internet access or laptops for online learning, a study by Common Sense Media and the Boston Consulting Group warned.

This isn’t just a problem for this fall. Missing months of learning will have catastrophic effects down the line. Students who have lost foundational skills will have trouble keeping up when school finally resumes, and they’ll be at greater risk of being held back, dropping out or failing to enroll in college. —more—

CNN Business | Why a new generation of Black farmers is getting into the business

New York (CNN Business) – W. Kamau Bell visits Oklahoma to learn how politics and economic disparity has impacted family and independent farmers. Watch “United Shades of America” Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.

Visitors to the Soul Fire Farm Facebook page on Friday afternoons will find a virtual farming lesson in session.

For the past several weeks, Leah Penniman, co-director and farm manager at Soul Fire in Rensselaer County, New York, has been speaking to fellow Black farmers about their work and offering tips to viewers as part of a weekly “Ask A Sista Farmer” event.  —more—