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It’s bound to be another rough week in America. Here are some ways to help and support marginalized communities during these tumultuous, often downright painful times.
Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
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1. George Floyd
Protests over the death of George Floyd have spread through the US for six straight days now, culminating in both peaceful demonstrations and violent, fiery clashes between police and civilians. Over the weekend, ugly scenes unfolded in cities from coast to coast. Video from New York City appears to show a New York City Police Department truck plowing into a crowd. In Minnesota, a man who drove a tanker truck through a crowd of protesters has been charged with assault. Journalists in multiple cities have been arrested or assaulted while covering the protests. Businesses and buildings have gone up in flames. Widespread injuries have been reported, including at least seven police officers hurt in Boston. In Detroit, a 21-year-old man was shot and killed during a protest, though police couldn’t confirm the victim was participating at the time. As a result, at least 40 cities have imposed curfews, and National Guard members have been activated in 15 states and Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, the former officer who was shown on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck before he died has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter – two felonies where intent is a key element. Derek Chauvin’s first court appearance is scheduled for June 8.
2. Antifa
In response to the widespread protests, President Trump tweeted the United States will designate Anifa as a terrorist organization. Antifa, which stands for anti-fascist, is a broad, decentralized group of people with liberal-leaning beliefs that do not conform with the traditional Democratic Party platform. There are several issues with this. Chiefly, current and former government officials have said it would be unconstitutional to designate First Amendment-protected activity inside the US as terrorism. The law does allow foreign groups to carry the designation, because they don’t fall under the same protections. Many experts see the President’s claim as posturing rather than policy.
3. Coronavirus
The CDC will resume regular press briefings on Covid-19 following a three-month absence amid discord between the agency and White House officials. The return to the public eye comes as the White House’s own coronavirus task force is being phased out. There’s been friction between the White House and the CDC ever since the agency botched an effort to distribute testing in early February, and then stressed the urgency of the coronavirus threat while the White House was attempting to downplay it. The global death toll from the virus now stands at 372,000, including more than 103,00 deaths in the US.
4. World Health Organization
The fast-moving developments over the weekend eclipsed an important piece of Friday afternoon news: President Trump announced he is cutting funding to the World Health Organization. This decision has sparked criticism and concern from health experts, US lawmakers and world leaders, who have questioned the wisdom of defunding the organization amid a pandemic. The WHO has been criticized for relying on official Chinese government figures about the virus – numbers which many officials doubt are accurate.
5. G7 summit
This month’s G7 summit has officially been postponed after it became clear that an in-person meeting of the world leaders would be nearly impossible in the current pandemic climate. President Trump has also said he wants to invite additional countries to the summit, including Russia, South Korea, Australia and India, which would take additional time and logistics to pull off. National security adviser Robert O’Brien said those countries have handled the pandemic “incredibly well,” and the President likely thinks their participation would be useful. The meeting has now been moved to September.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
It’s Pride Month
There won’t be any parades or big gatherings, but Pride will go on.
Fishermen in Hawaii caught two yellowfin tuna totaling 220 pounds – and used them to feed health care workers
Now that’s sharing your bounty.
A 103-year-old woman beat Covid-19, and had an ice cold beer to celebrate
When you’re 103 and kick Covid to the curb, you can drink whatever you want.
The pandemic isn’t the only thing that’s shaken the world this year
We’re only halfway through 2020, but it feels like about 10 years’ worth of stuff has happened. Here’s a recap.
TODAY’S NUMBER
9
That’s how many years it’s been since the United States sent its own astronauts into space – that is, before Saturday’s historic SpaceX launch.The aerospace company successfully sent two NASA astronauts into Earth’s orbit from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The astronauts are now safely aboard the International Space Station.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible – even if you’re choking on it – until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere.”
Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who defended the nationwide protests in highly-shared op-ed for the Los Angeles Times.
TODAY’S WEATHER
AND FINALLY
A BBC sports commentator calls Australia’s penguin parade
Sports broadcasters continue to prove that they can turn anything into a high-stakes competitive event. All it takes is a little character. (Click here to view)