Friday, June 5th, 2020
George Floyd Mourned, DNA Link to COVID-19 & YouTube’s Graduation
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by www.Blinkist.com/news and www.MagicSpoon.com/newsworthy
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want reading the latest happenings...
Remembering George Floyd
Hundreds of people showed up for a memorial service to honor and mourn the life of George Floyd. Family members were there along with politicians, law enforcement, and religious leaders. Rev. Al Sharpton led the emotional service. He told mourners, “it’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say, ‘get your knee off our necks.’” Sharpton will team up with Floyd’s family again this August for a second March on Washington. They’ll be calling for a federal policing equality act.
George Floyd Memorial Service: Reuters, USA Today, CNN, FOX News
March on Washington This August: NBC News, Axios
Thousands Keep Protesting
Protests continued around the country for a 10th day and night. Several cities, like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., decided to end curfews, saying they’re not needed anymore. Protests have become more organized and peaceful. However, in New York City, the curfew will still start at 8 p.m. each night through Sunday.
Read More: Axios, WSJ, NBC News
Clashes Between Protesters & Police
Attorney General William Barr is defending his decision to forcefully clear peaceful protesters near the White House earlier this week. He says he needed to give the order to protect federal property and law enforcement after days of seeing what he called “extremist agitators.” Critics disagree. The ACLU is suing Barr, President Trump, and other federal officials on behalf of protesters.
Federal Response to Protests: WSJ, WaPo
ACLU Sues Over Use of Force: AP, Politico
CDC Director on COVID-19 and Protests
The CDC director had some advice for protesters and police. Dr. Robert Redfield cautioned authorities about using tear gas during the pandemic, saying it could spread the virus faster, since it tends to make people cough, scream, and rub their eyes. He also said anyone who had been in the large crowds should probably get tested for COVID-19 about a week later.
Read More: CNN, WaPo, LA Times
COVID-19 Demographic Data Required
Starting this August, the CDC will require any lab results for COVID-19 to include a person’s race, ethnicity, zip code, age, and sex. The change was just announced yesterday, although lawmakers have been demanding the data for several weeks. From the data available, we can see the outbreak has disproportionately affected black and latino communities.
Read More: Reuters, ABC News
Hydroxychloroquine Study Retracted
Two major studies that raised safety concerns about a possible COVID-19 treatment are being retracted. Independent auditors reportedly couldn’t access all the information needed to verify the data, so the findings were pulled. Both had looked at malaria drugs, like hydroxychloroquine, as a possible coronavirus treatment, and found no benefit and serious side effects. More clinical trials are underway.
Read More: AP, CNN, WSJ
Study: DNA Linked to Severe Coronavirus
A new study could explain why some people get much more severe cases of COVID-19 than others. European scientists found it might have something to do with DNA. For example, people with type A blood seem to be about 50% more likely to need oxygen or go on a ventilator. Researchers don’t know why this is happening, so they need more data to verify the link.
Read More: NY Times, Daily Mail
Latest Unemployment Numbers
Today, the U.S. Labor Department will release May’s unemployment rate. Many economists expect it could exceed 20%. That’s compared to only 3.5% in February. Already, we learned 1.9 million Americans filed for first-time jobless benefits last week. That means more than 42 million Americans have filed for unemployment in less than three months.
Read More: WSJ, NBC News, CNBC
Confederate Statue Removal
More confederate Confederate monuments are coming down. Virginia’s governor announced the state will remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond. Also, in Birmingham, Alabama, protesters tried to remove a monument this week, but the mayor showed up and told them the city would finish the job for them. However, even as some statues will be coming down, many more will remain standing. Last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center counted nearly 1,800 monuments and other confederate symbols that still exist around the country.
Read More: CNN, USA Today, NY Times, SPLC
Global Airlines Add Flights
Both American and United Airlines announced more flights to places with national parks or other outdoor tourist destinations. For example, United added service to Aspen, Colorado and Jackson Hole, Wyoming this month and next. American Airlines is getting busier across-the-board. It says it plans to fly 55% of its domestic schedule in July. It was only flying 20% of its schedule last month, as stay-at-home orders were still in effect.
Read More: Reuters, CNBC, FOX Business
Facebook Labeling State-Controlled Media
In a new push for transparency, Facebook will start labeling pages of state-controlled media outlets from around the world. You’ll be able to see if a country like Russia or China is behind a news source, and how much it’s spending on ads about social issues, elections, and politics. The new labels are up on some pages already. Click on the “page transparency” section to learn more.
Read More: The Verge, Mashable, Axios, Facebook
YouTube Virtual Graduation
YouTube is hosting a star-studded graduation ceremony tomorrow to celebrate the class of 2020. Former President Obama and Michelle Obama will give the commencement address. There will also be appearances by Malala Yousafzai, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. The event starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET on the YouTube Originals channel.
Read More: Deadline, Variety, YouTube
Asteroid Fly-by
A big asteroid is expected to fly by Earth tomorrow. The space rock is estimated to be the size of a football stadium. It’s traveling at more than 20,000 miles per hour. However, it’s supposed to stay more than three million miles away from Earth, 13 times further than the moon.
Read More: CBS News, USA Today, NASA
Feel Good Friday: Drones Planting Trees
Drones are helping plant hundreds of thousands of trees. The startup Flash Forest is behind this, focusing on land in Canada that was destroyed by a wildfire. The drones can drop up to 20,000 seed pods into the ground every day. By 2028, Flash Forest reportedly hopes to have planted one billion trees.
Read More: Fast Company, Newsweek