Monday, June 8th, 2020
Promises to Defund Police, NYC Reopening & NFL Reversal
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
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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 to review the latest happenings...
Disbanding Minneapolis PD
The majority of the Minneapolis City Council promises to dismantle the Minneapolis PD and create a new public safety system. Council members haven’t laid out a detailed plan, but nine of the 12 have said they support defunding the current police department. Supporters say if the money went to black communities instead of law enforcement, crime would go down naturally. The city will hear more from the community over the next year about a better system for public safety.
Read More: AP, KMSP, Minneapolis Star Tribune
NYC and LA Police Funding
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio promised to cut funding for the NYPD. He plans to divert part of the police budget to youth and social services. He hasn’t said how much yet. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti says he’s reversing his plan to boost spending for LAPD. That police department could lose $150 million next year to health care, jobs, and so-called “peace centers.” Some say that’s not enough, but others, like the Los Angeles police union, say budget cuts would make neighborhoods more dangerous.
Read More: NY Times, The Hill, LA Times, Newsweek, AP
Alternatives to “Defund the Police”
The acting Homeland Security secretary said it’s “absurd” to talk about defunding police departments. He said it would only deprive officers of necessary training and leadership. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers plan to unveil legislation today to address police violence and racial injustice on a national level. One of their ideas is reportedly to create a national database for police misconduct.
Opposition to “Defund the Police”: Vox, WSJ, AP, Bloomberg
Dems Police Accountability Legislation: AP, ABC News, USA Today, Reuters
George Floyd Memorial
The man whose death sparked the mass protests will be laid to rest this week. A public memorial will be held for George Floyd in Houston, where he lived most of his life. Tomorrow, there will be a private funeral and burial. Former Vice President and current presidential candidate Joe Biden will reportedly meet with the Floyd family in Houston today.
Read More: Houston Chronicle, KHOU, NY Times
Weekend Protest Wrap-Up
Today marks 14 straight days of protests. Over the weekend, people rallied and marched both in big cities and small, rural towns around the country. One of the largest protests happened in Washington, D.C Saturday. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered around the White House. Still, President Trump said the crowd was smaller than expected. Now, he says everything is under control and he ordered National Guard troops to leave the nation’s capital.
Read More: AP, WaPo, FOX News, WUSA, Tweet
NYC Reopening
New York City is lifting restrictions starting today. In the first phase of reopening, construction, manufacturing, and retail industries can restart, as long as there are safety precautions in place. All over the U.S., health officials will be watching for signs of a second wave. Health experts have warned recent protests could end up spreading COVID-19, but it could take weeks before we see an impact.
Read More: NY Times, AMNY, NY Post
World Reaches 400,000 Virus Deaths
As of early this morning, the U.S. death toll is nearly 111,000. Worldwide, it’s now reached more than 400,000. Reports say in the past week, hot spots have started emerging in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
Read More: AP, CNN, Johns Hopkins
Biden Secures Democratic Nomination
Former Vice President Joe Biden officially secured enough delegates to win the Democratic party’s presidential nomination. That means he’s the candidate who will take on President Trump in November. Of course, he has been the presumptive nominee since April, when U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race, but this formalizes it.
Read More: NPR, Forbes, CNN
Republicans Endorse Biden
Former President George W. Bush and U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney both say they will not support President Trump’s reelection. Colin Powell, who served as Secretary of State under George W. Bush, went a step further. He said he’d be voting for Biden this November. President Trump responded on Twitter by calling Powell a “real stiff” and “highly overrated.”
Read More: NY Times, CBS News, Reuters
Reddit Co-Founder Resigns
The co-founder and former CEO of Reddit is resigning from the company’s board. Alexis Ohanian is urging the company to replace him with a black candidate. He also says he’s going to use future gains from his Reddit stock to benefit the black community. It’s reportedly a high-profile more for a company that’s had a rocky track record around race issues.
Read More: Alexis Ohanian, TechCrunch
NFL Commissioner Admits Mistakes
Commissioner Goodell says the NFL was wrong for not listening to players in the past. In 2016, Colin Kaepernick started kneeling on the sidelines during the pre-game national anthem. It was his way of protesting police brutality. Several players across the league joined him. Soon after, Kaepernick lost his job. Goodell didn’t specifically mention Kaepernick in Friday’s video, but did say now, all players will be encouraged to speak out and peacefully protest.
Read More: CBS News, ESPN, CNN, NFL, Tweet
Conor McGregor Retires… Again
UFC star Conor McGregor announced his retirement for the third time in four years. This time, he made the announcement on Twitter, thanking fans for the memories. McGregor also retired in 2016 and again in 2019, but those times, he came back to fight. The 31-year-old is considered one of the best fighters in the UFC and brings in the most money.
Read More: CNN, AP
Treasure Chest Found in the Rockies
A chest filled with more than $1 million in gold and jewels was discovered in America’s Rocky Mountain wilderness. The treasure chest was reportedly hidden by a famous art collector more than 10 years ago. He wanted to create a modern-day treasure hunt, so he posted clues to the whereabouts both online and in a poem he published. It took more than a decade, but it was finally discovered last week. Whoever found it has chosen to stay anonymous.
Read More: ABC News, The Guardian
Monday Monday: Billionaires Cash in During Pandemic
A new report from The Institute for Policy Studies says U.S. billionaires have become $565 billion wealthier since mid-March. Specifically, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos got $36 billion richer and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg got $30 billion richer. It’s reportedly because big tech is thriving and the stock market has rebounded.
Read More: CNN, Institute for Policy Studies