Police Officers Fired Over Death | Virus Spikes in Latin America

Smart news for busy people www.ozy.com [presidential daily brief]( *Podcast available from 8 am et Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Sponsored by Important 1 1 [New 'I Can't Breathe' Death Sparks Protests]( “I can’t breathe.” That’s what George Floyd, 46, told officers repeatedly on video as they pinned him by his neck Monday evening, resulting in his death. The phrase was already a rallying cry for those battling police violence — being the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man killed in New York City [police custody]( in 2014. Yesterday, police used tear gas and rubber bullets against hundreds of protesters gathered on the street where the incident occurred. Now all four officers involved have been fired and the FBI is investigating the incident to determine if charges will be filed against them. SOURCES: [BBC]( / [WSJ (sub)]( 2 2 [South America Now Taking Brunt of Pandemic]( Latin America is now totaling more daily coronavirus infections than Europe or the U.S., according to the World Health Organization, with particular spikes in Brazil, Peru and Chile. The U.S., approaching 100,000 deaths, is still the worst-hit single nation, but a new study found that Brazil, which has the second-most reported cases, could see deaths rise fivefold to 125,000 by August. Meanwhile, El Salvador’s president says he’s following U.S. President Donald Trump’s lead by taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent the coronavirus, despite a lack of evidence that it ameliorates the disease. Check out all OZY’s COVID-19 coverage [here](. SOURCES: [CNN]( / [The Guardian]( / [NYT]( 3 3 [Trump, NC Battle Over Republican Convention]( The Republican National Convention is currently planned for Charlotte, North Carolina, in late August. But after President Trump threatened Monday to relocate the event if local officials can’t guarantee “full attendance” despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s health chief has turned the threat around, requesting the GOP’s plan for holding the event safely if the party wants to proceed. Meanwhile, political leaders in Florida, Georgia and Texas all said their states, which unlike North Carolina have Republican governors, would be happy to [host the convention]( — though it’s not clear how they could do it safely. SOURCES: [Politico]( / [CNBC]( 4 4 [NYSE Re-Opens Trading Floor as Stocks Soar]( The Dow closed up 530 points yesterday, the first day since March 20 that traders were physically allowed back on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wearing masks, undergoing temperature checks and expected to socially distance, the traders — most of whose colleagues still work remotely — saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also jump. Commuters were required to avoid public transit and sign papers absolving the NYSE if they caught the virus, potentially setting a trend for other high-powered industries as they attempt to get back to work. Read OZY’s take on [rebuilding the economy]( despite lockdown. SOURCES: [Washington Post]( / [NPR]( / [FT (sub)]( 5 5 [Also Important...]( Amtrak is reportedly preparing to cut [20 percent of its workforce](. With [childhood hunger](on the rise in the U.S., federal aid programs aren’t keeping up with demand. And a white woman who [went viral]( for calling the police on a Black birdwatcher in Central Park has been fired from her job. Coronavirus update: Spain has begun a [10-day mourning period]( for its 27,000 COVID-19 victims. Fun fact: Did you know how Adolf Hitler’s quack doctor changed the course of WW2? When the Nazis were losing ground in 1944, Hitler remained upbeat — but not because of a secret plan up his sleeve. Instead, it was because of a cocktail of methamphetamine, opioids and other drugs he’d become increasingly dependent on since a bout of chronic flatulence. For this and more crazy stories that the history books never told you about, [subscribe to Flashback](, a chart-topping new podcast all about the unintended consequences of history. [New episode]( out today! 6 [SPONSORED BY Revtown]( [6 The Jeans That Feel Like Sweatpants]( We get it, the thought of putting on a pair of jeans right now is scary (we’re a proud proponent of the quarantine 15). But trust us: These jeans are made with a special fiber to give you just the stretch you need. They look and feel amazing. And they have the reviews to back it up. Get them [delivered to your doorstep]( now at an [amazing price.]( SOURCES: [Revtown]( Don't keep OZY as your little secret. Click below to share this email with a friend. [Share]( Intriguing 1 [1 Twitter Puts Fact Check on Two Trump Tweets]( Two down, 200 billion to go. Yesterday, President Trump sent two tweets alleging that voting using [mail-in ballots](, a safety measure for the COVID-19 pandemic, would be “substantially fraudulent.” Twitter then enforced rules about labeling misleading information for the first time against the president, including a fact check button with the tweets that linked to information debunking them. Trump responded that the platform was “stifling FREE SPEECH” and interfering in the November election — and that he “will not allow it to happen.” The action, likely signaling more such labeling, has elicited GOP lawmakers’ threats to strip Twitter of legal liability protections. SOURCES: [Politico]( / [Huffington Post]( 2 [2 Airline Emissions Rise Despite Efficiency Gains]( Maybe they should just stay grounded. While airlines have been promising for a long time to reduce emissions, a new study finds every one of the 58 largest companies have increased carbon output in recent years. [OZY reports]( that many carriers have managed to bring down per-person emissions with more efficient engines and aerodynamic technology like winglets. But increased air travel, with 4.5 billion trips between 2017 and 2018, more than canceled out those gains. Still, the COVID-19 pandemic has grounded planes around the world — and could make a real dent in future traveling numbers. SOURCES: [OZY]( 3 [3 Costa Rica Airs First Legal Same-Sex Weddings]( These brides have pride. Daritza Araya and Alexandra Qu Castillo tied the knot in Costa Rica yesterday — on live TV minutes after their same-sex marriage became legal. [Costa Rica]( is the first Central American nation to allow such nuptials after its congress missed an 18-month legalization deadline set by the Supreme Court, which ruled the prohibition unconstitutionally discriminatory. A public party had been planned to celebrate, but COVID-19 restrictions meant settling for a state TV broadcast of masked marriages and social media celebrations, including a tweet from President Carlos Alvarado Quesada honoring “empathy and love.” SOURCES: [People]( / [Pink News]( 4 [4 Rowling Releases New Book Online]( She’s got a captive audience. With kids still stuck in their own Azkaban-seeming isolation around the world, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has announced a new book aimed at 7 to 9-year-olds. She’ll release it online in installments each weekday from now until July 10. She’s asked kids to contribute their own illustrations to The Ickabog, which she stressed is not a [Harry Potter story](, but an idea she had while writing her iconic series. Involving “truth and the abuse of power,” it’ll be published in book form in November, with all royalties going to pandemic aid. SOURCES: [THR]( 5 [5 Japanese Athletes to Hear Fans' Remote Cheers]( Seems you don’t have to be there. Soccer and baseball are planning to resume in Japan as the pandemic recedes, but — as with spectator sports around the world — fans can’t attend. To compensate, one company has developed a Remote Cheerer app, which lets homebound supporters root, boo or dispatch prefab vocalizations for broadcasting in real time through stadium speakers. It’s already been tested at a soccer stadium, with one approving official saying “I closed my eyes and it felt like the cheering fans were right there in the stadium with me.” Check out OZY’s deep dive into [fantasy e-sports](. SOURCES: [Sydney Morning Herald]( caught up? now vault ahead ... 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