US Deaths Pass 100,000 | Minneapolis Erupts Over Floyd Death

Smart news for busy people www.ozy.com [presidential daily brief]( *Podcast available from 8 am et Thursday, May 28, 2020 Sponsored by Important 1 1 [US Virus Deaths Top 100,000]( Johns Hopkins University’s pandemic tracker shows U.S. deaths from COVID-19 have exceeded 100,000 of 356,000 worldwide fatalities. This comes four months after the first known case, when President Donald Trump characterized pandemic concerns as a “hoax.” This week he insisted “if I hadn’t done my job well” up to 2 million could have died. One encouraging indicator is that only 500 new U.S. fatalities were reported Monday, the lowest one-day toll since March 28. But experts worry that the president’s push to resume normal life will exacerbate the virus’s spread. Read OZY’s latest [coverage of the pandemic](. SOURCES: [Fox News]( / [Politico]( / [ABC]( 2 2 [Floyd Death Sparks Rage in Minneapolis]( Thousands protesting Monday’s death of an unarmed Black man in police custody clashed with Minneapolis riot police amid looting and vandalism in the second day of unrest. The demonstrations, which have been met with tear gas and rubber bullets, began after a video showing the arrest of George Floyd, 46, who died after telling the policeman kneeling on his neck, “I can’t breathe.” Echoing a similar incident in New York City, Floyd’s words were [chanted by demonstrators](. Four officers involved in his death have been fired, but Mayor Jacob Frey said the arresting officer should also be charged. SOURCES: [Reuters]( / [CNN]( 3 3 [China Approves Hong Kong Security Law]( The National People’s Congress today approved a controversial security law forcing Hong Kong to submit to Beijing’s legal authority. It’s widely feared this will strip the semi-autonomous territory of its freedoms of expression and assembly — and give President Xi Jinping’s government license to crush pro-democracy demonstrators and politicians. While the law targets terrorism, separatism and subversion, critics worry it’ll lead to prosecuting anyone who displeases authorities. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said since it dissolves Hong Kong’s autonomy, [Washington will end the city’s separate trade status](, which exempts it from tariffs paid elsewhere in China. SOURCES: [CNN]( / [SCMP]( / [BBC]( / [The Guardian]( 4 4 [Wall Street Levels Off After Milestone]( It’s got to end somewhere. Yesterday investors padded an inexplicable bull market in the middle of a pandemic, enabling the Dow Jones Industrial Average to close above 25,000 for the first time since markets entered a steep slide in early March. Overnight trading indicated the rally might not continue, however, as tensions with China and Thursday’s unemployment report threatened to unsettle traders’ optimism. Meanwhile, Asian markets were mixed, with indexes climbing in Tokyo and Sydney and dropping elsewhere, while market-driving U.S. oil prices declined 3 percent and the international benchmark dipped 1.9 percent. OZY examines Chinese cities’ [slow-growth trend](. SOURCES: [WSJ (sub)]( / [VOA]( 5 5 [Also Important...]( South Korea has [reimposed some restrictions]( in Seoul after a spike in COVID-19 infections. LGBT rights activist Larry Kramer, who worked with pandemic expert Dr. Anthony Fauci to fight the HIV/AIDS crisis, has [died of pneumonia]( at age 84. And health authorities in Wales say they [accidentally discharged 1,696 patients]( from mental health support services. Coronavirus update: European countries are [halting the use]( of anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients. Listen up: How did Hitler’s quack doctor change the course of World War II? And how did a bout of chronic flatulence lead the Führer into a spiral of drug addiction? Find out on [Flashback](, a chart-topping new podcast featuring the craziest stories that the history books never told you about. [Subscribe now]( on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Radio app, or wherever you get your podcasts. 6 [Sponsored by Cariuma]( [6 Get These Sneakers Before They Sell Out… Again]( Cariumas are the sneakers that have it all: timeless style, unparalleled comfort, and best of all ethical and sustainable production. These sneakers are perfect for any occasion, and they don’t stay on the virtual shelves long. [Get your pair](of Cariumas quickly, before they sell out again. [Shop now and get $15 off with code OZY-15]( SOURCES: [CARIUMA]( Don't keep OZY as your little secret. Click below to share this email with a friend. [Share]( Intriguing 1 [1 Trump Vows Executive Order Against Twitter]( Is his pen mightier than the platform? Twitter angered President Trump Tuesday by fact-checking two of his tweets and posting links to debunk his claims. Today he’s set to issue an executive order after vowing to “strongly regulate” social media firms or even “close them down.” It’s not clear what he’ll order, but constitutional experts say he can’t legally shutter Twitter, the Federal Communications Commission can’t regulate digital discourse and the Democrat-led House wouldn’t approve any such legislation. Many pundits think the most likely option is convening a panel to review political bias complaints against social media. [OZY examines]( neighborly tech. SOURCES: [Recode]( / [Deadline]( 2 [2 Weather Scrubs Manned SpaceX Launch]( Stop the clock. Sixteen minutes before yesterday’s scheduled launch, SpaceX halted America’s much-anticipated return to manned space flight. With the president and first lady watching at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, bad weather forced the postponement to Saturday, [NASA]( and SpaceX officials announced. The Falcon 9 rocket is poised to lift the Crew Dragon, both made by Elon Musk’s spaceflight venture, carrying astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station. Besides being the first crewed U.S. launch since 2011, it would also be the inaugural manned launch for any private firm. SOURCES: [Space.com]( / [AP]( 3 [3 Will Citizenship Delay Limit New Voters?]( President Trump insists, without evidence, that millions of immigrants vote illegally. But while states control who gets to vote in elections, federal authorities can theoretically keep thousands of immigrants from legally voting in November. That’s because the agency that swears in new citizens closed for the pandemic in March. While it’s supposed to begin reopening next week, it hasn’t said how or when it will tackle the backlog of 150,000 applicants waiting to reschedule their citizenship oaths, which an agency official noted must by law be done in person. [OZY visits]( a German state putting migrants to work. SOURCES: [Washington Post]( 4 [4 Jes Tom Makes You Laugh With 'Them']( They’re “fighting racism by being Asian and hot.” Even during a pandemic, nonbinary comedian Jes Tom is a breath of positivity, [OZY reports](, retweeting selfies of fans and joking about how being called “they” makes them “feel less lonely.” The San Francisco native went from performing The Sound of Music with dinosaur puppets as a kid to sharing stages with stars like Awkwafina to lately working on HBO series, audiobooks and several short films. And while race and gender are integral to their routine, Tom dreams of transitioning from educating audiences to just making them laugh. SOURCES: [OZY]( 5 [5 Four More Premier Leaguers Test Positive]( That wasn’t the goal. English Premier League soccer revealed Wednesday that four more players from three teams have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the league’s total to 12. Nonetheless, all 20 clubs agreed to restart contact training — allowing tackles and closer physical contact — in preparation for resuming play next month. While the British government said the league can return June 1, team reps meeting today are likely to choose a date a few weeks later. The infected players will quarantine for seven days, and the league aims to trace their contacts to minimize risk. [OZY remembers]( hockey’s pandemic tragedy. SOURCES: [Reuters]( / [The Guardian]( / [ESPN]( caught up? now vault ahead ... 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