WTF Just Happened Today

Friday, May 29, 2020

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• ???? Dept. of We Have It Totally Under Control.

• Global: Total confirmed cases ~5,886,000; Total deaths: ~363,000; Total recoveries: ~2,469,000. (Johns Hopkins University)

• U.S.: Total confirmed cases ~1,741,000; Total deaths: ~103,000; Total recoveries: ~400,000

• The CDC quietly removed warnings contained in guidance for the reopening of houses of worship that singing in choirs can spread the coronavirus. The agency also added new language about the First Amendment to its guidance on reopening houses of worship. (CNBC / Washington Post)

• The Trump administration’s initial distribution of remdesivir went to – in some cases – the wrong hospitals, to hospitals with no ICUs and therefore no eligible patients, and to facilities without the refrigeration needed to store it. Remdesivir is the only approved coronavirus medication. (Washington Post)

• Congress and the White House are discussing a $450 “return-to-work bonus.” Republican lawmakers have repeatedly claimed that increased unemployment benefits reward workers for staying home. Their idea is to make returning to work more attractive than remaining on unemployment. (Washington Post)

1/ Trump threatened military violence against U.S. citizens in Minneapolis who were protesting the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed, unarmed black man who was killed while pleading for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes. Trump, who previously called the video of Floyd’s death “shocking,” tweeted that the protesters were “THUGS” and warned that “the Military is with [Gov. Tim Walz] all the way […] Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” Hours later, the White House reposted Trump’s comment on its official account. Last month, Trump tweeted support for protesters in Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia to “LIBERATE” themselves and defy coronavirus stay-at-home orders. In 2017, when neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville, Va., and a counter-protester was killed, Trump responded by saying there were “very fine people” on “both sides” of the issue. (New York Times / Politico / NBC News / Washington Post / CNN)

• A former Minneapolis police officer involved in George Floyd’s death has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. The announcement comes days after the release of a video that shows Derek Chauvin’s knee pressed on Floyd’s neck for at least seven minutes. (NPR)

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