Wednesday, June 17 top news briefs
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Wednesday, June 17. I missed yesterday’s news, my apologies. Here are top news briefs.
The Fulton County District Attorney announced that Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe was charged with felony murder and 10 other charges in the shooting death of Black man Rayshard Brooks. The shooting happened on Friday night at a Wendy’s drive-thru area. A second police officer who was involved, Devin Brosnan, was charged with assault. If Rolfe is convicted, he could receive the death penalty or life in prison for felony murder. DA Paul Howard said they have concluded that the police officer did not face an immediate threat of death when he shot at Brooks. The DA also criticized both officers for not providing immediate medical attention — he said the officers kicked and stood on his body as he lay bleeding from the wounds.
The next news story — China may be experiencing a new outbreak of coronavirus cases in Beijing. News reports say there are about 130 new cases that is linked to a large wholesale food market. News reports said the virus was found on chopping boards for salmon. It is concerning because tens of thousands of people go through the market on a daily basis. Some residential areas and schools were locked down and closed. Beijing’s airports cancelled over half of their flights.
The U.S. now has 2.1 million cases of Covid-19, 117,000 deaths, and 583,000 recoveries.
Vice President Mike Pence said yesterday that his administration’s response to the coronavirus crisis has been a success. He said there won’t be a “second wave” of the coronavirus and blamed the media for causing a panic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said we are still in the “first wave” of infections so he doesn’t want to talk about a second wave. He said he is concerned about rising cases in the south and southwest. He said he has not talked with President Trump in two weeks.
On Monday, the FDA revoked their emergency waiver for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, an antimalarial drug that President Trump has often endorsed as a treatment for Covid-19. The FDA said the drugs’ risks outweighed the potential benefits. There are now 66 million doses of the drugs that are sitting in the federal stockpile. A White House official said this was a “Deep State” act by those who hate the Trump administration. The clash between science and politics continues to play out during this pandemic.
There was a deadly military confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley on the border between the two countries and their areas of control. BBC reported that 20 Indian soldiers died. The confrontation was not fought with firearms, but with batons wrapped with barb wire and thrown rocks. It is not clear if Chinese troops died. The Galwan Valley is a disputed border area with a history of confrontations. Now diplomats from both countries are in talks.
The family of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by Louisville police officers in her sleep when they entered her home during a no-knock warrant search, is demanding action from the city of Louisville because they feel frustrated that very little action has taken place in the past three months. Taylor was shot eight times. Her partner thought the officers were intruders and opened fire, which led to the officers spraying fire in the apartment. The partner, who was a licensed gun owner, was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer, but he has been released and his charges were dropped. The Louisville police department released an incident report on the shooting, but almost all of the information was redacted. Taylor’s family said the city and the police department’s silence is complicity and that they need to step up and speak out.
Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old white man who was pushed to the ground by two police officers in Buffalo during Black Lives Matter protests two weeks ago has a fractured skull and is unable to walk. His lawyer issued the statement. Gugino is still recovering. Two Buffalo police officers were charged with second-degree assault. President Donald Trump said last week that the man was a part of ANTIFA and faked his fall.
Yesterday the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to try and stop John Bolton from publishing his book about his experiences as a National Security Advisor to President Trump. Bolton was fired in September. Bolton has published a book titled “The Room Where It Happened” which includes details of what happened in the White House, and Trump is objecting to the book’s release because he considers every conversation with him as highly classified and said any release of information is a crime. The DOJ, in the lawsuit, said Bolton did not complete a “pre-publication review for classified information.” Excerpts from the book have already gone out.
Today the company behind “Aunt Jemima,” the pancake syrup featuring a smiling Black woman as a part of its logo, announced it would change its name and branding because it is based on a racial stereotype. The company, Quaker Foods North America, said they would continue to gather perspectives and push to evolve the brand.
The company behind Uncle Ben’s rice, which exhibits a Black man on its logo, announced they would also make changes to their brand. They said they would evolve the brand as they listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community.
That is all the top news briefs for today. Check out our feature on a Black Disabled Lives Matter rally in Detroit. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/06/17/china-emergency-footing-coronavirus-covid-19-flares-up-beijing/3204393001/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/us/martin-gugino-protester-skull/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53073338
https://nypost.com/2020/06/17/beijing-cancels-over-1200-flights-due-to-new-coronavirus-outbreak/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/politics/mike-pence-coronavirus-reopen-campaign/index.html
https://time.com/5852654/breonna-taylor-police-killing-louisville/?utm_source=reddit.com
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/17/rayshard-brooks-garrett-rolfe-atlanta-officer-charged-felony-murder-assault/3196723001/