Wednesday, May 19 top stories
It is Wednesday, May 19. Here are today’s top stories.
Reuters said the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 is at it’s weekly lowest in almost 14 months. The number of new cases has been declining for five weeks in a row.
The CDC said 37% of the country is fully vaccinated. However, Reuters said the rate of vaccinations is slowing for four straight weeks.
ABC 7 News said Las Vegas will be reopening fully and returning to health guidelines to what they were before the pandemic — meaning there will be no restrictions on large gatherings, no capacity limits, and on dancing. However, individual businesses can still require masks, and masks are still required in airports and buses.
Today three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre testified before Congress to describe memories of the violence.
According to History.com, a white mob burned down and attacked residents of a predominantly Black neighborhood and a booming business district called Greenwood, which was called the “Black Wall Street.” Up to 300 Black people died and hundreds of buildings were destroyed. The violence was sparked after a group of Black men tried to stop a white mob from taking a young Black man who was in jail. Fighting broke out, which led to thousands of white people swarming into Greenwood and burning down buildings.
Here is a clip from Viola Fletcher, a 107-year-old survivor. She was a little girl when she had to evacuate.
[VIDEO CLIP OF NPR]
Clearly it was a very traumatic event that has been seared in her mind for the past 100 years.
This testimony is a part of a Congressional subcommittee that is studying the impact of violence and systemic racism against Black individuals throughout U.S. history and considering making recommendations for reparations.
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com ]
The Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, said her office’s investigation of the Trump Organization has gone from just looking at potential civil violations to a “criminal” investigation.
CNN explained that the NY AG is going to probe whether the Trump Organization misled lenders and insurance companies about the value of its properties and whether it appropriately paid taxes.
A.G. James said she would join forces with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, who has been doing a criminal investigation on Donald Trump for some time now.
Trump said in the past that the investigations are politically motivated.
A Palestinian radio journalist named Yusef Abu Hussein was killed when his home was struck by an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.
His father said his family home was hit by three missiles. An image shows his body wrapped in white cloth with a “PRESS” vest placed on top of it.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can happen in the sixth week of pregnancy. Axios said the new law allows almost anyone to sue abortion providers who perform abortions after a heartbeat is detected.
Many people do not realize they are pregnant at six weeks, so this law could be viewed as an attempt to ban abortions outright. Several other states have passed similar “heartbeat” bills, but they have been blocked by federal courts in the past.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s news, Mississippi passed a law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. That measure was blocked by federal courts.
The conservative-leaning Supreme Court will hear arguments on the Mississippi law during their next term, which begins in October.
Axios said the Supreme Court could make a decision to “ban abortions altogether.”
On Sunday in Wisconsin, a Kenosha County sheriff’s deputy saw a 2019 Tesla car traveling on an interstate going 82 mph with the driver asleep. The deputy said the car was on autopilot and that he wanted to pull it over but the driver was unresponsive as he followed it for about 2 miles. The driver eventually woke up and pulled over.
Dashcam footage shows three police officers talking with the driver on the side of a road. The deputy said the driver, who is a 38-year-old man from Illinois, denied being asleep but admitted being tired. He got a citation for inattentive driving.
On Saturday in Washington state, another Tesla vehicle on autopilot crashed into a police SUV that was parked on the side of a road with emergency lights on. There were no injuries but both vehicles were damaged. The driver got a ticket.
Tesla said its drivers are supposed to be alert and maintain control when the car is on autopilot.
The top Republicans in the House and the Senate, Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, said they are opposed to the idea of Congress forming an investigative 9/11 style commission to probe the January 6 attack against the Capitol. The concept initially had bipartisan support, but now it’s falling apart.
McConnell said he felt that existing investigations by law enforcement and Congress are sufficient.
Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Ny) said Republicans are caving to Donald Trump and proving that they are still “drunk off the big lie” (that there was massive fraud in the 2020 elections).
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-weekly-deaths-covid-fall-lowest-14-months-2021-05-17/
https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/tulsa-race-massacre
Palestinian journalist: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/19/israeli-air-raid-kills-palestinian-journalist-in-his-gaza-house
Texas Abortions: https://www.axios.com/texas-governor-abortion-ban-heartbeat-bill-d2fd0781-9594-4e50-8b4b-e6491a6377f3.html
Trump Criminal Investigation: https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/18/politics/new-york-attorney-general-trump-organization-criminal-probe/index.html?utm_content=2021-05-19T02%3A37%3A22&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twcnnbrk&utm_term=link
Tesla: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tesla-driver-slept-car-was-going-over-80-mph-autopilot-n1267805
https://www.facebook.com/SnoCoSheriff/posts/5604732652934095