Tuesday, 2 June 2020

Tuesday Morning Briefing: Protests continue, Trump vows to bring in U.S. military

U.S. PROTESTS

Five police shot during protests as Trump says he could bring in military

At least five U.S. police were hit by gunfire during violent protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody, police and media said, hours after President Donald Trump vowed to use the military to halt the unrest.

Trump deepened outrage on Monday by posing at a church clutching a bible after law enforcement officers used teargas and rubber bullets to clear the way for him to walk there after he made his remarks in the White House Rose Garden.

U.S. lawmaker prepares bill aiming to end court protection for police

With cities across America in turmoil over the death of George Floyd, a U.S. lawmaker plans to introduce legislation this week that he hopes will end a pattern of police violence by allowing victims to sue officers for illegal and unconstitutional acts.

U.S. Representative Justin Amash, a conservative independent from Michigan, won support from a Minneapolis Democrat on Monday for his “Ending Qualified Immunity Act,” which would allow civil lawsuits against police, a recourse that the Supreme Court has all but done away with.

Floyd family autopsy could help accused policeman's defense, legal experts say

An independent autopsy that found George Floyd died solely from asphyxiation could actually bolster the defense of the former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing him, legal experts said.

The autopsy released on Monday said Floyd’s death, which sparked nationwide protests, was a homicide and that he had no underlying medical conditions.

Later on Monday, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner released details of its autopsy findings that also said Floyd’s death was a homicide caused by asphyxiation but that he had possible underlying health conditions and intoxicants in his body that may have been contributing factors in his death.

what you need to know about coronavirus

Save the crabs

Wildlife advocates are pushing drugmakers to curb the use of prized horseshoe crab blood by switching to a synthetic alternative for safety tests that detect bacterial contamination in intravenous drugs or implants, including those needed before a COVID-19 vaccine can be used on humans.

This shift could save 100,000 horseshoe crabs annually on the U.S. East Coast alone and help threatened migratory birds that depend on crab eggs for survival, say the National Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife and other groups.

Horseshoe crabs' milky-blue copper-rich blood has helped the species to survive for 450 million years - and made it a source of one of the drug industry's most unusual raw materials because it clots in the presence of bacterial endotoxins.

Mockery over coronavirus "sex ban"


The British government faced mockery on Tuesday over coronavirus rules which were cast by some media as a "sex ban", though a junior minister said the regulations were aimed at keeping people safe.

Under amendments introduced to English rules on Monday, no person may participate in a gathering which takes place in a public or private place indoors and consists of two or more people. Britain's tabloid media cast it as a "bonking ban" while #sexban was trending in the United Kingdom on Twitter.

Breakingviews - Corona Capital: China, Lufthansa, Tesco
Read concise views on the pandemic’s financial fallout from Breakingviews columnists across the globe.

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Emerging from lockdown

At the Kanyinya COVID-19 treatment facility a short distance from Rwanda’s capital Kigali, Akazuba, Ikizere and Ngabo report for duty, but these are no ordinary health care workers. In a bid to minimize contact between patients infected with the coronavirus and doctors and nurses, the country has deployed the three robots to carry out simple tasks like taking temperatures and monitoring patients.

As countries look to revive their economies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, strengthening climate defences and raising the living standards of vulnerable communities can generate jobs and help guard against future shocks, development experts said. The International Labor Organization has forecast that nearly half the global workforce is at risk of losing its livelihood because of the health crisis, with younger workers disproportionately affected.

COVID Science

In-home COVID-19 antibody test shows high accuracy

A small study of a COVID-19 antibody test that can be done at home showed a high degree of accuracy, researchers reported. Current antibody tests to show previous infection with the novel coronavirus requires a visit to a healthcare provider. The new test, if approved, would enable people to take a blood sample via finger prick and mail it to a laboratory for analysis. In initial experiments, researchers mailed a special test kit to 31 former coronavirus patients and 25 healthy volunteers.

The dried blood samples showed who did or did not have COVID-19 antibodies with 100% accuracy, researchers reported on Saturday in a not yet peer-reviewed paper on the preprint server medRxiv.

Recovering surgery patients at risk from coronavirus

While coronavirus patients who undergo surgery have more complications and a higher risk of death, that is also true for surgery patients who catch the virus while recovering from their operations, researchers reported on Friday in The Lancet. That suggests it would be a good idea to put off nonessential surgeries in areas where the coronavirus is actively circulating.

Researchers reviewed data on more than 1,000 patients in 24 countries who underwent planned or emergency operations. Three-quarters of the patients tested negative for the virus immediately before surgery but became infected shortly afterward. Overall, half of the patients developed postoperative lung complications.

Follow the money

George Floyd protests recall earlier tensions, promises of economic change

In November 2015, the shooting death of Jamar Clark by Minneapolis police touched off a debate on race and economic inequality that challenged the city’s progressive image. Five years later, the killing of George Floyd has reopened those wounds and highlighted a growing concern nationally: The last few years of economic growth saw gains for lower-income families, but any hope for a durable narrowing of economic gaps may have been short-circuited by the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic crash falling heavily on minorities.

6 min read

As home working takes root, are U.S. suburbs poised for post-virus revival?

New Jersey realtor Peter Engelmann says he got his first COVID-19 “exodus call” in early March from a New Yorker who ended up buying a three-bedroom suburban house. With New York City’s coronavirus lockdown confining many residents to tiny apartments for nearly three months, experts think post-pandemic life could see a wave of migration to roomier homes in the suburbs.

4 min read

Exclusive: Winning bidder for Grindr has ties to Chinese owner

An investor group that got U.S. approval to buy Grindr Inc has financial and personal links to the dating app’s current owner, China’s Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd, Reuters has found, in a possible departure from Washington’s national security policy on deals. Kunlun said on Friday that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States had cleared the sale of Grindr to San Vicente Acquisition LLC for more than $600 million, but did not give details about the investor group.

6 min read

U.S. court refuses to shield Volkswagen in diesel scandal lawsuits

A U.S. appeals court ruled that Volkswagen AG cannot escape potential financial penalties from two counties in Florida and Utah that may amount to a “staggering” additional liability arising from the German automaker’s diesel emissions scandal. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting in Anchorage, Alaska, was a victory for Utah’s Salt Lake County and Florida’s Hillsborough County.

3 min read

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Trump urges governors to crack down on protests

Officials warn mass protests could lead to COVID-19 spread