May 31, 2020 8:25 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mayor of Atlanta, one of dozens of U.S. cities hit by massive protests in recent days, has a message for demonstrators: “If you were out protesting last night, you probably need to go get a COVID test this week.” As more beaches, churches, schools and businesses reopened worldwide, civil unrest in the United States over repeated racial injustice is raising fears of new coronavirus outbreaks in a country that has seen more infections and deaths than anywhere else in the world. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms warned that “there is still a pandemic in America that’s killing black and brown people at higher numbers.” Violent protests over the death of George Floyd have shaken the country from New York City to Minneapolis, from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Some protests have turned into riots and clashes with police, leaving stores burned and torched cars in the streets. City officials have ordered overnight curfews to quell the violence. Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck. It was the latest in a series of deaths of black men and women at the hands of police in America. Health experts fear that silent carriers of the virus who have no symptoms could unwittingly infect others at protests where people are packed cheek to jowl, many without masks.
May 31, 2020 8:22 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Another night of unrest in every corner of the country left charred and shattered landscapes in dozens of American cities Sunday as years of festering frustrations over the mistreatment of African Americans at the hands of police boiled over in expressions of rage met with tear gas and rubber bullets. Cars and businesses were torched, the words “I can’t breathe” were spray-painted all over buildings, a fire in a trash bin burned near the gates of the White House, and tens of thousands marched peacefully through city streets to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing. His death is one of a litany of racial tragedies that have thrown the country into chaos amid the coronavirus pandemic that has left millions out of work and killed more than 100,000 people in the U.S., including disproportionate numbers of black people. “We’re sick of it. The cops are out of control,” protester Olga Hall said in Washington D.C. “They’re wild. There’s just been too many dead boys.” People set fire to police cars, threw bottles at police officers and busted windows of storefronts, carrying away TVs and other items even as some protesters urged them to stop. In Indianapolis, police were investigating multiple shootings, including one that left a person dead amid the protests — adding to deaths in Detroit and Minneapolis in recent days. In Minneapolis, the city where the protests began, police, state troopers and National Guard members moved in soon after an 8 p.m. curfew took effect to break up protests, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to clear streets outside a police precinct and elsewhere. At least 13 police officers were injured in Philadelphia when peaceful protests turned violent and at least four police vehicles were set on fire. In New York City, dangerous confrontations flared repeatedly as officers made arrests and cleared streets. A video showed two NYPD cruisers lurching into a crowd of demonstrators who were pushing a barricade against one of them and pelting it with objects. Several people were knocked to the ground, and it was unclear if anyone was hurt.
May 31, 2020 8:14 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Police cars set on fire, businesses vandalized and protesters and police officers injured — all of that prompted the mayor to implement citywide curfew and call in more police. “I’m just so angry at the fact that some segment hijacked this and took some of the youth and brought them into the mix,” said Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert. Schubert lashed out at protesters who turned violent and set fire to police cars, assaulted journalists and looted businesses. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto implemented a curfew at 8:30 p.m. and called in more law enforcement agencies. The mayor and the chief both appeared visibly upset that a peaceful protest for more than two hours turned violent so quickly. And they’re blaming it on outsiders. “I’m willing to bet my check that there’s lot of people who are anarchists, who, they’re not here to protest what happened. They’re here to take advantage of the situation and try to throw it their way and bring other people into the mix and cause damage, cause injuries with that. And there’s no doubt that’s who’s doing it. And a lot of the things we are seeing are white males dressed in the anarchist Antifa,” Schubert said. “They’re the ones who are fueling a lot of this. It’s just a damn shame that they took advantage of the situation.” Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said more than a dozen businesses in the Central Business District have been vandalized.
May 30, 2020 4:17 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The U.N. Security Council has approved a resolution extending for a year an arms embargo on South Sudan and a travel ban and financial sanctions for targeted individuals. Russia, China and South Africa abstained as the resolution passed 12-0 Friday. The U.S.-drafted resolution welcomes “encouraging developments in South Sudan’s peace process,” including the beginning of the formation of a transitional government. But it also expresses “deep concern at continued fighting in South Sudan” and condemns violations of the peace deal and cessation of hostilities agreement. The resolution urges South Sudan’s leaders to finalize establishment of the transitional national unity government.
May 30, 2020 4:16 am
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – The federal government has cited a Georgia nursing home for taking longer than 24 hours to report that six workers had been hospitalized with the coronavirus. The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration said Friday that it’s the agency’s first citation for a workplace safety violation related to COVID-19. The agency proposed a fine of $6,500 for a violation it concluded was “other than serious.” The nursing home’s administrator, Katy Callaway, said she had not received the citation and declined to comment.
May 30, 2020 4:15 am
PHOENIX (AP) – Trying to stay safe during a global pandemic is hard enough, but people in Southwest desert cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas where temperatures can soar into the triple digits are also trying to protect themselves from the brutal heat. With many government-run spaces like libraries still closed this week to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Salvation Army is among nonprofits shouldering much of a responsibility for ensuring people stay cool and hydrated amid an extreme heat warning in parts of the southwestern U.S. At the cooling sites, they are also asking people to follow protocols aimed at preventing the virus’ spread.
May 30, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A key ally of Joe Biden says Sen. Amy Klobuchar seems a less likely choice to become the running mate on Biden’s presidential ticket following this week’s death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina helped rescue Biden’s presidential campaign this year by boosting him to a primary victory in the state. Klobuchar is a Minnesota Democrat. Before coming to the Senate, she was prosecutor in the county that includes Minneapolis. Under her, no police officers involved in the deaths of people in custody were charged with crimes. Clyburn says Klobuchar faces “very tough timing.”
May 30, 2020 4:12 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says it dispatched a drone to Minneapolis following three nights of violent protests there but ended up sending it back to its base because the unmanned aerial vehicle wasn’t needed. The agency, which typically patrols the nation’s border and ports of entry, said the drone was going to provide live video to assist law enforcement in Minneapolis as they responded to protests that have left dozens of stores burned and looted. A CBP statement issued Friday says the drone would have provided “situational awareness” to local law enforcement. It said it routinely conducts such operations if needed to help other agencies or during natural disasters.
May 30, 2020 4:11 am
BEIJING (AP) – China’s Defense Ministry says the navy’s only entirely home-built aircraft is carrying out sea trials to test weapons and equipment and enhance crew training. Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang says the exercises are being conducted as planned, apparently unaffected by the country’s coronavirus outbreak. The highly secretive Chinese military was credited with aiding in the response to the epidemic in the epicenter of Wuhan earlier this year, but no information has been released about cases among military personnel or any change in the armed forces’ readiness status. The U.S. Navy, in contrast, saw a public controversy over the spread of the coronavirus aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the firing of the aircraft carrier’s skipper in April.
May 30, 2020 4:10 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A Utah judge has blocked a concert protesting coronavirus restrictions, siding with county health officials who said the event expected to attract thousands of people could worsen the pandemic. Judge Dianna Gibson decided Friday there was a real risk of spreading the virus among the audience and others. The decision came hours after Utah marked its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases with 343. Organizers didn’t immediately say whether they would cancel the concert by Nashville-based country singer Collin Raye. The event was also aimed at supporting business hurt by the crisis.
