AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NURSING-HOMES
Nursing homes represent more than 1 in 4 COVID-19 deaths
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nursing homes residents account for nearly 1 in 10 of all the coronavirus cases in the United States and more than a quarter of the deaths. That’s according to an Associated Press analysis of government data released Thursday. AP’s analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that nationwide nursing homes reported nearly 179,000 suspected or confirmed cases among residents and 29,497 deaths. A special House panel on the coronavirus pandemic this week launched an investigation into the crisis in nursing homes, raising questions about federal oversight. The Trump administration is pointing a finger at low-rated facilities.
GEORGE FLOYD-MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE
Minnesota Democrats press GOP for sweeping policing changes
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has challenged Republican lawmakers to pass a Democratic-backed package of police accountability bills crafted following George Floyd’s death. He says he wants the “poetic justice” of signing them Friday in celebration of Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the U.S. The Minnesota Senate’s GOP majority passed a limited set of measures Wednesday that the Democratic governor dismissed as “weak sauce.” He says he’ll consider this week’s special session “a total failure” if lawmakers head home without passing the policing overhaul. Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says the session will adjourn Friday, even if the two chambers aren’t in agreement.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION-DEPARTURE
Report: State Dept official quits over Trump race response
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Post reported that a State Department official resigned Thursday over President Donald Trump’s response to racial tensions sweeping the country over the killings of black people by police. Mary Elizabeth Taylor, the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, said in her resignation letter that Trump’s actions “cut sharply against my core values and convictions.” At 30, Taylor was the youngest person to hold her position, and she was also the first black woman in the job, according to the Post. Taylor’s resignation follows weeks of turmoil sweeping the United States following the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
AP-US-AMERICA-PROTESTS-KENTUCKY
Kentucky AG urges patience amid probe of Taylor’s death
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s attorney general has asked for patience as his office investigates the shooting death of a black woman by Louisville police. Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Thursday he recognizes the urgency to “find the truth.” Cameron declined to publicly set a timetable for the completion of the investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor. Protesters in Louisville and across the country have demanded justice for Taylor and other black Americans killed by police. Taylor was shot eight times by officers who burst into her home while conducting a narcotics investigation on March 13. No drugs were found at her home.
AP POLL-TRUMP
AP-NORC poll: Trump adds to divisions in an unhappy country
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that Americans are deeply unhappy about the state of their country. The survey also reveals that a majority think President Donald Trump is exacerbating tensions in a moment of national crisis. With less than five months until Election Day, the poll offers few bright spots for Trump, who is confronting a historic pandemic, a sharp economic decline and national outrage over police brutality. Most Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction, including 63% of Republicans. Close to two-thirds of Americans say Trump is making America more divided.
AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-AIRLINES-FACE-MASKS
American Airlines bans man who refused to wear face mask
DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines has banned a man for not wearing a face covering on a plane. The airline said Thursday that the man was removed from a plane in New York earlier this week for ignoring crew members’ request to wear a mask. It’s among the first such incidents since airlines promised this week to step up enforcement of their mask-wearing rules. The man, conservative activist Brandon Straka, recorded some of the incident and noted in a video posted on Twitter that there is no federal law requiring passengers to wear face masks. That is true. American and most other airlines imposed the rule last month, with exceptions allowed for young children, people with medical conditions, and passengers who are eating or drinking.
AP-US-FACEBOOK-TRUMP-ADS
Facebook removes Trump ads with symbols once used by Nazis
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook has removed a campaign ad by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that featured an upside-down red triangle. That symbol was once used by Nazis to designate political prisoners, communists and others in concentration camps. Nathaniel Gleicher, the company’s head of security policy, confirmed at a House Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday that the ad had been removed. He says Facebook does not permit symbols of hateful ideology “unless they’re put up with context or condemnation.” The Trump campaign says the inverted red triangle is a symbol used by antifa so it was included in an ad about antifa. Experts, however, say the symbol is not used by the anti-fascist militants.
UNITED STATES-CHINA-POMPEO
US official says China not forthcoming in talks with Pompeo
WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior State Department official says the United States was disappointed by China’s attitude at a meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a top Chinese diplomat in Hawaii this week. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell says the Chinese were not “really forthcoming” during Wednesday’s closed-door talks. Although he said the Chinese had recommitted to following through on the first phase of a trade agreement, Stilwell said there was little progress on the other issues of dispute that have sent relations between Washington and Beijing to new lows.
BC-US-DEA DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS
Retired DEA agents say agency has legacy of discrimination
NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of retired black narcotics agents say the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has discriminated against its African-American employees for decades. The group of retired agents said in a statement sent to news organizations that Attorney General William Barr was out of touch with racial disparities in federal law enforcement. They pointed to a federal court ruling just last year that held the DEA liable for damages against black agents who faced discrimination when seeking promotions. The DEA said its policies “make clear that racism and discrimination will not be tolerated.”
AMERICA PROTESTS-THE LATEST
The Latest: Oregon deputies accused of pinning child by neck
The mother of an African American boy filed a $300,000 lawsuit Thursday, saying three sheriff’s deputies near Portland pinned him to the ground — one by pressing a knee on his neck — outside a suburban mall. The lawsuit says the incident happened last August after the 12-year-old witnessed a fight and was walking away. It says the boy’s friends repeatedly told Clackamas County deputies his age. Ka’Mar Benbo is 13 now but was 12 at the time. A spokesperson for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office didn’t respond to a request for comment Thursday. Chris Owen, spokesman for the Clackamas County District Attorney, said nothing had been submitted to prosecutors on the incident.
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