WHAT'S BREWING
A BLACK MAN WAS SHOT DEAD ON A RUN. A GRAND JURY WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO CHARGE THE WHITE KILLERS. Two armed white men pursued an unarmed Black man jogging down a road in Georgia and one fatally shot him. Now a grand jury will decide whether there should be charges against them. District Attorney Tom Durden announced will present the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old killed in South Georgia in February, according to The New York Times. Graphic cellphone video surfaced last week showing Arbery attempting to run past the vehicle of Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34. [HuffPost]
WHISTLEBLOWER: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IGNORED WARNINGS ON MALARIA DRUG, CORONAVIRUS A government scientist says he was ousted from his position after raising concerns that the Trump administration wanted to “flood” coronavirus hot spots with a malaria drug that Trump was pushing despite scant scientific evidence it helped. Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, alleges he was reassigned to a lesser role because he resisted political pressure to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug favored by Trump. [HuffPost]
TRUMP SIGNALS CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE WILL SOON WIND DOWN Trump signaled that the coronavirus task force, a cadre of health and government officials overseeing the U.S. response to COVID-19, may soon dissolve. Trump administration officials have been telling members of the task force that the White House plans to wind down the operation in the coming weeks regardless of the coronavirus pandemic remaining a major threat to the U.S., most of which is still seeing a rise in new infections. [HuffPost]
NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY BACK ON FOR JUNE 23 The New York Democratic presidential primary must take place June 23 because canceling it would be unconstitutional, a judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan said there was enough time before the primary occurs to figure out how to carry it out safely. [AP]
RAND PAUL CLAIMS HE'S IMMUNE TO COVID-19 DESPITE LACK OF RESEARCH Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) decided not to wear a protective mask when he returned to the Senate for work this week, claiming that he has immunity from COVID-19 after getting infected with it in late March and recovering. “I have immunity. I’ve already had the virus, so I can’t get it again,” Paul said when asked by reporters why he wasn’t wearing a mask as suggested by federal guidelines. “And I can’t give it to anybody.” He added: “So of all the people you’ll meet here, I’m about the only safe person in Washington.” [HuffPost]
AMAZON WAREHOUSE WORKER IN NEW YORK DIES OF COVID-19 A person working at Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse in New York has died of COVID-19. Amazon said the employee was last at the facility on April 5 and was placed on quarantine after he was confirmed to have the disease on April 11. “His family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting his fellow colleagues,” an Amazon spokesperson said. Amazon has fired multiple employees who organized to demand improved workplace safety measures during the pandemic. [HuffPost] |