🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️NewsHero | WHO supports 'global movement against racism'; Voting rights advocates oppose GOP poll watchers; Civil rights groups sue Trump, Barr; Protesters tear down Confederate statues
NewsHero | June 11, 2020 - Issue 115
Welcome to this edition of NewsHero for June 11, 2020.
Heroes,
Thank you for bearing with us these last few days. You’ll see we’ve been working on some changes to NewsHero. We hope you like them.
Please feel free to leave any comments or feedback here:
This has been a remarkable 2020 so far. We’ve been both witnesses and participants to humanity’s greatest moment of global solidarity, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the WHO, our efforts as a species may have spared over 60,000,000 people from getting infected, and together prevented a much greater loss of life.
And now, we’re witnessing the largest and most sustained global protest movement our world has seen. In 750 U.S. cities across 50 states, as well as in 50 countries on all continents, people are coming together to demand justice and change that has been far too long in coming.
This has been a time in which heroes all over the world have stepped up at every moment. From our front line health workers to Black Lives Matter activists, from LGBTQ rights campaigners to journalists, from teachers to scientists, artists, delivery workers, and all our fellow people who saw fit to stay home and who are still there. In our 100+ issues, we’ve covered a staggering number of these heroes’ acts, and we’re proud to keep doing so.
We are all in this together, and we are grateful for you—our heroes, our readers.
Be well, stay safe, and thank you.
Benji - Co-founder NewsHero
Shutdowns prevented 60 million coronavirus infections in the U.S., study finds - The Washington Post
List of George Floyd protests in the United States - Wikipedia
WHO Voices Support For ‘Global Movement Against Racism’
GOP follows Democrats with police reform proposal
The new Black Lives Matter street mural, commissioned by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, as seen in a satellite image. (Maxar Technologies)
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Kamryn Johnson and friends
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Black Lives Matter
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Protesters
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - WHO, for supporting protesters. And for being the WHO
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - New York’s state senate, for repealing a law that kept police disciplinary records secret
🦸♀️ - GOP, for getting around to where Democrats are on police reform
From at-home activism to protests worldwide, it seems that this time things might be different. Kamryn Johnson, a 9-year-old Minnesota girl, and her friends have raised $40K for black-owned businesses by selling handmade bracelets, while the World Health Organization made a point during a daily press conference to say it “fully supports equality and the global movement against racism.”
The Guardian has assembled coverage of many of the accomplishments the protests have helped to achieve in just two weeks, and you can always check in with CNN for continual live protest updates.
Spurred by the movement, New York’s state senate Tuesday repealed a law that kept police officers’ disciplinary records secret, and even the GOP is getting around to doing something besides dodge questions about Trump’s tweets and bunker time.
Seemingly catching up to ideas for major police reform—namely the Democrats’ Justice in Policing Act of 2020—Sen. Tim Scott, the only African American Republican senator, sent to GOP offices Tuesday a draft of a proposed Justice Act.
Kamryn Johnson (right) and her two friends, Lexi and Mikayla, 9, at the bracelet stand on the Johnson's front lawn. The kids have been gathering there every day for the last week to make and sell bracelets. (Jamie Stoia)
Twitter user replicates Trump’s account to see if it will get suspended. It quickly does.
Search ‘racist’ on Twitter and Trump is the top result
(Image: Twitter)
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Fact-checkers, because facts are rather important (and so is checking them)
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - @BizarreLazar for @SuspendThePres + those who troll the trolls to make a point (via Exponential View🙌🏾)
🦸♀️ - Twitter (downgraded from 🦸♀️🦸♀️ over this one), for doing something, even if it is a double standard
Cheers to @BizarreLazar and his @SuspendThePres experiment, for replicating Donald Trump’s Twitter account just to get removed for violating their own terms of service AND highlighting the double standards—it’s nice to see that when the social media giants don’t act, people do!
Trump’s actual Twitter account now comes up when users search “racist.” According to Business Insider, a Twitter spokesperson said that the president’s appearance under the terms “racist” and “racism” is a result of the company’s algorithm responding to user behavior. Algorithmic food for thought?
Donald Trump's name is first to appear under Twitter search results for "racist" and "racism." (Screenshot/Twitter, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Voting Rights Advocates Say Republican Poll Watching Targets Minorities
CDC: some states not reporting ‘probable cases’ of COVID-19
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Voting rights advocates
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Voters, especially Georgia voters who stuck with it
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - CDC, for issuing appropriate guidelines even though they’re repeatedly ignored
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - People and businesses who are doing the right thing
There’s a reason it’s referred to as the “right to vote.” Voting rights advocates are worried that an army of poll watchers 50,000 strong hired by the GOP is targeting minority voters who tend to vote Democratic. Surely that hadn’t occurred to Republicans. They’re only trying to prevent voting out the fraud. Sorry, we meant to say voter fraud. The poll-watch operation is part of a "voter suppression war machine," said Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight Action.
In Georgia, voters toughed it out through heat and rain, plus waits in lines as long as five hours to cast a vote Tuesday. “It’s really disheartening to see a line like this in an area with predominantly black residents,” said a 25-year-old African American voter in Atlanta.
So, what is it with Americans and trouble counting stuff? By not following CDC guidelines, it seems that nearly 30 states might be seriously short on reporting actual numbers of COVID-19 cases.
CHANGE Director Criticizes USAID Hiring Deputy With Anti-LGBT History
It’s Pride month—that’s the headline! 🏳️🌈
(Image: a.list)
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - LGBTQ+ community, advocates
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Pride month 🏳️🌈
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - CDC
This is Pride month, and we can’t help but notice how governmentally-serendipitous it is that the newly appointed deputy White House liaison at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has a public history of being anti-LGBT. Merritt Corrigan has, as ProPublica points out, denounced liberal democracy and said the U.S. is threatened by a “homo-empire” with a “tyrannical LGBT agenda.”
While a “homo-empire” sounds like a paradise to many of us, Corrigan’s hiring feels like just adding another intolerant teammate to a roster of ignorance.
“An appointee who eschews gender equality, meaningful democracy and LGBTI rights cannot possibly fulfill the mission of USAID,” said Beirne Roose-Snyder, director of public policy at the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE).
It doesn’t seem like bringing Corrigan onboard, given her described background, lines up with the USAID’s stance on things. The ProPublica article notes: “The agency’s website says it is working for a world in which LGBT people are ‘respected and able to live with dignity, free from discrimination, persecution, and violence.’”
Here’s another head-scratcher: an alarming number of Americans surveyed by the CDC have “used” bleach to try and scare off the coronavirus. CNN reports that people have put it on their food, while some have gargled or inhaled it, and others have washed their bodies with it. Remember, if it doesn’t burn it isn’t working! (Disclaimer: sadly it’s obvious we have to say that last line is a joke.)
Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump, Barr For Tear Gassing Peaceful Protesters
Former DOJ workers want Barr investigated
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Civil rights groups suing Trump, Barr
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Peaceful protesters
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Former Justice Department workers seeking Barr investigation
🦸♀️🦸♀️- Gen. Mark Milley, for admitting a mistake
Civil rights groups, including the ACLU, are suing Trump and Attorney General William Barr over the peaceful protesters that got tear-gassed to clear the path for Trump’s Bible-clutching photo-op at St. John’s church. The Washington Post has a striking video timeline of how that whole scene played out, by the way.
More than 1,250 former Justice Department workers on Wednesday called for an investigation into Barr’s involvement in the aggressive law enforcement activity. Though Barr says he supported the action, police were already advancing on protesters by the time he got to the park. Basically, he was OK with what happened, but says he wasn’t the one who ordered it.
And thank you Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for coming forward with an I-was-wrong for accompanying Trump on his church march. “I should not have been there,” Milley said, according to The New York Times. “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.”
Then there’s the whole bunker incident. Trump said he was down there “for a tiny little short period of time” to inspect it, but Barr said the Secret Service wanted Trump down there for safety during protests.
Barr also said the security barrier around the White House that went up to hold back protesters was extended at that time. That barrier was going to be quickly removed, but it seems it might stay put for a while, and it has also become a makeshift resistance art gallery.
Chuck Schumer tweeted Tuesday: “Pres. Trump should go back to hiding in the bunker instead of tweeting baseless conspiracies about peaceful protestors and further dividing America.” He was responding to a recent Trump tweet that the 75-year-old protester in Buffalo pushed to the ground by police could have been part of a “set up.”
When asked about that “set up” tweet, Republican senators either ignored the question or dodged giving any real answer. And the band played on.
Protesters Tear Down Confederate Monuments
NASCAR bans Confederate flag from all ‘events and properties’
A toppled Confederate statue lies on the ground on Monday, Aug. 14, 2017. (Virginia Bridges/The Herald-Sun via AP)
🦸♀️🦸♀️🦸♀️ - Protesters, government officials, and everyone else calling for the removal of Confederate statues, names, symbols
🦸♀️🦸♀️ - NASCAR, for doing the right thing
🦸♀️🦸♀️ - U.S. Army, for trying to do the right thing; Navy and Marines for banning the Confederate flag
“Protests Are Bringing Down Confederate Monuments Around The South” reads an NPR headline. Yes, monuments celebrating Confederate figures are still around, shiny and tall. But not for long.
Protests for racial equality and justice have been taking place all over the world, and in England protesters tore down a statue of a 17th-century slave trader. One might wonder why a statue like that ever went up in the first place.
The U.S. Army has said it would consider removing names of Confederate men from its bases, though the current President of the United States of America has said that he will “not even consider” renaming bases named for Confederate leaders. The Navy and Marines have moved to ban the display of Confederate-era symbols, Axios reports.
When we think of the Confederacy, we naturally think of the American South. When we think of the American South, we naturally think of NASCAR. Bubba Wallace, the only black NASCAR driver, called for the organization to distance itself from the Confederate flag. NASCAR released a statement yesterday on the issue, which concludes: “The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.” Is there a car racing term for mic drop?
There’s a statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va. at the center of controversy. Because it’s still there. Robert W. Lee IV, an ancestor of the Confederate General, has said that it’s time for the monument to be removed and to “let his cause be lost.” When even family says it’s time to move on, maybe it’s time to move on. Of the statue, Va. Gov. Ralph Northam said in a tweet, “Make no mistake: it will come down.”
Protesters last night toppled a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis that stood along Richmond’s Monument Avenue, just four blocks from where the Lee statue sits. Protesters also beheaded and then pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument about 80 miles away in Portsmouth, Va., says The Associated Press.
“By May 10th, Richmond had fell. It’s a time I remember, oh so well…”
Can’t Go Out and Protest? Here’s How to Help From Home - Wired
Black cops feel pain of Floyd’s death, duty to their uniform - AP News
The Trucking Industry Is Embracing Change And Moving To Electric Vehicles - Forbes
Tech is writing checks to anti-racism groups. Here’s who’s giving, and how much. - Protocol
The CDC Waited ‘Its Entire Existence for This Moment.’ What Went Wrong? - The New York Times
Facebook and the creation of a US oligarch - Financial Times
Police: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - YouTube
Masks don't just filter the air, they keep people away - The Washington Post (via Corona Daily)
Duty to intervene: Floyd cops spoke up but didn't step in - AP News
We Filed Suit Over Trump’s Missing War Powers Report - Lawfare
'Rebound' in cases upon US - Corona Daily
Sources:
Washington's new Black Lives Matter street mural is captured in satellite image - CNN
A 9-year-old and her friends raised $40,000 for black-owned businesses by selling homemade bracelets - The Washington Post
Even In A Pandemic, WHO Believes That Public Protests Are Important - NPR
What the George Floyd protests have achieved in just two weeks - The Guardian
Black Lives Matter protests around the world: Live Updates - CNN
New York state senate passes bill to end sealing of police disciplinary records - The Hill
Tim Scott unveils draft of GOP police reform plan - CNNPolitics
Democrats unveil ambitious plan for police reform: 'This is a first step' - The Guardian
Twitter User Creates Account to Tweet Exactly What Trump Does to See If He'll Get Suspended, and It Only Took 3 Days - Second Nexus
Twitter shows Trump's name when users search the word "racist" - Business Insider
GOP recruits army of poll watchers to fight voter fraud no one can prove exists - NBC News
Heat, rain, long lines: Georgia election plagued by problems - AP News
Elected officials trade blame for today's Georgia voting problems - AJC
US coronavirus: More than half of states may be undercounting coronavirus cases by not following CDC guidelines - CNN
New Trump Appointee to Foreign Aid Agency Has Denounced Liberal Democracy and “Our Homo-Empire” - ProPublica
A third of Americans surveyed engaged in risky cleaning behaviors during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some have even gargled with bleach. - CNN
Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump, Barr for Tear-Gassing Peaceful Protesters Outside White House – The Washington Lawyers' Committee
More than 1,250 former Justice Dept. workers call for internal watchdog to probe Barr role in clearing demonstrators from Lafayette Square - The Washington Post
Officials back off removing temporary fencing at White House - AP News
Video timeline of Trump’s St. John’s church photo op and Lafayette Square crackdown - The Washington Post
Barr says he didn’t give tactical order to clear protesters - AP News
Barr contradicts Trump: 'The Secret Service recommended that the President go down to the bunker' for safety - CNN
Top General Apologizes for Role in Trump Photo Op - The New York Times
Milley says he was wrong to accompany Trump on church walk - AP News
Panoramic photo: Protesters turn White House fence into gallery of signs - The Washington Post
Schumer on Trump's tweet about 75-year-old protester: He 'should go back to hiding in the bunker' - The Hill
Senate GOP dodges over Trump's baseless Buffalo tweet: 'I would rather not hear it' - CNNPolitics
Confederate Statues Are Being Removed Amid Racial Injustice Protests - NPR
US Army open to considering removal of Confederate leaders' names from bases - CNN
Trump says he will "not even consider" renaming bases named for Confederate leaders - Axios
Protesters tear down statue of slave trader as anti-racism demonstrations spread around world - CNN
Ban the Confederate flag? NASCAR could see the end of an era - AP News
NASCAR statement on confederate flag - NASCAR
Robert E. Lee is my ancestor. Take down his statue, and let his cause be lost. - The Washington Post
Va. Gov. Ralph Northam - Twitter
Jefferson Davis statue torn down in Richmond, Virginia - AP News
“We're paying you, aren't we?
"She's my Rushmore, Max"
"Not on the rug, man."