Friday, June 5th, 2020
Riots break out and the governor’s palace is attacked in Guadalajara, Mexico, after police officers in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos beat a young worker to death for not wearing a medical mask. (Puerto Vallarta Daily News)
New York City reports its first day without COVID-19 deaths since March 11. (CNBC)
The COVID-19 death toll in the United Kingdom passes over 40,000. (The Independent)
The mass annual vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests at Victoria Park, Hong Kong, is banned by the city police for the first time, citing concerns of local COVID-19 transmissions. Local commemorations are held across the city. (Hong Kong Free Press)
Tens of thousands of people, in multiple locations across Hong Kong, defy the ban against gatherings to observe the anniversary, carrying lit candles and chanting democracy slogans. The largest group, in Victoria Park, heard Lee Cheuk-yan, former Chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, read the Alliance’s manifesto and vow to return next year. (International Business Times)
Unemployment rate surprisingly declines to 13.3 percent The Labor Department on Friday unexpectedly said the U.S. unemployment rate declined to 13.3 percent in May after rising to 14.7 percent in April. The report surprised experts, as economists had been forecasting that the unemployment rate would increase to around 20 percent. The report showed that 2.5 million jobs were added in May after in April, 20.7 million jobs were lost. All 50 states have started reopening their economies after shutting down during the coronavirus pandemic, and the Labor Department said “these improvements in the labor market reflected a limited resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed in March and April.” The report pointed to “leisure and hospitality, construction, education and health services, and retail trade” as areas where employment “rose sharply.” Source: The New York Times
Minneapolis agrees to outlaw police chokeholds Minneapolis agreed Friday to ban police chokeholds after negotiations with Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights. The decision comes after a police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes last week; two autopsies found Floyd died from asphyxia “due to neck and back compression” by the officer. In the new agreement, chokeholds will be illegal and any police officer who witnesses an illegal use of force must intervene verbally or physically and immediately report the incident, or face disciplinary action. Three ex-police officers witnessed Floyd’s death and have since been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. The agreement to update chokehold policies in Minneapolis will require court approval. Source: The Associated Press
Dow climbs more than 800 points after May’s better-than-expected jobs report The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed more than 829 points on Friday following a jobs report that showed the unemployment rate surprisingly decline. The S&P 500 also jumped 2.6 percent. The Labor Department said the unemployment rate declined to 13.3 percent in May as the economy added 2.5 million jobs. While the unemployment rate remains high, it wasn’t expected to decline at all in May, and economists were predicting around 20 percent unemployment. Friday marked the first time the Dow closed above 27,000 in three months, and Wall Street is close to January numbers recorded before the coronavirus pandemic affected the economy. The S&P 500 is reportedly close to recouping all of its 2020 losses. Source: CNBC
Thursday, June 4th, 2020
Los Angeles officials announce an end to the county-wide curfew amid continuing protests. (Los Angeles Times)
Two Buffalo police officers are suspended without pay after shoving a 75-year-old protestor to the ground. He has been hospitalized from the resulting head injury. (The New York Times)
Brazil surpasses Italy with the third high COVID-19 death toll. (The Guardian)
The End
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