6.17.2020

Good morning. It's Wednesday, June 17, and science says there may be dozens of intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way (that we'll never meet). Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Dexamethasone Drops COVID-19 Deaths

A common steroid drug has been shown to reduce deaths in severe cases of COVID-19 by a third, according to preliminary results released yesterday. If confirmed, the Oxford University-led study would represent the first therapy to increase survival odds among the sickest patients. Death rates for patients on medical ventilators were reduced by 35% in the study, while for patients on oxygen (but not ventilators), the rate fell by 20%.

The drug, dexamethasone, is cheap and widely available, and often used to treat common inflammatory ailments like arthritis. In severe COVID-19 cases, the threat is not only the virus but a runaway immune system response that leads to organ failure, specifically the lungs—a condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome. As a corticosteroid, dexamethasone dampens the body's immune response; though why it is more effective than others is currently unclear.

Separately, new data suggest ($$, WSJ) nursing homes account for more than 40% of US coronavirus deaths—at least 51,000 in total—despite representing less than 1% of the country's population.

Cities, Fed Focus on Police Reform

President Trump signed an executive order yesterday directing federal agencies to encourage improved police procedures. The order also establishes a database to track instances of excessive force and the officers who commit such violations (full order here). The move comes on the heels of nationwide and global protests over the death of George Floyd, killed while being taken into custody by Minneapolis police officers three weeks ago. Aides said the order complements legislation currently being developed by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Democrats in the House and Senate also previously unveiled a police reform proposal.

In Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a series of administrative police reforms, including requiring all deadly force incidents to be reported to a citizen review board. The move follows the death of Rayshard Brooks, who was shot after a struggle with police in a Wendy's drive-thru. A number of other cities, including Los Angeles, New York City, and elsewhere, are considering immediate reforms.

Check out the story of Camden, New Jersey, where the police department was rebuilt in 2011.

Boogaloo Killings in California

Steven Carrillo, a sergeant in the US Air Force, was charged with the ambush killing of a federal police officer in Oakland, California, prosecutors announced yesterday. The Oakland incident occurred May 29; Carrillo was already under arrest for a June 6 ambush in which he killed a Santa Cruz County deputy and injured another.

Authorities have linked Carrillo to an online extremist group referred to as the Boogaloo movement. Messages referencing the group were scrawled in blood at the scene of the June 6 incident, including "I became unreasonable"—a loose call to action for members of the far-right anti-government collective. Officials are still investigating Carrillo's involvement in extremist groups, though it was noted he was part of an Air Force anti-terrorist squadron known as the Phoenix Ravens as recently as April.

Read more on the group, which purportedly seeks to start a second civil war, here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Jimmy Kimmel tapped to host 2020 Primetime Emmys (Sept. 20, 8pm ET, ABC); the show’s usual format expected to be altered due to the coronavirus, but details have not been announced (More)

> Mike McCormick, former MLB Cy Young-winning pitcher, dies at 81 of Parkinson’s disease (More)

> Harvard becomes latest university to temporarily drop standardized tests as part of its admissions requirements due to the coronavirus (More)

Science & Technology

> Six billion Earth-like planets may exist in the Milky Way, according to a new upper-limit estimate; model suggests one Earth-like planet for every five Sun-like stars (More)

> Burning coal in Siberia, driven by volcanic eruptions, found to be a main cause of the Permo-Triassic extinction, 250 million years ago (More)

> Web application firm Basecamp accuses Apple of denying an iOS update to its recently released email app Hey because it wasn't receiving a cut of app-generated revenue (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets soar (S&P 500 +1.9%, Dow +2.0%, Nasdaq +1.8%) as retail sales up higher than expected at 17.7% in May; figures are still down 6% from same period last year (More)

> Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. pleads guilty on 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter from 2018 Northern California wildfires (More)

> Apple to face European antitrust investigations into App Store and Apple Pay over 30% commission on digital content purchases (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> India says 20 soldiers were killed in Himalayan border dispute with China; scuffle is the first deadly border incident between the two in 45 years (More)

> White House sues to block book by former national security adviser, John Bolton, saying it contains classified information that could threaten national security if released (More)

> Joseph DeAngelo, a Navy veteran and former police officer accused of being the Golden State Killer, expected to plead guilty to avoid death penalty; DeAngelo became an early example of using DNA ancestry databases to crack cold cases (More)

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