6.3.2020

Good morning. It's Wednesday, June 3 and we're covering protests, an advance in analyzing the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the tattoo regret industry. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Protests Continue, Largely Calm

Protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while being taken into custody by Minneapolis police last week, continued for the eighth night. Protesters defied curfews in cities across the country, but tensions eased somewhat following a number of nights where demonstrations turned violent. Nearly 9,300 people have been arrested so far.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights announced it would launch an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department over Floyd's death. The probe will review a decade of procedures, with a stated goal of overhauling discriminatory practices.

In his first formal speech since the beginning of the pandemic, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden criticized the administration's response to protests. Separately, demonstrations in a number of cities worldwide were held in solidarity with US protestors. In Paris, police fired tear gas into crowds near the city courthouse.

Public memorials for Floyd will be held beginning tomorrow in a number of places, followed by a private burial service Tuesday in Houston, where Floyd was raised and had immediate family. Joe Biden will reportedly attend.

Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery

Researchers are one step closer to piecing together many of the thousands of Dead Sea Scroll fragments, thanks to a newly developed genetic analysis technique. The approach examines DNA from the ancient documents—which often used animal skin as parchment—allowing different pieces to be clustered based on how similar their DNA samples are.

Initially discovered in 1946-47, the works are among the most important discoveries in Judeo-Christian history (see background), containing some of the oldest-known examples of writings later included in the Hebrew Bible. While some are well-preserved, thousands exist as fragments, many purchased separately through antiquity dealers. Notably, researchers were able to separate previously grouped pieces after discerning most used sheepskin—previously unknown—while some used cowskin. The study also revealed some texts were more widely circulated among Jewish communities than previously thought.

Separately, a handful of pieces thought to be blank were recently found to have religious writings.

Carolina Blues

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) yesterday rejected a proposal from the Republican National Committee to hold a large-scale presidential convention in Charlotte. The proposed event, currently scheduled for Aug. 24-27, called for an estimated 50,000 attendees at the city's Spectrum Center; the arena's concert capacity is near 65,000. President Trump, desiring a full-fledged event, said he would push to relocate the convention. GOP officials reportedly visited Nashville, Tennessee, as an alternative.

The Democratic convention was rescheduled for Aug. 17-20, in Milwaukee. Officials are considering shifting to an entirely online event.

Separately, longtime GOP pariah Steve King (IA-4) lost his primary race to challenger Randy Feenstra. The nine primaries around the country were also a test for mail-in voting; a slow process—by early this morning, less than 20% of precincts had reported in Pennsylvania.

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THE FUTURE OF ... CEREAL?!

It was a simpler time, childhood. We played in the mud, reserved weekends for sleepovers and birthday parties, and ate delicious cereal every morning, chock-full of sugar. We aren't allowed to name names, but you know which cereals we're talking about.

Now, we miss a simpler time as much as you do, but we should all hold our cereal-reminiscing to a higher standard. A Magic Spoon standard. They've recreated your favorite childhood breakfast cereals (flavors like Cocoa, Frosted, Fruity, and Blueberry) with more protein, fewer carbs, and zero sugar. TIME magazine named them in the Top 100 Inventions of 2019, and Forbes has called them "the future of cereal."

Magic Spoon has 6,000+ five-star reviews and a happiness guarantee (full refund if you don't like it), so you can try their cereal risk-free today. Give it a taste!

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Boxer Floyd Mayweather will cover costs of June 9 funeral and memorial services for George Floyd (More) | HelloFresh cuts ties with “Glee” star Lea Michele after costar Samantha Ware accused Michele of racial insensitivity while filming the show (More)

> Wes Unseld, former NBA MVP and basketball Hall of Famer, dies at 74 (More)

> Cannes Film Festival official selections to be announced today in Paris; 28% of films are directed by females, a record for Cannes (More)

Science & Technology

> National Institutes of Health releases trove of data from now-canceled bat coronavirus study; singles out the Chinese horseshoe bat as critical to the evolution of coronaviruses (More)

> HBO Max will be excused from data caps on streaming plans of its parent company AT&T, while Netflix and Disney Plus will not; arrangement is allowed absent net neutrality rules (More)

> Artificial tissue mimics uterine contractions, allowing researchers to study infertility issues and diseases like endometriosis (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +0.8%, Dow +1.1%, Nasdaq +0.6%) for third consecutive day as economic recovery optimism builds (More) | Videoconferencing giant Zoom announces 169% revenue growth over previous year, smashes earnings expectations (More)

> Google faces $5B consumer lawsuit for allegedly tracking user activity while in private mode (More) | Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addresses employees in company-wide town hall meeting regarding inaction on recent President Trump posts (More)

> Bank of America pledges $1B to address racial and economic inequality, the first big bank to make a monetary pledge (More)

From our partners: Think of Stacked Marketer as 1440 for marketing. Over 13,000 marketers trust this 100% free newsletter for the latest in advertising hacks, insights, and breaking news. All in a five-minute daily read (More) #Ad

Politics & World Affairs

> France becomes first European country to roll out official smartphone contact tracing app (More) | US reports 1.83 million cases, with 106,181 deaths, as of this morning, a 1% rise in deaths since yesterday; see a comparison of daily cases with each state's reopening status (More)

> Senate Judiciary Committee begins its investigation into the origins of the Russia probe today; former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to be first witness (More)

> Tropical storm Cristobal becomes third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, the earliest on record; projected to move over the Gulf of Mexico and hit the US Sunday (More)

LET'S TALK PROTEIN.

How much protein does your current breakfast go-to have? Is it giving you the energy and strength you need to attack the day? It might be time to check out Magic Spoon: their cereals are packed with 11g of protein (along with only 110 calories, 3g net carbs, and zero sugar).

And the best part? It tastes great. Give Magic Spoon a try today, and upgrade your breakfast routine risk-free.

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ETCETERA

Friday was the saddest day in the history of Twitter.

Winners of the International Photography Awards celebrate the beauty of movement.

Danielle Geathers becomes MIT's first black female student body president.

Why the tattoo regret industry is worth billions. ($$, WashPo)

The remains of 60 mammoths are found during excavations in Mexico.

"Sesame Street" to host a town hall addressing racism.

Germany is keeping its nightlife alive with drive-in discos.

Scientists capture the world's deepest octopus on video.

Clickbait: Carole Baskin beats the Tiger King.

Historybook: Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto claims Florida for Spain (1539); Singer and actress Josephine Baker born (1906); Ed White becomes first American to walk in space (1965); HBD Rafael Nadal (1986); RIP Muhammad Ali (2016).

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth."

- Muhammad Ali

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