Floyd Memorial, Russian Oil Spill, and A Neighborhood Floats Out to Sea
Protests subdued as communities memorialize George Floyd, Russia races to contain a massive oil spill, and a landslide in Norway pushed houses out to sea.
Good morning. It's Friday, June 5, and we're covering unemployment figures, Tiananmen Square vigils, and research into those born prematurely. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected]. First time reading? Sign up here. NEED TO KNOW
Floyd MemorializedGeorge Floyd, whose death at the hands of police last week catalyzed global protests, was memorialized yesterday in Minneapolis. Among a number of high profile attendees, Floyd's brother recalled him as being "like a general ... everyone wanted to greet him." Scott Hagen, president of North Central University, where the service was held, said the school would establish a scholarship in Floyd's name and challenged other universities to do the same. Protests were calmer again last night, and confrontations between police and protestors have decreased over the past few days; however, officials expect sizable crowds across several major cities tomorrow. In particular, large demonstrations are expected in Washington, DC, where hundreds of National Guard troops from around the country have arrived to support local police. Separately, The New York Times defended its decision to publish an op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) arguing for the deployment of active-duty troops to help quell protests (read here, $$). The piece refers to the Insurrection Act of 1807, which President Trump has threatened to invoke, allowing the use of federal forces to enforce laws (see 101). As of this morning, the Act had not formally been invoked, and active-duty troops have not been deployed (though some were relocated near Washington, DC). Yesterday's memorial was the first in a string of events honoring Floyd, who will be buried in a private service in Houston Tuesday. 43 Million Jobs Nearly 1.9 million Americans made initial unemployment claims last week, bringing the total number of new claims made during the pandemic to almost 43 million. While marking the ninth straight week of declining job losses, the figure is still historically large; before the pandemic, the US was averaging 200,000 initial claims per week. Analysts say the high numbers reflect the cascading effect of the coronavirus-induced economic crisis. Continuing claims—workers who have been collecting unemployment for at least two weeks, a clearer picture of current unemployment—rose by 650,000 to 21 million total. Almost 15% of the US labor force currently collects unemployment benefits, a number that does not include self-employed and gig economy workers currently covered under a temporary relief program. The May jobs report, due out today, is expected to show unemployment near 20%. Separately, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration's top expert on the crisis, said local officials should consider how to reopen schools for the fall. Fauci said whether any individual school should reopen must depend on local infection rates. The US had reported 1.87 million coronavirus cases, with 108,211 deaths, as of this morning. Deaths rose by 1% since yesterday morning; see the moving three-day average here. Have more questions? Check out our expert-curated coronavirus resource page. Tiananmen VigilTens of thousands of protesters in Hong Kong broke through police barricades surrounding the city's Victoria Park yesterday, defying a ban to demonstrate on the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. While the 1989 government crackdown on student activists (see 101) is virtually unacknowledged in the mainland, Hong Kong has held annual memorials since its occurrence. The ban on the vigil was the latest in a crackdown by Beijing over the region, which has operated under a semiautonomous governing structure since being returned by the British in 1999. It follows a national security bill broadly outlawing any activities considered seditious. Two of Hong Kong's biggest banks announced support for the bill yesterday. The spirit of the original 1989 protests was captured by the iconic "Tank Man"—a single person who momentarily halted an advancing column of tanks. Watch the encounter here. Enjoy reading? Share 1440 with your three closest friends. STUCK INSIDE?
It's time to escape! Escape the room, that is. Please support our sponsors! IN THE KNOW
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture> NBA Board of Governors approves 22-team restart plan in 29-1 vote; the season is set to resume July 31 with all games being played at Disney World in Orlando, Florida (More) > Kanye West donates $2 million to families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor and pays college tuition for Floyd’s daughter (More) > YouTube star Jake Paul, who has 20 million subscribers on his channel, charged with trespassing at an Arizona mall that was being looted following protests last week (More) Science & Technology> New imaging technique allows scientists to see the individual atoms of proteins for the first time; cryo-electron microscopy can allow unprecedented understanding of how single proteins function (More) | What are proteins anyway? (More) > Top medical journal The Lancet retracts study that raised safety concerns around the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19; follows a separate study showing the antimalarial drug does not prevent coronavirus infections any better than a placebo (More) > Report says Apple established a robotics lab to automate its production lines in 2012, but abandoned it in 2018 after being unable to match the skill and efficiency of human workers (More) Business & Markets> Facebook to block ads from state-controlled media starting this summer; will also label ads and posts for increased transparency (More) > Business intelligence platform ZoomInfo soars 62% on first day of trading; marks the first major tech initial public offering since the pandemic began in March (More) > Apparel retailer Gap reports near $1B quarterly loss from pandemic store closures, stock down more than 5% (More) | Workplace communication platform Slack delivers 50% revenue growth over last year, but stock falls over 15% in after-hours trading (More) Politics & World Affairs> Michael White, a US Navy veteran detained in Iran since 2018, will be released; in exchange, the US will let an Iranian-American scientist visit family in Iran (More) > Russia declares state of emergency after giant diesel oil spill at a remote Arctic power plant; spill released 17,000 tons of oil into a river, nearly half the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez ocean spill (More) > Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte set to sign anti-terrorism bill that critics say would classify dissent as terrorism; bill would allow authorities to detain people without warrants and arrest those criticizing the government on social media (More) IN-DEPTH
The Argument for De-escalationFiveThirtyEight | Maggie Koerth, Jamiles Lartey. Qualitative evidence suggests de-escalation strategies reduce violence during protests. So whatever happened to the model of "negotiated management"? (Read) Michigan UnderwaterBridge | Staff. Two heirs bought a handful of Michigan dams as tax shelters. After years of ignoring regulator warnings to increase capacity, one of them burst. (Read) Survival of the LittlestNature | Amber Dance. Thanks to medical advances, survival rates for extremely premature babies—those born before 28 weeks—have never been higher. Researchers now have more data than ever on the long-term health impacts of early births. (Read) A CHANGE OF SCENERY
Just because you're bored and stuck inside doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy being virtually stuck somewhere else! Introducing Puzzle Break’s new Virtual Escape Room Experience. Please support our sponsors! ETCETERA
Watch a landslide in Norway sweep an entire neighborhood out to sea. Scientists create a 3D map of a dinosaur skull. New Orleans restaurants to provide almost 2 million meals to vulnerable residents. From our partners: Here's a way to earn $650 from your couch. Make introductions to your network as a side hustle. #Ad This bank will pay its new employees to delay their start date. Nine-year-old Kenyan inventor wins award for his handwashing machine. Guesstimating how many people it took to build the pyramids. This robot will cook you the perfect omelet. The obvious result of wearing a hummingbird helmet. Clickbait: It's been a tough year so far; enjoy this giggling fox. Historybook: US moves off gold standard (1933); Bobby Kennedy is shot at campaign rally, dies next day (1968); RIP Ronald Reagan (2004); RIP science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (2012); RIP fashion designer Kate Spade (2018). 
"If you’re as honest and fair as you can be, not only in business but in life, things will work out." - Kate Spade Enjoy reading? Forward this email to a friend.Why 1440? The printing press was invented in the year 1440, spreading knowledge to the masses. Guess what else? There are 1,440 minutes in a day. Spend your first five with us and never miss out on the conversation. Have feedback? Shoot us a note at [email protected]. Interested in advertising to smart readers like you? Apply here! |