George Floyd family to announce lawsuit against Minneapolis city, police today
Attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Antonio Romanucci are scheduled today to announce a civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis and police officers on behalf of the family of George Floyd. Floyd died in police custody May 25 after a since fired Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s next for more than eight minutes while Floyd repeatedly protested that he couldn’t breathe. All four responding officers have been fired and face felony criminal charges in Floyd’s death. Also today, video from the body cameras of two former officers charged in Floyd’s death is being made available for public viewing by appointment, but a judge has so far declined to allow news organizations to publish the footage for wider distribution. Footage from the body cameras of Thomas Lane and J. Kueng was filed with the court last week by Lane’s attorney, but only the written transcripts were made public. A coalition of news media organizations and attorneys for Lane and Kueng have said making the videos public would provide a more complete picture of what happened when Floyd was taken into custody.
President Trump declares “more white people” than Black die in police custody
President Trump on Tuesday asserted that “more white people” than Black people in America die at the hands of law enforcement. Mr. Trump made the comments during an interview with CBS News, in which he was asked, “Why are African-Americans still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country?” The president responded, “What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people, by the way.” The New York Times reports that while statistics show more white Americans are killed by the police overall, people of color are killed at higher rates, noting that a federal study that examined lethal force used by the police from 2009 to 2012 found that Black people died at the hands of police at a rate 2.8 times higher than the rate for white people.
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections and deaths.
Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 13,323,530
Global deaths: 578,628. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 136,466.
Number of countries/regions: at least 188
Total patients recovered globally: 7,399,310
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 3,431,574 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 136,466. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 32,395.
U.S. total patients recovered: 1,049,098
U.S. total people tested: 41,764,557
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in New York, with 403,175 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 19.5 million. That is the most reported cases than in any other single region in the world.
COVID-19 headlines
CDC calls on all Americans to wear face masks to stop COVID-19 spread
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday confirmed that the universal wearing of cloth face masks is a proven way to limit the spread of COVID-19. The CDC made the claim in an editorial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. CDC Director Robert Redfield estimated that if every American wore a face mask, COVID-19 cases would be quickly brought under control, declaring that wearing a mask is “the most powerful weapon we have.” Should more people in the U.S. comply, he believes the pandemic will be contained within one to two months. Redfield also stressed that wearing a mask is “not a political issue — it is a public health issue.” States and municipalities have implemented inconsistent policies about wearing masks in public since the pandemic arrived in America, which currently is reporting more COVID-19 infections than any other country — at least 3,431,574 reported cases in the U.S. as of Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Los Angeles County reports record single-day number of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations
Add Los Angeles County to the municipalities that are reporting record COVID-19 numbers. The county’s health department on Tuesday reported 4,244 new cases and 2,103 people currently hospitalized, a single-day record. Officials say of those currently hospitalized, 27% are confirmed COVID-19 cases in the ICU and 19% are confirmed cases on ventilators. Los Angeles County also reported 73 new deaths Tuesday, the highest number reported in a single day, though officials say part of that total may be attributable to deaths over the weekend that are only now being reported. California currently has the third-highest COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S. with 346,211 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Los Angeles County has the second-highest number of reported cases of any county in the nation, with 140,576, following New York City.