Nationwide protests in reaction to Breonna Taylor grand jury indictment news
Two officers were shot during demonstrations in Louisville, Kentucky Wednesday night that began after a grand jury on Wednesday indicted one officer for allegedly endangering the neighbors of Breonna Taylor during the March 13 police shooting that resulted in her death, but brought no charges for Taylor’s death. The Louisville Metro Police Department said the shooting took place just before the 9:00 p.m. curfew went into effect, and that both officers are stable and have non-life-threatening injuries. One suspect is reportedly in police custody. It is unclear if the shooting was directly related to the protests. Other protests in reaction to the Breonna Taylor news took place in cities around the country last night. In Seattle, 13 people were arrested on charges ranging from property destruction, resisting arrest and failure to disperse as well as assault on an officer. Chemical agents were deployed against protestors in Atlanta, police there said, when protestors allegedly began to climb atop a police vehicle. Other large protests took place in New York City, Portland, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago and Minneapolis.
Additional 870,000 people applied for unemployment last week
At least 870,000 people applied for unemployment benefits in the week ending September 19, according to numbers released this morning by the U.S. Labor Department. That’s an increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 866,000, and represents the 27th straight week of historically high unemployment claims amid continued layoffs and shuttered businesses resulting from the COVID-19 lockdown. The report also shows that 26,044,952 people are currently receiving unemployment benefits under state and federal programs. While there has been a lot of recovery in the labor market since the worst of the pandemic-induced recession, the U.S. is still experiencing a historically high level of layoffs.
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: 31,920,652
Global deaths: 977,311. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 201,920.
Number of countries/regions: at least 188
Total patients recovered globally: 22,002,729
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 6,935,414 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 201,920. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 33,090.
U.S. total patients recovered: 2,670,256
U.S. total people tested: 97,459,742
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 797,007 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. That ranks third in the world after Maharashtra, India, which has 1,263,799 reported cases, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, which has 945,422 reported cases.
Anti-mask Missouri governor, wife test positive for COVID-19
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican who has steadfastly refused to require residents to wear masks, has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Wednesday. Parson was tested after his wife, Teresa, tested positive earlier in the day. Mrs. Parson had experienced mild symptoms, including a cough and nasal congestion, spokeswoman Kelli Jones said. The governor’s rapid test showed he tested positive and he is still awaiting results from the swab test. A statement from the governor’s office said the governor’s staff had also been tested “as a precautionary measure.” “I want everybody to know that myself and the first lady are both fine,” Parson said in a video posted on his Facebook page. Missouri reported 118,205 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Thursday morning, according to John’s Hopkins University, with 1,938 deaths.
In Crisis Morning Update Thursday 9/24/20
