Mississippi Senate votes to change state flag; governor vows to sign measure into law
The Mississippi state senate voted Sunday 37 to 14 to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state flag. Governor Tate Reeves has already promised to sign the legislation into law when it reaches his desk. The senate vote came after the state house voted 91 to 23 to change the flag, the last in the nation to feature the Confederate battle flag, which is widely viewed as racist. It’s not yet known when the governor will sign the measure. The Mississippi House Rules Committee has recommended that a flag commission be established to present a new flag option to voters in November, which is not allowed to include a Confederate symbol and must include the words “In God We Trust.” The action comes as monuments celebrating Confederate personages and events, as well as other monuments many consider racist, are being removed across the U.S.
Trump tweets ‘white power’ video; white couple brandishes guns at St. Louis protestors
Bipartisan critics took issue with President Donald Trump‘s weekend retweet of a video that showed one of his supporters yelling the white supremacist slogan “white power” at anti-Trump protestors in Florida. The president shared the video via his @realDonaldTrump account, which touts over 82 million followers, and added the commentary, “Thank you to the great people of The Villages.” The Villages is a retirement community in central Florida where the video was shot. Three hours after Trump’s tweet, following blowback from Democrats and Republicans alike, the retweet was deleted. The phrase “white power” was shouted 10 seconds into the video, recorded on June 14, by a man driving a golf cart while wearing “Trump 2020” and “America First” gear. In St. Louis, Missouri Sunday, a white couple standing in front of their house pointed a pistol and rifle at protestors marching past on their way to Mayor Lyda Krewson’s home in the neighborhood. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports protestors were demanding Krewson’s resignation after she on Friday read the names and addresses during a Facebook Live briefing of protestors who wanted to defund the police department. She later apologized. The names and addresses were publicly available information, but protestors called the mayor’s actions unethical and feared it could lead to retaliation against those named.
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: 10,168, 657
Global deaths: 502,387. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 125,803.
Number of countries/regions: at least 188
Total patients recovered globally: 5,158,153
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 2,549,069 diagnosed 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 125,803. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 31,397.
U.S. total patients recovered: 685,164
U.S. total people tested: 30,988,013
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in New York, with 392,539 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
Global COVID-19 cases surpass ten million; US deaths increase to 125,000+
A trio of grim COVID-19 benchmarks were passed over the weekend as the pandemic continues. The number of reported cases of the coronavirus worldwide surpassed ten million, with 10,168,657 reported by Johns Hopkins University as of Monday morning. Of those, 2,549,069 were in the U.S., representing 25% of all reported global infections and pushing that number over 2.5 million for the first time. The number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. also exceeded 125,000, with 125,803 reported. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said Thursday that based on antibody tests, the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is likely ten times higher than those currently known. The day before, the CDC revised its forecast of total COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. to between 130,000 and 150,000 by July 19.
Seven states post record COVID-19 cases over the weekend
Seven states reported record numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases over the weekend: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. Arizona saw 3,858 cases reported Sunday, and also surpassed its previous record of current hospitalizations, set on Saturday, with 2,691 patients currently hospitalized. Some 87% of ICU beds in the state are currently in use, with only 218 empty beds remaining. Meanwhile in Florida, the state’s health department announced an additional 8,577 new cases of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, though that was 1,000 fewer new cases than reported the day prior. Miami-Dade County reported 2,160 new cases, up from 1,362 the day before. As state numbers rise, approximately 200 Florida doctors have signed a letter to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry asking for the Republican National Convention, scheduled for August 24 in Jacksonville, to be postponed, calling the decision to host the event “predictably harmful” and “medically disrespectful to the citizens of this city.”