10 things you need to know today: May 28, 2020

1. U.S. coronavirus death toll hits 100,000

The U.S. coronavirus death toll reached 100,000 on Wednesday, surpassing the grim milestone as state and local governments slowly allow businesses to reopen while continuing to push safety measures to slow the spread of the pandemic. The number of people killed in the United States in the four months since the first confirmed case in the country now equals that of the 1968 flu epidemic, according to The New York Times' tally. This is expected to soon be the deadliest epidemic to hit the U.S. since the 1918 flu, which killed about 675,000 Americans. The number of new coronavirus infections and deaths has been trending lower, but public health experts warn of a possible second surge as states lift lockdowns.

The New York Times

2. Minneapolis protests continue over George Floyd's death

A protest outside a Minneapolis police station turned violent for a second straight night on Wednesday, as crowds demanded justice for George Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer kneeled on his neck during his arrest. A protest in Los Angeles shut down a freeway. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for calm and backed demands for prosecutors to file charges against the officer. "Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?" Frey said. The officer and three others involved in Floyd's arrest on suspicion of forgery were fired on Tuesday after a video recorded by a bystander was posted online showing Floyd lying face down in the street as the officer kneels on his neck, even after Floyd gasps for air and says, "I can't breathe."

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Reuters The Associated Press

3. Pompeo says Hong Kong no longer autonomous from China

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday notified Congress that the Trump administration no longer considers Hong Kong to enjoy a meaningful degree of autonomy from China. Pompeo is required under a 2019 law to certify that Hong Kong maintains a meaningful degree of freedom to justify keeping the special trading status that has helped the former British colony remain a global financial hub since returning to Chinese rule in 1997. Pompeo's decision also raises the possibility of sanctions against Chinese officials. China's National People's Congress on Thursday approved a proposed security law that will let Beijing exert its power more overtly in Hong Kong. Thousands of people gathered outside Hong Kong's legislature on Wednesday to protest the security law and a proposal to criminalize disrespect for China's anthem.

The Washington Post The New York Times

4. Trump to issue executive order on social media after Twitter clash

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday that President Trump would likely sign an executive order on Thursday regarding social media, although she didn't provide any further details. Twitter on Tuesday for the first time labeled two of Trump's tweets as misleading. Trump suggested in the posts, without evidence, that mail-in voting led to fraud. Twitter provided links to a fact-check page on the matter. Trump accused Twitter of "interfering" in the 2020 presidential election. He also tweeted that Republicans "feel Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen."

Politico

5. Rosenstein to testify before Senate committee in review of Russia inquiry

Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed former Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russia's election meddling, will testify next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the panel said Wednesday. Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Rosenstein would provide "new revelations" about federal surveillance policies as the panel examines the origins of the FBI's investigation of members of President Trump's 2016 campaign, and their contacts with Russians. Trump and his allies say the Russia inquiry was designed to damage Trump's campaign, and later his presidency. A Justice Department watchdog in December reported finding errors in the FBI investigation but no political bias.

Reuters

6. House delays vote on extending surveillance laws after Trump veto threat

The House on Wednesday scrapped a vote on a bill seeking to extend surveillance options the FBI considers crucial in the fight against terrorism. House Democrats pulled the legislation after President Trump threatened to "quickly veto" it. Trump said the "massive abuse" of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was a "big part" of an attempted "coup" against his administration in the early days of the Russia investigation. Trump's opposition prompted House Republicans to withdraw their support. Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has about 70 Democratic House members, also came out against the legislation, saying it lacked reforms demanded by privacy advocates. The House reconvenes on Thursday, and could try then to approve the spy program.

USA Today The Associated Press

7. Playwright and AIDS activist Larry Kramer dies at 84

Playwright Larry Kramer, whose activism raised public consciousness about AIDS early in the epidemic, has died at age 84. His husband, David Webster, told The New York Times the cause of death was pneumonia. "We have lost a giant of a man who stood up for gay rights like a warrior," Elton John said in a statement. "His anger was needed at a time when gay men's deaths to AIDS were being ignored by the American government." Kramer, who founded the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power or ACT UP, was widely known for his 1985 autobiographical play The Normal Heart. Earlier in his career, he was nominated for an Oscar for his 1969 screenplay adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's novel Women in Love. His play The Destiny of Me was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1993.

The Associated Press The New York Times

8. Boeing trimming 10 percent of workforce

Boeing said Wednesday that it would lay off more than 6,000 employees this week to reduce costs as the coronavirus crisis hammers the air travel industry. The cuts are part of a push to trim 10 percent of the company's 160,000-plus workforce through voluntary departures and layoffs. CEO Dave Calhoun said in a note to employees that Boeing had finished the voluntary-layoff phase, with 5,520 people choosing to go. "And now we have come to the unfortunate moment of having to start involuntary layoffs," he said. "We're notifying the first 6,770 of our U.S. team members this week that they will be affected." Thousands more will be let go over the next several months.

CNBC

9. Tropical Storm Bertha drenches eastern Carolinas

Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall east of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, hitting coastal areas in the Carolinas and southern Virginia with heavy rains and sustained winds of 50 miles per hour. The storm later weakened to a tropical depression, although it still threatened to cause "life-threatening" flash floods as far inland as the southern Appalachians, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm was expected to drop as much as 8 inches of rain in isolated coastal areas, and up to 4 inches across eastern and central South Carolina, southeastern North Carolina, and southwest Virginia. The tropical moisture within Bertha caused record rainfall in the Miami, Florida, area three days earlier.

NBC News

10. SpaceX delays first astronaut launch due to bad weather

SpaceX on Wednesday had to postpone its first launch of astronauts into orbit due to bad weather. The mission was rescheduled for Saturday, May 30. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon spacecraft take off before lightning and rain forced NASA and SpaceX to scrub the launch. The mission is to be the first to send humans into orbit from U.S. soil in nearly a decade, and the first time a private company has put astronauts into space. The astronauts, former military pilots Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, both flew two missions on the Space Shuttle. They will travel to the International Space Station, which is orbiting 240 miles above the Earth at a speed of 17,000 miles per hour.

The Washington Post