10 things you need to know today: June 22, 2020
TikTok users and K-pop fans say they helped reduce Trump crowd size, WHO reports biggest one-day coronavirus jump yet, and more
- 1. TikTok users, K-pop fans claim they trolled Trump rally
- 2. WHO records biggest 1-day coronavirus increase yet
- 3. John Bolton confirms Trump's Ukraine quid pro quo
- 4. 8 minority guards say they were barred from contact with Chauvin
- 5. Trump says niece signed 'very powerful' NDA
- 6. Studies find coronavirus aid prevented poverty spike
- 7. China halts poultry from Tyson plant over coronavirus cases
- 8. Roosevelt statue to be removed from NYC's Museum of Natural History
- 9. NASCAR finds noose in black driver's garage after Confederate flag ban protest
- 10. Former Dolphins running back Jim Kiick dies at 73
1. TikTok users, K-pop fans claim they trolled Trump rally
TikTok users and Korean-pop music fans on Sunday claimed that they were partly responsible for the low attendance at President Trump's Saturday rally in Tulsa. TikTok users said they coordinated an effort ahead of the event to get people to request free tickets and not show up. Trump tweeted last week that nearly a million people had requested tickets, but there were thousands of empty spots in the 19,000-seat arena. A spillover event planned outside was canceled altogether. Trump campaign officials blamed the low attendance on the media and protesters. Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said the campaign weeded out tens of thousands of bogus ticket requests. Trump was "furious" about "underwhelming" turnout at the rally, NBC News reported.
2. WHO records biggest 1-day coronavirus increase yet
The World Health Organization on Sunday reported a record 183,000 single-day jump in coronavirus cases. Brazil had the most, 54,771, followed by the United States, with 36,617. White House officials acknowledged that they were preparing for a possible second wave of coronavirus infections this fall, even though it might not come. "We are filling the stockpile in anticipation of a possible problem in the fall," Peter Navarro, President Trump's top trade adviser, said on CNN's State of the Union. "We're doing everything we can." Trump has insisted that the pandemic will ease. Coronavirus cases are on the rise in 18 states in the South, West, and Midwest. Seven states recorded single-day records for new infections on Saturday. California had its highest daily increase yet on Sunday.
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3. John Bolton confirms Trump's Ukraine quid pro quo
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton confirmed the central charge of House Democrats' impeachment case against President Trump, telling ABC News in an interview broadcast Sunday night that Trump "directly linked" security assistance to Ukraine "with the investigation" of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Bolton defended his decision to remain silent during the impeachment hearings and Senate trial, telling ABC's Martha Raddatz that his testimony wouldn't have changed any Republican votes. The interview came ahead of the release of Bolton's memoir, The Room Where It Happened, on Tuesday. The Trump administration asked a judge to block the release of the book, saying it contained classified material, but the judge ruled Saturday that Simon & Schuster could proceed with the planned release.
4. 8 minority guards say they were barred from contact with Chauvin
Eight minority jail guards have filed discrimination charges with Minnesota's Department of Human Rights after they were barred from contact with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin last month, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Chauvin, who is white, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man. The complaint said all officers of color were ordered to a separate floor as Chauvin arrived. A supervisor reportedly told one of them their race could be a "liability" around Chauvin. Jail Superintendent Steve Lydon told superiors he made a snap decision to shield minority employees from Chauvin "to protect and support" them.
5. Trump says niece signed 'very powerful' NDA
President Trump said he had no idea his niece Mary Trump was writing a book about their family, something that she is "not allowed" to do after signing a "very powerful" nondisclosure agreement. Trump confirmed with Axios' Jonathan Swan on Sunday a Daily Beast report from last week, which said Mary Trump signed a nondisclosure agreement after a 2001 settlement over the estate of her grandfather, Fred Trump Sr. This agreement reportedly forbids her from publishing anything about the litigation or her relationships with Trump and his siblings Maryanne and Robert. Simon & Schuster plans on publishing Mary Trump's book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, on July 28. Trump told Swan the nondisclosure agreement "covers everything," and Mary is "obviously not honoring" it.
6. Studies find coronavirus aid prevented poverty spike
The historic burst of federal aid in response to the coronavirus crisis prevented a surge in poverty that experts had predicted when unemployment jumped to its highest level since the Great Depression, two newly released studies indicated. The midrange forecast in one of the studies, by a Columbia University team, showed only a slight 2020 rise in the poverty rate to 12.7 percent, from 12.5 percent before the pandemic. Without the March Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which included one-time checks to most adults and weekly bonuses for the jobless, the poverty rate would have reached 16.3 percent, according to the researchers. "Right now, the safety net is doing what it's supposed to do for most families," said Zachary Parolin, a member of the Columbia team.
7. China halts poultry from Tyson plant over coronavirus cases
China on Sunday suspended imports of poultry from a Tyson Foods plant in Arkansas that had an outbreak of coronavirus among its employees. A Tyson spokesman said the facility, which is in Springdale, Arkansas, does not represent a health threat. "At Tyson, we're confident our products are safe and we're hopeful consultations between the U.S. and Chinese governments will resolve this matter," wrote spokesman Gary Mickelson in an email to The Associated Press. The company said tests showed that 13 percent of the 3,748 employees at its facilities in northwest Arkansas had tested positive. Health experts say the novel coronavirus spreads through respiratory droplets rather than food.
8. Roosevelt statue to be removed from NYC's Museum of Natural History
A bronze statue of Theodore Roosevelt that has been at the entrance of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City since 1940 will be removed. The "Equestrian" statue depicts Roosevelt on horseback, with an African man on one side and a Native American man on the other. The museum approached the city — which owns the building and property — to discuss removing the statue "because it explicitly depicts black and indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. "The city supports the museum's request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue." Officials told The New York Times they are not sure when the statue will be taken down, where it will go, or if it will be replaced.
9. NASCAR finds noose in black driver's garage after Confederate flag ban protest
NASCAR announced Sunday that a noose had been found in the garage stall used by the team of Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr., the only black driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, on the day racing was scheduled to resume after a coronavirus shutdown. Wallace helped push NASCAR to ban Confederate flags from racetracks in response to Black Lives Matter protests. Earlier in the day, a plane flew a giant Confederate battle flag and the message "Defund NASCAR" over the track in Alabama. Some fans cruised with Confederate flags in front of the speedway before Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race but they put the banners away before driving onto the property. NASCAR's executive vice president and chief racing development officer, Steve O'Donnell, called whoever pulled the plane stunt "a jackass."
10. Former Dolphins running back Jim Kiick dies at 73
Former Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, part of a legendary backfield that helped lead the team to back-to-back Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973, died over the weekend in Wilton Manors, Florida. He was 73. Kiick, fullback Larry Csonka, and halfback Mercury Morris, running behind a strong offensive line, powered the team to three straight Super Bowls. Kiick scored a touchdown in Super Bowl VII, a 14-7 win over the Washington Redskins that capped the NFL's only perfect season. Kiick died after suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Two of his teammates died last year with cognitive and neurological problems. Linebacker Nick Buoniconti had battled memory issues, and offensive guard Bob Kuechenberg had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head.
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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
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