10 things you need to know today: June 27, 2020

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1. Coronavirus cases spike to new high for third consecutive day
2. Texas, Florida roll back some business reopenings amid coronavirus spikes
3. Judge rules ICE must release detained children because of coronavirus
4. House Democrats pass bill to grant D.C. statehood
5. Pompeo says U.S. imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong
6. Supreme Court won't require Texas to let all voters submit ballots by mail
7. Intel report: Russia offered militants bounties to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan
8. Brands pull advertising from Facebook, leading to $7 billion hit
9. Minneapolis City Council votes to advance law enforcement transformation proposal
10. American Airlines to restart booking flights to full capacity

published 27 June 2020

1. Coronavirus cases spike to new high for third consecutive day

The U.S. again hit a new record-high number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Five states set new single-day highs, and the country recorded more than 40,000 new cases. Wednesday's and Thursday's totals were also the highest yet since the coronavirus pandemic began, and infections are skyrocketing in places that were previously not heavily affected. Florida, for example, recorded nearly 9,000 new cases, and Texas officials are warning their hospitals may soon be overwhelmed. Both states moved to restrict activity that had previously been allowed, such as closing bars. Despite the localized spikes, White House coronavirus task force expert Dr. Anthony Fauci warned the hot spots could easily spread. He urged all Americans to heed their "societal responsibility" to wear masks and continue to social distance.

On Friday, Texas became the first state to reimpose lockdown measures as it faces what Gov. Greg Abbott described as a "massive outbreak" of COVID-19 cases following its attempted reopening. Abbott's executive order will close bars that had previously been allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity, beginning on Friday (bars may remain open for delivery and takeout). Restaurants are also being scaled back from being allowed to operate at 75 percent capacity for dine-in service to 50 percent capacity, and gatherings of more than 100 people are once again banned. In Florida, where a record 8,942 new coronavirus cases were reported Friday, on-site alcohol consumption at bars is now suspended.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must release children currently held in the country's three family detention centers for more than 20 days by July 17 because of concerns over the coronavirus, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of California ordered Friday. Gee said the centers, which house 124 children, are "on fire," citing one Texas facility that has at least 11 confirmed cases. Gee said ICE could use tracking devices on some parents if it's the only way to release the children safely to "non-congregate settings," although the ruling applies only to children and does not compel ICE to release parents. In response to the ruling, the White House accused Gee of being part of a group of "activist judges" who "have imposed their own vision in the place of duly enacted laws."

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday that would grant Washington, D.C., statehood. The bill, which will almost certainly die upon reaching the Republican-led Senate, was passed 232-180 on nearly exact party lines. Though Democrats say making D.C. a state would give much-needed representation to a district with more than 700,000 residents, Republicans say the bill could be a Democratic power-grab, since three-quarters of D.C. voters are registered Democrats. The bill would make much of D.C. its own state, but leave federal property like the White House and Capitol Hill under congressional jurisdiction. A similar bill was debated more than 25 years ago.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said the United States will impose visa restrictions on "current and former" Chinese Communist Party officials "believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy," although he did not name any of those targeted. The move comes before China begins a three-day parliamentary session Sunday during which a new national security law aimed at Hong Kong is expected to pass. The law has raised concern among Hong Kong's opposition movement, as well as the international community, that Beijing will severely curtail the city's freedoms. The Wall Street Journal reports that a series of recent U.S. actions, especially regarding Hong Kong, have angered China, and Beijing is quietly sending Washington a message that the sides' trade deal is at risk.

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that it would not require Texas to let all eligible voters vote by mail, a matter of intense national debate. As is typically the case for emergency application rulings, no reasons were provided in the brief order, and there were no noted dissents. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, however, did issue a statement saying she hopes "the court of appeals will consider the merits of the legal issues in this case well in advance of the November election," but that an emergency request was not the right time to consider "the weighty but seemingly novel questions." The Texas Democratic Party had requested the court reinstate a district judge's order requiring state officials to allow all voters to submit their ballots by mail.

American intelligence officials have informed President Trump that they believe Russia's military intelligence agency has secretly been offering bounties to Taliban or Taliban-linked militants for the killing of American troops in Afghanistan, according to an explosive Friday report in The New York Times. Trump was reportedly first briefed on the findings in late March, although he has not yet acted in response. Islamist militants are reportedly believed to have collected bounty money from Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, although it's not clear which American deaths, or how many, are suspected to be linked. The involvement would be "a huge escalation of Russia's so-called hybrid war" against the U.S., writes the Times, and would also be "the first time the Russian spy unit was known to have orchestrated attacks on Western troops."

Several companies, including Coca-Cola (which said it would cease running ads on all social media platforms for at least 30 days), have pulled advertising from Facebook's network — handing Mark Zuckerburg $7.2 billion in losses — as part of a boycott over what critics consider the platform's failure to police hate speech and disinformation. Shares of the company fell by 8.3 percent on Friday, eliminating $56 billion from Facebook's market value. The departure of Unilever, one of the world's largest advertisers, played a big role in the hit. Zuckerburg responded to criticism Friday by announcing Facebook would put a warning label on all posts that break its rules but are considered newsworthy, providing no exceptions for politicians, including President Trump.

The Minneapolis City Council on Friday advanced a proposal to change the city charter to allow the dismantling of the police department after a unanimous vote. The Minneapolis Police Department has been under severe scrutiny following the killing of George Floyd, whose death while in police custody set off nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. The 12-0 vote is a first step in the council's plan to transform the city's law enforcement, thought the process won't be easy. The proposal is expected to face several bureaucratic obstacles, and Minneapolis voters, many of whom have expressed concern over a recent increase in shootings in the city, will have the final say. Still, the council members say they are determined to see the process through.

Beginning next week, American Airlines will resume fully booking flights after having reserved half its middle seats in economy since April to better enforce social distancing. "As more people continue to travel, customers may notice that flights are booked to capacity starting July 1," the airline said in a Friday statement. "American will continue to notify customers and allow them to move to more open flights when available, all without incurring any cost." The move comes after the United States experienced back-to-back record-high caseloads of coronavirus this week. American Airlines will join United and Spirit, which are already booking flights to capacity. Southwest, Delta, and JetBlue, meanwhile, are still restricting the number of seats for sale, and Southwest committed to do so through at least Sept. 30.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.