10 things you need to know today: September 6, 2020

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1. Protests continue in Portland, Hong Kong, Belarus, Israel
2. Harris predicts scientists, health experts won't have last word on vaccine efficacy
3. 1 dead, 7 injured in U.K. stabbings as police hunt suspect
4. New York AG to set up grand jury in Daniel Prude case
5. Jacob Blake shares video message from hospital bed
6. Rescue efforts continue for campers trapped by California fire
7. Germany suggests it could rethink joint pipeline if Russia doesn't support Navalny investigation
8. Japan braces for forceful typhoon
9. Several boats sink during Trump parade, no injuries reported
10. Authentic wins fan-less Kentucky Derby

published 6 September 2020

1. Protests continue in Portland, Hong Kong, Belarus, Israel

A myriad of protests continued or are set to continue this weekend both in the United States and across the world. In Portland, Oregon, demonstrations against police brutality continued for the 100th consecutive day. Portland police declared a riot Saturday night after protesters hurled Molotov cocktails in the street, sparking a fire. In Hong Kong, demonstrators returned to the street Sunday to protest the city's Beijing-imposed national security law and the government's decision to delay Legislative Council elections for a year. At least 90 people were arrested. Meanwhile, thousands of Israelis on Saturday again gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence, calling for his resignation over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and corruption charges. And, in Belarus on Sunday, despite a show of force from authorities, protesters set out to pressure President Alexander Lukashenko to step down after his disputed re-election.

In an interview with CNN's Dana Bash that's set to air Sunday, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic vice presidential nominee, was asked if she would receive a coronavirus vaccine approved before the November election. Harris responded by saying she "would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about." The senator added that she doesn't think scientists and public health experts will have the last word on a vaccine's efficacy. "If past is prologue than they will not, they'll be muzzled, they'll be suppressed, they will be sidelined," she said. "Because [Trump's] looking at an election coming up in less than 60 days and he's grasping to get whatever he can to pretend he has been a leader on this issue when he is not."

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One man was killed and five people were injured after a series of stabbings in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the early hours of Sunday morning. A lot of uncertainty remains, but police said they are still hunting a single suspect. Authorities also said the stabbings do not appear to be terrorism or gang related, adding that there were no links between the victims. But they did declare a "major incident," which describes any situation involving serious harm or a security risk to the public and means special arrangements are in place for all emergency services to work together.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Saturday that she would set up a grand jury to consider evidence in the death of Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man who suffocated in Rochester, New York, after police officers placed a hood over his head and pinned him to the ground during an arrest in March. Prude's family has accused officials of trying to cover up the death, and protests have erupted in Rochester since the case garnered public's attention last week. The county medical examiner determined the death a homicide caused by asphyxiation in a prone position, but police treated the death as a drug overdose for months, pointing to PCP found in Prude's system. Now, James says, her office, which became aware of Prude's death in April, "will immediately move to empanel a grand jury as part of our exhaustive investigation into this matter."

Jacob Blake delivered a video message to the public from his hospital bed Saturday night as he recovers from injuries he sustained after he was shot seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August. The shooting left Blake paralyzed from the waist down. In the video, which was posted to twitter by Blake's attorney Ben Crump, Blake said he has staples in his stomach and back and is in constant pain, noting it hurts to breathe, sleep, eat, and move side to side. "You do not want to have to deal with this," he said, noting that his case exemplifies how people's lives can be drastically altered in an instant. He went on to urge people to "change your lives out there" and "stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people."

At least 63 of the more than 150 people trapped by a massive, fast-spreading fire near the Mammoth Pool Reservoir about 50 miles south of Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra National Forest, have been rescued by military helicopter. Two of the people airlifted were reportedly severely injured, 10 were moderately injured, and 51 had minor or no injuries. Aircraft are reportedly continuing rescue operations. Remaining campers were reportedly unharmed as of Saturday and have been told to shelter in place until fire crews are able to gain access to the site and "make that escape route nice and safe for them." The Creek Fire began Saturday morning and, by evening, had grown to an estimated 36,000 acres.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas suggested Sunday that if Moscow does not support Berlin's investigation into the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Germany could be forced "to change our position regarding the Nord Stream 2" pipeline, a structure being built under the Black Sea that would deliver Russian gas directly to Germany, bypassing Ukraine. It wasn't a direct threat, and Maas acknowledged halting construction would also harm German companies, but it did show a willingness on behalf of Berlin to pressure the Kremlin through targeted sanctions. Meanwhile, British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab on Sunday said Russia "has a very serious set of questions to answer" about the poisoning. Navalny is a leading critic of President Vladimir Putin, and German authorities have said tests showed he was poisoned last month, but the Kremlin has denied allegations that it was state-sponsored.

Typhoon Haishen neared Japan's mainland Sunday, weakening somewhat as it shifted further west out to sea, but it reportedly remains a forceful storm, bringing with it heavy rain, storm surges, and triple-digit winds. Record rainfall is expected, and landslides and flooding remain threats. The typhoon was headed toward Japan's Kyushu region Sunday evening, and authorities have issued evacuation advisories for more than 7 million residents. After Japan, Haishen is expected to make landfall in South Korea on Monday, prompting the country to raise its typhoon warning to the highest level. The region just days ago experienced one of its strongest typhoons in years, when the storm Maysak hit.

Several boats sank on Lake Travis near Austin, Texas, on Saturday, authorities said. The vessels were out on the lake for an event billed as a "Trump Boat Parade" in which boaters displayed their support for President Trump. The Travis County Sheriff's Office confirmed they responded to "multiple distress calls" on the lake, adding that "a few boats have sunk." There were no injuries or medical emergencies. Audio recordings suggest "very rough" conditions preceded the incident and at least three boats sunk in the span of 30 minutes. The sheriff's office said it remains unclear how many boats went under, how many were towed, and how many people needed rescuing because other boaters on the lake helped out before first responders arrived.

Authentic won the 146th Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The iconic race was initially scheduled for its traditional date, the first Saturday in May, but was postponed until September because of the coronavirus pandemic, which also meant there were no fans in the stands, the first time the race was run without spectators in its long history. Authentic's victory was considered an upset — the favorite, Tiz the Law, won the Belmont Stakes in June, but it was Authentic who pulled away in the final stretch this time. Tiz the Law finished second, so there will be no Triple Crown winner this year. Authentic was trained by Bob Baffert, who has now trained six horses that won the Kentucky Derby, tying the all-time record. The last remaining Triple Crown race, the Preakness Stakes, will take place in Baltimore on Oct. 3.

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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.