promoearn: John Lewis, the 'conscience of the Congress'

Sunday, July 19

Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Coronavirus is splitting America in two economically. A riot is declared in Portland as the state AG sues federal agencies over arrest tactics. Here's the weekend's biggest news.

Remembering John Lewis

Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, diagnosed last December with pancreatic cancer, died Friday at the age of 80 . Lewis was born the child of Alabama sharecroppers and became the youngest of the "Big Six" leaders who spoke at the March on Washington in 1963. By the time he died, he was the elder statesman for a new generation of racial protests fueled by outrage over the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed Black men by police. He was "a biblical figure," said historian Jon Meacham, author of a biography about Lewis being published this fall. Many called him "the conscience of the Congress."

Former President Barack Obama said Saturday that he hugged Lewis at his inauguration in 2009 and "told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made." Lewis "loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise," Obama wrote.

•	"Get in good trouble, necessary trouble": A collection of Lewis' most powerful quotes.
•	Photos spanning the last of the Jim Crow era to the Black Lives Matter movement show Lewis' unwavering dedication to ensuring justice for all.

COVID-19 infections continue to mount

A fast-rising tide of new coronavirus cases is flooding emergency rooms in parts of the United States. Pope Francis said the pandemic shows "no signs of coming to an end." And the world hit yet another startling milestone on Saturday as the global death toll surpassed 600,000.

The latest:

•	At least 16 states set a record number of cases in one week and four had their highest ever death tolls, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data shows. The World Health Organization again reported a single-day record of new infections: 259,848.
•	The coronavirus recession has split America in two. One hopes for an extension of federal unemployment and stimulus. The other is saving and spending.
•	"I'll be right eventually": President Donald Trump defended his performance in an interview broadcast Sunday – including his past claim that the coronavirus will simply "disappear."
•	Labs are performing more COVID-19 tests than ever. Lab workers are strained. States are bidding against one another for the same limited supplies. But a lack of federal planning is leading to coronavirus testing delays.

🎧: We're featuring six audio stories from the Corona Diaries global project about how caretakers are adopting new summer lifestyles amid coronavirus restrictions.

A man wearing a facemask checks his phone near a sign urging people not to gather, while he walks on the beach in Long Beach, Calif. on July 14, 2020. California's Governor Gavin Newsom announced a significant rollback of the state's reopening plan on July 13, 2020 as coronavirus cases soared across America's richest and most populous state.

APU GOMES, AFP via Getty Images

Real quick

•	A petition asks Trader Joe's to remove "racist packaging" from its ethnic food products, following moves by other brands.
•	Since May, four people have died and 26 have been hospitalized in Arizona after ingesting tainted hand sanitizer with methanol.
•	Polls show Donald Trump's advantage over Joe Biden on the economy evaporates as coronavirus cases climb.
•	Three Florida men were fatally beaten and shot while on their way to fish late Friday. Investigators believe more than one person was involved in the killings.
•	Supporting the Black Lives Matter movement isn't partisan or political, says the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency.
•	Fact check: Yes, Joe Biden botched stats on the coronavirus and gun deaths.
•	"It's propaganda": Anti-mask crowd rallies at Ohio capital, derides doctors and claims government overreach.

Oregon AG sues federal agencies over Portland arrests

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is suing multiple federal agencies, saying that agents in unmarked vehicles have grabbed people off Portland's streets without a warrant . The lawsuit, filed Friday in Oregon U.S. District Court, says the agents violated the civil rights of Oregon residents using unlawful tactics. Rosenblum's complaint says such tactics could lead a person to reasonably believe they are being kidnapped and that the fear and violence in downtown Portland is driven by federal law enforcement and that tactics need to change. It asks the court to require federal agents to identify themselves and their agency before conducting an arrest and give an explanation to any person being detained for the arrest.

The Democratic chairs of three House committees are calling for the inspectors general for the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to investigate the use of force by federal law enforcement officers against anti-police brutality protesters.

•	Portland police declared a Saturday night gathering a riot after hundreds of demonstrators started dumpster fires as well as broke into a building and set it ablaze. Photos and videos shared on social media by reporters and bystanders show police using tear gas to help clear the area.

Protesters gather during a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, Thursday, July 16, 2020. Federal officers deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal rounds into a crowd of protesters late Thursday. The actions came just hours after the head of the Department of Homeland Security called the protesters "violent anarchists."

Beth Nakamura, AP

13 people wounded in Peoria, Illinois; multiple shooters involved

Thirteen people were wounded early Sunday during a gunfight between groups that involved multiple shooters on the Riverfront in Peoria, Illinois . Peoria Police Department spokesperson Amy Dotson said none of the injuries were considered to be life-threatening. Officers responding to the incident at about 4:42 a.m. local time found a gathering of about 200 people, Dotson said. When asked if the groups were gangs, Dotson said it was "groups of people fighting." No arrests have been made, and the investigation is continuing.

Weekend reading 🗞️

Activists across the United States are having serious conversations about how to reimagine policing in the wake of George Floyd's death. Hard work lies ahead, but this moment for reform could reshape Black communities for generations.

Nearly 40 places of worship and religious events have been linked to more than 650 U.S. cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began. As churches reopen, outbreaks are sprouting and some are keeping doors shut: "We have to figure out how to worship in safer ways."

President Donald Trump's attacks on presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's mental fitness are an integral part of the president's re-election message. But analysts have raised questions on whether Trump's strategy of focusing on the former vice president's age is backfiring with a key demographic – seniors.

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This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press.