promoearn: 'Time for America to examine our tragic failures'

Wednesday, June 3

People raise their hands and shout slogans as they protest at the makeshift memorial in honour of George Floyd, on June 2, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

'Time for America to examine our tragic failures'

New charges in George Floyd's death. Trump bans China flights to the US. It's Wednesday's news.

All police officers tied to George Floyd's death will face charges. Hydroxychloroquine doesn't prevent coronavirus. And somehow, someway, America was able to hold primary elections yesterday.

It's Ashley with the news to know.

But first, it started with a "counterfeit" bill: A $20 bill with ink reportedly running launched the arrest and death of George Floyd. Here's everything we know about that bill.

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New charges in George Floyd's death

All four police officers tied to the killing of George Floyd will now face charges for an incident that has sparked nationwide protests over police brutality and racial inequality. Charges against Derek Chauvin, the officer seen with his knee on Floyd's neck before he died in custody, have been elevated to second-degree murder, according to court documents. The three officers who witnessed it happening will be charged with aiding and abetting. Floyd's family attorney Benjamin Crump called the additional charges "bittersweet."

'How do we end systemic racism in our society'

Former President George W. Bush called Tuesday for peace and empathy following Floyd's "brutal suffocation," and declared it was "time for America to examine our tragic failures." In a rare public statement, Bush said Floyd's death follows a "long series of similar tragedies" and "raises a long overdue question: How do we end systemic racism in our society?"

'I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act'

The secretary of defense opposes using the U.S. military to quiet domestic unrest – breaking with President Donald Trump who has threatened to deploy federal troops to "dominate" the streets. "The option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire situations," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday.

David McAtee: Police release videos they say show he fired a gun

Louisville, Kentucky, police officials released video footage that they say shows popular barbecue chef David McAtee firing a gun before officers shot and killed him on Monday. But officials acknowledged the video footage of several security cameras "does not answer every question" about the sequence of events that cost McAtee his life.

Rev. Susan Wilder of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Va., prays at the police line, with a Bureau of Prisons Special Operations Response Team member, as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Wednesday, June 3, 2020, near the White House in Washington.

Alex Brandon, AP

What everyone's talking about

•	As Floyd's death sparks anger and hopelessness, one ex-NFL star urges us to fight the system.
•	Tear gas vs. pepper spray. The debate over methods used to clear Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C, turns political.
•	Phoenix's Jeri Williams is one of the nation's few black female police chiefs. She says George Floyd's death was "disgustingly horrific."
•	What small business owners can do to be community allies in a time of protest.
•	George Floyd's family lawyer Ben Crump has often been the man beside the mourners.
•	Seth Rogen and Ashton Kutcher fire back at "All Lives Matter" comments: "You don't deserve my movies."
•	Trump says he went to an underground bunker in the White House to inspect it, not because of protests.

So much for hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxychloroquine, the drug taken by Trump to ward off COVID-19, doesn't prevent coronavirus, according to a new study. The new study by the University of Minnesota showed hydroxychloroquine wasn't better than a placebo at preventing the development of COVID-19 in someone who was exposed to coronavirus. Doctors had used the drug extensively in the early days of the pandemic, largely based on promising research in test tubes and a French study that was later debunked.

•	Trump "remains healthy." At least according to his annual physical.
•	The nation's leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said he's "cautiously optimistic" about a coronavirus vaccine but is concerned about how long that protection could last.

Planning a trip to China? Flying there might be an issue

The Trump administration is banning flights from China to the United States as tensions rise between the two countries over the coronavirus and Hong Kong. The order, which takes effect June 16, stems from Beijing's refusal to allow U.S. carriers to resume flying to China. The Trump administration's latest move comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, which some have warned amount to a new "cold war" between the world's two largest economies.

Real quick

•	Ex-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a key player in the sprawling Russia investigation, defended his oversight of the probe but acknowledged flaws in the surveillance process.
•	Johnny Majors, a legendary coach for the Tennessee football team and member of the College Football Hall of Fame, has died at 85.
•	Unemployment: Nearly 2 million more Americans likely filed jobless claims but COVID-19 layoffs are easing.
•	Face masks are leaving an imprint on politics, culture and industry. They have also led to lawsuits, assaults and police intervention.
•	AMC, the world's largest movie theater chain, said it may not survive the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden's inching toward the Democratic crown

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests against systemic racism, there was still an election on Tuesday. And it brought big wins, albeit expected, for former Vice President Joe Biden. He's now just inches away from meeting the 1,991 delegate threshold to be the Democratic nominee (he's got about 100 more to go). Here are other key takeaways from Tuesday night:

•	Republican voters ousted U.S. Rep. Steve King, delivering an end the two decades of controversy he brought to his heavily conservative district. King had been criticized by both sides of the aisle for his controversial statements about race, questioning how "White nationalist, white supremacist " became offensive terminology.
•	Ella Jones became the first African American and the first woman elected mayor in Ferguson, Missouri, nearly six years after protests erupted in the city over the death of Michael Brown, a black teenager shot and killed by a white police officer.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden promises a female running mate.

Alex Brandon, AP

A break from the news

•	Cooking during coronavirus? Best substitutes for recipe ingredients such as milk, eggs, or oil.
•	Book worms, which popular e-book reading app is right for you?
•	The best new TV shows and movies to stream on Netflix in June, from "Hannibal" to "Lady Bird."

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.