Bloomberg

While Hong Kong policearrested protestors demanding a total break from China, mainland investors were scooping up stocks in the financial hub. Beijing’s plan to impose an authoritarian security law on the former British outpost has reinvigorated democracy demonstrations that had been tamped down by the Covid-19 pandemic. On the streets, the chant was “Hong Kong independence, the only way out!” —David E. Rovella

Bloomberg is mapping the pandemic globally and across America. For the latest news, sign up for our Covid-19 podcast and daily newsletter.

Here are today’s top stories

More than 100,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus, more than were killed in the Korean and Vietnam wars combined.The scourge is now poised to crush Latin America. U.S. companies have laid off or fired tens of millions of workers because of the pandemic. For those still with a job, employers are now slashing salaries, making any prospect for a quick recovery that much more unlikely.

The European Commission unveiled an unprecedented rescue plan to tackle the worst recession in living memory, and provide help to Italy and Spain, the hardest hit of European nations.

Four Minneapolis police involved in the choking death of an unarmed black man were fired. They are also under state criminal and federal civil rights investigation. Derek Chauvin, seen in a video with his knee on George Floyd’s neck for five minutes, did nothing as Floyd pleaded that he could not breathe and later stopped moving.

While calls to fire one of Boris Johnson’s top aides reach a crescendo over allegations he flouted travel restrictions that have kept U.K. residents isolated, the prime minister said people should just “move on.” The aide, Dominic Cummings, has denied any hypocrisy in his 260 mile drive during lockdown to his parents’ home.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said he hopes to resume in-person events soon. Biden and his wife, wearing masks, made their first public appearance Monday when they laid a wreath at a veterans memorial in New Castle, Delaware. President Donald Trump, who has refused to wear a mask despite his own administration’s guidelines, mocked Biden’s mask on social media. Biden called Trump “a fool.”

After years of demands that it squash false, misleading or derogatory posts by its most famous user, Twitter finally rapped Trump’s knuckles. The company posted fact-checking under unsubstantiated claims Trump made about mail-in ballots, a growing trend among states fearful of Covid-19 and something Trump has said could badly hurt Republicans. Trump was not pleased, and threatened to shutter social media companies. That threat, like his earlier threat to force open houses of worship, is not within his power under existing U.S. law.

Sony is planning a digital event to showcase games for its next-generation PlayStation 5. It could take place as early as next week.

What you’ll need to know tomorrow

What you’ll want to read tonight in Businessweek

Pacific Paradise Sacrifices Economy for Safety

The coronavirus pandemic was spreading rapidly, so over the course of a weekend dozens of flights destined for the Cook Islands would be canceled, cruise ships banned and border restrictions imposed, making entry practically impossible. The strategy worked: The nation of 17,500 people has yet to record a single case of Covid-19.

Like Bloomberg’s Evening Briefing? Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access and get much, much more. You’ll receive our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.

How are global investors and financial regulators navigating the current financial landscape, and what’s on the horizon for global markets? Hear from U.S. Securities and Exchange Chairman Jay Clayton, Jenny Johnson of Franklin Templeton and David Hunt of PGIM on June 2 in the latest installment of our virtual series, Bloomberg Invest Talks.

Download the Bloomberg app:  It’s available for iOS and Android.

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. Learn more.