WHAT'S BREWING
VIDEO SHOWS NYPD COP PULLING PROTESTER INTO UNMARKED VAN The New York City Police Department has come under scrutiny after videos showed officers pulling a protester into an unmarked van during a demonstration Tuesday in Manhattan against racism and police brutality. Gothamist, citing the protester’s friends, identified her as an 18-year-old transgender woman. Videos shared on social media show the demonstrator being restrained by several NYPD officers before being pulled into the van. “They grabbed [her] like she was rag doll,” a witness said. “They had her arms on her neck and then they drove off.” [HuffPost]
FAUCI RESPONDS TO TRUMP TWEET CLAIMING HE'D MISLED PUBLIC Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, denied misleading the public “under any circumstances” after Trump retweeted a claim that he had done so. Fauci, appearing on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” was confronted with Trump’s apparent endorsement of criticism of his failure to endorse the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment. Trump has repeatedly touted the drug ― and claimed to be taking it himself ― although studies suggest it is ineffective and has potentially serious side effects. [HuffPost]
BIDEN SAYS HE'LL CHOOSE HIS RUNNING MATE NEXT WEEK Joe Biden said he’ll be making a long-anticipated announcement next week: The naming of a running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket he will head. After detailing in Wilmington, Delaware, his plan to combat racial inequality, the presumptive nominee told reporters he is “going to have a choice the first week in August, and I promise I’ll let you know when I do.” Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois are among those reportedly on Biden’s shortlist. [HuffPost]
RUSSIAN OPERATIVES SPREADING CORONAVIRUS DISINFO Russian intelligence operatives are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November. Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow’s military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort directed at American and Western audiences, U.S. government officials said. Meanwhile, here's how quack doctors and GOP operatives also contribute to the spread of misinformation. [AP]
TRUMP CLINGS TO UNPROVEN TREATMENTS Trump’s press conference quickly unraveled on Tuesday as he struggled to defend a video he’d retweeted that is full of false claims about the coronavirus and complained about his low approval rating. Reporters asked Trump repeated questions about his continued support for hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment a day after he retweeted several conspiracy theories about the drug. Multiple clinical trials have found hydroxychloroquine ineffective and dangerous. Trump abruptly ended the briefing after questions about a doctor in his retweeted video, who has a history of claiming a uterine disorder is caused by "demon sperm."[HuffPost]
REPUBLICANS REALLY WANT TO BLOCK YOU FROM SUING OVER COVID-19 The latest stimulus package proposed by Senate Republicans to address the coronavirus pandemic would dramatically limit the ability of consumers and workers to sue corporations that fail to protect them from the disease. The GOP effort to grant businesses, schools and hospitals special liability protections is so extreme that consumer and worker advocates say it would do more than just hinder access to the courts ― it would undercut one of the main incentives companies have for trying to limit the spread of the virus. [HuffPost] | 
