MPR News PM Update
June 8, 2020

Cooler but stormy. The hot, steamy weather is taking a break for a few days. Highs tomorrow will be in the mid-60s in northwestern Minnesota to the lower 80s in southeast. Thunderstorms with heavy rain are expected tonight in the northern half of Minnesota, and statewide by tomorrow afternoon.


What does “defunding the police” actually mean? In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, protesters across the U.S. are calling for defunding the police, and on Sunday, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council indicated support for dismantling the city's Police Department.

Supporters say, however, “defund the police” isn’t about eliminating police departments or stripping agencies of all of their money -- it’s about pushing the country to address systemic problems in policing. 

COVID-19 in Minnesota today: 28,224 cases confirmed; another in 20s with no underlying condition died. State health officials on Monday reported 338 new lab-confirmed cases and 11 new deaths tied to COVID-19 -- including one Minnesotan in their 20s with no underlying conditions -- bringing the total death toll to 1,197. Meanwhile, total current hospitalizations were roughly steady and the daily count of people needing intensive care dipped to 198, the lowest it’s been in nearly a month.

With the Canada-U.S. border closed amid pandemic, residents of Minnesota’s Northwest Angle isolated, struggling. In the Northwest Angle of Minnesota, where tourism and angling are the primary source of income for many residents, the pandemic has made the already-isolated community more isolated as the border crossings between the U.S. and Canada remain closed. With the main door to the Angle shut, resorts are still empty and residents struggle to maintain their businesses. 

— Jiwon Choi, MPR News
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In Minneapolis, rage over George Floyd extends beyond cops
To truly understand the rage people in this city felt as they watched a video of George Floyd begging, gasping and slowly succumbing beneath the weight of a police officer’s knee, it’s necessary to step back in time.
 
Floyd killing: Judge sets Chauvin bail at $1.25M
Derek Chauvin was seen on video kneeling on George Floyd’s neck as the prone, handcuffed man pleaded for air. Chauvin was fired from the Minneapolis police force, arrested days later and charged with murder.

Thursday: Bail set at $1M for 3 cops charged in Floyd’s killing
 
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Some Minneapolis activists doubt disbanding police will work
Dismantling an entire department is exceedingly rare. It was done in Camden, N.J. and was talked about — though ultimately discarded — in Ferguson, Mo. Such a move comes with legal issues, including a city charter that stipulates a police force, plus a union-protected workforce.
 
Democrats unveil police reform legislation amid protests nationwide
In the wake of national protests following the police killing of George Floyd, House and Senate Democrats unveiled legislation on Monday that would bring about wide-ranging reforms to police departments across the country.
 
It's official: Scorekeepers say U.S. economy is in a recession
The committee tasked with marking U.S. business cycles says the economy peaked in February, and has since been in a recession triggered by the pandemic. But it said the recession could be short-lived.

Déjà vu for millennials: Staring at the 2nd recession of their adult lives
 
Can tear gas and pepper spray increase virus spread?
There’s no research yet on riot control agents and COVID-19. But a former Army officer who studied tear gas and other respiratory infections says it's plausible that the chemical irritants heighten the danger of spreading the virus.  
 
After looting and damage, north Minneapolis clinic seeks larger justice
As the Broadway Family Medicine Clinic partially reopened to patients Monday, physicians and other staff are focusing on repairing the damage and creating something even bigger — an effort to bring real systemic change that they hope will benefit their African American patients. 
 
St. Paul school board chair Marny Xiong dies from COVID-19
"We prepared a celebration for her return and waited, and waited but she never came home," Xiong's family said in a statement posted online. "We prayed and prayed for a miracle but none was granted."

Parting Thoughts: Remembering lives lost to COVID-19
 

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