By Dan Donahue, NBC Nightly News |
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Good Friday afternoon. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
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Texas and Florida order bars to close as states break COVID-19 records |
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Texas abruptly ordered all bars to close by noon today, and will require restaurants to reduce their capacity to 50 percent starting Monday. |
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Gov. Greg Abbott announced the decision, a day after he paused the state’s reopening process. Texas also broke its single-day record on Thursday, with 5,996 new cases of coronavirus. |
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“At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars,” Abbott said in a statement. |
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It’s a significant setback for the state, which had allowed restaurants to begin reopening May 1, and bars to begin operating again on May 22. |
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Harris County, where Houston is located, has moved to a Level 1 red alert, warning of “severe and uncontrolled transmission of COVID-19.” Residents are advised to “stay home except for the most essential needs.” |
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Florida set its own single-day record today with a staggering 8,942 new cases. Effective immediately, the state has suspended on-site alcohol consumption at bars. |
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Sam Brock is reporting on the about-face in Texas, and Joe Fryer is covering the outbreak in the West, as California tops 200,000 cases. |
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What else we’re watching: |
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Golfer Denny McCarthy withdrew from the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship, after testing positive for COVID-19. He’s the sixth golfer to drop out over coronavirus concerns.Joe Biden said in an interview that if he is elected president, he would “would insist that everybody out in public be wearing that mask.”The Trump Administration has asked the Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare. If the justices agree, it could cost some 20 million Americans their health insurance coverage.The World Health Organization warned that rising cases in Europe could “push health systems to the brink once again” there.Russian hackers are targeting American companies by launching cyberattacks on employees working from home, The New York Times reported. |
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Coronavirus cases spike in Houston amid hospital capacity concerns |
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Pence defends Trump’s rallies in the middle of the pandemic |
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Vice President Mike Pence defended President Trump’s decision to hold indoor rallies amid the coronavirus pandemic against the advice of health experts, at the first White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing in 60 days. |
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“I want to remind you that freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States,” Pence told reporters. “Even in a health crisis, the American people don’t forfeit our Constitutional rights.” |
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When asked about the divide over wearing masks, Pence would only say that “people ought to listen to their state and local authorities” and that the federal government will “continue to reinforce that message.” |
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The Vice President acknowledged that cases are now rising “precipitously” in the South, with 16 states experiencing an increase in cases, but he added 34 states a seeing “a measure of stability.” |
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Pence said that roughly half of the new cases are Americans under the age of 35, which he called “encouraging news” because younger people are “less susceptible to serious” outcomes. |
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Pence also said he will travel to the hot spots of Texas on Sunday, Arizona on Tuesday, and Florida on Thursday to “get a ground report.” |
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Today marked the first task force briefing since April 27. The briefings were once a daily occurrence in March and April, often headlined by President Trump himself. |
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Trump was not present for today’s event. Instead, Pence led the briefing, joined by Redfield, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, and HHS Secretary Alex Azar. |
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Trump has canceled a weekend trip to his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, after Gov. Phil Murphy imposed a 14-day quarantine of travelers who’ve been to hot spots like Arizona, a state the president visited on Tuesday. |
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A White House spokesman said the decision to scrap the trip had “nothing to do” with New Jersey’s quarantine restrictions. |
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Geoff Bennett is at the White House for us tonight. |
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Pence defends Trump’s decision to hold rallies amid virus spread, cites right to assemble |
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Tucson police chief offers to resign after video shows man die in custody |
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On April 21, police were called to a home after the grandmother of Carlos Ingram-Lopez reported he was drunk, yelling, and running around naked, according to Chief Chris Magnus. |
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Ingram-Lopez ran from the officers, Magnus said, into a dark, enclosed garage, where they handcuffed him and placed him on the ground face down. |
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After the struggle to handcuff Ingram-Lopez, one officer used his knees and hands to hold down Ingram-Lopez, while another officer used his body weight to help detain him, according to an internal report. |
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Ingram-Lopez asked for water, and at one point said, “I can’t breathe,” according to the report. |
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The report said Ingram-Lopez had been in a prone position, with the officers “intermittently applying pressure to his torso and legs for approximately twelve minutes.” |
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Ingram-Lopez stopped moving or making noise, the report states, and officers began chest compressions before emergency medical personnel arrived. |
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The medical examiner’s office ruled Ingram-Lopez had died of sudden cardiac arrest while intoxicated by cocaine and physically restrained. |
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Three officers have resigned from the force following the deadly incident. A criminal investigation is underway, but no charges have been determined. |
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Chief Magnus offered his resignation on Wednesday, but Mayor Regina Romero said in a statement that she believes he should keep his job. |
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Miguel Almaguer is reporting on the case tonight. |
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Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app. |
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