presidential daily brief

It’s a tale of two pandemics. At a White House briefing Friday, immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci outlined dire times that have led Texas and Florida to backtrack on reopening. That includes 45,000 new daily cases reported Friday — the third record-setting day in a row. Arizona’s governor isn’t reversing loosened restrictions despite surging infections, especially among younger residents, whom federal health officials are urging to get tested and observe precautions to protect more vulnerable Americans. At the same White House briefing, Vice President Mike Pence saw the glass as half-full, noting “remarkable progress,” with every state “opening up, safely and responsibly.”

As state and local governments grapple with police brutality and racism, President Donald Trump also took action Friday. He signed an executive order to withhold federal funding from local governments that don’t stop statue desecration, such as demonstrators’ unsuccessful effort last weekend to remove a bronze depiction of Andrew Jackson, perhaps Trump’s favorite slaveowning president, across from the White House. Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, where George Floyd’s killing by police sparked national upheaval, the City Council unanimously passed a charter amendment abolishing the police department, subject to approval by voters in November.

OZY profiles an educator fighting slavery’s classroom legacy.

Vladimir Putin wants to win the ongoing constitutional referendum so badly that voters are getting chances to win cars and apartments. While Election Day is Wednesday, polls opened last Thursday to allow voters time and space to distance. The prize? Only the most significant package of constitutional changes since the fall of the Soviet Union. In theory, it means Putin could remain in power until 2036; in practice, however, there’s no guarantee that a president tarnished by the ravages of the pandemic will be able to win when his name is once again on the ballot.

When the first COVID-19 case surfaced in Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, epidemiologists had cause for alarm. Nearly 1 million people live within 1 square mile, so social distancing is virtually impossible. But after authorities found 1,216 infections in May, Dharavi saw only 274 cases and six deaths in the first two weeks of June. It’s a miracle, some say, but it’s also policy, like Mumbai authorities collaborating with private health care workers to organize facilities in schools and even marriage halls, where more than 9,500 people have been quarantined.

Read OZY’s profile of the doctor who brought testing to Philadelphia’s disadvantaged.

For the first time in history, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved statehood for Washington, D.C. — virtually certain to be rejected in the Senate. Three Irish political parties have agreed to form a governing coalition with Micheál Martin as prime minister. And The Simpsons will no longer use white voice actors for Black characters.

In the week ahead: On Sunday, Polish President Andrzej Duda is up for reelection, facing a challenger who’s surging in polls. Four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd will make their second court appearance Monday. And on Wednesday, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaces the NAFTA trade agreement, goes into effect.

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The foe was formidable: Mark Zuckerberg’s empire stretches farther than Alexander could have imagined. But as anti-racism demonstrations heated up, a band of unlikely rebels emerged: North Face, then Patagonia and REI stopped buying Facebook ads. “The stakes are just too high to sit back,” Patagonia’s marketing head explained, and continue feeding superspreaders of fear, hate and disinformation. But what can a ragtag force of niche market retailers accomplish? For one, recruiting others: By Friday, wireless giant Verizon was among 90 businesses joining #StopHateForProfit before Zuckerberg relented, tagging posts — even from politicians — that incite violence, suppress voting or otherwise cause harm.

After the Cold War, makers of some of mankind’s scariest munitions were repurposed by the U.S. Department of Defense to support public health initiatives (while securing biological weapons). Now controlled by local governments, the labs fighting the pandemic are spawning these nations’ own Anthony Faucis and returning test results in hours — factors that have helped flatten the curve from the Black Sea to the Hindu Kush. But Russia resents and mercilessly trolls them, accusing them of such things as creating the coronavirus, writes Eurasia expert Paul Stronski, reminding Americans that soft power isn’t a sign of weakness.

OZY checks out Russia’s designs on Singapore.

Having stared down the mortal danger of twitchy trigger fingers attached to Oklahoma’s and California’s finest, OZY Editor-at-Large Eugene Robinson decided to ask the experts WTF, but politely. Clearly there are some bad apples, says one. “But are racist cops the problem? Nope.” You can’t blame just them, these scholars say, not when politicians’ palms are greased by police unions, prosecutors are driven by conviction rates and judgeships are chips in high-stakes political poker. Reforming the system should start with social workers, not police in schools — and fellow officers empowered to jump in when somebody says, “I can’t breathe.”

Dozens of testimonials from women are shaking the Twitch world, with some of the platform’s beloved streamers and management figures accused of sexual misconduct and harassment. Some allegations are severe, including sexual assault claims against Tom “Syndicate” Cassell, who has 3 million followers (he has denied the accusations). Other denials, explanations and apologies have followed, but female streamers maintain that the macho culture has kept them out of the community and destroyed careers. Twitch has announced it will conduct an investigation while cooperating with law enforcement and thanked the women for coming forward.

OZY tunes in to the Black women taking on Twitch.

“I’m tired.” That explanation from star Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill summed up what many felt going into this weekend’s battle over the state’s flag. Amid an ongoing anti-racism movement, the NCAA banned all tournaments at state schools — cash cows in their impoverished areas — while key athletes including Hill said they’d quit the state’s beloved programs if the Confederate battle emblem, added 125 years ago to reject Reconstruction-era Black empowerment, remained among the Magnolia State’s colors. Legislators seeking removal announced Friday that they had enough support for a vote that’s expected today.

OZY examines how college sports fail Black athletes.