1. Police Kill Suspect in Portland Shooting

Police had been tracking down Michael Reinoehl, 48, as a suspect in Saturday’s shooting of a right-wing activist in Portland, Oregon. But when they found him in Washington state, Reinoehl didn’t make it out alive. It’s unclear why police shot the suspect, though officials said four officers fired their weapons. Reinoehl, who described himself as antifa, had given an interview to Vice News earlier in the day where he admitted to the shooting but claimed it was self-defense. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a Portland police station, chanting slogans and accusing the officers of murder. 

Sources: NYT, BBC

2. Merkel Struggles to Respond to Alleged Poisoning

After German toxicology tests found that Russian activist Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok — a nerve agent considered a calling card of the Kremlin — Chancellor Angela Merkel is under pressure to cancel Nord Stream 2, a massive pipeline project that’s set to transport gas from Russia to Germany. Navalny is still in a coma but is reportedly improving in a Berlin hospital. Meanwhile, embattled Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed to have intercepted messages proving Germany’s accusations were fabricated to affect Putin’s support of Lukashenko’s regime, and Russia has opened its own investigation into what Merkel called “attempted murder.” 

Sources: Reuters, DW, FT (sub), The Guardian

3. Rochester Officers Suspended Over Death of Daniel Prude

In March, Rochester, New York, officers apprehending the distressed Black man used a controversial “spit hood” to subdue him — and he later died. Outrage grew after video of the incident emerged, and now seven officers have been suspended, while Mayor Lovely Warren apologized to Prude’s family and the community. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden met privately with the family of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and remains hospitalized. Biden has called for the officers who shot him to “at a minimum” be charged in the incident.

Sources: Washington Post, Reuters, The Guardian

4. Malaysia Drops Charges Against Goldman in 1MDB Scandal

Three units (and 17 current or former directors) at Goldman Sachs stood accused of taking part in a multibillion-dollar scandal involving mishandling of Malaysia’s state fund, known as 1MDB — an affair that’s already brought down former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison. But after the bank agreed to a $3.9 billion settlement, Malaysia dropped all the charges, including that Goldman units misled investors. Now the bank is hoping to reach a similar settlement over a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the same misconduct.    

Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, WSJ (sub)

5. Also Important …

Rescue teams are searching Beirut’s blast rubble after a pulsing signal that could be a human heartbeat was detected. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was admitted to the hospital with COVID-19. And e-cigarette pioneer Juul is reportedly planning to lay off more than half its workforce. 

Try it: Feeling presidential after a week of briefings? Prove it with the OZY News Quiz.

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1. Trump Denies Reports That He Called War Dead ‘Losers’

According to multiple reports, President Donald Trump canceled a 2018 visit to the burial ground of American dead in France because “it’s filled with losers.” Trump, who never served in the military and famously disparaged the war record of former POWs like John McCain, also allegedly asked to exclude wounded veterans from a military parade because “nobody wants to see that.” Trump lashed out after the stories were published, calling them an attempt to influence the election and saying “nobody” respects war dead more than he does. A recent poll of active-duty military found that about half had an unfavorable view of the president.

Sources: The Atlantic, Politico, AP, Military Times

2. Pandemic Disrupts African Drug Industry

Across the horn of Africa, euphoria-inducing khat leaves are the drug of choice: Ninety percent of adults in Somaliland chew khat, and 30 percent of the autonomous region’s GDP can be traced to the drug, OZY reports. Bans in the past have failed, despite allegations that the drug increases domestic violence and that khat addiction destroys lives. But pandemic-grounded planes have meant the only khat available is from smugglers, who charge such a markup that people are going without — and, some hope, turning over a new leaf. 

Source: OZY

3. History Professor Confesses to Pretending to Be Black

“I absolutely cancel myself.” So wrote Jessica Krug, an author and George Washington University professor who revealed to the world via a Medium post that she’s been pretending to be of African American heritage for most of her career despite growing up “a white Jewish child in surburban Kansas City.” Krug’s work as a historian focuses on the African diaspora. She referenced mental health issues to explain her yearslong deception, but said they “neither condone nor excuse” her behavior. Other academics on Twitter condemned Krug, saying she only confessed after her ruse was discovered.    

Sources: The Hill, Kansas City Star, Medium

4. ‘The Batman’ Postponed Over Star’s COVID-19 Diagnosis

Holy mandatory quarantine, Batman! The latest Caped Crusader, Robert Pattinson, has tested positive for coronavirus, according to multiple sources, forcing production of The Batman to temporarily shut down. Filming paused back in March and had only just resumed, making it a grand total of three days before having to lock down again. The film, scheduled for release in 2021, reportedly needs another three months of filming, and will also feature Paul Dano as The Riddler, Colin Farrell as The Penguin and Zoë Kravitz as a pre-Catwoman Selina Kyle.  

Sources: Vanity Fair, Deadline

5. Pressure on Kentucky Derby Over Lack of Diversity

It’s a race, but is it racist? Horse racing is among the least diverse sports in America, though before Jim Crow laws came in, Black jockeys were common and the first Kentucky Derby winner was a Black man. This year’s rescheduled event, set to run Saturday, includes only one horse owned by an African American man, Greg Harbut — who says he’s been called to boycott the race. Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter activists in Louisville, where Breonna Taylor was killed by police in her apartment, are calling on Churchill Downs to cancel the Derby to call attention to police brutality.  

Source: NYT, Louisville Courier-Journal