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NEED TO KNOW

Senate Targets Confederate-Named Bases

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved an amendment yesterday requiring the Pentagon to rename military bases currently named after Confederate Civil War leaders. The 25-2 vote puts the Republican-led committee on a collision course with President Trump, who said yesterday that renaming the bases would damage their historical legacy, calling the issue a nonstarter.

The amendment was attached to the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill that sets funding levels and establishes military priorities. Because of its importance (see background), Congress has passed the bill every year since 1961—a fact that also makes it hard, but not impossible, to veto. The marked-up bill must still be passed by the committee and the full Senate, and approved by the House, before heading to the president. 

The push to rename the bases—of which there are 10—is one of a number of spillover effects from the nationwide upheaval catalyzed by the death of George Floyd. 

Seattle Protesters Dig In

A self-enforced "no police" area in downtown Seattle stretched into its fourth day today, raising questions ($$, Seattle Times) for local officials on how to handle the escalating situation. Spanning a six-block area in the Capitol Hill area, the declared autonomous zone—referred to as the CHAZ—sprung into existence after protestors forced police out of the city's East Precinct.

While the long-term strategy is unclear, ongoing demonstrations for police reform have dominated activities so far. Some fear an imminent crackdown on protestors, though Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) has resisted calls for force, pushing to deescalate the standoff. See photos from the zone here.

Separately, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed regret for accompanying the president to St. John's Church amid a protest in Washington, DC's Lafayette Square last week. Milley said the optics comprised the apolitical role of the US military. Watch his address here.

Unemployment Falls, but Markets Plunge

Nearly 1.55 million Americans made initial unemployment claims last week, less than the 1.9 million expected by analysts and a drop of more than 350,000 from the previous week. While the number of new claims made during the pandemic now exceeds 44 million, continuing claims—workers who have been collecting benefits for at least two weeks, a clearer picture of current unemployment—fell to just under 21 million. See a primer on how different types of unemployment are defined. 

Despite the gradually improving economic picture, markets took a nosedive yesterday. The Dow plunged 1,810 points (-6.7%), followed by the S&P 500 (-5.7%) and the Nasdaq (-5.3%). Oil prices also tumbled, down 8%. Analysts said the fall was largely fueled by fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections. Cases are rising in about half of US states, with spikes in Arizona, North Carolina, and Texas. Officials say the increases are a combination of relaxed restrictions, localized outbreaks, and more testing. See a comparison of daily case count in each state compared to their reopening status. 

The US has reported 2 million total cases, with 113,820 deaths, as of this morning. Deaths rose less than 1% since yesterday; see a rolling three-day average here. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Lady Antebellum, seven-time Grammy-winning country band, changes name to Lady A in response to Black Lives Matter movement (More)

> Sony unveils the long-awaited PlayStation 5, which is set to be released later this year; see full specs and design (More)

> LeBron James launches “More Than a Vote,” a nonprofit organization to protect minority voting rights (More) | NFL pledges $250M over 10 years to combat systemic racism (More)

Science & Technology

> Doctors perform the first double lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient; surgeons say the surgery, only feasible for a small number of severely ill patients, saved the life of a Chicago woman in her 20s (More)

> Astronauts create the exotic quantum state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate aboard the International Space Station (More)

> Lab-grown cells mimic embryo-like structures, allowing researchers to study fetal development using artificial biological structures; organoids contain rudimentary heart and nervous system components (More)

Love data visualizations like us? Check out our friends at Chartr. They take some of the biggest news stories each week and create beautiful data visualizations around them. The result? Big insights in five minutes or less. Nothing is off the table if the data are interesting enough. More than 60,000 people are getting visual data-driven insights into business, technology, entertainment, and politics. Join them for free here.

Business & Markets

> Apple and YouTube both launch $100M racial equity initiatives to support black artists and causes (More)

> Microsoft will stop sales of facial recognition technology to US police departments, pausing until new laws provide adequate regulation in the space (More)

> Grocery delivery giant Instacart raises $225M at near $14B valuation amid rapid pandemic growth (More) | Facebook launching venture arm to invest in promising social apps (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Senate Judiciary Committee approves subpoena authority to gather testimony from more than 50 former Obama administration officials; measure is part of an investigation into the origins of the Robert Mueller Russia probe (More)

> Louisville, Kentucky passes "Breonna's Law," banning no-knock warrants in the city; law named after Breonna Taylor, killed when officers performed a midnight raid searching for two suspects who lived far from Taylor's home (More)

> Australian mining giant BHP to destroy at least 40 Aboriginal heritage sites, some up to 15,000 years old, to expand operations; plans have stoked public outrage across the country (More)

IN-DEPTH

We Are Asking the Police to Do Too Much

Code Switch | Leah Donnella. Police advocates and protesters rallying around calls to defund the police can agree on one thing: officers should not be the first and last resort for everything including noisy parties, mental health, homelessness, and more. (Read)

Editor's note: We're also reading this piece ($$, WashPo) on the challenges officers face when interceding when they feel another officer has crossed the line. 

The Breaking Point

The Atlantic | Wesley Lowery. George Floyd was the latest in a string of controversial police-involved deaths in Minneapolis that included Philando Castile and Justine Damond. Floyd was the breaking point for the city, and Minneapolis was the breaking point for America. (Read, $$)

Time to Explain Myself

JKRowling.com | JK Rowling. The "Harry Potter" author sparked controversy this week over comments that many in the LGBTQ community criticized as transphobic. Read as Rowling addresses the firestorm in her own words. (Read)

Editor's note: Read Rowling's original comments and why many say they are anti-trans here.

To Celebrate Loving Day

Ohio State/Origins | Jessica Viñas-Nelson. (From 2017) Today marks the anniversary of Loving v. Virginia in 1967, which made marriage a fundamental right for interracial couples (be sure to check out the image library here capturing the historical view of US attitudes). (Read)

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ETCETERA

How the coronavirus dented local commerce in major cities. 

Check out the Great Barrier Reef's stunning Museum of Underwater Art.

Wondering how clean the air is on airplanes? Read this.

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Twenty-two award-winning wedding photos. 

A stolen Banksy painting has been found in the Italian countryside.

Virtually ride some of the world's most beautiful train routes.

Invite a shelter pet to join your Zoom calls.

Thirty-foot beehive removed from Tennessee home.

Clickbait: Los Angeles school police to return grenade launchers, keep mine-resistance vehicles.

Historybook: 41st President George HW Bush born (1924); Anne Frank born (1929); Nelson Mandela sentenced to life in prison in South Africa (1964); President Ronald Reagan delivers famous "tear down this (Berlin) wall" speech (1987); 49 killed in mass shooting at nightclub in Orlando (2016).

"No one has ever become poor by giving."

- Anne Frank

You made it. Have a great weekend.

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