Day: June 17, 2020

911 Dispatcher Watching Floyd Death Alerted Police Supervisor of Incident

The Associated Press

A 911 dispatcher who was apparently watching in real time as a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into the neck of George Floyd called a supervisor to tell him what she saw, not caring if it made her look like a “snitch,” according to a recording of the call made public Monday.

In the call, the dispatcher calls a police sergeant and says what she was seeing on live video looked “different” and that she wanted to let him know about it. The dispatcher was in a 911 call center at the time and was watching video from a surveillance camera posted at the intersection where police apprehended Floyd, according to city spokesman Casper Hill.

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Commentary: The Silent Majority Will Support Trump Like It Did Nixon in 1972

Minnesota Sun Staff

“THE SILENT MAJORITY IS STRONGER THAN EVER!!!”

That was President Donald Trump’s analysis on Twitter of the current political climate in the U.S., likening it to the late 1960s and early 1970s — with radical antiwar and race riots — that helped propel Richard Nixon into the White House in 1968 and later helped engineer his 49-state sweep in his 1972 reelection bid.

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Stocks Rally Worldwide on Hopes for Coming Economic Recovery

The Associated Press

Stocks rose again Tuesday, part of a strong and worldwide rally for markets, after a big rebound in buying at U.S. stores and online raised hopes that the economy can escape its recession relatively quickly.

The S&P 500 climbed 1.9% for its third straight gain, bringing it back within 8% of its record set in February. Gains have built in recent weeks as reports bolster investor expectations that the worst of the downturn may have already passed.

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Used for Decades to Treat Cushing’s Syndrome, Dexamethasone Shows Promise Preventing Deadly COVID-19 Symptoms

The Associated Press

Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available steroid reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients.

The results were announced Tuesday and the British government immediately authorized the drug’s use across the United Kingdom for coronavirus patients like those who did well in the study. Researchers said they would publish results soon in a medical journal, and several independent experts said it’s important to see details to know how much of a difference the drug, dexamethasone, might make and for whom.

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Black Pastors Form Conservative Clergy of Color Group, Highlight Racism of Democratic Party

Anthony Gockowski

A new group called Conservative Clergy of Color believes the only “systemic racism” that exists in America today is found in the Democratic Party itself.

“Democrats and their foot soldiers on the left insist there is a rot in our country, but the only rot I see is the rot that has festered in the very foundations of the Democratic Party, a party that was built from the ground up on the backs of oppressed blacks,” said Bishop Aubrey Shines, one of four founding members of the group.

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American Greatness Poll: President Trump Holds Commanding Enthusiasm Lead Over Joe Biden

Minnesota Sun Staff

A recent poll conducted by American Greatness in conjunction with TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence (TIPP), shows that President Donald Trump still holds a sizable lead over former Vice President Joe Biden in terms of voter enthusiasm, even as Biden appears to hold the edge in the overall poll.

In Michigan, when asked if voters either “Support strongly” or “support moderately” the candidate of their choice, 62 percent of Trump voters say “strongly,” while 36 percent say “moderately.” By contrast, 55 percent of Biden voters support him strongly, while 42 percent support him moderately.

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Oil Demand to Spike in 2021 by 5.7 Million Barrels Daily as Oil Companies Slash Production: IEA

Minnesota Sun Staff

Cuts in oil supply and a record rebound in demand in 2021 will help put the fossil fuel industry on better footing even as the pandemic hammers oil demand, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

Demand for oil will rebound by a record 5.7 million barrels per day even as world demand for crude drops by 8.1 million barrels daily in 2020, the IEA reported. The report comes as city officials ease up on economic lockdowns, which is spurring a recovery in crude demand.

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Democratic Michigan Congresswoman Says She Doesn’t Believe Polls Showing Biden’s Major Lead

Minnesota Sun Staff

Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell told Democratic voters not to become complacent with recent polls that have shown Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden with double-digit leads over President Donald Trump.

Dingell warned against voters taking anything for granted, especially with the election still nearly five months away, The Detroit News reported, citing her response at an online event. The event, which took place Monday, included prominent female elected officials from around the state.

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May Retail Sales Jumped 17.7 Percent, Double the Forecast As States Came Out of a Lockdown-Induced Hibernation

Minnesota Sun Staff

Retail sales rebounded in May as states eased coronavirus-induced lockdown measures, allowing retail stores to regain more ground than analysts expected, according to Department of Commerce data.

Retail sales jumped 17.7% in May, effectively doubling expectations and marking the biggest single-month gain in records going back more than 20 years, according to a Commerce Department report released Tuesday. A Bloomberg News survey of economists had anticipated 8.4% increase in retail sales in May as COVID-19-related measures melted away following a 14% decline in April.

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Google Bans Ads on the Federalist After NBC News Raises Concerns About George Floyd Protest Articles

Minnesota Sun Staff

Google is planning to ban The Federalist and Zero Hedge from its ad platform, Google Ads, after NBC News raised concerns to the tech giant about articles that the conservative websites published regarding rioting and looting that occurred alongside the protests over the death of George Floyd.

According to the NBC report, Google notified The Federalist that it will block the site from using Google Ads because of concerns raised over an article related to the protests over Floyd’s death.

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President Trump Signs Executive Order on Police Reform

The Associated Press

Following weeks of national protests since the death of George Floyd, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on policing Tuesday that he said would encourage better police practices and establish a database to keep track of officers with a history of excessive use-of-force complaints.

In Rose Garden remarks, Trump stressed the need for higher standards and commiserated with mourning families, even as he hailed the vast majority of officers as selfless public servants and held his law-and-order line.

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Commentary: Unmasking Marble and Bronze

Minnesota Sun Staff

Protests and looting were supplanted last week by an orgy of more symbolic destruction. Statues of various figures from our civilization’s past—Christopher Columbus, a Texas Ranger, numerous confederate Civil War memorials, and even Philadelphia’s Frank Rizzo—have been toppled, defaced, or scheduled for removal by compliant officials.

In the same spirit, a Senate GOP committee recently voted to rename military bases named after confederate generals. Those names—Fort Bragg and Fort Hood, among them—have acquired their own connotations as centers of excellence, but must be renamed because their long-forgotten namesakes fought on the losing side of the Civil War.

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Trump Calls School Choice ‘The Civil Rights Statement of the Year’

Minnesota Sun Staff

by Mary Margaret Olohan   President Donald Trump said Tuesday that school choice is the “civil rights statement of the year.” “School choice is the civil rights statement of the year, of the decade and probably beyond,” he said at a White House press conference. “Because all children have to…

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St. Paul Saints to Play Season in Sioux Falls for Now Because of ‘Capacity Restrictions’

Anthony Gockowski

The St. Paul Saints announced Friday that the team will be participating in a 60-game season beginning July 3, but all games will be played in Sioux Falls, South Dakota until “capacity restrictions for outdoor events have relaxed.”

The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball said the shortened season will run from July 3 to September 10, concluding with a championship series between the top two teams. The league will consist of six teams based in three separate hubs.

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Eden Prairie School Board Member Criticizes ‘Unacceptable’ Lack of Direction from Walz Admin on Upcoming School Year

Anthony Gockowski

An Eden Prairie School Board member broke his silence Monday after learning that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) won’t be releasing state guidance on the upcoming academic year until July 27.

Three scenarios are possible for the 2020-21 school year, including continued distance learning, the resumption of in-person instruction, or a mix of the two.

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