Florida reports record increase in COVID-19 deaths for fourth day in a row

THOMSON REUTERS

Jul 31st 2020 12:29PM

(Reuters) - Florida reported a record increase in new COVID-19 deaths for a fourth day in a row on Friday, with 257 fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department.

In numerical terms, the loss of life is roughly equivalent to the number of passengers on a single-aisle airplane.

Florida also reported 9,007 new cases, bringing its total infections to over 470,000, the second highest in the country behind California. Florida's total death toll rose to nearly 7,000, the eighth highest in the nation, according to a Reuters tally.

Florida is among at least 18 states that saw cases more than double in July.

 

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Coronavirus epicenter in Miami

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Florida had over 311,000 new cases in July, more than triple the 96,000 new cases it reported in June. The state also recorded over 3,400 deaths in July compared with about 1,000 the prior month.

Florida reported record one-day increases in cases three times during the month, with the highest on July 12, at 15,300 new cases in a single day.

Nationally, deaths are rising at their fastest rate since early June and one person in the United States died about every minute from COVID-19 on Wednesday as the national death toll surpassed 150,000, the highest in the world. 

COVID-19 deaths have risen for three weeks in a row while the number of new cases week-over-week recently fell for the first time since June.

(Reporting by Lisa Shumaker in Chicago and David Shepardson in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

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Supreme Court won't halt challenged border wall projects

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jul 31st 2020 8:14PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined by a 5-4 vote Friday to halt the Trump administration's construction of portions of the border wall with Mexico following a recent lower court ruling that the administration improperly diverted money to the project.

The court's four liberal justices dissented, saying they would have prohibited construction while a court challenge continues, after a federal appeals court ruled in June that the administration had illegally sidestepped Congress in transferring the Defense Department funds.

“The Court’s decision to let construction continue nevertheless I fear, may operate, in effect, as a final judgment,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in a brief dissent for the four liberals.

Friday's order means the court is not likely even to consider the substance of the issue until after the November election, while work on the wall continues.

Last summer, at an earlier stage in the case, the justices also split 5-4 along ideological lines to allow the administration to begin construction using $2.5 billion in Defense Department funds.

That allowed President Donald Trump to make progress on a major 2016 campaign promise heading into his race for a second term. The administration wanted to use the money to replace a total of 129 miles (208 kilometers) of rundown or outdated fencing in New Mexico, Arizona and California. As of mid-July, 92 miles (148 kilometers) have been completed according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Following the latest appeals court ruling, the wall's challengers returned to the high court to ask that construction be halted.

The Trump administration opposed the request and said it would file paperwork in August asking the Supreme Court to hear arguments in the case.

The case has its origins in the 35-day partial government shutdown that started in December of 2018. Trump ended the shutdown after Congress gave him approximately $1.4 billion in border wall funding, but that was far less than the $5.7 billion he was seeking. Trump then declared a national emergency to take cash from other government accounts to use to construct sections of wall.

At the time, the money Trump identified included $2.5 billion in Defense Department money, $3.6 billion from military construction funds and $600 million from the Treasury Department’s asset forfeiture fund.

The case before the Supreme Court involved just the $2.5 billion in Defense Department funds. The American Civil Liberties Union, which sued the Trump administration on behalf of Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition, has said it will seek to tear down sections of the wall that were built with the money.

“Every lower court to consider the question has ruled President Trump’s border wall illegal, and the Supreme Court’s temporary order does not decide the case. We’ll be back before the Supreme Court soon to put a stop to Trump’s xenophobic border wall once and for all," Dror Ladin, staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project, said in a statement following the court's order Friday.

The Supreme Court is on break for the summer but does act on certain pressing items. It will begin hearing cases again in October.

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac explains why he didn't kneel or wear Black Lives Matter shirt during anthem

Yahoo Sports

CHRIS CWIK

Jul 31st 2020 9:23PM

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac chose not to join his teammates in protest Friday. While the rest of the Magic got down on one knee during the national anthem, Isaac chose to stand.

Isaac, 22, was the only player to do so. Isaac was also the lone player on the court who didn’t wear a Black Lives Matter shirt. Instead, he wore his Magic jersey and warmup pants during the anthem.

With the move, Isaac becomes the first NBA player to stand during the national anthem since the restart. During Thursday’s game, every coach and player on the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz took a knee in protest of racial injustice and police brutality in the United States. Following Thursday’s game, LeBron James said he hopes NBA players made former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick proud.

 

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Jonathan Isaac

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Why did Jonathan Isaac stand during the national anthem?

Isaac spoke about his decision after the game, saying he believes Black Lives Matter, but that kneeling and wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt doesn’t “go hand in hand” with supporting Black lives.

Isaac began his answer by stating:

“Absolutely. I believe that Black Lives Matter. A lot went into my decision. And part of it is, first off, is my thought that kneeling or wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt don’t go hand in hand with supporting Black lives. So I felt like, just me personally, what it is that I believe is standing on the stance that: I do believe that Black Lives Matter, but I just felt like it was a decision that I had to make and I didn’t feel like putting that shirt on and kneeling went hand in hand in supporting Black lives, or that it made me support Black lives or not.”

He then spoke about his faith, saying he believes the answer to getting past all the evils of our society — including racism — is “the gospel.”

When asked to explain how kneeling correlates with his religion, Isaac said he didn’t think “kneeling or putting on a t-shirt, for me personally, is the answer. For me, Black lives are supported through the gospel.”

Isaac echoed that sentiment in an interview with Click Orlando in June. In that interview, Isaac addressed George Floyd’s murder, racism in the United States and police brutality, saying he believes the “answer is Jesus.” Isaac is an ordained minister.

Magic issue statement supporting protest

Following the national anthem demonstration, the Magic released a statement supporting Magic players for kneeling in protest.

The team said it was proud of its players, and stressed that the protests are not about the military, but about “bigotry, racial injustice and the unwarranted use of violence by police.”

What will happen to Jonathan Isaac following his decision to stand?

The NBA has a rule stating kneeling is not allowed during the national anthem. Isaac followed that rule. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, however, said Thursday he would not punish players for kneeling during the anthem. Other players have yet to react to Isaac’s decision to stand.

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