Tuesday,  June 2nd, 2020

Nearly one-third of unemployment benefits owed to Americans haven’t been paid  Over the course of the last three months, the Treasury Department has disbursed $146 billion in unemployment benefits to Americans who have lost their jobs throughout the coronavirus pandemic. That’s more than in all of 2009, when unemployment peaked following the financial crisis, but it’s still reportedly only two-thirds of what’s actually owed. The total bill should have reached $214 billion by now, which means millions of Americans have yet to receive their benefits. Millions still haven’t had their jobless claims processed, and reported numbers are likely understated. A spokesperson for the Labor Department told Bloomberg that “states are struggling to keep up with demand and some have backlogs they are working through,” even as some have expanded call centers and brought in other government workers to help with the claims. Source: Bloomberg

India approves the use of remdesivir to treat emergency COVID-19 cases that require immediate attention. (The Jakarta Post)

Protests continue across U.S. despite Trump’s threats to deploy military  Protests against police brutality continued through Tuesday, one day after President Trump warned he would dispatch troops to restore order in states that don’t stamp out the demonstrations. A growing number of cities have enacted curfews, and several pushed the curfews to as early as 2 p.m., seeking to prevent further clashes between police and protesters. The protests are mostly peaceful, although some took a turn on Monday night after law enforcement officials used pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. Trump on Monday told governors during a phone call that they should use force to “dominate” protesters. Demonstrations began after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in police custody in Minneapolis last week.  Source: NPR

 

 

The annual Tiananmen Square massacre vigil in Hong Kong is banned for the first time since 1990 citing health concerns due to COVID-19. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, who organize the vigil, say the ban signals the end of Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems”. (BBC)

The World Health Organization reports six new cases of ebola, and UNICEF reports five deaths, in a renewed outbreak of the disease in Mbandaka, Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (CNN)

An active duty military police battalion of 200 to 250 troops are deployed in the U.S. capital Washington, D.C. to provide security as protests continue. Defense officials say the troops are from Fort Bragg in North Carolina. (CNN)

 

The End