Karaoke Craic at the Beaches

Protests remained mostly peaceful Tuesday night as demonstrators took to streets across the country to protest police brutality in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd, 46, died after he was detained for questioning regarding a possible forgery in progress. Video of his death caught by bystanders showed a Minneapolis police officer, identified as Derek Chauvin, holding his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than five minutes as Floyd pleaded for air, sparking outrage. As of Wednesday, at least 40 cities across 16 states have imposed curfews. Live updates for Wednesday, June 3 continue below:  Atlanta police blindsided by charges against officers who used Taser on students Update 8:55 a.m. EDT June 3: In an email obtained by WSB-TV, Atlanta police Chief Ericka Shields indicated that she was blindsided by the charges filed this week against two police officers seen on video using a Taser gun on two students as they sat in their car during protests over the weekend. Shields said she spent hours reviewing video of the situation, which happened Saturday night, and realized conflicting instructions to the students created chaos and escalated a low-level encounter, WSB-TV reported. She called the cops involved “good people and good cops” who made “multiple mistakes in a heated moment.” Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard filed excessive force charges Tuesday against the six officers involved in the situation, according to WSB-TV. >> Read more on WSBTV.com Seattle protesters arm themselves with umbrellas to combat crowd-control sprays Update 5:50 a.m. EDT June 3: Dozens of protesters on the front lines of a Tuesday night standoff with police in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood wielded umbrellas to shield themselves from crowd-control sprays such as pepper spray, CNN reported. Seattle remains under a nightly 10 p.m. curfew, which Mayor Jenny Durkan extended through Saturday. NYC police block Manhattan side of Brooklyn Bridge during standoff with protesters Update 5:38 a.m. EDT June 3: Hundreds of protesters attempting to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot en route to Manhattan were met by a police blockade Tuesday night, prompting an hours-long standoff that ended peacefully, The Washington Post reported. The skirmish ended around 10:30 p.m. when police vans advanced toward the crowd, which retreated to begin the return walk to Brooklyn. National Guard mobilizes briefly in DC’s Lafayette Square, pepper sprays protesters Update 5:27 a.m. EDT June 3: The Washington D.C. National Guard mobilized briefly early Wednesday morning to quell hundreds of protesters still demonstrating in Lafayette Park nearly six hours after the city’s 7 p.m. curfew took effect, CNN reported. About 250 protesters gathered near a fence erected earlier this week following skirmishes in the park, and some tossed fireworks and other projectiles at police gathered on the other side of makeshift barricade, the network reported. Guardsmen then fired pepper spray at the crowd and what appeared to be flash bangs to encourage dispersal.  “Now what you’re seeing is the response from the DC National Guard,” CNN Correspondent Alex Marquardt reported from the scene, adding, “I’m not seeing any park police, this is all military police.” Los Angeles police arrest protesters outside mayor's residence Update 5:09 a.m. EDT June 3: Protests in Los Angeles concluded late Tuesday with a handful of straggling demonstrators arrested outside the official residence of Mayor Eric Garcetti. At one point earlier Tuesday night, the crowd outside the home swelled to several hundred protesters, many of whom chanted “defund the police” and called for the firing of Los Angeles Police Chief Michel R. Moore, The Washington Post reported. Earlier in the day Garcetti joined protesters downtown and knelt with them in solidarity. He was not home during Tuesday’s demonstration. Charlotte police corner protesters, livestream video shows Update 4:38 a.m. EDT June 3: Police in Charlotte trapped dozens of peaceful demonstrators next to a parking structure late Tuesday, pummeling them with tear gas, pepper balls and flash bangs. Video of the clash livestreamed by alternative-weekly newspaper Queen City Nerve, captured the encounter. According to The Washington Post, officials in North Carolina’s largest city had not imposed a curfew, and police used a loudspeaker to encourage straggling protesters to disperse or face arrest. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department later took to Twitter to explain projectiles had been hurled at them by protesters and “multiple avenues” were offered for leaving the area before the situation escalated when a line of riot police formed behind the demonstrators and advanced, corralling those refusing to depart. The incident drew harsh criticism from civic leaders, including State Rep. Chaz Beasley. Obama to address police violence in Wednesday livestream Update 3:18 a.m. EDT June 3: Former President Barack Obama will join a host of other leaders in a Wednesday livestream to “discuss the tragic events of recent weeks, the history of police violence in America, and specific action steps needed to transform a system that has led to the loss of too many lives.” The Obama Foundation confirmed the scheduled event early Wednesday morning. The livestream begins at 5 p.m. Washington state trooper heard telling officers in viral video, ‘Don’t kill them. Hit them hard’ Published 3 a.m. EDT June 3: A Washington state trooper heard rallying his troops in a viral video is being defended by his organization and skewered in the court of public opinion Wednesday morning. The unidentified trooper can be heard prepping his fellow officers for Seattle protesters by saying, ‘Don’t kill them. Hit them hard.” Chris Loftis, director of communications for the Washington State Patrol, told The Washington Post the trooper had been demonstrating a “push tactic” intended to “move a group of noncompliant or aggressive protesters.” “This is not, ‘Go out and strike people. This is move them away from the situation and from danger,” Loftis told the newspaper. The trooper featured in the video, which began circulating on Twitter Tuesday night, can be heard telling officers, “Don’t kill them, get them out of the way,” while making a pushing motion with his fists. “We’re aware of the video and we apologize for the poor choice of words by one of our team leaders,” Loftis said.

Despite saying a pug tested positive for coronavirus, the United States Department of Agriculture said the dog named Winston did not have a COVID-19 infection. Officials at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory said that while the dog tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, it was a weak detection from an oral sample. “It did not meet the case definition for a positive, and all other testing was negative,” Lyndsay Cole, a spokesperson for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service told WRAL. She also said that no virus was isolated and there was no evidence of Winston having an immune response. Winston’s owners, Heather McLean, her husband, both of whom are doctors, tested positive for coronavirus in March. Their son also had the virus. They were told of their pet’s positive swab in April. Now the new information has the family wondering. “Did he have the infection or did he just have the virus in his mouth,” McLean asked, according to WRAL. McLean theorizes he could have tested positive after coming in contact with a surface or family member who had the virus. Researchers with Duke University’s Molecular and Epidemiological Study of Suspected Infection, or MESSI, said they will now collect blood samples from animals to see if they have antibodies to the virus, WRAL reported. Elsewhere, a tiger, lion and two pet cats have been confirmed to have coronavirus, The New York Times reported. Tuesday the USDA said a German shepherd in New York had a confirmed positive test result, becoming the first pet dog in the U.S. to be confirmed as infected by the coronavirus. The dog had signs of respiratory illness that prompted testing, the Times reported. The tests involved both swabs and blood samples. The dog had coronavirus antibodies and is expected to recover.

Nearly 6.4 million people worldwide -- including almost than 1.8 million in the United States – have been infected with the new coronavirus, and the number of deaths from the outbreak continues to rise. While efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak continue, states have begun to shift their focus toward reopening their economies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking cases in the U.S. here. Live updates for Wednesday, June 3, continue below: Global deaths near 381K, total cases top 6.4M Update 7:58 a.m. EDT June 3: The global death toll attributed to the novel coronavirus reached 380,764 early Tuesday, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. In the four months since the virus was first identified in Wuhan, China, it has infected at least 6,404,872 people worldwide. Meanwhile, 16 nations now have total infection counts higher than China’s 84,159. The 10 nations with the highest number of infections recorded to date are as follows: • The United States has reported 1,831,821 cases, resulting in 106,181 deaths. • Brazil has recorded 555,383 cases, resulting in 31,199 deaths. • Russia has confirmed 431,715 cases, resulting in 5,208 deaths. • The United Kingdom has reported 279,393 cases, resulting in 39,452 deaths. • Spain has confirmed 239,932 cases, resulting in 27,127 deaths. • Italy has reported 233,515 cases, resulting in 33,530 deaths. • India has reported 208,479 cases, resulting in 5,834 deaths. • France has confirmed 188,450 cases, resulting in 28,943 deaths. • Germany has reported 184,097 cases, resulting in 8,576 deaths. • Peru has reported 170,039 cases, resulting in 4,634 deaths. South Korea will start importing remdesivir to help treat Covid-19 patients Update 7:42 a.m. EDT June 3: South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced Wednesday it has approved imports of the antivirus drug remdesivir to address the nation’s novel coronavirus infections. In its announcement the ministry pointed to success with the drug in shortening the treatment period for severe COVID-19 patients in the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom throughout the pandemic. The ministry, alongside its Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will now negotiate to import the drug via Gilead Science Korea. UK ethnic minorities up to 50% more likely to die from COVID-19 than white people, report Update 7:26 a.m. EDT June 3: A government review has concluded people from the United Kingdom’s ethnic minority communities are as much as 50% more likely to die from contracting the novel coronavirus than their white peers. Public Health England’s study found that people of Bangladeshi heritage who tested positive for the virus were around twice as likely to die as their white British peers, CNN reported. Other minority communities such as people of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani and Caribbean descent also had a 10% to 50% higher risk of death from COVID-19. Meanwhile, the rate of infection per 100,000 patients was more than double for women in black ethnic groups than for white women and nearly triple for men in those same groups, the network reported. USC resuming in-person classes in August Update 7:18 a.m. EDT June 3: The University of Southern California will resume in-person classes when the fall semester begins in August, president Carol L. Folt confirmed Tuesday. According to Folt’s message to students, classes will start one week earlier than originally planned and conclude by Thanksgiving. Folt also said the majority of in-person classes will also be offered online, giving faculty and students the option of not returning to campus. In addition, masks and physical distancing will be mandatory at all times, while dorms and dining halls “will be modified to reduce density and contact,” Folt wrote. Oklahoma State linebacker tests positive for COVID-19 after attending protest Update 7:04 a.m. EDT June 3: Oklahoma State linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga said in a Tuesday tweet that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus after attending a protest. “After attending a protest in Tulsa AND being well protective of myself, I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Ogbongbemiga tweeted. “Please, if you are going to protest, take care of yourself and stay safe.” India confirms COVID-19 cases top 200K Update 6:57 a.m. EDT June 3: Today is the day tourism returns to Italy, at least partially. As the country reopens to European visitors only, Italian tourism officials can only wait and see how much wanderlust remains among the traveling public following the extended novel coronavirus pandemic. According to The Washington Post, Italy hosted 63 million overseas visitors last year, but the country’s minister for culture and tourism, Dario Franceschini, has said that he does not expect the industry to recover fully until 2023. Major attractions such as the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa have already reopened for domestic tourists, the Post reported. Italy welcomes return of European tourists Wednesday Update 6:38 a.m. EDT June 3: With 8,909 new novel coronavirus cases confirmed during the past 24 hours, India became the seventh nation worldwide to surpass 200,000 total infections. According to a Johns Hopkins University tally, India has confirmed a total of 208,404 cases, resulting in 5,833 deaths. The other six nations topping the 200,000 mark to date include: • United States: 1,831,821 • Brazil: 555,383 • Russia: 431,715 • United Kingdom: 279,392 • Spain: 239,932 • Italy: 233,515 US coronavirus cases climb past 1.8M, deaths top 106K Published 12:50 a.m. EDT June 3: The number of novel coronavirus cases in the United States continued to climb past 1.8 million early Wednesday across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to a Johns Hopkins University tally, there are at least 1,831,821 confirmed U.S. cases of the virus, which have resulted in at least 106,181 deaths.  The hardest-hit states remain New York with 373,040 cases and 29,968 deaths and New Jersey with 161,545 cases and 11,771 deaths. Massachusetts, with 101,163 cases, has the third-highest number of deaths with 7,085, while Illinois has the third-highest number of cases with 122,848. Only 15 states and territories have confirmed fewer than 5,000 cases each. Six other states have now confirmed at least 54,000 novel coronavirus cases each, including: • California: 117,215 cases, resulting in 4,305 deaths • Pennsylvania: 77,225 cases, resulting in 5,667 deaths • Texas: 67,310 cases, resulting in 1,716 deaths • Michigan: 57,731 cases, resulting in 5,553 deaths • Florida: 57,447 cases, resulting in 2,530 deaths • Maryland: 54,175 cases, resulting in 2,597 deaths Meanwhile, Georgia, Virginia, Connecticut and Louisiana each has confirmed at least 40,000 cases; Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina each has confirmed at least 30,000 cases; Colorado, Minnesota, Tennessee, Washington, Arizona and Iowa each has confirmed at least 20,000 cases; Alabama and Wisconsin each has confirmed at least 18,000 cases, followed by Mississippi with 16,041 and Rhode Island with 15,112; Nebraska and Missouri each has confirmed at least 14,000 cases, followed by South Carolina with 12,415; Utah and Kentucky each has confirmed at least 10,000 cases; Kansas and Delaware each has confirmed at least 9,000 cases; the District of Columbia, Nevada and New Mexico each has confirmed at least 8,000 cases; Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota each has confirmed at least 5,000 cases Click here to see CNN’s state-by-state breakdown.

After morning lows in the 60’s, this afternoon will be warm but dry with temperatures climbing near 90 degrees inland. It stays cooler at the beaches.  Action News Jax Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh is tracking a wind shift by Thursday, which brings humidity back as well as chance for rain and thunderstorms.  Heavy downpours appear to be the greatest risks as the pattern turns more stormy into the start of the weekend.  Tropical Storm Cristobal has strengthened a little more as it creeps slowly toward the coast of Mexico.  The First Alert Weather Team says the center of circulation is likely to stay well west of Florida.  LISTEN TO THE MIKE BURESH WEATHER PODCAST HERE

The NAACP of Jacksonville last evening released a letter to Sheriff Mike Williams, saying it is past time for change within law enforcement and the criminal justice system.  “This past weekend can only be a catalyst to greater atrocities if the cries of the people continue to go unheard”, wrote Isaiah Rumlin, President Jacksonville Branch NAACP.  The organization is calling for a move from anger to action by demanding that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office make the following changes: Implementation of a Citizens Review Board with subpoena power Release of body camera footage within 48 hours of a police shooting Review of the departments use of force continuum Immediate firing and full prosecution of officers in direct violation of the color of law Ongoing diversity and sensitivity training for all officers with visible certification for public view (patch or marker on uniform or patrol cars) Full cooperation from the State Attorney’s Office to prosecute cops who violate law Complete transparency throughout the investigative internal affairs process Elimination and ban of ‘no knock warrants’, ‘knee holds’ and ‘choke holds’ Full funding of community-based policing initiatives Support for bail reform  Immediate investigation of known corrupt officers who have a history of police brutality  “Although, we do not condone the actions of agitators and looters, we do understand the anger and frustration they display with a system that does not work for them and ultimately treats them like second class citizens”, Rumlin said.  The NAACP says there is no room for racism and discrimination in law enforcement.  LISTEN TO NAACP PRESIDENT ISAIAH RUMLIN ON JACKSONVILLE’S MORNING NEWS

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