Month: May 2020

Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order on Thursday to activate the Minnesota National Guard, in light of protests and looting in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in police custody. Looting has erupted at various locations in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Walz’s office said in a statement Thursday: “Local leaders have requested National Guard resources after extensive damage to private property occurred and peaceful protests evolved into a dangerous situation for protesters and first responders.”

Walz’s statement continued, “It is time to rebuild. Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system, and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they’re charged to protect. George Floyd’s death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction. As George Floyd’s family has said, ‘Floyd would not want people to get hurt. He lived his life protecting people.’ Let’s come together to rebuild, remember, and seek justice for George Floyd.”

The National Guard will work with local government agencies to provide personnel, equipment and facilities. About 200 Minnesota State Patrol troopers will also be assisting for the next several days.

Minnesota governor activates National Guard following protests and looting in response to death of George Floyd

Via www.businessinsider.com

Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said Thursday he was declaring a “peacetime emergency” in response to…

05/28/2020 6:16 PM

 

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting Twitter and other social media giants, saying he is taking action to “defend free speech from one of the gravest dangers it has faced in American history,” after Twitter called two of his tweets “potentially misleading.”  

Trump said the order allows for new regulations so that social media companies “that engage in censoring or any political conduct will not be able to keep their liability shield.”  Trump continued, “They have had unchecked power to censor, restrict, edit, shape, hide, alter any form of communication between private citizens or large public audiences. We are fed up with it.”  He said what social media giants choose to fact check or ignore are “editorial decisions” and represent “political activism.”

The order calls for new regulations under Section 320 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides broad immunity from lawsuits to websites based on the content its users post, and thus curbs some of those liability protection for companies like Twitter, Facebook and Google. However experts say it is likely up to Congress, not the executive branch, to reinterpret the part of the law in question and that it may also raise significant First Amendment questions and face legal challenges.

Full text of President Trump’s executive order aimed at preventing online censorship

Via www.nbcnews.com

The executive order came in response to Twitter, for the first time, adding a fact-check label…

05/28/2020 6:17 PM

 

Editorial credit: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com

Walt Disney World has announced a phased re-open approach for its parks.  WDW’s Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Park are proposing July 11, 2020 as an opening date, and Epcot and Hollywood Studios are targeting July 15, 2020. Once it is approved by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and the committee, it needs final approval from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The proposed opening will take place in phases and will require a reservation for park entry to limit park capacity. There will be physical distancing, guests and cast members will be required to wear face masks, plexiglass at registers and other places where distancing is difficult will be installed. Parades and fireworks will temporarily suspended to enable distancing. Character meet and greets as well as playgrounds are also temporarily suspended. Temperature checks will be conducted.

SeaWorld also presented an opening plan, proposing June 11 as the public reopening date. Face masks, staggered seating, social distancing in lines are all part of the proposed plan. At rides, there will be hand sanitizer both as guests board and deboard.

SeaWorld and Walt Disney World approved by Orange County to reopen, dates await approval by DeSantis

Via www.orlandoweekly.com

Walt Disney World presented reopening plans to an Orange County task force on Wednesday morning,…

05/27/2020 1:03 PM

 

Editorial credit: VIAVAL / Shutterstock.com

NASA and SpaceX postponed the return to human spaceflight from the U.S. on Wednesday because of storm clouds at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  Astronauts Bob Behnken and Douglas Hurley had been scheduled for launch to the International Space Station at 4:33 p.m. EDT in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Lightening and heavy rains due to a system that moved north and became Tropical Storm Bertha near Georgia on Wednesday morning was of concern.

The historic launch would have marked the first time astronauts have flown inside the Crew Dragon space capsule, built by Elon’s Musk’s SpaceX. They were to have been propelled by the Falcon 9 rocket, which had carried supplies to the space station 250 miles above Earth.

Another attempt is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, when a 40 percent chance of unfavorable weather exists, according to the U.S. Space Force forecast.

         

SpaceX abort system promises extra safety for crew

Via www.cbsnews.com

SpaceX has developed an innovative abort system in case something goes wrong – and rescue…

05/27/2020 5:07 PM

 

After a video of a woman in Central Park calling New York police on a black man who says he asked her to leash her dog went viral, the woman has been fired from her job with Franklin Templeton.  The incident occurred Monday in the Ramble, a wooded area of Central Park where dogs are required to be on leashes.

Christian Cooper, who is African-America, said he was bird-watching in the area when he saw Amy Cooper, who is white, with her dog. Christian Cooper wrote on Facebook that the dog was going “through the plantings.” He approached the woman and asked that she leash the animal, he said. In the video, Amy Cooper refused and called 911, telling the operator that “there is an African American man. I am in Central Park. He is recording me and threatening myself and my dog.” At one point, Cooper shouts to the operator, “Please send the cops immediately.” She then puts the leash on her dog. As soon as the dog’s leash is on, Christian Cooper says, “thank you,” and the video ends.

The video has been viewed more than 20 million times on Twitter, quickly drawing reactions online.  Amy Cooper has since apologized; her employer, asset management firm Franklin Templeton, placed her on administrative leave before she was fired Tuesday. 

“I think I was just scared,” Amy Cooper told CNN. “When you’re alone in the Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”  

NYC woman in viral Central Park video is fired: ‘We do not tolerate racism’

Via www.foxnews.com

The white woman walking her dog in Central Park who called police to report she was being…

05/26/2020 4:32 PM

 

Four officers from the Minneapolis Police Department have been fired following the death of a man who was pinned down during an arrest. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced Tuesday that four officers were fired following a viral video that showed George Floyd, a black man, becoming unresponsive as an officer pinned him to the ground by holding a knee against his neck. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey commended Arradondo’s decision to fire the officers: “It is the right decision for our city,” Frey said. “We’ve stated our values, and ultimately, we need to live by them.”

Minneapolis Police were called to investigate a report of a “forgery in progress” when they confronted Floyd, who was seated in his vehicle. The department said that Floyd physically resisted officers when they asked him to exit the vehicle, which prompted the officers to handcuff the man. Footage from the arrest showed Floyd pleading with the officer to get off him while saying, “I can’t breathe.” Bystanders who filmed the arrest shouted at the officers to let the man up, saying: “He’s not breathing. He’s not responsive right now.”

Floyd died after arriving at the hospital, according to police. The FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the incident.

4 Police Officers Terminated After A Black Man Dies In Minneapolis Police Custody

Via www.npr.org

In a video, the man repeatedly cries out and says, “I cannot breath,” while the officer…

05/26/2020 4:18 PM