Month: June 2020

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked the emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients, saying the drug carries too many risks without any apparent benefit.

The EUA was first issued in March, and applied to patients hospitalized with the illness and those in clinical trials. In April, the FDA warned doctors against prescribing the drug to COVID-19 patients outside of those settings. Monday’s action will not impact clinical trials, which are expected to continue.

The announcement covers both hydroxychloroquine and a related compound, chloroquine phosphate. These drugs are traditionally used treat malaria and certain autoimmune conditions, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and the FDA’s announcement does not apply to these uses.

US revokes emergency use of malaria drugs vs. coronavirus

Via abcnews.go.com

U.S. regulators are revoking emergency authorization for malaria drugs promoted by President…

06/15/2020 12:08 PM

 

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that a landmark civil rights law protects LGBT people from discrimination in employment. The court decided by a 6-3 vote that a key provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 known as Title VII that bars job discrimination because of sex, among other reasons, encompasses bias against LGBT workers.

“An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court. Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas dissented.

The ruling protects an estimated 8.1 million LGBT workers across the country, because most states don’t protect them from workplace discrimination. An estimated 11.3 million LGBT people live in the U.S. 

In landmark case, Supreme Court rules LGBTQ workers are protected from job discrimination

Via www.nbcnews.com

The decision said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for…

06/15/2020 12:14 PM

 

Editorial credit: kalman krause / Shutterstock.com

On Sunday, authorities in Georgia ruled that the fatal police shooting of Rayshard Brooks was a homicide. Brooks, 27, died after he was shot twice in the back on Friday, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement. Brooks was shot after a confrontation with two Atlanta police officers in the parking lot of a Wendy’s fast food restaurant.

 Police had been summoned there on a report of a man sleeping in his car in the drive-through. Brooks struggled with the officers after they administered a field sobriety test and tried to take him into custody, and surveillance video appears to show Brooks running away from the officers with a stun gun that he’d taken from one of them While running, Brooks appeared to turn around and point the weapon at police. but according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, “At that point, the Atlanta officer reaches down and retrieves his weapon from his holster, discharges it, strikes Mr. Brooks there on the parking lot, and he goes down.”

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned over the shooting, saying in a statement that “it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.” Garrett Rolfe, the officer who shot Brooks, was fired; and a second officer, Devin Brosnan, was placed on administrative duty.

                

Medical examiner rules Rayshard Brooks’ death a homicide from two gunshot wounds in the back

Via www.msn.com

Rayshard Brooks, the 27-year-old man from Atlanta whose fatal encounter with police officers has…

06/14/2020 8:39 PM

 

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The apparent hanging death of a black man in the Los Angeles area is being investigated, after demands among residents and celebrities about the initial finding of suicide had been brought into question. The body of 24-year-old Robert Fuller was found near Palmdale City Hall Wednesday afternoon by a passerby, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Officials call for investigation into hanging death of black man

Via www.cbsnews.com

06/14/2020 7:47 PM

 

Editorial credit: Alexanderstock23 / Shutterstock.com

The use of “no-knock” warrants has been banned in Louisville, with the new ordinance named for Breonna Taylor, the young black woman who was fatally shot after officers burst into her home. Louisville’s Metro Council unanimously voted Thursday night to ban the controversial warrants after days of protests and calls for reform.

Taylor, who was studying to become a nurse, was shot eight times by officers conducting a narcotics investigation on March 13. No drugs were found at her home. Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said after the law was passed, “I’m just going to say, Breonna, that’s all she wanted to do was save lives, so with this law she will continue to get to do that. She would be so happy.”

The law bans the use of the warrants by Louisville Metro officers. Police typically use them in drug cases over concern that evidence could be destroyed if they announce their arrival. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul also introduced federal legislation Thursday that would ban the use of no-knock warrants nationwide.

Louisville city council unanimously pass ‘Breonna’s Law’ to ban no-knock warrants

Via www.nbcnews.com

06/11/2020 7:55 PM

 

Editorial credit: Gottography / Shutterstock.com

On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 1,861 points, or 6.9 percent, and the S&P 500 was down 5.9 percent, the biggest fall since March 16.  There were sharp declines in several sectors, including hospitality and leisure. As more than 20 states report a climb in coronavirus cases, there are new worries that consumers will be reluctant to return to restaurants and take trips.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell said the central bank is committed to keeping interest rates near zero, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the timing of an economic recovery. In his remarks, Powell again acknowledged the risks of a so-called “second wave” after states reopen their economies. “You could see a public loss of confidence in parts of the economy that will be already slow to recover,” he said.

The Department of Labor released its latest report showing more than 1.5 million people filed for unemployment benefits for the first time. Since the pandemic began over 44 million have filed initial unemployment claims.

Stocks fall on COVID-19’s spread, Fed’s cautious comments

Via www.cbsnews.com

Investors are worried that an increase in infections in some U.S. states could threaten the…

06/11/2020 4:23 PM

 

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