Monday Morning Briefing: Protests flare across the United States

U.S. protests

Fires burned near the White House, stores were looted in New York City and Southern California, and a tanker truck drove into marchers in Minneapolis as the United States struggled to contain chaotic protests over race and policing.

“We’re not going to federalize the Guard at this time. But, if necessary, we have further military assets that can be deployed,” National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien told reporters at the White House on Sunday as protests flared in U.S. cities after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in police custody last week. “We’ll do whatever the governors or mayors need to keep control of their cities.”

“I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough,” NBA great Michael Jordan, a Basketball Hall of Famer and owner of the Charlotte Hornets, said in a statement voicing his outrage over the death of George Floyd.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the protests across the United States.

What you need to know about the coronavirus today

Scientists hunt pandemic hotspots
The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic may be waning. For vaccine developers, that could be a problem. Scientists in Europe and the United States say the relative success of draconian lockdown and social distancing policies means virus transmission rates may be at such low levels in some places that there is not enough disease circulating to truly test potential vaccines.

Track the spread of the virus with this state-by-state and county map.

Rich world lockdowns hit remittances
Carlos Sosa, a Salvadoran waiter in New York, used to send up to $500 a month back home to his mother to help pay for her medical bills and food. After the coronavirus hit and he lost his job in early March, Sosa has burnt through his savings and the wire transfers have stopped. Lockdowns imposed by wealthy nations and the jolt those restrictions have delivered to their economies are severing a vital lifeline for many often vulnerable people around the world: the billions of dollars in remittances sent home by relatives working abroad.

Emirates sees four years to full resumption
Emirates’ outgoing president, Tim Clark, said it could take the Dubai-based airline up to four years to resume flying to its entire network. Emirates, which flew to 157 destinations in 83 countries before the pandemic, grounded passenger flights in March and has since operated few, limited services.

Future of tourism
Sri Lanka plans a limited reopening of its tourism sector on Aug. 1, according to the head of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. Small groups of tourists will be allowed to enter with a certificate from their governments or a reputable agency stating they were free of COVID-19.

From Breakingviews: Corona Capital - Taxes, European malls, India. The European Commission is dreaming up new ways to finance its bailout fund, and a French mall deal comes with sweeteners. Catch up with the latest pandemic-related insights from.

Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

We need your help to tell these stories. Our news organization wants to capture the full scope of what’s happening and how we got here by drawing on a wide variety of sources. Here’s a look at our coverage.

Are you a government employee or contractor involved in coronavirus testing or the wider public health response? Are you a doctor, nurse or health worker caring for patients? Have you worked on similar outbreaks in the past? Has the disease known as COVID-19 personally affected you or your family? Are you aware of new problems that are about to emerge, such as critical supply shortages?

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Emerging from lockdown

Restaurants devoted mainly to quick bites and drinks are reconfiguring their businesses to limit traffic in tight quarters and maintain coronavirus social distancing. Starbucks, Dunkin’ Brands, Peet’s Coffee and British bakery-cafe chain Greggs have been forced to rethink how to serve customers quickly while keeping staffers safe and still make enough money to operate.

Sign here first: As U.S. businesses reopen after weeks of pandemic lockdowns, many have been posting coronavirus disclaimers or requiring employees and patrons to sign waivers before entering. From hair salons and recreation centers to stock exchanges and wedding photographers, the notices have sprung up across the country, asking guests to acknowledge they might contract a disease that has so far killed over 100,000 Americans.

COVID Science

Eli Lilly said first set of patients have been dosed in an early-stage trial to test its potential treatment for COVID-19, in the world’s first study of an antibody treatment against the disease. Eli Lilly is one of several healthcare companies looking to develop a treatment for COVID-19, which has no approved treatment or vaccine and has caused over 370,000 deaths worldwide.

Exclusive: Russia to roll out its first approved COVID-19 drug next week. Russia will start giving its first drug approved to treat COVID-19 to patients next week, its state financial backer told Reuters, a move it hopes will ease strains on the health system and speed a return to normal economic life. Russian hospitals can begin giving the antiviral drug, which is registered under the name Avifavir, to patients from June 11, the head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund told Reuters.

Follow the money

Wall Street and Fed fly blind as coronavirus upends annual stress tests

U.S. financial regulators, banks and their investors will get their first glimpse into the health of the nation’s banking system as it confronts soaring corporate and consumer defaults in the economic crisis sparked by the novel coronavirus.

5 min read

Gilead trades that made millions on COVID-19 drug news raise eyebrows

Well-timed trades in Gilead Sciences’ options ahead of good news on the biopharmaceutical company’s COVID-19 drug treatment may draw regulatory scrutiny, experts said. On April 17, Gilead’s shares jumped nearly 10% following a media report detailing encouraging partial data from trials of the company’s experimental drug remdesivir in severe COVID-19 patients.

3 min read

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