What a Week: May 22–28
On Monday, May 25, George Floyd was murdered by the hands of police in Minnesota. On Tuesday, May 26, four police officers were fired. On Thursday, May 28, the ex-officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck was arrested. As of Friday, May 29, he is being charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
“In a historic milestone for the LGBTQ community, Costa Rica just hosted the first legally recognized same-sex wedding ceremony in Central America. Alexandra Quiros and Dunia Araya were the first couple to tie the knot after their wedding was officiated just as Costa Rica’s legislation for allowing same-sex marriage passed into effect at the stroke of midnight. According to BBC, the ceremony was aired on national television following a 3-hour broadcast on the importance of marriage equality.”
China moves to subvert Hong Kong with new security law
China’s National People’s Congress passed a national security law authorizing the mainland to prevent “secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference” in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong. With the U.S. Secretary of State announcing that the Trump admin no longer views Hong Kong as separate from China itself, the city and its economy is in danger of being vanquished by China.
Trump to Take 'Big Action' Against Social Media
“President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order redefining the legal protections given to social media platforms, meaning that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter could be sued if they are judged to ‘deceptively’ block posts. The order sets out to clarify the Communications Decency Act, a US law that offers online platforms legal protection in certain situations.”
Coronavirus Antibody Tests Point to Lower Death Rate than Expected
New tests in the U.S. are finding “antibodies to the coronavirus in a person's blood, rather than the virus itself. The tests are finding large numbers of people in the U.S. who were infected, but never became seriously ill. And when these mild infections are included in coronavirus statistics, the virus appears less dangerous.” The new evidence suggests an infection fatality risk of 0.5%-1%, far lower than the previous calculation of 5% or more.