Good morning.
Protests erupted in Minneapolis overnight after the death of a 20-year-old Black man who was shot by police during a traffic stop in the suburb of Brooklyn Center. Family members identified the victim as Daunte Wright.
According to police, officers pulled over a vehicle for an alleged traffic violation, and as police tried to arrest the driver he got back into the car and an officer fired at him. The driver then drove on for several blocks before crashing into another vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A female passenger in the vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Tensions have been running high in the city, where the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin over the killing of George Floyd is taking place. Floyd’s death sparked international demonstrations against police brutality and racism.
Virginia’s governor has ordered an investigation into an incident in which a Black and Latino army lieutenant was threatened, knocked down and pepper-sprayed by police during a traffic stop. Governor Ralp Northam said he had invited Lt Caron Nazario to meet with him.
Facebook failed to crack down on deceit and harassment by world leaders and politicians
Facebook knowingly allowed world leaders and politicians to spread misinformation and harass opponents, a Guardian investigation has revealed.
Internal documents show that Facebook handled more than 30 cases of politically manipulative behaviour across 25 countries; it quickly addressed this in countries such as the US and Taiwan but moved slowly, if at all, in places including Afghanistan and Mexico.
Why the inactivity? One former employee at Facebook said this was because those countries posed less of a “PR risk” to the firm:
Natanz attack deals blow to Iran’s nuclear programme
An attack on a nuclear plant in Iran – attributed to Israel – will set back Tehran’s nuclear programme by nine months, US intelligence sources have claimed.
Israel has not confirmed it was behind the cyber-attack on the heavily guarded Natanz facility, but its security officials have done little to dispel the notion.
Israel’s apparent intervention comes at a delicate time in the negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal, as Tehran decides if it is willing to open direct talks with the US or instead, as last week, continue to work through European intermediaries. Israel is unhappy about Joe Biden’s desire to revive the agreement, which the US was taken out of by Donald Trump in 2018.
Michigan’s coronavirus rates are hiking – and the governor wants more vaccines to help
Michigan’s governor has pledged to push for more Covid-19 vaccines for her state, amid an alarming rise in coronavirus cases. Gretchen Whitmer said that while the White House was “by and large … doing a great job”, adjustments needed to be made.
Biden has agreed to send Michigan more federal resources to support vaccinations and testing, but won’t send any more vaccines.
Michigan has the highest rate of new Covid infections in the US, recording 6,900 new cases on Saturday and 74 further deaths. An average of 7,226 cases a day were confirmed in the state last week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
A Canadian ski resort has the largest outbreak of the P1 variant outside Brazil, with Whistler in British Columbia claiming nearly a quarter of the cases in the province. P1 is a thought to be a highly infectious strain of the virus, which is potentially more fatal to young people and may be able reinfect individuals.
In other news …
Hideki Matsuyama became the first male Japanese winner of the Masters this weekend, taking home the first major of 2021 by one from Will Zalatoris. The victory will go down as one of Japan’s great international sporting successes, with sporting figures in the country expressing their pride.
Trump took the opportunity to swing at Mitch McConnell during a speech to Republican donors on Saturday night. The closed-press event, which costs $400,000 a ticket, reportedly saw Trump call McConnell a “dumb son of a bitch”.
China has launched a hotline to report criticism of the ruling party and its history, pledging to crack down on “historical nihilists” ahead of the party’s 100th anniversary in July.
Stat of the day: 29 states are pushing anti-protest laws
Following a summer of anti-racism demonstrations, predominantly Republican lawmakers are pushing back. Across the US, 29 states are attempting to introduce anti-protest laws, which critics warn would limit demonstrations and infringe on free speech. You can read more about the proposed measures here.
Don’t miss this: Moby on drink, drugs and his infamous last book
After taking some time away from the limelight following accusations from Natalie Portman that he was “creepy” with her when she was 18, Moby is back, with a new album and documentary about his life. In this interview, he talks about the highs and lows of his career, his struggles with addiction, and whether he regrets what happened with Portman.
Last thing: Alligators are on a quest for love – and Florida is going to get caught up in it
Florida is on alert as alligators begin heading into urban areas to find love. Last week, a 10ft reptile was found under a parked car in Tampa, and just before that, a 7ft gator was found lurking in a back yard in Pinellas county before taking a dip in the family pool. One man even saw a rather lively mating ritual in his own back yard.
On Friday the newsletter mistakenly said that 106 people were shot and killed in the UK; this was a typo and should have been the US. Our apologies for any confusion.
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