IN THE PAPERS - Friday, June 12: Donald Trump will begin campaign rallies next week, despite cases of coronavirus in the US surpassing 2 million. We look at the impact of his contradictory positions on race, policing and Confederate statues. Also, a transphobia row involving Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling continues to dominate the opinion pages. Finally, an Indian man changes his will to bequeath most of his land to... two elephants!
Donald Trump is pushing ahead to get back to life as normal, despite coronavirus cases surpassing 2 million in the US this week. The US president will hold his first rally – an indoor one in Tulsa, Oklahoma – next Friday. There is one caveat, though: The New York Times reports that participants cannot sue the president or the venue if they contract coronavirus. The rally also coincides with Juneteenth, a prominent African American holiday recognising the end of slavery. Tulsa was the site of one of the worst episodes of racial violence in the US, in 1921.
These contradictory attitudes in the midst of anti-racism protests are the focus of The Washington Post today. Trump's positions on issues ranging from racism to policing to Confederate symbols have appeared "out of step with public opinion". The Post says it's left his inner circle worried this could alienate key supporters ahead of November's election. On the topic of Confederate symbols, The Times of London's cartoonist Peter Brookes sends up Trump today with this cartoon: he builds a new Mount Rushmore as a tribute to himself!
Moving on, a transphobia row surrounding Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling continues to make the opinion pages. Rowling appeared to belittle trans people in a tweet last weekend, sparking outrage. She then defended her comments this week, revealing she's a sexual abuse survivor. This Vox writer has penned an interesting essay about representations of minorities in Harry Potter – it's well worth a read.
Finally, we end on a story out of India. A landowner there has changed his will to bequeath most of his 2-hectare estate to two elephants! Akhtar Imam raised the two creatures from birth. They freely roam his land and even helped fend off armed intruders recently. After that, he changed his will, much to the fury of his family, who will only receive a small portion of his land. You can read all about that in the Deccan Herald.
