VOA NEWS

June 5, 2020

This is VOA news. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd.



More news converged in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Thursday to memorialize George Floyd whose death at the hands of a police officer has sparked international protests on racial justice.

Meanwhile, three officers charged with being complicit in Floyd's death made their first court appearance. AP's Tim McGuire has more.

"He died of a common American criminal justice malfunction."

The Reverend Al Sharpton says George Floyd's death is part of a 400-year pattern for blacks in this country.

"The reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed of being is you kept your knee on our neck."

As a service was underway, a hearing was held for the three now former officers charged with aiding and abetting former officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree murder in Floyd's death.

The three are each being held under $750,000 bond.

I'm Tim McGuire.



In the wake of George Floyd's death, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are moving to reform police accountability laws. AP's Sagar Meghani reports.

As protesters descended on Capitol Hill, lawmakers worked on what could become one of the most ambitious efforts in years to oversee how law enforcement works.

Both the Senate and House are expected to include proposed changes to police accountability laws and training requirements.

"...addressing the loss of trust between police departments and the communities they serve ...."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she'll leave it to the Congressional Black Caucus to give details.

Attorney General William Barr acknowledges the lack of trust and says it must change.

Sagar Meghani, Washington.



A mixed day on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrials closing up slightly but the S&P and the NASDAQ down.



This is VOA news.



The Global Vaccine Summit hosted virtually by Britain on Thursday raised $8.8 billion for routine vaccinations in some of the world's poorest countries.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the figure at the end of a three and a one half hour online session, bringing together multiple world leaders amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our action, your actions will also support health care systems in the world's poorest countries which are increasing the victims of coronavirus."

Representatives of more than 50 countries including 35 heads of state or government participated to raise funds for the GAVI vaccine alliance, a public-private global health partnership.

The coronavirus pandemic has set off another problem - clogged sewers. AP's Ed Donahue reports.

Some items now being used to try to stop the spread of the virus are not showing up in the trash but in sewage systems.

Lyn Riggins is with the WSSC Water near Washington D.C.

"We've seen an increase as 17 tons of wipes."

Face masks and gloves are also being tossed into the toilets.

"...the packaging on a lot of wipes says flushable. Well, sure, they're flushable. Your child can flush their toy down the toilet, but you shouldn't."

At Beale Air Force Base in California, a squadron that usually deals with weaponry disposal has been yanking wipes from the base's plumbing.

Lyn Riggins' message: "There are three things that should go in the toilet - pee, poop and paper, which is toilet paper. Keep the wipes out of the pipes."

I'm Ed Donahue.



The number of American filing for unemployment benefits dropped below the two-million-mark for the first time since the health crisis forced a near shutdown of the U.S. economy in March. Reuters Conway G. Gittens has the numbers.

The Labor Department announced Thursday that new jobless claims hit 1.8 million last week. That's a big drop from nearly 7 million Americans filing for first time benefits when much of the economy was forced to shut down over health concerns.

But economists point out the jobless numbers remain stubbornly high and reflect the second yet smaller wave of layoffs by companies struggling to cope with weak demand.

The jobless numbers also likely reflect states playing catch-up by finally processing claims for those workers displaced at the onset of the shutdown.

With more businesses allowed to reopen their doors, many Americans are starting to return to work. Thursday's snapshot of the job market comes ahead of a bigger-picture view.

The government will publish its unemployment figures on Friday. Economists expect to see the jobless rate to top 19 percent, its highest level since World War Two.

That's Reuters Conway G. Gittens.



Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd.