News Information and Media Site: A new pandemic milestone

THE BIG STORY

More than 600,000 people in the US have now died of COVID-19

With ongoing reopenings and increases in the number of people vaccinated, it's perhaps easier now than any other point in the pandemic to lose sight of the human cost of COVID-19. But that doesn't mean the pandemic's devastation has ceased.

Yesterday, the US crossed a new grim milestone: More than 600,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States. The US crossed the mark as efforts to convince Americans to get the vaccine have hit significant roadblocks.

More than 144 million people, or about 43% of the country, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. More than half the US population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

But the worry is in the daily vaccinations figures: At the peak of the vaccine rollout, the US was vaccinating upward of 3 million people a day. That number has now dipped to just over 1 million doses administered daily.

Still #1: Despite recent catastrophic surges in India, Argentina, and Colombia, the US still holds the top spot globally for COVID-19 deaths and case counts, with more than 33 million cases recorded since March 2020.

Some visitors to Faneuil Hall Marketplace with their masks and some without in Boston on May 29, 2021. Boston Globe / Boston Globe via Getty Images

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Biden wants to beef up his ranks of prosecutors, analysts, and agents to combat domestic terrorism

On Tuesday, the White House released its plan to combat domestic terrorism — a specter President Joe Biden has called the most urgent threat the United States faces today.

The strategy report calls for increasing information sharing with law enforcement agencies and the technology sector; growing the ranks of government analysts, investigators, and prosecutors needed to combat domestic terrorism; and improving employee screening to enhance methods for identifying extremists who might pose insider threats.

Notably missing from the plan: there are no new domestic terrorism laws that prosecutors could use to investigate and charge extremists, instead of having to rely on various other charges already on the books.

Still, experts widely praised the plan for its breadth and special focus on prevention.

SNAPSHOTS

A Colorado school shooter was convicted of murder in the killing of his classmate. A jury found Devon Erickson, 20, guilty of more than 40 other charges in connection with the 2019 STEM School shooting that also injured eight others.

A man got into an argument with a store cashier about wearing a mask, then allegedly shot and killed her. Victor Lee Tucker Jr., 30, got into a dispute with cashier Laquitta Willis about a face mask, authorities said. He then left the store, came back inside, and walked up to Willis and shot her. He is facing charges of murder and two counts of aggravated assault, DeKalb County Police said.

These young Asian Americans grew up staying silent about racism, but they're entering adulthood ready to confront it. Recent racial justice protests and anti-Asian hate crimes have served as wake-up calls. Now these young people are seeking to effect positive change in ways that would've exceeded their imaginations not long ago.

Biden is expanding a program to allow more young Central Americans to apply to get into the US from their home countries. The program allows parents from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras who are in the US to seek approval for their children to also be allowed in.

The Shake Shack manager falsely accused of poisoning cops' milkshakes is suing the police union. The manager has filed a federal defamation suit over the incident, during which he says he was arrested, interrogated, and "taunted" by police for hours.

SHIFTING TIDES

TikTok is replacing YouTube as the title sponsor of VidCon this year

You might think a title sponsor change is not that exciting. But this is actually a significant moment.

VidCon is the largest gathering of digital creators. The conference has been around for a little more than a decade, and for much of that time — since 2013, to be specific — YouTube has been its title sponsor.

That privilege is not just about naming rights.YouTube has practically become synonymous with the conference, and its creators have been given top billing and premium locations every year.

By contrast, TikTok's first appearance at VidCon was only in 2019. But on Tuesday, the company announced that it will be this year's title sponsor, and boasted a new lineup of its largest creators who will appear at this year's event, including Andre Swilley, Sarah Lugor, Devon Rodriguez, Alex Warren, Michael Le, and more.

A GENIUS SOLUTION

This teen makes bonnets with pockets and her creation has gone viral

For a couple of years now, Ariel Williams, a 19-year-old from Indianapolis, has been selling her ingenious creation: a bonnet with a pocket.

It started the same way lots of other products do: she hoped something like that existed, and when she couldn't find it, she made it herself. Now her creation has gone viral, with many people saying this is exactly what they need.

I hope you connect to whatever makes you feel powerful today,

Elamin

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