In life and death, George Floyd’s plight reflected the burden of being black in America

Floyd’s struggles resonate with many black Americans and the timing of his killing created a spark that lit this week’s uprising over centuries of racism

With a knee to his neck and head against the concrete, George Floyd became the face of one of the largest uprisings in modern American history.  His final moments at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers was replayed on social media and television all across a country that was already in crisis.

America is in an economic free fall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. And it is black Americans who have been disproportionately impacted by mounting deaths and crushing job losses, making up a disproportionate number of the 42 million people left unemployed.

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Exclusive: nearly 600 US health workers died of Covid-19 – and the toll is rising

The Guardian and KHN release new figures showing the harsh toll that the pandemic is taking on the frontline health workers

Nearly 600 frontline healthcare workers have died of Covid-19, according to Lost on the Frontline, a project launched by the Guardian and Kaiser Health News (KHN) that aims to count, verify and memorialize and every healthcare worker who dies during the pandemic.

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In their own words: the protesters at the heart of America’s uprising

The killing of George Floyd sparked protests across America. Here, those who have taken to the street in Minneapolis explain what moved them to action

It was a protest that sparked a wave of dissent across the country, culminating in something never seen before: Americans across all 50 states coming together to denounce police brutality and the culture of impunity that shrouds their institution.

Related: Detroit's largely peaceful protests seen very differently from white suburb

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Sean Monterrosa: Vallejo police under investigation after killing of unarmed man

California justice department launches ‘review and reform agreement’ days after officer shot 22-year-old

The California department of justice has launched an investigation and reform initiative for the Vallejo police department, which is facing national scrutiny after an officer killed an unarmed 22-year-old amid protests this week. 

The state’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, announced a “review and reform agreement” with the troubled police agency on Friday, three days after an officer fatally shot Sean Monterrosa, who police say was on his knees with his hands up when he was killed. 

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Joe Biden officially clinches Democratic presidential nomination

Former vice-president crosses delegate threshold in latest round of primaries as he campaigns largely from home

Joe Biden has officially captured the Democratic presidential nomination, crossing the delegate threshold to represent the party in a general election contest against Donald Trump.

The Associated Press called the nomination for the former vice-president on Friday night.

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US drops charges against banker investigated by Daphne Caruana Galizia

Family of murdered journalist call on Malta to prosecute Ali Sadr Hashemi Nejadin, whose Pilatus Bank was shut down for money laundering

The US department of justice has made an unusual decision to drop charges against a prominent Iranian banker who was convicted of bank fraud in March after prosecutors in New York said they did not have the resources to continue to prosecute the case on appeal.

The decision by the DOJ represents an extraordinary turn of events in an investigation that began in 2013 and was closely followed in Malta, where the defendant in the case controlled Pilatus Bank, which had ties to the country’s former prime minister, Joseph Muscat, and other top officials.

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Donald Trump orders 9,500 US troops to leave Germany

White House says move due to more Nato defence spending, not tensions with Angela Merkel

Donald Trump has ordered the US military to remove nearly 9,500 troops from Germany in a move likely to raise concerns in Europe about the US commitment to the region.

The move would reduce US troop numbers in Germany to 25,000, compared with the 34,500 currently there, a senior US official said.

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Justin Trudeau takes a knee but is silent on reforms to policing

Canadian PM attends Ottawa rally but would not be drawn on new policies to tackle racism

Justin Trudeau took a knee in solidarity with anti-racism demonstrators on Friday, but remained silent at the event as his government faces questions over how it plans to address police violence

Wearing a black mask and surrounded by bodyguards, the Canadian prime minister made a surprise appearance at the No justice = No peace rally in Ottawa.

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What the George Floyd protests say about America – video explainer

Guardian US reporter Kenya Evelyn explains why the unrest sparked by the police killing of George Floyd could be a defining moment for racial politics in America, and how the coronavirus pandemic set the backdrop for the protests

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Donald Trump: ‘This is a great day’ for George Floyd – video

Donald Trump has claimed it is a ‘great day’ for George Floyd, after the US posted better than expected job numbers. ‘Hopefully, George is looking down right now and saying: “This is a great thing happening for our country,”’ the US president said of Floyd, who died while being restrained by police last week

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‘We will not be silent’: protests head into second weekend after George Floyd’s killing – live

After a day of protests across Australia, Guardian staff have compiled some of the most striking images.

Tens of thousands rallied in state capital cities and towns to march against Indigenous deaths in custody and the killing of George Floyd.

The nationwide anti-police brutality protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in the US have been marked by widespread incidents of police violence, including punching, kicking, gassing, pepper-spraying and driving vehicles at often peaceful protesters in states across the country.

The actions have left thousands of protesters in jail and injured many others, leaving some with life-threatening injuries.

Related: Protests about police brutality are met with wave of police brutality across US

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Coronavirus live news: Sweden sees third consecutive day of over 1,000 new cases; virus ‘under control’ in France

Brazil death toll passes Italy; New York urges protesters to get tested; Turkey announces weekend lockdown in 15 cities

The commander of US forces in Japan has accused China of using the coronavirus crisis as a cover for a surge in naval activity to push territorial claims in the South China Sea.

In a telephone interview with the Reuters news agency, Lieutenant General Kevin Schneider said there had been a surged of activity by China, with navy ships, coast guard vessels and a naval militia of fishing boats in harassing vessels in waters claimed by Beijing.

Peru is beginning the second phase of its economic reopening on Friday, even as its ongoing coronavirus outbreak showed little signs of slowing, with 4,284 new confirmed cases reported on Thursday.

The president, Martin Vizcarra, announced the second phase of lockdown easing on Thursday, after his council of ministers approved a presidential decree calling for the restart of economic activity.

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New York Times says senator Tom Cotton’s op-ed did not meet editorial standards

Newspaper drops initial defence of ‘Send in the troops’ opinion piece that called for Donald Trump to use military against protesters

The New York Times has issued a mea culpa over the paper’s decision to publish an op-ed by the Republican senator Tom Cotton entitled: “Send in the troops”.

The decision to run the piece, which advocated for the deployment of the military against protesters rallying against police brutality toward black Americans, drew widespread criticism. Dozens of Times journalists voiced their opposition, noting that inciting a heavy-handed response to the protests put black journalists, and people of color more broadly, in danger.

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Al Sharpton accuses Trump of using Bible as a prop during George Floyd eulogy – video

The Rev Al Sharpton gave a eulogy at a memorial service for George Floyd in Minneapolis and hit out at Donald Trump for posing with a Bible in front of a church in Washington DC. 'We cannot use Bibles as a prop,' Sharpton said. 'For those that have agendas that are not about justice, this family will not let you use George as a prop.' The US president sparked outrage from religious leaders, top Democrats in Congress and others when he visited the church across from the White House and posed holding a Bible after law enforcement officers cleared protesters using teargas

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‘Get your knee off our necks’: Al Sharpton delivers eulogy at George Floyd memorial – video

Delivering the eulogy at a memorial service for George Floyd in Minneapolis, the Reverend Al Sharpton said: 'George Floyd's story has been the story of black folks.' In an emotive speech punctuated by several standing ovations, Sharpton said the sight of diverse crowds of protesters across the world gave him hope that real change would come to the criminal justice system

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George Floyd memorial: lawyer says ‘pandemic of racism’ led to killing – live

With protests over police brutality and the death of George Flloyd continuing around the US today, a short report from our voting rights editor on events this afternoon in Brooklyn, New York City:

Thousands of protestors converged on Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza today for a memorial for George Floyd. The event was attended by Floyd’s brother, Terrence, who addressed the crowd with calls for solidarity and peaceful protest in memory of his brother.

Emotional and heartfelt speech from George’s Floyd’s brother Terrence today at the memorial in Cadman Plaza. #blacklivesmatter #powertothepeople #georgefloyd pic.twitter.com/UpE5J6euor

Rev Al Sharpton also used his eulogy at the memorial service for George Floyd to announce that, with the Floyd family, he would organise a march on Washington on 28 August to demand reform of the criminal justice system.

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‘Slide to illiberalism’: ex-general joins chorus of condemnation of Trump

John Allen warns that politicisation of the military could be the beginning of the end of ‘the American experiment’

The retired marine general who led the global coalition against Isis and commanded US forces in Afghanistan has warned that Donald Trump’s actions this week could start a US “ slide into illiberalism” and the beginning of the end of “the American experiment”.

In denouncing the president for his response to the George Floyd protests, John Allen became the latest in a string of venerable military figures to have gone public over what they describe as the threat posed by Trump to the non-political nature of the armed forces, and more broadly to US democracy.

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Ahmaud Arbery attacker used racial slur after shooting jogger, court hears

  • Georgia state investigator makes claim in murder case
  • Travis and Greg McMichael and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan charged

A state investigator in Georgia on Thursday alleged that the white man accused of killing jogger Ahmaud Arbery was heard saying a racial slur as he stood over the mortally wounded man, moments after hitting him with three shots from a pump-action shotgun.

Related: FBI investigating Ahmaud Arbery shooting as possible hate crime, lawyer says

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Iran releases US navy veteran detained for nearly two years

Michael White was detained in 2018 and sentenced 10 years on charges of insulting the supreme leader and posting a private photo

A US navy veteran detained in Iran for nearly two years flew out on Thursday, a day after an Iranian scientist held by US authorities returned home.

“I am blessed to announce that the nightmare is over, and my son is safely on his way home,” Michael White’s mother, Joanne White, said in a statement.

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Trump hankers for roar of the crowd while Biden takes campaign virtual

Despite the pandemic, the president can’t wait to get back packed rallies while his Democratic rival practices caution. Each thinks he has a winning strategy

Donald Trump wants to be nominated by a Republican national convention with all the trappings of a normal, packed event: the thronging crowds, the balloon drop, the scores of sideshow events. Meanwhile, former vice-president Joe Biden and senior Democratic officials are strongly considering a partially or completely virtual convention.

Related: Can Joe Biden convince protesters he would be a 'transformational' president?

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