(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Armed St. Louis couple indicted for weavings guns as peaceful protestors
A St. Louis, Missouri grand jury on Tuesday indicted the St. Louis couple who brandished guns at racial injustice protestors as they marched by the couple’s home June 28. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Mark McCloskey, 63, and Patricia McCloskey, 61, both attorneys, were indicted on felony charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering. The McCloskeys said they pointed weapons at the marchers because they were “violently protesting” outside of their home. There has been no evidence presented that the protestors were violent, and the city last month declined to pursue trespassing charges against the protestors, who were marching through a private, gated street. The McCloskeys are due in court Wednesday of next week. The incident earned the McCloskeys an invitation to speak at the recent Republican National Convention. Missouri Governor Mike Parson has said he’ll pardon the couple if they’re convicted, while Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed a motion to dismiss the case.
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections and deaths.
Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 35,858,601
Global deaths: 1,050,771. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 210,918.
Number of countries/regions: at least 188
Total patients recovered globally: 25,004,569
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 7,501,869 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 210,918. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 33,219.
U.S. total patients recovered: 2,952,390
U.S. total people tested: 109,646,837
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 838,803 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. That ranks third in the world after Maharashtra, India, which has 1,465,911 reported cases, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, which has 1,010,839 reported cases.
Trump aide Stephen Miller COVID-19 positive; 24 White House staffers now infected
Top White House Aide Stephen Miller confirmed Tuesday that he’d tested positive for COVID-19.
In a brief statement Tuesday night, Miller said he’d tested negative every day for five days prior to Tuesday and was currently in quarantine, but provided no other details. The news means six out of the nine attendees at President Trump’s debate prep session from last Monday have tested positive, including the president himself, and brings to 24 the number of White House staff members who have tested positive for the coronavirus. There are also 13 confirmed COVID-19 cases among attendees at the September 26 White House Rose Garden event at which President Trump announced Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee, though some of the infected White House staffers are also on that list.
FDA says no vaccine approval before Election Day, despite White House claims
The Food and Drug Administration has told companies working on COVID-19 vaccines that it expects at least two months of follow-up study of clinical trial participants after they complete a full regimen of a vaccine. The announcement means it’s unlikely any vaccine could be authorized for emergency use in either limited or large-scale fashion before Election Day, despite President Trump’s promises. The guidance was posted on the FDA’s website on Tuesday and also issued to other relevant parties. In response to the news, the president tweeted that it was “Just another political hit job!” and tagged FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn. Even so, the White House approved the guidance, denying reports it had previously attempted to block the FDA from posting tougher vaccine guidelines. The New York Times reports there are currently 11 vaccines in phase three human trials. Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have said it takes about a month and a half for some side effects or problems to present themselves after a vaccine is administered.
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