News by the Numbers: May 25–31
Stacker distills the week's news from around the world into key facts and figures. Click through to read more about some of the biggest headlines of the last week.
[Pictured: A police officer takes a knee with hundreds of protestors next to the White House on May 31 in Washington DC.]
George Floyd died in 8 minutes and 46 seconds
George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man from Minneapolis, died in police custody on May 25. Floyd was arrested after a merchant claimed he tried to buy cigarettes using a counterfeit $20 bill. While in police custody, Floyd was pinned to the ground for 8 minutes and 46 seconds—with a knee to the back of his neck—by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. After repeatedly telling officers that he couldn't breathe, Floyd lost consciousness and was declared dead an hour later. Following being suspended from the police force and then fired, Chauvin on Friday was arrested and charged with third-degree murder.
Throughout his tenure as an officer, at least 17 misconduct complaints were filed against Chauvin. None significantly affected his career.
[Pictured: The artist Celos paints a mural of George Floyd in Downtown Los Angeles on May 30.]
Protests in 140 cities
In the week following Geroge Floyd's death, protests erupted in at least 140 cities across the country. Thousands of people, representing almost every state, took to the streets to express outrage over police brutality and racism.
[Pictured: James "DJ Cakewalk" Walker links arms with other protesters to protect members of the Boston Police after things got tense following a peaceful demonstration in Boston on May 31.]
National Guard activated in at least 21 cities
While the majority of protests around the country have been peaceful, some have resulted in violence against law enforcement, looting, and destruction of property. In response, the National Guard has been deployed to 21 states to support local law enforcement efforts.
[Pictured: Members of the National Guard hold a perimeter as a fire crew works to put out a fire at a gas station in Minneapolis on May 29.]
1 in 4 American workers file for unemployment
Roughly 2 million more Americans filed for unemployment for the week ending May 23, according to a report from the Department of Labor. In the last 10 weeks, roughly 40 million Americans—or 1 in 4 members of the labor force—have filed for unemployment.
[Pictured: A woman completes an unemployment form amid the COVID-19 pandemic.]
SpaceX executes first successful human space launch
SpaceX made history on Saturday with its first launch carrying humans off-world—a first for any commercial aerospace company. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley launched aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon which lifted off from the Falcon 9. It was the first time since 2011 that astronauts have launched from U.S. soil. The crew successfully docked at the International Space Station on Sunday.
[Pictured: The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.]
COVID-19 deaths surpass 100K in the US
COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. surpassed 100,000 last week, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The newest grim milestone comes just four months after the pandemic began in the U.S.
[Pictured: A nurse cares for a COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit at Regional Medical Center in San Jose, California.]
