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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

The uprisings against police brutality are holding strong even if much of the media has moved on. And elected officials are increasingly making common cause with protesters.

Meanwhile, an analysis by the Washington Post finds that at least six hundred thousand Americans have voted for candidates who support the Q-Anon conspiracy theory. The analysis assumed that Donald Trump does not himself go for the Q stuff, which, frankly seems rather generous.

And lastly, pharmaceutical researchers in the United States and Germany reported promising results in a small coronavirus vaccine trial. Now, if regulators approve, thirty thousand people might be selected for participation in a larger vaccine study.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Seattle Police Clear CHOP

Police in arrested hundreds of people on suspicion of promoting independence for Hong Kong as a new security law emposed by Beijing took effect. Across the Pacific, in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and many other cities uprisings continued to defy authorities at all levels of government. In Seattle, the so-called autonomous zone in Capitol Hill was cleared with force by police on the order of the mayor, Jenny Durkin. One day before making the order, Durkin accused socialist City Council member Kshama Sawant of contemptuous behavior for letting protesters into City Hall. Today, Sawant shamed Durkin in turn, and expressed solidarity with organizers at the autonomous zone, Black Lives Matter, and QUOTE everyone fighting for a society free of oppression ENDQUOTE. Protesters were gathering at another police precinct in Seattle last night. In Oregon, state House Speaker Tina Kotek criticized a fellow Democrat, Portland mayor Ted Wheeler, for allowing police to violate a state judge’s order that they stop using tear gas. Police the other night deployed tear gas indiscriminately in a neighborhood in a futile attempt to disperse protests that, as elsewhere, have held their momentum for over a month.

Two people were arrested in Provo, Utah, on charges including attempted aggravated murder after driving through and then shooting a gun into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters. In

Houston, Texas, six police officers were charged with fifteen felonies related to shooting deaths in a no-knock raid, according to a Houston Chronicle reporter. In California, the Los Angeles City Council voted to cut the police budget by $150 million. Only two of fourteen Council members opposed the move to defund the police. In Richmond, Virginia, a statue of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson was removed – with a crane – to cheers from an approving crowd. And in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a statue of the late serial sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein appeared overnight on city property. The statue – actually a mannequin painted bronze – was removed yesterday. A plaque explained, in part, that Epstein had a home in New Mexico and QUOTE was also a rapist who died in prison ENDQUOTE.

Congressional QAnon Caucus Feared

Earlier this year, Media Matters identified fifty-nine candidates for the US Congress who expressed support for the Q-Anon conspiracy theory. Now, with most of their primaries out of the way, the Washington Post assessed how they’ve fared in this year’s elections. Elevent of the Q candidates have won, including one Democrat. Thirteen are in races that have yet to be determined. And all together, those pro-Q candidates candidates have won more than six hundred thousand votes.

The Post notes that the vote totals don’t mean all those voters were conspiracy-obsessed loonies. However, they do indicate that belief in Q-Anon theories is not disqualifying for Republican candidates. It’s hard to see those results as anything but disturbing. The good news is that many of the Q Republicans who won their primaries are in heavily Democratic districts. Most probably won’t join Congress next year, because they’ll likely lose to Democrats in the November general election. However, there is the possibility of a small Q Conspiracy Caucus forming in Congress, no matter what happens to Trump.

Promising Coronavirus Vaccine Study

It’s far from a sure thing, but scientists in the US and Germany yesterday reported encouraging results in a small coronavirus vaccine trial. Forty-five people received a series of doses of the experimental vaccine. After the second dose, scientists noted a boost to antibodies in subjects’ blood, meaning their immune systems were better prepared to fight off the virus. The results were encouraging, according to the Washington Post. Scientists who

weren’t involved in the study said the told that Post that the vaccine deserves a larger clinical trial. And it may get one at the end of this month, pending regulatory approval.

The vaccine study has not been peer reviewed. However, the data was published online, which outside scientists commended as a mark of transparency. A German company called Biontech sponsored the study, and the Big Pharma giant Pfizer managed the trial. There were a few caveats. First, the test subjects were mostly young and not in the top COVID-19 risk groups. Second, most people who got moderate doses of the experimental vaccine developed fevers, chills and other unpleasant symptoms. But those symptoms only lasted a day, and most people would consider some temporary discomfort a small price to pay for a drug that could bring an end to this pandemic.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

The US government will be thirty percent owner of one of the largest trucking firms with a union contract, under a bailout deal announced yesterday by the Treasury Department. The company, YRC Worldwide, is valued at $70 million, but the Treasury loan is valued at $700 million. Two years ago the Justice Department accused the company of defrauding the government by falsifying records in a Defense Department contract. Seems legit!

Food delivery drivers were on strike in Brazil yesterday. Online videos showed masses of cyclist gig workers filling the streets in Sao Paolo, and one left-wing journalist declared it could be a historic strike for the international labour movement. Delivery drivers in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala also reportedly participated.

Russians yesterday voted in favor of constitutional changes that will allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power through 2036. The parliament already approved the changes favoring Putin, although he wanted the referendum to heighten the appearance of legitimacy. Congratulations!

Police in Southern Italy claimed a world record shipment of amphetamines, allegedly sourced from ISIS militants in Syria and destined for the mafia organization known as the Camorra. The drugs were allegedly hidden in large paper and metal cylinders. Police found

fourteen tons of Captagon tablets in the shipment, valued at $1 billion. You know... give or take...

That’s all for the AM Quickie. Join us this afternoon on the Majority Report.

June 17, 2020 - AM Quickie

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Corey Pein

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn