The Rundown: Four Cops Now Charged In Floyd's Murder

The three other police officers who were with Officer Derek Chauvin when he kneeled on George Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes were charged yesterday, and the charge against Chauvin was upgraded. Chauvin, who was charged last week with third-degree murder, has now been charged with second-degree murder. He'd also been charged with second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers -- Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao -- were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department the day after Floyd's death. 

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office released Floyd's full autopsy report yesterday, which noted he'd tested positive for the coronavirus on April 3rd, but was apparently asymptomatic. A summary released Monday said he'd died of a heart attack while being restrained by officers on May 25th. The first of three memorial services for Floyd will be held this afternoon at North Central University in Minneapolis. Floyd's body will then be brought to Raeford, North Carolina, where he was born, for a two-hour public viewing and private service for the family on Saturday. Finally, a public viewing will be held Monday in Houston, where Floyd was raised and lived most of his life. A service will be held on Tuesday at The Fountain of Praise church, followed by a private burial.

Protests Largely Peaceful: Peaceful protests continued in many cities yesterday and last night, and there didn't appear to be signs of major clashes between protesters and police in New York City, where there had been looting earlier in the week, or in Washington, D.C. A large force that included officers from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, the Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Prisons, and National Guard soldiers were out in the nation's capital yesterday. But the protests and marches by demonstrators were peaceful. There continued to be some protests overseas in support of those in the U.S., including in London, Finland, the Netherlands, Colombia, and in Athens, Greece, where police fired tear gas after protesters outside the U.S. Embassy attacked them near the end of the demonstration.

Esper Against Using U.S. Military: Defense Secretary Mark Esper broke with President Trump yesterday, saying that he is against deploying U.S. military forces to subdue protests that turn violent, which Trump had threatened on Monday. He said the 1807 Insurrection Act, which Trump warned he could invoke, should be used, quote, "only in the most urgent and dire of situations," adding, "We are not in one of those situations now."

President Trump, General Jim Mattis

Mattis Criticizes Trump: Trump's first defense secretary, retired General Jim Mattis, spoke out against the military force threat yesterday n rare public criticism of the president he served before quitting in December 2018. In an essay in The Atlantic, Mattis said, "I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled," and blasted both Trump and Esper for considering the use of active-duty forces, as well as for the use of the National Guard to clear out peaceful protesters at Lafayette Park Monday evening before Trump walked to a church and posed for photos while holding a Bible. Mattis called that an "abuse of executive authority." He said, "Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict -- a false conflict -- between the military and civilian society." He also charged of Trump: "Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people -- does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us." Trump tweeted in response that Mattis is, quote, "the world's most overrated General," and said, "Glad he is gone!"

'Boogaloo' Members Charged: Three men alleged to be members of the far-right extremist "Boogaloo" movement were charged by federal prosecutors in Las Vegas with conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism during protests in the city over Floyd's death, as well as with possession of Molotov cocktails. The men, one 23, one 35 and one 40, were arrested Saturday. The Boogaloo movement, whose followers want a second civil war, has been linked to some online posts and protests, and members have reportedly been seen at protests in places including Minnesota, Texas and Philadelphia.

➤STUDY SHOWS HOW MUCH MASK USE, DISTANCING REDUCE CORONAVIRUS TRANSMISSION: A study that used data from 16 countries found how much using a mask and distancing from others reduces the risk of transmitting the coronavirus, providing evidence that the measures really do work. Researchers at Canada's McMaster University found that the risk of transmitting the virus without preventive measures was 17.4 percent, but it fell to 3.1 percent while wearing a face mask or respirator. The risk of transmission in standing less than a meter -- a little over three feet -- from someone without other forms of protection was 12.8 percent, but at more than one meter it was down to 2.6 percent.

There have been more than 107,100 deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. as of early this morning, and more than 1,851,000 confirmed cases.

ESPN.com Screenshot

➤BREES FACES BACKLASH FROM OTHER ATHLETES OVER ANTHEM KNEELING PROTESTS: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees faced backlash from other athletes yesterday after he said he was opposed to Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protests during the national anthem against police brutality and racial injustice.

Asked during a Yahoo interview amid the current protests following George Floyd's death to revisit Kaepernick's protests, Brees said, "I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States." Brees has said he supports the anti-police brutality protests, but doesn't see the anthem as the proper forum for it. 

 Among those posting on social media were an emotional Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins, who said in an Instagram video: "Our communities are under siege, and we need help. And what you're telling us is don't ask for help that way. Ask for it a different way. I can't listen to it when you ask that way. We're done asking, Drew. And people who share your sentiments, who express those and push them throughout the world, the airwaves, are the problem." San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman tweeted, "He's beyond lost." The L.A. Lakers' LeBron James tweeted: "You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of and our soldiers(men and women) who keep our land free."

➤NBA BOARD OF GOVERNORS TO APPROVE 22-TEAM FORMAT: The NBA Board of Governors intends to approve a league proposal today for a 22-team format to restart the season in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Resort, ESPN reported. The NBA's plan includes 13 Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference teams, eight regular-season games, a possible play-in tournament for the eighth seed, and playoffs. The top 16 teams in the Eastern and Western conferences will be joined by teams currently within six games of eighth place in the two conferences. Teams will begin training in July at team facilities and advance to full training camps in Orlando later that month.

➤MLB REJECTS PLAYERS' 114-GAME PROPOSAL, SAYS MAY JUST BE 50: With Major League Baseball and its players sparring over the plan for a coronavirus-delayed season, MLB yesterday rejected the players' proposal for a 114-game regular season with no additional salary cuts other than prorated salaries they agreed to, and said there may be just 50 games or even less. The owners had last week proposed an 82-game schedule with a sliding scale of player salary cuts. A 50-game schedule would result in players receiving about 30 percent of their full salaries under the prorated deal.

➤AMC DECLARES MASSIVE Q1 LOSSES: AMC Entertainment said it expects to report ever-high losses of between $2.1 billion and $2.4 billion for the first quarter ending in March. “We believe, but cannot guarantee, that the exhibition industry will ultimately rebound and benefit from pent-up social demand for out-of-home entertainment, as government restrictions are lifted and home sheltering subsides. However, the ultimate significance of the pandemic, including the extent of the adverse impact on our financial and operational results, will be dictated by the currently unknowable duration and the effect on the overall economy and of responsive governmental regulations, including shelter-in-place orders of the pandemic and mandated suspension of operations,” the company said in an SEC filing announcing its preliminary earnings and complicated outlook, Deadline reports.