5 things to know for June 24: Coronavirus, Justice Department, NASCAR, Mexico, Canada

If you’ve been losing sleep lately over fireworks every night, it’s not just you. There’s a sudden wave of fireworks exploding in cities across the US.

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Coronavirus

Some alarming Covid-19 trends are emerging across several US states, and officials are desperately pleading with people to stay home, wear masks and keep their distance. California, Florida and Arizona are reporting thousands of new cases each day. And in Texas, health authorities have said new cases and hospitalizations are rising at their fastest rate yet. These are among 26 states — a number also on the rise — seeing new cases increase compared with the prior week. Despite warnings that Black Lives Matter protests across the country could lead to a jump in cases, new research suggests that’s not happening. Instead, the latest surges stem from the number of places in the country that reopened too soon and too quickly. It’s a stark contrast with other parts of the world. The situation in the US is so bad that European Union nations are discussing a recommendation to block American travelers.

2. Justice Department

Two Justice Department prosecutors will testify before the House Judiciary Committee today, accusing Attorney General William Barr and senior department officials of politicizing investigations. Aaron Zelinsky, a prosecutor on former special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, plans to testify that the sentencing recommendation for Trump’s longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone was watered down due to political pressure from the “highest levels” of DOJ, according to his prepared remarks. John Elias, a career prosecutor in the Antitrust Division, accused Barr of ordering investigations into 10 mergers of cannabis companies because he did not like the industry, according to a copy of his testimony. Their criticism comes just days after Barr’s decision to fire Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, which has investigated Trump and his associates.

3. NASCAR

Turns out the noose found Sunday in driver Bubba Wallace’s garage at Talladega Superspeedway had been there as long ago as October. That’s according to the FBI, which said yesterday that Wallace was not the victim of a hate crime. NASCAR, mentioning the FBI report, described the item as a “garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose.” Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top circuit, said he’s upset some in the public are now questioning his integrity. “Whether tied in 2019 or whatever, it was a noose,” he said. “So, it wasn’t directed at me but somebody tied a noose. That’s what I’m saying.”

4. Mexico

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Mexico’s southern Oaxaca region yesterday, killing at least five people. The earthquake stuck around 10:30 a.m. local time, with an epicenter 6.8 miles southwest of Santa María Zapotitlán, near El Coyul. It collapsed buildings and prompted evacuations, even damaging hospitals that had been dealing with coronavirus patients. The quake could be felt as far as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Tremors were also felt in the capital Mexico City, more than 200 miles away. The US Geological Survey said the damage in Oaxaca state is considered light to moderate — relatively good news considering that Mexico is one of the world’s most seismically active regions and has a long history of devastating earthquakes.

5. Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling China’s decision to charge two of his country’s citizens with espionage clearly political. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were officially charged this week with spying and handling state secrets. The two men have been detained in China since 2018, in the weeks following the arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese technology company Huawei, on charges filed in the US. Trudeau is now under pressure to do something about the case of the “two Michaels,” possibly including facilitating a prisoner swap. The Prime Minister said he isn’t considering a trade of the two men for the detained Huawei exec and has previously said intervening in the case would undermine the independence of the country’s justice system.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Baseball is (almost) back

The MLB says a 60-game season will start on July 23 or July 24.

Jimmy Kimmel is apologizing for performing in blackface

The late-night host said he did a recurring impression of NBA player Karl Malone in the ’90s.

Novak Djokovic has tested positive for the coronavirus

The tennis star had already been catching heat for organizing a tournament that apparently lacked proper safety protocols.

A millennial and an 82-year-old bonded over bagels and lox, then the pandemic hit. Now they hang out on Zoom

If this isn’t the cutest thing you’ve heard all week, we don’t know what is.

TODAY’S NUMBER

800,000

That’s about how many people in Myanmar might not know about Covid-19 thanks to a yearlong internet shutdown, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“I can’t be playing sports, supporting, and going to a school that was named after a person who was against my people right here in the United States.”

Trude Lamb, a top runner at Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas. She is refusing to wear her school’s jersey unless the name is changed.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

Remember that smelly fruit that sent people to the hospital?

Turns out it actually tastes pretty good, at least according to its fans. (Click here to view.)