Atlanta charges aftermath, jobless claims, United mask policy: 5 things to know Thursday

Editors, USA TODAY
·5 min read

Will Atlanta officers call out sick after announcement of charges?

There were reports Wednesday that Atlanta police officers were walking off the job or calling in sick in protest of the charges against former officer Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan after the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks last week. The APD said in a tweet it was experiencing a higher than usual number of officers calling out for their shifts Wednesday but that, "We have enough resources to maintain operations & remain able to respond to incidents." Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said on CNN that many of the department's partners had been notified and that the true test of police staffing would come Thursday. Prosecutors brought a felony murder charge against Rolfe, 27, which carries a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty. He was also charged with 10 other offenses punishable by decades behind bars. Brosnan, 26, who is currently on administrative leave, was charged with aggravated assault and other offenses.

Prefer to listen? Check out the 5 things podcast below and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts:

1.5M workers file for unemployment even while states reopen economies

About 1.5 million workers filed applications for unemployment insurance for the first time last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, three months into the coronavirus crisis. That pushes the running tally of those who have made initial claims over the past 13 weeks past a mind-boggling 45 million. The count was 1.57 million the prior week and marks the 11th straight weekly decline since first-time claims peaked at 6.9 million at the end of March. Last week’s drop, however, was by far the slightest since that streak began, with first-time claims edging down by just 58,000. As the economy reopens, many Americans are going back to work, but layoffs have spread from the travel, restaurant and retail industries that have been hit hardest to sectors such as manufacturing and professional services. The weekly tallies remain far higher than the previous record of 695,000 initial unemployment claims during a deep recession in October 1982.

United's ramped-up mask policy goes into effect

United Airlines announced this week it will step up its mandatory mask policy and, beginning Thursday, any passenger who refuses to wear a mask will be placed on an "internal travel restriction list." Customers on the list "will lose their travel privileges on United for a duration of time to be determined pending a comprehensive incident review," United said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. According to the new policy, flight attendants will ask passengers without face coverings to use a mask and will offer one. If the passenger refuses, the flight attendant will file a report, initiating a formal review process. American said in a recent release it "may also deny future travel for customers who refuse to wear a face covering." Delta, Southwest, Alaska, Frontier, JetBlue and Hawaiian have all announced mask requirements, but haven't revealed punishments for customers who don't comply.

Prince Charles to host Macron for anniversary of de Gaulle WWII speech

Britain's Prince Charles will host French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday for a special celebration marking the 80th anniversary of Gen. Charles de Gaulle’s defiant appeal to the French people to resist the Nazis during World War II. Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, will receive Macron at his Clarence House home with a Guard of Honor formed by Number 7 Company of the Coldstream Guards and their band. The event commemorates de Gaulle's "Apel" via a BBC broadcast to his countrymen on June 18, 1940, urging them to fight on. The speech is widely considered to be the moment that gave birth to the French Resistance.

Hong Kong Disneyland reopens with limited admission, required health declaration

Hong Kong Disneyland reopened its gates Thursday at a reduced capacity, the second major Disney park to resume operations after the coronavirus pandemic forced worldwide closures. Attendees will have their temperature screened upon arrival and mask wearing is required. The online reservation form features a required declaration that certifies the health status on behalf of all reservation guests (including no fever, no respiratory symptoms). Small groups of visitors lined up before the park's opening, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters drove by in a large taxicab and waved at the eager crowd. Shanghai Disneyland and Disney's Hong Kong park both closed Jan. 25 as China dealt with the pandemic. Shanghai reopened May 11, the first Disney park to do so, with restrictions and safety measures. .

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta charges aftermath, jobless claims: 5 things to know Thursday