July 31, 2020 • No Comments • National News

drakuliren/iStockBy BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — In the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s death in May, Portland Police Chief Jami Resch issued a statement she had hoped would help keep a lid on rising tensions in her city by condemning the fatal police encounter in Minneapolis as running “contrary to our fundamental duty to protect and serve.”

Two months after making the statement, Resch is no longer the top cop, having resigned in June and replaced by a Black police lieutenant, and Oregon’s largest city has become the nation’s major flashpoint for protests and violent clashes with law enforcement officers.

In addition to being a rallying point for a continued protest movement, Portland has also become a symbol, as Seattle’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone (or CHOP, for short) was before it, of liberal cities out of control, besieged by crime and lawlessness.

The images of people in the streets, fires burning and clashes with law enforcement have become wallpaper in some circles and were seized on by the Trump administration as a reason to step in, as the president has threatened to do in Chicago and elsewhere.

Some demonstrators say Trump’s deployment of federal agents in camouflage and their aggressive tactics, including the use of tear gas and scooping up protesters in unmarked vans, has fueled the unrest and bolstered the resolve of some protesters to take a more militant stance.

In any event, a divide has emerged in Portland between those who are looking to peacefully protest police brutality and call for police reform and those looking to foment chaos and violence. And whereas other cities, such as New York, which saw large protests, attacks on police officers, looting and vandalism in the wake of Floyd’s death, have managed to stabilize the situation, Portland has not.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said the federal officers have “acted as an occupying force [and] brought violence.”

In a response on Thursday, Trump tweeted that Brown “isn’t doing her job.”

“She must clear out, and in some cases arrest, the Anarchists & Agitators in Portland,” Trump said in his tweet. “If she can’t do it, the Federal Government will do it for her. We will not be leaving until there is safety!”

Here’s what we know about the situation in Portland:

Standoff with federal agents

On Wednesday night, the 62nd consecutive day of demonstrations in Portland, protesters clashed once again with federal agents guarding the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, which has become a focal point of the civil unrest. Around 11 p.m., federal agents in riot gear fired tear gas and stun grenades at protesters attempting to breach a fence around the courthouse after agents warned them to disperse. Several arrests were made as the standoff continued into Thursday morning.

The clashes came hours after Brown, a Democrat, announced on Twitter that she had spoken with Vice President Mike Pence and an agreement to withdraw federal agents from the city was struck provided that local officials could assure that federal buildings would be protected — the primary reason agents from Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Protective Service were dispatched.

But in a warning to Brown and other local officials, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said federal agents would remain in the city until it is clear that state troopers and Portland police have gotten a handle on the violence.

Federal officials, including Attorney General William Barr, have defended the presence and tactics of the agents saying they were needed to prevent the spread of “violent attacks on federal courts.”

Brown agreed to deploy state troopers to Portland if federal agents would move out, and troopers were set to take over those duties Thursday afternoon, according to Oregon Live.

“We are not removing any law enforcement while our facilities and law enforcement remain under attack,” Wolf said.

Whether the move to withdraw federal agents will help de-escalate violence in Portland still remains uncertain.

Split in approach to protest

In recent days as vandalism, attacks on police and fires ignited in the streets have increased, protesters have become split between those bent on destruction and those who believe the peaceful actions of the Black Lives Matter movement are being drowned out by demonstrators and agitators pushing violence as a means to achieving their goals.

On Tuesday night, the difference in philosophy played out in the streets of Portland when a white protester dressed in riot gear set a sizable fire in the middle of a street. A Black Lives Matter protester, who identified himself to ABC News as Najee, ran over and put the blaze out in an incident caught on video.

The white protester in full riot gear responded by yelling, “light the fire again!” A frustrated Najee yelled back, trying to explain that inciting violence and destruction was taking away from the BLM message.

The white protester responded, “they burned down one police building in Minneapolis and they defunded the police department.”

E.D. Mondaine, president of the Portland NAACP branch, wrote in an opinion piece in the Washington Post last week that as the demonstrations have continued daily in Portland since Floyd’s death on May 25, “many people with their own agendas are co-opting, and distracting attention from, what should be our central concern: the Black Lives Matter movement.”

“Unfortunately, ‘spectacle’ is now the best way to describe Portland’s protests,” Mondaine wrote. “Vandalizing government buildings and hurling projectiles at law enforcement draw attention — but how do these actions stop police from killing black people?”

Mondaine said even the so-called Wall of Moms, a group of mostly white women who have turned out in large numbers in Portland to protest police brutality and form an arm-to-arm barrier between the protesters and the federal agents, could be hurting the overall goal of the BLM movement.

“This might ease the consciences of white, affluent women who have previously been silent in the face of Black oppression, but it’s fair to ask: Are they really furthering the cause of justice, or is this another example of white co-optation?” Mondaine wrote.

But Bev Barnum, a mother of two teenagers, said she was motivated to organize the “Wall of Moms” on Facebook out of motherly instinct, not a political agenda.

“As soon as you become a mom, something is triggered in you. It’s primal,” Barnum said in an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your kid or not, you’re going to help them. If you see a kid drowning, you’re going to jump into the water.”

“I’m proud of us,” she said. “We’re not throwing bricks. We’re not throwing water bottles. We’re not being violent.”

Governor rejects call for national guard

Portland, where Blacks comprise just 6% of the population, erupted in violent protests just three days after video surfaced of a white police officer digging his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck as he repeatedly yelled “I can’t breathe” and called out for his dead mother before falling unconscious and later dying in a hospital.

A May 28 vigil for Floyd in Portland took a destructive turn when a small group splintered off from a protest march, broke into a juvenile detention center and set it on fire. Several businesses, including an Apple Store, were looted, prompting police to declare a riot.

The following day, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a state of emergency and announced a citywide 8 p.m. curfew. But as the first night of the curfew approached, more businesses were looted and fires were set. Police deployed tear gas and ended up arresting 51 people for disorderly conduct.

Wheeler and Oregon’s top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Billy Williams, asked Gov. Brown on June 1 to deploy the Oregon National Guard to Portland. At the time, Wheeler, also a Democrat, said, “We need help, we need more bodies to stop this senseless violence.”

But Brown refused to send the National Guard despite Williams informing her that there were “organized efforts” intent on creating chaos.

Amidst the turmoil, Resch, the police chief at the time, resigned just days after local activists criticized her for having an all-white command staff. She was replaced in June by Chuck Lovell, a Black veteran lieutenant of the police department whom Resch endorsed as “the exact right person at the exact right moment.”

A day after Lovell became chief, a U.S. District judge issued a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed on behalf of two protesters, barring police from using tear gas unless lives were in danger. A little over a week later, the Portland City Council voted to slash $27 million from the police department’s budget.

Despite promises of reform from the police department and city officials, protests continue to grow violent and destructive.

A June 30 protest march on the headquarters of the Portland Police Association devolved into violence when demonstrators allegedly threw rocks and other objects at police, who declared a riot and used tear gas to turn back the crowd despite the federal judge’s order, which banned the use of tear gas unless lives were at stake.

Over the July 4 weekend, Trump and the Department of Homeland Security launched rapid deployment teams to protect federal monuments in cities around the country. The president later expanded the role of federal agents, saying he had “no choice” but to “surge” federal law enforcement into American cities to fight violent crime.

Navy vet beaten

During one of the confrontations in Portland, Navy veteran Christopher David, 53, was beaten with a baton by a federal agent in a July 18 incident that was caught on cellphone video that went viral. David told ABC News that he went to the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in hopes of speaking to the federal agents after viewing a video of men in combat fatigues with no insignia “abducting citizens off the streets of Portland and stuffing them into unmarked vans.”

“This is shocking to me. It’s completely shocking. I can’t believe it’s happening actually,” David said. “I wanted to ask them why they were no longer honoring their oath of office, why they were no longer honoring the constitution because what they were doing is blatantly unconstitutional.”

Instead of seeing David, who at the time of the beating was dressed in a Naval Academy sweatshirt and a Navy ball cap, as a concerned veteran, he said they saw him as “a target.”

“If they’re going to gas pregnant moms, they’re going to beat up an old vet. It doesn’t matter to them,” said David, who suffered a broken hand in the incident. “I wasn’t a human being to them. I was just a protester. I wasn’t like them. I wasn’t a real person.”

In a statement to ABC News, the U.S. Marshals Service said David “presented a threat to deputy U.S. Marshals” by failing to obey commands to back up and trying to enter the courthouse grounds.

“Based upon the circumstances at the time incident, the deputies believed that the force used was necessary to protect themselves and others from physical harm,” reads the statement from U.S. Marshals.

Even Wheeler, the mayor of Portland, has not been immune to the aggressive tactics of federal agents. During a July 23 protest outside the courthouse, Wheeler was among a crowd of protesters who were tear-gassed by federal officers.

“I want to thank the thousands of you who have come out to oppose the Trump administration’s occupation of this city,” Wheeler told the crowd moments before tear gas was deployed. “The reason this is important is it is not just happening in Portland … we’re on the front line here in Portland.”

The violence between protesters and federal agents escalated last weekend, prompting Portland police to once again declare a riot early Sunday when protesters breached the reinforced fence around the federal courthouse. Federal agents guarding the building deployed tear gas on the demonstrators, who officials alleged hurled projectiles and fireworks at the agents.

Andre Miller, a Black Lives Matter protester who was hit in the head by a tear gas canister during July 21 demonstration, addressed protesters at a rally in Portland on Wednesday night before federal agents deployed tear gas again to disperse the crowd. Miller, with his head bandaged, made a point of putting the focus back on the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I want y’all to make sure that Black Lives Matter is your number one priority,” said Miller. “This is just the beginning.”

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 30, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Marilyn Nieves/iStockBy MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News

(SAINT LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.) — The former police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown six years ago in Ferguson, Missouri, will not be criminally charged, the St. Louis County prosecutor said Thursday.

“This is one of the most difficult things I have had to do as an elected official,” Wesley Bell said at a press conference announcing the findings of an independent, five-month review.

After examining thousands of pages of witness statements, forensic reports and other evidence, Bell said his office was unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Darren Wilson committed murder or manslaughter under Missouri law when he shot and killed Brown.

Bell, who was elected St. Louis County’s first Black prosecutor in 2018, said the investigation does not exonerate Wilson.

“The question of whether we can prove a case at trial is different than clearing him of any and all wrongdoing,” Bell said. “There’s so many points at which Darren Wilson could have handled the case differently, and if he had, Michael Brown might still be alive. But that is not the question before us. The only question is whether we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred, and the answer to that is no.”

Brown, a Black teenager, was unarmed when Wilson, a white police officer, shot and killed him on Aug. 9, 2014. The incident sparked national protests over police brutality and marked the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Bell’s predecessor, Bob McCulloch, turned the case over to a grand jury which declined to indict Wilson in November 2014. Wilson also resigned that month.

The U.S. Justice Department declined to prosecute the former officer in March 2015, citing evidence and witnesses supporting Wilson’s claims that Brown attacked him.

Brown’s family was paid $1.5 million in a 2017 settlement after they sued the city of Ferguson.

Brown’s name has been among those invoked in the recent nationwide protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd in May while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 30, 2020 • No Comments • National News

iStock/smolaw11BY: DR. ALEXIS E. CARRINGTON and SONY SALZMAN

(NEW YORK) — A new study at the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering showed ventilation systems can change the spread of aerosolized and potentially virus-containing particles in common indoor areas. The study looked at results in an elevator, a supermarket and a classroom.

Although their findings are still undergoing peer review, they have caught the attention of an anxious nation gearing up to send children back to school and eager for any small hints on how to stay safe and reduce transmission indoors.

Dr. Jiarong Hong and Dr. Suo Yang, mechanical engineering associate professors at the University of Minnesota analyzed how aerosolized and potentially virus-containing particles could spread in common indoor areas using a computer simulation.

To start, they evaluated eight asymptomatic participants with COVID and calculated the particle spread from actions like talking, coughing and sneezing. They took this data and applied it into various computer simulations.

In one simulation, they created various circumstances in a standard classroom, with a teacher placed at the front and children scattered throughout the room. In other simulations, they did the same thing, but in an elevator or a grocery store. They studied various conditions, including how the spread would change if the rooms had a powerful ventilator in either the entrance or back of the room.

They found that in indoor spaces, good ventilation will filter some of the virus out of the air, but may leave more viral particles on surfaces, such as walls. Key among their findings: The aerosols spread significantly less throughout the room when the asymptomatic person was placed directly under an air vent rather than away from.

This could come into play in the classroom, with the risk of transmission theoretically lower if an unknowing asymptomatic teacher were placed directly underneath the ventilation system. Conversely, a ventilation system at the back of the room might spread potentially infectious particles throughout the room.

“If the teacher is in the front, the ventilation is in the back, the ventilation will draw the aerosol throughout the whole classroom.” says Suo Yang, one of the lead researchers. “In comparison, if we move the ventilation to the front, right above the teacher, then the ventilation will create a recirculating zone in the front, which will confine the aerosols within the front 1/3 part of the classroom.”

For the classroom case, with strong simulated ventilation, only about 10% of particles were vented out, meaning you can’t necessarily bank on a high-quality ventilation system to filter out all the potentially infectious particles in a standard classroom.

A grocery store, meanwhile, was a different story. In the simulated supermarket, 50% of the particles were vented out, according to the computer simulation, with Yang considering that the tall shelving units of a supermarket create small wind channels that more efficiently circulate air through a room.

In both of these scenarios, many of the particles ended up on surfaces, such as the floor and the walls.

“With very strong ventilation, it doesn’t mean you get aerosols out. We found the surface deposition is huge. That means the regular cleaning of the surface is important,” said Yang.

It is important to note that this study is currently under peer review. Experts caution the study has limits, and its conclusions shouldn’t be applied in a diverse set of scenarios. Every classroom, grocery store and elevator is unique, and needs to be specifically evaluated for transmission risk. Nor should the findings that some scenarios offer reduce risk mean that people should replace typical COVID-19 safety measures, such as social distancing and facial coverings.

“Modeling might be useful but we also need to understand that there are many possible scenarios that can exist for the same indoor space, so modeling all scenarios is not possible,” said Rajat Mittal, professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins University and an expert in fluid dynamics.

Nevertheless, Mittal said the results are “in line with what has been found in earlier studies.”

For Yang, one of the biggest takeaways from his research is that a good ventilation system is not a silver bullet for reducing transmission indoors.

“Normally people think ventilation will help. Our observation is, it depends on how the room is set up and where is the ventilation,” said Yang. “Sometimes it helps, sometimes it helps the spread out. The key observation is the relative location of the ventilation.”

Alexis E. Carrington, M.D., a dermatology research fellow at the University of California, Davis in Sacramento, California, and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit. Sony Salzman is the coordinating producer of ABC News Medical Unit.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 30, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Myriam Borzee/iStockBy JON HAWORTH and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 668,000 people worldwide.

Over 17 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.

The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 4.4 million diagnosed cases and at least 151,269 deaths.

Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.

1:35 p.m.: Ohio pharmacy board withdraws hydroxychloroquine ban

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy has withdrawn its new rule prohibiting the sale or distribution of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 after facing opposition from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, the Dayton Daily News reported Thursday.

DeWine said in a statement earlier on Thursday, “I agree with the statement from Dr. Steven Hahn, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, that the decision about prescribing hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 should be between a doctor and a patient.”

“Therefore, I am asking the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to halt their new rule,” DeWine said. “The Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts.”

Hydroxychloroquine, which has been used and praised by President Donald Trump, had its emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19 revoked by the FDA in June.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told  “Good Morning America” Tuesday, “The overwhelming, prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease.”

1:15 p.m.: Cuomo says tri-state quarantine wouldn’t apply to NJ

As coronavirus cases rise in New Jersey, it is possible the Garden State could soon mathematically be added to its own tri-state travel advisory. But New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday there will be no blockade from New Jersey.

“I don’t know how you could quarantine New Jersey,” Cuomo said on a conference call.

“They’ve been our neighbor all through this,” Cuomo said. “We are going to keep our fingers crossed and work with them to keep the numbers down.”

Among the new emerging hot spots are New Jersey’s Camden County, located near Philadelphia, and Mercer County, which includes Princeton and Trenton, according to Thursday’s “daily hot spot triage” report distributed by the Department of Homeland Security.

Camden and Mercer counties had not been on the hot spot list since April 13.

Atlantic County, New Jersey, which includes Atlantic City, has also returned to the list, last appearing on May 3.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut’s travel advisory list applies to states with a seven-day average of positive tests over 10% or number of positive cases exceeding 10 per 100,000 residents.

12:20 p.m.: DC public schools to hold all classes online

All Washington, D.C., public school students will learn by 100% virtual classes from Aug. 31 to Nov. 6, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday.

Over 12,000 people in D.C. have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to city data.

Earlier this week, D.C. was added to New York’s travel advisory list, meaning D.C.’s seven-day average of positive tests was over 10% or the district’s number of positive cases exceeded 10 per 100,000 residents.

12 p.m.: Ohio gov. opposes Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s hydroxychloroquine ban

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that he opposes the Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s new rule prohibiting the selling or dispensing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19.

“I agree with the statement from Dr. Steven Hahn, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, that the decision about prescribing hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 should be between a doctor and a patient,” DeWine said in a statement. “The Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts.”

Hydroxychloroquine, which has been used and praised by President Donald Trump, had its emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19 revoked by the FDA in June.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told  “Good Morning America” Tuesday, “The overwhelming, prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease.”

11:17 a.m.: Florida reports 3rd consecutive day of record deaths

For the third day in a row, a new record-high number of deaths were reported in hard-hit Florida, according to the state’s Department of Health.

In the last 24 hours, 253 new fatalities were reported, the department said.

As of Thursday morning, 16.5% of Florida’s adult ICU beds were available, according to the state’s Agency for Healthcare Administration;

Five counties — Jackson, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee and Putnam — had no available ICU beds, according to the agency.

These numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the day as hospitals and medical centers provide updates.

10:30 a.m.: Herman Cain dies after battle with COVID-19

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died at the age of 74, according to a post on his personal website, nearly one month after his coronavirus diagnosis was announced.

A source close to the White House also confirmed his death to ABC News.

Cain’s hospitalization was announced on July 2.

A spokesperson for Cain said on Monday that he remained hospitalized and was being treated with oxygen for his lungs.

“The doctors say his other organs and systems are strong,” the spokesperson added.

Cain, a Black Voices for Trump co-chair, attended President Donald Trump’s June 20 rally in Tulsa. Cain was photographed inside the arena without wearing a mask and sitting in close proximity to others.

The businessman and radio talk show host campaigned for the Republican nomination in 2012.

10 a.m.: 33% increase in cases among Tennessee’s kids

Tennessee has experienced a 33% jump in coronavirus cases among children in the last 10 days, ABC Memphis affiliate WATN reported.

And in some parts of rural west Tennessee, cases among kids have surged by more than 100%, WATN reported.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said at a news conference Tuesday that reopening schools for in-classroom learning is the “best option” and “planned delays should be reserved for the most extreme situations,” The Tennesseean reported.

9:10 a.m.: NJ sees 112% increase in cases, deaths double in Atlanta area

An internal FEMA memo obtained by ABC News highlights a surge in New Jersey and a doubling death toll in the Atlanta area.

New Jersey saw 2,066 new coronavirus cases in the last week (ending July 27) — a 112% increase from the week prior, the memo said.

Beach town Long Beach Island reported 35 cases linked to social gatherings among lifeguards, the memo said.

And in nearby Connecticut, 943 new cases were reported for the week ending July 27 — a 77.9% increase from the week prior.

People under the age of 30 made up 40% of those new cases, the memo said.

Meanwhile in Georgia, the number of new COVID-19 deaths in the last week nearly doubled in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs area. The week ending July 20 saw 71 deaths while the week ending July 27 brought 139 deaths, the memo said.

In some parts of Georgia, some patients were forced to wait in ambulances because of the surge in COVID-19 patients, the memo said.

In Alabama, new cases are increasing despite a 28.3% decrease in new tests administered, the memo said.

As of Monday, only 12% of Alabama’s ICU beds were available. A record high number of ICU beds were filled, with 496 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units.

4:46 a.m.: Dispatchers stop asking 911 callers about COVID-19 symptoms, raising concerns for firefighters

Callers to 911 in Houston will no longer be asked if they are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, changing a months-long practice to pass on the information to first responders. Firefighters are now told to treat every call as if the patient or home is COVID-positive.

Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said the change is an admission of the widespread nature of the virus in the city and out of concern that callers were not always offering true information.

For months, Pena pleaded with the public to give honest answers to protect firefighters, who have sustained large numbers of COVID-forced quarantines.

The change was announced on the same day the Houston Fire Department attended a funeral for Capt. Leroy Lucio, Houston’s first firefighter to die from COVID-19.

Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association president Marty Lancton told ABC13 he can’t understand why the department would want less information for firefighters instead of more.

“Less information to the men and women on the front lines responding to calls is dangerous to firefighters, paramedics and citizens of Houston,” Lancton said.

Chief Pena explained the change to HFD members in a memo obtained by 13 Investigates: “The prevalence of COVID-19 is high in the Houston area and COVID-19 cannot be ‘ruled out’ in the field nor appropriately screened via OEC. In the best interest of HFD members’ health and well-being, all addresses and patients should be considered as possible COVID-19 positive places and patients. No attempts should be made or opinions formed to consider and treat any patient as ‘non-COVID.'”

The change is the second in recent weeks affecting COVID-19 information in dispatch. Earlier in July, the department stopped logging addresses of COVID-19 positive patients in the city-wide dispatch system. Chief Pena says that was taking too much time to enter thousands of cases in an antiquated system one by one.

3:23 a.m.: Global confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpass 17 million

Globally, there are now more than 17 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, per John Hopkins University tally.

The current number now stands at 17,031,281 but the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.

The global tally surpassed 15 million just eight days ago on July 22. Just four days later on July 26, the 16 million mark was reached.

2:38 a.m.: Gov. DeSantis extends eviction and foreclosure moratorium until Sept. 1

Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has extended the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until Sept. 1.

The ban was initially set to expire on Aug. 1 but the governor extended it for the third time in three months after the moratorium began in April.

State Rep. Ana Eskamani, D-Orlando, tweeted the news saying: “BREAKING— Eviction and foreclosure moratorium has been extended for another month.”

DeSantis issued the executive order without comment.

2:11 a.m.: Florida to pause COVID testing due to tropical weather

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced that all state-supported drive-thru and walk-up COVID-19 testing sites will temporarily close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, in anticipation of impacts from Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine.

Testing sites are closing out of an abundance of caution to keep individuals operating and attending the sites safe. All sites have free standing structures including tents and other equipment, which cannot withstand tropical storm force winds, and could cause damage to people and property if not secured.

Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is expected to impact Florida with heavy rains and strong winds arriving to South Florida as early as Friday. The sites will remain closed until they are safe to reopen, with all sites anticipated to be reopened at the latest by 8 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Free COVID-19 testing remains available through local County Health Departments.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 30, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Nathan Howard/Getty ImagesBy ALEXANDER MALLIN, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that federal agents dispatched to Portland, Oregon, would not be ordered to depart the city until “safety” was restored, appearing to contradict statements a day earlier by the state’s governor, who said she had been assured that officers would begin their phased withdrawal as soon as Thursday.

Trump said in a tweet Thursday morning that Gov. Kate Brown, “isn’t doing her job.”

“She must clear out, and in some cases arrest, the Anarchists & Agitators in Portland,” Trump said. “If she can’t do it, the Federal Government will do it for her. We will not be leaving until there is safety!”

In an interview with ABC News Live Wednesday, Gov. Brown outlined what appears to be a different understanding of the agreement reached with the Department of Homeland Security — which would see officers from the Oregon State Police take the place of federal officials protecting the Hatfield Federal Courthouse that has faced attacks and vandalism in recent weeks.

“The plan is very, very clear and both sides are in agreement that starting tomorrow afternoon, Thursday afternoon, Customs and Border Patrol and ICE officers that have been on the streets of Portland will begin leaving,” Brown said. “This is definitely a step by step, gradual process, but we know how it is, they will be out of the city of Portland and Oregonians will be in charge.”

Brown further argued that the surge of federal forces in the city was part of “a political strategy” by the Trump administration.

“Their presence here was like pouring gasoline on the fire, and their strategy — because it was a political one, has backfired,” Brown said. “And they are leaving they’re leaving the streets of Portland and leaving Oregon.”

Acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf by contrast released a separate statement following Brown’s initial announcement that hinged any withdrawal of federal officers on a clear restoration of peace in the city and near federal properties.

“The Department will continue to maintain our current, augmented federal law enforcement personnel in Portland until we are assured that the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and other federal properties will no longer be attacked,” Wolf said. “The Department will continue to re-evaluate our security posture in Portland, and should circumstances on the ground significantly improve due to the influx of state and local law enforcement, we anticipate the ability to change our force posture, as we do everyday at our other 9,000 federal properties we protect across the country.”

“We’re not going to [move out] that quickly,” Wolf added later in a conference call with reporters.

Brown’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

According to reports from The Oregonian newspaper, following the announcement on Wednesday about the phased withdrawal, dozens of DHS and CBP agents squared off with protesters in the streets near the federal courthouse in the “largest visible response” from the federal officers yet.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News as to whether any officers would be departing the city Thursday or whether officials believed Wednesday night’s events amounted to any improvement in terms of safety compared with previous nights.

Wolf told reporters Wednesday that federal officers near the courthouse “have faced assaults with Molotov cocktails, mortar-style commercial grade fireworks accelerants, IEDs and other violent weapons since July 4.”

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.