Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)
Good evening. Here’s the latest.
1. The stock market had its sharpest daily decline in three months.
Stocks had an upward trajectory for weeks, but a grim economic forecast this week and a worrisome uptick in new coronavirus cases rattled investors. The S&P 500 fell nearly 6 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 1,500 points.
The dip came as the Labor Department reported that an additional 1.5 million Americans filed for state unemployment claims last week. That’s the lowest number since the crisis began, but far above normal levels, and layoffs are spreading to more job categories.
The Times is providing free access to much of our coronavirus coverage, and our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter — like all of our newsletters — is free. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription.
2. As the divide between President Trump and the armed forces deepens, U. S. military leadersare positioning themselves firmly with those calling for change.
Gen. Mark Milley, the nation’s top military official as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apologized for taking part in the president’s walk to a church for a photo op near the White House 10 days ago, above, after federal authorities violently removed peaceful protesters. “I should not have been there,” he said, regretting that his presence “created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.” (Watch the video.)
The president’s vow to block efforts to remove Confederate names from military bases felt like a “slap in the face” for many black veterans we spoke with.
3. Federal arrests records show no sign that antifa organized a campaign of violence in the unrest after George Floyd’s death, despite claims by President Trump and Attorney General William Barr.
A review of the arrests of dozens of people on federal charges reveals no known effort by the loose collective of anti-fascist activists to perpetrate a coordinated campaign of violence. At most, some criminal complaints described vague, anti-government political leanings among suspects. Above, a protest in West Hollywood, Calif., last week.
Efforts to reshape policingin places like Northern Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, among others, offer insights and cautions as the debate over changing forces in the U. S. unfolds.
4. The coronavirus may not be done with the nation, but the nation’s capital appears to be done with the coronavirus.
