Autonomous no more

Seattle's Capitol Hill "autonomous" protest zone is no more. Most COVID-19 patients don't know who infected them. And the real Wild West appears to be in Florida. 

It's Ashley with the news you didn't have time to read. 

But first, is your state *really* reopening? At least 19 states are adapting plans to help limit the boom in coronavirus cases across the nation. See if yours has postponed its reopening. 

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Police clear Seattle’s 'autonomous zone'

Seattle police moved to take down the city’s formerly-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone early Wednesday – a sort of protest haven – making arrests and sweeping through streets that demonstrators had occupied for weeks to protest police brutality and systemic racism. The executive order to clear the area, first known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone or CHAZ, then the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest or CHOP, was issued by Mayor Jenny Durkan following a string of violence in the area – including two fatal shootings. 

• CHAZ, a 'no Cop Co-op': Here's what Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone looked like.
• In Memphis, Tennessee, police removed protesters who have been camped out for the past two weeks.

Show me the masks 

The golden pandemic question: How did the richest country in the world become so paralyzed by the coronavirus that it ran out of 50-cent masks? Months into the nation’s battle with the coronavirus, doctors and nurses still face a dearth of supplies as cases continue to rise nationwide. Paste BN investigated the personal protective equipment shortages and long story short: Things have improved since the severe shortages in March, but efforts haven’t matched, much less gotten ahead of, the demand.

• Most COVID-19 patients don't know who infected them: A survey published by the CDC found that 54% of people infected with coronavirus were unable to pinpoint who may have infected them. The survey results underscore an important point: Asymptomatic spread is alive and well. 
• 100 million vaccine doses by year's end? Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer reported encouraging early results Wednesday for a vaccine targeting SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, and said that if all goes well, it could manufacture up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020.
• Give it to me straight: There were 44,766 new cases confirmed nationwide Tuesday, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Other media tallies put the case count as high as 48,000, which would be a record for daily totals.

What everyone’s talking about

• Former "MythBusters" co-host Adam Savage has been accused of sexual abuse by his sister.
• Another South Dakota tribal leader is calling for the removal of Mount Rushmore as President Donald Trump's visit to the monument draws near.
• Black and Asian Americans report experiencing an increased level of antagonism since the pandemic began, a new study says.
• Tom Hanks is urging people to wear face masks following his coronavirus recovery. 

Fox News fires Ed Henry after sexual misconduct investigation

"America's Newsroom" co-anchor Ed Henry is out. Fox News fired Henry after a sexual misconduct investigation, the news company announced Wednesday. Fox News said they received a complaint on June 25 from a former employee's attorney regarding "willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago." Based on the investigative findings, “Ed has been terminated,” a statement said. Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson responded to news of Henry's firing by calling on Fox to release journalists from being “muzzled” by nondisclosure agreements.

Trump calls Black Lives Matter mural 'a symbol of hate'

Trump criticized a proposed Black Lives Matter mural to be painted outside Trump Tower a "symbol of hate" Wednesday. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he ordered the mural – the words "Black Lives Matter" painted in bright letters – to be placed right in front of Trump Tower for a reason. "We’re going to take this moment in history and amplify it by taking the ‘Black Lives Matter’ symbolism by putting it all over this city, including in front of Trump Tower," the mayor said. "NYC is cutting Police $’s by ONE BILLION DOLLARS, and yet the @NYCMayor is going to paint a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Real quick 

• COVID-19 hasn't stopped the housing market, but good luck finding a home you can afford.
• Recent global warming has wiped out 6,500 years of cooling, a new study says.
• New York City will take $1 billion from its police budget, but many say it doesn't go far enough.
• No mask. No ride: Uber will require drivers and passengers to wear face masks indefinitely.

The actual Wild West

This Florida sheriff wants everyone to know “you’ve been warned.” Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniel released a video Tuesday saying he will make “special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county” if he feels the county is overwhelmed by protesters. In the video, Daniels tells “lawless” protesters to stay out of his county. "If we can’t handle you ... I’ll make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county and I’ll deputize them for this one purpose to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility," he said. Daniels challengers accused him of inviting chaos to the county and insulting the training necessary to become a sheriff’s deputy.

A break from the news

• 🍷 Are you missing vineyard visits during quarantine? Try a virtual wine tasting.
• 🛡 Looking for a face shield? Here's what to know and where to buy them.
• 🎥 The 10 best movies of 2020 (so far), definitively ranked.

This is a compilation of stories from across the Paste BN Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.