Jun 17, 2020 - Sports

Players and referees take knee at start of Premier League's first game back

At the opening whistle of the English Premier League's first game since the coronavirus forced teams to take a 100-day hiatus, referees and players from Aston Villa and Sheffield United took a knee for 10 seconds to express support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The big picture: The police killing of George Floyd in the U.S. has sparked an international movement as protesters demand their governments address systemic racism and confront their history as former colonizers.

  • European soccer leagues are no stranger to racism, as 2019 saw multiple incidents of fans making racist gestures or chants towards players of color, ABC News notes.
  • With the support of the Premier League, the players also wore jerseys that had the words "Black Lives Matter" instead of their last names.

What they're saying: "Aston Villa and Sheffield United were proud to stand in solidarity with the actions of the players and coaching staff of both football clubs during the first ten seconds of tonight’s Premier League fixture, expressing our collective support for the Black Lives Matter movement," Aston Villa's club account tweeted.

Go deeper...In photos: People around the world rally against racism

Go deeper

Fadel Allassan
Jul 2, 2020 - Sports

9 more NBA players test positive for coronavirus

Photo: Sam Wasson/Getty Images

Nine more NBA players tested positive for the coronavirus after league-wide testing of 344 players from June 24 to 29, the NBA Players Association announced Thursday.

The big picture: With the NBA set to restart on July 30 in Orlando, 25 of 351 players have received positive tests since the league began testing on June 23. The league announced last week after a previous round of testing that 16 players had tested positive.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 12,772,755 — Total deaths: 566,036 — Total recoveries — 7,030,749 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 3,269,531 — Total deaths: 134,898 — Total recoveries: 995,576 — Total tested: 39,553,395 — Map.
  3. Politics: Trump wears face mask in public for first time.
  4. States: Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases with over 15,000.
  5. Public health: Trump's coronavirus testing czar says lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table" — We're losing the war on the coronavirus.
  6. Education: Betsy DeVos says schools that don't reopen shouldn't get federal funds — Pelosi accuses Trump of "messing with the health of our children."
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Fadel Allassan
2 hours ago - Health

Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases

Data: Covid Tracking Project; Chart: Axios Visuals

Florida reported 15,299 confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday — a new single-day record for any state, according to its health department.

The big picture: The figure shatters both Florida's previous record of 11,458 new cases and the single-state record of 11,694 set by California last week, according to AP. It also surpasses New York's daily peak of 11,571 new cases in April, and comes just a day after Disney World reopened in Orlando.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow