Stark divide on race, policing emerges since George Floyd’s death, poll says
Americans’ trust in the Black Lives Matter movement has fallen and their faith in local law enforcement has risen since protests demanding social justice swept the nation last year, an exclusive USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll released on Friday finds. Last June, 60% in a USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll described George Floyd’s death as murder; that percentage has now dropped by double digits to 36%. Uncertainty has grown about how to characterize the incident, caught on video, when former officer DerekChauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck and ignored his protests that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death was one of series of confrontations last year in which law enforcement officials killed or assaulted unarmed Black people, prompting historic protests.
Reason for concern? All eyes on February jobs report
The Labor Department is set to release its February jobs report Friday, as U.S. businesses are reining in hiring and investment as fallout from the coronavirus outbreak dampens sales and creates a cloud of uncertainty over the economy Most of the epidemic’s effects so far revolve around companies involved in travel and tourism, trade shows, and business conferences, as well as manufacturers that haven’t received vital parts from China. Meanwhile, low inflation has helped the Fed keep interest rates at record low levels in an effort to help lift the economy out of the recession. The Fed will…
