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Obama urges George Floyd protesters to push for change, ‘make people in power uncomfortable’

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Former President Barack Obama, in a virtual town hall hosted by his foundation Wednesday, called on demonstrators to channel their anger over George Floyd‘s death into an opportunity to make leaders “uncomfortable” and pressure them into making real policy changes.

The town hall was hosted by the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, which supports young men of color. During the event, Obama said he rejected a debate that emerged in “a little bit of chatter on the internet” about “voting versus protests, politics and participation versus civil disobedience and direct action.”

“This is not an either-or. This is a both,” he said. “And to bring about real change, we both have to highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable, but we also have to translate that into practical solutions and laws that could be implemented and monitored and make sure we’re following up on.”

ANGELA STANTON-KING SAYS OBAMA, BIDEN SHOULD HAVE DONE ‘MUCH MORE’ TO COMBAT RACISM

Former President Barack Obama speaks June 3, 2020, during virtual town hall event with young people to discuss policing and the civil unrest that has followed the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. (My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and The Obama Foundation via AP)

Obama also urged “every mayor in the country to review your use of force policies” with their communities and “commit to report on planned reforms” before prioritizing their implementation. During a virtual roundtable discussion, he compared current protests to the unrest of the 1960s and said polls show a majority of Americans support the current demonstrations taking place nationwide, despite some “having been marred by the actions of a tiny minority that engaged in violence.”

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Last week, Obama said the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in Minneapolis police custody May 25 after a white officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes, “shouldn’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 America.” He laid out plans for change in a post on Medium and countered the argument made by some protesters that demonstrations will facilitate more societal change than voting.

“I’ve heard some suggest that the recurrent problem of racial bias in our criminal justice system proves that only protests and direct action can bring about change, and that voting and participation in electoral politics is a waste of time,” he wrote. “I couldn’t disagree more.”

While the former president said that the current protests stem from a “legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices,” he condemned the vandalism, looting and violence that has, in part, overshadowed the more peaceful aspects of the protests in many cities.

Fox News’ Andrew O’Reilly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Berry ‘disappointed’ with USOPC in aftermath of Floyd death

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As it turns out, the hard part for U.S. Olympian Gwen Berry hasn’t started yet.

The raised fist at the Pan-Am Games last summer, along with the public shaming she received from Olympic authorities afterward, and the wondering what might happen if she were to use her platform at the now-postponed Tokyo Games to protest racial injustice — all that seems easy now.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“I feel like, right now, my body and my mind, it’s like I’m going to war,” Berry told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. “I’m trying so hard to protect something that is near and dear to me.”

Berry is the African-American hammer thrower — the mother of a 16-year-old son — who captured headlines last year when she used her turn on the gold-medal podium at the Pan-Am Games to raise her fist as a show of her frustration with America’s treatment of blacks.

Her gesture, to say nothing of the punishment that came afterward, are all being seen in a new light these days, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd — a tragedy that has sparked protests across America while also compelling hundreds of commissioners, leagues and players in the sports world to respond.

To Berry, the statement from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee — that the federation “stands with those who demand equality” — was galling. It came less than a year after the USOPC put Berry on a 12-month probation for her gesture at the Pan-Am Games. The letter CEO Sarah Hirshland sent Berry that day said that while she respected Berry’s perspective “I disagree with the moment and manner in which you chose to express your views.”

“I want an apology letter .. mailed .. just like you and the IOC MAILED ME WHEN YOU PUT ME ON PROBATION,” Berry tweeted shortly after the USOPC sent out its letter this week. Later, she amended her demand and said she wanted a public apology.

The USOPC has not yet responded publicly to Berry’s requests; nor did officials there immediately answer emails from AP seeking comment. Berry had been scheduled to meet with USOPC leadership Wednesday night. The episode comes against the backdrop of the IOC statement earlier this year that reiterated rules forbidding the types of protests Berry made.

In her AP interview, she said she was disappointed with the USOPC: “I feel like for them to post something like that without first apologizing … it takes away their sincerity to the situation at hand,” Berry said.

And yet, in Berry’s view, the back and forth with the USOPC is the least of the problems facing her or her country, as the U.S. heads into the second week of protests in reaction to Floyd’s death. A white police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Floyd, a black man who was handcuffed as the officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes.

Berry said she heard a lot of people’s feelings while joining recent protests in Houston. She says the endless stream of stories of police brutality leveled against blacks in America keep her in a constant state of worry about her son and her brothers.

“I have a child who is a black man, who does not look like a child,” she said. “I have siblings who are black men who do not look like children. They’re big. They can be intimidating. I’m in fear for their lives right now. I feel like I’m fighting for them right now.”

She’s been inspired by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who ultimately lost his job after kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial injustice.

“My hero,” Berry said. “A person who looks like me, stands for what I stand for and believes in what I believe in. … He’s a leader.”

Asked if she was hopeful the protests could be an impetus for change, Berry said she looked at it as a “tipping point.”

“I definitely don’t think this is the thing that’s going to bring America together,” she added. “The people who run the system, they’re not going to just let this one situation be the tipping point. They’re going to fight until they can’t fight anymore. So we will have a lot of fights to do. This is the start. This is a key moment.”

When Berry raised her fist during “The Star-Spangled Banner” last summer, her message was not all that different from the one sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos delivered at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, when they raised their fists on the podium. They became internationally known for their fight to shed light on their country’s history of social injustice for blacks.

At that time, Berry didn’t really have any follow-up plans in mind. Now, she does. Her probation will be over in the Summer of 2021 — the new date for the Tokyo Games.

“I’m prepared to take my platform to the next level. I really don’t know how I will go about that, because I know just speaking out and posting is not enough,” Berry said. “Being more involved and helping my message reach bigger influencers, I think that will help me a lot.”

Smokey Bones creates extreme bacon doughnut for Doughnut Day: ‘A love letter to our meat-obsessed guests’

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Half a dozen things you didn’t know about doughnuts

Did you know there are actually two National Doughnut Days? Or that Emily Post issued rules on dunking? We’ve sorted through the Internet to find six of the tastiest facts you might not know about doughnuts.

Meat. It’s what’s for doughnut day.

NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY 2020: WHERE TO GET FREE DOUGHNUTS

National Doughnut Day’s official date is Friday, June 5. But instead of celebrating the sweet-and-carby holiday the same way you always have — by stuffing your face with sweet carbs — Smokey Bones wants you to stuff your face full of meat (and also sugar and carbs).

The chain restaurant has debuted its special limited-time-only offering: the ultimate meat/bacon doughnut.

Their “doughnut” features a 3/8th-inch (thick) slice of Applewood smoked bacon, hand-carved and then candied in brown sugar and black pepper.
(Smokey Bones)

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Their “doughnut” features a 3/8th-inch (thick) slice of Applewood smoked bacon, hand-carved and then candied in brown sugar and black pepper. The chunk of meat is then roasted until crispy and shaped into a traditional doughnut ring.

But Smokey Bones isn’t done with its faux-doughnut yet. The sugary, peppery and crispy slice is then dipped in the restaurant’s “signature vanilla cake batter and cooked until perfectly golden brown.” On top of that goes a second glaze of confectioner’s sugar and maple sugar. It’s then topped with even more smoked bacon pieces.

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“Our Chef Peter Farrand created something that not only tastes delicious but is also a love letter to our meat-obsessed guests,” said CEO James O’Reilly in a press release.  “His creativity took a typical maple bacon donut and elevated it to something you won’t find anywhere else.”

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The doughnut is available for one day only on June 5 at select Smokey Bones locations.

Woman drops 112 pounds so her husband can carry her – 18 years after the wedding

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A bride who was too heavy to be carried over the threshold has shed 112 pounds and finally realized her dream — 18 years after her wedding.

When Steph Gill wed almost two decades ago weighing 252 pounds, her husband John simply could not lift her into married life. After peaking at 308 pounds, Steph had a gastric bypass and took up running and now weighs just 140 pounds.

To mark the couple’s wedding anniversary, Steph donned her old wedding dress and John proudly carried her through their front door as family and friends watched on.
(SWNS)

To mark the couple’s wedding anniversary, Steph donned her old wedding dress and John proudly carried her through their front door as family and friends watched on.

The mum-of-two said: “Finally, after 18 years John was able to carry me over the threshold. So it was only right that I dressed appropriately, even though the dress was five sizes too big.

The IT manager had long dreamt of being carried into married life, but her weight made it impossible when she married John aged 22 in a quaint Kent church.

She said: “It certainly was in my mind. But I knew there was just no way he could carry me at my previous weight. I was a size 20 and weighed 252 pounds. I would have been upset that others were able to do it but we couldn’t.”

The IT manager had long dreamt of being carried into married life, but her weight made it impossible when she married John aged 22 in a quaint Kent church.
(SWNS)

When Steph had her gall bladder removed in 2015 the consultant suggested she would benefit from weight-loss surgery. She was referred to King’s College Hospital in London, and having been part of a weight-loss management programme, medics there agreed to take her on. They removed 80 percent of her stomach.

Steph said: “Some people think it is a quick fix but it requires a change in lifestyle. You have to want to keep the weight off.”

Determined to stabilise her weight, Steph enrolled on a ‘couch to 5K’ programme with her local running club – Beginners2Runners. She has since completed several half-marathons and has maintained her current weight of 140 pounds for more than a year. During lockdown John, 47, happened to pick Steph up and she realised that her dream of being carried across the threshold was finally possible.

Steph said: “I can’t remember why lifted me up, but I just said ‘oh my God, you can pick me up.’ That’s how the idea came about.”

WOMAN SAYS MOM WORE BRIDAL GOWN TO HER WEDDING, SHARES CLIP ON TIKTOK

Instead of doing it straight away, the couple agreed to wait until their anniversary last week.

Steph, who is currently managing IT for key workers in lockdown, said: “John knew I’d always wanted to be carried over the threshold so he agreed to do it. But he didn’t realise I was going to wear my wedding dress until the last minute. I was really nervous in case it had turned yellow. I hadn’t seen it since I packed it away in its box 18 years ago.”

The couples’ parents, children and neighbours gathered around to watch as the long-awaited spectacle unfolded. Their “emotional” nine-year-old son watched excitedly as their 16-year-old daughter filmed the event.

Steph said: “John was proud that he could do it and he always says how proud he is of me for all the weight I’ve lost. Given all the attention it has raised, I think he regrets not wearing a suit. It was just too hot. It really lifted people’s spirits during the lockdown. It was also quite funny seeing someone walking around our little close in a wedding dress. It is not something you see every day.”

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Running has been crucial for Steph’s weight loss. She has ran several half marathons since joining her local club and was due to run in the Greater Manchester Marathon in April before it was cancelled due to lockdown.

She added: “Running is brilliant for physical and mental health. I wanted to pick a sport which I couldn’t make excuses to avoid. You can run whenever, so it’s great for that.”

Since losing weight, Steph is much happier with her life and wants to encourage others to seek help if they want to do the same.

She said: “Being overweight has mental as well as physical effects. It feels so good to be in shape. I would encourage anyone to seek help. It might be harder to reach now, but it is still out there.”

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The key worker stressed that bypass surgery is not an easy weight-loss option and should be combined with a change of habits.

She added: “Some people think it is a quick fix, but it requires a change in lifestyle. Many people pile the weight back on quickly. You really have to want to keep the weight off.”

Duke Ellington’s granddaughter explains why he refused to retire: ‘That urgency never left him’

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Mercedes Ellington has always known her grandfather was different.

The world-renowned dancer can still vividly recall heading to New York City’s Apollo Theater alongside her grandmother to watch her grandfather, Duke Ellington, perform on stage.

“I would sit there mesmerized,” the 71-year-old told Fox News. “I was fascinated by the band. And then I would go backstage and there were the wives of the band members who would bring fried chicken. And then at the end of the night, we would go to Frank’s steakhouse and have a big banquet. It was always filled with music and fun.”

The iconic jazz composer and bandleader passed away in 1974 at age 75. For the month of June, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is revisiting the legacy of jazz music and its lasting influence on Hollywood by featuring influential films every Monday and Thursday of the month.

MARILYN MONROE WAS DARING TO GO NUDE IN LAST FILM ‘SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE’ FOR THIS REASON, PHOTOGRAPHER SAYS

MARCIA GAY HARDEN REVEALS THE SURPRISING CHALLENGE SHE FACED FILMING ‘BARKSKINS’: ‘IT’S A LOT TO DEAL WITH’

The network kicked off the special programming with 1959’s “Anatomy of a Murder,” which starred James Stewart and Lee Remick. Duke and fellow jazz great Billy Strayhorn composed the score, which was played by Duke’s orchestra.

The courtroom drama is considered the first major Hollywood film to be given over to a jazz musician for its score, and the first to use an African American composer for that purpose. Duke’s soundtrack album went on to win a Grammy award.

On June 4th, TCM will showcase the 1943 musical “Cabin in the Sky,” which Duke contributed to. The 1943 film “Stormy Weather” also highlights a jazzy score written by Duke and other celebrated artists.

Ellington said her grandfather was always eager to share his message through song.

PEGGY LEE’S GRANDDAUGHTER SAYS ‘MUSIC BECAME HER ESCAPE FROM A GRIM REALITY’ BEFORE FINDING FAME

Duke Ellington writing on scores of music. Undated photograph.
(Getty)

PBS DOCUMENTARY ON ‘30S HOLLYWOOD STAR MAE WEST TO AIR: ‘SHE WAS A SEXUAL GANGSTER’

“He was so prolific with almost 3,000 compositions,” she explained. “He would write anything. He would even write compositions as a thank-you for countries who invited him to play. Anything he had to say could be heard in his music.

“He was very quiet about any political statements or any political situations that occurred,” she continued. “Even with his description of jazz. He referred to it as American music because it had been born and raised in America. And it was played by many people around the world. But he felt that America was responsible for the creation of the music called jazz.”

‘NIP/TUCK’ STAR KELLY CARLSON SAYS SHE LEFT HOLLYWOOD TO SUPPORT HUSBAND’S NAVY CAREER

Duke Ellington, American composer and arranger, at the keyboard. Half-length photograph, 1910’s.
(Getty)

‘M*A*S*H’ STAR ALAN ALDA RECALLS BATTLING POLIO AS CHILD, JOKES PARENTS ‘HAD TO TORTURE ME THEMSELVES’

The star, who was born Edward Kennedy Ellington, was given his nickname by an admiring neighborhood friend he was just 8 years old, the New York Times reported. While he was offered a scholarship for art, he turned it down and immersed himself in music. By the time he was 20, Duke was earning $150 a week playing with his modest band at parties and dances.

According to the outlet, when Duke’s band expanded to 10 men, Harlem’s Cotton Club came calling with a need for a new orchestra. A nightly radio broadcast heard across the country would make Duke a household name. In 1930, the Ellington band appeared in the film “Check and Double Check.” During the ‘30s, the band would go on to appear in several films.

‘KNIGHT RIDER’ STAR REBECCA HOLDEN SAYS TO ‘GIVE MEANING AND PURPOSE’ TO THE SACRIFICES OF FALLEN SOLDIERS

Dancer/choreographer and granddaughter of the late Duke Ellington Mercedes Ellington speaks during the Duke Ellington 115th Birthday commemoration on April 27, 2014, in New York City.
(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

EDWARD VIII WAS ‘OBSESSIVE’ AND ‘SUFFOCATING’ WITH AMERICAN DIVORCEE WALLIS SIMPSON, DOC SAYS

As a composer, he wrote more than 6,000 pieces of varying length in his lifetime, the outlet shared. In 1969, President Nixon awarded Duke the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among the numerous honors he received around the world.

During his final years, Duke tirelessly continued to compose, perform and travel. The outlet noted there was scarcely a day in his life when he did not compose something.

“Music is my mistress,” he once wrote. “And she plays second fiddle to no one.”

Ellington said she’s grateful to have witnessed her grandfather’s passion for music over the years and how it continued to impact other stars.

BETTY WHITE, 98, SAYS SHE’S ‘BLESSED WITH INCREDIBLY GOOD HEALTH’ AMID THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Actress Joan Crawford attends a party in Los Angeles, California, circa 1962.
(Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

‘HAMILTON’ STAR DAVEED DIGGS ON WORKING WITH JENNIFER CONNELLY IN ‘SNOWPIERCER’: ‘SHE’S INCREDIBLE’

“I always tell the story about our trip to Russia in 1971,” she recalled. “It was part of a series of state department tours… A promoter friend of my grandfather named Phoebe Jacobs knew that he always had a glass of Coca-Cola on the piano and he would put sugar in it to refresh himself during the set. And so she called up the Coca-Cola company to see if they would send cartons with us to Russia. She never got an answer. But she knew that Joan Crawford, who was married to the president of Pepsi, was a big Ellington fan. Crawford happily arranged to have cartons of Pepsi Cola sent to Russia. Pepsi Cola became the first American soft drink in Russia.”

Ellington insisted that her grandfather’s willingness to perform on stage lasted until his death.

‘TOP GUN’ STAR RICK ROSSOVICH RECALLS WORKING WITH TOM CRUISE, VAL KILMER: WE ‘WERE LIKE BROTHERS’

The Duke Ellington Orchestra performs ‘Take the A Train’ with singer Bette Roche in the film Reveille with Beverly, released January 1943.
(Getty)

‘LEAVE IT TO BEAVER’ STAR JERRY MATHERS REACTS TO CO-STAR KEN OSMOND’S DEATH: ‘I WILL GREATLY MISS HIM’

“People would ask him, ‘When are you going to retire?’” she said. “He would answer, ‘Retire to what?’ … He knew that for the last two years, he had cancer. So he was doing everything he could during those last two years. Nothing was too outlandish. He didn’t want to follow a leader and he didn’t want to settle. He believed there’s nothing to follow, except your own inclinations. That urgency never left him.

“He always felt it was important to get as much knowledge as you could about the structure of music,” said Ellington. “He knew he was nothing without his orchestra. It was the orchestra who inspired him and vice versa. There was mutual energy. That is how he became so prolific. He didn’t want to be restricted by names and labels. He wanted to be beyond a category. He wanted to create.”

KATHARINE HEPBURN ENJOYED HER SECLUSION AWAY FROM HOLLYWOOD, CHILDHOOD PAL SAYS: ‘SHE WAS JUST ONE OF US’

Duke Ellington with Tony Bennett.
(Photo by NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

‘SCHOOLED’ STAR AJ MICHALKA SAYS HOLLYWOOD WILL ‘GET USED TO A … NEW NORMAL’ AMID THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Ellington said Duke went on to share that wisdom with his pal Tony Bennett.

“He told Tony Bennett that everybody should do at least two things you can succeed in even if they may not be related,” said Ellington. “So she encouraged Tony Bennett to go into his painting. And he did. Now Tony Bennett is a successful painter and a very successful vocalist.”

When it came time for Ellington to pursue dance, she said her grandfather had no qualms giving his granddaughter some much-needed advice.

MARLO THOMAS AND PHIL DONAHUE REFLECT ON THEIR 40-YEAR MARRIAGE: ‘WE WANTED TO PROTECT IT’

Mercedes Ellington, Duke Ellington’s daughter at a performance in 1975.
(New York Daily News/Getty Images)

‘DALLAS’ STAR CHARLENE TILTON SAYS FAITH HAS KEPT HER OUT OF ‘DARK PLACES’ DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

“Once he found out that I wanted to be a dancer, he advised me to go to Europe,” she said. “He said, ‘Because that is the only place where you will be accepted as an equal and be able to pursue your career without any restrictions.’ He knew that people of color in America did not have the same chances and opportunities. Even in the theater world, you had to go to Europe He cited Josephine Baker. I mean, look at her career. She was not famous in the states. She had to go to Europe where she was accepted as a dancer, not for her skin color. That’s one of the things he told me to do.”

NATALIE WOOD’S DAUGHTER CALLS ROBERT WAGNER ‘COURAGEOUS’ FOR SPEAKING OUT IN DOC: ‘I WAS JUST SO PROUD OF HIM’

Josephine Baker
(Photo by Gaston Paris/Roger Viollet via Getty Images)

FORMER BOND GIRL BRITT EKLAND SAYS EX-HUSBAND PETER SELLERS WAS ‘A VERY TORMENTED SOUL’ IN NEW DOC

Ellington hopes that her grandfather’s music will continue to be celebrated by both longtime fans, as well as curious new listeners alike.

“His music lasted in Hollywood because it’s timeless,” she said. “Music gave him a certain amount of freedom. He didn’t feel constricted by rules or regulations. And that is very significant because he was a person of color. He always had this optimistic view that he could succeed at anything.”

Ancient DNA could reveal full stories on the Dead Sea Scrolls

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(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

The Dead Sea Scrolls are made up of tens of thousands of manuscript fragments — mostly made of parchment, or animal skin. Now, scientists are analyzing tiny traces of ancient DNA in these fragments to piece together the story of the early text.

In the 1940s, the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date back 2,000 years, were found in a cave near the archeological site of Qumran in the West Bank, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, Live Science previously reported. Since then, fragments of the scrolls have been found scattered across 11 caves near Qumran and a couple of other sites in the Judean desert. Still others have been found in the collection of antiques dealers.

Archaeologists currently have more than 25,000 of these fragments, which once made up a series of 1,000 ancient manuscripts. The scrolls include early copies of the Hebrew Bible, calendars, astronomical text and community rules, and even contained information on the location of buried treasure, Live Science previously reported. Since researchers first discovered these fragments, they have been trying to piece them together to understand the full story of the scrolls.

Related: In photos: New Dead Sea Scrolls revealed

In the past, scientists primarily did this by trying to fit the pieces together like a puzzle, according to a statement. But because most of the fragments are made of parchment (a sliver of them are made from other materials such as papyrus), researchers decided to piece them together using an invisible marker: the ancient DNA from the animals they’re made of.

In the 1990s, researchers demonstrated that they could take little bits of ancient animal DNA from the scrolls and amplify them in the lab using a method called polymerase chain reaction (PCR). But this research was done before full animal genomes were known, before the invention of deep-sequencing technologies and before the scientific community learned how to deal with ancient DNA to avoid contamination, said senior author Oded Rechavi, a molecule biologist at Tel Aviv University in Israel.

Now, with deep-sequencing technology — technology that reveals the specific sequence of four chemical building blocks which make up an organism’s DNA — readily available, it’s possible to create a “fingerprint” for the creatures whose animal skins made up the scrolls

For the new study, Rechavi and his team spent years analyzing ancient DNA from 26 different fragments.

But “we can’t just take a fragment and grind it,” Rechavi told Live Science. To obtain a sample of DNA without damaging the scrolls, researchers scraped off a bit of “scroll dust” from the uninscribed side of the fragments. Using PCR, they amplified this DNA to detectable levels and then ran it through the DNA sequencing machines.

They found that these samples contained both modern DNA — left by modern humans handling the scrolls — and fragmented ancient DNA from animals. They then compared these short sequences with the genomes of 10 animal species and found that most of these fragments were made from sheep skin.

“It’s amazing that enough DNA can be extracted from the 2000-year-old scrolls,” Rechavi said in an email. “They are not only old and contaminated, they have also been processed (to make parchment) which is very damaging to the DNA.”

Those don’t go together

But just as the pieces are hard to put together because they’re fragmented, so is the DNA. “Since the DNA is fragmented and contaminated, it’s typically very difficult” to tell whether the DNA belongs to one sheep versus another, Rechavi said. “We have to use multiple different and complementary analyses to confidently say whether two pieces belong together or not.”

Related: Cracking Codices: 10 of the Most Mysterious Ancient Manuscripts

In some cases, it’s more clear than in others, he added. They discovered that two fragments from the scrolls containing the text of the prophetic book of Jeremiah were made of cowhide. Before these findings, one of these fragments was previously thought to fit together with another from the book of Jeremiah made of sheepskin.

The fact that it would be difficult to raise cows in the Judean desert and the text found on these pieces were very different, likely means the cow fragments were processed elsewhere and then brought to the Qumran caves, according to the researchers.

“We can’t tell exactly where the foreign scrolls originated, but we can tell, owing to the DNA analyses, that it was somewhere outside the Judean desert,” Rechavi said. That likely means that Jews were “open” to reading different versions of the same biblical book that were circulating at the time, he said. That also likely means that they “cared more about the interpretation of the text than the exact wording.”

They also discovered that some of the fragments thought to come from the Qumran caves might have come from elsewhere. For example, copies of a non-biblical text called the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice were important in understanding the history and thinking at the time. The new analysis revealed that copies found in the Qumran caves are genetically distinct (came from different sheep) from those found at the site of Masada. It was unclear if these scrolls were taken to Masada by people after the fall of Qumran in 68 C.E. or if it was drafted elsewhere and the work was popular in a larger area than the Qumran, according to the study.

These distinct genetic patterns suggest that the culture and thought processes of Qumran may have been more widespread than previously thought. “This is very important because most of what we know about the period in this area … is deduced by what was found in Qumran, and we didn’t know before whether the culture of the Qumran sect represents the culture in other places” across ancient Judea, Rechavi said.

Now, the team hopes to study ancient DNA in even more of the scrolls — at least the ones that they can sample. “There are 25,000 fragments and we could only sample a few,” Rechavi said. “There’s plenty of work to do still.”

The findings were published today (June 2) in the journal Cell.

Originally published on Live Science.

Curtis Hill: Murder charges in George Floyd death are a good step but more needed to fix broken race relations

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The filing of charges Wednesday against four fired Minneapolis police officers indicates the wheels of justice are turning quickly to hold accountable the individuals accused of responsibility for the death of George Floyd, a black man who was handcuffed on the ground and not resisting arrest.

The charges are good news for Floyd’s family and good news for our nation, though tragically nothing can bring Floyd back to life or ease the pain of his loved ones and millions of people who never knew him but have been deeply affected by his death.

Americans of good faith all welcome clear signals that police brutality is being taken seriously and addressed in a productive way.

ROB SMITH: GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS AND AMERICA’S LOST BLACK BOYS AND YOUNG MEN

The announcement that former officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder (up from an original charge of third-degree murder) and that charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder have been filed against fired officers Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao sends such a signal. All four officers could face maximum sentences of 50 years in prison if convicted.

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But don’t hold your breath that these new developments in the Floyd murder case will quickly fix our broken race relations in the United States. The torturous death of Floyd has exposed a festering wound that has been lingering for some time.

We must resist the temptation to put a disproportionate emphasis on a positive development in a single case.

In terms of quelling the violent riots, we must remember that the perpetrators of the shameful crimes across U.S. cities in recent days were almost certainly not motivated by any sincere quest for justice in Floyd’s death. The reasons for the behavior of these lawbreakers – and their disregard for life and property – stem from far less noble impulses.

Beyond that, however, the challenges of race relations on our continent have been 400 years in the making, and only through achieving long-term, consistent patterns of equal justice and opportunity can we make continued progress.

On a positive note, our nation’s journey toward ensuring civil rights for all has trended in the right direction for a long time.

Not long ago, many found it unimaginable that Americans would ever choose a person of color for president. And yet, in two consecutive elections we witnessed the election of a black president in a nation where three-quarters of the population is white. That can’t happen if America is a racist nation.

We need to keep maturing morally and spiritually in the ways that we regard our neighbors of every racial and ethnic background.

I believe that, to an overwhelming extent, most police actions involving the use of force are justified by the circumstances encountered by officers

As long as there exists violent crime, however, we had best be prepared for difficult discussions anytime our police officers use lethal force – especially when that lethal force is directed against a black person.

Before I became Indiana’s attorney general, I served as a county prosecutor for more than a decade. I know from experience that these incidents always prove challenging to communities. Unlike what we have seen in Minnesota, such incidents most often involve shootings.

I believe that, to an overwhelming extent, most police actions involving the use of force are justified by the circumstances encountered by officers. Usually, investigations reveal that officers acted to protect themselves or others from legitimate threats to their lives.

In a free society that promotes justice and accountability, police are necessary. We train our police in the reasonable use of force. We provide each officer with a badge and a gun and expect them to keep us safe even if it costs them their lives. And sometimes it does.

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When officers must use lethal force, we presume they are justified because that is the job we have asked them to do. At the same time, we always must conduct thorough investigations to confirm proper policies were followed. And whenever investigations prove officers were not justified, then they must face consequences – including arrest and prosecution when warranted.

The reason that many black people harbor suspicions regarding law enforcement actions is that black lives historically have not always seemed to matter.

Going back to colonial times in the 1600s, America has a long legacy of racial injustice – from the horrors of slavery to the harsh discrimination that persisted over the years that followed, including mob lynchings and other unspeakable crimes that the justice system too often ignored.

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The dehumanizing segregation of Jim Crow defined the lives of black people even in the 20th century. Fairness and justice were all but absent, and the distrust that exists between blacks and “the system” in America will still take a while to overcome.

Going forward, let us hope that we all can stand together as unhyphenated Americans and muster the courage to face our demons at this moment in time. The horrific death of George Floyd should never be forgotten as we continue working toward that more perfect union.

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MLB rejects 114-game schedule, threatens plan of about 50

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If Major League Baseball and its players take the field for a coronanvirus-delayed 2020 season, it will be after acrimonious negotiations that resemble their labor war of a generation ago.

MLB rejected the players’ proposal for a 114-game regular season with no additional salary cuts, and will turn its attention to a shortened slate of perhaps 50 games or fewer. Owners last week proposed an 82-game schedule starting in early July.

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“We do not have any reason to believe that a negotiated solution for an 82-game season is possible,” Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem wrote in a letter Wednesday to chief union negotiator Bruce Meyer that was obtained by The Associated Press.

MLB’s plan included a sliding scale of pay decreases that would leave players at the $563,500 minimum with 47% of their original salaries and top stars Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole at less than 22% of the $36 million they had been set to earn.

Players insisted they receive the prorated salaries agreed to in a March 26 deal, which would give them 70% pay at 114 games. That agreement called for the sides to “discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators.” The union has said no additional cuts are acceptable.

There has not been a schedule averaging fewer than 82 games per team since 1879.

“Despite what it sounds like with some of the Twitter bickering back and forth and some of the posturing back and forth, I am optimistic that we are going to play baseball this year,” Milwaukee president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “I’m optimistic that both sides genuinely want to play baseball this year, that there’s a path to doing so, even if it’s a shorter season, even if it’s 50 games.”

Ballparks without fans appear certain due to the pandemic. MLB claims large losses due to the virus, which the union disputes, and teams want additional salary reductions. Halem said 27 of the 30 teams would lose money with each additional game.

A 50-game schedule would result in players receiving about 30% of their full salaries under the March 26 deal.

“You confirmed for us on Sunday that players are unified in their view that they will not accept less than 100% of their prorated salaries, and we have no choice but to accept that representation,” Halem wrote.

“Nonetheless, the commissioner is committed to playing baseball in 2020,” Halem added. “He has started discussions with ownership about staging a shorter season without fans.”

Halem ended his letter by telling Meyer “we stand ready to discuss any ideas you may have that might lead to an agreement on resuming play without regular fan access in our stadiums.”

MLB wants to start the season in early July, and Halem wrote an agreement would have had to be reached by June 1 in order to reopen training camps by June 10. That would leave three to four weeks of preparation, which Halem said is the “wide consensus.”

“We are opposed to rushing to begin the season and then subjecting players to a grueling schedule,” he said.

Players made their proposal Sunday, five days after management’s initial economic plan. Opening day would be June 30 and the regular season would end Oct. 31, nearly five weeks after the Sept. 27 conclusion that MLB’s proposal stuck to from the season’s original schedule.

MLB does not want to play past October because it fears a second wave of the coronavirus could disrupt the postseason and jeopardize $787 million in broadcast revenue. Halem cited MLB’s infectious disease consultant, Dr. Ali Khan, Dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska.

“It is not in the collective interest of clubs or players to begin a 2020 season and subsequently be forced to suspend or cancel it before the completion of the postseason,” Halem wrote.

“Dr. Khan and his team have advised us that to minimize the risk of a subsequent delay or cancellation of the 2020 season we should endeavor to complete the season and postseason as early in the fall as possible,” he wrote. “In addition, your proposal ignores the realities of the weather in many parts of the country during the second half of October. If we schedule a full slate of games in late October, we will be plagued by cancellations.”

As part of the March 26 deal, players got $170 million in salary advances — ranging from $16,500 to $286,500 — and a guarantee that if the season is scrapped each player would get 2020 service time matching what the player accrued in 2019.

MLB’s proposal on May 26 would lower 2020 salaries from about $4 billion to approximately $1.2 billion, not including signing bonuses, termination pay or option buyouts. There would be a $200 million bonus if the postseason is completed.

The union’s offer would have salaries total about $2.8 billion, leaving each player with about 70% of his original salary.

Halem said coronavirus testing would cost the teams $40 million to $50 million. He claimed “clubs would fare even worse economically if we were to play a significant number of doubleheaders, as your counter-proposal contemplates.”

Players proposed that $100 million in salaries be deferred to 2021 and 2022 if the postseason is canceled.

“Deferring salaries, with interest, is the economic equivalent of assuming more debt,” Halem said. “Clubs already have assumed $2 billion in additional debt that must be serviced and do not have the financial capacity to push more 2020 financial obligations into future years without impacting their financial stability.”

Both sides have proposed expanding the playoffs from 10 teams to 14, and the union has offered to guarantee the expansion through 2021. Both sides also are willing to widen use of the designated hitter to all games this year.

The union proposed high-risk players, or players who live with a high-risk individual, be able to opt out of playing, and MLB has said it is willing to discuss the topic. MLB, however, says other players who opt out would get neither salary nor service time, which is key to eligibility for free agency and arbitration. The union proposed that group not get paid but receive service time.

Horse named for Dr. Anthony Fauci finishes second in debut

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A racehorse named for Dr. Anthony Fauci reached the finish line at a safe enough distance from others that would have made his namesake proud.

Fauci the 2-year-old colt finished a distant second to a horse named Prisoner and was well ahead of third-place Indoctrinate in his much-anticipated debut Wednesday at Belmont Park. In a sport known for topical names, Fauci is the first of a series of horses inspired by the coronavirus pandemic and the latest tribute to the respected director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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Social Distancing, Self Isolation, Flatten the Curve, Herd Immunity and No Spectators have also been registered with the Jockey Club.

Co-owner Phillip Antonacci picked the name Fauci in mid-March after the 79-year-old started doing daily coronavirus briefings from the White House. The Antonacci family, like Fauci, is Italian-American and from Brooklyn.

“We wanted to honor the service that he’s given to the whole world: beside COVID, fighting all the other infectious his whole life,” Antonacci said. “Throughout the whole thing, he seemed like a voice that knew what was going on and, without trying to be too political, kind of calmed things and provided real data behind what was going on.”

Antonacci hoped to name a filly after Dr. Deborah Birx. In the end, though, Antonacci said he didn’t have horse good enough to name after the coordinator of the White House’s virus task force.

This colt who debuted Wednesday was named Fauci in part because his owners thought he’d be a special horse. Trainer Wesley Ward has seen that since the then-unnamed horse got to his barn in September.

“He’s a beautiful colt, done everything right on the track in the mornings, got a beautiful mind on him to where he’s not fractious or anxious and seems very, very intelligent,” Ward said. “He’s just a real easygoing guy. Not much bothers him.”

Antonacci has sensed a lot of hype surrounding the horse because of his name. Since the global pandemic began, Dr. Fauci’s likeness has been used for a plush doll, a bobblehead and a donut, and he has a namesake beer.

And now a thoroughbred.

“He’s a really, really good horse,” Ward said. “Especially with the name that’s been assigned to him, you know that he’s got to live up to the name.”

Ward said depending on how Fauci comes out of his first race, he could be headed to Royal Ascot in England for the Coventry Stakes in mid-June.

Fauci’s debut coincided with the first live horse racing in New York since March and amid protests nationwide following death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Jockeys stood for a moment of silence to pay respects for those who died of COVID-19 and in tribute to medical professionals, then took a knee in the paddock prior to the first race as a show of solidarity with protesters in the wake of Floyd’s death.

“There’s a lot going on in the world right now and we wanted to show respect to all causes, and to all people, and to show that we here at (the New York Racing Association) support everybody,” jockey Reylu Gutierrez said. “Horse racing, in general, supports all ethnicities. Horse racing is a worldwide sport and it doesn’t matter what color you are, what religion you are, or what ethnicity you are. What matters in horse racing is that we are one.”

OBJ a ‘model guy’ during Browns’ virtual offseason program

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Odell Beckham Jr. practiced his own version of social distancing during his first offseason with the Browns. This year, the flashy receiver’s been as close as possible.

Beckham, who skipped almost all of Cleveland’s program last spring after being acquired in a trade from the New York Giants, has been a “model guy” during the team’s virtual program necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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According to new Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, Beckham has been an active and willing participant in Zoom team meetings.

“He’s all in,” Van Pelt said Wednesday on a conference call. “He’s bought in. He’s been there and it’s awesome.”

Beckham did little to change his diva-like image last year in Cleveland. He chose to mostly stay off on his own — he attended just one of nine practices — and worked out alone while his new teammates took part in mini-camps and tried to build cohesion under former coach Freddie Kitchens.

Beckham’s absence became a distraction and set the tone for a disappointing season as the Browns went 6-10 and extended a playoff drought dating to 2002 — the NFL’s longest current dry spell.

Beckham didn’t mesh with quarterback Baker Mayfield, and although he played in all 16 games and finished with 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns, the speedy 27-year-old never provided the game-breaking plays the Browns had hoped to get.

This year, though, Beckham, who underwent surgery in January to repair a core muscle injury that affected him all last season, seems eager to put last season behind him.

Van Pelt had not previously worked with Beckham, but he’s been excited about their first months together.

“It’s been great. I’ve known of Odell, obviously,” Van Pelt said. “Ben McAdoo (coached) Odell in New York and everything that Ben talked to me about with him I’ve seen. He’s a worker. He loves football. He’s smart as hell. He’s just been a model guy this offseason.

“I can’t wait to get him in the building, get him on the field. He’s been outstanding.”