George Floyd memorial, DC protests, Tropical Storm Cristobal: 5 things to know this weekend

Editors, USA TODAY
·4 min read

Second service for George Floyd to take place in North Carolina

A second memorial will be held for George Floyd Saturday in Raeford, North Carolina, where Floyd was born. A public viewing will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, followed by a private service. The North Carolina ceremony will take place on the heels of Thursday's powerful memorial service in Minneapolis, where Floyd lived. Family members and other mourners, including civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, paid tribute to Floyd and the service featured a moment of silence that lasted eight minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time a police officer pressed his knee against Floyd's neck as he lay on the ground handcuffed on May 25. A third service will be held Monday in Houston, where Floyd grew up.

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George Floyd death: Washington D.C. expecting largest protest turnout

Authorities in the nation's capital are expecting the largest demonstration against police brutality on Saturday, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Citing confusion over lines of authority and a dramatic decline in violence at recent protests, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser demanded President Donald Trump remove federal law enforcement from the city. For days, the enlarged military presence, with hundreds of additional troops on standby at posts outside the city, has frayed tensions between municipal and federal authorities. Washington's Police Chief Peter Newsham said Saturday's planned event "may be one of the largest that we've had in the city."

Cristobal expected to bring heavy rain, storm surge to Gulf Coast

Tropical storm and storm surge watches have been issued for portions of the northern Gulf Coast ahead of Tropical Storm Cristobal. As soon as Cristobal moves over land, a northward track is expected and residents along the Gulf Coast may experience tropical-storm-force winds and dangerous storm surge this weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center. On the forecast track, the center will move over the central Gulf of Mexico on Saturday and be near the northern Gulf of Mexico coast Sunday evening. Most projections put Cristobal's U.S. landfall in Louisiana, but a few models show a landfall in Florida's Panhandle. The strongest winds, highest storm surge and heaviest rains could be well removed from the center of circulation.

Stadium-sized asteroid will swing 'close' by Earth

It's the kind of asteroid that some scientists worry about, and it's coming relatively close to Earth on Saturday. Thankfully, it is expected to remain a safe distance away. Named 2002 NN4, the asteroid is more than 1,000 feet across and will be near enough to make it onto NASA's "close approach" list. It's traveling at more than 20,000 mph — so the damage 2002 NN4 could inflict on earth is catastrophic, said Derek Buzasi, professor of physics at Florida Gulf Coast University. And it’s massive. Buzasi says it’s bigger than roughly 90% of asteroids and likened it to a football stadium. Thankfully, this particular space rock is predicted to stay more than 3 million miles away — or 13 times farther from us than the Moon, NASA said.

Graduating seniors may not get a traditional ceremony, but they are getting celebrity speakers

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, high school seniors may not be able celebrate their graduation by walking across the stage, but they can say they had a celebrity speak at their commencement. Michelle Obama will headline YouTube's "Dear Class of 2020" virtual graduation on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (originally scheduled for Saturday but pushed back to honor George Floyd's memorial service). She'll be joined by entertainers Lady Gaga, BTS, Alicia Keys and Kerry Washington, as well as former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Former President Barack Obama delivered a commencement address during a May TV special and was joined by LeBron James, the Jonas Brothers and Bad Bunny to help homebound high schoolers celebrate their accomplishments, telling graduates: "This is your generation's world to shape."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Floyd memorial, Cristobal: 5 things to know this weekend