Fired Atlanta officer charged with murder

The police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks was charged. The Aunt Jemima brand owns up to perpetuating racial stereotypes. And U.S. coronavirus cases are on the rise. 

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Rayshard Brooks: Fired Atlanta police officer faces felony murder charge 

Rayshard Brooks was asleep in his car in a Wendy’s drive-thru when police arrived. A little more than 40 minutes later, a police officer shot and killed him. Former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe was charged Wednesday with felony murder in the killing of Brooks, the latest Black person to die after an altercation with police. Rolfe is charged with 10 other counts, including multiple counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, Rolfe faces the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison. Arrest warrants were issued for Rolfe and fellow officer Devin Brosnan, who was at the scene and faces three charges.

A closer look at developments surrounding nationwide protests: 

• Senate Republicans unveiled a police policy package calling for an increase in transparency in registering use-of-force incidents and encouraging a ban on police chokeholds.
• The officers in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor can't be suspended without pay until an investigation is complete because of the "lack of indisputable evidence of wrongdoing," the city's deputy general counsel said in a memo.
• Dozens gathered at a vigil for Oluwatoyin Salau, demanding answers and “justice” for the activist.

Aunt Jemima's 'racial stereotype' is canceled 

Two brands plan to change their brand images in the wake of renewed calls for racial equality. The pancake syrup company Aunt Jemima is changing its name and removing the smiling Black woman from its logo, the Quaker Oats-owned business said Wednesday. The Aunt Jemima figure is "based on a racial stereotype," the company said, acknowledging that its work to update the character was "not enough." The company behind Uncle Ben's rice said Wednesday it would remove the image of a Black man from its logo. 

What everyone’s talking about

• Charleston was rocked five years ago by the Mother Emanuel church shooting. The pain lingers. The fight for change continues. 
• Rapper J. Cole dropped a surprise single in response to the Black Lives Matter protests across the nation – but not everyone is a fan of the song.
• North Korea released photos showing the explosion of the office it ran with South Korea.
• Arizona is burning: The Bush Fire in Tonto National Forest near Phoenix and three others rage in triple-digit temperatures.
• Why do some infected with COVID-19 escape unharmed? It's probably their genes.

Hot takes from John Bolton’s book 

During a meeting last year, President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for an important favor: China should increase its purchase of American soybeans and wheat because aiding American farmers would help him win the upcoming 2020 election, according to excerpts of a new book by Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton. The request is laid out in Bolton's forthcoming book, "The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir," according to The Wall Street Journal. Bolton's book, set for a June 23 release, is likely to detail pressure campaigns on foreign governments beyond China and Ukraine. That is, if the book comes out: The Trump administration sued to stop its release.

Twenty-two states see a rise in COVID-19 cases

As people slowly emerge from quarantine hibernations across the country, nearly half of the states in the USA report a spike in new coronavirus cases. Florida, Texas and Arizona have seen the sharpest spikes: 

• Florida reported 2,783 cases, continuing 15 consecutive days of more than 1,000 daily cases. Despite the rise, Gov. Ron DeSantis says he's "not rolling back" reopening plans. 
• In Arizona, Tuesday's record of 2,341 daily cases was the first time the state reported more than 2,000 new cases in a single day. More than 1,000 new cases have been reported on 11 of the past 15 days. 
• Texas reported 3,358 new cases Tuesday and five days of record hospitalizations. Gov. Greg Abbott attributed the rise to large batches of tests coming in at once. 
• Oklahoma is also on the list of states seeing a rise in cases. President Donald Trump plans to hold a campaign rally Saturday in Tulsa. 

Real quick 

• Russia protects Vladimir Putin from the coronavirus by spraying people with disinfectant when they go through tunnels to his residence, reports say.
• Solicitor General Noel Francisco resigned after tumultuous years representing Trump at the Supreme Court.
• Carol Leavell Barr, the wife of Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr, died Tuesday.
• Barack Obama doesn't tweet much, but he has more followers on Twitter than anyone else in the world.
• Mark Zuckerberg says a historic Facebook campaign will boost voter registration, turnout and voices.

These tortoises are heroes to their species

A nearly 100-year-old tortoise named Diego received a hero’s welcome in his native habitat in the Galápagos Islands. The giant tortoise, along with others, legitimately saved their species from extinction by getting it on. In the mid-1960s, Diego was one of only 15 tortoises remaining from his species, which was originally found on Española Island. He is now one of about 2,300, largely thanks to his sexual escapades. Diego had so much sex that he is now the proud father to about 800 offspring. Now that the successful captive breeding program for the species is over, the 15 hero tortoises have been released back into their native habitat in Española. 

A break from the news

• 😷 These 15 products are selling out everywhere, but here's where you can buy them.
• 🏳️‍🌈 Want to honor Pride Month? Here are 5 ways you can be an ally to the Black LGBTQ+ community.
• 🚘 Waiting to buy that hot new 2020 mid-engine Corvette? Keep waiting.

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