Let's examine this headline from Yahoo News (via ABC News.) "More Than 19,000 New COVID-19 Cases in US Over 24 Hours," with an image of the protests.
It's not making the claim that the protests caused an increase in COVID-19 cases, but it is tricking your brain to make that connection.
They want you to believe two things:
1 - There was an increase in COVID-19 cases
2 - These are linked to the protests.
The phrase "More Than" makes you think increase.
Again, that's not what they're saying, but they are manipulating your mind to think increase. But, has there been an increase? The 7 day daily average for new cases is about 21,500. The 14 day daily average is about 21,800. And the 21 day daily average is about 22,200. So, no, having fewer than 20,000 would be evidence of a downward trend, if anything. (But, saying "fewer than" would not make you draw the same, sensationalized, conclusion.)
The second point that they are trying to get you to conclude, by using an image from the protests, is that the increase in daily new cases was related to the protests.
That is a moot point, once we examine the fact that there was no increase, but we have been told for months that symptoms can take a week to develop.
So, this weekend's protests could not have led to an increase in cases on June 1.