Music: Misha Mullov-Abbado — ‘Circle Song’
The black-white economic divide is as wide as it was in 1968
The Washington Post reports: As Black Live Matter protests grow across the nation over policing, the deep economic inequalities that African Americans face are coming to the forefront. In many ways, the gap between the finances of blacks and whites is still as wide in 2020 as it was in 1968, when a run of landmark civil rights legislation culminated in the Fair Housing Act in response to centuries of unequal treatment of African Americans in nearly every part of…
Black voters are at the heart of the fight to take back America from Trump
Juan Williams writes: In Columbia, S.C., on Saturday, a young protester told a reporter that she just didn’t think voting is “how change happens.” “They’ve been telling us to do that for so long,” she added, “and we’ve done it — and look at everything that’s still going on.” Fury over the cruel death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody, combined with fear of a deadly virus and its painful economic impact, make this a dark, dizzying…
It’s up to American citizens to save America democracy
General John Allen (ret.) writes: The slide of the United States into illiberalism may well have begun on June 1, 2020. Remember the date. It may well signal the beginning of the end of the American experiment. The president of the United States stood in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday, railed against weak governors and mayors who were not doing enough, in his mind, to control the unrest and the rioters in their cities, and threatened…
The U.S. military must stand up for its soul in this moment
Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.) writes: We need to get our active duty military out of the line of fire of domestic politics and off the streets, and turn this mission over to the men and women trained for it. I am old enough to remember the protests of 1968, the destructive energy that ripped through this nation in those days under the twin burdens of racism (and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.) and the country’s enormous protests against…
Washington DC now controlled by gunmen under William Barr’s command
The Washington Post reports: From an FBI command center in Washington’s Chinatown neighborhood, Attorney General William P. Barr has orchestrated a stunning show of force on the streets of the nation’s capital — a battalion of federal agents, troops and police designed to restore order, but one that critics say carries grim parallels to heavy-handed foreign regimes. Barr was tapped by President Trump to direct the national response to protests and riots over police misconduct since the police-custody death of…
William Barr’s unaccountable nameless army suppresses dissent and threatens democracy
We cannot tolerate an American secret police. I will be introducing legislation to require uniformed federal officers performing any domestic security duties to clearly identify what military branch or agency they represent. pic.twitter.com/2kaFAlWUow — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 4, 2020 HuffPost reports: Just a few hundred feet north of the White House on Wednesday afternoon, armed agents of the federal government, dressed in a patchwork of colors and protective gear, stared down peaceful protesters demonstrating for Black lives. Yet what…
The dystopian Lincoln Memorial photo raises a grim question: Will they protect us, or will they shoot us?
Members of the D.C. National Guard were ordered in front of the Lincoln Memorial by Attorney General William Barr, according to a senior National Park Service official. The Park Service has been told to expect a more militarized presence at its sites. https://t.co/iZncUnhLrL pic.twitter.com/OJBiRm3D89 — The New York Times (@nytimes) June 3, 2020 Philip Kennicott writes: Who in the Pentagon, or the leadership of the National Guard of the District of Columbia, thought this was a good look? Who thought…
Music: Aaron Parks — ‘Solace’
Former defense secretary, James Mattis, denounces Trump, describing him as a threat to the Constitution
James Mattis writes: I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are…
Defense Secretary Esper shocks White House by rebuffing military role in protests
Bloomberg reports: President Donald Trump and other top aides were upset that Defense Secretary Mark Esper publicly opposed the deployment of active-duty forces to confront protesters in U.S. cities, as Trump has suggested, and viewed the Pentagon chief’s remarks as out of line. Esper, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday, said the use of active-duty military forces to perform law enforcement responsibilities within the U.S. is “a matter of last resort” and that the National Guard is better-suited…
Tear gas being used to suppress protests could intensify coronavirus pandemic
The New York Times reports: The billowing clouds of tear gas that the authorities are sending through protest crowds across the United States may increase the risk that the coronavirus could spread through the gatherings. Along with the immediate pain that can cause watering eyes and burning throats, tear gas may cause damage to people’s lungs and make them more susceptible to getting a respiratory illness, according to studies on the risks of exposure. The gas can also incite coughing,…
White supremacist infiltration of U.S. police forces: Fact-checking National Security Advisor O’Brien
Just Security reports: On Sunday morning, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked President Trump’s National Security Advisor, Robert O’Brien, whether he thinks “systemic racism” is a problem in law enforcement agencies in the United States. O’Brien responded: “I don’t think there is systemic racism. I think 99.9 percent of our law enforcement officers are great Americans,” said O’Brien. “But … there’s a few bad apples.” There are two flaws in O’Brien’s response. First, O’Brien ignores the well-documented support by law enforcement officers…
Bryan Stevenson: There’s a direct line from lynching to George Floyd
Addressing the root causes of racial injustice in America is fundamental to achieving lasting change. Bryan Stevenson has dedicated his life to doing just that. As a leading civil rights lawyer, Stevenson made his name saving dozens of wrongfully convicted inmates from execution through his Equal Justice Initiative. He speaks with Walter Isaacson about solutions, from a change in the culture of policing to an embrace of truth and reconciliation.
Keep wearing masks and social distancing — it works, new study says
The Canadian Press reports: Masks and social distancing can help control the coronavirus but hand washing and other measures are still needed, a new study from Hamilton’s McMaster University says. Researchers concluded single-layer cloth masks are less effective than surgical masks, while tight-fitting N95 masks provide the best protection. A distance of 1 metre (more than 3 feet) between people lowers the danger of catching the virus, while 2 metres (about 6 1/2 feet) is even better. Eye protection such…
Epidemiologist behind Sweden’s controversial virus strategy admits mistakes
Bloomberg reports: Sweden’s top epidemiologist has admitted his strategy to fight Covid-19 resulted in too many deaths, after persuading his country to avoid a strict lockdown. “If we were to encounter the same illness with the same knowledge that we have today, I think our response would land somewhere in between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world has done,” Anders Tegnell said in an interview with Swedish Radio. Tegnell is the brains behind Sweden’s controversial approach…