theguardian--2020-06-20--US attorney behind inquiries into Trump allies refuses to resign despite Barr announcement

US attorney general William Barr announced the resignation on Friday of an influential attorney who oversaw key prosecutions of allies of Donald Trump and an investigation into Rudy Giuliani – but it appeared the attorney in question had other ideas .
“ I have not resigned , and have no intention of resigning , ” said Geoffrey Berman , adding he learned of his apparent departure as attorney for the Southern District of New York from a justice department press release .
“ I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate , ” Berman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption .
I cherish every day that I work with the men and women of this office to pursue justice without fear or favor – and intend to ensure that this office ’ s important cases continue unimpeded.
” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said : “ This late Friday night dismissal reeks of potential corruption of the legal process .
What is angering President Trump ?
A previous action by this US attorney or one that is ongoing ?
” The dispute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr has politicized the justice department and acted more like Trump ’ s personal attorney than the nation ’ s chief law enforcement officer .
In his press release , Barr said Trump intended to nominate Jay Clayton – chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and with virtually no experience as a federal prosecutor – to Berman ’ s position .
“ I thank Geoffrey Berman , who is stepping down after two-and-a-half years of service as United States attorney for the Southern District of New York , ” Barr said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has done an excellent job leading one of our nation ’ s most significant US attorney ’ s offices.
” The US attorney in New Jersey , Craig Carpenito , will serve as acting US attorney , Barr said .
Steve Vladeck , a professor of law at the University of Texas , said on Twitter it was “ clear ” that “ Barr lied [ and ] something really stinks ” .
“ Legally , Barr can ’ t fire Berman .
Berman can be replaced by a Senate-confirmed successor .
Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Whether Barr/Trump can name his replacement without Senate confirmation .
Why this happened.
” The announcement , late on Friday , came after Barr visited New York City and met police officials .
It came just days after former national security adviser John Bolton claimed in his tell-all book that Trump promised Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan he would interfere in the Halkbank case , which was being prosecuted in the Southern District .
The office has prosecuted a number of Trump associates , including former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes .
He has also been investigating Giuliani and his associates and the case of Jeffrey Epstein , the financier and convicted sex offender who counted Trump among powerful friends and who died in custody last year .
Prosecutors are reportedly investigating Giuliani ’ s business dealings , including whether he failed to register as a foreign agent .
Berman , a Republican who contributed to the president ’ s election campaign , worked for the same law firm as Giuliani and was put in his job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , months after former US Attorney Preet Bharara was fired after refusing to resign along with dozens of other prosecutors appointed by Barack Obama .
As US attorney , Berman won over some skeptics when he went after Trump allies .
In April 2018 , FBI agents raided Cohen ’ s offices , an act the president decried as a politically motivated witch hunt .
Berman recused himself from directly overseeing the Cohen investigation , for reasons that were never disclosed but he has taken a direct hand in other investigations that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s inaugural committee for a wide range of documents as part of an investigation into potential crimes including possible illegal contributions from foreigners .
Weeks before the 2018 midterm election , Berman announced insider trading charges against an ardent Trump supporter , Chris Collins .
Collins , who represented western New York in Congress , has since resigned .
Under Berman , the office also brought charges against Michael Avenatti , the lawyer who gained fame by representing adult actor Stormy Daniels in lawsuits involving Trump .
Avenatti was convicted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nike .
The Southern District of New York is one of the nation ’ s premiere districts , trying major mob cases and terror cases .
Amid huge controversy on Friday night , Vladeck , the law professor , added : “ It ’ s worth not losing sight of the fact that the Attorney General of the United States out-and-out lied in a written statement – and in a context in which there could have been little question to him that Berman would publicly call him out for doing so .
And @ @ @ @ @ @

In a surprise move late on Friday night, the US attorney general, William Barr, announced the resignation of Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, the home of investigations and prosecutions of allies of Donald Trump including Rudy Giuliani and Michael Cohen.
Berman was among those taken by surprise. In a statement that set up a remarkable standoff between the administration and the leader of a district which regularly tries major mob and terror cases, the attorney said he had no intention of quitting.
“I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning,” Berman said, adding he learned of his supposed departure from a Department of Justice press release.
“I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate,” he said. “Until then, our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption. I cherish every day that I work with the men and women of this office to pursue justice without fear or favor – and intend to ensure that this office’s important cases continue unimpeded.”
The dispute comes amid accusations from Democrats that Barr has politicised the DoJ and acted like Trump’s personal attorney.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said: “This late Friday night dismissal reeks of potential corruption of the legal process. What is angering President Trump? A previous action by this US attorney or one that is ongoing?”
The announcement came after Barr visited New York and met police officials. It also came days after the former national security adviser John Bolton claimed in his tell-all book that Trump promised the Turkish president he would interfere in the Halkbank case, which was being prosecuted in the SDNY.
Jerrold Nadler, the House judiciary chair, like Schumer from New York, said he would invite Berman to testify.
In a statement, Barr thanked Berman for his “tenacity and savvy” and for doing “an excellent job”, and said Trump intended to nominate Jay Clayton – the chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission but with virtually no experience as a federal prosecutor – to Berman’s position. The US attorney in New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, would be acting US attorney, Barr said.
Berman was not confirmed by the Senate. Instead, in accordance with a law that says he can serve until the vacancy is filled, he was appointed by the judges of the district.
Steve Vladeck, a professor of law at the University of Texas, said on Twitter it was “clear” that “Barr lied [and] something really stinks”.
“Legally, Barr can’t fire Berman,” Vladeck said. “Berman can be replaced by a Senate-confirmed successor. Not clear: Whether Trump can fire Berman. Whether Barr [or] Trump can name his replacement without Senate confirmation. Why this happened.”
Vladeck also pointed out that Carpenito has neither been confirmed by the Senate nor selected by district judges.
A DoJ official who spoke to Reuters said Clayton, who had been planning to leave the administration, “expressed interest” and Barr “thought it was a good idea”.
Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor now an analyst for CNN, asked: “What would make anybody look at a person with zero prosecutorial experience – zero – and say ‘That’s the guy who needs to lead the SDNY’?”
Berman, a Republican who contributed to Trump’s campaign, was installed in January 2018, months after Preet Bharara was fired from the post after refusing to resign along with dozens of other prosecutors appointed by Barack Obama. On Twitter on Friday night, Bharara said: “Yes, the attorney general is a liar.”
The SDNY has prosecuted Trump associates including Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer who served a prison sentence for lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes.
Berman recused himself from the Cohen investigation, for reasons that were never disclosed, but he has also been in charge of the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who counted Trump among powerful friends and who died in custody last year.
Prosecutors are also reportedly investigating Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s business dealings, including whether he failed to register as a foreign agent. No wrongdoing has been formally alleged.
Berman’s office also subpoenaed Trump’s inaugural committee for documents as part of an investigation into potential crimes including possible illegal contributions from foreigners.
Weeks before the 2018 midterm elections, Berman announced insider trading charges against an ardent Trump supporter, Chris Collins, who subsequently resigned from Congress.
The office also brought charges against Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented the adult film actor Stormy Daniels in lawsuits involving Trump and was convicted in February of trying to extort sportswear giant Nike.
William Barr. ‘It’s worth not losing sight of the fact that the attorney general of the United States out-and-out lied,’ said the professor Steve Vladeck. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock
Among commentators pondering Berman’s reference to investigations that “will move forward without delay or interruption”, Harry Litman, a former US attorney, hinted at trouble ahead.
“Whatever cases involving Trump and allies have been vexing Trump and Barr,” he wrote, “you can bet they’re gonna move at double time now and more likely also that we learn about them through leaks.”
What happens next remains unclear. The DoJ official who spoke to Reuters said the timeline for Berman’s replacement “remains the same”, which would mean Carpenito taking over from 3 July.
In an email, Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said: “Barr could attempt to fire Berman, but Berman would likely refuse to go. Barr might then try to persuade a court he can fire Berman and order Berman to step down. However, Barr would likely sue in SDNY, and the SDNY judges properly appointed Berman and may be reluctant to rule for Barr.
“Barr could wait until 3 July and try to force Berman out. Meanwhile, Trump could nominate Clayton, [Trump ally Lindsey] Graham could rush a Senate judiciary committee hearing and the Senate could confirm him, and Berman has said he would resign then.
“One big problem is the Senate leaves on 27 June for a recess, until the week of 6 July.”
On Saturday, Berman showed up to work in Manhattan.
“I’m just here to do my job,” he said.


theguardian--2020-06-20--Protesters topple Confederate general statue in Washington DC and set it on fire

Protesters toppled the only statue of a Confederate general in the nation ’ s capital and set it on fire on Juneteenth , the day marking the end of slavery in the US , amid continuing anti-racism demonstrations after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
Cheering demonstrators jumped up and down as the 11-foot ( 3.4-meter ) statue of Albert Pike – wrapped with chains – wobbled on its high granite pedestal before falling backward , landing in a pile of dust .
Protesters then set a bonfire and stood around it in a circle as the statue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no peace , no racist police ” .
Eyewitness accounts and videos posted on social media indicated police were on the scene but did not intervene .
The president , Donald Trump , quickly tweeted about the toppling , calling out DC mayor Muriel Bowser and writing : “ The DC police are not doing their job as they watched a statue be ripped down and burn .
These people should be immediately arrested .
A disgrace to our country.
” Jubilant protesters read out Trump ’ s tweet over a bullhorn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , most protesters returned peacefully to Lafayette park near the White House .
The Pike statue has been a source of controversy over the years .
The former Confederate general was also a longtime influential leader of the Freemasons , who revere Pike and who paid for the statue .
Pike ’ s body is interred at the DC headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , which also contains a small museum in his honor .
The statue , dedicated in 1901 , was located in Judiciary Square about half a mile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built at the request of Masons who successfully lobbied Congress to grant them land for the statue as long as Pike would be depicted in civilian – not military – clothing .
Racial tensions in the country reached boiling point and spilled into the streets after Floyd ’ s killing late last month .
Video showed a white police officer pressing his knee against Floyd ’ s neck for nearly eight minutes as the handcuffed black man said : “ I can ’ t breathe.
” The officer , Derek Chauvin , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activists and some local government officials in DC had campaigned for years to get the statue taken down but needed the federal government ’ s approval to do so .
“ Ever since 1992 , members of the DC council have been calling on the federal government to remove the statue of Confederate Albert Pike ( a federal memorial on federal land ) .
We unanimously renewed our call to Congress to remove it in 2017 , ” the DC council tweeted Friday .
A proposed resolution calling for the removal of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief founder of the post-civil war Ku Klux Klan.
” The Klan connection is a frequent accusation from Pike ’ s critics and one which the Masons dispute .

Protesters toppled the only statue of a Confederate general in the nation’s capital and set it on fire on Juneteenth, the day marking the end of slavery in the US, amid continuing anti-racism demonstrations after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Cheering demonstrators jumped up and down as the 11-foot (3.4-meter) statue of Albert Pike – wrapped with chains – wobbled on its high granite pedestal before falling backward, landing in a pile of dust. Protesters then set a bonfire and stood around it in a circle as the statue burned, chanting, “No justice, no peace, no racist police”.
Eyewitness accounts and videos posted on social media indicated police were on the scene but did not intervene. The president, Donald Trump, quickly tweeted about the toppling, calling out DC mayor Muriel Bowser and writing: “The DC police are not doing their job as they watched a statue be ripped down and burn. These people should be immediately arrested. A disgrace to our country.”
Jubilant protesters read out Trump’s tweet over a bullhorn and cheered. After the statue fell, most protesters returned peacefully to Lafayette park near the White House.
The Pike statue has been a source of controversy over the years. The former Confederate general was also a longtime influential leader of the Freemasons, who revere Pike and who paid for the statue. Pike’s body is interred at the DC headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, which also contains a small museum in his honor.
The statue, dedicated in 1901, was located in Judiciary Square about half a mile from the US Capitol. It was built at the request of Masons who successfully lobbied Congress to grant them land for the statue as long as Pike would be depicted in civilian – not military – clothing.
03:11 Is this the end for colonial-era statues? – video
Racial tensions in the country reached boiling point and spilled into the streets after Floyd’s killing late last month. Video showed a white police officer pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes as the handcuffed black man said: “I can’t breathe.” The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with murder.
Civil rights activists and some local government officials in DC had campaigned for years to get the statue taken down but needed the federal government’s approval to do so.
“Ever since 1992, members of the DC council have been calling on the federal government to remove the statue of Confederate Albert Pike (a federal memorial on federal land). We unanimously renewed our call to Congress to remove it in 2017,” the DC council tweeted Friday.
A proposed resolution calling for the removal of the statue referred to Pike as a “chief founder of the post-civil war Ku Klux Klan.” The Klan connection is a frequent accusation from Pike’s critics and one which the Masons dispute.


theguardian--2020-06-20--Calls for reparations are growing louder. How is the US responding?

As the American civil war reached its bloody end in 1865 , the Union general William Sherman seized land from Confederates and mandated it be redistributed , in 40-acre plots , to newly freed slaves .
The promise of “ 40 acres and a mule ” was never fulfilled .
But a debate has raged ever since about what America owes to the descendants of slaves , and to the victims of racial terror and state-sanctioned discrimination that persisted long after emancipation .
“ We helped build this nation .
We built the United States Capitol .
We built the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that built the early economy of the United States , ” Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee , the sponsor of a House resolution to study reparations , said in an interview this week .
“ We were never paid , never given insurance , never received compensation for the more than 200 years of living and working in bondage .
And we continue to live with the stain of slavery today.
” Jackson Lee said the disparities exposed by compounding national crises – a pandemic , an economic collapse and widespread protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have taken an unequal toll on African Americans – are helping to make the case for reparations .
In the weeks since George Floyd died pleading for his life under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer , an act many saw as an embodiment of the violent oppression black Americans have endured for centuries , public support for the Black Lives Matter movement has soared .
“ Look at the protests .
Look at the protesters , ” Jackson Lee said .
“ We are winning the hearts and minds of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think the time to pass reparations is now.
” Reparations were once a lonely cause championed by black leaders and lawmakers .
Now the debate has moved to the center of mainstream politics .
Several states , localities and private institutions are beginning to grapple with issue , advancing legislation or convening taskforces to develop proposals for reparations .
Progressive candidates running for Congress from New York to Colorado to Texas have declared their support for reparations .
And earlier this month , at an AME church in Delaware , Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listened as the state senator Darius Brown challenged him on the issue .
“ It shouldn ’ t be a study of reparations , ” Brown said .
“ It should be funding reparations.
” But for scholars and advocates who have been making the case for reparations for decades , Biden ’ s support for studying the issue represents a dramatic break from the past .
John Conyers , who died in 2019 and was the longest-serving African American in Congress , first introduced a bill to study reparations for slavery in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every cycle for nearly three decades , until he resigned in 2017 .
Even Barack Obama , when asked by the author , Ta-Nehisi Coates , whose influential 2014 essay in the Atlantic reintroduced the subject , said he was opposed , arguing that reparations was politically impractical .
Jackson Lee reintroduced Conyers ’ bill , which would develop a commission to study the legacy of slavery across generations and consider a “ national apology ” for the harm it has caused .
The measure , designated HR 40 in reference to Sherman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 125 sponsors , the blessing of Nancy Pelosi , the House speaker and New Jersey senator Cory Booker introduced a companion measure .
On Juneteenth last year , a Congressional subcommittee convened a first-of-its-kind hearing to discuss how the nation might atone for its “ original sin ” , as well as the Jim Crow segregation that followed and the modern scourges of mass incarceration , persistent inequality and police violence that still plague African Americans .
Such a commission would have to grapple with profound moral and ethical questions as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics .
Proposals vary widely , as do the cost estimates and suggested criteria for eligibility .
But at their core is an attempt to make economic amends for historic wrongs .
William Darity , an economist at Duke University and the author of From Here to Equality : Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century , argues that the wealth disparities between white and black Americans is the “ most powerful indicator ” of the cumulative costs of racial injustice in America .
The objective of a reparations package , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gap .
The data paint a stark picture .
Black Americans hold one-tenth of the wealth of white Americans .
Just 41 % of black families own their homes compared with more than 70 % of white families .
And black college graduates have a lower homeownership rate than white high school dropouts .
Others have proposed disbursing the money in the form of educational vouchers or health insurance or making long-term investments in programs that address disparities in education , housing and employment .
That the debate has expanded to include discussions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of progress , Darity said .
“ We ’ re finally moving away from the question of whether or not it ’ s the right thing to do – because more and more people acknowledge that , at least in principle , it is the right thing to do , ” he said .
“ And that is a major step forward because the logistical questions can be resolved.
” As for political objections to cost , Darity points to the $ 2tn economic relief package quickly passed by Congress to stem the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ included direct payments to Americans .
Still the notion of compensating descendants of American slaves is not widely popular .
But there are signs that is shifting .
According to a Gallup Poll conducted in 2002 , 81 % of Americans opposed reparations , compared with just 14 % who supported the idea .
In 2019 , Gallup found that 29 % of Americans agreed the government should recompense descendants of the enslaved , with support rising among white Americans from 6 % to 16 % .
The most dramatic increase was among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a simple majority in 2002 to nearly three-quarters in 2019 .
At the same time , young Americans are significantly more likely to agree that the legacy of slavery still impacts black Americans today , while also being more likely to say the US government should formally apologize for slavery and pay reparations , according to an AP-NORC poll published in September .
And supporters are hopeful those numbers will rise amid a national reckoning over racism and discrimination .
Public opinion on race has shifted dramatically in the span of a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now in agreement that racial discrimination is “ big problem ” in the United States .
In California , assemblywoman Shirley Weber said the protests fueled interest in her bill to study reparations in the state , which the chamber approved overwhelmingly last week .
“ Something dramatic is going on , ” said Weber , who is the daughter of sharecroppers and a scholar of African American studies .
“ Folks now begin to realize just how extensively , how deeply , issues of race are embedded in our society and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to George Floyd in Minneapolis.
” Reparations has long been met with strong resistance from conservatives and some prominent black leaders , who have dismissed the idea as impractical and unnecessarily divisive .
“ I don ’ t think reparations help level the playing field , it might help more eruptions on the playing field , ” Senator Tim Scott , the lone black Republican senator , told Fox News earlier this month .
Coleman Hughes , a fellow at the free market thinktank Manhattan Institute , worries a renewed focus on reparations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more pressing issues , like police brutality and mass incarceration , that has devastated America ’ s black communities .
“ How are reparations going to hold police accountable ?
” he said .
“ What is the added value of talking about reparations as opposed to talking about just good public policy that is going to address inequality and poverty ?
” Yet recompense for historical injustices are not without precedent in America .
After the second world war , Congress created a commission to compensate Native American tribes for land seized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say the approach was paternalistic .
Decades later , Ronald Reagan signed legislation that authorized individual payments of $ 20,000 to Japanese Americans who were interned in the US during the second world war , and extended a formal apology from the US government .
In 2008 , the House passed a resolution acknowledging and apologizing for slavery .
The Senate approved a similar resolution a year later , but a disclaimer was appended to ensure the apology could not be used as a legal rationale for reparations .
Facing history is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations cleaved by atrocity said Susan Neiman , an Atlanta-born academic based in Berlin and the author of Learning from the Germans .
She said it took time for Germany to confront the horrors of nazism and the Holocaust , Neiman said , and the process faced strong resistance .
Since 1952 , Germany has paid reparations , mostly to Jewish victims of the Nazi regime .
“ It needs to be a multi-layered process , one involving schools , the arts , rethinking what values we want to honor in public space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from reparations to ending police brutality , ” she said .
“ Ideally , a broad democratic discussion must accompany such a process , and once it ’ s done , countries are actually better off for it.
” The cruelty of the Covid-19 outbreak , the economic crisis , and police brutality against black Americans must be understood as part of “ a continuum that began with the Middle Passage ” , said California congresswoman Barbara Lee , author of a new bill to establish a Truth , Racial Healing and Transformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ We have to , as I say , break these chains once and for all .
”

As the American civil war reached its bloody end in 1865, the Union general William Sherman seized land from Confederates and mandated it be redistributed, in 40-acre plots, to newly freed slaves.
The promise of “40 acres and a mule” was never fulfilled. But a debate has raged ever since about what America owes to the descendants of slaves, and to the victims of racial terror and state-sanctioned discrimination that persisted long after emancipation.
“We helped build this nation. We built the United States Capitol. We built the White House. We made cotton king and that built the early economy of the United States,” the Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the sponsor of a House resolution to study reparations, said in an interview this week.
“We were never paid, never given insurance, never received compensation for the more than 200 years of living and working in bondage. And we continue to live with the stain of slavery today.”
Jackson Lee said the disparities exposed by compounding national crises – a pandemic, an economic collapse and widespread protests over police brutality, all of which have taken an unequal toll on African Americans – are helping to make the case for reparations.
In the weeks since George Floyd died pleading for his life under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, an act many saw as an embodiment of the violent oppression black Americans have endured for centuries, public support for the Black Lives Matter movement has soared.
“Look at the protests. Look at the protesters,” Jackson Lee said. “We are winning the hearts and minds of the American people. That’s why I think the time to pass reparations is now.”
Sheila Jackson Lee speaks during a hearing about reparations for the descendants of slaves before a House judiciary subcommittee. Photograph: Pablo Martínez Monsiváis/AP
Reparations were once a lonely cause championed by black leaders and lawmakers. Now the debate has moved to the center of mainstream politics.
Several states, localities and private institutions are beginning to grapple with issue, advancing legislation or convening taskforces to develop proposals for reparations. Progressive candidates running for Congress from New York to Colorado to Texas have declared their support for reparations. And earlier this month, at an AME church in Delaware, Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, listened as the state senator Darius Brown challenged him on the issue.
“It shouldn’t be a study of reparations,” Brown said. “It should be funding reparations.”
But for scholars and advocates who have been making the case for reparations for decades, Biden’s support for studying the issue represents a dramatic break from the past.
[We] never received compensation for the more than 200 years of living and working in bondage. And we continue to live with the stain of slavery today Sheila Jackson Lee
John Conyers, who died in 2019 and was the longest-serving African American in Congress, first introduced a bill to study reparations for slavery in 1989. The Michigan Democrat reintroduced it every cycle for nearly three decades, until he resigned in 2017. Even Barack Obama, when asked by the author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose influential 2014 essay in the Atlantic reintroduced the subject, said he was opposed, arguing that reparations was politically impractical.
Jackson Lee reintroduced Conyers’ bill, which would develop a commission to study the legacy of slavery across generations and consider a “national apology” for the harm it has caused. The measure, designated HR 40 in reference to Sherman’s unmet promise, now has more than 125 sponsors, the blessing of Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, and the New Jersey senator Cory Booker introduced a companion measure.
On Juneteenth last year, a congressional subcommittee convened a first-of-its-kind hearing to discuss how the nation might atone for its “original sin”, as well as the Jim Crow segregation that followed and the modern scourges of mass incarceration, persistent inequality and police violence that still plague African Americans.
Such a commission would have to grapple with profound moral and ethical questions as well as profane matters of money and politics. Proposals vary widely, as do the cost estimates and suggested criteria for eligibility. But at their core is an attempt to make economic amends for historic wrongs.
William Darity, an economist at Duke University and the author of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, argues that the wealth disparities between white and black Americans is the “most powerful indicator” of the cumulative economic toll of racial injustice in America.
The data paint a stark picture. Black Americans hold one-tenth of the wealth of white Americans. Just 41% of black families own their homes compared with more than 70% of white families. And black college graduates have a lower homeownership rate than white high school dropouts.
Darity says the objective of a reparations package should be to close the wealth gap, and that the best way to do that is by direct payments to eligible black Americans. As for political objections to the scale and expense of such a program, he notes that earlier this year Congress allocated $2tn for a coronavirus relief measure that included direct payments to Americans.
Others have suggested compensation in the form of educational vouchers, health insurance or investments in programs that address disparities in education, housing and employment.
That the debate has expanded to include discussions over feasibility and mechanics is a sign of progress, Darity said.
“We’re finally moving away from the question of whether or not it’s the right thing to do – because more and more people acknowledge that, at least in principle, it is the right thing to do,” he said. “And that is a major step forward because the logistical questions can be resolved.”
Still the notion of compensating descendants of American slaves is not widely popular. But there are signs that is shifting.
According to a Gallup Poll conducted in 2002, 81% of Americans opposed reparations, compared with just 14% who supported the idea. In 2019, Gallup found that 29% of Americans agreed the government should recompense descendants of the enslaved, with support rising among white Americans from 6% to 16%. The most dramatic increase was among black Americans, whose support climbed from a simple majority in 2002 to nearly three-quarters in 2019.
At the same time, young Americans are significantly more likely to agree that the legacy of slavery still impacts black Americans today, while also being more likely to say the US government should formally apologize for slavery and pay reparations, according to an AP-NORC poll published in September.
And supporters are hopeful those numbers will rise amid a national reckoning over racism and discrimination. Public opinion on race has shifted dramatically in the span of a few weeks, with a majority of Americans now in agreement that racial discrimination is a “big problem” in the United States.
In California, assemblywoman Shirley Weber said the protests fueled interest in her bill to study reparations in the state, which the chamber approved overwhelmingly last week.
“Something dramatic is going on,” said Weber, who is the daughter of sharecroppers and a scholar of African American studies. “Folks now begin to realize just how extensively, how deeply, issues of race are embedded in our society and how that can produce what we saw happen to George Floyd in Minneapolis.”
Reparations have long been met with strong resistance from conservatives and some prominent black leaders, who have dismissed the idea as impractical and unnecessarily divisive.
“I don’t think reparations help level the playing field, it might help more eruptions on the playing field,” Senator Tim Scott, the lone black Republican senator, told Fox News earlier this month.
Coleman Hughes, a fellow at the free market thinktank Manhattan Institute, worries a renewed focus on reparations was a “distraction” from the more pressing issues, like police brutality and mass incarceration, that has devastated America’s black communities.
“How are reparations going to hold police accountable?” he said. “What is the added value of talking about reparations as opposed to talking about just good public policy that is going to address inequality and poverty?”
Widespread protests fueled interest in Shirley Weber’s bill to study reparations in California. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA
Yet recompense for historical injustices are not without precedent in America.
After the second world war, Congress created a commission to compensate Native American tribes for land seized by the US government, though many say the approach was paternalistic. Decades later, Ronald Reagan signed legislation that authorized individual payments of $20,000 to Japanese Americans who were interned in the US during the second world war, and extended a formal apology from the US government.
In 2008, the House passed a resolution acknowledging and apologizing for slavery. The Senate approved a similar resolution a year later, but a disclaimer was appended to ensure the apology could not be used as a legal rationale for reparations.
Facing history is a necessary part of the healing process for nations cleaved by atrocity said Susan Neiman, an Atlanta-born academic based in Berlin and the author of Learning from the Germans.
She said it took time for Germany to confront the horrors of nazism and the Holocaust, Neiman said, and the process faced strong resistance. Since 1952, Germany has paid reparations, mostly to Jewish victims of the Nazi regime.
“It needs to be a multi-layered process, one involving schools, the arts, rethinking what values we want to honor in public space, and all manner of legal measures from reparations to ending police brutality,” she said. “Ideally, a broad democratic discussion must accompany such a process, and once it’s done, countries are actually better off for it.”
The cruelty of the Covid-19 outbreak, the economic crisis and police brutality against black Americans must be understood as part of “a continuum that began with the Middle Passage”, said the California congresswoman Barbara Lee, author of a new bill to establish a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Commission.
“This is truth-telling time,” she said. “We have to, as I say, break these chains once and for all.”


theguardian--2020-06-20--Rallies and celebrations across America commemorate end of slavery – as it happened

As the Covid-19 virus continues to spread unevenly across the world , politicians and opinion pages in the US are already blaming new cases of coronavirus on mass demonstrations against police violence and racism .
The protests are a visible example of public crowds , and the ideal scapegoat for problems that are far more complex .
Some leaders have treated them with overt hostility .
But have protests really played a critical role in spreading new cases of coronavirus ?
The best science suggests probably not a lot .
Let me be clear : I ’ m not minimising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Indeed , there is almost nothing we do at the moment that doesn ’ t carry some risk of contagion , and it is undoubtedly true that they will lead to some new cases .
But the big question is by how much , and whether there are ways to minimise this risk .
Here , the answer is largely in favour of the outdoor protests over other large gatherings planned , such as indoor campaign rallies .
The evidence is becoming clear that wearing a mask can substantially lower the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We are seeing more and more masks worn by protesters .
A second feature of gatherings that affects the spread of the virus is whether they happen outdoors or indoors .
Here , too , research suggests that outdoor activities are much safer than indoor ones .
Finally , although this is more preliminary , evidence suggests that if you ’ re going to be in a crowd , a mobile one is better than a stationary one .
None of these three aspects will protect you from infection definitively – but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk reduction .
And compared with the risk of catching Covid-19 that is present in many jobs or other activities , such as working in meat-packing plants , outdoor protests are likely to be much safer– especially if we carry out testing , which can quickly reveal if the virus is spreading among protesters , as Massachusetts has done recently .

Maanvi Singh (now), Lauren Gambino and Martin Pengelly (earlier)

20 Jun 2020 03.16 BST Recap Here’s what’s happened: Across the nation, people rallied, celebrated, marched and protested in commemoration of Juneteenth . In Oakland, dockworkers and longshoremen marched with thousands and shut down a port. In Harlem, there was meditation, tap dancing, and singing, in addition to speeches. In Tulsa, hundreds gathered in Greenwood — the site of one of the most horrific acts of racist violence in the US — to remember and celebrate emancipation.
. In Oakland, dockworkers and longshoremen marched with thousands and shut down a port. In Harlem, there was meditation, tap dancing, and singing, in addition to speeches. In Tulsa, hundreds gathered in Greenwood — the site of one of the most horrific acts of racist violence in the US — to remember and celebrate emancipation. Tula is also where Donald Trump is holding his first rally since coronavirus closed down the nation. Top members of Trump’s coronavirus task force warned of safety risks of holding a large-scale indoor event, but White House is forging ahead anyway. The Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked a bid to postpone the event due to coronavirus concerns.
Top members of Trump’s coronavirus task force warned of safety risks of holding a large-scale indoor event, but White House is forging ahead anyway. The Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked a bid to postpone the event due to coronavirus concerns. One of the Louisville police officers involved in the death or Breonna Taylor has been fired . Activists are calling for all the officers to be fired and charged in her death. According to the termination later, officer Brett Hankison “displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life” when he shot Taylor
. Activists are calling for all the officers to be fired and charged in her death. According to the termination later, officer Brett Hankison “displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life” when he shot Taylor Officers chased, shot and killed a security guard at an auto repairs shop in Los Angeles on Thursday. Andres Guardado was 18. On Wednesday, Los Angeles deputies also shot and killed Terron Jammal Boone, 31, who the half brother of Robert Fuller, who [was] discovered hanging from a tree on 10 June.
Andres Guardado was 18. On Wednesday, Los Angeles deputies also shot and killed Terron Jammal Boone, 31, who the half brother of Robert Fuller, who [was] discovered hanging from a tree on 10 June. Trump threatened “protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes” who attend his rally in Tulsa on Saturday, warning that they will be treated more harshly. He tweeted the threat, even though protest is protected by the First Amendment.
Updated at 03.17 BST
20 Jun 2020 02.56 BST Here are a few more images and videos from around the country. Los Angeles: It's going down in Leimert Park. Music, dancing, food and a lot of good energy. #JuneteenthDay @LATACO pic.twitter.com/DhKgfobRCC — Lexis-Olivier Ray (@ShotOn35mm) June 20, 2020 Baltimore: Jarell Johnson sings a song during a Juneteenth Celebration in Baltimore, Maryland. Photograph: J Countess/Getty Images Seattle: People gathered at Jimi Hendrix Park during the “Juneteenth Freedom March and Celebration” event in Seattle. Photograph: Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images Juneteenth Celebrated In Cities Across America
SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 19: Latio Cosmos (L), who recently graduated from Seattle University with a degree in public affairs, participates in the Juneteenth Freedom March and Celebration on June 19, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when a Union general read orders in Galveston, Texas stating all enslaved people in Texas were free according to federal law. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images) Photograph: Karen Ducey/Getty Images
20 Jun 2020 02.13 BST In Philadelphia, Black Lives Matter activists organized a “Jawnteenth”* celebration. Demonstrators demanded a dismantling of the police department and freedom for political prisoners. Black cowboys joined a gathering West Philadelphia’s Malcolm X park, as did a drum line. “We’re riding for the cause, Black lives does matter, we love being Black,” Al Lynch, sitting atop a horse named AJB Classic Babe, told WHYY. The #Juneteenth drum line rallied in the intersection before leading the march back into Malcolm X Park: pic.twitter.com/zWI19lQxF2 — Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) June 19, 2020 *For those who aren’t familiar, here’s an explanation of the uniquely Philadelphian word “jawn”.
20 Jun 2020 01.43 BST In Tulsa, hundreds gathered in Greenwood, Tulsa – the site of one of the most horrific acts of racist violence in US history – to celebrate Juneteenth. #JUNETEENTH2020 in Greenwood, Tulsa pic.twitter.com/M1eWziEngD — Oliver Laughland (@oliverlaughland) June 19, 2020 Al Sharpton, who was there to address the crowd, told reporters that “Juneteenth is both a celebration and a reminder, a commemoration. It reminds us that it took almost three years after the signing of the emancipation proclamation for people in Texas to even know that slavery was over.” “So it is only proper for me to be here to show everyone how far we have come and how far we have yet to go,” he said. “We must understand the litany of pain that Black Americans have suffered.”
Updated at 01.47 BST
20 Jun 2020 01.21 BST A number of redactions from the Mueller report have been revealed The Department of Justice has removed a number of redactions from Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 elections, in response to Freedom of Information Act lawsuits. The newly uncovered sections of the report suggest that Mueller mulled whether Donald Trump lied. In written responses to Mueller’s questions, Trump said he didn’t remember discussing WikiLeaks with his friend and former campaign adviser Roger Stone. But sources close to Trump recalled conversations in which they discussed the topic. “It is possible that, by the time the President submitted his written answers two years after the relevant events had occurred, he no longer had clear recollections of his discussions,” the report reads. “But the President’s conduct could also be viewed as reflecting his awareness that [Roger] Stone could provide evidence that would run counter to the President’s denials and would link the President to Stone’s efforts to reach out to WikiLeaks.” Stone was involved in efforts to contact Wikileaks and obtain Hillary Clinton’s emails and other documents that could to boost Trump’s chances of winning the election.
Updated at 02.45 BST
19 Jun 2020 00.27 BST The Department of Homeland Security sent helicopters, airplanes and drones to 15 cities where demonstrators were protesting police brutality, and logged at least 270 hours of surveillance, the New York Times reports based on Customs and Border Protection data. More from the Times: The department’s dispatching of unmanned aircraft over protests in Minneapolis last month sparked a congressional inquiry and widespread accusations that the federal agency had infringed on the privacy rights of demonstrators. But that was just one piece of a nationwide operation that deployed resources usually used to patrol the U.S. border for smugglers and illegal crossings. Aircraft filmed demonstrations in Dayton, Ohio; New York City; Buffalo and Philadelphia, among other cities, sending video footage in real time to control centers managed by Air and Marine Operations, a branch of Customs and Border Protection. The footage was then fed into a digital network managed by the Homeland Security Department, called “Big Pipe,” which can be accessed by other federal agencies and local police departments for use in future investigations, according to senior officials with Air and Marine Operations.
19 Jun 2020 00.23 BST More images from Washington, DC: A group of people throw colorful powder near Black Lives Matter Plaza. Photograph: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images People dance to Go-go music. Photograph: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images The crowd gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza, near the White House, during celebrations to observe Juneteenth. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA
19 Jun 2020 00.12 BST The Associated Press has amended its influential, widely used style guide to capitalize Black. AP’s style is now to capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying an essential and shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa. — APStylebook (@APStylebook) June 19, 2020 More from the AP: The change conveys “an essential and shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa,” John Daniszewski, AP’s vice president of standards, said in a blog post Friday. “The lowercase black is a color, not a person.” The news organization will also now capitalize Indigenous in reference to original inhabitants of a place.


theguardian--2020-06-20--The US and China are entering a new cold war. Where does that leave the rest of us? | Timothy Garton

The US and China are entering a new cold war. Where does that leave the rest of us? | Timothy Garton Ash

Let ’ s be honest : there is a new cold war between China and the United States .
The coronavirus crisis has only heightened the antagonism .
There are few , if any , countries in Africa or Latin America where the two superpowers do not loom large as rivals .
When Chinese and Indian soldiers clash with brutal hand-to-hand fighting on a disputed frontier , US secretary of state Mike Pompeo hastens to take the Indians ’ side .
British MPs have formed a China Research Group – with the word research meaning “ opposition research ” , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The question of whether Huawei is a security threat is being asked almost everywhere .
Every historical analogy is imperfect , but if the essence of cold war is a worldwide , multi-dimensional , long-term struggle between two superpowers , this is a new cold war .
The question for the rest of us is : what we do about it ?
Do we put our heads in the sand and say : “ Please make this go away ?
” That is roughly the attitude of most Europeans .
Or do we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it towards the best possible outcome ?
The latter is obviously the right course .
With that in mind , here are nine lessons from cold war I for cold war II .
We must think long term The first cold war lasted more than 40 years .
The People ’ s Republic of China has huge strengths , including sheer scale , national pride , evolutionary innovation , an entrepreneurial society and a Leninist party that has systematically learned from the collapse of the Soviet Union so as to avoid the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haul .
Combine competition and cooperation Detente policies were not distinct from the first cold war – they were an intrinsic part of it .
Liberal democracies did best when they combined tough , hard-nosed defence and containment with diplomacy and constructive engagement .
Our red lines on issues such as the security of Taiwan should be crystal clear , but so should our continued readiness to work with Beijing .
The EU correctly describes China as at once a partner , a competitor and a “ systemic rival ” .
Given the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberal world , as well as global threats such as climate change and Covid-19 , we ’ ll need to embrace a twin-track approach .
Focus on China ’ s internal dynamics The primary cause of this new cold war is the turn taken by the Chinese communist party leadership under Xi Jinping since 2012 : more oppressive at home , more aggressive abroad .
We have to understand why the Chinese party-state took this turn away from the more pragmatic , evolutionary strategy – “ crossing the river by feeling for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country ’ s peaceful rise and won China such broad international appeal at the time of the Beijing Olympics .
And what forces or circumstances might bring it back to such a path ?
We need all the expertise we can get on Chinese history , culture and politics , and on Asia as a whole .
Don ’ t believe we can engineer their system One of the recurrent delusions of western policy in the first cold war was that it could directly and predictably change the other side ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychology nonsense about strengthening the doves and weakening the hawks ?
The entirety of our policies will be at best a secondary cause of change in the Chinese system .
Avoid behaviouristic hubris .
Always remember that we are addressing a society as well as a state The more we – rightly – criticise the party-state ’ s policy in Xinjiang , Hong Kong and the South China Sea , the more we need to emphasise that this is not an attack on the Chinese people , with their rich , fascinating culture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be assessed for its impact on Chinese society as well as on the party-state .
In the end , it is the Chinese who will change China , not us .
China is not the Soviet Union Learning from the first cold war also means understanding how this time is different .
Just as the Soviet Union was a mix of Leninist politics and Russian history , so China blends Xi ’ s Leninism with Chinese culture and tradition .
Francis Fukuyama argues that China was “ the first world civilisation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for centuries “ Chinese regimes were centralised , bureaucratic and merit-based ” .
China ’ s strengths and weaknesses also flow from an unprecedented combination of Leninism and capitalism .
Other historical comparisons are illuminating , such as with the economically modern but socially conflicted pre-1914 Wilhelmine Germany , which challenged imperial Britain as Beijing now challenges the imperial US .
If you don ’ t know what to do , do the right thing We watch with horror the tragedy of Hong Kong , the totalitarian oppression of the Uighurs in Xinjiang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The British government has done the right thing in offering a path to full British citizenship for up to 3 million Hong Kong residents , even though this will do nothing to prevent the slow strangling of that city ’ s glorious high-rise synthesis of east and west .
The Norwegian Nobel committee was right to award the peace prize to Liu Xiaobo , although it could not save that brave and lucid Chinese patriot from a painful death in prison .
Unity is strength At the moment , the liberal world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Beijing has endless opportunities to divide and rule .
A recent official paper laying out Washington ’ s new “ strategic approach ” to the other superpower says the first objective of US policy is “ to improve the resiliency of our institutions , alliances and partnerships ” , but Donald Trump does the opposite .
An effective twin-track response to the Chinese challenge requires a strategic unity that is geographically wider than the pre-1989 western alliance of Western Europe and North America .
The EU , the post-Brexit UK and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representatives of other democracies early next year to chart common ground .
Cold wars are won at home By far the most important single thing that liberal democracies did to prevail in the first cold war was to make our own societies prosperous , free , open and attractive .
The same will be true this time .
A former Chinese student of mine has written a fascinating essay about the attitudes of Chinese students who return home after studying at western universities .
His conclusion : the experience of living in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as we might once have hoped , perfect pro-western liberal democrats .
Instead , they become “ double dissidents ” , highly critical of both systems .
It ’ s not our foreign policy that will ultimately convince them .
It ’ s what we do at home .
Oh , and one last thing .
I call this a new cold war because my job as a political writer is to call a spade a spade .
That doesn ’ t mean western politicians would be well-advised to deploy a phrase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t say all they know .

Let’s be honest: there is a new cold war between China and the United States. The coronavirus crisis has only heightened the antagonism. There are few, if any, countries in Africa or Latin America where the two superpowers do not loom large as rivals. When Chinese and Indian soldiers clash with brutal hand-to-hand fighting on a disputed frontier, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo hastens to take the Indians’ side. British MPs have formed a China Research Group – with the word research meaning “opposition research”, as in the European Research Group. The question of whether Huawei is a security threat is being asked almost everywhere.
Every historical analogy is imperfect, but if the essence of cold war is a worldwide, multi-dimensional, long-term struggle between two superpowers, this is a new cold war. The question for the rest of us is: what we do about it? Do we put our heads in the sand and say: “Please make this go away?” That is roughly the attitude of most Europeans. Or do we recognise the reality and try to shape it towards the best possible outcome? The latter is obviously the right course. With that in mind, here are nine lessons from cold war I for cold war II.
We must think long term
The first cold war lasted more than 40 years. The People’s Republic of China has huge strengths, including sheer scale, national pride, evolutionary innovation, an entrepreneurial society and a Leninist party that has systematically learned from the collapse of the Soviet Union so as to avoid the same fate. This will be a long haul.
Combine competition and cooperation
Detente policies were not distinct from the first cold war – they were an intrinsic part of it. Liberal democracies did best when they combined tough, hard-nosed defence and containment with diplomacy and constructive engagement. Our red lines on issues such as the security of Taiwan should be crystal clear, but so should our continued readiness to work with Beijing. The EU correctly describes China as at once a partner, a competitor and a “systemic rival”. Given the degree of interdependence between China and the liberal world, as well as global threats such as climate change and Covid-19, we’ll need to embrace a twin-track approach.
Focus on China’s internal dynamics
The primary cause of this new cold war is the turn taken by the Chinese communist party leadership under Xi Jinping since 2012: more oppressive at home, more aggressive abroad. We have to understand why the Chinese party-state took this turn away from the more pragmatic, evolutionary strategy – “crossing the river by feeling for the stones” – that for decades enabled the country’s peaceful rise and won China such broad international appeal at the time of the Beijing Olympics. And what forces or circumstances might bring it back to such a path? We need all the expertise we can get on Chinese history, culture and politics, and on Asia as a whole.
Don’t believe we can engineer their system
One of the recurrent delusions of western policy in the first cold war was that it could directly and predictably change the other side’s domestic politics. Remember all that behavioural psychology nonsense about strengthening the doves and weakening the hawks? The entirety of our policies will be at best a secondary cause of change in the Chinese system. Avoid behaviouristic hubris.
Always remember that we are addressing a society as well as a state
The more we – rightly – criticise the party-state’s policy in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea, the more we need to emphasise that this is not an attack on the Chinese people, with their rich, fascinating culture and history. Every action and statement should be assessed for its impact on Chinese society as well as on the party-state. In the end, it is the Chinese who will change China, not us.
China is not the Soviet Union
Learning from the first cold war also means understanding how this time is different. Just as the Soviet Union was a mix of Leninist politics and Russian history, so China blends Xi’s Leninism with Chinese culture and tradition. Francis Fukuyama argues that China was “the first world civilisation to create a modern state” and that for centuries “Chinese regimes were centralised, bureaucratic and merit-based”. China’s strengths and weaknesses also flow from an unprecedented combination of Leninism and capitalism. Other historical comparisons are illuminating, such as with the economically modern but socially conflicted pre-1914 Wilhelmine Germany, which challenged imperial Britain as Beijing now challenges the imperial US.
If you don’t know what to do, do the right thing
We watch with horror the tragedy of Hong Kong, the totalitarian oppression of the Uighurs in Xinjiang and the muzzling of brave individual dissidents. The British government has done the right thing in offering a path to full British citizenship for up to 3 million Hong Kong residents, even though this will do nothing to prevent the slow strangling of that city’s glorious high-rise synthesis of east and west. The Norwegian Nobel committee was right to award the peace prize to Liu Xiaobo, although it could not save that brave and lucid Chinese patriot from a painful death in prison.
Unity is strength
At the moment, the liberal world is at sixes and sevens over China. Beijing has endless opportunities to divide and rule. A recent official paper laying out Washington’s new “strategic approach” to the other superpower says the first objective of US policy is “to improve the resiliency of our institutions, alliances and partnerships”, but Donald Trump does the opposite. An effective twin-track response to the Chinese challenge requires a strategic unity that is geographically wider than the pre-1989 western alliance of Western Europe and North America. The EU, the post-Brexit UK and a new US administration should sit down with representatives of other democracies early next year to chart common ground.
Cold wars are won at home
By far the most important single thing that liberal democracies did to prevail in the first cold war was to make our own societies prosperous, free, open and attractive. The same will be true this time. A former Chinese student of mine has written a fascinating essay about the attitudes of Chinese students who return home after studying at western universities. His conclusion: the experience of living in the west does not make returning Chinese students, as we might once have hoped, perfect pro-western liberal democrats. Instead, they become “double dissidents”, highly critical of both systems. It’s not our foreign policy that will ultimately convince them. It’s what we do at home.
Oh, and one last thing. I call this a new cold war because my job as a political writer is to call a spade a spade. That doesn’t mean western politicians would be well-advised to deploy a phrase with such negative connotations. Wise leaders don’t say all they know.


theguardian--2020-06-21--Donald Trump takes the stage at Tulsa rally amid coronavirus fears – live

He turns to “ leftist radicals ” statues of Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Columbus being torn down .
He says @ @ @ @ @ flag “ should go to jail for a year ” .
He says he believes @ @ @ @ @ not “ desecration ” .
Respect of the flag is something Trump has turned to @ @ @ @ @ NFL quarterbacks about the subject .
Meanwhile , elsewhere in Tulsa , Black Lives Matter @ @ @ @ @ counter-event :

Tom Lutz in New York (now), Bryan Armen Graham and Martin Pengelly (earlier)

21 Jun 2020 04.40 BST Oliver Laughland is on the ground for us in Tulsa and says scenes on the streets are peaceful at the moment: Protesters have converged at an underpass in Greenwood, site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, there are 100s if not over 1k people.
It’s become a dance party, also with very little social distancing and limited use of masks: pic.twitter.com/YoSND72SF2 — Oliver Laughland (@oliverlaughland) June 21, 2020
21 Jun 2020 04.30 BST David Smith Donald Trump declared “the silent majority is stronger than ever before” at his comeback rally on Saturday, but thousands of empty seats appeared to tell a different story. The US president’s much hyped return to the campaign trail turned to humiliation when he failed to fill a 19,000-capacity arena in the Republican stronghold of Oklahoma, raising fresh doubts about his chances of winning re-election. “The Emperor has no crowd,” tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama. The overwhelmingly white gathering at Trump’s first rally since March was dwarfed by the huge multiracial crowds that have marched for Black Lives Matter across the country in recent weeks, reinforcing criticism that the president is badly out of step with the national mood. The flop in Tulsa was an unexpected anticlimax for an event that seemed to offer a combustible mix of Trump, protests over racial injustice and a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 120,000 Americans and put more than 40m out of work. You can read the full report below: Donald Trump sows division and promises 'greatness' at Tulsa rally flop Read more
Updated at 04.30 BST
21 Jun 2020 04.16 BST Lois Beckett More on the protests in Tulsa. Mason Haynes, 21, an Oklahoma film student who has been photographing and filming the protest, told the Guardian over the phone that law enforcement had used pepper-ball chemical irritant and shot bean bags at protesters near the corner of Fifth St and Boulder Avenue about half an hour ago.
The protesters in that area included both Black Lives Matter and pro-Trump protesters, Haynes said.
Various law enforcement vehicles had been trying to get through the intersection, he said, and a bus full of the national guard had “got stuck in front of the protesters, and the cops kind of had to take control,” he said, “by shooting peaceful protesters with chemical irritant.” had to transition to the gas mask. a look at the area while some of the chemical irritant was still in the air. 4th and Boulder, Tulsa. pic.twitter.com/6MHoZvliTf — sam (@samanthavicent) June 21, 2020
More recently, reporters with the Tulsa World and others tweeted that some protesters have marched to Tulsa’s historic “Black Wall Street” in Greenwood, where music is playing and the demonstration has become upbeat.
Protesters have gathered at the front steps of Vernon AME Church, which withstood the Tulsa Race Massacre. #BlackLivesMatter is projected on the side of the church. pic.twitter.com/n5mh3Ljb9G — Tim Landes (@TimLandesJr) June 21, 2020
21 Jun 2020 03.39 BST There are reports of police using pepper balls to disperse a crowd protesting outside the BOK Center, where Donald Trump held his rally tonight. RIGHT NOW: Protests are starting outside the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa near 4th & Boulder. News On 6’s Brooke Griffin says police have used pepper balls in the area. She says some people ran away, others poured water on their faces. Heavy police presence in area. #TulsaRally pic.twitter.com/hxfy1e9G6n — Shannon Rousseau (@shannonrousseau) June 21, 2020 Police just fired what people are calling pepper balls into the crowd to push people back near Boulder and Fourth. pic.twitter.com/WdJ2J49V4P — Kayla Branch (@kayla_branch) June 21, 2020
Updated at 03.40 BST
21 Jun 2020 03.33 BST The Trump campaign had reported hundreds of thousands of people had signed up for tonight’s rally. There were definitely not that many in Tulsa, and there are reports that social media campaigns on campaigns including TikTok had been used to get people to claim tickets they had no intention of using. A member of the president’s campaign denied to CNN that was the case. “We had legitimate 300,000 signups of Republicans who voted in the last four elections. Those are not [TikTok] kids. It was fear of violent protests. This is obvious with the lack of families and children at the rally. We normally have thousands of families,” the official told the broadcaster.
Updated at 03.49 BST
21 Jun 2020 03.26 BST Trump went after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez twice in his speech tonight. As Ocasio-Cortez herself says, it’s interesting that the most powerful person in the United States sees a first-term member of Congress as one of his main opponents. Perhaps because she represents what many of his most loyal supporters fear. Ah yes - in fact, I’m so uncharismatic and untalented that the President of the United States has dedicated time at multiple rallies over two years to talk about me, a first term member of Congress 💁🏽♀ https://t.co/OncmV2u7Nw — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 21, 2020


theguardian--2020-06-21--Donald Trump calls Covid-19 'kung flu' at Tulsa rally

Donald Trump used racist language to describe the coronavirus pandemic at a campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , by terming the virus as the “ kung flu ” .
The Covid-19 outbreak began in Wuhan , China , late last year and has since spread around the world , killing tens of thousands of people .
Trump ’ s response to the pandemic in the US has been widely criticized as the pandemic cost more than 100,000 American lives and infected more than two million people .
Trump has repeatedly tried to term Covid-19 as the “ Chinese virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has prompted outrage from many civil liberties groups , who have warned that such language can inspire racism and violence against Asian-Americans .
But , in Tulsa , Trump appeared to go even further in his use of racist language .
“ It has more names than any disease in history .
I can name kung flu .
I can name 19 different versions of names , ” he said to cheers from the crowd .
Trump has previously defended his language around linking the virus to China .
Speaking at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he said it was “ not racist at all .
It comes from China .
I want to be accurate.
” In April , the American Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director , Cecillia Wang , wrote that attempts to blame China “ lead to dangerous scapegoating and widespread ignorance , just when accurate public health information is critically needed ” .
The World Health Organization has also advised against terms that link the virus to China to avoid stigmatization .

Donald Trump used racist language to describe the coronavirus pandemic at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by terming the virus as the “kung flu”.
The Covid-19 outbreak began in Wuhan, China, late last year and has since spread around the world, killing tens of thousands of people. Trump’s response to the pandemic in the US has been widely criticized as the coronavirus cost more than 100,000 American lives and infected more than two million people.
Trump has repeatedly tried to term Covid-19 as the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan virus” which has prompted outrage from many civil liberties groups, who have warned that such language can inspire racism and violence against Asian Americans.
But in Tulsa Trump appeared to go even further in his use of racist language.
The President uses the term “Kung flu” pic.twitter.com/yMlGLCRix3 — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) June 21, 2020
“It has more names than any disease in history. I can name kung flu. I can name 19 different versions of names,” he said to cheers from the crowd.
Trump has previously defended his language around linking the virus to China. Speaking at a daily coronavirus task force briefing in March, he said it was “not racist at all. It comes from China. I want to be accurate.”
In April, the American Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director, Cecillia Wang, wrote that attempts to blame China “lead to dangerous scapegoating and widespread ignorance, just when accurate public health information is critically needed”.
03:00 White House defends Trump's use of racist phrase to describe coronavirus – video
The World Health Organization has also advised against terms that link the virus to China to avoid stigmatization.
At the same rally Trump also used the Spanish word “hombre” when describing a fictional criminal breaking into a young woman’s home while she was alone at night. Trump was talking about nationwide protests aimed at defunding the police in the wake of a spate of police killings of Black people.
“It’s one o’clock in the morning … a very tough hombre is breaking into the window of a young woman whose husband is away,” Trump said.
Hombre is the Spanish word for “man”.
Trump has used the phrase before and in 2015 announced his presidential run by referring to Mexican immigrants as “rapists”.


theguardian--2020-06-20--Geoffrey Berman, US attorney behind inquiries into Trump allies, resigns after Barr announces firing

The US attorney general , William Barr , said on Saturday Donald Trump had fired Geoffrey Berman , the US attorney for the southern district of New York who has overseen investigations and prosecutions of key Trump allies including Rudy Giuliani and Michael Cohen .
Berman later confirmed he had now stepped down and that his deputy Audrey Strauss would take his place .
“ I could leave the district in no better hands than Audrey ’ s , ” Berman said in a statement .
He added that he was sure Strauss would continue the district ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The move brings to a likely end a bizarre dispute between the attorney general and Berman , after Berman earlier refused to confirm his resignation from the prestigious role , following Barr ’ s announcement in a surprise statement on Friday night .
That refusal prompted Barr to announce he had asked Trump to fire Berman – which the president apparently promptly did .
Before Barr moved to fire Berman , observers widely noted that though the attorney general did not have the authority to do so , the president did .
Characteristically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waters .
Leaving the White House for his rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , he told reporters the firing was “ all up to the attorney general .
Attorney General Barr is working on that .
That ’ s his department , not my department .
But we have a very capable attorney general , so that ’ s really up to him .
I ’ m not involved.
” Steve Vladeck , a professor of law at the University of Texas , said on Twitter that more important than questions about legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is why this happened ” .
Barr had been widely accused of undermining Department of Justice independence even before he moved against Berman .
In a surprise statement released on Friday night , the attorney general said Trump intended to nominate Jay Clayton – the chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission but with little experience as a federal prosecutor – as US attorney .
Barr said then the US attorney in New Jersey , Craig Carpenito , would be acting US attorney until Clayton could be confirmed by the Senate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not known of the move until Barr ’ s statement was issued .
“ I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate , ” he said .
“ Until then , our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption .
“ I cherish every day that I work with the men and women of this office to pursue justice without fear or favor – and intend to ensure that this office ’ s important cases continue unimpeded.
” On Saturday , Berman showed up to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just here to do my job , ” he said .
He did not immediately comment after Barr moved to have him fired .
Barr accused Berman of having “ chosen public spectacle over public service ” .
“ Your statement also wrongly implies that your continued tenure in the office is necessary to ensure that cases now pending in the southern district of New York are handled appropriately , ” he wrote .
“ This is obviously false .
I fully expect that the office will continue to handle all cases in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed by the Senate but appointed by district judges until a Senate-confirmed nominee was found , according to law and after Trump fired the previous US attorney , Preet Bharara , an Obama appointee .
In a tweet on Saturday , Bharara mocked Barr ’ s letter as a “ wrinkle ” .
“ The president just said that he was not involved in the matter of Geoff Berman in SDNY , ” he wrote .
“ That means that though both Trump and Barr lie , at least one of them is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Berman has overseen investigations into Giuliani ’ s business dealings – no wrongdoing has been formally alleged – and campaign finance violations which contributed to Cohen going to jail .
The SDNY is also overseeing the prosecution of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman , two associates of Giuliani , on campaign finance charges .
Parnas has turned against Trump .
On Saturday ABC News released a section of a forthcoming interview in which John Bolton , the former national security adviser whose tell-all book will be published on Tuesday despite Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s suggested intervention in an SDNY case involving a Turkish bank “ did feel like obstruction of justice to me ” .
The southern district is an immensely powerful office , often charged with prosecuting financial , organised crime and terror-related cases .
Berman oversaw the case of Jeffrey Epstein , the disgraced financier who counted Trump among influential friends and who killed himself in custody in New York last year .
Among Democrats , Val Demings , a US representative from Florida and a possible pick as Joe Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would establish the reason for Berman ’ s dismissal .
“ What was Mr Berman investigating that the president and his fixer are so determined to stop ?
” she said in a tweet .
“ We are going to find out.
” That followed another tweet in which she said : “ The president has doubled down on his fixer ’ s obstruction of investigations into him and his allies .
It is clear that nothing will restrain his corruption .
No one is above the law .
The American people will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeply concerned about the sudden removal of the US attorney for the southern district of New York , especially given serious questions about who gave the order and the timing of the firing , ” James said .
“ I hope the Department of Justice heeds its own advice and puts public service over public spectacle .
Ongoing investigations must not be interfered with , period .
There is still much work to be done and it must be done independently .
Americans deserve leaders who are committed to justice .
”

Martin Pengelly in New York and Richard Luscombe in Miami

The US attorney general, William Barr, said on Saturday that Donald Trump had fired Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, who has overseen investigations and prosecutions of key Trump allies including Rudy Giuliani and Michael Cohen.
Berman later confirmed he had stepped down and that his deputy Audrey Strauss would take his place.
“I could leave the district in no better hands than Audrey’s,” Berman said in a statement. He added that he was sure Strauss would continue the district’s “tradition of integrity and independence”.
It brings to an end a bizarre dispute between the attorney general and Berman, after Berman earlier refused to confirm his resignation from the prestigious role, following Barr’s announcement in a surprise statement on Friday night. That refusal prompted Barr to announce he had asked Trump to fire Berman – which the president apparently promptly did.
Before Barr moved to fire Berman, observers widely noted that though the attorney general did not have the authority to do so, the president did.
Characteristically, Trump appeared to muddy already murky waters. Leaving the White House for his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he told reporters the firing was “all up to the attorney general. Attorney General Barr is working on that. That’s his department, not my department. But we have a very capable attorney general, so that’s really up to him. I’m not involved.”
Steve Vladeck, a professor of law at the University of Texas, said on Twitter that more important than questions about legal authority was “the much bigger question is why this happened”.
Barr had been widely accused of undermining Department of Justice independence even before he moved against Berman.
In a surprise statement released on Friday night, Barr said Trump intended to nominate Jay Clayton – the chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission but with little experience as a federal prosecutor – as US attorney. Barr said then the US attorney in New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, would be acting US attorney until Clayton could be confirmed by the Senate.
In response, Berman said he had not known of the move until Barr’s statement was issued.
“I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate,” he said. “Until then, our investigations will move forward without delay or interruption.
“I cherish every day that I work with the men and women of this office to pursue justice without fear or favor – and intend to ensure that this office’s important cases continue unimpeded.”
On Saturday, Berman showed up to work in Manhattan.
“I’m just here to do my job,” he said.
He did not immediately comment after Barr moved to have him fired.
Barr accused Berman of having “chosen public spectacle over public service”.
“Your statement also wrongly implies that your continued tenure in the office is necessary to ensure that cases now pending in the southern district of New York are handled appropriately,” he wrote. “This is obviously false. I fully expect that the office will continue to handle all cases in the normal course.”
Berman was not confirmed by the Senate but appointed by district judges until a Senate-confirmed nominee was found, according to law and after Trump fired the previous US attorney, Preet Bharara, an Obama appointee.
In a tweet on Saturday, Bharara mocked Barr’s letter as a “wrinkle”.
“The president just said that he was not involved in the matter of Geoff Berman in SDNY,” he wrote. “That means that though both Trump and Barr lie, at least one of them is lying about who is firing Berman.”
Berman has overseen investigations into Giuliani’s business dealings – no wrongdoing has been formally alleged – and campaign finance violations which contributed to Cohen going to jail.
The SDNY is also overseeing the prosecution of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two associates of Giuliani, on campaign finance charges. Parnas has turned against Trump.
On Saturday ABC News released a section of a forthcoming interview in which John Bolton, the former national security adviser whose tell-all book will be published on Tuesday despite Trump’s attempt to stop it, said the president’s suggested intervention in an SDNY case involving a Turkish bank “did feel like obstruction of justice to me”.
The southern district is an immensely powerful office, often charged with prosecuting financial, organised crime and terror-related cases. Berman oversaw the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who counted Trump among influential friends and who killed himself in custody in New York last year.
Among Democrats, Val Demings, a US representative from Florida and a possible pick as Joe Biden’s presidential running mate, promised Congress would establish the reason for Berman’s dismissal.
“What was Mr Berman investigating that the president and his fixer are so determined to stop?” she said in a tweet. “We are going to find out.”
That followed another tweet in which she said: “The president has doubled down on his fixer’s obstruction of investigations into him and his allies. It is clear that nothing will restrain his corruption. No one is above the law. The American people will have their say.”
Letitia James, the New York attorney general, issued a hard-hitting statement.
“I am deeply concerned about the sudden removal of the US attorney for the southern district of New York, especially given serious questions about who gave the order and the timing of the firing,” James said.
“I hope the Department of Justice heeds its own advice and puts public service over public spectacle. Ongoing investigations must not be interfered with, period. There is still much work to be done and it must be done independently. Americans deserve leaders who are committed to justice.”


theguardian--2020-06-20--Joe Biden sets up presidential transition team under close adviser

A close adviser to the former vice-president Joe Biden has begun forming a team to oversee the transition , should the Democratic candidate beat Donald Trump in November ’ s presidential election .
Ted Kaufman has recruited six people to a team that will be expanded , a person familiar with the transition team told Reuters .
Several former Obama administration officials are included in the Biden team .
Major party nominees set up transition teams before a general election to coordinate with the incumbent administration .
In 2016 , Trump ’ s transition effort was led by the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christie .
An enemy of Trump ’ s son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner , Christie was summarily fired in what he called a political “ hit job ” .
The ensuing chaos of the Trump transition has been widely chronicled , not least by the Moneyball author Michael Lewis in a bestselling book , The Fifth Risk .
According to Lewis , Trump ’ s campaign chair , Steve Bannon , “ was fucking nervous ” about Trump ’ s handling of the transition .
“ I go , ‘ Holy fuck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything .
And he doesn ’ t give a shit.
’ ” In a statement , Kaufman said the Biden team would “ ensure continuity of government ” in the event that their candidate must prepare to take over amid the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic crisis .
“ No one will have taken office facing such daunting obstacles since Franklin Delano Roosevelt , ” said Kaufman , adding that Biden was ready to begin that work “ the day he is sworn in as president ” .
Roosevelt took office in 1933 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Great Depression .
He won four terms and died in 1945 , shortly before victory was secured in the second world war .
Kaufman , who filled the US Senate seat for Delaware when Biden became vice-president to Barack Obama in 2009 , co-authored a 2015 law that requires initial transition work to begin six months before an election .
Yohannes Abraham , who served in Barack Obama ’ s White House , will manage the day-to-day operation of the transition team , which will be independent of Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former CIA deputy director Avril Haines , another Obama administration veteran .

A close adviser to the former vice-president Joe Biden has begun forming a team to oversee the transition, should the Democratic candidate beat Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.
Ted Kaufman has recruited six people to a team that will be expanded, a person familiar with the transition team told Reuters. Several former Obama administration officials are included in the Biden team.
Major party nominees set up transition teams before a general election to coordinate with the incumbent administration.
In 2016, Trump’s transition effort was led by the former New Jersey governor and presidential candidate Chris Christie. An enemy of Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner, Christie was summarily fired in what he called a political “hit job”.
The ensuing chaos of the Trump transition has been widely chronicled, not least by the Moneyball author Michael Lewis in a bestselling book, The Fifth Risk.
According to Lewis, Trump’s campaign chair, Steve Bannon, “was fucking nervous” about Trump’s handling of the transition.
“I go, ‘Holy fuck, this guy doesn’t know anything. And he doesn’t give a shit.’”
In a statement, Kaufman said the Biden team would “ensure continuity of government” in the event that their candidate must prepare to take over amid the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic crisis.
“No one will have taken office facing such daunting obstacles since Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” said Kaufman, adding that Biden was ready to begin that work “the day he is sworn in as president”.
Roosevelt took office in 1933, with the world in the grip of the Great Depression. He won four terms and died in 1945, shortly before victory was secured in the second world war.
Kaufman, who filled the US Senate seat for Delaware when Biden became vice-president to Barack Obama in 2009, co-authored a 2015 law that requires initial transition work to begin six months before an election.
Yohannes Abraham, who served in Barack Obama’s White House, will manage the day-to-day operation of the transition team, which will be independent of Biden’s presidential campaign.
Recruits also include the former CIA deputy director Avril Haines, another Obama administration veteran.