theguardian--2020-06-09--In case you missed it, Trump's former lawyer compared protesters to terrorists | Lawrence Douglas

Largely overlooked during last week ’ s extraordinary events was a letter written by the president ’ s erstwhile personal lawyer and retweeted by Trump .
As you ’ ll recall : last week President Trump used military personnel to forcibly clear protesters outside the White House so he could do a surreal photo op at St John ’ s church .
Then Trump ’ s former secretary of defense , Gen James Mattis , published a statement in the Atlantic condemning his former commander-in-chief for abusing his authority and failing to exercise unifying , mature leadership .
Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rushed to Trump ’ s defense .
His letter – a personal note to Mattis , whom he addresses as “ Jim ” – is an unusual and disturbing document .
In it , Dowd accuses Mattis of letting himself be used by a “ bunch of hack politicians ” and aligning himself with the “ ugly , hateful , disgraceful ” attitudes of Democratic politicians .
Mattis , Dowd asserts , has sullied his once-sterling reputation for all time .
But Dowd ’ s letter does more than simply seek to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s use of force in DC , Dowd brands those collected in Lafayette Park as “ phony protesters ” who “ were not peaceful and are not real ” .
They were , Dowd declares , “ terrorists ” .
To be clear , Dowd is not describing the rioters who smashed stores or shot and killed a retired police captain in St Louis .
He is describing citizens who were doing what the constitution recognizes as a fundamental right – engaging in peaceable protest .
That is , until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a show of force that smacked of an authoritarian crackdown .
Trump ’ s presidency has largely inured us to overheated rhetoric .
We ’ ve grown accustomed to Trump and his allies vilifying journalists as “ enemies of the people ” or characterizing officials trying to hold him to account as treasonous criminals .
All the same , Dowd ’ s brandishing of the term “ terrorist ” represents a frightening rhetorical escalation at a perilous time in the life of our nation .
In his letter , Dowd reminds Mattis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service – he addresses the general as one marine to another .
Yet for people in the military , the word “ terrorist ” is hardly a casual term .
Since 9/11 , the fight against terrorists has resulted in two decades of American wars abroad .
Thousands of American soldiers have died in the effort to vanquish this existential foe , who has come to represent the most legitimate target of the lethal force of the world ’ s mightiest military .
In labeling protesters as terrorists , Dowd engages in something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rhetorical overkill .
He is effectively erasing the difference between Americans peaceably exercising their constitutional rights and Isis insurgents laying down roadside explosives .
That Trump has approvingly retweeted Dowd ’ s unhinged rhetoric is disturbing enough .
More alarming still , Dowd ’ s words find a powerful echo in Tom Cotton ’ s recent , alarming call in the New York Times for an “ overwhelming show of force ” to restore order to the streets of America – shock and awe as a tool for pacifying the American citizenry .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ home provide a foretaste of how Trump might respond to protests in the wake of a contested election in November .
That Trump will challenge a loss at the polls can be safely assumed .
I suspect he will go further still : if he loses re-election he will almost certainly frame his electoral defeat as a fraud orchestrated by the Democratic party and the mainstream press .
Imagine , then , that pro-Biden demonstrators take to the streets , demanding that Trump leave office .
Does anyone believe Trump would recoil from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the step Cotton advocated in his now-notorious Times op-ed – to use troops to restore “ order ” ?
Last week , Secretary of Defense Mark Esper – Mattis ’ s successor at the Pentagon – aroused the president ’ s ire when he expressed reservations about invoking the Act .
Come the weeks after 3 November , it is doubtful that an impulsive , cornered Trump would listen to calls for restraint – not with the likes of John Dowd and Tom Cotton whispering in the president ’ s inflamed ear .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ J Grosfeld Professor of Law , Jurisprudence & Social Thought at Amherst College .
His book Will He Go ?
Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020 has just been published by Twelve/Hachette

Largely overlooked during last week’s extraordinary events was a letter written by the president’s erstwhile personal lawyer and retweeted by Trump.
As you’ll recall: last week President Trump used military personnel to forcibly clear protesters outside the White House so he could do a surreal photo op at St John’s church. Then Trump’s former secretary of defense, Gen James Mattis, published a statement in the Atlantic condemning his former commander-in-chief for abusing his authority and failing to exercise unifying, mature leadership.
Trump’s former personal lawyer, John Dowd, rushed to Trump’s defense. His letter – a personal note to Mattis, whom he addresses as “Jim” – is an unusual and disturbing document. In it, Dowd accuses Mattis of letting himself be used by a “bunch of hack politicians” and aligning himself with the “ugly, hateful, disgraceful” attitudes of Democratic politicians. Mattis, Dowd asserts, has sullied his once-sterling reputation for all time.
But Dowd’s letter does more than simply seek to discredit Mattis. By way of justifying the president’s use of force in DC, Dowd brands those collected in Lafayette Park as “phony protesters” who “were not peaceful and are not real”. They were, Dowd declares, “terrorists”. To be clear, Dowd is not describing the rioters who smashed stores or shot and killed a retired police captain in St Louis. He is describing citizens who were doing what the constitution recognizes as a fundamental right – engaging in peaceable protest. That is, until, without warning, they were stormed in a show of force that smacked of an authoritarian crackdown.
Dowd’s brandishing of the term 'terrorist' represents a frightening rhetorical escalation at a perilous time
Trump’s presidency has largely inured us to overheated rhetoric. We’ve grown accustomed to Trump and his allies vilifying journalists as “enemies of the people” or characterizing officials trying to hold him to account as treasonous criminals. All the same, Dowd’s brandishing of the term “terrorist” represents a frightening rhetorical escalation at a perilous time in the life of our nation.
In his letter, Dowd reminds Mattis of Dowd’s own previous military service – he addresses the general as one marine to another. Yet for people in the military, the word “terrorist” is hardly a casual term. Since 9/11, the fight against terrorists has resulted in two decades of American wars abroad. Thousands of American soldiers have died in the effort to vanquish this existential foe, who has come to represent the most legitimate target of the lethal force of the world’s mightiest military.
In labeling protesters as terrorists, Dowd engages in something far more ominous and shocking than mere rhetorical overkill. He is effectively erasing the difference between Americans peaceably exercising their constitutional rights and Isis insurgents laying down roadside explosives.
That Trump has approvingly retweeted Dowd’s unhinged rhetoric is disturbing enough. More alarming still, Dowd’s words find a powerful echo in Tom Cotton’s recent, alarming call in the New York Times for an “overwhelming show of force” to restore order to the streets of America – shock and awe as a tool for pacifying the American citizenry. Such calls to unleash the military at home provide a foretaste of how Trump might respond to protests in the wake of a contested election in November. That Trump will challenge a loss at the polls can be safely assumed. I suspect he will go further still: if he loses re-election he will almost certainly frame his electoral defeat as a fraud orchestrated by the Democratic party and the mainstream press.
Imagine, then, that pro-Biden demonstrators take to the streets, demanding that Trump leave office. Does anyone believe Trump would recoil from invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 – the step Cotton advocated in his now-notorious Times op-ed – to use troops to restore “order”? Last week, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper – Mattis’s successor at the Pentagon – aroused the president’s ire when he expressed reservations about invoking the Act.
Come the weeks after 3 November, it is doubtful that an impulsive, cornered Trump would listen to calls for restraint – not with the likes of John Dowd and Tom Cotton whispering in the president’s inflamed ear.


theguardian--2020-06-10--George Floyd memorial: Al Sharpton condemns Trump's 'wickedness in high places' – live

What do Sandra Bland , Eric Garner , Freddie Gray , Tanisha Anderson , Deborah Danner , Ezell Ford , Alfred Olango and Keith Lamont Scott all have in common ?
They were all black Americans who died at the hands of the police or in police custody .
And they were all also disabled .
Sandra Bland , 28 , had epilepsy and depression and was found hanged in a jail cell in Texas after being arrested for an alleged lane change violation .
Eric Garner , 43 , had asthma , diabetes and a heart condition and died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a chokehold while arresting him for allegedly selling cigarettes without tax stamps .
Freddie Gray , 25 , had a developmental disability due to being exposed to lead at an early age and died from a severe spinal injury after police officers reportedly gave him a “ rough ride ” in the back of a police van .
Tanisha Anderson , 37 , died while having a mental health crisis and being restrained by police officers with her face down in front of her Cleveland , Ohio , home .
Deborah Danner , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being shot by an NYPD officer , who was responding to her neighbor ’ s call that she had been behaving erratically .
Four years earlier she had written an essay about mental health stigma that predicted , chillingly , the circumstances of her own death .
“ We are all aware , ” she wrote , “ of the all-too-frequent news stories about the mentally ill who come up against law enforcement instead of mental health professionals and end up dead.
” Ezell Ford , 25 , who had bipolar disorder , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by LAPD officers during an alleged struggle .
Alfred Olango , 38 , was shot dead after his sister called the police for help while he was having a crisis related to his mental illness .
Keith Lamont Scott , 43 , had a traumatic brain injury from a prior accident and died after police shot him for not following orders to exit his car .
Even George Floyd , whose killing by a Minneapolis police officer sparked the nationwide protests , had a heart condition , hypertension and sickle cell trait .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pattern in police killings .
While the numbers of disabled people killed by police are not systematically tracked in the United States , the Ruderman Family Foundation has estimated that between a third to half of all Americans killed by police have a disability .
( Their study defines disability broadly , “ inclusive of physical , developmental , intellectual , psychiatric , emotional , and any other form of disability that might fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ) ” . )
To put that into perspective , data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prevention shows that disabled American adults make up a quarter of the population , making them the largest minority group .

Maanvi Singh (now) and Joan E Greve and Martin Belam (earlier)

10 Jun 2020 02.54 BST Recap George Floyd’s family held a memorial service for him in Houston. Floyd, who was killed in police custody late last month, is now on his way to his final resting place. His final resting place is alongside his mother, who he called out for while a police officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck.
Floyd, who was killed in police custody late last month, is now on his way to his final resting place. His final resting place is alongside his mother, who he called out for while a police officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck. The Rev Al Sharpton sharply criticized Trump’s response to recent protests in his eulogy for Floyd. “You take rubber bullets and teargas to clear out peaceful protesters, and then take a Bible and walk in front of a church, and use a church as a prop. Wickedness in high places,” Sharpton said.
“You take rubber bullets and teargas to clear out peaceful protesters, and then take a Bible and walk in front of a church, and use a church as a prop. Wickedness in high places,” Sharpton said. Joe Biden addressed mourners via livestream during Floyd’s service. “Today, now is the time, the purpose, the season to listen and heal,” Biden said. “Now is the time for racial justice. That’s the answer we must give to our children when they ask why. Because when there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America.”
“Today, now is the time, the purpose, the season to listen and heal,” Biden said. “Now is the time for racial justice. That’s the answer we must give to our children when they ask why. Because when there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America.” In New York, state lawmakers repealed a law that keeps police disciplinary records secret. The move is one of several police reform measures that state legislators are undertaking.
The move is one of several police reform measures that state legislators are undertaking. Georgia voters encountered equipment malfunctions and long waits to vote. The secretary of state announced an investigation but drew criticism for skirting the blame after overseeing the purchase of new voting equipment that poll workers said was failing.
The secretary of state announced an investigation but drew criticism for skirting the blame after overseeing the purchase of new voting equipment that poll workers said was failing. Top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci, warned that the coronavirus pandemic was far from over, calling Covid-19 his “worst nightmare”. He said he had known that an outbreak like this could occur but was surprised by how “rapidly it just took over the planet”.
He said he had known that an outbreak like this could occur but was surprised by how “rapidly it just took over the planet”. Trump was severely criticized for peddling the baseless claim that a Buffalo protester shoved by police officers was an Antifa plant. The 75-year-old man was hospitalized after the incident, and the two police officers involved have been charged with assault.
The 75-year-old man was hospitalized after the incident, and the two police officers involved have been charged with assault. Trump said he may hold a campaign rally as soon as “next week.” The rallies have been halted due to the still-raging coronavirus pandemic, but some of the president’s allies have suggested the Floyd protests, which have attracted thousands of people, could shield the rallies from potential criticism.
10 Jun 2020 02.41 BST Opinion: I grew up facing attack after attack on myself and others. Today each of us has a role in the fight for Black lives Alex M Johnson writes for The Guardian: We are our brother’s and sister’s keeper and each of us has a role in this fight for Black lives. Here are a few ideas for what you can do to join the fight: Demilitarize the police. Decrease law enforcement budgets and reinvest those resources to fund schools, libraries, quality healthcare, parks, childcare, jobs, interventionists and a youth development system. Community safety does not come from cops – strong institutions ensure communities can thrive.
Support organizations led by, serving and in service to Black people. Support those who organize, agitate, resist, disrupt, demonstrate and advocate to ensure that Black lives are not expendable. The people have the power – fund organized action.
Interrogate what being an ally truly means. Use your voice. Be bold and take a stand: equivocation fuels inequity. If you have privilege, use it, leverage it. There is nothing revolutionary about recognizing your power and doing nothing with it to advance social change and end systemic racism.
You are either for Black lives or you are not. Systemic racism permeates every system – law enforcement, education, health, transportation, housing, the economy, the environment and even philanthropy, the system in which I work. Are you hiring Black people? Are they tokenized or in leadership positions? It’s not complicated. Oppression is operational. Disassemble it and undo the status quo.
Stop tiptoeing around race, slavery, racial injustice, racial bias, systemic racism, white supremacy, nationalism, anti-Blackness or racial equity. It’s real. We’ve studied and debated it long enough. Act. End of discussion.
Vote for an agenda at the local, state and federal levels that prioritizes Black lives and demolishes the insidious pillars of white supremacy in every form. For those whose electoral existence is predicated upon the domination of Black lives, we must dominate the ballot box. If you are registered to vote and someone you know is not, help them register. Vote. Vote. Vote.
To be Black is to suffer perpetual wounds. Here's how you can make a difference Read more
10 Jun 2020 02.29 BST New York state lawmakers repealed a law that kept officers’ disciplinary records secret. The measure is one of several police reform bills in the state legislature including one that bans police chokeholds. Lawmakers are also planning to vote on whether to provide all state troopers with body cameras and require that all officers provide medical and mental health attention to those in custody. New York City’s legislature is also revisiting a bill to criminalize chokeholds. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who threatened to veto such legislation in 2014 after Eric Garner was killed, is facing increasing pressure to support the bill. Even without de Blasio’s approval, the legislation now has enough support to overcome a veto.
Updated at 02.46 BST
10 Jun 2020 02.09 BST Philadelphians gathered in the city’s Fishtown neighborhood and painted “End Racism Now” in bright yellow letters onto the street. “End Racism Now” in bright yellow on Girard in Fishtown. Organizers had to get permission and this won’t be here for long. Could be gone by as early as tomorrow morning. @NBCPhiladelphia at 11pm pic.twitter.com/UsoBYOyCaB — Aaron Baskerville (@ABaskerville10) June 9, 2020 Fishtown protests. pic.twitter.com/BVwXt0PWCy — Eric Smith (@ericsmithrocks) June 9, 2020 The message is unlikely to last long, according to NBC Philadelphia, as the city is likely to remove it. Organizers are reportedly looking for a site where they can permanently paint the slogan. The event, which drew hundreds, was organized by a local pastor. The neighborhood was shaken recently after a group of armed white men took to the streets amid Black Lives Matter protests, saying they were there to protect businesses from looting.
10 Jun 2020 01.55 BST Protests are continuing around the country. Here are some scenes from California. In Berkeley: #GeorgeFloyd and #BlackLivesMatter protest and march from San Pablo Park to Berkeley High School organized by #Berkeleyhigh students @EastBayTimes pic.twitter.com/PgGSSPW4jo — Ray Chavez (@rayinaction) June 10, 2020 In San Francisco: Protesters took a knee with San Francisco Mayor London Breed in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Photograph: John G Mabanglo/EPA In Los Angeles: A speaker addresses the crowd from a stage on Sunset Boulevard. Photograph: Marcio José Sánchez/AP
Updated at 01.57 BST
10 Jun 2020 01.52 BST In San Francisco, bus drivers halted service for eight minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time that an officer had a knee on George Floyd’s neck. Soon after, Muni, the local transportation agency, announced it would no longer transport officers to the protests. “The idea for the memorial was suggested by one of our transportation controllers in our Transportation Management Center,” said Erica Kato, a spokesperson for Muni. “We’ve been engaged in conversations with our staff, and that has given us the opportunity to reflect on what we can do to support our staff and black and brown community, and turn words into action.”
Updated at 02.02 BST
10 Jun 2020 01.36 BST In Louisiana, a recently uncovered video shows police officers repeatedly punching and tasing a Black man, who died shortly afterward. Video on KSLA, obtained from a bystander, shows police officers in the northern Louisiana city of Shreveport wrestling Tommie Dale McGlothen, 44, to the ground and hitting him repeatedly. After cuffing McGlothen, officers are captured walking him to the police vehicle, and pushing him against it so that his head hits the hood. According to the coroner, McGlothen was exhibiting signs of mental distress when officers apprehended him. Four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. The coroner, Todd Thoma, said, “McGlothen had underlying heart disease and clearly was suffering from excited delirium. The combination of these factors caused his death.” But the autopsy also confirmed multiple blunt forced injuries and noted that his death could have been prevented as it should have been obvious “that he needed medical care”.
Updated at 02.01 BST
10 Jun 2020 01.08 BST The CEO of CrossFit gyms stepped down after telling staff on a Zoom call, “We’re not mourning for George Floyd.” Several gyms associated with CrossFit had already ended their association with the brand after the CEO, Greg Glassman, tweeted, in response to a statement from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that racism was a public health issue, “It’s FLOYD-19.” On a private call with staff, which was obtained by BuzzFeed, Glassman said, “We’re not mourning for George Floyd – I don’t think me or any of my staff are.” “Can you tell me why I should mourn for him?” Glassman reportedly said on the call, which was recorded. “Other than that it’s the white thing to do – other than that, give me another reason.” UPDATE: Greg Glassman is stepping down as CEO of CrossFit https://t.co/cgfb3Ur6HT pic.twitter.com/cq3VmzOUfD — Ryan Brooks (@ryanbrooks) June 9, 2020
Updated at 01.58 BST
10 Jun 2020 01.00 BST The show Cops has been canceled by the Paramount Network. The network removed the long-running show from its schedule amid protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. Now, the network has announced it’s fully dropping the reality show, which documents police chasing down and apprehending suspects. Officers would sometimes coerce suspects into signing releases to be filmed, according to a podcast called Running From Cops. “Cops is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a network spokesperson said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The A&E network has also pulled last week’s episodes of Live PD – which also follows officers in real time, though the show is not yet canceled outright. In March 2019, Javier Ambler, a Black man, was killed in Austin as the Live PD cameras were rolling. The 40-year-old postal worker and father of two had his brights on while driving home after a poker game. Officers held Ambler down and used tasers on him even as he pleaded “I have congestive heart failure. I can’t breathe”, according to the Austin American Statesman, which along with KVUE-TV uncovered police video of the incident. The Live PD footage was not aired.
Updated at 01.22 BST
9 Jun 2020 00.20 BST Dominic Rushe The US’s top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, warned on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic was far from over, calling Covid-19 his “worst nightmare”. “In a period of four months, it has devastated the whole world,” Fauci said, speaking to executives at a conference of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. “And it isn’t over yet.” About 7 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and 400,000 people are known to have died. Many countries, including the US, where more than 110,000 have died, are now relaxing quarantine rules despite rising rates of infection in some areas. “That’s millions and millions of infections worldwide. And it isn’t over yet. And it’s condensed in a very, very small time frame,” said Fauci. In a videotaped discussion Fauci said he had known that an outbreak like this could occur but he was surprised by how “rapidly it just took over the planet”. Fauci attributed the rapid spread to the contagiousness of the virus and extensive world travel by infected people. Fauci: coronavirus pandemic that ‘took over the planet’ is far from over Read more
Updated at 01.23 BST
9 Jun 2020 23.46 BST Los Angeles county district attorney Jackie Lacey announced that an officer has been charged with the assault of a 28-year-old man in April. Responding to a call about a tresspasser, officer Frank Hernandez, 49, hit a man on the head, neck and body more than a dozen times while screaming expletives. A bystander caught the incident on camera. Hernandez, who has served the Los Angeles police department for more than two decades, has been involved in three on-duty shootings, according to the Los Angeles Times. District Attorney Jackie Lacey Files Assault Charge Against LAPD Officer https://t.co/8inYbDm69X #LADAOffice — Jackie Lacey (@LADAOffice) June 9, 2020 “This is a disturbing case of the illegal use of force at the hands of a police officer,” Lacey said. “In this case, we believe the force was neither legally necessary nor reasonable.”
Updated at 00.15 BST
9 Jun 2020 23.22 BST A horse-drawn carriage carries Floyd’s casket to the Houston Memorial Gardens cemetery in Pearland. Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters My colleague Vivian Ho reports from Houston: Officials shut down the roads from the church to the cemetery, including a section of major toll road, to make way for the procession. Along the route, groups of supporters waved “Black lives matter” signs and cheered for Floyd. About a mile to the cemetery entrance, where the family planned to have a horse-drawn carriage bring Floyd’s casket the rest of the way to the burial site, hundreds lined the streets, holding up umbrellas and makeshift tents to protect themselves from the unrelenting sun. They doodled chalk messages of “rest in power” and “be the change” along the sidewalk, and periodically broke out in chants: “Say his name! George Floyd!” A sweating man walked down the line, wearily reading his double-sided sign to people he passed: “We will breathe. I see greatness in you.” Herman Bell, 37, was on his way with his family to the eye doctor when he decided to stop to watch the procession. “We lost a great man from the third ward,” Bell said.
“I want my kids to understand that when they go to school, they need to go to school and better themselves,” he said. “This man went out and bettered the world.” There’s a sense in Houston that in times like these, you come out to support the family even if you didn’t know the family. Schon Carter, 40, came out on Tuesday to show not just her support for the family, but to show that “we’re all standing in one accord.”
“It feels good, that despite the heat, the weather, that people actually took the time out to show their respect for the family,” Carter said.
9 Jun 2020 23.18 BST Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, has been tasked by Mitch McConnell to lead a Republican police reform effort. Scott, of South Carolina, has released a plan that proposes cutting federal funds to police departments that don’t use body cameras and de-escalation training. Use of force review boards aren’t in the proposal – though they are in the “discussion/development” section. Tim Scott circulating 10-part plan called the Justice Act. Scott, the lone African-American Senate R, was tasked by McConnell to lead the effort and he presented at GOP lunch today. He also met with WH officials. It comes as House Dems, led by CBC, offered their plan yesterday pic.twitter.com/YizIjpXh6G — Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 9, 2020
Updated at 00.16 BST
9 Jun 2020 22.53 BST 'He would dance badly to make people laugh': How George Floyd's friends remember him Joanna Walters oshua Broussard kneels in front of a memorial and mural that honors George Floyd at the Scott Food Mart corner store in Houston’s Third Ward where Mr. Floyd grew up. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Before he was killed, George Floyd was suffering the same fate as millions of Americans during the coronavirus pandemic: out of work and looking for a new job. Floyd moved to Minneapolis from his native Houston several years ago in hopes of finding work and starting a new life, said Christopher Harris, Floyd’s lifelong friend. “He was looking to start over fresh, a new beginning,” Harris said. “He was happy with the change he was making.” Floyd, who was 46, grew up in Houston’s Third Ward, one of the city’s predominantly black neighborhoods, where he and Harris met in middle school. At 6ft6in, Floyd emerged as a star football player, positioned as the tight end for Jack Yates’ high school team, and played in the 1992 state championship game in the Houston Astrodome.
Donnell Cooper, one of Floyd’s former classmates, said he remembered watching Floyd score touchdowns. Floyd towered over everyone and earned the nickname “gentle giant”. “Quiet personality but a beautiful spirit,” Cooper said. Harris, Floyd’s childhood friend, said he and some of their mutual friends had moved to Minneapolis in search of jobs around 2014 — and convinced Floyd to join. Floyd landed a job working security at a Salvation Army store in downtown Minneapolis. He later started working two jobs, one driving trucks and another as a bouncer at Conga Latin Bistro, where he was known as “Big Floyd”.
“Always cheerful,” Jovanni Tunstrom, the bistro’s owner, said. “He had a good attitude. He would dance badly to make people laugh. I tried to teach him how to dance because he loved Latin music, but I couldn’t because he was too tall for me. He always called me ‘Bossman’. I said, ‘Floyd, don’t call me Bossman. I’m your friend.’”
Updated at 22.54 BST
9 Jun 2020 22.37 BST The Guardian’s Vivian Ho is in Houston, where members of Congress, members of Floyd’s family and members of the public have all gathered to pay their respects to George Floyd, before he is buried. Mourners chanted Floyd’s name as his casket left the church, where Al Sharpton had delivered a eulogy. George Floyd’s casket leaves the church to chants of his name pic.twitter.com/m3tQX1GuIZ — Vivian Ho (@VivianHo) June 9, 2020


theguardian--2020-06-09--Trump orders fleet of icebreakers and new bases in push for polar resources

Donald Trump has ordered the construction of a fleet of icebreakers and bases to pursue US interests in the Arctic and Antarctic by the end of the decade in a signal that his administration is going to take a more aggressive approach to the contest with Russia and China for polar resources .
Trump issued a memorandum on “ safeguarding US national interests in the Arctic and Antarctic regions ” which calls on the administration to come up with a plan within 60 days that would include at least three heavy icebreakers to be built by 2029 , and recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US and two on foreign soil .
The memorandum appeared designed to expand and inject extra urgency into a longstanding US Coast Guard plan to build three heavy and three medium icebreakers .
It suggests the US look into leasing arrangements while the new fleet is being built .
“ This appears to be another rapid study to confirm or perhaps expand what the US needs , ” said Heather Conley , senior vice-president for Europe , Eurasia and the Arctic at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is another question that will need to be answered another day.
” The US currently has just one heavy icebreaker , the ageing Polar Star , and one medium .
Russia currently has 40 breakers in total , Finland has seven , and Canada and Sweden have six each .
As the sea ice is melting , China is also laying claim to Arctic resources , although it does not have an Arctic coastline , by funding various infrastructure projects .
Trump ’ s memorandum said the new icebreaker fleet would be used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and economic security missions ( including the facilitation of resource exploration and exploitation and undersea cable laying and maintenance ) ” .
The US study is to explore the potential for a nuclear-powered icebreaker , and “ defensive armament adequate to defend against threats by near-peer competitors ” .
The US Coast Guard commander has said that they may need surface-to-air missiles to defend US territory against Russia and China .
“ It was also new that the US will seek two US domestic bases ( one must be in Alaska , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one in the south and one in the north , ” Conley said .
“ Set against the backdrop of fears that the US is withdrawing forces from Europe and US funding requirements for basing support , this may not be too easy of a sell at the moment to our allies.
” The aim of the polar security review is also meant to “ include the ability to provide a persistent United States presence in the Antarctic region ” adding that such presence would be “ in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region “ be used for peaceful purposes only ” .
The intensifying rivalry over sea routes and mineral resources in the Arctic , itself a consequence of the climate emergency , has caused alarm over its environmental impact .
“ Even during a pandemic and nationwide protests against state violence , the Trump administration is still finding new ways to exploit the climate crisis .
He is truly the worst president for the planet we ’ ve ever had , ” Charlie Cray , a senior researcher for Greenpeace USA , said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax dollars could be used to support Arctic communities .
Helping out the oil industry and the military with a new fleet of icebreakers is definitely last on the list.
” Polar military experts are also sceptical over the urgency of the “ icebreaker gap ” with Russia .
“ Icebreakers – even if armed – don ’ t really address some of the most commonly cited challenges that China and Russia might pose for the United States in the Arctic , ” Paul Avey , assistant professor for political science at Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t to say icebreakers can play no role in competition .
But in narrow defence terms , I think that the best way to address China and Russia in the Arctic – and Antarctic – is to focus on issues in eastern Europe and the western Pacific .
”

Donald Trump has ordered the construction of a fleet of icebreakers and bases to pursue US interests in the Arctic and Antarctic by the end of the decade in a signal that his administration is going to take a more aggressive approach to the contest with Russia and China for polar resources.
Trump issued a memorandum on “safeguarding US national interests in the Arctic and Antarctic regions” which calls on the administration to come up with a plan within 60 days that would include at least three heavy icebreakers to be built by 2029, and recommendations for locations to build two support bases in the US and two on foreign soil.
The memorandum appeared designed to expand and inject extra urgency into a longstanding US Coast Guard plan to build three heavy and three medium icebreakers. It suggests the US look into leasing arrangements while the new fleet is being built.
“This appears to be another rapid study to confirm or perhaps expand what the US needs,” said Heather Conley, senior vice-president for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. “Again, how to pay for it is another question that will need to be answered another day.”
The US currently has just one heavy icebreaker, the ageing Polar Star, and one medium. Russia currently has 40 breakers in total, Finland has seven, and Canada and Sweden have six each.
As the sea ice is melting, China is also laying claim to Arctic resources, although it does not have an Arctic coastline, by funding various infrastructure projects.
Trump’s memorandum said the new icebreaker fleet would be used for “the full range of national and economic security missions (including the facilitation of resource exploration and exploitation and undersea cable laying and maintenance)”.
The US study is to explore the potential for a nuclear-powered icebreaker, and “defensive armament adequate to defend against threats by near-peer competitors”.
The US Coast Guard commander has said that they may need surface-to-air missiles to defend US territory against Russia and China.
“It was also new that the US will seek two US domestic bases (one must be in Alaska, I assume) and international bases, presumably one in the south and one in the north,” Conley said. “Set against the backdrop of fears that the US is withdrawing forces from Europe and US funding requirements for basing support, this may not be too easy of a sell at the moment to our allies.”
The aim of the polar security review is also meant to “include the ability to provide a persistent United States presence in the Antarctic region” adding that such presence would be “in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty System”, which requires that the region “be used for peaceful purposes only”.
The intensifying rivalry over sea routes and mineral resources in the Arctic, itself a consequence of the climate emergency, has caused alarm over its environmental impact.
“Even during a pandemic and nationwide protests against state violence, the Trump administration is still finding new ways to exploit the climate crisis. He is truly the worst president for the planet we’ve ever had,” Charlie Cray, a senior researcher for Greenpeace USA, said.
“There are so many ways our tax dollars could be used to support Arctic communities. Helping out the oil industry and the military with a new fleet of icebreakers is definitely last on the list.”
Polar military experts are also sceptical over the urgency of the “icebreaker gap” with Russia.
“Icebreakers – even if armed – don’t really address some of the most commonly cited challenges that China and Russia might pose for the United States in the Arctic,” Paul Avey, assistant professor for political science at Virginia Tech university, argued. “This isn’t to say icebreakers can play no role in competition. But in narrow defence terms, I think that the best way to address China and Russia in the Arctic – and Antarctic – is to focus on issues in eastern Europe and the western Pacific.”


theguardian--2020-06-09--Trump makes baseless claim about man, 75, shoved by police: ‘Could be a set-up?’

Donald Trump has claimed a 75-year-old man who was hospitalized when police shoved him to the ground at a protest in Buffalo could be “ an antifa provocateur ” and suggested the incident “ could be a set-up ” .
Two Buffalo police officers were charged with assault after video showed them pushing Martin Gugino , a slightly built septuagenarian and longtime peace activist , with enough force that he violently struck his head on the sidewalk .
The New York governor , Andrew Cuomo , responded to Trump ’ s claims , which were offered without evidence , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behavior as “ cruel and reckless ” .
“ The man is still in the hospital & the president is disparaging him , ” Cuomo said .
The incident has been held up as an example of aggressive policing at George Floyd protests across the country and has triggered outrage across the US and overseas .
Trump , however , claimed – without offering any evidence – that Gugino may have been attempting to infiltrate police scanners .
The president also seemed to suggest Gugino had exaggerated the force used by police .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be an ANTIFA provocateur , ” Trump said on Twitter .
“ 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment .
I watched , he fell harder than was pushed .
Was aiming scanner .
Could be a set up ?
” Gugino ’ s attorney , Kelly Zarcone , told WBFO News on Tuesday that the 75-year-old has been taken out of intensive care but is “ still hospitalized and truly needs rest ” .
“ Martin has always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about today ’ s society , ” Zarcone said .
“ We are at a loss to understand why the president of the United States would make such dark , dangerous and untrue accusations against him.
” Trump tagged One America News Network , a far-right conservative news network , in the tweet .
Shortly before Trump ’ s post , OANN ran a segment which made near identical claims to Trump .
OANN , which has spread multiple conspiracy theories , cited the Conservative Treehouse , a conspiracy theory website , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is among the news sites listed in FactCheck.org ’ s “ misinformation directory ” , claimed over the weekend that Gugino “ was attempting to capture the radio communications signature ” when he was shoved to the ground by the police .
During the 2016 presidential election the Conservative Treehouse peddled the conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton might have cancer .
It has also spread conspiracy theories about student David Hogg , who survived the Parkland school shooting and has become a prominent gun control activist .
“ The president is tweeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on no evidence , no proof , ” Cuomo said .
“ Was the blood coming out of his head staged ?
Were our eyes lying to us ?
No.
” The two Buffalo officers who pushed Gugino were charged with second-degree assault .
All 57 members of Buffalo police ’ s emergency response team resigned from the team in an apparent show of support for their two colleagues .
Trump announced he would designate antifa – the term stands for anti-fascist – as a terrorist group at the end of May .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and have said there is no actual antifa organization to be defined in such terms .
In reality , antifa relates to a broad spectrum of leftwing groups which are opposed to fascism and the far right .
Trump has often embraced conspiracy theories , most notoriously his pushing of “ birtherism ” – the completely false and racist theory that former president Barack Obama was not born in the US .

Donald Trump has claimed a 75-year-old man who was hospitalized when police shoved him to the ground at a protest in Buffalo could be “an antifa provocateur” and suggested the incident “could be a set-up”.
Two Buffalo police officers were charged with assault after video showed them pushing Martin Gugino, a slightly built septuagenarian and longtime peace activist, with enough force that he violently struck his head on the sidewalk.
The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, responded to Trump’s claims, which were offered without evidence, on Tuesday, describing the president’s behavior as “cruel and reckless”.
“The man is still in the hospital & the president is disparaging him,” Cuomo said.
The incident has been held up as an example of aggressive policing at George Floyd protests across the country and has triggered outrage across the US and overseas.
Trump, however, claimed – without offering any evidence – that Gugino may have been attempting to infiltrate police scanners. The president also seemed to suggest Gugino had exaggerated the force used by police.
“Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur,” Trump said on Twitter.
“75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?”
01:01 Video shows police in New York state shoving 75-year-old to ground
Gugino’s attorney, Kelly Zarcone, told WBFO News on Tuesday that the 75-year-old has been taken out of intensive care but is “still hospitalized and truly needs rest”.
“Martin has always been a peaceful protester because he cares about today’s society,” Zarcone said.
“We are at a loss to understand why the president of the United States would make such dark, dangerous and untrue accusations against him.”
Trump tagged One America News Network, a far-right conservative news network, in the tweet. Shortly before Trump’s post, OANN ran a segment which made near identical claims to Trump.
OANN, which has spread multiple conspiracy theories, cited the Conservative Treehouse, a conspiracy theory website, as its source.
The Conservative Treehouse, which is among the news sites listed in FactCheck.org’s “misinformation directory”, claimed over the weekend that Gugino “was attempting to capture the radio communications signature” when he was shoved to the ground by the police.
During the 2016 presidential election the Conservative Treehouse peddled the conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton might have cancer. It has also spread conspiracy theories about student David Hogg, who survived the Parkland school shooting and has become a prominent gun control activist.
“The president is tweeting conspiracy theories about the Buffalo incident based on no evidence, no proof,” Cuomo said.
“Was the blood coming out of his head staged? Were our eyes lying to us? No.”
Cuomo added: “It’s cruel and reckless.”
The two Buffalo officers who pushed Gugino were charged with second-degree assault. All 57 members of Buffalo police’s emergency response team resigned from the team in an apparent show of support for their two colleagues.
Trump announced he would designate antifa – the term stands for anti-fascist – as a terrorist group at the end of May. Experts said the proposal is unworkable, and have said there is no actual antifa organization to be defined in such terms.
In reality, antifa relates to a broad spectrum of leftwing groups which are opposed to fascism and the far right.
Trump has often embraced conspiracy theories, most notoriously his pushing of “birtherism” – the completely false and racist theory that former president Barack Obama was not born in the US.


theguardian--2020-06-09--The mystery of which US businesses are profiting from the coronavirus bailout

Businesses have taken at least half a trillion dollars in coronavirus aid from the American public , and the government is refusing to disclose which companies are getting the money .
The lack of oversight in the system for US lawmakers ’ “ paycheck protection program ” makes the historic levels of spending ripe for abuse .
The media and watchdogs can not scrutinize the payments to ensure against waste , fraud or favors to political allies .
Eleven national news publications are suing for public records , yet little public attention has gone to the problem , as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cratered economy and unemployment that has soared past 40m jobless claims .
“ It ’ s absolutely mind-boggling that we ’ re in a situation where we ’ re shoveling so much money out to private businesses , and we don ’ t know where it ’ s going , ” said Kyle Herrig , founder of the watchdog group Accountable.US .
Loans under the program are forgivable , meaning companies don ’ t have to pay them back .
Recipients are meant to spend the money on continuing to pay workers or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and utilities .
As Congress rushed to provide economic relief to US businesses , it also sent money to companies that did not critically need financial aid .
More than 300 publicly traded companies received payments .
Indebted fossil-fuel producers have been among them .
At least one company used its aid to benefit wealthy , private jet-owning clients .
Small businesses , meanwhile , say they have struggled to gain access to the loans .
The program has also raised concerns of conflicts of interest .
A top treasury department official charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set to benefit financially from the spending he is overseeing .
Liz Hempowicz , policy director at the Project On Government Oversight , said the program and the cracks in it demonstrate a “ shocking lack of transparency ” .
Meaghan Smith , a Democratic strategist and former Department of Health and Human Services official , said the amount of aid is unprecedented .
“ It ’ s trillions of dollars that was passed basically at warp speed so I think there are severe concerns about the level of oversight , ” Smith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand better transparency with any funds they approve .
But the Senate ’ s Republican majority leader , Mitch McConnell , has said any additional aid legislation should be narrower in scope than Democrats in the House have backed .
Congress and Donald Trump last week updated the program to let businesses spend more of the money on expenses other than payroll – but they declined to set new oversight requirements .
One transparency measure was defeated after failing to get support from two-thirds of lawmakers in the House .
The bill , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , would have required the Small Business Administration to make information about payments to businesses public .
“ We can not accept a situation in which bigger businesses with access to other sources of liquidity are pushing to the front of the line at the expense of those with the greatest need , ” Phillips said on the House floor .
The government bailout for businesses is unprecedented , dwarfing what went out even during the 2008 recession .
In the first 14 days of lending , the SBA oversaw 1.7m loans totaling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it administered over the last 14 years .
By 30 May , those figures had grown to 4.5m loans totaling $ 510bn .
The SBA has refused to release its loan records to media organizations and transparency groups .
In a 20 April letter to Accountable.US , the SBA official William Briggs pointed to “ privacy and confidentiality issues ” .
The SBA ’ s internal watchdog has already found that the program “ did not fully align ” with the legislation ’ s provisions , including for giving banks guidance about which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entities involved are required to publicly disclose where the money is going – not the banks lending the money , the companies taking it nor the government agencies overseeing the program .
The government has said it will review loans of more than $ 2m .
Revelations of loans so far have come from voluntary disclosures , leaks by whistleblowers , or regulatory filings required of publicly traded companies .
Big companies – including the $ 4.4bn NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers and $ 2.2bn fast-food chain Shake Shack – have taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media scrutiny .
Congress did establish a five-person panel to oversee spending , but it does not have the power to subpoena records .
Bharat Ramamurti is on that commission and is also managing director for the corporate power program at the liberal Roosevelt Institute thinktank .
“ To me , the biggest issue with the PPP [ paycheck protection program ] is not the Lakers and Shake Shack are not getting the money , it ’ s that hundreds of thousands of small businesses that are eligible for PPP and really need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ramamurti said , noting he was speaking for himself and not the commission .
“ That is more tragic to me than a public company getting a few million bucks.
” Many of the companies getting aid have hundreds of employees and are worth millions or billions of dollars .
They fit the legal description of a “ small business ” but are not the mom-and-pop companies in most Americans ’ minds .
At the same time , businesses like local restaurants and shops have said they have not been able to access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waits than bigger companies – and have been forced to lay off employees and even permanently close .
A survey of small businesses by the Census Bureau through the beginning of May found that only 38 % of those that had asked for a loan had received one .
Minority-owned businesses have had an even harder time – only 12 % that sought loans got them , according to a survey by two equal-rights organizations .
Rob Grover , the economic development coordinator for Trempealeau county in Wisconsin , said “ it seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really focused on helping the large Wall Street businesses ” .
Laid-off workers are frustrated to see big corporations getting money when they have received at most a $ 1,200 payment from the government , Grover said .
An additional unemployment insurance benefit of $ 600 a week has been helpful , but many Wisconsinites have not received it yet because of a backlog in applications , he added .
In all , the government has spent about $ 3tn on coronavirus aid in four separate packages .
Of that , $ 784bn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment benefits , paid leave and direct cash payments , according to NPR .
Far more has been set aside for businesses : $ 810bn for small businesses , $ 513bn in tax benefits for all businesses and $ 532bn in non-forgivable loans to large corporations .
“ A lot of folks feel like maybe the government isn ’ t focusing on them , and is leaving them behind , ” Grover said .

Emily Holden and Daniel Strauss in Washington

Businesses have taken at least half a trillion dollars in coronavirus aid from the American public, and the government is refusing to disclose which companies are getting the money.
The lack of oversight in the system for US lawmakers’ “paycheck protection program” makes the historic levels of spending ripe for abuse. The media and watchdogs cannot scrutinize the payments to ensure against waste, fraud or favors to political allies.
Eleven national news publications are suing for public records, yet little public attention has gone to the problem, as the government has scrambled to respond to a cratered economy and unemployment that has soared past 40m jobless claims.
“It’s absolutely mind-boggling that we’re in a situation where we’re shoveling so much money out to private businesses, and we don’t know where it’s going,” said Kyle Herrig, founder of the watchdog group Accountable.US.
Loans under the program are forgivable, meaning companies don’t have to pay them back. Recipients are meant to spend the money on continuing to pay workers or on recurring expenses, such as rent and utilities.
As Congress rushed to provide economic relief to US businesses, it also sent money to companies that did not critically need financial aid. More than 300 publicly traded companies received payments. Indebted fossil-fuel producers have been among them. At least one company used its aid to benefit wealthy, private jet-owning clients. Small businesses, meanwhile, say they have struggled to gain access to the loans.
The program has also raised concerns of conflicts of interest. A top treasury department official charged with steering the coronavirus bailout program is set to benefit financially from the spending he is overseeing.
Liz Hempowicz, policy director at the Project On Government Oversight, said the program and the cracks in it demonstrate a “shocking lack of transparency”.
Meaghan Smith, a Democratic strategist and former Department of Health and Human Services official, said the amount of aid is unprecedented.
“It’s trillions of dollars that was passed basically at warp speed so I think there are severe concerns about the level of oversight,” Smith said.
Oversight advocates want Democrats to demand better transparency with any funds they approve. But the Senate’s Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has said any additional aid legislation should be narrower in scope than Democrats in the House have backed. Congress and Donald Trump last week updated the program to let businesses spend more of the money on expenses other than payroll – but they declined to set new oversight requirements.
One transparency measure was defeated after failing to get support from two-thirds of lawmakers in the House. The bill, sponsored by Congressman Dean Phillips from Minnesota, would have required the Small Business Administration to make information about payments to businesses public.
“We cannot accept a situation in which bigger businesses with access to other sources of liquidity are pushing to the front of the line at the expense of those with the greatest need,” Phillips said on the House floor.
The government bailout for businesses is unprecedented, dwarfing what went out even during the 2008 recession. In the first 14 days of lending, the SBA oversaw 1.7m loans totaling more than $342bn, more than it administered over the last 14 years. By 30 May, those figures had grown to 4.5m loans totaling $510bn.
The SBA has refused to release its loan records to media organizations and transparency groups. In a 20 April letter to Accountable.US, the SBA official William Briggs pointed to “privacy and confidentiality issues”.
The SBA’s internal watchdog has already found that the program “did not fully align” with the legislation’s provisions, including for giving banks guidance about which loans to prioritize.
None of the entities involved are required to publicly disclose where the money is going – not the banks lending the money, the companies taking it nor the government agencies overseeing the program. The government has said it will review loans of more than $2m.
Revelations of loans so far have come from voluntary disclosures, leaks by whistleblowers, or regulatory filings required of publicly traded companies. Big companies – including the $4.4bn NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers and $2.2bn fast-food chain Shake Shack – have taken money and then given it back following media scrutiny.
Congress did establish a five-person panel to oversee spending, but it does not have the power to subpoena records.
Bharat Ramamurti is on that commission and is also managing director for the corporate power program at the liberal Roosevelt Institute thinktank.
“To me, the biggest issue with the PPP [paycheck protection program] is not the Lakers and Shake Shack are not getting the money, it’s that hundreds of thousands of small businesses that are eligible for PPP and really need PPP are not getting it,” Ramamurti said, noting he was speaking for himself and not the commission.
“That is more tragic to me than a public company getting a few million bucks that will likely go to help its workers because of the design of the program.”
Many of the companies getting aid have hundreds of employees and are worth millions or billions of dollars. They fit the legal description of a “small business” but are not the mom-and-pop companies in most Americans’ minds.
At the same time, businesses like local restaurants and shops have said they have not been able to access the funds – or have had longer waits than bigger companies – and have been forced to lay off employees and even permanently close.
Hundreds of thousands of small businesses are eligible for PPP and are not getting it Bharat Ramamurti
A survey of small businesses by the Census Bureau through the beginning of May found that only 38% of those that had asked for a loan had received one. Minority-owned businesses have had an even harder time – only 12% that sought loans got them, according to a survey by two equal-rights organizations.
Rob Grover, the economic development coordinator for Trempealeau county in Wisconsin, said “it seems like this program and many others have really focused on helping the large Wall Street businesses”.
Laid-off workers are frustrated to see big corporations getting money when they have received at most a $1,200 payment from the government, Grover said. An additional unemployment insurance benefit of $600 a week has been helpful, but many Wisconsinites have not received it yet because of a backlog in applications, he added.
Republicans leaders in Washington oppose extending that benefit.
In all, the government has spent about $3tn on coronavirus aid in four separate packages.
Of that, $784bn has been allocated to individuals, including unemployment benefits, paid leave and direct cash payments, according to NPR. Far more has been set aside for businesses: $810bn for small businesses, $513bn in tax benefits for all businesses and $532bn in non-forgivable loans to large corporations.
“A lot of folks feel like maybe the government isn’t focusing on them, and is leaving them behind,” Grover said.


theguardian--2020-06-10--After 15 stunning days of anti-racist protests … what happens next?

The New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb captured best the sense of wonder at what is happening on the streets of America .
He posted a tweet from Mitt Romney , the Republican senator from Utah , which showed the former presidential candidate marching alongside demonstrators under the banner Black Lives Matter .
“ Ladies and gentleman , ” Cobb remarked .
“ This is what you call uncharted territory.
” Fifteen days and nights into this nationwide conflagration , the protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis are truly navigating the unknown .
Enormous crowds , overwhelmingly peaceful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities across the country ; a movement against police brutality has been met with police brutality ; the US president has responded with one of the most memorable – and violent – photo ops of the modern era .
“ The popular reaction to the gruesome Floyd murder has been astonishing in its national scope , fervent commitment and interracial solidarity , ” observed the philosopher and social critic Noam Chomsky .
“ The malignancy that infects the White House has been exposed in all its ugliness.
” But as the demonstrations tear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparent loss of momentum , the little voice that inevitably arises with all such public outbursts begins to be heard .
As it grows louder , the question it poses intensifies : what happens next ?
Where does all the energy unleashed by the protests go ?
What happens to “ Defund the police ” when the chanting fades ?
When the day comes – as presumably , eventually , it must – what will be left on the empty streets to show for it ?
“ Marches are a tactic , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much has emerged about strategy , or even specific articulated goals , beyond major reform of police practices and responsibilities.
” A potential cautionary tale for the present-day protests is offered by Occupy Wall Street .
Like the current maelstrom , those protests burst on to the public stage in September 2011 quite unexpectedly , with a thousand or so people cramming themselves into New York City ’ s Zuccotti Park under the rubric : “ We are the 99 % .
” Also in an echo of today , the Occupy protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hundreds of arrests .
The park was finally brutally cleared two months later .
Nobody could doubt the success of Occupy in changing the nature of the national political and social debate .
It put concepts of income inequality , of the “ 1 % ” , firmly and permanently on the map .
But once the protest had been broken up , its resolutely anti-hierarchical nature , combined with the distrust of many of its activists towards institutions and infrastructure , meant that it had nowhere else to go .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Occupy was also a tactic , not a strategy , and one that could not continue , ” Chomsky said .
“ It had an impact : focusing on extreme inequality that is poisoning the society under the neoliberal regime .
But from that point on other forms of activism have to take over , and to some extent have.
” Nelini Stamp , director of strategy for the Working Families party , is well-placed to comment on the “ what next ?
” conundrum , having been deeply involved in Occupy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the George Floyd protests in New York .
Though she agrees that Occupy didn ’ t directly change America – income inequality in the US has increased steadily every year since 2011 – it did spawn a number of powerful campaigns to long-term effect .
She points to the fight for a higher minimum wage and union representation for fast-food workers .
She also credits Occupy with giving Vermont ’ s democratic socialist senator Bernie Sanders the opening through which he burst on to the stage as a presidential candidate – twice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Bernie could do his run in 2016 and 2020 , and for Elizabeth Warren running for president with her economic populist message.
” Stamp disagrees with Chomsky that the current wave of protests has failed to articulate a specific way forward .
“ I think the demands have been fairly clear : defunding police , reimagining public safety , and we are slowly winning.
” Certainly , today ’ s protesters can point to the first blossoming of change on a local level .
The city council in Minneapolis , where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on 25 May , has voted to disband the police department and start over .
New York city lawmakers have moved to ban the use of chokeholds of the sort that killed Eric Garner .
The Portland police chief is resigning amid calls for “ bold reform ” , and on a national level , Democrats who control the House of Representatives have unveiled the most ambitious plan for law enforcement reform in years .
In perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing signal of change , a street within spitting distance of Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Black Lives Matter Plaza ” .
In the grand scheme of things , these individual victories may amount to no more than pointillist dots on the vast canvas of America ’ s woes .
But to the protesters they are vital oxygen .
“ To maintain activism on the streets you need little successes , ” said Dana R Fisher , a professor of sociology specializing in protest movements at the University of Maryland .
“ Think about the civil rights movement – it was a long , arduous , painful process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was sustained by these little successes along the way.
” Fisher believes that the huge sweep of protests in more than 750 cities and towns all across America holds out a golden opportunity for dramatic change to be achieved through the ballot box in November .
Her recent book , American Resistance , tracked the impact of the 2017 Women ’ s March held the day after Trump ’ s inauguration .
Studying the data , she found that much of the energy released on that day – the largest day of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back into local communities and their congressional races .
The result was that Democrats took back the House in 2018 in the so-called “ Blue Wave ” .
She sees a repeat of that potential today .
“ We are seeing amazing opportunities for people to channel what ’ s going on in the streets into political activism , especially with such a crucial election looming.
” The question remains , though , is there a need for some structured vehicle that could absorb the positive radiation of the current protests without which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Occupy ?
Fisher thinks there is .
“ I ’ m sure it will be unpopular to say this , but I think there is a need for some professionalized organizational ecosystem to support this movement .
There is a void forming , and we need to fill it.
” Noam Chomsky also sees a need for greater strategic direction .
He wonders whether popular movements will emerge “ that seek to deal with the brutal legacy of 400 years of vicious racism , that extends far beyond police violence ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ reminds us that Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 , took off the following year during the Ferguson , Missouri , protests over the police killing of Michael Brown , and has been beavering away at effecting change ever since .
“ There has been a movement for black lives over the past six years that has never stopped .
We have more infrastructure now for people to land and go places than we did then – we ’ ve built more muscle.
” Is she not anxious that the euphoria of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into disappointment ?
“ I mean , I ’ m always anxious about that , ” she said .
“ But I ’ ve never seen a multiracial uprising in my life like we ’ re seeing right now , and for all the anxiety I have every morning about what happens next , that gives me hope .
”

The New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb captured best the sense of wonder at what is happening on the streets of America. He posted a tweet from Mitt Romney, the Republican senator from Utah, which showed the former presidential candidate marching alongside demonstrators under the banner Black Lives Matter.
“Ladies and gentleman,” Cobb remarked. “This is what you call uncharted territory.”
Fifteen days and nights into this nationwide conflagration, the protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis are truly navigating the unknown.
Enormous crowds, overwhelmingly peaceful and highly diverse, have erupted in cities across the country; a movement against police brutality has been met with police brutality; the US president has responded with one of the most memorable – and violent – photo ops of the modern era.
“The popular reaction to the gruesome Floyd murder has been astonishing in its national scope, fervent commitment and interracial solidarity,” observed the philosopher and social critic Noam Chomsky. “The malignancy that infects the White House has been exposed in all its ugliness.”
But as the demonstrations tear through their third week, with no apparent loss of momentum, the little voice that inevitably arises with all such public outbursts begins to be heard. As it grows louder, the question it poses intensifies: what happens next?
Where does all the energy unleashed by the protests go? What happens to “Defund the police” when the chanting fades? When the day comes – as presumably, eventually, it must – what will be left on the empty streets to show for it?
“Marches are a tactic,” Chomsky told the Guardian. “Not much has emerged about strategy, or even specific articulated goals, beyond major reform of police practices and responsibilities.”
A potential cautionary tale for the present-day protests is offered by Occupy Wall Street. Like the current maelstrom, those protests burst on to the public stage in September 2011 quite unexpectedly, with a thousand or so people cramming themselves into New York City’s Zuccotti Park under the rubric: “We are the 99%.”
Occupy Wall Street demonstrators march in the rain through the streets of the financial district of New York on 29 September 2011. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/REUTERS
Also in an echo of today, the Occupy protesters were met with violent police shutdowns leading to hundreds of arrests. The park was finally brutally cleared two months later.
Nobody could doubt the success of Occupy in changing the nature of the national political and social debate. It put concepts of income inequality, of the “1%”, firmly and permanently on the map.
But once the protest had been broken up, its resolutely anti-hierarchical nature, combined with the distrust of many of its activists towards institutions and infrastructure, meant that it had nowhere else to go. It dissipated into the downtown Manhattan air.
“Occupy was also a tactic, not a strategy, and one that could not continue,” Chomsky said. “It had an impact: focusing on extreme inequality that is poisoning the society under the neoliberal regime. But from that point on other forms of activism have to take over, and to some extent have.”
Nelini Stamp, the director of strategy for the Working Families party, is well-placed to comment on the “what next?” conundrum, having been deeply involved in Occupy and now being immersed as an organizer of the George Floyd protests in New York. Though she agrees that Occupy didn’t directly change America – income inequality in the US has increased steadily every year since 2011 – it did spawn a number of powerful campaigns to long-term effect.
She points to the fight for a higher minimum wage and union representation for fast-food workers. She also credits Occupy with giving Vermont’s democratic socialist senator Bernie Sanders the opening through which he burst on to the stage as a presidential candidate – twice.
Ballerinas Kennedy George, 14, and Ava Holloway, 14, pose in front of a monument of Confederate general Robert E Lee in Richmond, Virginia, after Governor Ralph Northam ordered its removal. Photograph: Julia Rendleman/Reuters
“We created the space so that Bernie could do his run in 2016 and 2020, and for Elizabeth Warren running for president with her economic populist message.”
Stamp disagrees with Chomsky that the current wave of protests has failed to articulate a specific way forward. “I think the demands have been fairly clear: defunding police, reimagining public safety, and we are slowly winning.”
Certainly, today’s protesters can point to the first blossoming of change on a local level. The city council in Minneapolis, where the 46-year-old African American was killed by police on 25 May, has vowed to disband the police department and start over.
New York City lawmakers have moved to ban the use of chokeholds of the sort that killed Eric Garner. The Portland police chief is resigning amid calls for “bold reform”, and on a national level, Democrats who control the House of Representatives have unveiled the most ambitious plan for law enforcement reform in years.
In perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing signal of change, a street within spitting distance of Donald Trump in the White House has been renamed “Black Lives Matter Plaza”.
In the grand scheme of things, these individual victories may amount to no more than pointillist dots on the vast canvas of America’s woes. But to the protesters they are vital oxygen.
“To maintain activism on the streets you need little successes,” said Dana R Fisher, a professor of sociology specializing in protest movements at the University of Maryland. “Think about the civil rights movement – it was a long, arduous, painful process to get the black vote, but it was sustained by these little successes along the way.”
Fisher believes that the huge sweep of protests in more than 750 cities and towns all across America holds out a golden opportunity for dramatic change to be achieved through the ballot box in November. Her recent book, American Resistance, tracked the impact of the 2017 Women’s March held the day after Trump’s inauguration.
Studying the data, she found that much of the energy released on that day – the largest day of protest in American history – was channeled back into local communities and their congressional races. The result was that Democrats took back the House in 2018 in the so-called “Blue Wave”.
‘Black Lives Matter’ is painted on the pavement of 16th Street near the White House. Photograph: Carlos Vilas Delgado/EPA
She sees a repeat of that potential today. “We are seeing amazing opportunities for people to channel what’s going on in the streets into political activism, especially with such a crucial election looming.”
The question remains, though, is there a need for some structured vehicle that could absorb the positive radiation of the current protests without which the movement risks fragmenting and dissipating just like Occupy? Fisher thinks there is.
“I’m sure it will be unpopular to say this, but I think there is a need for some professionalized organizational ecosystem to support this movement. There is a void forming, and we need to fill it.”
Noam Chomsky also sees a need for greater strategic direction. He wonders whether popular movements will emerge “that seek to deal with the brutal legacy of 400 years of vicious racism, that extends far beyond police violence”.
Nelini Stamp is resolutely optimistic. She reminds us that Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013, took off the following year during the Ferguson, Missouri, protests over the police killing of Michael Brown, and has been beavering away at effecting change ever since.
“There has been a movement for black lives over the past six years that has never stopped. We have more infrastructure now for people to land and go places than we did then – we’ve built more muscle.”
Is she not anxious that the euphoria of the current protests could fade over time into disappointment?
“I mean, I’m always anxious about that,” she said. “But I’ve never seen a multiracial uprising in my life like we’re seeing right now, and for all the anxiety I have every morning about what happens next, that gives me hope.”


theguardian--2020-06-10--No masks, no water: New York protesters held in ‘abysmal’ conditions, experts say

Protesters in New York have been unnecessarily arrested and detained for as long as 48 hours in “ abysmal ” conditions without access to masks , food and water , according to legal experts .
Since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis just over two weeks ago , tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of New York City in protest over police brutality .
More than 2,000 people had been arrested in the city as of Thursday – around a fifth of the total of over 10,000 arrested nationally – on charges such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the now cancelled city-wide curfew .
New York Police Department ( NYPD ) declined a request for updated arrest figures , saying they will be available “ in the near future ” .
Lawyers say the NYPD is also denying many of those arrested their right to a phone call , leaving their friends and families fearful for their lives .
Details of arrests are not publicly available , but anecdotally , lawyers said protesters are facing charges for disorderly conduct , obstructing governmental administration and for violating the curfew , which was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a maximum sentence of up to three months imprisonment .
Despite the coronavirus pandemic , they said most police officers do not wear masks and in some cases confiscate those of protesters who are being “ packed ” into cells with no regard for social distancing .
Corey Stoughton , head of the special litigation unit at the Legal Aid Society , said : “ We have heard from our clients who have been arrested that the conditions in the holding cells that they are held in , in many cases for 10-20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the larger demonstrations and mass arrests , that there are extremely crowded conditions , that the cells are dirty and unsanitary and unsafe.
” Police officers , she added , “ rarely ” wear masks .
“ So really an arrest is a decision by the police department to put protesters into a situation that is dangerous for their health and safety.
” Most protesters that are arrested are taken to a police station and held before being released on a summons ordering them to appear in court at a later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to had received summonses for September .
If they face higher charges , they are arraigned , which means they are detained until they have seen a judge – who either sets bail or releases them .
Rigodis Appling , a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society , where she is a founding member of the Black Attorneys of Legal Aid caucus , said some protesters were held for 48 hours .
Ordinarily this would be illegal under New York state ’ s 24-hour arrest-to-arraignment rule but it was suspended as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Manhattan supreme court judge .
“ The people I saw had been sitting in the Tombs [ the nickname for where people are detained underneath the courthouse in Manhattan ] for 48 hours … in New York , typically you ’ re supposed to see a judge within 24 hours , ” said Appling .
She said of those who were arraigned , were “ majority , almost all , black and Latino ” and that many were “ over-charged ” with higher crimes .
She has also seen multiple essential workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protests in arraignments .
Describing the conditions in the Tombs , she said : “ Filthy would be an understatement.
” While she said it is always like that , Covid-19 makes it “ even scarier ” for her clients .
Porsha-Shaf ’ on Venable , a supervising attorney public defender in New York and an attorney for Good Call , a hotline offering 24-hour free legal support to people who have been arrested in the city and their friends and family , said police treatment of protesters is tantamount to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added : “ People are scared … And if there was any confidence , if there was any modicum of confidence in the NYPD before , they have successfully diminished that .
It is gone .
And you can hear it in every mother ’ s voice that calls the hotline.
” Good Call has been flooded with close to 2,000 calls since the protests started and expanded its team of lawyers , who Venable said are working “ around the clock ” .
On Thursday night , when protesters in the Bronx @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken to another borough , Queens .
“ Some of them were ultimately released , but it was still during curfew time with no way to get back home and with real fear of being arrested again for violating the curfew.
” Many of the arrests are unnecessary , said Jared Trujillo , defence attorney and president of the association of Legal Aid Attorneys .
“ Ultimately someone who ’ s just out there protesting there is no reason that police officers can ’ t issue an appearance ticket – if they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than scaring off protesters , police treatment of those arrested is in some ways “ emboldening ” people to demonstrate , he said .
The Manhattan district attorney , Cyrus Vance , announced on Friday that he will not prosecute protesters for low-level offenses .
However , Trujillo said there was no guarantee .
“ Something to note about the Manhattan DA is oftentimes they say they ’ re not going to prosecute certain things and they do it anyway.
” Student Kellen Gold , 22 , was arrested for violating the curfew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manhattan .
Gold , who uses they/them pronouns , said they were charged by police on bikes so they ran and kneeled before being “ thrown to the ground and then cuffed ” and taken to a police station in Brooklyn .
“ I ’ ve been arrested a bunch of times [ for activism ] … this is the first arrest where I ’ ve been violently handled , ” said Gold , who was released at around 1.15am and given a court date in September .
Almost all of the officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and protesters were required to share water cups .
Johnathan , 35 , a videographer from Brooklyn who did not want to give his last name , said he was arrested for trespassing at the Barclays Centre on 29 May after walking up the sloping grass-covered roof of the train station to get a better vantage point to film .
At One Police Plaza , NYPD ’ s headquarters in Manhattan , he claims it was “ chaos ” .
He said he was not given a phone call and officers were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In a holding area of about 50 people , he said he was the only one wearing a mask .
He said he has been summoned to appear in September but that officers told him they will not charge him with trespassing .
“ I don ’ t know what ’ s in store , ” he added .
The experience has changed him , he said , and he believes the police should be defunded .
He added : “ If they ’ re messing that up , what else are they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has now been lit under me is to hold the police accountable.
” The NYPD , which Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday would have its $ 6bn budget cut following pressure from protesters , said it “ supports and respects the rights of protesters to express their views ” and that they are given “ numerous warnings to disperse ” if officers decide to clear the street .
It said if directions are ignored , “ a person may be subject to an arrest or summons.
” Sergeant Mary Frances O @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deputy commissioner , public information , said : “ While the majority of the protests have been peaceful , our officers have encountered agitators with different agendas who have used the guise of the protests to commit criminal acts and violence .
“ Since May 25 , our officers have been shot at , stabbed , assaulted with rocks , bricks and other debris , have been struck by vehicles and have even had molotov cocktails thrown inside their vehicle .
This behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated .
”

Protesters in New York have been unnecessarily arrested and detained for as long as 48 hours in “abysmal” conditions without access to masks, food and water, according to legal experts.
Since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis just over two weeks ago, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of New York City in protest over police brutality.
More than 2,000 people had been arrested in the city as of Thursday – around a fifth of the total of over 10,000 arrested nationally – on charges such as resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and violating the now cancelled city-wide curfew. New York Police Department (NYPD) declined a request for updated arrest figures, saying they will be available “in the near future”.
Lawyers say the NYPD is also denying many of those arrested their right to a phone call, leaving their friends and families fearful for their lives. Details of arrests are not publicly available, but anecdotally, lawyers said protesters are facing charges for disorderly conduct, obstructing governmental administration and for violating the curfew, which was considered a Class B misdemeanour, carrying a maximum sentence of up to three months imprisonment.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, they said most police officers do not wear masks and in some cases confiscate those of protesters who are being “packed” into cells with no regard for social distancing.
Corey Stoughton, head of the special litigation unit at the Legal Aid Society, said: “We have heard from our clients who have been arrested that the conditions in the holding cells that they are held in, in many cases for 10-20 hours, are abysmal. Especially following some of the larger demonstrations and mass arrests, that there are extremely crowded conditions, that the cells are dirty and unsanitary and unsafe.”
New York City police officers and protesters clash during a demonstration in Brooklyn on 30 May. Photograph: Kevin Hagen/EPA
Police officers, she added, “rarely” wear masks. “So really an arrest is a decision by the police department to put protesters into a situation that is dangerous for their health and safety.”
Most protesters that are arrested are taken to a police station and held before being released on a summons ordering them to appear in court at a later date. The protesters the Guardian spoke to had received summonses for September. If they face higher charges, they are arraigned, which means they are detained until they have seen a judge – who either sets bail or releases them.
Rigodis Appling, a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society, where she is a founding member of the Black Attorneys of Legal Aid caucus, said some protesters were held for 48 hours. Ordinarily this would be illegal under New York state’s 24-hour arrest-to-arraignment rule but it was suspended as a result of the crisis and upheld by a Manhattan supreme court judge.
“The people I saw had been sitting in the Tombs [the nickname for where people are detained underneath the courthouse in Manhattan] for 48 hours … in New York, typically you’re supposed to see a judge within 24 hours,” said Appling. She said of those who were arraigned, were “majority, almost all, black and Latino” and that many were “over-charged” with higher crimes. She has also seen multiple essential workers who were not necessarily a part of the protests in arraignments.
Describing the conditions in the Tombs, she said: “Filthy would be an understatement.” While she said it is always like that, Covid-19 makes it “even scarier” for her clients.
Protesters clash with New York City police during a march in Manhattan on 31 May. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images
Porsha-Shaf’on Venable, a supervising attorney public defender in New York and an attorney for Good Call, a hotline offering 24-hour free legal support to people who have been arrested in the city and their friends and family, said police treatment of protesters is tantamount to an “act of terror”.
She added: “People are scared … And if there was any confidence, if there was any modicum of confidence in the NYPD before, they have successfully diminished that. It is gone. And you can hear it in every mother’s voice that calls the hotline.”
Good Call has been flooded with close to 2,000 calls since the protests started and expanded its team of lawyers, who Venable said are working “around the clock”.
On Thursday night, when protesters in the Bronx were zip-tied, she said they were taken to another borough, Queens.
“Some of them were ultimately released, but it was still during curfew time with no way to get back home and with real fear of being arrested again for violating the curfew.”
Many of the arrests are unnecessary, said Jared Trujillo, defence attorney and president of the association of Legal Aid Attorneys.
“Ultimately someone who’s just out there protesting there is no reason that police officers can’t issue an appearance ticket – if they have to arrest them at all.”
New York City police officers arrest a protester in Brooklyn on 30 May Photograph: Kevin Hagen/EPA
Rather than scaring off protesters, police treatment of those arrested is in some ways “emboldening” people to demonstrate, he said.
The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, announced on Friday that he will not prosecute protesters for low-level offenses.
However, Trujillo said there was no guarantee. “Something to note about the Manhattan DA is oftentimes they say they’re not going to prosecute certain things and they do it anyway.”
Student Kellen Gold, 22, was arrested for violating the curfew on Wednesday night at a march in Manhattan. Gold, who uses they/them pronouns, said they were charged by police on bikes so they ran and kneeled before being “thrown to the ground and then cuffed” and taken to a police station in Brooklyn.
“I’ve been arrested a bunch of times [for activism] … this is the first arrest where I’ve been violently handled,” said Gold, who was released at around 1.15am and given a court date in September.
Almost all of the officers were not wearing masks, said Gold, and protesters were required to share water cups.
Johnathan, 35, a videographer from Brooklyn who did not want to give his last name, said he was arrested for trespassing at the Barclays Centre on 29 May after walking up the sloping grass-covered roof of the train station to get a better vantage point to film.
At One Police Plaza, NYPD’s headquarters in Manhattan, he claims it was “chaos”. He said he was not given a phone call and officers were not wearing masks or social distancing. In a holding area of about 50 people, he said he was the only one wearing a mask.
He said he has been summoned to appear in September but that officers told him they will not charge him with trespassing. “I don’t know what’s in store,” he added.
The experience has changed him, he said, and he believes the police should be defunded. He added: “If they’re messing that up, what else are they messing up? … The fire that has now been lit under me is to hold the police accountable.”
The NYPD, which Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday would have its $6bn budget cut following pressure from protesters, said it “supports and respects the rights of protesters to express their views” and that they are given “numerous warnings to disperse” if officers decide to clear the street. It said if directions are ignored, “a person may be subject to an arrest or summons.”
Sergeant Mary Frances O’Donnell, a spokeswoman for the deputy commissioner, public information, said: “While the majority of the protests have been peaceful, our officers have encountered agitators with different agendas who have used the guise of the protests to commit criminal acts and violence.
“Since May 25, our officers have been shot at, stabbed, assaulted with rocks, bricks and other debris, have been struck by vehicles and have even had molotov cocktails thrown inside their vehicle. This behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”


theguardian--2020-06-10--George Floyd memorial: Al Sharpton condemns Trump's 'wickedness in high places' – as it happened


theguardian--2020-06-09--Donald Trump makes baseless claim about man, 75, shoved by police: ‘Could be a set-up?’


theguardian--2020-06-10--Has Ivanka Trump finally been cancelled? | Arwa Mahdawi

Poor Ivanka Trump .
The president ’ s daughter has spent the past few years toiling away in a mysterious governmental role that nobody asked ( or elected ) her to take on – and yet she is criminally underappreciated by the underlings she serves .
On Friday , the heiress angrily tweeted that she was the victim of “ cancel culture ” , after a university in Kansas scrapped a virtual commencement speech she had prepared for graduating students .
The students had not been thrilled about the choice of speaker , given Donald Trump ’ s widely criticised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her involvement last Monday in that response : after demonstrators had been dispersed with tear gas , the first daughter pulled out a bible from her £1,200 Max Mara handbag so that her father could pose with it for a photo op by a church .
“ Cancel culture and viewpoint discrimination are antithetical to academia , ” Ivanka declared , with no self-awareness whatsoever .
To help educate the masses , she attached a video of the commencement speech she had so graciously prepared .
It was quintessentially Ivanka : looking like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the multimillionaire child of a ( supposed ) billionaire spoke mechanically of the “ discomfort and uncertainty ” she had bravely overcome .
She did not mention George Floyd or police brutality .
I hate to break it to Ivanka , but not giving a commencement speech does not mean you are a victim of “ cancel culture ” .
Indeed , it is remarkable that , despite standing by her father during endless atrocities , she has not been definitively cancelled by her circle of “ liberal ” high-society friends .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tavi Gevinson , an influencer and actor , called out Ivanka ’ s sister-in-law , the model Karlie Kloss , for posting a poem on Instagram that urged people to end racism by “ healing it in your own family ” .
“ Karlie , give it a rest , ” Gevinson wrote , going on criticise Kloss for not disavowing Ivanka .
Meanwhile , the Daily Beast asked on Monday whether New York ’ s glitterati will “ finally turn on Ivanka ” .
Elsewhere , a new political action committee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has released a scathing ad , entitled “ Bye Ivanka ” .
Ivanka has been given a free pass for a long time .
But , given her father ’ s plummeting popularity , she may soon find out what it is like to be held accountable for her actions – and learn a thing or two about “ discomfort and uncertainty ” .

Poor Ivanka Trump. The president’s daughter has spent the past few years toiling away in a mysterious governmental role that nobody asked (or elected) her to take on – and yet she is criminally underappreciated by the underlings she serves.
On Friday, the heiress angrily tweeted that she was the victim of “cancel culture”, after a university in Kansas scrapped a virtual commencement speech she had prepared for graduating students. The students had not been thrilled about the choice of speaker, given Donald Trump’s widely criticised response to protests against police brutality and her involvement last Monday in that response: after demonstrators had been dispersed with tear gas, the first daughter pulled out a bible from her £1,200 Max Mara handbag so that her father could pose with it for a photo op by a church.
“Cancel culture and viewpoint discrimination are antithetical to academia,” Ivanka declared, with no self-awareness whatsoever. To help educate the masses, she attached a video of the commencement speech she had so graciously prepared. It was quintessentially Ivanka: looking like a Botoxed deer in the headlights, the multimillionaire child of a (supposed) billionaire spoke mechanically of the “discomfort and uncertainty” she had bravely overcome. She did not mention George Floyd or police brutality.
I hate to break it to Ivanka, but not giving a commencement speech does not mean you are a victim of “cancel culture”. Indeed, it is remarkable that, despite standing by her father during endless atrocities, she has not been definitively cancelled by her circle of “liberal” high-society friends.
That may soon change. Last week, Tavi Gevinson, an influencer and actor, called out Ivanka’s sister-in-law, the model Karlie Kloss, for posting a poem on Instagram that urged people to end racism by “healing it in your own family”. “Karlie, give it a rest,” Gevinson wrote, going on criticise Kloss for not disavowing Ivanka. Meanwhile, the Daily Beast asked on Monday whether New York’s glitterati will “finally turn on Ivanka”. Elsewhere, a new political action committee, founded by Colin Kaepernick’s lawyer, has released a scathing ad, entitled “Bye Ivanka”.
Ivanka has been given a free pass for a long time. But, given her father’s plummeting popularity, she may soon find out what it is like to be held accountable for her actions – and learn a thing or two about “discomfort and uncertainty”.