theguardian--2020-06-02--Fighting the racism that killed George Floyd requires more than hashtags | Nesrine Malik

Every few years , being black becomes a macabre spectacle .
What is usually a complicated private identity becomes a public one .
A black man is killed by a white police officer in the United States , and suddenly the world is attuned to your race .
Suddenly , the world is trying to help .
It ’ s trying to amplify black voices .
It ’ s posting Martin Luther King and Malcolm X quotes and videos .
It ’ s donating money .
It ’ s circulating videos of black protesters and black media voices .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s trying to learn .
It ’ s ashamed that it wasn ’ t educated enough before about racism , and it is here to take a cue from black people – your book recommendations , your understanding , your absolution .
And it ’ s also here a little bit for the righteous feeling of proximity to you , to your virtuous victimhood , to your moment in history .
I can almost feel the blackness tingle on my skin as it is stripped off , posted , projected and explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is uncomfortable .
It feels unnerving .
Is it unkind ?
It feels like spending your life asking for solidarity from others , then saying , “ No , not like that.
” During the Arab spring , one of the favourite lines of commentary was that it was the world ’ s first “ social media revolution ” .
An image of graffiti painted on the shuttered gates of a travel agency in Cairo went viral .
It read : “ Twitter , al-Jazeera , Facebook.
” It was a neat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , technology and the promise of youth : just a few apps and websites had helped to bring down outdated regimes that had not kept up with the times .
The events after George Floyd ’ s death feel like they ’ ve also hit a new social media nerve .
Today , that graffiti would say : “ TikTok , Instagram , Twitter.
” But it feels as though there is no promise here .
The explosion of support around black lives just means that there is a new racial divide opening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground risking their lives and livelihoods , and white people are mostly online , where there is only upside .
Because this is the easy part : no matter how much effort has gone in to making sure you are the right sort of ally , no matter how much money you have donated or supportive feeds you have curated .
For white people in America , there is no solidarity that is not received without a heavy dose of scepticism .
The frequency of black men and women dying at the hands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation , not just a police force – one that is so empowered only because of the systemic complacency and normalisation of black murder .
Those officers who kill are not all flukes , they ’ re not all “ bad apples ” .
A black man would not end up under the knee of a white officer for almost nine minutes if a black life mattered .
For white people outside America , the solidarity is simpler .
You don ’ t have to reckon with your role in this .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guilt as black people are handcuffed and pepper-sprayed .
If the riots were on your doorstep in the UK , for example – in Hackney or Handsworth or Moss Side – you ’ d have to balance any conflict about really totally seeing where the protesters are coming from with worrying about your daughter walking home from the bus stop , or the integrity of your windows .
So while the action is happening far away in the US , you won ’ t find yourself tempted to equivocate because the thought of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patch is too uncomfortable and taints you with a sense of complicity .
You won ’ t have to come up with excuses : perhaps he had a gun ; perhaps he was drunk ; perhaps he was threatening .
You won ’ t find yourself , as your neighbourhood is destabilised , instinctively feeling more empathy with the police , with whom you ’ ve never had a bad experience ; that yes , they are doing a tough job and have to make split-second decisions .
Solidarity in the absence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be viewed as a uniquely violent place , cursed with a uniquely tragic racial history .
It ’ s an even more satisfying perspective when the voices and scenes emanating from the riots are so high-octane .
With the heavy curation , editing and production quality of new social media channels , America ’ s race riots already feel , even as they are still playing out , like a historical showreel montage .
The impromptu speeches of African Americans , either pleading for restraint or choking back tears of anger , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the burning cars and buildings .
The legacy of years of pain , of exhaustion , of retreading the same ground , have morphed into a sort of modern-day blues : a newly forming tradition of oratory that narrates the experience of being black in America .
Giving it weight is decades of activism , literature , film and music that have made African American history vivid and intimate – so much so that outsiders feel an ownership and familiarity with the texture of race relations in America in ways they do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Racism becomes reduced to the US version , to its most dramatic transgressions .
A tragedy for Americans , a break for everyone else , who can fret about how singularly awful it is over there .
This mass global support can not be separated from American cultural hegemony , from its power as exporter of its story .
From its glamour .
Hip-hop , the popular culture of African American distress – one that came into being to come to terms with death and dispossession – has been merely entertainment for everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , consumers treat it like just more celluloid , sharing it as an aesthetic and artistic arms-length experience , rather than the visceral expression of anguish that it is .
It is not blackness that is being elevated here – an experience that is jagged , diverse and unbranded – it is African Americanism , sold as a consumer product .
This is why the “ white ally ” support is uncomfortable .
It kicks in only when black people conform to an image and live up to a single moment .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of the time black voices are not fashionable , their grievances not dramatic or simple enough , or caught on camera .
True solidarity , the one that helps in the long term rather than merely buys a sticking plaster for the short term , is in those moments .
It is in the daily discomfort of taking risks , of challenging a system that subtly but emphatically excludes black people , when there is no reward for doing so , and of making way and giving up space where it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sits – and when no one can see you do it .
Parting with money and sharing on social media is the easy bit .
And thank you , I guess .
But the moments in between are the only ones that really matter .

Every few years, being black becomes a macabre spectacle. What is usually a complicated private identity becomes a public one. A black man is killed by a white police officer in the United States, and suddenly the world is attuned to your race.
Suddenly, the world is trying to help. It’s trying to amplify black voices. It’s posting Martin Luther King and Malcolm X quotes and videos. It’s donating money. It’s circulating videos of black protesters and black media voices.
And it’s being humbled. It’s trying to learn. It’s ashamed that it wasn’t educated enough before about racism, and it is here to take a cue from black people – your book recommendations, your understanding, your absolution. And it’s also here a little bit for the righteous feeling of proximity to you, to your virtuous victimhood, to your moment in history.
I can almost feel the blackness tingle on my skin as it is stripped off, posted, projected and explained over a billion social media posts. It is uncomfortable. It feels unnerving. Is it unkind? It feels like spending your life asking for solidarity from others, then saying, “No, not like that.”
During the Arab spring, one of the favourite lines of commentary was that it was the world’s first “social media revolution”. An image of graffiti painted on the shuttered gates of a travel agency in Cairo went viral. It read: “Twitter, al-Jazeera, Facebook.” It was a neat little story about the virtues of globalisation, technology and the promise of youth: just a few apps and websites had helped to bring down outdated regimes that had not kept up with the times.
The events after George Floyd’s death feel like they’ve also hit a new social media nerve. Today, that graffiti would say: “TikTok, Instagram, Twitter.” But it feels as though there is no promise here. The explosion of support around black lives just means that there is a new racial divide opening up. Black people are on the ground risking their lives and livelihoods, and white people are mostly online, where there is only upside.
Because this is the easy part: no matter how much effort has gone in to making sure you are the right sort of ally, no matter how much money you have donated or supportive feeds you have curated. For white people in America, there is no solidarity that is not received without a heavy dose of scepticism. The frequency of black men and women dying at the hands of white police officers tars a whole nation, not just a police force – one that is so empowered only because of the systemic complacency and normalisation of black murder. Those officers who kill are not all flukes, they’re not all “bad apples”. A black man would not end up under the knee of a white officer for almost nine minutes if a black life mattered.
For white people outside America, the solidarity is simpler. You don’t have to reckon with your role in this. You don’t have to grapple with guilt as black people are handcuffed and pepper-sprayed. If the riots were on your doorstep in the UK, for example – in Hackney or Handsworth or Moss Side – you’d have to balance any conflict about really totally seeing where the protesters are coming from with worrying about your daughter walking home from the bus stop, or the integrity of your windows.
So while the action is happening far away in the US, you won’t find yourself tempted to equivocate because the thought of a black man being murdered on your patch is too uncomfortable and taints you with a sense of complicity. You won’t have to come up with excuses: perhaps he had a gun; perhaps he was drunk; perhaps he was threatening. You won’t find yourself, as your neighbourhood is destabilised, instinctively feeling more empathy with the police, with whom you’ve never had a bad experience; that yes, they are doing a tough job and have to make split-second decisions.
Solidarity in the absence of proximity is a clean hit. America can be viewed as a uniquely violent place, cursed with a uniquely tragic racial history. It’s an even more satisfying perspective when the voices and scenes emanating from the riots are so high-octane. With the heavy curation, editing and production quality of new social media channels, America’s race riots already feel, even as they are still playing out, like a historical showreel montage. The impromptu speeches of African Americans, either pleading for restraint or choking back tears of anger, provide a lyrical and emotional soundtrack to the burning cars and buildings.
The legacy of years of pain, of exhaustion, of retreading the same ground, have morphed into a sort of modern-day blues: a newly forming tradition of oratory that narrates the experience of being black in America. Giving it weight is decades of activism, literature, film and music that have made African American history vivid and intimate – so much so that outsiders feel an ownership and familiarity with the texture of race relations in America in ways they do not about their country’s own. Racism becomes reduced to the US version, to its most dramatic transgressions. A tragedy for Americans, a break for everyone else, who can fret about how singularly awful it is over there.
This mass global support cannot be separated from American cultural hegemony, from its power as exporter of its story. From its glamour. Hip-hop, the popular culture of African American distress – one that came into being to come to terms with death and dispossession – has been merely entertainment for everyone else. When the real thing happens, consumers treat it like just more celluloid, sharing it as an aesthetic and artistic arms-length experience, rather than the visceral expression of anguish that it is. It is not blackness that is being elevated here – an experience that is jagged, diverse and unbranded – it is African Americanism, sold as a consumer product.
This is why the “white ally” support is uncomfortable. It kicks in only when black people conform to an image and live up to a single moment. It raises them at this point, but the rest of the time black voices are not fashionable, their grievances not dramatic or simple enough, or caught on camera. True solidarity, the one that helps in the long term rather than merely buys a sticking plaster for the short term, is in those moments. It is in the daily discomfort of taking risks, of challenging a system that subtly but emphatically excludes black people, when there is no reward for doing so, and of making way and giving up space where it counts – at the table where power sits – and when no one can see you do it.
Parting with money and sharing on social media is the easy bit. And thank you, I guess. But the moments in between are the only ones that really matter.


theguardian--2020-06-02--Journalists charged at by police while live on air at Washington protests – video

Washington police appeared to charge at an Australian news cameraman live on air as the crew attempted to report on @ @ @ @ @ the US capital on Tuesday .
Outrage over the death of Floyd , an unarmed @ @ @ @ @ a white officer knelt on his neck for several minutes in Minneapolis , has sparked @ @ @ @ @ in the US • Teargas fired so Trump can pose at church • Are you @ @ @ @ @ after the death of George Floyd ?

Washington police appeared to charge at an Australian news cameraman live on air as the crew attempted to report on the George Floyd protests in the US capital on Tuesday.
Outrage over the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white officer knelt on his neck for several minutes in Minneapolis, has sparked worldwide demonstrations and violent clashes in the US


theguardian--2020-06-02--'A wake-up call for the nation': Joe Biden addresses the killing of George Floyd – video

Joe Biden has addressed the killing of George Floyd and the protests that his death has sparked .
During a @ @ @ @ @ Democratic presidential candidate said Floyd ’ s last words , ' I can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ 'wake-up call for our nation ' .
Biden also sought to draw a clear distinction @ @ @ @ @ , saying the US president was 'part of the problem '

Joe Biden has addressed the killing of George Floyd and the protests that his death has sparked. During a speech in Philadelphia, the Democratic presidential candidate said Floyd’s last words, 'I can’t breathe', were a 'wake-up call for our nation'. Biden also sought to draw a clear distinction between himself and Donald Trump, saying the US president was 'part of the problem'


theguardian--2020-06-03--George Floyd killing: US rocked by eighth night of protest and grief – live

NYPD chief Terence Monahan has been doing the TV round this morning - appearing on Today He said an earlier curfew helped take out of neighborhoods “ people who didn ’ t belong there ” and that officers had allowed peaceful protests to continue beyond 8pm .
He said those who had broken off from the main groups “ looking to cause mayhem ” had been rapidly dealt with .
He also responded to criticism from Governor Andrew Cuomo , saying that he should never call his officers ineffective , and said that last night “ [ Cuomo ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and said the Cuomo had called the commissioner directly to apologise .
You can watch the full interview here : Monahan ’ s comments don ’ t entirely square with Associated Press reports that two of their journalists were surrounded , shoved and had expletives yelled at them while simply trying to cover the protests in New York last night .
In a video clip , videojournalist Robert Bumsted is heard explaining to the officers that the press are considered “ essential workers ” and are allowed to be on the streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t give a shit.
” Another tells Bumsted “ get the fuck out of here you piece of shit .
”

4 Jun 2020 10.24 BST Alex Hern Lego has asked its partners to pull all marketing for police themed sets as part of its response to the ongoing black lives matter protests in the US.
More than 30 building sets, minifigures and accessories are included on the list, distributed amongst affiliate marketers and widely published on social media.
Amongst the sets to be pulled are “Police Dog Unit”, “Police Bike” and “Police Station”, but also some products with a less obvious connection to the police, including “Fire Plane”, “Barbecue Burn Out” and “Donut Shop Opening”.
The Lego Architecture version of the White House, a £90 model intended for adult builders, is also included on the list.
LEGO Architecture White House model Photograph: LEGO In a statement, a Lego spokesperson said “We requested that our affiliate partners refrain from posting promotional LEGO content as part of our decision to respect #BlackOutTuesday and pause posting content on our social media channels in response to the tragic events in the US. We regret any misunderstanding and will ensure that we are clearer about our intentions in the future.”
On its Twitter feed Lego, a statement said the company “stands with the black community against racism and inequality. There is much to do.
pic.twitter.com/gpWKJ8pr7V — LEGO (@LEGO_Group) June 3, 2020 “We will donate $4m to organisations dedicated to supporting black children and educating all children about racial equality,” the company added.
4 Jun 2020 10.01 BST In a move sure to irk Donald Trump, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has described George Floyd’s killing as “brutal” and criticised Trump for posing for photos while holding a Bible. In a televised speech he said “We express sympathy toward the American people who are on the streets while harshly condemning the crime. It is a shame that the president stands with a Bible when he plans to act against his people.” Rouhani in Tehran. In his TV address he said George Floyd “was killed in the most brutal way” Photograph: Iranian Presidency/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock The two presidents are not shy about discussing protests in the other’s nation. Earlier in the year Trump repeatedly tweeted support for protestors in Iran, including a direct appeal to them in Farsi. به مردم شجاع و رنج کشیده ایران: من از ابتدای دوره ریاست جمهوریم با شما ایستاده‌ام و دولت من همچنان با شما خواهد ایستاد. ما اعتراضات شما را از نزدیک دنبال می کنیم. شجاعت شما الهام بخش است. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
4 Jun 2020 09.52 BST In the UK overnight the family of Lee Rigby have issued a statement asking right-wing social media users to stop using the name of the late soldier in posts aimed at denigrating the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The statement, posted on Facebook by the Lee Rigby Foundation reads: As a foundation and a family we are aware of a number of posts using images of Lee and his murder in a divisive way to fuel arguments against the Black Lives Matter protests. Lee proudly served his country to protect the rights and freedoms of all members of this great melting pot of a nation. Seeing his image used to cause hate of any kind especially for those exercising their freedoms in protest against this issue hurts. We find these post extremely heartbreaking and distressing, and in complete opposition to what Lee stood for. We ask you all to please stop using his image and memory in such posts as he was a lover of all humanity. Signed by Lee’s mother Lyn, the message goes on to state that “Our thoughts and support goes out to George Floyd’s friends and family at this tragic time.” Statement from the Lee Rigby Foundation about #BlackLivesMatter Photograph: Lee Rigby Foundation/Facebook Fusilier Lee Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was murdered in a terror attack in Woolwich, southeast London, in May 2013. His attackers were sentenced in 2014 to life imprisonment.
4 Jun 2020 09.06 BST Arrests at George Floyd protests reach 10,000 Associated Press are reporting that more than 10,000 people have now been arrested in protests against racism and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death. It’s not an official figure, but comes from their own tally of arrest reports. The AP figures show that Los Angeles has had more than a quarter of the national arrests, followed by New York, Dallas and Philadelphia. Many of the arrests have been for low-level offences such as curfew violations and failure to disperse. Hundreds were arrested on burglary and looting charges. During the course of the protests it has been a common refrain from the authorities that “outside agitators” from out-of-town were responsible for the highly visible protests. Minnesota governor Tim Walz even went as far as to say that 80 percent of the participants in the demonstrations were from out of state. The AP figures tell a different story. In a nearly 24-hour period from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, 41 of the 52 people cited with protest-related arrests in Minneapolis had Minnesota driver’s licenses, according to the Hennepin County sheriff. Likewise, in the nation’s capital, 86 percent of the more than 400 people arrested as of Wednesday afternoon were, according to AP, from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Los Angeles Chief Michel Moore told the city’s Police Commission Tuesday the bulk of the arrests, about 2,500, were for failure to disperse or curfew violations. The rest were for crimes including burglary, looting, assaults on police officers and other violence. The only other U.S. city with an arrest toll that comes close to Los Angeles’ is New York, with about 2,000.
4 Jun 2020 08.42 BST If you’ve been following the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag on social media you may have been surprised this morning by a sudden flood of Korean characters and the repeated phrase: “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.” The source of this is the world’s biggest K-Pop band, BTS, who posted on social media this morning: 우리는 인종차별에 반대합니다.
우리는 폭력에 반대합니다.
나, 당신, 우리 모두는 존중받을 권리가 있습니다. 함께 하겠습니다.
We stand against racial discrimination.
We condemn violence.
You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.#BlackLivesMatter — 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) June 4, 2020 The post on Twitter is already rapidly approaching 1 million likes after just an hour, and has mobilised their huge social media army, who are currently retweeting, quoting and fund-raising for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. K-Pop boy band Bangtan Boys BTS in Seoul - they are the best-selling Korean pop export of all time Photograph: EPA The band’s following were also active on social media earlier in the week - flooding hashtags like #BlueLivesMatter and #WhiteLivesMatter with pictures and videos of the band, to drown out anti-#BlackLivesMatter sentiment. Their K-Pop tweets on the main #BlackLivesMatter hashtag itself may not be universally welcomed however. Tuesday’s attempt at a social media blackout was criticised by some activists complaining that the string of blank images and silent posts was inhibiting the ability for people to share useful information with the hashtag.
4 Jun 2020 08.16 BST Meghan Markle speaks out about the death of George Floyd Meghan Markle has spoken out about the death of George Floyd in a video recorded for students graduating from her old high school, Immaculate Heart, in Los Angeles “I know you know that black lives matter,” the Duchess of Sussex said in the video. “For the past couple of weeks I’ve been planning on saying a few words to you for your graduation and as we’ve all seen over the last week what is happening in our country, and in our state and in our home town of LA is absolutely devastating “First thing I want to say to you is that I’m sorry, I’m so sorry that you have to grow up in a world where this is still present,” she said in her message.
Meghan on George Floyd killing: 'the only wrong thing to say is nothing' – video The duchess admitted in the video that she was worried about saying the right thing and that she expected her words to be “picked apart”. It is unusual for members of the British royal family to comment on political issues - however Meghan and her husband Prince Harry have been anything but conventional in their approach to royal life. They effectively retired from royal duties in March, and are currently living in Los Angeles with their son Archie. “The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing. Because George Floyd’s life mattered, and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered, and Philando Castile’s life mattered and Tamir Rice’s life mattered and so did so many other people whose names we know, and whose names we do not know,” she said. The 38-year-old also reflected on her own memories of the 1992 LA riots.
“Those memories don’t go away and I can’t imagine that at 17 or 18 years old, which is how old you are now, that you would have to have a different version of that same type of experience,” she said.
“That’s something you should have an understanding of, but an understanding of as a history lesson not as your reality. So I’m sorry that in a way we have not gotten the world to the place you deserve it to be.”
Updated at 09.19 BST
4 Jun 2020 08.08 BST The MLS winger Aleksandar Katai, who plays for LA Galaxy, has found himself embroiled in a racism row after it appeared his wife had posted inflammatory messages about the George Floyd protests on her Instagram account. Tea Katai’s posts were written in Serbian and appeared to be a call to “kill” protesters, with another calling them “disgusting cattle”.
The team issued the following statement: “The LA Galaxy strongly condemned the social posts and requested their immediate removal. The LA Galaxy stands firmly against racism of any kind, including that which suggests violence or seeks to demean the efforts of those in pursuit of racial equality. The LA Galaxy stand with communities of color, and especially the Black community, in the protests and fight against systemic racism, social inequality, bigotry and violence.”
4 Jun 2020 07.56 BST There’s a steady stream of stunning images coming through from last nights protests from across the US, and indeed the world. Protester organizers shed tears while speaking during a peaceful march in Detroit Photograph: Seth Herald/AFP/Getty Images A person pours milk on the face of a protester who was teargassed by police officers in New Orleans Photograph: Sophia Germer/AP Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard monitor activity outside City Hall in Philadelphia Photograph: Mark Makela/Getty Images Protestors lie down in protest in San Mateo, California Photograph: Neal Waters/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock Protestors in Sydney last night, showing how far the death of George Floyd has sparked outrage around the world Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock A protesters in Detroit wearing a face mask with the words “I can’t breath” which have come to symbolise George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police Photograph: Seth Herald/AFP/Getty Images
4 Jun 2020 07.33 BST The protests and grief over the killing of George Floyd have dominated headlines in the US and around the world for over a week, and are not likely to let up at any point soon. A huge focus today will be the first of the memorial services for Floyd. Associated Press reports that the first service will be this afternoon at North Central University in Minneapolis. Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, and Floyd family attorney Ben Crump will speak. Floyd’s body will then go to Raeford in North Carolina, where he was born, for a two-hour public viewing and private service for the family on Saturday. Finally, a public viewing will be held Monday in Houston, where he was raised and lived most of his life. A 500-person service on Tuesday will take place at The Fountain of Praise church and will include addresses from Sharpton, Crump, and the Rev. Remus E. Wright.
4 Jun 2020 07.03 BST That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. Thank you for following along and, as always, to those who took the time to get in touch. My colleague Martin Belam will once again be steering this ship for the next few hours.
4 Jun 2020 06.59 BST LA Mayor scraps planned police department budget boost Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced that he will scrap a planned budget boost for the city’s police department, diverting some of the funds to efforts to address problems faced by black residents, NPR reports. The planned boost had included $41 million in bonuses. NPR continues, “Not only will the LAPD budget not increase, the mayor is also looking to make cuts. He said he is committed to slashing another $250 million within the department as he plans to do across all others.”


theguardian--2020-06-03--Texas Democrats plan to create a voter registration army – via Zoom

Texas Democrats plan to use Zoom to create an army of voter registration volunteers , a novel approach to work around the state ’ s severe restrictions on voter registration during the Covid-19 pandemic .
The effort comes as voter registration efforts , both in Texas and around the US have effectively stalled just months before the presidential election .
Texas makes it extremely difficult to conduct voter registration drives , even outside of the pandemic .
The state requires anyone who wants to do so to become a volunteer deputy registrar , a process that requires going to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are eligible to vote in the state can get the certification .
Texas has 254 counties , but someone can only legally register voters in the county in which they are deputized and their certification expires at the end of every even-numbered year .
Some states place no restrictions on voter registration drives at all , while others have more modest ones in place like requiring groups to register with the state before they begin their drive .
Civil rights groups have long called the Texas requirement a form of voter suppression .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter registration laws in the country , ” said Beth Stevens , voting rights legal director at the Texas Civil Rights Project .
“ In Texas , volunteer deputy registrars can be criminally prosecuted for what most of us would consider administrative errors while they ’ re registering people.
” Working around the state ’ s barriers , the Texas Democratic party plans to partner with a local election official in Travis county to conduct a mass deputization during its virtual state convention this week .
More than 2,000 people have already signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which will allow the party to get an unprecedented number of people certified at once .
“ This is the party adapting and coming up with a creative solution to work around a legal framework that is absurd , ” said Luke Warford , director of voter expansion for the Texas Democratic party , which hopes to add at least 2 million new voters to the rolls this year .
Bruce Elfant , who oversees voter registration in Travis county , home of Austin , will administer the session and certify those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ register voters in another county , they have to take their certificate to their local election official , who can then officially deputize them .
“ I don ’ t know if we ’ ve ever done anything this big , ” he said .
“ We ’ ve certainly never done anything remote like this.
” He added that he made an offer to the state Republican party to conduct an identical training session during the party ’ s convention in July , but has yet to hear back .
James Dickey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party , said in a statement that the party was planning for a training for its convention in Houston in July and had already registered more than 89,000 new voters using a “ phone-and-mail based process that doesn ’ t require deputy voter registrars.
” Elfant said voter registration had “ flatlined ” in his county .
Under normal circumstances , the county would add a few thousand voters to its rolls each month .
But in the last few months , his office had added just 500 total , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the biggest in the state , officials said they have also seen similar dips in voter registration .
Heider Garcia , the election administrator in Tarrant county , hypothesized the drop in voter registrations was because state motor vehicle licensing offices , usually a hub of voter registrations , have been closed .
Advocacy groups have also been unable to conduct voter registration drives in person .
The Democratic plan comes amid an increasingly bitter war over voting in the state , long a Republican stronghold which Democrats believe they can turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Democrats have brought a number of lawsuits challenging Texas ’ s restrictions on mail-in voting .
Nationally , Republicans are spending at least $ 20m on voting litigation and want to recruit up to 50,000 volunteers to watch the polls in November .
Texas does not allow people to register to vote online , a policy advocates say is making it nearly impossible to register to vote in the state during Covid-19 .
Texas Democrats are suing over that restriction and launched a website in April aiming to serve as workaround .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ put the party in a position to aggressively register people once it was safe to do so .
“ We now have a whole new group of people that are ready to hit the ground running registering voters , ” he said .
“ That ’ s super smart strategically for us .
”

Texas Democrats plan to use Zoom to create an army of voter registration volunteers, a novel approach to work around the state’s severe restrictions on voter registration during the Covid-19 pandemic. The effort comes as voter registration efforts, both in Texas and around the US have effectively stalled just months before the presidential election.
Texas makes it extremely difficult to conduct voter registration drives, even outside of the pandemic. The state requires anyone who wants to do so to become a volunteer deputy registrar, a process that requires going to a county-run training. Only Texas residents who are eligible to vote in the state can get the certification. Texas has 254 counties, but someone can only legally register voters in the county in which they are deputized and their certification expires at the end of every even-numbered year.
Some states place no restrictions on voter registration drives at all, while others have more modest ones in place like requiring groups to register with the state before they begin their drive. Civil rights groups have long called the Texas requirement a form of voter suppression.
“Texas has some of the strictest voter registration laws in the country,” said Beth Stevens, voting rights legal director at the Texas Civil Rights Project. “In Texas, volunteer deputy registrars can be criminally prosecuted for what most of us would consider administrative errors while they’re registering people.”
Working around the state’s barriers, the Texas Democratic party plans to partner with a local election official in Travis county to conduct a mass deputization during its virtual state convention this week. More than 2,000 people have already signed up for the training on Saturday, which will allow the party to get an unprecedented number of people certified at once.
“This is the party adapting and coming up with a creative solution to work around a legal framework that is absurd,” said Luke Warford, director of voter expansion for the Texas Democratic party, which hopes to add at least 2 million new voters to the rolls this year.
Bruce Elfant, who oversees voter registration in Travis county, home of Austin, will administer the session and certify those who attend. If a volunteer wants to register voters in another county, they have to take their certificate to their local election official, who can then officially deputize them.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever done anything this big,” he said. “We’ve certainly never done anything remote like this.”
He added that he made an offer to the state Republican party to conduct an identical training session during the party’s convention in July, but has yet to hear back. James Dickey, the chairman of the Texas Republican party, said in a statement that the party was planning for a training for its convention in Houston in July and had already registered more than 89,000 new voters using a “phone-and-mail based process that doesn’t require deputy voter registrars.”
Elfant said voter registration had “flatlined” in his county. Under normal circumstances, the county would add a few thousand voters to its rolls each month. But in the last few months, his office had added just 500 total, he said. In Tarrant and Harris counties, two of the biggest in the state, officials said they have also seen similar dips in voter registration.
Heider Garcia, the election administrator in Tarrant county, hypothesized the drop in voter registrations was because state motor vehicle licensing offices, usually a hub of voter registrations, have been closed. Advocacy groups have also been unable to conduct voter registration drives in person.
The Democratic plan comes amid an increasingly bitter war over voting in the state, long a Republican stronghold which Democrats believe they can turn in their favor because of changing demographics. Democrats have brought a number of lawsuits challenging Texas’s restrictions on mail-in voting. Nationally, Republicans are spending at least $20m on voting litigation and want to recruit up to 50,000 volunteers to watch the polls in November.
Texas does not allow people to register to vote online, a policy advocates say is making it nearly impossible to register to vote in the state during Covid-19. Texas Democrats are suing over that restriction and launched a website in April aiming to serve as workaround.
Warford said that the mass deputization would put the party in a position to aggressively register people once it was safe to do so.
“We now have a whole new group of people that are ready to hit the ground running registering voters,” he said. “That’s super smart strategically for us.”


theguardian--2020-06-03--Scientists alarmed as Trump embraces fringe views and extreme theories amid pandemic

The early months of Donald Trump ’ s administration saw its approach to science routinely compared to George W Bush ’ s – both governments were highly sympathetic to large corporations , distrustful of anything to do with the climate crisis and enthused at the idea of delegating oversight to the states .
Trump ’ s version may have been more abrasive and bungling but it at least seemed a familiar extension of the last Republican administration .
More recently , however , scientists have been struck by Trump ’ s embrace of fringe beliefs and extreme , unsupported theories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profit-driven lobbyists and lawyers that are the worry , it is the quacks , cranks and conspiracy theorists .
“ They have exceeded my imagination with their scientific denial , ” said Gretchen Goldman , a research director at Union of Concerned Scientists .
“ Previous administrations at least gave the appearance of wanting scientific evidence and qualified people in positions of power .
This administration clearly doesn ’ t care , which changes the game.
” Trump himself has a long history of defying mainstream scientific findings on the existence of climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but his actions during the coronavirus pandemic have startled even his most vocal critics .
The president falsely claimed Covid-19 would evaporate in the April sunshine , expressed bewilderment that a vaccine wasn ’ t imminent and pondered the merits of injecting disinfectant as a treatment .
Trump has also repeatedly touted the benefits of hydroxychloroquine , an anti-malarial drug he says he himself has taken as a precaution despite evidence it can cause heart problems in some patients .
The World Health Organization recently halted trials to see if the drug could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ From its inception , the Trump administration has handed leadership of federal agencies to figures who have represented polluting industries .
Andrew Wheeler , a former coal lobbyist , heads the Environmental Protection Agency , while David Bernhardt , another former energy lobbyist , is in charge of America ’ s public lands as secretary of the interior .
The deregulatory zeal of these agencies , often in the face of scientific advice , has seen droves of scientists leave the government .
In a January estimate , 20 % of high-level scientific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with long-term officials complaining of being sidelined or silenced .
But the administration has also increasingly shown willingness to ally itself with groups far more fringe than the standard class of lobbyist that inhabits Washington DC .
The administration defended Trump ’ s use of hydroxychloroquine by pointing to supportive statements from the Association of Physicians and Surgeons , an outlier group that has questioned whether HIV causes Aids ( it does ) , argued abortion causes breast cancer ( it does not ) and even alleged former president Barack Obama used hypnosis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , into supporting him ( there is no evidence of this ) .
In April , Trump unveiled advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that Americans should wear face masks to curb the spread of Covid-19 , but has since echoed fringe rightwing views that masks are pointless or somehow unmanly .
The president said on Tuesday it was “ very unusual ” that Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee , was seen wearing a mask , calling its use “ politically correct ” .
“ The elevation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with coronavirus , the impacts are more evident , ” said Goldman .
Meanwhile , the Trump administration has aligned itself with an anti-abortion lobbying group called the Center for Family and Human Rights , helping spread its message to the UN , while Trump ’ s own spiritual adviser Paula White has said she hopes abortion laws are overturned , declaring on a video that emerged in January : “ We command any satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now !
” The pandemic has obscured a determined push by the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent pollution and protect public health , with some of these efforts jarring uncomfortably with the federal government ’ s own analysis .
For example , the administration is scaling back fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks , a process that has provoked a lawsuit from 23 aggrieved states and , according to a study of the EPA ’ s own figures , will cause an extra 18,500 deaths over the next three decades from air pollution , as well as $ 240bn more in extra fuel costs for Americans .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is an ideological mandate to roll back regulations .
Facts and logic doesn ’ t matter , even the law doesn ’ t matter , ” said Chris Frey , a a professor of environmental engineering at NC State University .
Frey was part of an EPA clean air advisory panel that was dismantled as part of a revamp that has seen agency panels filled with industry-aligned and fringe characters – including an official who has argued air pollution is good for public health – and the process of considering science rerouted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that links pollution to harm such as asthma and heart disease .
“ It will take years to undo the damage .
This administration is honestly a threat to public health , ” Frey said .
“ The past three years have hurt the US scientific community in a lot of ways .
If this continues for another three years , I don ’ t know if it ’ s robust enough to take it.
” US politics ’ problematic relationship with science doesn ’ t just hinge upon one administration , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people with scientific backgrounds in the 2018 midterms , Bill Foster was the only member of Congress with a scientific PhD .
Foster has admitted the experience often felt lonely and frustrating .
“ We ’ ve achieved a lot with science but I ’ m embedded in a culture that doesn ’ t value science , ” said Foster , an Illinois Democrat .
“ The heroes we are looking for are the people who have spent their careers in science.
” Foster added that Trump ’ s reaction to mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had said masks are very useful and then apologized for the fact the stockpile of masks was so low , many tens of thousands of Americans would be alive today , ” he said .
“ That is the tragedy that bothers me more than anything .
”

The early months of Donald Trump’s administration saw its approach to science routinely compared to George W Bush’s – both governments were highly sympathetic to large corporations, distrustful of anything to do with the climate crisis and enthused at the idea of delegating oversight to the states.
Trump’s version may have been more abrasive and bungling but it at least seemed a familiar extension of the last Republican administration.
More recently, however, scientists have been struck by Trump’s embrace of fringe beliefs and extreme, unsupported theories. Suddenly, it is not the profit-driven lobbyists and lawyers that are the worry, it is the quacks, cranks and conspiracy theorists.
“They have exceeded my imagination with their scientific denial,” said Gretchen Goldman, a research director at Union of Concerned Scientists. “Previous administrations at least gave the appearance of wanting scientific evidence and qualified people in positions of power. This administration clearly doesn’t care, which changes the game.”
Trump himself has a long history of defying mainstream scientific findings on the existence of climate change and the efficacy of vaccines, but his actions during the coronavirus pandemic have startled even his most vocal critics.
The president falsely claimed Covid-19 would evaporate in the April sunshine, expressed bewilderment that a vaccine wasn’t imminent and pondered the merits of injecting disinfectant as a treatment. Trump has also repeatedly touted the benefits of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug he says he himself has taken as a precaution despite evidence it can cause heart problems in some patients. The World Health Organization recently halted trials to see if the drug could treat Covid-19, citing safety fears.
From its inception, the Trump administration has handed leadership of federal agencies to figures who have represented polluting industries. Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, heads the Environmental Protection Agency, while David Bernhardt, another former energy lobbyist, is in charge of America’s public lands as secretary of the interior.
The deregulatory zeal of these agencies, often in the face of scientific advice, has seen droves of scientists leave the government. In a January estimate, 20% of high-level scientific positions within the government are vacant, with long-term officials complaining of being sidelined or silenced.
But the administration has also increasingly shown willingness to ally itself with groups far more fringe than the standard class of lobbyist that inhabits Washington DC.
The administration defended Trump’s use of hydroxychloroquine by pointing to supportive statements from the Association of Physicians and Surgeons, an outlier group that has questioned whether HIV causes Aids (it does), argued abortion causes breast cancer (it does not) and even alleged former president Barack Obama used hypnosis techniques to trick voters, especially Jewish people, into supporting him (there is no evidence of this).
In April, Trump unveiled advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that Americans should wear face masks to curb the spread of Covid-19, but has since echoed fringe rightwing views that masks are pointless or somehow unmanly. The president said on Tuesday it was “very unusual” that Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was seen wearing a mask, calling its use “politically correct”.
“The elevation of fringe views is even more vivid with coronavirus, the impacts are more evident,” said Goldman.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has aligned itself with an anti-abortion lobbying group called the Center for Family and Human Rights, helping spread its message to the UN, while Trump’s own spiritual adviser Paula White has said she hopes abortion laws are overturned, declaring on a video that emerged in January: “We command any satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now!”
The pandemic has obscured a determined push by the Trump administration to further roll back regulations designed to prevent pollution and protect public health, with some of these efforts jarring uncomfortably with the federal government’s own analysis.
For example, the administration is scaling back fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, a process that has provoked a lawsuit from 23 aggrieved states and, according to a study of the EPA’s own figures, will cause an extra 18,500 deaths over the next three decades from air pollution, as well as $240bn more in extra fuel costs for Americans.
“This administration is antithetical to science, there is an ideological mandate to roll back regulations. Facts and logic doesn’t matter, even the law doesn’t matter,” said Chris Frey, a a professor of environmental engineering at NC State University.
Frey was part of an EPA clean air advisory panel that was dismantled as part of a revamp that has seen agency panels filled with industry-aligned and fringe characters – including an official who has argued air pollution is good for public health – and the process of considering science rerouted to bypass a large body of research that links pollution to harm such as asthma and heart disease.
“It will take years to undo the damage. This administration is honestly a threat to public health,” Frey said. “The past three years have hurt the US scientific community in a lot of ways. If this continues for another three years, I don’t know if it’s robust enough to take it.”
US politics’ problematic relationship with science doesn’t just hinge upon one administration, however. Until the election of a handful of people with scientific backgrounds in the 2018 midterms, Bill Foster was the only member of Congress with a scientific PhD. Foster has admitted the experience often felt lonely and frustrating.
“We’ve achieved a lot with science but I’m embedded in a culture that doesn’t value science,” said Foster, an Illinois Democrat. “The heroes we are looking for are the people who have spent their careers in science.”
Foster added that Trump’s reaction to mask wearing has cost lives.
“If he had said masks are very useful and then apologized for the fact the stockpile of masks was so low, many tens of thousands of Americans would be alive today,” he said. “That is the tragedy that bothers me more than anything.”


theguardian--2020-06-03--Seattle police use teargas to disperse peaceful protesters – as it happened

The US Park Police ( USPP ) has defended its forceful clearing of protesters for a controversial Trump photo-op on @ @ @ @ @ , the agency accused “ violent protestors ” of “ throwing projectiles including bricks , @ @ @ @ @ liquids ” .
It denied that tear gas was used and said officers instead “ @ @ @ @ @ canisters and pepper balls ” .
The statement does not tally with multiple reports on @ @ @ @ @ This nearly-two hour video from Reuters shows a peaceful protest pushed back .
An investigative @ @ @ @ @ Baca , also picked up a canister at the scene that does appear to cause @ @

Oliver Holmes, Helen Sullivan, Maanvi Singh ,Lauren Aratani, Joan E Greve and Martin Pengelly

3 Jun 2020 10.20 BST The US Park Police (USPP) has defended its forceful clearing of protesters for a controversial Trump photo-op on Monday. In a statement, the agency accused “violent protestors” of “throwing projectiles including bricks, frozen water bottles and caustic liquids”. It denied that tear gas was used and said officers instead “employed the use of smoke canisters and pepper balls”. The statement does not tally with multiple reports on the ground that day. This nearly-two hour video from Reuters shows a peaceful protest pushed back. An investigative reporter in DC, Nathan Baca, also picked up a canister at the scene that does appear to cause irritation. When @usparkpolicepio says they didn’t use “CS or CN” tear gas, technically that’s correct. “OC” gas cannisters used instead. Causes same tears, tight breath and comes out green. This is not a smoke canister. I picked this off the street after it was launched at us Monday. pic.twitter.com/UuGJy0A6cr — Nathan Baca (@NathanBacaTV) June 3, 2020
3 Jun 2020 10.07 BST German foreign minister says Trump "pouring oil on fire" Philip Oltermann Germany’s foreign minister has criticised Donald Trump’s threat to use the US military against protesters in his own country, saying “democrats must never escalate – even with their words”. “Instead of pouring oil into the fire, we should seek reconciliation”, Heiko Maas told Der Spiegel news website. “Instead of allowing ourselves to be divided, we should stand shoulder to shoulder against radical extremists.” Earlier in the week, the Social Democrat politician had described the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police as “cruel and shocking”.
3 Jun 2020 09.53 BST One remarkable aspect of these protests has been images of both police and officials “taking the knee” at demonstrations. The latest high-profile person to do so was Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who knelt with a crowd outside a police headquarters. As demonstrators yelled that the city’s law enforcement budget should be cut, the mayor told demonstrators: “I hear you. I hear what you are saying about the police.” No doubt these actions are hugely symbolic – they stem from athletes, notably NFL star Colin Kaepernick, kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality. Trump and his supporters have painted those taking the knee as unpatriotic. In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was moved by seeing NYPD Chief of Department Terry Monahan take the knee (video below): Blasio tweeted about it, saying: “Moments like that are how I know we will find a way through.” They asked Chief Monahan if he would take a knee to show he understood and respected their message. And he did. Moments like that are how I know we will find a way through. — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) June 2, 2020 However, it is unclear what effect these actions of some police and public figures will have on protesters, who want to end systemic and institutionalised racism – rather than simply convince individuals. For example, in Los Angeles, after Garcetti’s knelt, hundreds still gathered outside his house and protested.
3 Jun 2020 09.32 BST For those of you just joining us after a news break, it’s worth taking a look this photo of camouflaged and masked US troops at the Lincoln Memorial in the capital. No doubt this picture, taken on Tuesday evening, will become one of the many defining images of the protest movement. Members of the DC National Guard stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as demonstrators participate in a peaceful protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images
3 Jun 2020 08.08 BST Good day/night, Oliver Holmes here again, blogging deep into the night across the US. I’m logging on as police in Seattle have begun dispersing protests there, which had apparently been peaceful all day. Casey Martin, an NPR reporter, is tweeting from the city, where he says protests dwindled in size over the evening before police started using pepper spray and flashbacks. The crowds threw water bottles. And flash bangs. Police are pepper spraying and chasing people down on bikes. People were throwing water bottles. pic.twitter.com/dFaIgi5zwB — Casey Martin (@caseyworks) June 3, 2020 Earlier, Martin had filmed a large group of marchers: This march has reached Cal Anderson Park where a huge group is waiting. Organizers are telling people not to join this group saying "protest is that way, peace and order is this way." Others argue there shouldn't be division. Many are saying they're worried about gas. pic.twitter.com/XEbWAG1qnZ — Casey Martin (@caseyworks) June 3, 2020 We will keep following. As always, please do get in contact with me if you think something is worth sharing, and also for any questions or feedback. You can reach me via Twitter or on email: oliver.holmes [at] theguardian.com
3 Jun 2020 07.51 BST That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan for today. Thank you for following along and, as always for the tips and feedback on Twitter and via email. My colleague Oliver Holmes is picking up the live coverage – as we’re hearing more reports of police dispersing protestors in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.
3 Jun 2020 07.29 BST The District of Colombia National Guard is investigating the use of helicopters that flew over protesters in Washington, DC yesterday in what appeared to be an attempt to disperse the crowds. The DCNG announced in a statement on its website: DCNG is conducting an investigation into the June 1 low-flying maneuvers by its helicopters to ensure all involved complied with applicable procedures and safety regulations. ... As part of the investigation, the DCNG is looking into the use of the medical evacuation helicopter as part of the Joint Task Force DC operation. In the announcement, DCNG commanding general William J Walker is quoted as saying, “I hold all members of the District of Columbia National Guard to the highest of standards. We live and work in the District, and we are dedicated to the service of our nation,” “I have directed an immediate investigation into the June 1 incident.”
Updated at 07.38 BST
3 Jun 2020 07.15 BST New York City police officers surrounded, shoved and yelled expletives at two Associated Press journalists covering protests Tuesday in the latest aggression against members of the media during a week of unrest around the country, AP reports. Portions of the incident were captured on video by videojournalist Robert Bumsted, who was working with photographer Maye-E Wong to document the protests in lower Manhattan over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The video shows more than a half-dozen officers confronting the journalists as they filmed and took photographs of police ordering protesters to leave the area near Fulton and Broadway shortly after an 8pm curfew took effect. Both journalists were wearing AP identification and identified themselves as media.
NYPD officials said they would review the incident as soon as possible.
Journalists have faced aggressive police and protesters during demonstrations across the US over the killing of Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after a white officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck.
Updated at 07.54 BST
3 Jun 2020 07.10 BST Here is the full story on the Paris protests inspired by demonstrations in the US: Clashes broke out between police and protesters in Paris on Tuesday after around 20,000 people defied a ban to rally over the 2016 death of a black man in police custody, galvanised by US demonstrations against racism and deadly police violence, AP reports. Protesters jump over the gates of the Martin Luther King park, northwest of Paris, to escape tear gas as they demonstrate near Paris courthouse against police violence on June 2, 2020. Photograph: Michel Rubinel/AFP/Getty Images The protesters used slogans from the American protest movement to call for justice for Adama Traore, whose death four years ago has been a rallying cause against police brutality in France. The demonstration, which came after the release of two differing medical reports into the cause of Traore’s death, had been prohibited by police citing a coronavirus ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. Clashes at Paris protest against racism and police violence Read more


theguardian--2020-06-03--'As guarded as Fort Knox': the inside story of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign

Shortly before midnight on 8 November 2016 , Hillary Rodham Clinton dozed off in the bedroom of her Manhattan hotel .
The presidential candidate was exhausted from the rigours of a bruising election campaign and rattled by a flurry of early results that suggested the verdict was far from a foregone conclusion .
She closed her eyes as the slight favourite to become the US ’ s first female president .
She opened them to a nightmare and a world turned upside down .
Clinton ’ s shock loss to Donald Trump – the embodiment of chaos to her bastion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its wake ( a victory party mothballed , shell-shocked staffers out of work , 66m futile votes ) that it was easy to overlook the small matter of 2,000 hours of behind-the-scenes campaign footage , shot in a spirit of cautious optimism but now left to languish .
Clinton ’ s office suggested cobbling it together as an official record , an insider ’ s account of what went wrong .
But film-maker Nanette Burstein recoiled when the idea was put to her .
“ Too soon , ” she says now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the public .
I know I wouldn ’ t want to watch that myself , never mind make it.
” Instead , Burstein received clearance to use the footage for a bolder , more wide-ranging project .
Hillary , the result , is a four-part biography that frames Clinton ’ s life against the arc of the women ’ s movement and recasts her career as a series of giant leaps and bounds .
Significantly , it ends not in despair but in hope .
Clinton , insists longtime adviser Cheryl Mills @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stumbling pretender to the throne .
She ’ s a mould-breaker and a risk-taker .
“ The tip of the spear – the person who blazes the trail.
” If this makes it sound as if Hillary comes to praise Clinton not bury her – well , that ’ s broadly the case ( “ largely flattering ” , remarked the Hollywood Reporter ) .
Yes , the documentary is at pains to cover its subject ’ s myriad missteps and controversies , be it the lucrative Wall Street speeches , the Whitewater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saga of her private email server .
But the talking heads are effectively defence witnesses , solid representatives of blue state USA .
We hear nothing from Newt Gingrich , Sean Hannity , Lindsey Graham , or indeed any of her tormentors from the other side .
This , Burstein says , was not for want of trying .
“ But Hillary is so toxic in that community that any association is seen as bad .
I made it clear that it was an objective film and that I wanted their point of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was participating , which meant that it wasn ’ t going to be some rightwing take-down of her – and anything short of that was unappealing .
There was no upside , it was just a risk .
All of them right away said no.
” In the event , the director spent a week at the Clintons ’ home in Chappaqua , a hamlet 30 miles north of New York City .
She sat with Hillary for 35 hours of interviews , going back over her various – and often conflicting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , senator and globe-trotting secretary of state .
Perhaps most compellingly , she sat with Bill , who brokenly recalls his cataclysmic affair with Monica Lewinsky , likening himself to a weary boxer who grabs for something , anything , that might momentarily distract him from the fight .
“ I ’ m a totally different person now than I was 20 years ago , ” he insists – and the physical evidence would appear to bear him out .
The former president , arguably the consummate politician of his age , now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ older than his years .
As for Hillary , who can say for certain ?
“ She ’ s not a confider , ” one friend needlessly points out .
Instead , she sits ramrod straight in her book-lined sitting room , sipping coffee as make-up artists periodically dip in to attend to her hair .
She ’ s candid , impressive and radiates a certain blunt warmth .
But on a personal level , she ’ s as guarded as Fort Knox .
Every question is a potential hazard .
It needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trapdoors .
There is , of course , good reason for this .
With the possible exception of Trump , no US politician inspires such fear and loathing .
She ’ s like a bespoke trigger for the red state white male .
There they are – the MAGA army , the deplorables – burning her effigy at a rally in Kentucky and hollering “ Iron my shirt !
” inside the town hall meet-and-greet .
“ Smile !
” orders a shaven-head in camouflage pants as the candidate walks by – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obliges .
But it ’ s small wonder that her smile is a firewall and her laugh flak .
She ’ s hemmed in on both sides , damned either way , regarded as an establishment neocon by the left and a radical feminist harpie by the right .
Depressingly , these prejudices sometimes hop the fence : Clinton ’ s decision to remain in her marriage only proved how weak she was , right up until the moment it proved that she was Lady Macbeth , a cold-blooded careerist .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in America , ” she snorts at the end of one interview session , when she perhaps believes herself to be off-mic .
Burstein previously co-directed The Kid Stays in the Picture , a spry documentary about the Hollywood producer Robert Evans .
She freely admits to being a Clinton supporter and feels that most of her problems were caused by forces beyond her control , a reflexive sexism in the land at large .
But Burstein does believe that , occasionally , Clinton could have handled herself better .
Maybe relaxed her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the well-paid corporate speaking gigs – for the sake of her public image , if nothing else .
“ If she has a flaw – and she has a few – it ’ s the optics .
Maybe she ’ s not in the pocket of Wall Street , but to give speeches at a time when the banks are being bailed out , all the while knowing she ’ s going to run for president – it looks bad .
And she has this self-righteous quality that is her blind spot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m not doing anything wrong , no one should think I ’ m doing anything wrong , so who cares what it looks like ?
’ And that ’ s what gets her into trouble again and again.
” Bill , no doubt about it , was more adept at rolling with the punches , charming his way out of trouble , while Barack Obama ’ s special power was rising nobly above the fray .
But it ’ s a fools ’ game to use past giants as a kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both men ( each pioneers in their way ) still had to contend with a different set of hurdles to those faced by Hillary .
And both , finally , could afford to be looser , less apologetic and more at ease with who they are .
“ Greatness of spirit is the most important quality that a politician can have , ” says Joe Klein , one-time Time magazine columnist and bestselling author of Primary Colors , a loosely fictionalised novel about Bill ’ s 1992 presidential campaign .
“ The successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , John F Kennedy , Bill Clinton , Barack Obama – have all had it .
To have greatness of spirit , you have to be optimistic and you have to at least give the appearance of openness.
” Hillary , he concludes , “ was never going to be that ” .
Burstein , thank heavens , spies the obvious problem with this .
“ It ’ s a very male thing to say .
I mean , OK , maybe there ’ s some truth to the idea that it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the kind of charm or the greatness of spirit that you see in a man .
But is that because it doesn ’ t exist ?
Or is it because it comes in a different package that we don ’ t know how to recognise ?
” Undeniably , Hillary offered a different package to the one presented by Donald Trump , the bait-and-switch conman who now sits in the Oval Office , presiding over a 100,000 Covid-19 death toll and an economy in the toilet .
For all that , Burstein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ash and rubble of November 2016 , but amid the green shoots that have sprung up since .
She spotlights the 5 million-strong Women ’ s March that followed the inauguration , the 2018 midterms that turned the lower house blue and the vibrant attempts of Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris to run for president .
Obviously , it would have been heartening if one had secured the Democratic nomination .
But can ’ t narrow defeats and near misses be markers of progress , too ?
“ Well , yeah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happens incrementally .
The fact that all those women ran for president in and of itself is a triumph .
What happened in the midterm elections – that ’ s a triumph as well .
Because this is how it works .
The more you see it happening , the more you get used to it .
And the more you get used to seeing women in positions of power , the more likely you are to one day vote for it.
” Clinton forged the path .
Many others now walk it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back .
• Hillary is on Sky Documentaries and Now TV from 11 June .

Shortly before midnight on 8 November 2016, Hillary Rodham Clinton dozed off in the bedroom of her Manhattan hotel. The presidential candidate was exhausted from the rigours of a bruising election campaign and rattled by a flurry of early results that suggested the verdict was far from a foregone conclusion. She closed her eyes as the slight favourite to become the US’s first female president. She opened them to a nightmare and a world turned upside down.
Clinton’s shock loss to Donald Trump – the embodiment of chaos to her bastion of control – left so much destruction in its wake (a victory party mothballed, shell-shocked staffers out of work, 66m futile votes) that it was easy to overlook the small matter of 2,000 hours of behind-the-scenes campaign footage, shot in a spirit of cautious optimism but now left to languish. Clinton’s office suggested cobbling it together as an official record, an insider’s account of what went wrong. But film-maker Nanette Burstein recoiled when the idea was put to her. “Too soon,” she says now. “Too raw. Too disturbing for the public. I know I wouldn’t want to watch that myself, never mind make it.”
Instead, Burstein received clearance to use the footage for a bolder, more wide-ranging project. Hillary, the result, is a four-part biography that frames Clinton’s life against the arc of the women’s movement and recasts her career as a series of giant leaps and bounds. Significantly, it ends not in despair but in hope. Clinton, insists longtime adviser Cheryl Mills, is so much more than another stumbling pretender to the throne. She’s a mould-breaker and a risk-taker. “The tip of the spear – the person who blazes the trail.”
‘Every question is a potential hazard’ … Nanette Burstein with Hillary Clinton. Photograph: Katie Jones/Variety/Rex/Shutterstock
If this makes it sound as if Hillary comes to praise Clinton not bury her – well, that’s broadly the case (“largely flattering”, remarked the Hollywood Reporter). Yes, the documentary is at pains to cover its subject’s myriad missteps and controversies, be it the lucrative Wall Street speeches, the Whitewater real estate investment affair or the overcooked saga of her private email server. But the talking heads are effectively defence witnesses, solid representatives of blue state USA. We hear nothing from Newt Gingrich, Sean Hannity, Lindsey Graham, or indeed any of her tormentors from the other side.
This, Burstein says, was not for want of trying. “But Hillary is so toxic in that community that any association is seen as bad. I made it clear that it was an objective film and that I wanted their point of view. But they also knew that she was participating, which meant that it wasn’t going to be some rightwing take-down of her – and anything short of that was unappealing. There was no upside, it was just a risk. All of them right away said no.”
In the event, the director spent a week at the Clintons’ home in Chappaqua, a hamlet 30 miles north of New York City. She sat with Hillary for 35 hours of interviews, going back over her various – and often conflicting – incarnations as lawyer, first lady, senator and globe-trotting secretary of state. Perhaps most compellingly, she sat with Bill, who brokenly recalls his cataclysmic affair with Monica Lewinsky, likening himself to a weary boxer who grabs for something, anything, that might momentarily distract him from the fight. “I’m a totally different person now than I was 20 years ago,” he insists – and the physical evidence would appear to bear him out. The former president, arguably the consummate politician of his age, now looks hollowed out, diminished and somehow older than his years.
As for Hillary, who can say for certain? “She’s not a confider,” one friend needlessly points out. Instead, she sits ramrod straight in her book-lined sitting room, sipping coffee as make-up artists periodically dip in to attend to her hair. She’s candid, impressive and radiates a certain blunt warmth. But on a personal level, she’s as guarded as Fort Knox. Every question is a potential hazard. It needs to be quickly checked for tripwires and trapdoors.
There is, of course, good reason for this. With the possible exception of Trump, no US politician inspires such fear and loathing. She’s like a bespoke trigger for the red state white male. There they are – the MAGA army, the deplorables – burning her effigy at a rally in Kentucky and hollering “Iron my shirt!” inside the town hall meet-and-greet. “Smile!” orders a shaven-head in camouflage pants as the candidate walks by – and, ever the pro, Clinton duly obliges.
But it’s small wonder that her smile is a firewall and her laugh flak. She’s hemmed in on both sides, damned either way, regarded as an establishment neocon by the left and a radical feminist harpie by the right. Depressingly, these prejudices sometimes hop the fence: Clinton’s decision to remain in her marriage only proved how weak she was, right up until the moment it proved that she was Lady Macbeth, a cold-blooded careerist. “I’m the most investigated innocent person in America,” she snorts at the end of one interview session, when she perhaps believes herself to be off-mic.
Firewall smile … Hillary with Bill in the early days. Photograph: Sundance film festival
Burstein previously co-directed The Kid Stays in the Picture, a spry documentary about the Hollywood producer Robert Evans. She freely admits to being a Clinton supporter and feels that most of her problems were caused by forces beyond her control, a reflexive sexism in the land at large. But Burstein does believe that, occasionally, Clinton could have handled herself better. Maybe relaxed her defensive lawyerly crouch, or eased back on the well-paid corporate speaking gigs – for the sake of her public image, if nothing else.
The more you get used to seeing women in positions of power, the more likely you are to vote for it
“If she has a flaw – and she has a few – it’s the optics. Maybe she’s not in the pocket of Wall Street, but to give speeches at a time when the banks are being bailed out, all the while knowing she’s going to run for president – it looks bad. And she has this self-righteous quality that is her blind spot. She thinks, ‘Well, I’m not doing anything wrong, no one should think I’m doing anything wrong, so who cares what it looks like?’ And that’s what gets her into trouble again and again.”
Bill, no doubt about it, was more adept at rolling with the punches, charming his way out of trouble, while Barack Obama’s special power was rising nobly above the fray. But it’s a fools’ game to use past giants as a kind of roadmap to the White House. Both men (each pioneers in their way) still had to contend with a different set of hurdles to those faced by Hillary. And both, finally, could afford to be looser, less apologetic and more at ease with who they are.
“Greatness of spirit is the most important quality that a politician can have,” says Joe Klein, one-time Time magazine columnist and bestselling author of Primary Colors, a loosely fictionalised novel about Bill’s 1992 presidential campaign. “The successful Democrats – Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama – have all had it. To have greatness of spirit, you have to be optimistic and you have to at least give the appearance of openness.” Hillary, he concludes, “was never going to be that”.
Above the fray … Clinton with Barack Obama. Photograph: Barbara Kinney/Hulu
Burstein, thank heavens, spies the obvious problem with this. “It’s a very male thing to say. I mean, OK, maybe there’s some truth to the idea that it’s hard to pick a woman who has the kind of charm or the greatness of spirit that you see in a man. But is that because it doesn’t exist? Or is it because it comes in a different package that we don’t know how to recognise?”
Undeniably, Hillary offered a different package to the one presented by Donald Trump, the bait-and-switch conman who now sits in the Oval Office, presiding over a 100,000 Covid-19 death toll and an economy in the toilet. For all that, Burstein chooses to end her series not in the ash and rubble of November 2016, but amid the green shoots that have sprung up since. She spotlights the 5 million-strong Women’s March that followed the inauguration, the 2018 midterms that turned the lower house blue and the vibrant attempts of Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris to run for president. Obviously, it would have been heartening if one had secured the Democratic nomination. But can’t narrow defeats and near misses be markers of progress, too?
“Well, yeah,” Burstein says. “Because change happens incrementally. The fact that all those women ran for president in and of itself is a triumph. What happened in the midterm elections – that’s a triumph as well. Because this is how it works. The more you see it happening, the more you get used to it. And the more you get used to seeing women in positions of power, the more likely you are to one day vote for it.”
Clinton forged the path. Many others now walk it. Two steps forward, one step back.


theguardian--2020-06-04--George Floyd killing: ex-defense secretary condemns Trump's handling of protests – live

In perhaps the most extraordinary passage of James Mattis ’ s extraordinary condemnation of Donald Trump , which was published by the Atlantic an hour ago , the former Marine Corps general and US defense secretary seems to equate the president ’ s behaviour in dividing Americans with the aims of the Nazi regime during the second world war .
Mattis writes : “ Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that ‘ The Nazi slogan for destroying us … was ‘ Divide and Conquer.
’ Our American answer is ‘ In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must summon that unity to surmount this crisis – confident that we are better than our politics .
Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try .
Instead , he tries to divide us .
” In a Medium post from 2017 , the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum elaborated on the Nazis ’ strategy and propaganda efforts .
“ The Nazis were virulent racists , ” the post says , “ … they identified black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that threatened the future existence of western society .
But that didn ’ t stop them from trying to exploit racial tensions among US forces to encourage desertion in the closing days of World War II .
“ Creating wedges between people had been a Nazi strategy since the party ’ s inception.
” Widely seen as one of the “ adults in the room ” who attempted to restrain Trump during his first years in office , Mattis resigned as defense secretary over the president ’ s attempts to withdraw troops from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was widely known , but in 2019 the retired marine published a memoir , Call Sign Chaos , which only obliquely referred to his differences with Trump .
Publicising the book , Mattis said he believed it would be inappropriate for him to criticise a sitting president .
It seems Trump ’ s actions on Monday , when he ordered an assault on peaceful protesters outside the White House so he could stage a photo op at St John ’ s church , helped to change Mattis ’ s mind .
Defense secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , accompanied Trump on his walk to the church .
Mattis joined criticism of their presence and wrote : “ We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square.
” Now the gloves are off , eyes may turn to HR McMaster , Trump ’ s second national security adviser and an Army general .
He has a book coming out , delayed by the coronavirus pandemic to September , which is said to deal with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoken in public since he left Trump ’ s employ – though in May 2018 he did speak to the Guardian : about rugby .

Maanvi Singh (now), and Martin Pengelly, Joan E Greve, Joanna Walters and Martin Belam (earlier)


theguardian--2020-06-03--James Mattis condemns Trump’s handling of George Floyd protests

Donald Trump ’ s first defence secretary , James Mattis , has delivered a blistering condemnation of the president , accusing him of abusing executive authority in his response to the recent wave of anti-racism protests that have convulsed cities across the US , and calling for him for to be held accountable .
Mattis ’ s broadside breaks a near silence from the ex-Marine general since he resigned in December 2018 .
He expressed outrage at the militarisation of the administration ’ s response to mass protests over the police killing of George Floyd .
“ I have watched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ angry and appalled , ” he said .
His statement , published by the Atlantic magazine , came on a day of confusion and discord in the Trump administration over the role of the military .
Mattis ’ s successor as defence secretary , Mark Esper , had contradicted Trump over the president ’ s threatened invocation of the 1807 Insurrection Act to deploy active duty troops on US streets .
Esper had ordered elite airborne troops , flown to the Washington outskirts on Monday , back to their bases on Wednesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a visit to the White House .
The defence secretary had also sought to distance himself from a presidential publicity stunt on Monday , in which Trump had protestors cleared from Lafayette Park , a public area in front of the White House , so that he could be photographed outside a church that had been partially burned the previous day .
In his statement on Wednesday evening , Mattis said : “ Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead he tries to divide us .
We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort .
We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.
” The former defence secretary added : “ We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Park .
We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our constitution.
” Mattis recalled the distinction between US forces and the Nazis fighting on the Normandy beaches in 1944 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and conquer ” while the American response was “ In union there is strength ” .
Mattis ’ s dramatic and long awaited intervention comes at a time when Trump appeared to be at a crossroads in his response to the protests .
The White House signaled its displeasure with Esper ’ s rejection of the Insurrection Act and his efforts to distance himself from Trump ’ s actions .
The president ’ s spokeswoman , asked whether Trump still had confidence in Esper , would only say , that he remained the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
On the same day , a radical Republican senator , Tom Cotton , widely believed to have aspirations to replace Esper , was egging on the president to send troops into US cities .
“ This week , rioters have plunged many American cities into anarchy , recalling the widespread violence of the 1960s , ” said Cotton , who has also urged military conflict with Iran , in a New York Times commentary .
“ One thing above all else will restore order to our streets : an overwhelming show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimately deter lawbreakers , ” Cotton wrote .
Any attempt to use active duty troops , as opposed to the national guard which has already been widely deployed , threatens to split the US military , which is one of the country ’ s most diverse institutions .
Mattis reflected what is reported to be a widely held view in the armed services , in arguing the protesters were standing up for the constitutional principle of equality under the law , and should be universally supported .
“ We must not be distracted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values.
” “ When I joined the military , some 50 years ago , I swore an oath to support and defend the constitution , ” Mattis wrote .
“ Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens – much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Militarising our response , as we witnessed in Washington DC , sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society , ” he added .
Mattis ’ s statement comes a day after a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , Mike Mullen , expressed his own renunciation of the handling of the protests , reflecting deep unease among many serving officers .
Mullen said he was “ sickened ” by the photo-op at the church .
“ Too many foreign and domestic policy choices have become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become politicised , ” Mullen wrote , also in the Atlantic .
“ This is

Donald Trump’s first defence secretary, James Mattis, has delivered a blistering condemnation of the president, accusing him of abusing executive authority in his response to the recent wave of anti-racism protests that have convulsed cities across the US, and calling for him for to be held accountable.
Mattis’s broadside breaks a near silence from the ex-marine general since he resigned in December 2018. He expressed outrage at the militarisation of the administration’s response to mass protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” he said.
His statement, published by the Atlantic magazine, came on a day of confusion and discord in the Trump administration over the role of the military. Mattis’s successor as defence secretary, Mark Esper, had contradicted Trump over the president’s threatened invocation of the 1807 Insurrection Act to deploy active duty troops on US streets.
Esper had ordered elite airborne troops, flown to the Washington outskirts on Monday, back to their bases on Wednesday, but then reversed that order hours later after a visit to the White House.
The defence secretary had also sought to distance himself from a presidential publicity stunt on Monday, in which Trump had protesters cleared from Lafayette Park, a public area in front of the White House, so that he could be photographed outside a church that had been partially burned the previous day.
In his statement on Wednesday evening, Mattis said: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.”
The former defence secretary added: “We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Park. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our constitution.”
Mattis recalled the distinction between US forces and the Nazis fighting on the Normandy beaches in 1944. The Nazi slogan was “Divide and conquer” while the American response was “In union there is strength”.
Mattis’s dramatic and long-awaited intervention comes at a time when Trump appeared to be at a crossroads in his response to the protests. The White House signaled its displeasure with Esper’s rejection of the Insurrection Act and his efforts to distance himself from Trump’s actions. The president’s spokeswoman, asked whether Trump still had confidence in Esper, would only say, that he remained the defence secretary “as of right now”.
On the same day, a radical Republican senator, Tom Cotton, widely believed to have aspirations to replace Esper, was egging on the president to send troops into US cities.
“This week, rioters have plunged many American cities into anarchy, recalling the widespread violence of the 1960s,” said Cotton, who has also urged military conflict with Iran, in a New York Times commentary.
“One thing above all else will restore order to our streets: an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers,” Cotton wrote.
Any attempt to use active-duty troops, as opposed to the national guard which has already been widely deployed, threatens to split the US military, which is one of the country’s most diverse institutions.
Mattis reflected what is reported to be a widely held view in the armed services, in arguing the protesters were standing up for the constitutional principle of equality under the law, and should be universally supported.
“We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers,” he said. “The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values.
“When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the constitution,” Mattis wrote. “Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens – much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.
“Militarising our response, as we witnessed in Washington DC, sets up a conflict – a false conflict – between the military and civilian society,” he added.
Mattis’s statement comes a day after a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mike Mullen, expressed his own renunciation of the handling of the protests, reflecting deep unease among many serving officers.
Mullen said he was “sickened” by the photo op at the church.
“Too many foreign and domestic policy choices have become militarised; too many military missions have become politicised,” Mullen wrote, also in the Atlantic. “This is not the time for stunts. This is the time for leadership.”