shareblue--2020-06-12--8 Trump ads on Facebook that fact-checkers say are full of lies

Independent fact-checkers have labeled eight of Donald Trump 's campaign ads on Facebook over the past year false .
However , although the fact-checkers work in partnership with Facebook , these specific checks were conducted outside the framework of that partnership , because Facebook is continuing to exempt political ads from its policies on truthfulness in posted material .
A review conducted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund found that checks by the outside groups have repeatedly deemed Trump 's messaging untruthful , including false claims about civil rights protests , voting rights , immigration , and Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook has faced internal and external criticism for the policy loophole for political ads .
Founder Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly defended the exception , saying he does not want his company to be `` the arbiter of truth . ''
Facebook 's information for publishers contains the claim that `` by limiting political speech we would leave people less informed about what their elected officials are saying and leave politicians less accountable for their words . ''
One Facebook executive claimed that Facebook had to refrain from fact-checking political ads or else it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' using a `` Lord of the Rings '' reference to make his point .
Twitter recently began attaching warning labels to some of Trump 's false claims about voting .
Snap , the maker of the Snapchat app , said last week it would no longer promote Trump 's accounts in light of his comments inciting `` racial violence and injustice . ''
YouTube and Google have also removed over 300 Trump ads for policy violations .
Zuckerberg posted last week that Facebook was `` going to review our policies allowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force to see if there are any amendments we should adopt . ''
He specifically mentioned instances of `` excessive use of police or state force '' and `` when a country has ongoing civil unrest or violent conflicts . ''
He also said Facebook would look into instances of voter suppression .
Trump has violated Facebook 's normal policies on both topics .
Despite Facebook 's friendly policies , Trump has still railed against the company , alleging anti-conservative bias .
`` The Radical Left is in total command & control of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation , '' he tweeted last month .
The eight claims in ads posted by the Trump campaign on Facebook that the independent fact-checkers debunked are the following .
Trump falsely suggested Biden wants to defund the police On Thursday , the Trump campaign launched a Facebook ad claiming that Joe Biden `` refuses to stand up to the radical leftists fighting to defund and abolish the police . ''
Days earlier , PolitiFact ruled a Trump tweet claiming Biden wants to `` defund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence at protests on `` antifa '' and the far left On June 3 , a Trump campaign ad claimed , `` Dangerous MOBS of far-left groups are running through our streets and causing absolute mayhem .
They are DESTROYING our cities and rioting — it 's absolute madness . ''
The ad asked supporters to sign a petition and donate money to `` stand with your President and his decision to declare ANTIFA a Terrorist Organization . ''
Factcheck.org noted on June 1 that Trump has no legal authority to designate any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is no such official federal designation for domestic terrorism organizations . ''
It also noted that the White House had provided no evidence of `` antifa '' involvement in protest violence .
Many of the people arrested at protests against police violence and racism have been far-right extremists .
Trump falsely claimed Biden denounced his partial ban on travel from China On May 28 , the Trump campaign posted an ad claiming Joe Biden had `` attacked Donald Trump 's travel bans , calling them 'racist ' and 'hysterical xenophobia . '
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But PolitiFact ruled in March that this claim was `` mostly false , '' as Biden had never specifically mentioned Trump 's restrictions on people coming from China when he called out Trump 's xenophobic record .
Trump incorrectly said Biden wanted to give free health care to undocumented immigrants The Trump campaign posted an ad claiming Biden `` supports giving taxpayer-funded health care to illegal immigrants for free . ''
PolitiFact called an earlier version of this ad `` mostly false '' last August , as Biden and other Democratic presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care for undocumented immigrants , not that it would be free .
Trump wrongly said Democrats want to repeal the Second Amendment On May 19 , Trump 's campaign launched an ad claiming , `` Democrats have finally admitted what they truly want : a repeal of the Second Amendment . ''
Last September , Factcheck.org debunked this `` deceptive '' claim , noting that no presidential candidate or major congressional candidate had actually said this .
On May 18 , the Trump campaign posted one of hundreds of ads accusing the left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through ballot-box stuffing .
Factcheck.org wrote in April that such claims were examples of `` Trump 's latest voter fraud misinformation . ''
The Trump campaign misleadingly edited video of a CNN medical expert On May 5 , Trump 's campaign released an ad suggesting that CNN 's Dr. Sanjay Gupta had agreed that 2 million people would have died of COVID-19 without Trump 's limited restrictions on travel from China .
Factcheck.org wrote that day that `` the ad edited [ host Wolf ] Blitzer 's question in a misleading way , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking about the travel rules when he was actually talking about social distancing requirements .
The fact check noted that CNN 's parent company had sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign , objecting to the `` false , misleading and deceptive '' use of its content .
Last October , Trump 's campaign ran ads claiming that Biden `` PROMISED Ukraine $ 1 BILLION DOLLARS if they fired the prosecutor investigating his son 's company . ''
A month earlier , both PolitiFact and Factcheck.org had debunked this allegation as unfounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Independent Foundation .

Independent fact-checkers have labeled eight of Donald Trump’s campaign ads on Facebook over the past year false.
However, although the fact-checkers work in partnership with Facebook, these specific checks were conducted outside the framework of that partnership, because Facebook is continuing to exempt political ads from its policies on truthfulness in posted material.
A review conducted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund found that checks by the outside groups have repeatedly deemed Trump’s messaging untruthful, including false claims about civil rights protests, voting rights, immigration, and Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Facebook has faced internal and external criticism for the policy loophole for political ads. Founder Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly defended the exception, saying he does not want his company to be “the arbiter of truth.”
Facebook’s information for publishers contains the claim that “by limiting political speech we would leave people less informed about what their elected officials are saying and leave politicians less accountable for their words.”
One Facebook executive claimed that Facebook had to refrain from fact-checking political ads or else it might “become that which we fear,” using a “Lord of the Rings” reference to make his point.
Twitter recently began attaching warning labels to some of Trump’s false claims about voting. Snap, the maker of the Snapchat app, said last week it would no longer promote Trump’s accounts in light of his comments inciting “racial violence and injustice.” YouTube and Google have also removed over 300 Trump ads for policy violations.
Zuckerberg posted last week that Facebook was “going to review our policies allowing discussion and threats of state use of force to see if there are any amendments we should adopt.” He specifically mentioned instances of “excessive use of police or state force” and “when a country has ongoing civil unrest or violent conflicts.” He also said Facebook would look into instances of voter suppression.
Trump has violated Facebook’s normal policies on both topics.
Despite Facebook’s friendly policies, Trump has still railed against the company, alleging anti-conservative bias. “The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google. The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation,” he tweeted last month.
The eight claims in ads posted by the Trump campaign on Facebook that the independent fact-checkers debunked are the following.
Trump falsely suggested Biden wants to defund the police
On Thursday, the Trump campaign launched a Facebook ad claiming that Joe Biden “refuses to stand up to the radical leftists fighting to defund and abolish the police.”
Days earlier, PolitiFact ruled a Trump tweet claiming Biden wants to “defund the police” false.
Trump blamed violence at protests on “antifa” and the far left
On June 3, a Trump campaign ad claimed, “Dangerous MOBS of far-left groups are running through our streets and causing absolute mayhem. They are DESTROYING our cities and rioting — it’s absolute madness.” The ad asked supporters to sign a petition and donate money to “stand with your President and his decision to declare ANTIFA a Terrorist Organization.”
Factcheck.org noted on June 1 that Trump has no legal authority to designate any domestic group as terrorists, as “there is no such official federal designation for domestic terrorism organizations.” It also noted that the White House had provided no evidence of “antifa” involvement in protest violence.
Many of the people arrested at protests against police violence and racism have been far-right extremists.
Trump falsely claimed Biden denounced his partial ban on travel from China
On May 28, the Trump campaign posted an ad claiming Joe Biden had “attacked Donald Trump’s travel bans, calling them ‘racist’ and ‘hysterical xenophobia.'” A similar ad appeared on Friday.
But PolitiFact ruled in March that this claim was “mostly false,” as Biden had never specifically mentioned Trump’s restrictions on people coming from China when he called out Trump’s xenophobic record.
Trump incorrectly said Biden wanted to give free health care to undocumented immigrants
The Trump campaign posted an ad claiming Biden “supports giving taxpayer-funded health care to illegal immigrants for free.”
PolitiFact called an earlier version of this ad “mostly false” last August, as Biden and other Democratic presidential hopefuls had promised they would cover health care for undocumented immigrants, not that it would be free.
Trump wrongly said Democrats want to repeal the Second Amendment
On May 19, Trump’s campaign launched an ad claiming, “Democrats have finally admitted what they truly want: a repeal of the Second Amendment.”
Last September, Factcheck.org debunked this “deceptive” claim, noting that no presidential candidate or major congressional candidate had actually said this.
Trump baselessly accused the left of voter fraud
On May 18, the Trump campaign posted one of hundreds of ads accusing the left of trying to steal the 2020 election through ballot-box stuffing.
Factcheck.org wrote in April that such claims were examples of “Trump’s latest voter fraud misinformation.”
The Trump campaign misleadingly edited video of a CNN medical expert
On May 5, Trump’s campaign released an ad suggesting that CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta had agreed that 2 million people would have died of COVID-19 without Trump’s limited restrictions on travel from China.
Factcheck.org wrote that day that “the ad edited [host Wolf] Blitzer’s question in a misleading way,” making it seem that he was asking about the travel rules when he was actually talking about social distancing requirements. The fact check noted that CNN’s parent company had sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign, objecting to the “false, misleading and deceptive” use of its content.
Trump falsely claimed Joe Biden offered a bribe to Ukraine
Last October, Trump’s campaign ran ads claiming that Biden “PROMISED Ukraine $1 BILLION DOLLARS if they fired the prosecutor investigating his son’s company.”
A month earlier, both PolitiFact and Factcheck.org had debunked this allegation as unfounded.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-12--International court slams Trump for 'unacceptable attempt to interfere' with the law

The International Criminal Court has condemned the Trump administration 's decision to authorize sanctions against court staff , saying it amounted to `` an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court 's judicial proceedings . ''
An executive order by Donald Trump announced Thursday authorizes sanctions against ICC staff investigating American troops and intelligence officials and those of allied nations , including Israel , for possible war crimes in Afghanistan and elsewhere .
Trump 's order would block the financial assets of court employees and bar them and their immediate relatives from entering the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 123 member states , said in a statement released early Friday that it `` stands firmly by its staff and officials and remains unwavering in its commitment to discharging , independently and impartially , the mandate '' laid down in its founding treaty , the Rome Statute .
It said an attack on the Hague-based court also constitutes `` an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes , for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice . ''
O-Gon Kwon , president of the court 's management @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States Parties , also criticized the U.S. measures .
`` They undermine our common endeavor to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for mass atrocities , '' he said in a statement .
`` I deeply regret measures targeting Court officials , staff , and their families . ''
The Hague-based court was created in 2002 to prosecute war crimes and crimes of humanity and genocide in places where perpetrators might not otherwise face justice .
The U.S. has never been an ICC member .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court '' that has been unsuccessful and inefficient in prosecuting war crimes .
He said that the U.S. would punish the ICC employees for any investigation or prosecution of Americans in Afghanistan and added that they could also be banned for prosecuting Israelis for alleged abuses against Palestinians .
`` It gives us no joy to punish them , '' Pompeo said .
`` But we can not allow ICC officials and their families to come to the United States to shop and travel and otherwise enjoy American freedoms as these same officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very freedoms . ''
Last year , Pompeo revoked the visa of the court 's chief prosecutor , Fatou Bensouda , after she asked ICC judges to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan .
The judges initially rejected the request , she appealed and the court authorized the investigation in March .
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a tweet Friday he was `` very disturbed by the United States ' measures '' and called on Washington not to sanction ICC staff .
`` The ICC is crucial in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international rule of law , '' Blok tweeted .
Senior U.N. and EU officials also spoke out against the decision .
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Trump 's order `` is a matter of serious concern '' and he described EU members as `` steadfast supporters '' of the tribunal . ''
Borrell said `` it is a key factor in bringing justice and peace , '' and that `` it must be respected and supported by all nations . ''
The United Nations has `` taken note with concern '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Stephane Dujarric , spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres .
The American Civil Liberties Union suggested it might seek legal recourse and said the order was `` a dangerous display of his contempt for human rights and those working to uphold them . ''
Israel 's prime minister , Benjamin Netanyahu , backed the U.S. action , accusing the court of fabricating `` outlandish charges '' against his country , and praising the U.S. for standing up for what he called truth and justice .

The International Criminal Court has condemned the Trump administration’s decision to authorize sanctions against court staff, saying it amounted to “an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court’s judicial proceedings.”
An executive order by Donald Trump announced Thursday authorizes sanctions against ICC staff investigating American troops and intelligence officials and those of allied nations, including Israel, for possible war crimes in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Trump’s order would block the financial assets of court employees and bar them and their immediate relatives from entering the United States.
The court, which has 123 member states, said in a statement released early Friday that it “stands firmly by its staff and officials and remains unwavering in its commitment to discharging, independently and impartially, the mandate” laid down in its founding treaty, the Rome Statute.
It said an attack on the Hague-based court also constitutes “an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice.”
O-Gon Kwon, president of the court’s management and oversight mechanism, the Assembly of States Parties, also criticized the U.S. measures.
“They undermine our common endeavor to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for mass atrocities,” he said in a statement. “I deeply regret measures targeting Court officials, staff, and their families.”
The Hague-based court was created in 2002 to prosecute war crimes and crimes of humanity and genocide in places where perpetrators might not otherwise face justice. The U.S. has never been an ICC member.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday denounced the tribunal as a “kangaroo court” that has been unsuccessful and inefficient in prosecuting war crimes. He said that the U.S. would punish the ICC employees for any investigation or prosecution of Americans in Afghanistan and added that they could also be banned for prosecuting Israelis for alleged abuses against Palestinians.
“It gives us no joy to punish them,” Pompeo said. “But we cannot allow ICC officials and their families to come to the United States to shop and travel and otherwise enjoy American freedoms as these same officials seek to prosecute the defender of those very freedoms.”
Last year, Pompeo revoked the visa of the court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, after she asked ICC judges to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The judges initially rejected the request, she appealed and the court authorized the investigation in March.
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a tweet Friday he was “very disturbed by the United States’ measures” and called on Washington not to sanction ICC staff.
“The ICC is crucial in the fight against impunity and in upholding international rule of law,” Blok tweeted.
Senior U.N. and EU officials also spoke out against the decision.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Trump’s order “is a matter of serious concern” and he described EU members as “steadfast supporters” of the tribunal.” Borrell said “it is a key factor in bringing justice and peace,” and that “it must be respected and supported by all nations.”
The United Nations has “taken note with concern” about reports of Trump’s order, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The American Civil Liberties Union suggested it might seek legal recourse and said the order was “a dangerous display of his contempt for human rights and those working to uphold them.”
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, backed the U.S. action, accusing the court of fabricating “outlandish charges” against his country, and praising the U.S. for standing up for what he called truth and justice.


shareblue--2020-06-12--Trump says 'result' of ending slavery is 'questionable'

Donald Trump on Friday said the `` end result '' of Abraham Lincoln 's presidency was `` questionable . ''
Lincoln led the United States to defeat the pro-slavery Confederacy in the Civil War , during which he signed the Emancipation Proclamation , which freed enslaved black Americans .
Lincoln also championed the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment , which abolished slavery in the United States .
Trump made his comment while claiming that he has `` done more for the black community than any other president . ''
Trump has recently advocated keeping the names of military bases that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the June 12 edition of Fox News ' `` Outnumbered Overtime '' : DONALD TRUMP : I think I 've done more for the black community than any other president , and let 's take a pass on Abraham Lincoln , because he did good .
Although it 's always questionable , you know , in other words , the end result— HARRIS FAULKNER , Fox News : Well , we are free , Mr. President .
FAULKNER : He did pretty well .
TRUMP : You understand what I mean .
FAULKNER @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get it .
TRUMP : So I 'm going to take a pass on Abe , Honest Abe as we call him .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump on Friday said the “end result” of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was “questionable.”
Lincoln led the United States to defeat the pro-slavery Confederacy in the Civil War, during which he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed enslaved black Americans. Lincoln also championed the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States.
Trump made his comment while claiming that he has “done more for the black community than any other president.”
Trump has recently advocated keeping the names of military bases that were named after Confederate leaders.
From the June 12 edition of Fox News’ “Outnumbered Overtime”:
DONALD TRUMP: I think I’ve done more for the black community than any other president, and let’s take a pass on Abraham Lincoln, because he did good. Although it’s always questionable, you know, in other words, the end result— HARRIS FAULKNER, Fox News: Well, we are free, Mr. President. TRUMP: But we are free. FAULKNER: He did pretty well. TRUMP: You understand what I mean. FAULKNER: Yeah, I know, I get it. TRUMP: So I’m going to take a pass on Abe, Honest Abe as we call him.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-12--Experts slam Republican bill to strip funds from schools unless they reopen

Two House Republicans introduced a bill on Thursday that threatens to withhold federal funding from any schools that do not reopen this fall .
The legislation was met with immediate pushback .
`` First and most fundamentally , it is outrageous to threaten schools to open no matter what in the middle of a pandemic , when tens of thousands of Americans are dying , '' Rep. Andy Levin ( D-MI ) , vice chair of the House Education and Labor Committee , said in an email on Thursday .
Levin added , `` Republicans have yet to offer any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for students or educators . ''
The `` Reopen Our Schools Act , '' introduced by Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin , would prohibit 2020 federal funds from going to any school — from elementary schools through colleges and universities — that did not reopen for in-person learning by Sept. 8 , according to a press release from Banks ' office .
`` We need to change the subject from 'our schools might not reopen in the fall ' to 'our schools will reopen in the fall and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , ' '' Banks said .
The text of the bill was not available as of Friday morning , and the press release did not indicate that the legislation would provide any funding to help schools reopen safely .
It did note that the secretary of education can create a waiver process for schools , but no additional details were provided .
`` Schools have to assess the level of safety not only for the students , but for the people who work within the school building , '' RiShawn Biddle , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indianapolis Star and currently the editor of the website Dropout Nation , said in a phone interview on Friday morning .
He was worried about teachers , aides , custodians , and others who may be at high risk for infection .
Biddle noted that in many cases , a large proportion of school staff consists of black and Latino people , `` part of the groups hit the hardest by this virus . ''
Dr. Conor Williams , an education expert and fellow at the Century Foundation , a progressive think tank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school .
`` Just because we botched the response does n't mean that here , in the middle of it , we get to just shrug and demand that schools open anyway , '' Williams said during a phone interview on Thursday .
`` It just seems like throwing people into high-risk situations , '' he said .
`` I do n't think it 's warranted to take those risks at all . ''
The cost of reopening schools across the nation safely — following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 25 billion to $ 130 billion , according to the American Federation of Teachers .
Biddle noted that most school districts receive about 10 % of their funding from the federal government , but that some low-income schools receive much more than that , meaning a cut in federal funds would not impact all schools in the same way .
`` The reason why federal funding in education exists is really to aid low-income and minority communities , '' he said .
`` It 's to ameliorate the impacts and legacies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all those other things that have happened , and also to address the inequities that are just a reality in this country whatever your race is . ''
The number of coronavirus cases has been spiking in several states that pushed to reopen quickly , against the advice of health experts .
Since early June , 11 states have had record numbers of new cases , including Arizona , Florida , and Texas .
Arizona , for example , had 20,123 confirmed coronavirus cases on June 1 and 31,525 cases on Friday morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 917 to at least 1,130 during the same time period .
In addition to more cases , nine states saw a sharp spike in coronavirus-related hospitalizations following Memorial Day .
`` The consequences could be really serious if cities , states , or what have you , jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up , without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently , '' Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation 's top infectious disease expert , told a Senate panel in mid-May .
`` My concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little spikes that will turn into outbreaks . ''
Williams , a father of three , said , `` Barring a dramatic improvement in public health conditions , we 're not sending our kids back in the fall , '' adding that he and his wife `` will be waiting until we 're sure the federal government is taking this seriously and responding in a way that is going to make it possible . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Two House Republicans introduced a bill on Thursday that threatens to withhold federal funding from any schools that do not reopen this fall.
The legislation was met with immediate pushback.
“First and most fundamentally, it is outrageous to threaten schools to open no matter what in the middle of a pandemic, when tens of thousands of Americans are dying,” Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI), vice chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, said in an email on Thursday.
Levin added, “Republicans have yet to offer any real support to create a safe environment for students or educators.”
The “Reopen Our Schools Act,” introduced by Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, would prohibit 2020 federal funds from going to any school — from elementary schools through colleges and universities — that did not reopen for in-person learning by Sept. 8, according to a press release from Banks’ office.
“We need to change the subject from ‘our schools might not reopen in the fall’ to ‘our schools will reopen in the fall and here’s what we need to do it,'” Banks said.
The text of the bill was not available as of Friday morning, and the press release did not indicate that the legislation would provide any funding to help schools reopen safely. It did note that the secretary of education can create a waiver process for schools, but no additional details were provided.
Education experts expressed deep concern about the bill.
“Schools have to assess the level of safety not only for the students, but for the people who work within the school building,” RiShawn Biddle, a former education editorial writer at the Indianapolis Star and currently the editor of the website Dropout Nation, said in a phone interview on Friday morning. He was worried about teachers, aides, custodians, and others who may be at high risk for infection.
Biddle noted that in many cases, a large proportion of school staff consists of black and Latino people, “part of the groups hit the hardest by this virus.”
Dr. Conor Williams, an education expert and fellow at the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, warned against rushing kids back to school.
“Just because we botched the response doesn’t mean that here, in the middle of it, we get to just shrug and demand that schools open anyway,” Williams said during a phone interview on Thursday. “It just seems like throwing people into high-risk situations,” he said. “I don’t think it’s warranted to take those risks at all.”
The cost of reopening schools across the nation safely — following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — could range anywhere from $25 billion to $130 billion, according to the American Federation of Teachers.
Biddle noted that most school districts receive about 10% of their funding from the federal government, but that some low-income schools receive much more than that, meaning a cut in federal funds would not impact all schools in the same way.
“The reason why federal funding in education exists is really to aid low-income and minority communities,” he said. “It’s to ameliorate the impacts and legacies of segregation, Jim Crow, enslavement, all those other things that have happened, and also to address the inequities that are just a reality in this country whatever your race is.”
The number of coronavirus cases has been spiking in several states that pushed to reopen quickly, against the advice of health experts.
Since early June, 11 states have had record numbers of new cases, including Arizona, Florida, and Texas.
Arizona, for example, had 20,123 confirmed coronavirus cases on June 1 and 31,525 cases on Friday morning. The number of deaths increased from 917 to at least 1,130 during the same time period.
In addition to more cases, nine states saw a sharp spike in coronavirus-related hospitalizations following Memorial Day.
Health experts specifically warned against reopening economies too early.
“The consequences could be really serious if cities, states, or what have you, jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up, without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told a Senate panel in mid-May. “My concern is that we’ll start to see little spikes that will turn into outbreaks.”
Williams, a father of three, said, “Barring a dramatic improvement in public health conditions, we’re not sending our kids back in the fall,” adding that he and his wife “will be waiting until we’re sure the federal government is taking this seriously and responding in a way that is going to make it possible.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-12--GOP senator blames 'antifa' for violence despite zero arrests

Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) claimed on Thursday that `` antifa '' was behind violence that occurred during anti-racism protests .
The Department of Justice has found no evidence linking people associated with the anti-fascist movement to acts of violence .
No one who has been arrested for such violence have any links to the movement .
The nationwide protests against racist police brutality were sparked by the death of George Floyd , a black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes .
`` I signed on to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar activity because this is criminal and we need to get to the bottom of who is causing violence in our cities , looting , police officers lost their lives , '' Loeffler told a CBS affiliate in Atlanta .
`` Hundreds of officers were injured trying to keep the peace for those peaceful protesters . ''
When he analyzed court documents on those arrested at protests , NPR reporter Ryan Lucas said , `` I did n't find any mention or reference to antifa .
None of the 51 individuals are alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ link to the antifa movement , broadly speaking , or to antifa ideology . ''
Antifa , short for `` anti-fascists , '' is a term for far-left groups and individuals who confront neo-Nazis and white supremacists at rallies across the nation .
There is no `` antifa '' organization , and people affiliated with the ideology sometimes engage in violence .
As Loeffler lobbed an evidence-free claim of far-left violence , she failed to mention concrete evidence of far-right groups seeking to incite violence .
In early June , federal prosecutors charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group with attempting to incite riots in the Las Vegas area .
The men were arrested with Molotov cocktails in glass bottles , and an informant told police the men `` discussed causing an incident to incite chaos and possibly a riot . ''
Loeffler is one of several Republican officials who have made unsupported claims about anti-fascist involvement in violence at recent protests .
On May 31 , Attorney General William Barr issued an official Justice Department statement in which he said , `` The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly . ''
`` This has gone beyond a peaceful protest .
Members of Antifa are domestic terrorists burning American cities down to the ground , '' Sen. Marsha Blackburn tweeted on May 31 .
Donald Trump has made numerous references to antifa , including an unsubstantiated suggestion that a 75-year-old man pushed to the ground by police in Buffalo may have been an anti-fascist activist who faked his fall .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) claimed on Thursday that “antifa” was behind violence that occurred during anti-racism protests.
The Department of Justice has found no evidence linking people associated with the anti-fascist movement to acts of violence. No one who has been arrested for such violence have any links to the movement.
The nationwide protests against racist police brutality were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
“I signed on to a resolution calling on investigations into antifa and similar activity because this is criminal and we need to get to the bottom of who is causing violence in our cities, looting, police officers lost their lives,” Loeffler told a CBS affiliate in Atlanta. “Hundreds of officers were injured trying to keep the peace for those peaceful protesters.”
When he analyzed court documents on those arrested at protests, NPR reporter Ryan Lucas said, “I didn’t find any mention or reference to antifa. None of the 51 individuals are alleged in these court papers to have any link to the antifa movement, broadly speaking, or to antifa ideology.”
Antifa, short for “anti-fascists,” is a term for far-left groups and individuals who confront neo-Nazis and white supremacists at rallies across the nation. There is no “antifa” organization, and people affiliated with the ideology sometimes engage in violence.
As Loeffler lobbed an evidence-free claim of far-left violence, she failed to mention concrete evidence of far-right groups seeking to incite violence.
In early June, federal prosecutors charged three Nevada men affiliated with a far-right group with attempting to incite riots in the Las Vegas area. The men were arrested with Molotov cocktails in glass bottles, and an informant told police the men “discussed causing an incident to incite chaos and possibly a riot.”
Loeffler is one of several Republican officials who have made unsupported claims about anti-fascist involvement in violence at recent protests.
On May 31, Attorney General William Barr issued an official Justice Department statement in which he said, “The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.”
“This has gone beyond a peaceful protest. Members of Antifa are domestic terrorists burning American cities down to the ground,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn tweeted on May 31.
Donald Trump has made numerous references to antifa, including an unsubstantiated suggestion that a 75-year-old man pushed to the ground by police in Buffalo may have been an anti-fascist activist who faked his fall.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-12--North Korea says working with Trump is 'a dark nightmare'

Two years after Donald Trump met with dictator Kim Jong Un in an effort to improve relations with North Korea and work toward its denuclearization , the regime says the diplomacy effort has turned into a `` dark nightmare . ''
In a statement Friday , North Korea 's foreign minister , Ri Son Gwon , said the country would expand its nuclear weapons program .
`` Even a slim ray of optimism for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula has faded away into a dark nightmare , '' Ri said .
He vowed that North Korea would never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with another package to be used for achievements without receiving any returns . ''
Last year , Trump promised that his relationship with Kim would bring a nuclear deal .
`` Anything in this very interesting world is possible , but I believe that Kim Jong Un fully realizes the great economic potential of North Korea , & will do nothing to interfere or end it , '' he tweeted last May .
`` He also knows that I am with him & does not want to break his promise to me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the only time he talked up his unique ability to improve relations with North Korea .
Last April , he said that his personal relationship with Kim `` remains very good , perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate . ''
Trump added that he looked `` forward to the day , which could be soon , when Nuclear Weapons and Sanctions can be removed , and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the World ! ''
In September , he told the press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of things .
I was given North Korea , where , as you know , President Obama said , 'That ’ s going to be the hardest problem . '
And he said some very tough things about North Korea , that he thought it was going to be a problem .
That hasn ’ t turned out to be that kind of a problem . ''
In December , Trump defended North Korea 's testing of short-range missiles as `` not a violation '' of their 2018 agreement .
`` Chairman Kim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a violation of trust , there is far too much for North Korea to gain — the potential as a Country , under Kim Jong Un 's leadership , is unlimited .
Also , there is far too much to lose , '' he wrote .
As recently as this April , Trump said that , if not for his leadership , the United States would be at war with Kim .
`` Look , if I was n't elected , you would , right now , be at war with North Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for your people that do n't understand the world and they do n't understand how life works : If I was n't elected , you would , right now — maybe the war would be over , hopefully with a victory , '' he told reporters .
Nuclear proliferation experts have said peace is unlikely as long as Kim remains in power .
`` Despite the seeming convergence of political interests between Kim , Moon , and Trump , a fundamental remaking of the Korean Peninsula can happen only if Kim Jong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Korea by dismantling the Kim dynasty , '' Chung Min Lee , a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace ’ s Asia Program , wrote last November .
`` So long as he remains in power , however , Kim will never make that choice . ''
Former National Security Council member Jeff McCausland wrote last March , `` One of Trump 's biggest mistakes was his assumption that Kim needs the U.S. to dramatically improve its economic situation , and thus the nukes for sanctions trade makes sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improved economy is not an ends for Kim , but rather a means . ''
Instead , he explained , Kim 's `` primary goal is to maintain his iron-clad control over the regime . ''
Trump 's relationship with Kim has long been fraught with tension and back-and-forth insults .
Trump mocked Barack Obama for not being tough enough with `` the man child '' in 2013 and derided Kim as `` rocket man '' in 2017 .
Kim called Trump a `` dotard . ''
In early 2018 , the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After Kim warned that he had a `` nuclear button '' on his desk , Trump tweeted `` I too have a Nuclear Button , but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his , and my Button works ! ''
Later that year , Trump appeared to soften , exchanging letters with Kim and holding in-person meetings .
Despite the two signing a document at their June 2018 Singapore summit vaguely promising `` to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula '' and to advance a new bilateral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' little changed .
Trump 's promised peace deal never materialized and , by December 2019 , North Korea was back to threatening to send the United States an ominous `` Christmas gift . ''
Trump downplayed the threat , saying the present could also be `` a beautiful vase . ''
Kim announced days later that he would end a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests and that the world would see a new strategic weapon `` in the near future . ''
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation @

Two years after Donald Trump met with dictator Kim Jong Un in an effort to improve relations with North Korea and work toward its denuclearization, the regime says the diplomacy effort has turned into a “dark nightmare.”
In a statement Friday, North Korea’s foreign minister, Ri Son Gwon, said the country would expand its nuclear weapons program.
“Even a slim ray of optimism for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula has faded away into a dark nightmare,” Ri said.
He vowed that North Korea would never again “provide the U.S. chief executive with another package to be used for achievements without receiving any returns.”
Last year, Trump promised that his relationship with Kim would bring a nuclear deal.
“Anything in this very interesting world is possible, but I believe that Kim Jong Un fully realizes the great economic potential of North Korea, & will do nothing to interfere or end it,” he tweeted last May. “He also knows that I am with him & does not want to break his promise to me. Deal will happen!”
That was not the only time he talked up his unique ability to improve relations with North Korea.
Last April, he said that his personal relationship with Kim “remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate.”
Trump added that he looked “forward to the day, which could be soon, when Nuclear Weapons and Sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the World!”
In September, he told the press, “I was given a lot of things. I was given North Korea, where, as you know, President Obama said, ‘That’s going to be the hardest problem.’ And he said some very tough things about North Korea, that he thought it was going to be a problem. That hasn’t turned out to be that kind of a problem.”
In December, Trump defended North Korea’s testing of short-range missiles as “not a violation” of their 2018 agreement.
“Chairman Kim does not want to disappoint me with a violation of trust, there is far too much for North Korea to gain — the potential as a Country, under Kim Jong Un’s leadership, is unlimited. Also, there is far too much to lose,” he wrote.
As recently as this April, Trump said that, if not for his leadership, the United States would be at war with Kim.
“Look, if I wasn’t elected, you would, right now, be at war with North Korea. Okay? I’ll tell you, for your people that don’t understand the world and they don’t understand how life works: If I wasn’t elected, you would, right now — maybe the war would be over, hopefully with a victory,” he told reporters.
Nuclear proliferation experts have said peace is unlikely as long as Kim remains in power.
“Despite the seeming convergence of political interests between Kim, Moon, and Trump, a fundamental remaking of the Korean Peninsula can happen only if Kim Jong Un makes a strategic decision to save North Korea by dismantling the Kim dynasty,” Chung Min Lee, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Asia Program, wrote last November. “So long as he remains in power, however, Kim will never make that choice.”
Former National Security Council member Jeff McCausland wrote last March, “One of Trump’s biggest mistakes was his assumption that Kim needs the U.S. to dramatically improve its economic situation, and thus the nukes for sanctions trade makes sense. This is not accurate. An improved economy is not an ends for Kim, but rather a means.”
Instead, he explained, Kim’s “primary goal is to maintain his iron-clad control over the regime.”
Trump’s relationship with Kim has long been fraught with tension and back-and-forth insults. Trump mocked Barack Obama for not being tough enough with “the man child” in 2013 and derided Kim as “rocket man” in 2017. Kim called Trump a “dotard.”
In early 2018, the two threatened each other with nuclear war: After Kim warned that he had a “nuclear button” on his desk, Trump tweeted “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”
Later that year, Trump appeared to soften, exchanging letters with Kim and holding in-person meetings. Despite the two signing a document at their June 2018 Singapore summit vaguely promising “to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” and to advance a new bilateral relationship based on “peace and prosperity,” little changed.
Trump’s promised peace deal never materialized and, by December 2019, North Korea was back to threatening to send the United States an ominous “Christmas gift.” Trump downplayed the threat, saying the present could also be “a beautiful vase.”
Kim announced days later that he would end a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests and that the world would see a new strategic weapon “in the near future.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-06-12--Protests bring focus to killings by police around the US

Protesters have been galvanized around the world by the death of George Floyd , an African American man who pleaded for air and later died after a white police officer in Minnesota pressed his knee into his neck .
Alongside his story , demonstrators are speaking out about deaths in their own hometowns .
Some are years-old wounds , while others happened within days of Floyd 's death .
There are cases that made national headlines and others that reverberated mainly through their own communities .
Here 's a look at a few of them by state : In Phoenix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died the same day as George Floyd , May 25 , has become a rallying point .
Dion Johnson lay on the ground for several minutes after he was shot and handcuffed , deprived of emergency medical aid before a nearby ambulance drove the short distance to treat him .
At one point , a trooper used his foot to kick or nudge Johnson , according to traffic-camera video recorded by AZFamily.com .
Police say an Arizona Highway Patrol trooper tried to arrest him after discovering his car stopped on a highway on-ramp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authorities say Johnson tried to grab the officer 's weapon , starting a struggle that ended with the fatal shooting .
Signs are appearing at Connecticut rallies bearing the name of Jose Soto , who died in April after a SWAT team came to help arrest him on an alleged parole violation .
His family has said they asked police to use restraint because he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder .
Soto , 27 , was acting irrationally but did not have a weapon , family and law enforcement sources have told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he exited his mother 's home in Manchester .
His death remains under investigation .
Salt Lake City protesters are highlighting the case of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal , who died after officers fired at least 20 shots as he ran away .
His family is calling for the officers to face charges , saying he was afraid and there was no need for them to shoot him so many times .
Body-camera footage does n't show him pointing a weapon during the chase , which started as officers investigated reports of a gun threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officers said Palacios , 22 , did not follow commands to drop an object he was holding and a weapon was found near him after he was shot .
Police Chief Mike Brown is standing behind his department and the investigative process .
The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor , who was shot by police in her Kentucky home this spring , evoke memories in Texas of Atatiana Jefferson , who was shot by police while playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew in Fort Worth last year .
Jefferson , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother 's home to help care for her when Officer Aaron Dean came to the neighborhood during the early morning hours in October 2019 to investigate a report about an open front door .
He shot Jefferson through an open window , without identifying himself as an officer or knocking on the door .
Dean later resigned and was charged with murder , a rarity .
He has pleaded not guilty .
LGBTQ activists are among those calling for an investigation into the death of a transgender black man who was fatally shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case they say should not be overlooked .
Tony McDade , 38 , was suspected in the stabbing death of his neighbor in Tallahassee , police have said .
He was found at a nearby apartment complex , where authorities say he pointed a gun at police before they fired the fatal shots .
He often carried a BB gun , according to a previous police report .
Videos posted on Facebook show McDade saying he had been attacked the day before the shooting and was angry .
A separate video posted online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person believed to be McDade .
Police have maintained the shooting days after Floyd 's death was not racially motivated or unjustified .
In Nashville , Daniel Hambrick 's name is among those being remembered .
He was shot and killed as he ran from an officer two years ago .
The chase began after officer Andrew Delke pulled into a parking lot because he mistakenly thought he spotted a car he had been following .
Hambrick happened to be nearby and ran away .
Police say he did not follow commands to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though video footage does not show him pointing it before Delke shot him .
The officer has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges .
The outcry eventually led to the creation of a citizen oversight board for Nashville 's police force .
The name Dreasjon Reed has become a touchstone in Indianapolis , where his family has called for a federal investigation into the 21-year-old 's death after a highway chase .
Facebook livestream video from after the shooting captured one detective saying , `` I think it 's going to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reference to a closed-casket funeral .
The May 6 shooting came after a chase that started on the highway and later continued on foot .
Police say they tried using a stun gun before exchanging gunfire with Reed , but family attorneys have insisted he did not fire a weapon .
An outcry is growing over the fatal shooting of Erik Salgado at the hands of California Highway Patrol officers on Saturday .
His pregnant girlfriend was also injured in what advocates say was a hail of gunfire .
They 're calling for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death of Salgado , 23 , described as a good father looking forward to his next child .
Authorities have said the officers were `` conducting a criminal investigation '' but refused to say how many shots were fired , who fired them , or what prompted it , the Mercury News reported .

Protesters have been galvanized around the world by the death of George Floyd, an African American man who pleaded for air and later died after a white police officer in Minnesota pressed his knee into his neck.
Alongside his story, demonstrators are speaking out about deaths in their own hometowns. Some are years-old wounds, while others happened within days of Floyd’s death. There are cases that made national headlines and others that reverberated mainly through their own communities.
Here’s a look at a few of them by state:
Arizona
In Phoenix, the name of a man who died the same day as George Floyd, May 25, has become a rallying point.
Dion Johnson lay on the ground for several minutes after he was shot and handcuffed, deprived of emergency medical aid before a nearby ambulance drove the short distance to treat him.
At one point, a trooper used his foot to kick or nudge Johnson, according to traffic-camera video recorded by AZFamily.com.
Police say an Arizona Highway Patrol trooper tried to arrest him after discovering his car stopped on a highway on-ramp with beer and a gun inside. Authorities say Johnson tried to grab the officer’s weapon, starting a struggle that ended with the fatal shooting.
Connecticut
Signs are appearing at Connecticut rallies bearing the name of Jose Soto, who died in April after a SWAT team came to help arrest him on an alleged parole violation.
His family has said they asked police to use restraint because he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Soto, 27, was acting irrationally but did not have a weapon, family and law enforcement sources have told the Hartford Courant. He was shot as he exited his mother’s home in Manchester. His death remains under investigation.
Utah
Salt Lake City protesters are highlighting the case of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, who died after officers fired at least 20 shots as he ran away.
His family is calling for the officers to face charges, saying he was afraid and there was no need for them to shoot him so many times.
Body-camera footage doesn’t show him pointing a weapon during the chase, which started as officers investigated reports of a gun threat at a motel on May 23.
Officers said Palacios, 22, did not follow commands to drop an object he was holding and a weapon was found near him after he was shot. Police Chief Mike Brown is standing behind his department and the investigative process.
Texas
The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who was shot by police in her Kentucky home this spring, evoke memories in Texas of Atatiana Jefferson, who was shot by police while playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew in Fort Worth last year.
Jefferson, 28, had recently moved into her mother’s home to help care for her when Officer Aaron Dean came to the neighborhood during the early morning hours in October 2019 to investigate a report about an open front door.
He shot Jefferson through an open window, without identifying himself as an officer or knocking on the door. Dean later resigned and was charged with murder, a rarity. He has pleaded not guilty.
Florida
LGBTQ activists are among those calling for an investigation into the death of a transgender black man who was fatally shot by an officer in Florida in a case they say should not be overlooked.
Tony McDade, 38, was suspected in the stabbing death of his neighbor in Tallahassee, police have said. He was found at a nearby apartment complex, where authorities say he pointed a gun at police before they fired the fatal shots. He often carried a BB gun, according to a previous police report.
Videos posted on Facebook show McDade saying he had been attacked the day before the shooting and was angry. A separate video posted online shows a group of men attacking a person believed to be McDade.
Police have maintained the shooting days after Floyd’s death was not racially motivated or unjustified.
Tennessee
In Nashville, Daniel Hambrick’s name is among those being remembered. He was shot and killed as he ran from an officer two years ago.
The chase began after officer Andrew Delke pulled into a parking lot because he mistakenly thought he spotted a car he had been following. Hambrick happened to be nearby and ran away. Police say he did not follow commands to drop a gun he was holding, though video footage does not show him pointing it before Delke shot him.
The officer has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges. The outcry eventually led to the creation of a citizen oversight board for Nashville’s police force.
Indiana
The name Dreasjon Reed has become a touchstone in Indianapolis, where his family has called for a federal investigation into the 21-year-old’s death after a highway chase.
Facebook livestream video from after the shooting captured one detective saying, “I think it’s going to be a closed casket, homie,” a reference to a closed-casket funeral.
The May 6 shooting came after a chase that started on the highway and later continued on foot. Police say they tried using a stun gun before exchanging gunfire with Reed, but family attorneys have insisted he did not fire a weapon.
California
An outcry is growing over the fatal shooting of Erik Salgado at the hands of California Highway Patrol officers on Saturday.
His pregnant girlfriend was also injured in what advocates say was a hail of gunfire. They’re calling for the officers to face charges in the death of Salgado, 23, described as a good father looking forward to his next child.
Authorities have said the officers were “conducting a criminal investigation” but refused to say how many shots were fired, who fired them, or what prompted it, the Mercury News reported.


shareblue--2020-06-12--Statues of racists toppled around the world in wake of protests

The rapidly unfolding movement to pull down Confederate monuments around the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd 's death at the hands of police has extended to statues of slave traders , imperialists , conquerors and explorers around the world , including Christopher Columbus , Cecil Rhodes , and Belgium 's King Leopold II .
Protests and , in some cases , acts of vandalism have taken place in such cities as Boston ; New York ; Paris ; Brussels ; and Oxford , England , in an intense reexamination of racial injustices over the centuries .
New Zealand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the British naval officer Capt .
John Hamilton , the city 's namesake , on Friday , a day after a Maori tribe asked for the statue be taken down and one Maori elder threatened to tear it down himself .
The city of Hamilton said it was clear the statue of the man accused of killing indigenous Maori people in the 1860s would be vandalized .
The city has no plans to change its name .
At the University of Oxford , protesters have stepped up their longtime push to remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imperialist who served as prime minister of the Cape Colony in southern Africa .
He made a fortune from gold and diamonds on the backs of miners who labored in brutal conditions .
Near Santa Fe , New Mexico , activists are calling for the removal of a statue of Don Juan de Oñate , a 16th-century Spanish conquistador revered as a Hispanic founding father and reviled for brutality against Native Americans , including an order to cut off the feet of two dozen people .
Vandals sawed off the statue 's right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , England , demonstrators over the weekend toppled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the harbor .
City authorities said it will be put in a museum .
Across Belgium , statues of Leopold II have been defaced in half a dozen cities because of the king 's brutal rule over the Congo , where more than a century ago he forced multitudes into slavery to extract rubber , ivory and other resources for his own profit .
Experts say he left as many as 10 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get it into their head to erect statues of Hitler and cheer them , '' said Mireille-Tsheusi Robert , an activist in Congo who wants Leopold statues removed from Belgian cities .
`` For us , Leopold has committed a genocide . ''
In the U.S. , the May 25 death of Floyd , a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck , has led to an all-out effort to remove symbols of the Confederacy and slavery .
The Navy , the Marines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ display of the Confederate flag , and statues of rebel heroes across the South have been vandalized or taken down , either by protesters or local authorities .
On Wednesday night , protesters pulled down a century-old statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond , Virginia , the former capital of the Confederacy .
The 8-foot ( 2.4-meter ) bronze figure had already been targeted for removal by city leaders , but the crowd took matters into its own hands .
No immediate arrests were made .
It stood a few blocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee , the most revered of all Confederate leaders .
Democratic Gov .
Ralph Northam last week ordered its removal , but a judge blocked such action for now .
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney , who has proposed dismantling all Confederate statues in the city , asked protesters not to take matters into their own hands for their own safety .
But he indicated the Davis statue is gone for good .
`` He never deserved to be up on that pedestal , '' Stoney said , calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Elsewhere around the South , authorities in Alabama got rid of a massive obelisk in Birmingham and a bronze likeness of a Confederate naval officer in Mobile .
In Virginia , a slave auction block was removed in Fredericksburg , and protesters in Portsmouth knocked the heads off the statues of four Confederates .
The monument is believed to be located where a slave whipping post once stood , and removing it is a small step in the right direction , Portsmouth activist and organizer Rocky Hines said .
`` It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation should necessarily be proud of .
For us , the history is a lot of history of slavery and hatred , '' he said .
`` It 's bothered people for a long time . ''
In Washington , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it is time to remove statues of Confederate figures from the U.S. Capitol and take their names off military bases such as Fort Bragg , Fort Benning , and Fort Hood .
Donald Trump on Wednesday rejected the idea of renaming bases .
But Republicans in the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the November elections , are n't with Trump on this .
A GOP-led Senate panel on Thursday approved a plan to take Confederate names off military installations .
Supporters of Confederate monuments have argued that they are important reminders of history ; opponents contend they glorify those who went to war against the U.S. to preserve slavery .
The Davis monument and many others across the South were erected decades after the Civil War during the Jim Crow era , when states imposed tough new segregation laws , and during the Lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others sought to recast the South 's rebellion as a noble undertaking , fought to defend not slavery but states ' rights .
For protesters mobilized by Floyd 's death , the targets have ranged far beyond the Confederacy .
Statues of Columbus have been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami ; Richmond ; St. Paul , Minnesota ; and Boston , where one was decapitated .
The city of Camden , New Jersey , removed a statue of Columbus .
Protesters have accused the Italian explorer of genocide and exploitation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a historian at Carnegie Mellon University , noted that Americans have a long tradition of arguing over monuments and memorials .
He recalled the bitter debate over the now-beloved Vietnam Veterans ' Memorial in Washington when the design was unveiled .
`` Removing a memorial does n't erase history .
It makes new history , '' Sandage said .
`` And that 's always happening , no matter whether statues go up , come down , or not . ''

The rapidly unfolding movement to pull down Confederate monuments around the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police has extended to statues of slave traders, imperialists, conquerors and explorers around the world, including Christopher Columbus, Cecil Rhodes, and Belgium’s King Leopold II.
Protests and, in some cases, acts of vandalism have taken place in such cities as Boston; New York; Paris; Brussels; and Oxford, England, in an intense reexamination of racial injustices over the centuries.
New Zealand’s fourth-largest city removed a bronze statue of the British naval officer Capt. John Hamilton, the city’s namesake, on Friday, a day after a Maori tribe asked for the statue be taken down and one Maori elder threatened to tear it down himself. The city of Hamilton said it was clear the statue of the man accused of killing indigenous Maori people in the 1860s would be vandalized. The city has no plans to change its name.
At the University of Oxford, protesters have stepped up their longtime push to remove a statue of Rhodes, the Victorian imperialist who served as prime minister of the Cape Colony in southern Africa. He made a fortune from gold and diamonds on the backs of miners who labored in brutal conditions.
Near Santa Fe, New Mexico, activists are calling for the removal of a statue of Don Juan de Oñate, a 16th-century Spanish conquistador revered as a Hispanic founding father and reviled for brutality against Native Americans, including an order to cut off the feet of two dozen people. Vandals sawed off the statue’s right foot in the 1990s.
In Bristol, England, demonstrators over the weekend toppled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the harbor. City authorities said it will be put in a museum.
Across Belgium, statues of Leopold II have been defaced in half a dozen cities because of the king’s brutal rule over the Congo, where more than a century ago he forced multitudes into slavery to extract rubber, ivory and other resources for his own profit. Experts say he left as many as 10 million dead.
“The Germans would not get it into their head to erect statues of Hitler and cheer them,” said Mireille-Tsheusi Robert, an activist in Congo who wants Leopold statues removed from Belgian cities. “For us, Leopold has committed a genocide.”
In the U.S., the May 25 death of Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck, has led to an all-out effort to remove symbols of the Confederacy and slavery.
The Navy, the Marines, and NASCAR have embraced bans on the display of the Confederate flag, and statues of rebel heroes across the South have been vandalized or taken down, either by protesters or local authorities.
On Wednesday night, protesters pulled down a century-old statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy. The 8-foot (2.4-meter) bronze figure had already been targeted for removal by city leaders, but the crowd took matters into its own hands. No immediate arrests were made.
It stood a few blocks away from a towering, 61-foot-high equestrian statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee, the most revered of all Confederate leaders. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam last week ordered its removal, but a judge blocked such action for now.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who has proposed dismantling all Confederate statues in the city, asked protesters not to take matters into their own hands for their own safety. But he indicated the Davis statue is gone for good.
“He never deserved to be up on that pedestal,” Stoney said, calling Davis a “racist & traitor.”
Elsewhere around the South, authorities in Alabama got rid of a massive obelisk in Birmingham and a bronze likeness of a Confederate naval officer in Mobile. In Virginia, a slave auction block was removed in Fredericksburg, and protesters in Portsmouth knocked the heads off the statues of four Confederates.
The monument is believed to be located where a slave whipping post once stood, and removing it is a small step in the right direction, Portsmouth activist and organizer Rocky Hines said.
“It’s not a history that we as a nation should necessarily be proud of. For us, the history is a lot of history of slavery and hatred,” he said. “It’s bothered people for a long time.”
In Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it is time to remove statues of Confederate figures from the U.S. Capitol and take their names off military bases such as Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, and Fort Hood.
Donald Trump on Wednesday rejected the idea of renaming bases. But Republicans in the Senate, at risk of losing their majority in the November elections, aren’t with Trump on this. A GOP-led Senate panel on Thursday approved a plan to take Confederate names off military installations.
Supporters of Confederate monuments have argued that they are important reminders of history; opponents contend they glorify those who went to war against the U.S. to preserve slavery.
The Davis monument and many others across the South were erected decades after the Civil War during the Jim Crow era, when states imposed tough new segregation laws, and during the Lost Cause movement, in which historians and others sought to recast the South’s rebellion as a noble undertaking, fought to defend not slavery but states’ rights.
For protesters mobilized by Floyd’s death, the targets have ranged far beyond the Confederacy. Statues of Columbus have been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Boston, where one was decapitated. The city of Camden, New Jersey, removed a statue of Columbus. Protesters have accused the Italian explorer of genocide and exploitation of native peoples.
Scott Sandage, a historian at Carnegie Mellon University, noted that Americans have a long tradition of arguing over monuments and memorials. He recalled the bitter debate over the now-beloved Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington when the design was unveiled.
“Removing a memorial doesn’t erase history. It makes new history,” Sandage said. “And that’s always happening, no matter whether statues go up, come down, or not.”


shareblue--2020-06-13--Museums push to save White House protest art

Almost as soon as the towering black fencing was erected last week to seal off Lafayette Park , the barrier became an art gallery and a sounding board for the demonstrators protesting years of black deaths at the hands of police officers .
Now , with much of the temporary fencing around the White House coming down , there 's an effort to preserve hundreds of pieces of instant American history .
Both the Washington , D.C. , government and several museums in the Smithsonian network have expressed an interest , but for now , volunteers on the scene are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep them safe .
`` We 're trying to be as gentle as we can with everything , '' said Natalie Casey-Sanger , a D.C. resident .
`` I 've heard some people express hopes for long-term plans but nothing concrete . ''
Casey-Sanger said volunteers started removing almost everything from the fence late Tuesday night out of concern that it would suddenly be taken down early Wednesday morning .
The National Park Service originally told the Associated Press that most of the fence would be dismantled Wednesday , but it later reversed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Park Service said the Secret Service was `` continuing to remove the temporary fencing around Lafayette Park , and the public will have access to Lafayette Park beginning on June 11 . ''
Some fencing will remain around damaged areas while the Park Service makes repairs .
On the other , southern side of the White House , parts of the temporary fencing were also being dismantled .
Hundreds of the signs and posters that hung on the fence sealing off the park to the north of the White House have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taped to the walls of a construction site , or strung together and hung from trees lining the street .
At volunteer medical tents on Wednesday , the call went out for more string to continue hanging up the protest art .
The suddenly bare fence caused some initial confusion among visitors .
`` When we first approached , we were surprised that we did n't see any signs on the fence as we did on television and we wondered , you know , did they take them down because they did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Lakeisha Dames , a Maryland resident who brought her 7-year-old daughter , Victoria , to witness the scene .
`` And as we walked further down , you could see that all of the signs were still here preserved .
And we are thankful for that because we still have the opportunity to see it .
And it 's an amazing thing to experience . ''
The fence was erected late at night on June 1 , a few hours after U.S. Park Police and other security forces used smoke bombs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violently clear peaceful protesters so Donald Trump could stage a brief photo op in front of St. John 's , the historic church that had been damaged in the protests .
From signs and portraits to dozens of popsicle-stick crucifixes , visitors immediately turned the fence into an integral part of an open-air protest space that the city government quickly renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza .
The messages , signs , and artwork almost blotted out the view of the White House behind the fence .
On June 5 , visitors tied balloons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for what would have been the 27th birthday of Breonna Taylor , an emergency medical technician who was killed by police in March in her home in Louisville .
Jason Spear , a spokesman for the National Museum of African American History and Culture , said curators from his museum and two others in the Smithsonian network — the National Museum of American History and the Anacostia Community Museum — visited the scene Wednesday .
`` There are no plans to do anything with the objects nor was anything collected today , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our purpose today was to build relationships with people on the ground to keep the conversation open for potential collecting . ''
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser , who ordered both the renaming of the intersection and the painting of Black Lives Matter in giant yellow letters on 16th Street , said earlier this week that the area around the intersection of 16th and H streets directly in front of the White House is `` going to have a central place not just in D.C. history but in American history . ''
Bowser on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in `` preserving the artifacts from the protests '' and that employees of the city 's Public Works Department have been helping to move the items across the street for safekeeping .
Bowser said she hopes to see the signs and messages preserved `` in our own archives or shared with other institutions . ''

Almost as soon as the towering black fencing was erected last week to seal off Lafayette Park, the barrier became an art gallery and a sounding board for the demonstrators protesting years of black deaths at the hands of police officers. Now, with much of the temporary fencing around the White House coming down, there’s an effort to preserve hundreds of pieces of instant American history.
Both the Washington, D.C., government and several museums in the Smithsonian network have expressed an interest, but for now, volunteers on the scene are working to gather up the items and keep them safe.
“We’re trying to be as gentle as we can with everything,” said Natalie Casey-Sanger, a D.C. resident. “I’ve heard some people express hopes for long-term plans but nothing concrete.”
Casey-Sanger said volunteers started removing almost everything from the fence late Tuesday night out of concern that it would suddenly be taken down early Wednesday morning. The National Park Service originally told the Associated Press that most of the fence would be dismantled Wednesday, but it later reversed course.
In a statement Wednesday night, the Park Service said the Secret Service was “continuing to remove the temporary fencing around Lafayette Park, and the public will have access to Lafayette Park beginning on June 11.” Some fencing will remain around damaged areas while the Park Service makes repairs. On the other, southern side of the White House, parts of the temporary fencing were also being dismantled.
Hundreds of the signs and posters that hung on the fence sealing off the park to the north of the White House have now been moved across the street and taped to the walls of a construction site, or strung together and hung from trees lining the street. At volunteer medical tents on Wednesday, the call went out for more string to continue hanging up the protest art.
The suddenly bare fence caused some initial confusion among visitors.
“When we first approached, we were surprised that we didn’t see any signs on the fence as we did on television and we wondered, you know, did they take them down because they didn’t want them removed or destroyed,” said Lakeisha Dames, a Maryland resident who brought her 7-year-old daughter, Victoria, to witness the scene. “And as we walked further down, you could see that all of the signs were still here preserved. And we are thankful for that because we still have the opportunity to see it. And it’s an amazing thing to experience.”
The fence was erected late at night on June 1, a few hours after U.S. Park Police and other security forces used smoke bombs, pepper pellets and officers on horseback to violently clear peaceful protesters so Donald Trump could stage a brief photo op in front of St. John’s, the historic church that had been damaged in the protests.
From signs and portraits to dozens of popsicle-stick crucifixes, visitors immediately turned the fence into an integral part of an open-air protest space that the city government quickly renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza. The messages, signs, and artwork almost blotted out the view of the White House behind the fence. On June 5, visitors tied balloons and homemade birthday cards to the fence for what would have been the 27th birthday of Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical technician who was killed by police in March in her home in Louisville.
Jason Spear, a spokesman for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, said curators from his museum and two others in the Smithsonian network — the National Museum of American History and the Anacostia Community Museum — visited the scene Wednesday.
“There are no plans to do anything with the objects nor was anything collected today,” Spear said in an email. “Our purpose today was to build relationships with people on the ground to keep the conversation open for potential collecting.”
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who ordered both the renaming of the intersection and the painting of Black Lives Matter in giant yellow letters on 16th Street, said earlier this week that the area around the intersection of 16th and H streets directly in front of the White House is “going to have a central place not just in D.C. history but in American history.”
Bowser on Wednesday said her administration is very interested in “preserving the artifacts from the protests” and that employees of the city’s Public Works Department have been helping to move the items across the street for safekeeping. Bowser said she hopes to see the signs and messages preserved “in our own archives or shared with other institutions.”


shareblue--2020-06-13--5 things you should know about Democrats' police reform bill

Democrats in Congress are proposing an overhaul of police procedures and accountability after the mass protests over the deaths of black Americans at the hand of law enforcement .
The Justice in Policing Act is among the most ambitious law enforcement reforms from Congress in years and confronts several aspects of policing that have come under strong criticism , especially as more and more police violence is captured on cellphone video and shared across the nation and the world .
The package limits legal protections for police , creates a national database of excessive-force encounters , and bans police chokeholds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if enacted , would have massive implications for policing in the U.S .
It 's not clear whether the legislation will pass , especially in an election year and amid calls to `` defund the police '' and growing protests .
Donald Trump has tried to set himself up as a `` law and order '' leader and has criticized the package , claiming Democrats have `` gone CRAZY . ''
A few things to know about the bill and how it could make a difference : Under the proposal , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misconduct would no longer require prosecutors to prove that an officer 's actions were willful , a high burden of proof .
The law would allow an officer to be charged for acting with reckless disregard for someone 's life , causing that person 's death .
Under the current law , it is federal crime to willfully deprive someone of their civil rights under color of authority , but the officer also must have known what they were doing was wrong and against the law and decided to do it anyway .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to convince a jury that the force used was more than what would be reasonably necessary to arrest or subdue a suspect , meaning convincing jurors that in the middle of an arrest the officer made a clear and willful decision to cause someone 's death .
That was a burden of proof that prosecutors said they could n't meet in the case of Eric Garner when they declined to bring charges against Officer Daniel Pantaleo last year .
Police officers are generally not held personally liable for anything that happens on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The concept of qualified immunity has long been a way to protect police from unnecessary lawsuits and to give them the freedom to police without fear of unnecessary retribution .
The bill would amend federal misconduct statutes to make it easier for courts to find officers personally liable for the violation of civil rights .
The move could have major consequences for officers who would think twice before abusing their power , but it could also make it more difficult to recruit police nationwide .
It could also potentially lead to officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cities often bear the brunt of misconduct claims .
In a 10-year period in New York , for example , the city paid out nearly $ 1 billion to settle claims made against police .
A long-held grievance has been that prosecutors and police have too cozy a relationship and ca n't separate that out when misconduct is an issue .
It is part of the investigation now into the the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in coastal Georgia .
The father and son accused of killing Arbery had a long history with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having worked for the DA as an investigator for 20 years .
The case is now being investigated by a separate district attorney .
Some states have created a special prosecutor to investigate all misconduct claims against local police .
The bill provides a grant program for state attorneys general to conduct independent investigations into problematic police departments .
A second issue is many officers who wind up involved in a fatal shooting have a long history of misconduct , including Derek Chauvin , the Minneapolis officer who has been charged with murder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He had at least a dozen complaints made against him , according to records .
But those records are often not made public , making it difficult to know if officers have a track record .
The bill calls for a national registry including complaints , disciplinary records , and termination records , which proponents say would be a massive step forward in transparency .
Democrats say the ability of the Justice Department 's civil rights division to perform so-called pattern or practice investigations , sweeping probes into police departments that examine whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to persist , has been curtailed .
The proposal would give specific subpoena power to federal civil rights prosecutors to conduct those investigations and would aid state attorneys general with conducting similar investigations .
The Justice Department has n't banned pattern or practice investigations .
U.S. Attorney General William Barr , however , has suggested that they may have been previously overused .
As attorney general in the Obama administration , Eric Holder frequently criticized violent police confrontations and opened a series of civil rights investigations into local law enforcement practices .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ court-approved consent decrees that mandated reforms .
The consent decrees included those with the police in Ferguson , Missouri , after the killing of Michael Brown and in Baltimore following the police custody death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray .
Hours before he resigned as attorney general in November 2018 , Jeff Sessions signed a memo that sharply curtailed the use of consent decrees .
The policy makes their use more difficult to enact and requires top Justice Department officials to approve the deals .
Other measures in the legislation are likely to face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are some that police officials are likely to argue could endanger officers ' lives .
The bill calls for a ban on `` no knock '' warrants , which are typically executed in some of the most dangerous investigations conducted by police departments .
The legislation would specifically ban no-knock warrants for all federal drug cases and would require local and state law enforcement agencies to prohibit their use to qualify for some federal funding .
Oregon and Florida are the only states that have outlawed such warrants .
A no-knock warrant , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order from a judge that allows police to enter a home without prior notification to the residents , such as ringing a doorbell or banging on the door .
In most cases , the law requires that officers must knock and announce themselves before entering a private home to execute a search warrant .
Police would generally seek a no-knock warrant if the situation might be extraordinarily dangerous or if a suspect is likely to destroy evidence when police knock on the door .
But critics have said their use has increased dramatically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them routinely in cases that do n't merit such an exception .
There has been a growing call to ban no-knock warrants since 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed in her Louisville home by officers in March .

Democrats in Congress are proposing an overhaul of police procedures and accountability after the mass protests over the deaths of black Americans at the hand of law enforcement.
The Justice in Policing Act is among the most ambitious law enforcement reforms from Congress in years and confronts several aspects of policing that have come under strong criticism, especially as more and more police violence is captured on cellphone video and shared across the nation and the world.
The package limits legal protections for police, creates a national database of excessive-force encounters, and bans police chokeholds, among other changes. The changes, if enacted, would have massive implications for policing in the U.S.
It’s not clear whether the legislation will pass, especially in an election year and amid calls to “defund the police” and growing protests. Donald Trump has tried to set himself up as a “law and order” leader and has criticized the package, claiming Democrats have “gone CRAZY.”
A few things to know about the bill and how it could make a difference:
CHANGING FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS LAW
Under the proposal, the federal civil rights law that governs police misconduct would no longer require prosecutors to prove that an officer’s actions were willful, a high burden of proof. The law would allow an officer to be charged for acting with reckless disregard for someone’s life, causing that person’s death.
Under the current law, it is federal crime to willfully deprive someone of their civil rights under color of authority, but the officer also must have known what they were doing was wrong and against the law and decided to do it anyway. To prove that crime, prosecutors would need to convince a jury that the force used was more than what would be reasonably necessary to arrest or subdue a suspect, meaning convincing jurors that in the middle of an arrest the officer made a clear and willful decision to cause someone’s death.
That was a burden of proof that prosecutors said they couldn’t meet in the case of Eric Garner when they declined to bring charges against Officer Daniel Pantaleo last year.
QUALIFIED IMMUNITY
Police officers are generally not held personally liable for anything that happens on the job, including when someone dies. The concept of qualified immunity has long been a way to protect police from unnecessary lawsuits and to give them the freedom to police without fear of unnecessary retribution.
The bill would amend federal misconduct statutes to make it easier for courts to find officers personally liable for the violation of civil rights. The move could have major consequences for officers who would think twice before abusing their power, but it could also make it more difficult to recruit police nationwide. It could also potentially lead to officers being held financially liable, too. Cities often bear the brunt of misconduct claims. In a 10-year period in New York, for example, the city paid out nearly $1 billion to settle claims made against police.
INDEPENDENT AND TRANSPARENT
A long-held grievance has been that prosecutors and police have too cozy a relationship and can’t separate that out when misconduct is an issue. It is part of the investigation now into the the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in coastal Georgia. The father and son accused of killing Arbery had a long history with the local district attorney, the father having worked for the DA as an investigator for 20 years. The case is now being investigated by a separate district attorney. Some states have created a special prosecutor to investigate all misconduct claims against local police. The bill provides a grant program for state attorneys general to conduct independent investigations into problematic police departments.
A second issue is many officers who wind up involved in a fatal shooting have a long history of misconduct, including Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis officer who has been charged with murder in the death of George Floyd. He had at least a dozen complaints made against him, according to records. But those records are often not made public, making it difficult to know if officers have a track record. The bill calls for a national registry including complaints, disciplinary records, and termination records, which proponents say would be a massive step forward in transparency.
PATTERN OR PRACTICE INVESTIGATIONS
Democrats say the ability of the Justice Department’s civil rights division to perform so-called pattern or practice investigations, sweeping probes into police departments that examine whether systemic deficiencies contribute to misconduct or enable it to persist, has been curtailed. The proposal would give specific subpoena power to federal civil rights prosecutors to conduct those investigations and would aid state attorneys general with conducting similar investigations.
The Justice Department hasn’t banned pattern or practice investigations. U.S. Attorney General William Barr, however, has suggested that they may have been previously overused. As attorney general in the Obama administration, Eric Holder frequently criticized violent police confrontations and opened a series of civil rights investigations into local law enforcement practices. The civil rights investigations often ended with court-approved consent decrees that mandated reforms. The consent decrees included those with the police in Ferguson, Missouri, after the killing of Michael Brown and in Baltimore following the police custody death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.
Hours before he resigned as attorney general in November 2018, Jeff Sessions signed a memo that sharply curtailed the use of consent decrees. The policy makes their use more difficult to enact and requires top Justice Department officials to approve the deals.
SIGNIFICANT HURDLES
Other measures in the legislation are likely to face significant hurdles to enact. And there are some that police officials are likely to argue could endanger officers’ lives.
The bill calls for a ban on “no knock” warrants, which are typically executed in some of the most dangerous investigations conducted by police departments. The legislation would specifically ban no-knock warrants for all federal drug cases and would require local and state law enforcement agencies to prohibit their use to qualify for some federal funding. Oregon and Florida are the only states that have outlawed such warrants.
A no-knock warrant, as its name implies, is an order from a judge that allows police to enter a home without prior notification to the residents, such as ringing a doorbell or banging on the door. In most cases, the law requires that officers must knock and announce themselves before entering a private home to execute a search warrant. Police would generally seek a no-knock warrant if the situation might be extraordinarily dangerous or if a suspect is likely to destroy evidence when police knock on the door. But critics have said their use has increased dramatically in recent years and some departments use them routinely in cases that don’t merit such an exception.
There has been a growing call to ban no-knock warrants since 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed in her Louisville home by officers in March.