Biden Speaks on COVID-19 Economic Relief, Remarks on his Administration’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Biden halts border wall building after Trump’s final surge

Posted on January 24, 2021 by ingon

Biden Speaks on COVID-19 Economic Relief, Remarks on his Administration’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Biden halts border wall building after Trump’s final surge

PBS News, NBC News, MSNBC, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Global News and The Associated Press

PBS News: WATCH LIVE: Biden speaks on COVID-19 economic relief, Biden delivers remarks on his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PBS NewsHour full episode, Jan. 21 & 22, 2021, Psaki holds White House briefing as Biden readies COVID economic relief plan, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki gives news briefing, Jan 21.2021

NBC News: NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) – January 21^st & 22^nd, 2021

MSNBC: Biden Signs Executive Actions Impacting Other Countries Worldwide | Stephanie Ruhle | MSNBC, Jan 22, 2021

Late Night with Seth Meyers: Biden Gets to Work Undoing Trump’s Damage: A Closer Look, Fundraiser, Jan 21, 2021

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Biden Inherits the Mess of a Lying Madman, Jan 21, 2021, and John Oliver on Biden’s Inauguration, Trump’s Bizarre Departure & Becoming a U.S. Citizen, Jan 21, 2021

Global News: Inauguration Day: World leaders react to Biden becoming 46th US president, Jan 20, 2021

The Associated Press: Biden halts border wall building after Trump’s final surge by ELLIOT SPAGAT today

WATCH LIVE: Biden speaks on COVID-19 economic relief

Streamed live 25 minutes ago, (Jan.22.2021) PBS NewsHour

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WATCH LIVE: Biden delivers remarks on his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Streamed live 17 hours ago, Jan. 21.2021 PBS NewsHour

PBS NewsHour full episode, Jan. 22, 2021

Jan 22, 2021 PBS NewsHour

Friday on the NewsHour, the new president continues a flurry of executive orders with actions aimed at counteracting the economic damage wrought by COVID-19 and former President Trump leaves office with mounting debt, devalued assets and a scarcity of lenders. Also, Brooks and Capehart on the week’s historic inauguration, the Biden administration’s early actions and a looming impeachment trial. WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS Biden tackles pandemic’s devastating impact on the economy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJbzP… Senate nearing a deal on start of an impeachment trial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAbBJ… News Wrap: Biden moves to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine supply https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIKFD… Trump leaves office facing mounting debt, devalued assets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTNQU… Austin becomes first African American to lead the Pentagon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0SbF… Brooks and Capehart on Biden’s agenda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pGXJ… A look back at the life of baseball legend Hank Aaron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktywB… Remembering 5 extraordinary lives lost to COVID-19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S1Nj… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour full episode, January 21, 2021

Jan 21, 2021 PBS NewsHour

Thursday on the NewsHour, a new presidency begins with a flurry of executive orders that overturn many of former President Trump’s policies, we discuss the new administration and the Democrats taking control of the U.S. Senate with voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, and the disconnect between production and distribution leads to an alarming backlog of coronavirus vaccine doses. WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS Biden begins presidency with a flurry of executive orders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO74v… Biden calls for a wartime approach to the pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8qoo… New White House press secretary on Biden’s first 100 days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvreX… News Wrap: Suicide bombings kill at least 32 people in Iraq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_pl4… Stacey Abrams on Biden’s leadership and voter suppression https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s22J… Companies try to avoid bottleneck in vaccine distribution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUmm7… Matt Nathanson’s Brief But Spectacular take on confidence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqVPr… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

WATCH LIVE: Psaki holds White House briefing as Biden readies COVID economic relief plan

Streamed live 2 hours ago PBS NewsHour (1:36:14)

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WATCH LIVE: White House press secretary Jen Psaki gives news briefing

Streamed live 20 hours ago, Jan 21.2021 PBS NewsHour

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NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) – January 22nd, 2021 | NBC Nightly News

Jan 22, 2021 NBC News

Former President Trump’s second impeachment trial to start in February, families and small businesses desperate for pandemic relief, and British PM Johnson warns U.K. Covid variant may be more deadly. Watch “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt” at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT (or check your local listings). 00:00 Intro 02:04 Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial Set For Feb. 8th Week 03:10 Biden Signs New Pandemic Economic Relief Orders 03:39 100 Million Doses In First 100 Days Ambitious Enough? 04:11 National Guardsmen Forced To Sleep In Parking Garage 04:36 At Least 150 National Guardsmen In D.C. Test Positive 05:12 American Families & Small Businesses Desperate For Help 06:48 Boris Johnson: U.K. Variant May Be More Deadly 08:40 Texas Threatens To Slash Doses Over County’s Plan 09:17 Minority Communities Furthest Behind In Vaccinations 09:52 U.S. Struggles To Ramp Up Vaccine Distribution 10:36 CVS & Walgreens To Offer In-Store COVID Vaccinations 12:58 Tonight’s Mega Millions Jackpot Soars To $1 Billion 13:02 $731 Million Powerball Winner Remains A Mystery 13:15 Tom Brokaw Retires After 55 Years With NBC News » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews

NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) – January 21st, 2021 | NBC Nightly News

Jan 21, 2021 NBC News

President Biden signs executive orders to fight coronavirus pandemic, U.S. marks deadliest day of coronavirus pandemic, and inaugural poet Amanda Gorman discusses her powerful message. Watch “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt” at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT (or check your local listings). 00:00 Intro 02:10 Biden Unveils ‘Wartime’ National COVID Strategy 02:48 Dr. Anthony Fauci Returns To White House Briefings 03:11 Fauci: Vaccine Effort Is ‘Not Starting From Scratch’ 03:31 Fauci: U.S. May Have ‘A Degree Of Normality’ By Fall 03:49 Fauci: ‘Liberating’ Working Under New Administration 03:57 Republicans Slam Biden’s Executive Orders & Policies 04:20 Pelosi: Impeachment Dosen’t Undermine Call To ‘Unify’ 04:43 McConnell Wants To Delay Impeachment Trial To February 05:16 Alarming COVID Vaccine Shortages Across Country 07:26 Growing Fears Over Highly Contagious COVID Variants 08:45 U.S. Marks Deadlist Day Of COVID Pandemic 10:25 Deadly Military Chopper Crash In New York 10:49 Americans Voters On Biggest Issue Biden Faces 13:57 Inside President Biden’s Revamped Oval Office 15:55 Lifesaving COVID Antibody Drugs Going Unused 17:22 Single Ticket Wins $731 Million Powerball Jackpot » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews

Biden Signs Executive Actions Impacting Other Countries Worldwide | Stephanie Ruhle | MSNBC

Jan 22, 2021 MSNBC

President Biden is making his first call to a foreign leader today since his inauguration, putting a focus on the United States’ relationship with other countries around the world. Eurasia Group founder and president Ian Bremmer join Stephanie Ruhle to discuss why his call might be a little tense. Aired on 01/22/2021. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, Meet the Press Daily, The Beat with Ari Melber, Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, Hardball, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more. Connect with MSNBC Online Visit msnbc.com: http://on.msnbc.com/Readmsnbc Subscribe to MSNBC Newsletter: http://MSNBC.com/NewslettersYouTube Find MSNBC on Facebook: http://on.msnbc.com/Likemsnbc Follow MSNBC on Twitter: http://on.msnbc.com/Followmsnbc Follow MSNBC on Instagram: http://on.msnbc.com/Instamsnbc #Biden #IanBremmer #MSNBC Biden Signs Executive Actions Impacting Other Countries Worldwide | Stephanie Ruhle | MSNBC

Dr. Fauci’s First Briefing of the Biden Administration

Jan 22, 2021 NowThis News

Dr. Fauci said it’s ‘liberating’ to work in a science-based administration under Biden. » Subscribe to NowThis: http://go.nowth.is/News_Subscribe » Sign up for our newsletter KnowThis to get the biggest stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox: https://go.nowth.is/KnowThis For more Biden news and U.S. politics, subscribe to NowThis News. #Biden #COVID19 #Politics #News #NowThis #NowThisNews Connect with NowThis » Like us on Facebook: http://go.nowth.is/News_Facebook » Tweet us on Twitter: http://go.nowth.is/News_Twitter » Follow us on Instagram: http://go.nowth.is/News_Instagram » Find us on Snapchat Discover: http://go.nowth.is/News_Snapchat NowThis is your premier news outlet providing you with all the videos you need to stay up to date on all the latest in trending news. From entertainment to politics, to viral videos and breaking news stories, we’re delivering all you need to know straight to your social feeds. We live where you live. http://www.youtube.com/nowthisnews @nowthisnews

Biden Gets to Work Undoing Trump’s Damage: A Closer Look

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Jan 21, 2021 Late Night with Seth Meyers

Seth takes a closer look at Joe Biden working to clean up the mess left by Donald Trump on his first full day as president, making Republicans lose their minds. Late Night with Seth Meyers is supporting God’s Love We Deliver to help those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. God’s Love We Deliver is a New York City-based organization that for over 30 years has provided personalized meals and nutrition counseling, free of charge, to those living with severe illnesses. With the help of 17,000 volunteers, God’s Love We Deliver provides over 2 million free meals each year to thousands of New York’s most vulnerable. Click the button on the above/below to donate or visit www.glwd.org. Late Night with Seth Meyers. Stream now on Peacock: https://bit.ly/3erP2gX Subscribe to Late Night: http://bit.ly/LateNightSeth

Biden Inherits the Mess of a Lying Madman

Jan 21, 2021 Jimmy Kimmel Live

It was our first full day of Trumplessness here in the USA and there were no crazy tweets from the POTUS accounts, Tom Hanks hosted a star-studded “Celebrating America” concert for the Inauguration, President Biden hit the ground running by signing many Executive Orders, Dr. Fauci returned with lots of information about the COVID-19 response, Trump plans his return to the political stage while Lindsey Graham continues to butter him up in Washington, the prophecies that the QAnon crowd has built their life around did not come to fruition, Trump’s final lie tally was 30,573, and we take a trip down memory lane with a 41 pun salute to the many nicknames we have given Donald Trump over the past four years, brought to life in a song by the great Rufus Wainwright. SUBSCRIBE to get the latest #Kimmel: http://bit.ly/JKLSubscribe Watch Mean Tweets: http://bit.ly/KimmelMT10

John Oliver on Biden’s Inauguration, Trump’s Bizarre Departure & Becoming a U.S. Citizen

Jan 21, 2021 Jimmy Kimmel Live

John talks about the challenges of doing his show from home, Joe Biden being sworn in as President, becoming a U.S. citizen while Trump was in office, returning to work on Valentine’s Day, friends from England calling him to talk about the state of the world, and the Capitol attacks. SUBSCRIBE to get the latest #Kimmel: http://bit.ly/JKLSubscribe Watch Mean Tweets: http://bit.ly/KimmelMT10

Inauguration Day: World leaders react to Biden becoming 46th US president

Jan 20, 2021 Global News

As Joe Biden took the oath of office and became the 46th president of the United States, world leaders gave various reactions to the incoming administration, some with hope and ambitious plans. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Biden and said he hoped to confront shared challenges including “the threat posed by Iran.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson started Wednesday’s question period in the U.K.’s House of Commons by congratulating Biden and saying he’s looking forward to working with him on common interests. Johnson was joined by both the speaker of the house and the labour party opposition leader in congratulating Biden. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the election of Joe Biden was a “victory of democracy over the far-right” following the violent attack on the U.S. Capital by Trump supporters on Jan. 6. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged Biden’s administration to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement and lift sanctions on Tehran, while welcoming the end of President Donald Trump’s era of “oppression and corruption.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen smiled as she congratulated Biden and Harris, saying “Europe has a friend in the White House,” during an EU Parliament address. French President Emanuel Macron, Canadian Prime minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi all tweeted congratulating Biden and Harris on Inauguration Day. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/7587966/jo… Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews

https://apnews.com/article/biden-inauguration-joe-biden-donald-trump-oceans-coronavirus-pandemic-bc664278ac096e6ff878116034ec06bb

The Associated Press: Biden halts border wall building after Trump’s final surge

By ELLIOT SPAGAT today

A man looks through the first wall at Friendship Park, near where the border separating Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego meets the Pacific Ocean Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as symbol of international friendship. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean, which then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as a symbol of international friendship.

Biden on Wednesday ordered a “pause” on all wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive orders issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration.

The order leaves billions of dollars of work unfinished — but still under contract — after Trump worked feverishly last year to build more than 450 miles (720 kilometers), a goal he said he achieved eight days before leaving office.

As of Jan. 15, the government spent $6.1 billion of the $10.8 billion in work it signed contracts to have done, according to a Senate Democratic aide with knowledge of the contracts who spoke on condition of anonymity because details have not been made public. The full amount under contract would have extended Trump’s wall to 664 miles (1,069 kilometers).

Biden, seeking to fulfill a pledge not to build “another foot,” gave his administration two months to determine how much it would cost to cancel contracts and whether money could be spent elsewhere. The Senate aide said fees would be negotiated with contractors and the administration would seek to spend whatever’s left on related uses on the border, such as roads, lights, sensors and other technology.

Publicly, the Trump administration said it secured $15 billion for the wall. The Senate aide said it was actually $16.45 billion as of Wednesday, $5.8 billion of which was appropriated by Congress and the rest diverted from the Defense and Treasury departments.

The Trump administration notified the Senate aide on Jan. 14 that it was moving ahead with a contract for $863 million, but it was not awarded.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which has awarded wall contracts with Defense Department money, said Thursday that it told crews not to install any additional barriers and to limit activity over the next few days to what is “necessary to safely prepare each site for a suspension of work.”

John Kurc, an activist who posts videos of dynamite blasts by wall construction crews, said he saw one dynamite charge being set Wednesday afternoon in Guadalupe Canyon in easternmost Arizona, even as the inauguration was playing out in Washington.

Heavy machines have been crawling over roadways gouged into rocky mountainsides, tapping open holes for posts on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property.

Advocates in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest area for illegal crossings, and near Nogales, Arizona, saw idle construction equipment Thursday.

But in San Diego, crews were out replacing a steel fence with imposing, tightly spaced poles topped with flat steel plates rising 30 feet (9 meters), said Dan Watman of Friends of Friendship Park, a group that promotes public access to the cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Contractors began last week, said Watman, who was informed of the project in a December conference call with Border Patrol agents but got no explanation for it. The agency referred questions to the White House, which had no immediate comment.

Trump said the border wall would be “virtually impenetrable” and paid for by Mexico, which never happened. While the wall is much more formidable than the barriers it replaced, it isn’t uncommon for smugglers to guide people over or through it. Portions can be sawed with power tools sold at home improvement stores.

Despite Trump’s bravado, Border Patrol officials have said the wall was never meant to stop everyone but rather to slow their advance.

Jose Edgar Zuleta, whose business selling religious jewelry in the Mexican city of Puebla dried up during the coronavirus pandemic, cleared two walls in Friendship Park in October with a special ladder. He moved through brush in a heavily patrolled area for about half an hour before getting caught. His 21-year-old son, who went ahead of him, got picked up hours later.

The cross-border park has hosted yoga classes, concerts and countless news conferences, including one in 2018 with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to announce a “zero tolerance” policy that caused thousands of children to be separated from their parents at the border.

An old bullfighting ring and ocean-view restaurants surround the Mexican side; wetland scrub stretches into the United States.

Years ago, people passed baked goods, kissed and shook hands through a chain-link fence. Watman remembers passing tools back and forth in 2007 to plant a cross-border garden that still stands.

Since 2012, after construction of a double wall at the park, the Border Patrol has opened a gate many weekends for up to 10 people at a time to exchange words with those in Mexico.

SLSCO Ltd. of Galveston, Texas, won contracts to build double walls blanketing 14 miles (22 kilometers) in San Diego. Company spokeswoman Liz Rogers said work at Friendship Park is separate and done by another company.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments next month on whether the government’ illegally diverted billions of dollars from the Defense Department to build the wall after Congress denied money that Trump sought, triggering a 35-day government shutdown in 2017.

It is unclear if Biden will adopt Trump’s position before the Supreme Court. The government’s brief is due Feb. 11.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador welcomed Biden’s decision to stop wall construction but, in defense of Trump, noted that U.S. presidents going back to 1990s built border barriers. He displayed a chart to prove his point

An incomplete secondary wall stands alongside the previous version near where the border separating Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego meets the Pacific Ocean Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as symbol of international friendship. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull

A man passes at Friendship Park, near where the border separating Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego meets the Pacific Ocean Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as symbol of international friendship. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

FILE – Crews construct a section of border wall in San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in Douglas, Ariz. President Biden on Wednesday ordered a “pause” on all wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive edicts issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. The order leaves projects across the border unfinished and under contract after Trump worked feverishly last year to reach 450 miles, a goal he announced was achieved eight days before leaving office. (AP Photo/Matt York)

FILE – A pathway cleared by explosives to make way for border wall construction separates Mexico, right, and the United States, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, in Guadalupe Canyon, Ariz. President Biden on Wednesday ordered a “pause” on all wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive edicts issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. The order leaves projects across the border unfinished and under contract after Trump worked feverishly last year to reach 450 miles, a goal he announced was achieved eight days before leaving office. (AP Photo/Matt York)

People look at the monument at Friendship Park, near where the border separating Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego meets the Pacific Ocean Thursday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as symbol of international friendship. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Then-first lady Pat Nixon speaks at the dedication of Friendship Park in San Diego, on the border with Tijuana, Mexico, on Aug. 18, 1971. In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as symbol of international friendship. Biden on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 ordered a “pause” on all wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive edicts issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. (Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum via AP)

Then-first lady Pat Nixon greets people at the dedication of Friendship Park in San Diego and Tinjana, Mexico on Aug. 18, 1971. In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as symbol of international friendship. Biden on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 ordered a “pause” on all wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive edicts issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. (Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum via AP)

Then-first lady Pat Nixon reaches from San Diego across the border – then marked by a barbed wire fence – to greet people on the Tijuana, Mexico side during the dedication of Friendship Park on Aug. 18, 1971. In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as symbol of international friendship. Biden on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 ordered a “pause” on all wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive edicts issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. (Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum via AP)

In this Aug. 18, 1971, image provided by the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, then-first lady Pat Nixon talks with people in San Diego while people across the border, marked by a barbed wire fence, watch from the Tijuana, Mexico, side during the dedication of Friendship Park. In the days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as a symbol of international friendship. Biden on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, ordered a “pause” on all wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive edicts issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. (Courtesy of Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum via AP)

Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant in Houston, Anita Snow in Phoenix and Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed.

This story has been corrected to show that border wall contractor SLSCO Ltd. says another company is doing the work at Friendship Park in San Diego.

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Posted on July 2, 2020 by ingon

PBS News: June26 – July 1, 2020, #WashWeekPBS Full Episode: Coronavirus infections spike and President Trump’s polls sink Washington Week, #WashWeekPBS Extra: DOJ Official alleges political interference in the case of Roger Stone, and A career CIA officer on Russian bounty

CNN: Hear why Roberts sided with liberals on Supreme Court abortion ruling, Russia offered cash rewards to Taliban fighters to kill US troops in Afghanistan, and See Anderson Cooper’s reaction to Mike Pence using the ‘m-word’

MSNBC: Russia Paid Bounties To Kill US Troops, US Intel Says; Trump Mum: NYT | Rachel Maddow, Velshi: Trump’s Theatrics Are Killing Americans, Retired Four Star General: ‘In 50 years I’ve Never Seen Anything Like This’ | Deadline, Watch the top news stories and highlights from The Rachel Maddow Show, Watch All In With Chris Hayes Highlights, ‘New Low’: Army Veteran Hits Trump Over Russian Plot Against Troops, ‘New Low’: Army Veteran Hits Trump Over Russian Plot Against Troops Mask, Congressional Briefings On Russian Bounties Raise New Questions For Trump Administration, Schiff On GOP Reps Boycotting Intelligence Briefings On Russian Bounties, Sen. Murphy: What On Earth Could Russia Do To Us That Trump Would Take Seriously? | All In, and Bash Says ‘It’s Inconceivable’ Trump Would Not Be Told About A Direct Threat to U.S. Troops

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The New York Times nytdirect@nytimes.com Jun 30, 2020

The Associated Press: after briefing: White House aware of Russian bounties in 2019; GOP lawmakers urge action and Trump’s two contradictory Russias confound coherent US policy; President faces pressure from Congress on bounties

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PBS NewsHour full episode, July 1, 2020

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Jul 1, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Wednesday on the NewsHour, cases of coronavirus continue to rise in many U.S. states, but the majority are still moving forward with plans to reopen. Plus: Russian President Vladimir Putin secures additional years in power, will students go back to school in the fall, crackdown in Hong Kong, Rep. Pramila Jayapal on political change, COVID-19 treatments, closing the racial divide and Now Read This. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 30, 2020

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Jun 30, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Tuesday on the NewsHour, U.S. health officials sound new alarm as coronavirus cases surge in several states. Plus: Speaker Nancy Pelosi on congressional pandemic relief, a public health expert on Arizona’s outbreak, remembering Carl Reiner, reports of Russian bounty payments to the Taliban, a challenge to build cheaper ventilators, Israeli’s annexation plan and palliative care in a pandemic. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS In states with virus surge, reopening plans put on hold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLksT… Pelosi blames McConnell for holding up more pandemic relief https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwE_7… How local behavior drove Arizona into a coronavirus crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcg8W… News Wrap: Controversial Hong Kong security bill becomes law https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztofS… Remembering Carl Reiner, beloved comedy actor and director https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xMs6… CIA veteran on Russia bounty intel — and potential leaks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kotip… Scuba gear, coffee makers inspire design of new ventilators https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsFb2… What’s at stake with Israel’s West Bank annexation plan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DGsu… A Brief But Spectacular take on compassion during COVID-19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49P7D… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 29, 2020

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Jun 29, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Monday on the NewsHour, lawmakers react to reports Russia offered the Taliban bounties to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Plus: The coronavirus continues to surge as infections rise in over 30 states, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law, the British ambassador to the U.S., Politics Monday and a long road to the Olympics for athletes from South Sudan. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS News Wrap: Golden State Killer will serve life in prison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWQAX… Schiff on reports of Russian bounties on U.S. troops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Puxo… Thornberry on U.S. response to Russian troop bounty intel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ssIX… Frieden on alarming spread of coronavirus in 30 U.S. states https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVpUI… What SCOTUS decision on La. law means for abortion rights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Cco… UK ambassador on Russian ‘malign activity’ in Afghanistan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkRpX… Tamara Keith and Errin Haines on Trump’s race ‘playbook’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr8eu… Japan helps 5 South Sudanese runners preserve Olympic dreams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24t7S… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode, June 28, 2020

Jun 28, 2020 PBS NewsHour

On this edition for Sunday, June 28, the number of coronavirus cases worldwide crosses ten million with the U.S. leading with over 2.5 million cases. Also, the race to change names and overhaul brands amid a historic reckoning over racism and how Samoa island is finding alternatives to plastic. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from Florida. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour Weekend full episode June 27, 2020

Jun 27, 2020 PBS NewsHour

On this edition for Saturday, June 27, COVID-19 cases surge across the country prompting some states to rollback reopening, and the unpredictable race for a coronavirus vaccine. Also, how the dream of home ownership for many low-income families has turned into a nightmare. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from Florida. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 26, 2020

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Jun 26, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Friday on the NewsHour, the fate of the Affordable Care Act is in question again, as the Trump administration argues the law is unconstitutional. Plus: Efforts to curtail the surge of coronavirus meet resistance, President Trump’s response to nationwide protests of racial injustice, the push for D.C. statehood, Shields and Brooks, remembering victims of COVID-19 and Black representation in theater. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS News Wrap: Seattle fails to clear protester ‘occupied zone’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWavz… What happens if ACA is struck down during pandemic? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocSqe… In Arizona, a tale of 2 pandemic realities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCF6G… Trump’s view on police reform, race in the pandemic and ACA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwrY2… The constitutional and political obstacles to D.C. statehood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAe-t… Shields and Brooks on Trump’s polls, pandemic health care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNgB6… Stories of 5 Americans killed by the coronavirus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzvMk… On Broadway, Black artists push for racial equity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NARi… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

#WashWeekPBS Full Episode: Coronavirus infections spike and President Trump’s polls sink

Jun 26, 2020 Washington Week

The coronavirus pandemic is spreading rapidly in many states, with more than 40,000 new cases on Thursday alone, and spikes in Florida, Texas, and California. This week the panel discussed how some Republicans may break with President Donald Trump on how to safely reopen the country. They also discussed how police reform efforts following the death of George Floyd have has stalled on Capitol Hill. Panel: Abby Phillip, Political Correspondent for CNN Kasie Hunt, Capitol Hill Correspondent for NBC News, Host of “Kasie DC” on MSNBC Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent for The Washington Post Jonathan Lemire, White House Reporter for the Associated Press

#WashWeekPBS Extra: DOJ Official alleges political interference in the case of Roger Stone

Jun 26, 2020 Washington Week

Want even more #WashWeekPBS? Watch the Extra where the panel discussed allegations that Trump administration political appointees pushed the Department of Justice to drop a case against Trump ally Roger Stone and the latest news from the 2020 campaign trail. Panel: Dan Balz of The Washington Post, Kasie Hunt of NBC News, Jonathan Lemire of the Associated Press, Abby Phillip of CNN

Hear why Roberts sided with liberals on Supreme Court abortion ruling

Jun 29, 2020 CNN

CNN ‘s Jessica Schneider and chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin break down the Supreme Court decision to block a Louisiana abortion law and why Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal justices. #CNN #News

Russia Paid Bounties To Kill US Troops, US Intel Says; Trump Mum: NYT | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

Jun 27, 2020 MSNBC

Rachel Maddow reviews the details of a New York Times report that U.S. intelligence told Donald Trump in March that Russia was paying bounties to Taliban fighters to kill coalition troops, including U.S. troops. Trump has yet to respond and instead has advocated for Russia’s return to the G8. Aired on 6/26/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, Meet the Press Daily, The Beat with Ari Melber, Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, Hardball, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more. Connect with MSNBC Online Visit msnbc.com: http://on.msnbc.com/Readmsnbc Subscribe to MSNBC Newsletter: http://MSNBC.com/NewslettersYouTube Find MSNBC on Facebook: http://on.msnbc.com/Likemsnbc Follow MSNBC on Twitter: http://on.msnbc.com/Followmsnbc Follow MSNBC on Instagram: http://on.msnbc.com/Instamsnbc Russia Paid Bounties To Kill US Troops, US Intel Says; Trump Mum: NYT | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

NYT Reports Putin Put Bounty on US Troops. Trump’s Silence is Deafening

Jun 27, 2020 Glenn Kirschner

The New York Times reported that Russian President Putin offered to pay Afghan militants to kill US soldiers. Trump reportedly was briefed about this months ago yet has said and apparently done nothing about it. Trump’s disturbingly cozy and subservient relationship with Putin is a danger to our country, our military men and women and all of our citizens.

Velshi: Trump’s Theatrics Are Killing Americans | MSNBC

Jun 27, 2020 MSNBC

MSNBC’s Ali Velshi says the president’s “nonsense talking points” are no match for the coronavirus pandemic’s deadly reality. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, Meet the Press Daily, The Beat with Ari Melber, Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more.

Russia offered cash rewards to Taliban fighters to kill US troops in Afghanistan

Jun 28, 2020 CNN

Russian intelligence officers for the military intelligence GRU recently offered money to Taliban militants in Afghanistan as rewards if they killed US or UK troops there, a European intelligence official told CNN.

Retired Four Star General: ‘In 50 years I’ve Never Seen Anything Like This’ | Deadline | MSNBC

Jun 30, 2020 MSNBC

Former National Security Council member General Barry McCaffrey and former special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Brett McGurk on why they believe the national security process is broken amid reports the U.S. had intelligence that Russia offered and paid the Taliban bounty to kill U.S. troops. Aired on 6/30/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc

Jun 30, 2020 MSNBC

Watch the top news stories and highlights from The Rachel Maddow Show, airing weeknights at 9 p.m. on MSNBC. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news and in-depth analysis of the headlines, as well as informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more. Connect with MSNBC Online Visit msnbc.com: http://on.msnbc.com/Readmsnbc Subscribe to MSNBC Newsletter: MSNBC.com/NewslettersYouTube Find MSNBC on Facebook: http://on.msnbc.com/Likemsnbc Follow MSNBC on Twitter: http://on.msnbc.com/Followmsnbc Follow MSNBC on Instagram: http://on.msnbc.com/Instamsnbc Watch Rachel Maddow Highlights: June 29 | MSNBC

Watch All In With Chris Hayes Highlights: June 29 | MSNBC

Jun 30, 2020 MSNBC

Get the latest news and commentary from Chris Hayes weekdays at 8 p.m. ET on MSNBC. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news and in-depth analysis of the headlines, as well as informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more.

‘New Low’: Army Veteran Hits Trump Over Russian Plot Against Troops | MSNBC

Jun 30, 2020 MSNBC

The Trump White House is under fire for its response to Russia paying bounties to kill U.S. troops. Veteran Paul Rieckhoff tells MSNBC’S Ari Melber Trump must be “dragged in front of the American people” to face accountability. (This interview is from MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber, a news show covering politics, law and culture airing nightly at 6pm ET on MSNBC. http://www.thebeatwithari.com). Aired on 6/30/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc

‘New Low’: Army Veteran Hits Trump Over Russian Plot Against Troops Mask | MSNBC

Jun 30, 2020 MSNBC

A new spike in the coronavirus is impacting public health in the U.S. — and Donald Trump’s campaign. Trump allies are now pleading with Trump to follow his own CDC guidelines, including wearing a mask, a point MSNBC’s Ari Melber explores with Compton Mayor Aja Brown and ER Dr. Megan Ranney. (This interview is from MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber, a news show covering politics, law and culture airing nightly at 6pm ET on MSNBC. http://www.thebeatwithari.com). Aired on 6/30/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc

A career CIA officer on Russian bounty

Jun 30, 2020 PBS NewsHour

The NewsHour has reported that Russian military intelligence provided financial incentives to the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan — and that this intelligence was always briefed up to senior U.S. government officials. But the White House say President Trump was unaware of the possible Russian bounty payments. Nick Schifrin talks to Douglas London, who had a 34-year career in the CIA. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

Congressional Briefings On Russian Bounties Raise New Questions For Trump Administration | MSNBC

Jun 30, 2020 MSNBC

Brett McGurk, Jeremy Bash, and Peter Baker join Andrea Mitchell to discuss the latest reporting on what the Trump administration knew and when about Russia’s attempt to pay the Taliban to target U.S. troops in Afghanistan, after Congressional Democrats and Republicans receive separate briefings on the subject. Aired on 06/30/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc

NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) – June 30th, 2020 | NBC Nightly News

Jun 30, 2020 NBC News

California, Arizona reverse reopening plans, Fauci warns U.S. coronavirus cases could increase to 100,000 a day, and in-depth look at the lack of diversity in mental health professionals. Watch “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt” at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT (or check your local listings). » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews

Ex-FBI deputy director: Here’s what briefing Trump is like

Jul 1, 2020 CNN

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe recounts his experience briefing President Donald Trump after the White House defended Trump from accusations that he does not read his briefings. #CNN #News

The New York Times <nytdirect@nytimes.com> TheMorning

Jun 30, 2020

By David Leonhardt

Good morning. Trump was briefed on the Russian bounty program months ago. The coronavirus is hitting California hard. And the Supreme Court rules against both abortion restrictions and financial regulation.

How to make sense of the Roberts court

Anti-abortion activists in front of the Supreme Court on Monday.Alex Wong/Getty Images

For anyone trying to make sense of the Supreme Court run by Chief Justice John Roberts, yesterday’s two big decisions were helpful.

In the more prominent one, Roberts joined the court’s four liberal justices to strike down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law. It was the third major decision this month in which Roberts sided with the liberals, having already done so on L.G.B.T.Q. rights and immigration.

The cases have been reminders that the Roberts court is not reliably conservative on every issue, even though Republican presidents appointed five of the nine justices, including Roberts. Over the years, the court has also established a constitutional right to same-sex marriage (with Anthony Kennedy, now retired, as the swing vote); declined to outlaw affirmative action; upheld most parts of Obamacare; and more. These decisions have left many conservatives feeling betrayed.

Yet there is at least one big area in which the Roberts court has continued to lean strongly right: business regulation.

With rare exceptions, the justices have restricted the government’s ability to regulate corporate America. And there was another example yesterday, when the court gave Trump more authority to neutralize the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an Obama administration creation. The decision was 5 to 4, with the five Republican-appointed justices all on one side and the Democratic appointees on the other.

Similar decisions in the past have overturned campaign-finance law, blocked action on climate change, restricted labor-union activities, reduced workers’ ability to sue their employers and more. As The Times’s Adam Liptak has written, the Roberts court’s rulings have been “far friendlier to business than those of any court since at least World War II.”

These decisions have been part of a larger trend, too. Government policy over the past half-century has generally given more power to corporate executives and less power to their workers. That’s one reason incomes for the affluent have risen so much faster than they have for any other income group.

Whatever you think of the Roberts court, I’d encourage you not to treat it with one broad brush. On some major social issues, it has been moderate or even liberal. On economic issues, the story is very different. Yesterday’s two decisions captured the contrast.

More on the history: “For the past half-century, the court has been drawing up plans for a more economically unequal nation, and that is the America that is now being built,” the journalist Adam Cohen writes in his recent book, “Supreme Inequality.”

More from The Times: Adam Liptak writes about Roberts: “15 years into his tenure, he now wields a level of influence that has caused experts to hunt for historical comparisons.” And Sabrina Tavernise and Elizabeth Dias explain that the abortion ruling doesn’t necessarily mean Roberts will ultimately uphold Roe v. Wade.

FOUR MORE BIG STORIES

1. Trump was briefed on Russian bounties

The Times has reported that U.S. officials briefed President Trump in February about Russia’s payment of bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Trump and other administration officials have claimed otherwise in recent days.

The intelligence was included in Trump’s President’s Daily Brief document — a compilation of the latest secrets and best insights about foreign policy and national security. The information was also disseminated more broadly across the intelligence community in an article in the C.I.A.’s World Intelligence Review.

2. Trouble in California

Coronavirus rates are rising in every Western state, including deep-blue California, Oregon and Washington. The pattern shows that the spread of the virus isn’t a reflection only of the partisan divides over whether to wear masks and listen to Trump’s advice.

Much of the Western U.S. appears to have grown complacent about the virus, after having avoided bad outbreaks earlier this year. “Unlike people in the Northeast, many Californians did not have a sense of urgency or immediacy toward the virus because infection rates had been so low for months,” The Times reports, in a close look at the state.

By The New York Times

In other virus developments:

The governors of New York and New Jersey said they were reconsidering plans to allow indoor dining because of concerns over the surges in the West and the South.
Studies have found that most transmission of the virus comes from a small number of so-called superspreaders. Now scientists are trying to figure out why — and how they can stop it.

3. China cracks down on Hong Kong

China passed a national security law today that will empower the government in Beijing to crack down on dissent from Hong Kong. Activists expect China to use the law to stifle pro-democracy protests like the ones that have filled Hong Kong’s streets over the last year.

Yesterday, in anticipation of the law, the U.S. placed new restrictions on exports of defense equipment and some high-tech products to Hong Kong.

A nuclear concern: The Trump administration is describing China’s small but growing nuclear arsenal as an imposing threat and hopes to bring Beijing into an arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia.

4. When work-from-home failed

Getty Images

Who needs offices? Employers like Facebook are becoming excited about the long-term prospect of remote working, mostly because of the money it saves. But decades of setbacks suggest a bumpy road ahead. In the past, IBM, Best Buy and other companies scrapped work-from-home experiments after finding that telecommuting diminished accountability and creativity.

But maybe this time really is different, because of the combination of a major health crisis and better technologies like Zoom. Some retailers, expecting that work from home is here to stay, are revamping their offerings to concentrate on a new kind of workplace clothing: the Zoom Shirt.

Here’s what else is happening

The South Pole is one of the most rapidly warming places on the planet, with temperatures rising three times faster than the global average since the 1990s.
More online platforms are taking action against Trump and his associates: Reddit yesterday banned a major pro-Trump forum, “The_Donald,” and the streaming site Twitch suspended the president’s account for “hateful conduct.”
Expect political news today, including a Democratic Senate primary in Colorado and the results of the close Democratic Senate primary in Kentucky, between Amy McGrath and Charles Booker.
Joseph James DeAngelo, whose California crime spree in the 1970s and ’80s earned him the nickname the Golden State Killer, pleaded guilty yesterday to 13 counts of first-degree murder.
Lives Lived: As the wife of an ambassador and White House chief of protocol, the Dow Chemical heiress Ruth Buchanan entertained world leaders and dazzled American society at her opulent mansions in Washington and Newport, R.I. She has died at 101.

IDEA OF THE DAY: A LOW-IMPACT INQUIRY

Robert Mueller’s two-year Russia investigation uncovered a lot of incriminating material. It found eager attempts by Trump campaign officials to collaborate with Vladimir Putin’s government, as well as multiple efforts by Trump to interfere in investigations of himself and his allies.

Yet Mueller’s work had virtually no impact. It changed few Americans’ minds. Mueller’s report wasn’t even powerful enough to spur much action by House Democrats. They instead impeached Trump over a later phone call with the president of Ukraine.

In the new issue of The New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin has reconstructed the Mueller investigation in an effort to explain why it was ineffectual. Toobin’s conclusion: Trump’s lawyers and Attorney General William Barr consistently outmaneuvered Mueller and his team. The Trump side played political hardball, while Mueller was slow, afraid of confrontation and ultimately naïve, Toobin argues.

“Mueller had an abundance of legitimate targets to investigate, and his failures emerged from an excess of caution, not of zeal,” Toobin writes. “Mueller forfeited the opportunity to speak clearly and directly about Trump’s crimes, and Barr filled the silence with his high-volume exoneration.”

More from The Post

Schiff On GOP Reps Boycotting Intelligence Briefings On Russian Bounties, Sen. Murphy: What On Earth Could Russia Do To Us That Trump Would Take Seriously? | All In, and Bash Says ‘It’s Inconceivable’ Trump Would Not Be Told About A Direct Threat To U.S. Troops

Schiff On GOP Reps Boycotting Intelligence Briefings On Russian Bounties | All In | MSNBC

Jun 29, 2020 MSNBC

Rep. Schiff says Republicans have been boycotting House Intel Committee briefings: “We’ve had important briefings on national security issues…and for whatever reason they’ve decided en masse they’re not going to attend, and so they’re ignoring the work of the Committee.” Aired on 6/29/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc

Sen. Murphy: What On Earth Could Russia Do To Us That Trump Would Take Seriously? | All In | MSNBC

Jun 29, 2020 MSNBC

Sen. Chris Murphy on White House response to Russia offering bounties for American soldiers: “We didn’t even ask them to stop, and that does beg the question, what on earth could Russia to do us that this administration would actually take seriously?” Aired on 6/29/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc

Bash Says ‘It’s Inconceivable’ Trump Would Not Be Told About A Direct Threat To U.S. Troops | MSNBC

Jun 29, 2020 MSNBC

New reports suggest the U.S. has intel that Russia offered the Taliban bounty to kill American soldiers. Aired on 6/29/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc

See Anderson Cooper’s reaction to Mike Pence using the ‘m-word’

Jun 29, 2020 CNN

CNN’s Anderson Cooper discusses the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic and Vice President Mike Pence’s call to wear masks. #CNN #News

[LIVE] Coronavirus Pandemic: Real Time Counter, World Map, News

Started streaming 15 hours ago Roylab Stats

Coronavirus Live Streaming: Breaking news, world Map and live counter on confirmed cases and recovered cases. I started this live stream on Jan 26th, and since Jan 30th I have been streaming this without stopping. Many people are worried about the spread of coronavirus. For anyone that wants to know the real-time progression of the worldwide spread of this virus, I offer this live stream. The purpose is not to instill fear or panic, nor is it to necessarily comfort; I just want to present the data to help inform the public of the current situation. The purpose of this stream is to show basic information and data to understand the situation easily. For detail information, please visit our reference sites.

The Associated Press: after briefing: White House aware of Russian bounties in 2019; GOP lawmakers urge action and Trump’s two contradictory Russias confound coherent US policy; President faces pressure from Congress on bounties

Tuesday AP Morning Wire

The Associated Press morningwire@apnews.com Jun 30, 2020

Good morning. In today’s AP Morning Wire:

· AP sources: White House aware of Russian bounties in 2019.

· Amid virus resurgence, US states reverse openings, require masks.

· Confederate flag losing prominence 155 years after US Civil War.

· China approves contentious Hong Kong national security law.

TAMER FAKAHANY
DEPUTY DIRECTOR – GLOBAL NEWS COORDINATION, LONDON

AP PHOTO/RAHMAT GUL

AP after briefing: White House aware of Russian bounties in 2019; GOP lawmakers urge action

Top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than has been previously reported.

That’s according to U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the intelligence, reports James Laporta.

The assessment was included in at least one of President Donald Trump’s written daily intelligence briefings at the time, according to the officials. The White House did not respond to questions about Trump or other officials’ awareness of Russia’s provocations in 2019.

But the revelations cast new doubt on the White House’s efforts to distance Trump from the Russian intelligence assessments.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, denied that Russian intelligence officers had offered payments to the Taliban in exchange for targeting U.S. and coalition forces.

Trump has sought throughout his time in office to improve relations with — and at times mollify — Russia and Putin.

Congress: Eight Democrats are to be briefed today about the explosive allegations, following Republicans who attended a Monday briefing on the matter. The GOP lawmakers expressed alarm about Russia’s activities in Afghanistan and urged the administration to hold Putin accountable. Members of Congress in both parties are calling for additional information and consequences for Moscow, report Zeke Miller, James Laporta and Mary Clare Jalonick.

Afghanistan: A Taliban spokesman says that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the Taliban’s chief peace negotiator amid the roiling controversy in Washington over the Russian bounty scandal, Kathy Gannon reports from Islamabad.

Distancing from Trump? For the entire duration of his tenure in the White House, more than three years now, Donald Trump instilled such fear in the Republican Party’s leaders that most kept criticism of his turbulent leadership or inconsistent politics to themselves, but that’s beginning to change. Some GOP loyalists are distancing themselves from Trump’s handling of the pandemic and race relations, report Steve Peoples, Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin. And the furor over Russian bounties is adding more fuel to the fire.

The Associated Press <morningwire@apnews.com> Jul 1,2020

Trump’s two contradictory Russias confound coherent US policy; President faces pressure from Congress on bounties

The Trump administration seems unable to make up its mind: Russia is at once a mortal enemy and a misunderstood friend.

Now, intelligence suggesting Russia was encouraging attacks on U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan by putting bounties on their heads has thrust the matter into the heart of the 2020 campaign.

For the past three years, the administration has careered between President Donald Trump’s attempts to curry favor and friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and longstanding deep-seated concerns about Putin’s intentions.

As Trump has repeatedly and openly cozied up to Putin, his administration has imposed harsh sanctions on Russia.

The dizzying, often contradictory, paths followed by Trump on the one hand and his hawkish national security aides on the other have muddied the waters among allies and enemies alike, reports Matt Lee.

Congress: Trump is coming under growing pressure from lawmakers to respond to the explosive allegations. Democrats are accusing Trump of bowing to Putin and are demanding more answers about U.S. intelligence on the matter. Republicans have largely defended the president, arguing along with the White House that the intelligence was unverified.

Military: The relationship between the nation’s veterans and Trump has been strained repeatedly over the last four years. But just four months before Election Day, new cracks with dangerous political ramifications are being exposed amid the reports that Trump either ignored, or was unaware of, a Russian plot to kill U.S. troops, Steve Peoples and Sarah Blake Morgan report.

Analysis: While President Trump seems to rarely leave a thought unspoken or tweeted, it’s increasingly clear there are things he won’t say. He’s declined to directly address the Russia bounties allegations. He hasn’t issued a blanket call for Americans to wear face masks to combat the virus. And he hasn’t offered much balm to those reckoning with the stain of racism in American life. Such words don’t come easily to Trump — and his silence speaks volumes, writes White House news editor Nancy Benac.

Russia’s Constitutional Vote: In the meantime, not facing a likely uphill battle or a bitterly divided electorate like Trump in the U.S. presidential election in November, President Putin is wrapping up his main political project of the year: the constitutional vote that would allow him to extend his rule until 2036. With the final day of week-long voting today, Putin is all but guaranteed to get the result he wants following a massive campaign to get voters to say “yes” to the changes, reports Vladimir Isachenkov from Moscow.

As a Tribute, Vhils Carves Ten Masked Healthcare Workers into a Hospital Wall in Porto

As a Tribute, Vhils Carves Ten Masked Healthcare Workers into a Hospital Wall in Porto

JUNE 25, 2020 GRACE EBERT

All images © Vhils, by Expanding Roots, shared with permission

To honor essential workers, Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto, who goes by Vhils (previously), recently completed an expansive public artwork at the São João University Hospital Centre in Porto. Vhils chiseled 10 masked figures into an outdoor wall at the facility, creating a permanent homage to nurses, doctors, cleaning staff, maintenance workers, and kitchen employees. “It is a commendation of the courage, dedication, and selflessness with which they place their lives at risk in the defense of our own,” the artist says. “The disposition of the people in the composition, side-by-side, aims to symbolize not only the concept of frontline but also cooperation and teamwork.”

Follow Vhils on Instagram to keep up with his upcoming carved artworks, and check out the book he recently released that collects his public projects. (via Street Art News)

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Posted on June 26, 2020 by ingon

PBS News: June 22 – 25, 2020, and PBS NewsHour.org – June 23, 2020 – Five overlook political stories from the past week

MSNBC: A Bad Poll for Trump and Worst Day For COVID-19 Cases Yet In U.S. | The 11^th Hour |

Roylab Stats [LIVE] Coronavirus Pandemic: Real Time Counter, World Map, News

Al Jazeera English | Live

The New York Times: The Morning – June 24 & 19, 2020, and Five Takeaways from John Bolton’s Memoir

The Associated Press: AP MORNING WIRE – June 24, 2020

The Washington Post: Important developments in the pandemic – Tue, Jun 23, 2020

PBS NewsHour live episode, June 25, 2020

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Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us:

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 24, 2020

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Jun 24, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Wednesday on the NewsHour, two Justice Department attorneys tell a congressional committee that some of the agency’s investigations are politically motivated. Plus: President Trump’s controversial plan to move U.S. troops to Poland, meatpacking amid the pandemic, Sen. James Lankford on police reform, professional baseball’s return, summer reading for young adults and remembering Les Crystal. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS News Wrap: Federal appeals court orders Flynn case dismissed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCVR5… Is Barr politicizing justice? 2 DOJ lawyers say yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsl5f… With Polish president, Trump reiterates plan to move troops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtoHu… Coronavirus means meatpacking workers fear for their lives https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw1uY… Lankford says Democrats putting politics over police reform https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ0El… Are professional sports ready to resume play in a pandemic? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1fTA… Summer reading lists for young people at a time of crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNPmG… Les Crystal’s NewsHour legacy, as a great boss and a friend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpCCK… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 23, 2020

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Jun 23, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Tuesday on the NewsHour, top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci tells Congress he is “quite concerned” about the continuing spread of COVID-19. Plus: An emergency medicine doctor on the pandemic in Houston, President Trump visits Arizona, reexamining Confederate landmarks, coronavirus and renewed violence in Yemen and U.S. schools scramble to improve distance learning for the fall. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS Fauci urges more virus testing to counter surge in cases https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la9-I… Why this Texas ER doctor is begging residents to stay home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi4Dl… News Wrap: Historic church holds funeral for Rayshard Brooks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUC8l… Trump’s Phoenix rally attracts thousands in virus hot spot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Or_w… What the future could hold for symbols of the American past https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi_yC… Monuments, statues and a national reckoning on race https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6aQZ… War-ravaged Yemen facing deadly new threat in COVID-19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hBfG… Distance learning highlights disparities in income, access https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dOWS… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 22, 2020

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Jun 22, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Monday on the NewsHour, the World Health Organization records the highest daily total of new coronavirus cases worldwide since the pandemic began. Plus: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on COVID-19 in his state, global threats against journalists, U.S. election security, will Gen-Z voters support Joe Biden, Politics Monday with Amy Walter and Tamara Keith and learning from pandemics of the past. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS Where the coronavirus is spreading worldwide – and why https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBGnO… News Wrap: NASCAR drivers support Wallace after noose found https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOOG9… Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on rising COVID-19 in his state ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwrFHmTUtA0 What Maria Ressa’s conviction means for global news media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgpUf… Ga. Primary chaos reveals an electoral system deeply flawed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckzzj… What to expect from Gen Z voters in 2020 elections https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYL9h… Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Gen-Z turnout, mail-in voting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGPWv… Past pandemics have reshaped society. Will COVID-19? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntEv3… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

A Bad Poll for Trump And Worst Day For COVID-19 Cases Yet In U.S. | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Jun 25, 2020 MSNBC

As a new poll shows Trump trailing Biden by double digits, the U.S. has its worst day ever for the coronavirus with over 42,000 new cases recorded according to NBC News. Aired on 06/24/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, Meet the Press Daily, The Beat with Ari Melber, Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, Hardball, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more.

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Category News & Politics

The New York Times The Morning June 24, 2020

By David Leonhardt

Good morning. Biden leads Trump by 14 points in The Times’s first poll. Many of last night’s primaries remain too close to call. And Fauci says the next two weeks will be crucial to fighting the coronavirus.

Why the virus is winning

Nick Oxford for The New York Times

We know how to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

I know it doesn’t always seem that way. And, yes, there is still a great deal we don’t know about the virus. But there is also a consistent set of lessons, from around the world, about how to reduce the number of new cases sharply.You should wear a mask if you’re going to spend time near anybody who is not part of your household. You should minimize your time in indoor spaces with multiple people. You should move as many activities as possible outdoors. You should wash your hands frequently. And you should stay home, away from even your own family members, if you feel sick.

Government officials, for their part, can slow the virus’s spread by encouraging all of these steps, as well as by organizing widespread testing and competent tracing of people who are likely to have the virus.

The past six months have repeatedly shown the value of these steps. Countries and regions that have taken them have either avoided outbreaks or beaten them back. Look at South Korea and Vietnam. Or many places that were hardest hit in the pandemic’s early waves: China, the New York metro area and much of Western Europe. Or New England and the upper Midwest.

Over the last few weeks, however, the virus has begun spreading across the southern and western U.S., as well as in some other countries. And there’s no real mystery about why. Many people have stopped following public-health guidance. They have gathered in restaurants, bars, churches, gyms and workplaces (sometimes because their employers pressured them to do so).

Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, told Congress yesterday: “The next couple of weeks are going to be critical in our ability to address those surges that we are seeing in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and other states.” If the surges aren’t reversed, they will create a much larger pool of people who have the virus and can then spread it to others.

Whether the U.S. succeeds during this next stage is not a matter of epidemiology or lab science. It’s a matter of political will. It does not even require severe new lockdowns in most places.

As my colleague Apoorva Mandavilli, a science reporter, says: “There are ways to be responsible and socialize, but people don’t seem to be able to draw the line between what’s OK and what is not. For too many people, it seems to be binary — they are either on lockdown or taking no precautions.”

FOUR MORE BIG STORIES

1. Biden has a huge early lead

Joe Biden has a 14-point lead over President Trump, according to the first New York Times/Siena College poll of the general election. Biden leads by wide margins among younger and nonwhite voters — and he is running virtually even among voters over age 45 and white voters, two groups that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016. Here are the age trends:

By The New York Times | Source: New York Times/Siena College poll

“What’s new,” Jonathan Martin, a Times political reporter, told me, “is Trump’s collapse with voters who Republicans have traditionally relied on, namely whites with college degrees. The president’s inability to project unifying leadership in response to three crises this spring — the pandemic, collapse of the economy and racial unrest — has sent his support tumbling.”

Recent polls by other organizations have found, on average, that Biden leads by 10 points. The best news for Trump: The election is still more than four months away.

2. Election results

The Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville’s only open polling station on Tuesday.Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press

Election Night is different during a pandemic. Many results remain unknown, because absentee ballots continue to arrive for days. With that caveat, here’s what we know about last night’s primaries:

Several progressive Democrats are doing well in House primaries in New York State. In the race I focused on yesterday, Jamaal Bowman holds a substantial lead over the incumbent, Eliot Engel. Mondaire Jones leads in a suburban district north of the city. Ritchie Torres — the first openly gay elected official in the Bronx and “a potential national star,” according to Dave Wasserman of The Cook Political Report — seems on pace to win. And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez easily dispatched her more moderate opponents.
Two Republican House candidates opposed by President Trump — one in North Carolina, one in Kentucky — won their primaries. The North Carolina winner was Madison Cawthorn, a 24-year-old investor.
In Kentucky, Amy McGrath and Charles Booker are in a tight race to become the Democratic nominee who will face Mitch McConnell.
Here are the latest results.

3. Coronavirus upends a pillar of Islam

Saudi officials effectively canceled this year’s hajj, one day after restricting the journey to people already in the country. Because of the coronavirus, only about 1,000 people will be permitted to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, compared with the 2.5 million who did so last year. The announcement sent waves of sadness across the Muslim world.

In other virus developments:

The European Union is preparing to block Americans from visiting when borders reopen on July 1 because the U.S. has failed to control the virus.

The governor of Texas, who has resisted another lockdown, urged residents to stay home after the state posted a record number of new infections.

4. Where overhauls could change policing

The increased scrutiny on policing has uncovered a growing list of cases where procedural changes might have prevented problems.

A white police officer in New Jersey who was caught on video pepper-spraying a group of black youths had a long history of violence — and had worked in nine different police departments. How is that possible?

New Jersey has no central database tracking police abuse. The family of Eric Umansky, a ProPublica journalist, witnessed an unmarked N.Y.P.D. cruiser hit a black teenager in 2019. Umansky then spent months trying to figure out what happened, but repeatedly ran into rules that shield the police from accountability.

More recently, a Michigan man was arrested based on a match from a facial recognition algorithm that was flawed. Our colleague Kashmir Hill has a gripping story about the case.

Here’s what else is happening

Mourners gathered at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Tuesday for the funeral of Rayshard Brooks.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Activists, politicians and celebrities gathered in Atlanta yesterday for the funeral of Rayshard Brooks, who was fatally shot by the police.

Major League Baseball has set a plan for a 60-game season. “Think of it as forced competitive balance,” our columnist writes, “when even the worst teams can dream of getting hot for nine weeks and stealing a playoff berth.”

Top Justice Department officials intervened to seek a more lenient sentence for the Trump ally Roger Stone, a former federal prosecutor is expected to tell Congress today.

Lives Lived: Shirley Siegel was no stranger to discrimination. After graduating fourth in her class at Yale Law School in 1941, she was rejected by 40 male-dominated law firms. But she went on to become a top civil rights lawyer. She died at 101.

Continue reading the main story

BACK STORY: A POLLING POST-MORTEM

For many people, it’s hard to know how seriously to take this year’s political polls, because in 2016 they showed Hillary Clinton as likely to beat Donald Trump. So we wanted to offer a quick look back: What did polls get wrong four years ago?

A short answer — as The Times’s Nate Cohn has written — is that many surveys of crucial Midwestern states in 2016 did not include enough voters without college degrees. These voters are less likely to respond to polls, and polling firms failed to make the needed statistical adjustments. Because most of these non-college voters backed Trump, the polls underestimated his support.

Notably, most national polls did weight their samples by education — and national polls were quite accurate. They showed Clinton winning the popular vote by a few percentage points, which she did.

Pollsters tried to solve this problem in the 2018 midterms (with only partial success), and they are trying to do so again this year. But it’s not easy to predict who will vote, which means that the polls may suffer from the same problem in 2020 — or from a different problem.

On the other hand, if one candidate is beating the other by more than 10 percentage points — Biden’s current lead over Trump — polling errors probably won’t be big enough to matter. For more: Nate offers more thoughts on 2016 and 2020 in a new article.

The Associated Press AP MORNING WIRE

JUNE 24, 2020

View in Browser

Good morning. In today’s AP Morning Wire:

· Dr. Fauci: Next few weeks critical to tamping down US virus spikes.·

Scarce medical oxygen around world leaves many gasping for life.·

Police officer involved in Breonna Taylor’s fatal shooting fired.
·

Trump-backed House candidates lose in Kentucky, North Carolina.

TAMER FAKAHANY
DEPUTY DIRECTOR – GLOBAL NEWS COORDINATION, LONDON

The Rundown

AP PHOTO/EMILIO MORENATTI

Dr. Fauci: Coming weeks critical to reduce US spikes; Scarce medical oxygen worldwide leaves many gasping for life

The U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert has said the next few weeks are critical to tamping down a disturbing coronavirus surge in America.

Dr. Anthony Fauci issued a plea for people to avoid crowds and wear masks, just hours before mask-shunning President Donald Trump addressed a crowd of his young supporters in one hot spot in Arizona, report Lauran Neergaard and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar.

Despite controversy over Trump’s comments that testing is finding too many infections, Fauci told a congressional committee that testing hasn’t slowed — and the country will be doing even more.

Fighting for Breath: The pandemic is prompting soaring demand for oxygen. But in much of the world, medical oxygen is expensive and hard to get — a basic marker of inequality both between and within countries. It’s in short supply from Peru to Bangladesh.

Across Africa, only a handful of hospitals have direct oxygen hookups, as is standard across Europe and the United States. And most medical facilities lack even the most basic equipment needed to help patients breathe. Lori Hinnant, Carley Petesch and Boubacar Diallo have this exclusive report.

Global Latest: China appears to have tamed a new outbreak of the coronavirus in Beijing, once again demonstrating its ability to quickly mobilize vast resources by testing nearly 2.5 million people in 11 days. But elsewhere in the world, cases are surging.

· India reported a record daily increase of nearly 16,000 new cases.

· Mexico also set a record with more than 6,200 new cases.

· South Africa has recorded its highest daily death toll of 111 people.

PHOTOS: Plastic keeps virus, not love and hugs away from Spanish nursing home: One facility for the elderly in Barcelona now allows family visits to resume through plastic screens. A deeply moving gallery of images by Emilio Morenatti.

AP PHOTO/STEVEN SENNE

White police officer involved in Breonna Taylor’s fatal shooting in Kentucky fired

AP FACT CHECK

Sober science weighs in on Trump’s virus take

The U.S. government’s top public health leaders on Tuesday shot down assertions by President Donald Trump that the coronavirus pandemic is under control and the U.S. is excelling in testing for the virus.

Other Top Stories

North says Kim suspended action against South for Korean impasse

North Korea says its planned retaliation against South Korea for stalemated relations and anti-Pyongyang activism has been suspended by leader Kim Jong Un. Analysts say North Korea, after weeks of deliberately raising tensions with threats of military action, may be pulling away just enough to make room for South Korean concessions.

Powerful earthquake shakes southern Mexico, at least 5 dead

A magnitude 7.4 quake centered in southern Mexico has killed at least five people, swayed buildings in Mexico City and sent thousands fleeing into the streets. One person was killed and another injured in a building collapse in Huatulco. There were also deaths in Oaxaca. There were further reports of broken windows and collapsed walls.

Israeli annexation plan draws apartheid comparisons

For years, labeling Israel an apartheid state was used primarily by its strongest detractors to describe its rule over Palestinians who were denied basic rights in occupied areas. For the most part, Israel successfully pushed back. But as Israel moves closer to launching annexation — perhaps as soon as next month — as part of President Trump’s Mideast plan, the term is becoming part of Israel’s political conversation.

For openers: MLB tries again with short season, skewed rules

By the time Major League Baseball returns in late July, it will have been more than four months since teams last played. The season is now going to be a 60-game sprint to the finish, held in U.S. ballparks without fans and featuring some unusual rules.

Coronavirus Updates: E.U. may ban Americans when it reopens

The Washington Post <email@washingtonpost.com>

Tue, Jun 23, 2020

Important developments in the pandemic.

By Angela Fritz
with Avi Selk
Email

The Post’s coronavirus coverage linked in this newsletter is free to access from this email.

The latest

The European Union may ban Americans from traveling there when it reopens its borders, the New York Times reported, as coronavirus cases surge in the United States. European countries are working to agree on two lists of acceptable travelers as they finalize plans to reopen on July 1, and the U.S. isn’t on the drafts, the Times reported. The number of daily new cases remains at a far higher level in the U.S. than in Europe, where stringent lockdowns have helped slow the spread and reactions to resurgent outbreaks are swift.

Four top U.S. health officials, including infectious disease expert Anthony S. Fauci, testified at a high-profile hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Tuesday, and all four told the committee they had never been instructed to slow down testing for the coronavirus, contradicting what President Trump said hours earlier. Fauci also told lawmakers he was “cautiously optimistic” that an effective vaccine will be available by the beginning of next year. Read more on the health experts’ testimony about vaccines, treatments, another wave and testing here. (At send time, the hearing is still going.)

As cases continue to spike across dozens of states, along with hospitalizations, the president’s continued claim that additional testing is to blame (it is not) is increasingly at odds with Republican allies in the hardest-hit states, where governors are beginning to change their tunes.

Income is a major predictor of coronavirus infections, a federal analysis found, along with race. The analysis supports the commonly understood pattern that the black community is harder hit by covid-19, but its findings on poverty add another layer of vulnerability. The infection rate among those with low incomes is “drastically higher” than everyone else in the analysis, said Seema Verma, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Trump has told aides he supports another round of stimulus checks, saying that he believes it will help the economy and boost his reelection odds. But leading congressional Republicans and some senior White House officials remain skeptical of more payments. The differing opinions in conservative circles could make the next stimulus package, scheduled to be taken up in July, difficult to pass.

Many of us are aching to go on vacation, but still concerned about the health risks. “Contactless” travel is a buzzy term right now among those itching for a trip, but is it even possible? By The Way reporter Natalie B. Compton planned and executed a “contactless” adventure to find out. You can read about how her trip turned out here. (And there’s more advice on driving vs. flying this summer in the Q&A below.)

Other important news

The FDA is warning people not to use any hand sanitizer from a certain manufacturer after finding a potentially fatal toxic substance in nine of its products.

Over 700 cash-strapped cities are halting plans to repair roads, water systems or make other key investments.

A Q&A on the new restrictions on foreign workers imposed by the Trump administration on Monday, citing the pandemic.

Activists halt street protests in South Carolina after some demonstrators test positive for covid-19.

Saudi Arabia announced that it will drastically limit the number of people involved in the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The New York Times The Morning June 19, 2020

By David Leonhardt

Good morning. Facebook and Twitter take actions against Trump. Climate change is making babies sick. And the Supreme Court issues its second left-leaning decision in a week.

DACA lives on

Supporters of DACA outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

When this country started hearing a decade ago about Dreamers — people who came to the United States as small children without legal permission — many of them were in their teens or early 20s. These Dreamers are now full adults, with careers and families, and many have spent years anxiously wondering whether they would be thrown out of the only country they’ve really known.

Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, which barred President Trump from deporting the Dreamers anytime soon, came as a tremendous relief to them.

“It feels amazing,” Vanessa Pumar, 31, an immigration lawyer who came from Venezuela at age 11, said. “I have been holding my breath. It feels like I can finally breathe.”

Marisol Montejano, who’s 36 and received a math degree this week from a California university, used the same word: “I feel like I could breathe.” Montejano planned to tell her two children that “it’s going to be OK.”

Joana Cabrera, who is 24 and came from the Philippines at age 9, said, “I’m actually still shaking.” Cabrera added, “I’m unbelievably happy, because I was expecting the worst.”

The decision was the second this week in which at least one conservative justice — Chief Justice John Roberts, in this case — joined the court’s four liberal members to issue a left-leaning ruling. Immigration is proving to be one of the issues (along with L.G.B.T.Q. rights) on which the court is not reliably conservative. Last year, a majority effectively blocked the Trump administration from adding a question about citizenship status to the 2020 census.

Yesterday’s decision was a narrow one, holding that the administration did not follow the proper procedures for terminating President Barack Obama’s policy, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, of allowing Dreamers to stay. Trump quickly suggested that he still planned to end the policy.

But, as The Times’s Miriam Jordan told us, “There’s nothing the Trump administration could do fast enough to get rid of the program before the election.”

Many Republicans may be quite happy about that, anyway. “Polls show extraordinarily broad support for giving legal status to the Dreamers,” said Julie Davis, a Times editor who’s written a book about Trump’s immigration policy with her colleague Michael Shear, “and being on the wrong side of that issue is the last place Republicans want to be five months before an election.”

The dissent: Justice Clarence Thomas argued that Trump had the power to end DACA and the majority of justices were trying “to avoid a politically controversial but legally correct decision.”

Big impact: Roberto G. Gonzales, a Harvard professor who has been studying DACA since it went into effect in 2012, calls it “the most successful immigration policy in recent decades.”

Gonzales explains: “Within a year, DACA beneficiaries were already taking giant steps. They found new jobs. They increased their earnings. They acquired driver’s licenses. And they began to build credit through opening bank accounts and obtaining credit cards.”

FOUR MORE BIG STORIES

1. Social media vs. the president

Facebook and Twitter both pushed back against Trump’s use of inflammatory material yesterday. Facebook removed advertisements by the Trump campaign that prominently featured a red triangle that the Nazis used to classify Communist political prisoners during World War II. The ad used it in connection with antifa, a loose collective of anti-fascist protesters.

Twitter added a warning — an exclamation point with the label “Manipulated Media” — to a Trump tweet that featured a video of two toddlers running down a sidewalk. The video, which included a headline about a “racist baby,” had been made to look like a CNN segment.

The next source of debate: Tomorrow, Trump will hold his first rally since the coronavirus shut down public gatherings. Critics have condemned his choice of a host city: Tulsa, Okla., the site of a racist massacre 99 years ago this month.

2. Observing Juneteenth

Today is Juneteenth, and a growing number of companies have begun recognizing it as a holiday, in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, The Wall Street Journal reports. The Times has put together a collection of historical photos, poetry and articles about the holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.

“As someone who has celebrated Juneteenth for a long time, I think we need it now — not in lieu of the freedom, justice and equality we are still fighting for — but in addition, because we have been fighting for so very long,” Veronica Chambers, an editor who spearheaded the project, writes.

More Confederate pushback: Nancy Pelosi ordered portraits of four House speakers who served the Confederacy to be removed from the Capitol. And the Southeastern Conference threatened not to hold future college sports championships in Mississippi unless the state removed the Confederate battle emblem from its flag.

3. Another bleak jobs picture

Another 1.5 million Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus pandemic was reaching deeper into the economy even as the pace of jobs cuts slowed.

“Layoffs that happened at the beginning of this likely were intended as temporary,” said Martha Gimbel, a labor market expert. “But if you’re laying off people now, that’s probably a long-term business decision.”

4. The limate’s effect on pregnancy

Living Art Enterprises, LLC/Science Source

Higher temperatures caused by climate change and increased air pollution have raised women’s risk of giving birth to premature, underweight or stillborn children — and hurt African-American babies most. That’s the finding of a newly published paper, which reviewed data from 57 studies collectively analyzing nearly 33 million births in the United States.

Here’s what else is happening

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota withdrew from consideration to be Joe Biden’s running mate and said she told him he should pick a woman of color.
The chief executive of AMC Theaters prompted a backlash after saying moviegoers would not be required to wear masks when AMC theaters reopen next month. The executive, Adam Aron, said, “We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy.”
Chinese officials said today that they had indicted two Canadians on espionage charges. The move escalated a conflict that began after Canada arrested an executive of the Chinese technology giant Huawei in 2018.
Lives Lived: “We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when.” Vera Lynn, the “Sweetheart” of the British forces in World War II, sang those lyrics and many more to the troops and to embattled Londoners in the Blitz. In the darkest days, her voice was as familiar to Britons as Churchill’s. She died at age 103.

PBSNewsHour follow@newshour.org via gmail.mcsv.net

June 23, 2020

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Ian Couzens, @iancouzenz
Politics production assistant

Nebraska governor says he’ll withhold federal money from counties that require masks –– June 18. Local governments in Nebraska can encourage people to wear masks, but the governor does not believe people should be denied access to government buildings for failure to wear a mask, and said any locality requiring them will not receive funds from the CARES Act meant to help fight the coronavirus. Why it matters: The mandate means counties are reluctantly dropping mask requirements meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19. — The Los Angeles Times

Trump campaign makes pitch for fourth debate with Biden amid declining poll numbers — June 18. Just months ago Trump threatened not to participate in any of the three previously scheduled debates. Why it matters: The Trump campaign believes the best way to ding Biden’s strong poll numbers is to get him to make more public appearances. — The Washington Post

How the White House agenda for managing space traffic got jammed up — June 19. Space Policy Directive-3, signed by the president in 2018, was meant to improve U.S. tracking of objects in space, reassigning that responsibility from the Department of Defense to the Commerce Department. But Commerce has not yet been given full authority nor resources, and has no budget for the mission in fiscal year 2020. Why it matters: As access to space becomes easier and less expensive, orbits are becoming crowded, creating the need for more space traffic management to prevent major accidents such as satellite collisions. — Politico

California judge blocks Betsy DeVos from withholding relief money from undocumented students — June 17. DeVos tried to implement restrictions on which college students could receive emergency coroanvirus relief money, limiting it only to those who qualified for normal federal financial aid and excluding undocumented and foreign students, as well as those with poor grades, defaulted student loans or small drug convictions. Why it matters: DeVos’ directive would exclude hundreds of thousands of students from accessing funds Congress chose not to restrict, and while the rulings in California and Washington apply only to those states, the policy is on shaky ground nationally. — The Washington Post

U.S. senators unveil bill to curb foreign espionage, influence on campuses — June 18. The “Safeguarding American Innovation Act” is meant to give the U.S. State Department more authority to deny visas to foreign nationals seeking access to sensitive information and technologies related to national and economic security. Why it matters: The bipartisan group of senators behind the bill say it will help prevent foreign governments from accessing research and vital intellectual property developed at universities. — Reuters

Five Takeaways From John Bolton’s Memoir

“The Room Where It Happened” describes Mr. Bolton’s 17 turbulent months at President Trump’s side through a multitude of crises and foreign policy challenges.

Fiona Hill, John R. Bolton’s former Russia adviser, during a House impeachment hearing last year in Washington.Credit…Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times

By Peter Baker

Published June 18, 2020Updated June 20, 2020

John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser, plans to publish a damning book next week depicting President Trump as a corrupt, poorly informed, reckless leader who used the power of his office to advance his own personal and political needs even ahead of the nation’s interests.

The book, “The Room Where It Happened,” describes Mr. Bolton’s 17 turbulent months at Mr. Trump’s side through a multitude of crises and foreign policy challenges, but attention has focused mainly on his assertions that the president took a variety of actions that should have been investigated for possible impeachment beyond just the pressure campaign on Ukraine to incriminate Democrats.

Mr. Bolton, who did not testify during House proceedings and whose offer to testify in the Senate trial was blocked by Republicans, confirms many crucial elements of the Ukraine scheme that got Mr. Trump impeached in December. He also asserts that the president was willing to intervene in criminal investigations to curry favor with foreign dictators. And he says that Mr. Trump pleaded with China’s president to help him win re-election by buying American crops grown in key farm states.

Here are some of the highlights:

An offer of firsthand evidence on the Ukraine matter.

The book offers firsthand evidence that Mr. Trump linked his suspension of $391 million in security aid for Ukraine to his demands that Ukraine publicly announce investigations into supposed wrongdoing by Democrats, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — the heart of the impeachment case against the president.

If Mr. Bolton’s account is to be believed, it means that Mr. Trump explicitly sought to use taxpayer money as leverage to extract help from another country for his partisan political campaign, a quid pro quo that House Democrats called an abuse of power. At the time of the impeachment hearings, Republicans dismissed the accusation by saying that the witnesses offered only secondhand evidence. Mr. Bolton, by contrast, was in the room.

Mr. Bolton says that he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper tried eight to 10 times to persuade the president to release the aid, which Ukraine desperately needed to defend itself against a continuing war with Russia-sponsored forces. The critical meeting took place on Aug. 20 when, Mr. Bolton writes, Mr. Trump “said he wasn’t in favor of sending them anything until all the Russia-investigation materials related to Clinton and Biden had been turned over,” referring to Hillary Clinton.

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Mr. Bolton otherwise confirms testimony offered by his former Russia adviser, Fiona Hill, that he objected to the “drug deal” being cooked up by Mr. Trump’s associates to force Ukraine to help and that he called Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer who was hip deep in the affair, “a hand grenade who’s going to blow everybody up.” He writes that he suspected that Mr. Giuliani had personal business interests at stake and adds that he had the matter reported to the White House Counsel’s Office.

“I thought the whole affair was bad policy, questionable legally, and unacceptable as presidential behavior,” Mr. Bolton writes. “Was it a factor in my later resignation? Yes, but as one of many ‘straws’ that contributed to my departure.”

Explaining a lack of testimony, and placing blame on Democrats.

As the book nears publication and details spill out, many congressional Democrats quickly assailed Mr. Bolton for not telling his story during the impeachment proceedings and instead saving it for his $2 million book.

Mr. Bolton explains his position in the epilogue, saying he wanted to wait to see if a judge would order his former deputy to testify over White House objections. House Democrats opted not to pursue the case, fearing endless litigation. Once the House impeached Mr. Trump over the Ukraine matter, Mr. Bolton volunteered to testify in the Senate trial that followed if subpoenaed.

But Senate Republicans voted to block new testimony by him and any other witnesses even after The New York Times reported that his forthcoming book would confirm the quid pro quo. Some of those Republican senators said that even if Mr. Bolton was correct, it would not be enough in their minds to justify making Mr. Trump the first president in American history convicted and removed from office.

Mr. Bolton blames House Democrats for being in a rush rather than waiting for the court system to rule on whether witnesses like him should testify, and he faults them for narrowing their inquiry to just the Ukraine matter rather than building a broader case with more examples of misconduct by the president.

“Had a Senate majority agreed to call witnesses and had I testified, I am convinced, given the environment then existing because of the House’s impeachment malpractice, that it would have made no significant difference in the Senate outcome,” he writes.

Singling out episodes of “obstruction of justice as a way of life.”

The other episodes that Mr. Bolton says the House should have investigated include Mr. Trump’s willingness to intervene in Justice Department investigations against foreign companies to “give personal favors to dictators he liked.” Mr. Bolton said it appeared to be “obstruction of justice as a way of life.”

He singles out Halkbank of Turkey, a state-owned financial institution investigated for a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade American sanctions on Iran. At a side encounter during a Buenos Aires summit meeting in late 2018, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey handed Mr. Trump a memo by the law firm representing Halkbank, “which Trump did nothing more than flip through before declaring he believed Halkbank was totally innocent.” He then told Mr. Erdogan “he would take care of things.”

Attorney General William P. Barr later spent months trying to negotiate a settlement with the bank, but that came to an end in October, after Mr. Bolton left office, when the Justice Department charged Halkbank in a six-count indictment.

President Trump with President Xi Jinping of China last summer in Osaka, Japan.Credit…Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Mr. Bolton also mentions ZTE, the Chinese telecommunications giant that was convicted of evading sanctions on Iran and North Korea and then faced new penalties for further violations during its follow-up consent decree. During a conversation on trade with President Xi Jinping of China, Mr. Trump offered to lighten the penalties.

“Xi replied that if that were done, he would owe Trump a favor and Trump immediately responded he was doing this because of Xi,” Mr. Bolton writes. He called himself “appalled” and “stunned” by the idea of intervening in a criminal investigation to let a sanctions buster off the hook. In the end, at Mr. Trump’s behest, the Justice Department accepted a $1 billion fine and lifted a seven-year ban on buying American products, an act of lenience that saved the company from going out of business.

A new allegation in the book accuses Mr. Trump of “pleading” with Mr. Xi to help him win re-election by buying American agricultural products, which would help the president in farm states. Mr. Trump did not deny it when asked about the matter on Wednesday night by Sean Hannity on Fox News, but Robert Lighthizer, his trade representative, did on his behalf earlier in the day, saying it was not true.

Describing a toxic environment inside the administration.

Over a long career in and out of Republican administrations in Washington, Mr. Bolton has rarely shied from giving his opinions, usually born of strong conservative national security convictions that have made him one of the capital’s most outspoken hawks advocating the use of military power and sanctions.

While he agreed with Mr. Trump on issues like getting out of the nuclear accord with Iran, he found himself repeatedly trying to stop the president from making concessions to other rogue states or making an ill-considered peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan while pushing for a more robust use of force against outliers like Iran or Syria. He considered Mr. Trump’s diplomacy to be folly.

To Mr. Bolton, Mr. Trump’s decision to meet North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, in Singapore was a “foolish mistake,” and the president’s desire to then invite Mr. Kim to the White House was “a potential disaster of enormous magnitude.” A series of presidential Twitter posts about China and North Korea were “mostly laughable.” Mr. Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Helsinki was a “self-inflicted wound” and “Putin had to be laughing uproariously at what he had gotten away with in Helsinki.”

Mr. Bolton also describes an environment inside the administration marked by caustic infighting in which various players trash one another in a contest for the president’s ear — and the president trashes all of them.

When Mr. Bolton took over as national security adviser in 2018, John F. Kelly, then the White House chief of staff, disparaged the departing adviser, H.R. McMaster, by saying, “The president hasn’t had a national security adviser in the past year and he needs one.” Mr. Pompeo, the book says, disparaged Nikki R. Haley, then the ambassador to the United Nations, calling her “light as a feather.”

Battling over what is deemed classified information.

The Justice Department has gone to court to stop the book from being published, arguing that it has classified information in it and that it was not cleared by a prepublication review required of former government officials like Mr. Bolton.

In fact, according to his lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, Mr. Bolton participated in an extensive back-and-forth over the book and agreed to all of the revisions mandated by the career official who reviewed it or came up with acceptable alternatives. Only when the review was over did another official, Michael J. Ellis, a political appointee, step in to review it all over again at the instruction of Robert C. O’Brien, Mr. Bolton’s successor as national security adviser.

If there is classified information still in the book, it is hard to figure out what it might be. There are not references to secret intelligence programs or espionage sources and methods. But Mr. Trump insisted this week that every conversation with him was “highly classified” and therefore could not be disclosed, an assertion that goes far beyond tradition.

In his epilogue, Mr. Bolton says that in a few cases, “I was prevented from conveying information that I thought was not properly classifiable, since it revealed information that can only be described as embarrassing to Trump or as indicative of possible impermissible behavior.” One example is the direct quote of what Mr. Trump said to Mr. Xi about helping him win re-election.

For the most part, though, Mr. Bolton explains in the epilogue that the career official who reviewed the book merely made him take quotation marks off things that the president said and otherwise generally left them in. And so Mr. Bolton offers a guide to readers: “In some cases, just put your own quotation marks around the relevant passages; you won’t go far wrong.”

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No Justice – No Peace, PBS News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Associated Press

Posted on June 4, 2020 by ingon

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 3, 2020

Jun 3, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Wednesday on the NewsHour, violent confrontations diminish, but mass protests over George Floyd’s death continue in cities across the U.S. — and the world. Plus: A South Carolina mayor on what’s happening in his city, racial disparities in American policing, how the U.S. can address structural racism and analyzing results from Tuesday’s elections. WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS Charges against police added, upgraded in Floyd case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03D6K… How this South Carolina mayor is fostering dialogue on race https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHRug… News Wrap: Florida reports 1,300 new coronavirus cases https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHDqV… How to address racial disparities in American policing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnlO0… Leveraging family, community to overcome American racism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEqFE… Amy Walter on the ‘symbolism’ of Tuesday’s election results https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLca… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 2, 2020

Jun 2, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Tuesday on the NewsHour, it has been a full week of protests across parts of the U.S. in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Plus: A controversial law enforcement response to protesters near the White House, Sen. John Thune on the national unrest, Bishop Mariann Budde on the role of the church amid protest and using the U.S. military to quell demonstrations. WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS Political divide over best response to protests widens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Doz… D.C. protests grow a day after controversial Trump photo op https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVFQE… Thune on Trump’s rhetoric: The country needs healing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpbU7… Bishop Budde on Trump’s rhetoric and healing the nation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Fbz… News Wrap: Birx wants more COVID-19 testing amid protests https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVQK9… Current protests highlight risks of militarizing the police https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yhnB… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour full episode, June 1, 2020

Jun 1, 2020 PBS NewsHour

Monday on the NewsHour, unrest spreads across the U.S. in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Plus: What reporters are seeing on the ground, the role of law enforcement during protests, systemic issues of race and privilege in the U.S. and the long roots of racial tension in Minneapolis. WATCH TODAY’S SEGMENTS Cities brace for continued unrest over police violence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ueIS… 3 reporters share what’s happening at their cities’ protests https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7lJs… 2 voices on how to hear protesters while maintaining peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1BTF… What’s different about these protests — and what isn’t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FI0O… News Wrap: Health officials fear protests will spread virus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=febJw… Minneapolis’ troubled history of unequal policing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9vp… Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour Weekend full episode May 31, 2020

May 31, 2020 PBS NewsHour

On this edition for Sunday, May 31, chaos and clashes across the nation continue as some protests over the murder of George Floyd turn violent, the history of activism and its influence on political change. Also, creative and safe ways to celebrate graduation. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from New York. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

PBS NewsHour Weekend full episode May 30, 2020

May 30, 2020 PBS NewsHour

On this edition for Sunday, May 30, the latest on the nationwide protests as demonstrations flare across the country over the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Several cities and states are mobilizing the National Guard after protests turned violent on Friday night. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from New York. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

Shields and Brooks on George Floyd, 100K coronavirus deaths May 29, 2020

PBS NewsHourSyndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including former Vice President Joe Biden’s comments on the death of George Floyd and what action it should prompt, President Trump’s approach toward Twitter and truth and the milestone of 100,000 American deaths from COVID-19. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

‘Not the America that we want to live in,’ says St. Paul mayor of George Floyd’s death

May 26, 2020 PBS NewsHour

An African American man in Minneapolis died Monday night after a police officer kneeled on his neck while apprehending him. Echoing the 2014 Eric Garner case, George Floyd told the officer, “I can’t breathe.” The incident, captured on video, prompted outrage in the Twin Cities and beyond — and led to the dismissal of four police officers involved. Amna Nawaz talks to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

How Trump leverages Twitter to spread misinformation

May 26, 2020 PBS NewsHour

President Trump’s messages to his more than 80 million Twitter followers can carry a lot of weight — but don’t always represent the truth. Controversy recently erupted over a Trump tweet that had no basis in fact. Now, the social media platform is applying a note to it that directs users to more information. Yamiche Alcindor reports and speaks with Craig Silverman, media editor for BuzzFeed News. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

The New York Times The Morning June 2, 2020

By David Leonhardt

Good morning. Protests continued overnight despite curfews. President Trump threatened to send the military into cities. Let’s start with the words of the protesters.

Voices from the protests

Demonstrations near the White House in Washington on Sunday.Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

The anger is different this time. After years of Americans being killed by the police — more than 1,000 per year, for as long as statistics exist — something has changed over the past week.

The gruesome video of a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck plays a role. So does a pandemic that’s disproportionately killing African-Americans. And so do the angry, racialized politics that President Trump encourages.

Here are some of the voices from the protests, which have included many people who say they’ve never protested before:

“In every city, there’s a George Floyd,” said Michael Sampson II, 30, of Jacksonville, Fla.

“It could be my father, my brother, my uncle, my cousin, my friend,” said Victoria Sloan, 27, of Brooklyn. “It makes me angry.”

“I’m speaking for everybody, all my kinfolk, all my brothers and sisters who’ve gotten beaten up by police,” said Cory Thomas, 40, who said the police beat him when he was a teenager in Brooklyn. “I don’t condone the violence,” or the looting, he said, “but at the end of the day, no 14-year-old should be beat up by police.”

“There are people out there who are very negative,” D.J. Elliott, 30, a gym manager in Harlem said, in frustration about a small number of late-arriving, violent protesters. “And this is their golden opportunity.”

“If we don’t fight for change we’re not going to get it,” Douglas Golliday, a 65-year-old resident of a Minneapolis suburb, told The Star Tribune while waiting to be taken to jail along with his 44-year-old son, Robert, and other protesters.

“I took six rubber bullets, but do you know what didn’t happen to me?” Elizabeth Ferris, a 36-year-old Georgetown University student, told The Washington Post. “No one kneeled on my neck.”

Ashley Gary of Minneapolis said: “We’ve been through Jamar Clark, we’ve been through Philando Castile, and there was no justice whatsoever. We’re tired of it, we are very tired. My son, he’s 16 and six feet tall, and I don’t want him to be taken as somebody bad because he’s a bigger black man.”

“I came out peacefully to show my support, and the police are aiming right at me,” Mariana Solaris, a 20-year-old from San Bernardino, Calif., told The Los Angeles Times, after the police fired foam pellets at her. “I saw this on the news earlier tonight,” she said, “and I thought, ‘No way is it really like that out there with the police.’ So I came out to see. And, yeah, it’s really like that.”

The Times has collected portraits of the protesters here.

THREE MORE BIG STORIES

1. Overnight developments

Kentucky State Troopers fire tear gas to disperse protesters after curfew in Louisville, Ky.Luke Sharrett for The New York Times

Protesters faced off against the police for a seventh straight night in cities across the country.

In Washington, police officers used tear gas and flash grenades to clear a path through a peaceful protest so President Trump could visit a nearby Episcopal church, St. John’s, where he posed for photos holding a Bible. An Episcopal bishop in Washington said she was “outraged” that he used the church “as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.” Trump also warned he would order the military into cities if local officials could not control their streets.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged that an 11 p.m. curfew had failed to prevent widespread looting, including along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. As a result, the curfew will begin at 8 tonight.
In a shootout at a protest in St. Louis, four police officers were injured. In Buffalo, an S.U.V. sped through a line of officers in riot gear, injuring two of them, in an episode caught on video. In Las Vegas, the authorities are investigating the shootings of two officers, although the details are unclear.
The mayor of Louisville, Ky., fired the city’s police chief after the owner of a local barbecue restaurant was killed when police officers and National Guard troops shot toward protesters.
In the Times Opinion section, Tonya Russell asks companies to understand the toll that police brutality videos have on their black employees. “They should encourage self-care,” she writes, “and make clear there will be no penalties for those who may need to take a mental health day or temporarily take on a lighter workload.”
The Times will be providing updates all day here.

2. A private autopsy of George Floyd

The site where George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis on Friday.Caroline Yang for The New York Times

Both a government autopsy and an autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family concluded that his death was a homicide. The experts hired by the family say he was asphyxiated; the autopsy by the county says his heart stopped while officers were kneeling on him and notes Floyd’s underlying heart condition.

Video: The Times’s visual investigations team has reconstructed Floyd’s death using security footage, witness videos and official documents. “It’s hard to watch this. Really hard,” Marc Lacey, The Times’s national editor writes. “But here’s the most comprehensive reconstruct you’ll find of what happened.”

3. ‘Illiberal populists’ and the virus

The four large countries where coronavirus cases have been increasing fastest — Brazil, the U.S., Russia and Britain — have something in common: They are all run by populist male leaders who cast themselves as anti-elite and anti-establishment.

“Very often they rail against intellectuals and experts of nearly all types,” Steven Levitsky, a Harvard political scientist, told us. The leaders, he said, “claim to have a kind of common-sense wisdom that the experts lack. This doesn’t work very well versus Covid-19.” We explain — with a chart — here.

Another phone call: Trump also spoke by phone yesterday with President Vladimir Putin of Russia about the pandemic, the global economy and Trump’s desire to let Russia attend an upcoming G7 meeting.

What we’ve learned: Times journalists have summarized what scientists know about the virus, as well as the important mysteries that remain.

PBS NewsHour follow@newshour.org via gmail.mcsv.net

June 2, 2020

Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

WHO HOLDS SEATS OF POWER IN AMERICA?
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent

Consider two lists of names.

First: George Floyd, Donnie Sanders, Breonna Taylor, William Howard Green, Christopher Whitfield,

Atatiana Jefferson, Channara “Philly” Pheap, Ryan Twynman, Isaiah Lewis, Marcus McVae.

These are the names of 10 black men and women who were killed by police in just more than a year.

Next: Hiram Revels, Blanche Bruce, Edward Brooke, Carol Moseley Braun, Barack Obama, Roland Burris,

Tim Scott, WIlliam “Mo” Cowan, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris. This is a list of every black American who has

ever served in the U.S. senate. There have been 10.

It is a stark reminder that people who are often the victims of police violence are not proportionally

represented in our government.

Looking only at police shooting deaths, something this Washington Post database has tracked carefully

since 2015, 235 black people were shot and killed by police in the U.S. in 2019. That is 23.5 percent of all

police shooting deaths, nearly double the percentage of the U.S. population that is black.

And that figure dwarfs the number of black Americans — again, 10 — who have ever had a seat in the U.S. Senate, considered to be the most powerful elected body in the U.S.

As protests over the death of George Floyd continue this week, we looked at how black Americans are represented in our democracy. The numbers show glaring disparities continue, though there are instances of proportional representation.

· Overall: 13 percent of the U.S. population is black or African American, according to the official people counters: the Census.

White House: 4 percent of President Donald Trump’s cabinet is black. That is one official —- HUD Secretary Ben Carson — out of 23 cabinet positions. Carson has announced he intends to leave the job at the end of this year.

· House of Representatives. The House of Representatives nearly has proportional representation, with 12.5 percent of the lawmakers there being black.

· U.S. Senate. In the Senate, however, that figure is 3 percent, with just three black senators currently in the chamber — three of 10 to ever hold a seat in the body.

· Federal Courts: About 13 percent of federal judges are black, according to recent data from the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, as well as 2017 data cited by the Congressional Research Service.

· Governors: There are currently no black governors.

· State legislatures. About 9 percent of lawmakers in state houses are black, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

· Big City Mayors: According to the data we reviewed from the 50 largest cities, 11 of them have black mayors. That’s 22 percent.

IN MINNEAPOLIS, PROTESTS OVER GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH ‘A LONG TIME COMING’
By Daniel Bush, @DanielBush
Senior Political Reporter

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s the way George Floyd died that hurts the most.

“To see a man being held down that way, it’s just too much,” said Franklin Bridgeman, 53, who is black and a longtime resident of Minneapolis, Floyd’s hometown. “Of all the police shootings and killings, it’s the most painful. This was just so blatant.”

“This could have been my dad. This could have been my brothers, my nephews. George Floyd feels like my family,” Dha’Manique Evans said.

The police “don’t care about us at all. They know they can get away with it,” Evans, 21, added, and for that reason, she’s glad her city decided to protest. “They hear us now. They see what we’re doing.”

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25 after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, held him to the ground with a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd said several times, “I can’t breathe.” Video of the incident captured by bystanders quickly went viral, spurring protests in Minneapolis and dozens of cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

Chauvin, 44, and three other officers who were present at the arrest were fired the day after Floyd’s death. Chauvin was charged on May 29 with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

But by then, the protests in Minneapolis that had started peacefully were increasingly punctuated by confrontations between residents and police. Swaths of the city were set on fire and looted. Police fired tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. The governor imposed a curfew and ordered the largest deployment of the National Guard in state history.

In interviews around Minneapolis, many white residents expressed shock that something like this could happen in their city. Black residents said the anger and pain underlying the protests were both familiar and misunderstood. READ THE FULL STORY.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Alex D’Elia, @AlexDEliaNews
Politics production assistant

Trump vetoes student loan forgiveness bill — May 29. The president rejected Congress’ bipartisan legislation, which would have kept in place an existing Obama administration loan forgiveness plan. Why it matters: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ narrower loan forgiveness rules — which stay in place because of Trump’s action — limit students’ ability to get their loans forgiven when schools shut down due to fraud. — Forbes

Supreme Court upholds Puerto Rico oversight board from constitutional challenge — June 1. The board was formed by then-President Barack Obama in 2016 to oversee Puerto Rico’s debt restructuring, a process that has been complicated by Hurricane Maria, earthquakes and now the coronavirus. Why it matters: The Supreme Court ruling allows for the oversight board to continue restructuring hundreds of billions in debt and bankruptcy to help the island emerge from its financial crisis. — The Washington Post

Lawmakers begin bipartisan push to cut off police access to military-style gear — June 1.Local law enforcement receive military weaponry — like bayonets and grenade launchers — through a Pentagon program that was shut down by Obama but revived by Trump. Why it matters: The program is being scrutinized amid concerns about aggressive use of force by police around the country as they are dispersing often non-violent protesters. — The New York Times

Senate Democrats pump brakes on new stimulus checks — May 29. Though House Democrats want to include more $1,200 checks in the next economic stimulus bill, some Senate Democrats would rather focus the relief effort specifically on those who have been hit the hardest. Why it matters: The conflict demonstrates difficult negotiations surrounding coronavirus relief that could stall aid as the pandemic’s economic impacts linger. — The HIll

Justice Department closing insider-trading investigations into three U.S. senators — May 26. Investigations into the stock sales of Sens. Kelly Loeffler, Jim Inhofe and Dianne Feinstein at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak have concluded. Why it matters: The end of the investigation is welcome news particularly for Loeffler, a Republican who is facing a challenger from her own party for her Georgia Senate seat and has politically suffered in the polls in part because of the insider-trading scandal. — The Wall Street Journal

#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke
Politics producer

On this day in 1774, the British government renewed an act that allowed British troops to stay housed in private American residences. This was the fourth in a series of legislation known as the Intolerable Acts or the Coercive Acts, which spurred the first meeting of the Continental Congress.

Our question: What was this act called?

Send your answers to NewsHourPolitics@newshour.org or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: On this day in 1868, Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial ended. The Senate voted on three articles of impeachment, and failed to get the necessary two-thirds majority on any of them to convict Johnson and remove him from office. How many votes did each article fail by?

The answer: Each article failed by just one vote.

This was the first impeachment trial in our nation’s history, and a majority of Senators voted to convict the president of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” But the final roll call was 35-19 for the three articles of impeachment.

Johnson served out the rest of his term, and five years after leaving office, won a Senate seat and returned to the capitol.

Congratulations to our winners: Tim Smith and Mary Hubbard!!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your Inbox next week.

The Washington Post The Post Most June 3, 2020

(Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

Pentagon chief breaks from Trump over use of active-duty military forces to quell unrest

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More on the unrest in Lafayette Square

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

Trump’s photo with his loyalists was a vulgar mess. And Ivanka brought a handbag.

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The New York Times The Morning June 3, 2020

By David Leonhardt

Good morning. Protests continued late into the night, without the destruction of recent days. George W. Bush offered praise for the protesters. Let’s start by looking at how mass incarceration has shaped black Americans’ lives.

When jail becomes normal

The exercise yard at California Medical Facility in Vacaville, Calif.Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

For most white Americans, interactions with the police happen rarely, and they’re often respectful or even friendly. Many white people don’t know a single person who’s currently behind bars.

In many black communities — and especially for black men — the situation is entirely different. Some of the statistics can be hard to fathom:

Close to 10 percent of black men in their 30s are behind bars on any given day, according to the Sentencing Project.

Incarceration rates for black men are about twice as high as those of Hispanic men, five times higher than those of white men and at least 25 times higher than those of black women, Hispanic women or white women.

When the government last counted how many black men had ever spent time in state or federal prison — in 2001 — the share was 17 percent. Today, it’s likely closer to 20 percent (and this number doesn’t include people who’ve spent time in jail without being sentenced to prison). The comparable number for white men is about 3 percent.


The rise of mass incarceration over the last half-century has turned imprisonment into a dominant feature of modern life for black Americans. Large numbers of black men are missing from their communities — unable to marry, care for children or see their aging parents. Many others suffer from permanent economic or psychological damage, struggling to find work after they leave prison.

A recent study by the economists Patrick Bayer and Kerwin Kofi Charles found that 27 percent of black men in the prime working years of their lives — between the ages of 25 and 54 — didn’t report earning a single dollar of income in 2014. “That’s a massive number,” Charles, the dean of the Yale School of Management, told me. Incarceration, including the aftereffects, was a major reason.

The anger coursing through America’s streets over the past week has many causes, starting with a gruesome video showing the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But that anger has also been building up for a long time. It is, in part, anger about incarceration having become normal.

An explainer podcast: How has mass incarceration happened? “Justice in America” — hosted by Josie Duffy Rice of The Appeal — tries to answer the question. The Times’s Caity Weaver recommends starting with the first episode, about bail. “I learn so much from this freaking podcast,” Caity tweeted yesterday.

FOUR MORE BIG STORIES

1. Less violence on Tuesday night

People gather during a peace march honoring Minneapolis man George Floyd Tuesday in Houston.David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The amount of violence, fires and looting declined last night, relative to the chaos of previous nights. Instead, peaceful protesters in many cities defied curfews and remained on the streets late into the night to protest police violence.

Other protest developments:

Minneapolis police used force against black people at a rate at least seven times that of white people during the past five years, city data show.

In his first speech outside his home since the coronavirus lockdown, Joe Biden likened President Trump’s language to that of Southern racists of the 1960s. “We cannot let our rage consume us,” Biden said. Former President George W. Bush praised peaceful protesters. He said that he and his wife, Laura, were “anguished by the brutal suffocation of George Floyd and disturbed by the injustice and fear that suffocate our country.”

2. Fears of ‘autocracy’
Attorney General William Barr gave the order to clear the square across from the White House on Monday night, The Times explains, in a story reconstructing the incident. The order led law enforcement to use smoke and flash grenades to scatter peaceful protesters so that Trump could appear at a church for a photo opportunity.

Former military leaders and democracy experts condemned the use of force against citizens. Retired Adm. Mike Mullen wrote in The Atlantic that Trump had “laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country.” Kori Schake, a former Pentagon official and Republican policy adviser, said, “If we were seeing this in another country, we would be deeply concerned.” Gail Helt, a former C.I.A. analyst, told The Washington Post: “This is what autocrats do. This is what happens in countries before a collapse. It really does unnerve me.”

3. Voting in a shaken country

People in eight states and Washington, D.C., cast ballots in extraordinary circumstances yesterday, and it seemed to go more smoothly than some people feared. “If Tuesday’s vote-by-mail primaries were a test for November, elections officials have reason to be encouraged: a few bumps but no major disasters,” said Stephanie Saul, a Times reporter.

Among the results:

4. Zuckerberg defends his approach

In a tense company meeting, the Facebook C.E.O. Mark Zuckerberg stood by his decision not to remove or flag Trump’s inflammatory posts.

Some Facebook employees have been in open revolt over the policy. “Mark always told us that he would draw the line at speech that calls for violence,” said one engineer in a resignation note this week. “He showed us on Friday that this was a lie.”

Here’s what else is happening

Workers at the Atlantic Blueberry Company are tested prior to the picking season, in Hammonton, N.J.Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

A Times’s investigation explains how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fumbled its response to the coronavirus, leaving the country without adequate testing early in the crisis. Here are five takeaways from the reporting.
Republicans said they were moving Trump’s convention speech out of Charlotte, after a stalemate with Democratic officials in North Carolina about virus restrictions.
The College Board is postponing plans for an online version of the SAT because of technological challenges, further complicating the college-application process for students stuck at home.
Lives lived: Elsa Dorfman used a 200-pound Polaroid camera to create a brand of photographic art all her own, making instantaneous giant, natural-looking portraits of celebrities and everyday people — even while Polaroid, outpaced by technology, was fast going out of business. She died on May 30 at 83.

The Associated Press May 30, 2020

https://apnews.com/bee77c500c44054c48448d6f1f2602b7

Marcus Lavon of Des Moines raises his hands during a protest in Des Moines, May 29, 2020. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP)

AP PHOTOS: Images from protests across a traumatized nation

By The Associated Press May 30, 2020

In cities across the United States, protesters angered over the killing of George Floyd faced off against heavily-armed officers, with some smashing police cars, ransacking businesses and setting fires that smoldered through the night.

Fears of another cycle of violence were palpable on Saturday as cities from Atlanta to Minneapolis grappled with the scope of the damage, and pleas for calm from elected officials and others seemed to do little to dampen the anger.

In Minnesota, where Floyd died Monday after a police officer pressed down on his neck for more than eight minutes, Gov. Tim Walz activated more than a thousand national guardsmen early Saturday, promising a massive show of force to protect the city.

Protesters refuse to allow National Guard personnel to advance towards Hiawatha Avenue along East Lake Street, Friday, May 29, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler also declared an emergency and ordered a nighttime curfew for the city. And in Washington, D.C., the guard was on standby as a crowd gathered outside the White House and chanted curses at President Donald Trump.

In all, more than two dozen cities experienced racially diverse protests, many peaceful but some of violent.

Full Coverage: Photography

Many of those out on the streets spoke of frustration that Floyd’s death was one more in a litany. It came in the wake of the killing in Georgia of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot after being pursued by two white men while running in their neighborhood, and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic that has thrown millions out of work, killed more than 100,000 people in the U.S. and disproportionately affected black people.

Trump was again under criticism for stoking the racial discord with a series of tweets Saturday belittling the protesters outside, claiming many of the Secret Service agents were “just waiting for action” and ready to unleash “the most vicious dogs, and the most ominous weapons, I have ever seen” if protesters try to breech the White House’s security fence.

Donald Trump supporter Michael Rooney of Des Moines argues with protesters outside of the Des Moines Police Department during a protest on Friday, May 29, 2020, in Des Moines. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP)

Protesters move along a highway Friday, May 29, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A Police officer warns a protester during an arrest at a rally Friday, May 29, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Police react to protesters in Atlanta on May 29, 2020. Protesters carried signs and chanted their messages of outrage over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

A protester is arrested near Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Friday, May 29, 2020, following a rally to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

A man throws a hand truck into the window of vandalized CVS store during a protest over the death of George Floyd Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Los Angeles. Floyd died in police custody Monday in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Protesters and National Guardsmen face off on East Lake Street, Friday, May 29, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Demonstrators burn garbage in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 29, 2020, while protesting the Monday death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man in police custody in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A protester rides his bike past a burning building that housed a check cashing business, Friday, May 29, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

A woman flashes the peace sign while walking backwards in a cloud of tear gas during a protest at 72nd and Dodge Streets on Friday, May 29, 2020. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

Police officers and protesters clash near CNN Center, Friday, May 29, 2020, in Atlanta, in response to George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Demonstrators rally in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 29, 2020, to protest the Monday death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man in police custody in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A protester confronts Kansas City police during a George Floyd protest at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, May 29, 2020. (Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star via AP)

A demonstrator attacks a police car during a protest over the death of George Floyd in downtown Los Angeles, Friday, May 29, 2020. Floyd died in the custody of the Minneapolis police on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Police officers rush past a burning police vehicle to disperse protesters during a protest over the death of George Floyd Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Los Angeles. Floyd died in police custody Monday in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

>A man runs out of a convenience store Friday, May 29, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Red handprints cover a window at the Hall of Justice building in downtown Louisville, Ky., Friday, May 29, 2020. Breonna Taylor, a black woman, was fatally shot by police in her home in March. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

A Police vehicle burns after protesters rallied at Barclays Center over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died Memorial Day while in Minneapolis police custody, Friday, May 29, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Medical examiner: Floyd’s heart stopped while restrainedMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A medical examiner on Monday classified George Floyd’s death as a homicide, saying his heart stopped as police restrained him and compressed his neck, in a widely seen video… yesterday

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