Top Items:
James N. Miller / Washington Post:
Secretary Esper, you violated your oath in aiding Trump's photo op. That's why I'm resigning. — I resign from the Defense Science Board, effective immediately. — When I joined the Board in early 2014, after leaving government service as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy …
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NBC News:
Esper on Trump church photo-op: I thought we were going to ‘talk to the troops’ — Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he was given no notice before President Donald Trump led him and other senior administration officials to St. John's Episcopal Church for a widely criticized photo opportunity.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Axios, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, The Hill, Mediaite, CNN and wusa9.com
Washington Post:
Live updates: Violent clashes between police and public escalate — Clashes between police and the public intensified Monday night, as largely peaceful daytime protests descended into violence and chaos after dark, amid widespread curfews and National Guard deployments.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Stand Together, Raw Story, The Root, Common Dreams, ABC News, Daily Kos, Fox News, The Hill, DCist, CNN and Axios
New York Times:
How Trump's Idea for a Photo Op Led to Havoc in a Park — When the history of the Trump presidency is written, the clash with protesters that preceded President Trump's walk across Lafayette Square may be remembered as one of its defining moments. — WASHINGTON — After a weekend of protests …
Discussion:
Politico, Bloomberg, Breitbart, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Hill, Common Dreams, KTVZ-TV and Vox
The Daily Beast:
‘Uncomfortable Mission’: Pentagon Tries to Retreat From Trump's Call to ‘Dominate’ Protests — Pentagon officials say it was the White House, not the Defense Department, pushing for military might in the streets—with Trump seeking details on “tanks” that could be used.
Discussion:
Reuters, IJR, Defense One and Raw Story
New York Times:
Former Commanders Fault Trump's Use of Troops Against Protesters — After military helicopters carried out a “show of force” mission to discourage protesters, retired senior military leaders condemned their successors for deploying such tactics. — WASHINGTON — Retired senior military leaders condemned …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Raw Story, ABC News, UPI, Discourse.net, Digby's Hullabaloo and Defense One
Dana Hedgpeth / Washington Post:
Live updates: Mayor's office says federal officials floated idea of taking over D.C. police …
Live updates: Mayor's office says federal officials floated idea of taking over D.C. police …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, DCist, Daily Kos, Lawfare, The Hill and Common Dreams, more at Mediagazer »
Derek Hawkins / Washington Post:
On Swann Street, D.C. protesters needed a refuge from police, so one resident ‘just opened a door’
On Swann Street, D.C. protesters needed a refuge from police, so one resident ‘just opened a door’
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Mother Jones and Axios
Mike Mullen / The Atlantic:
I Cannot Remain Silent — It sickened me yesterday to see security personnel—including members of the National Guard—forcibly and violently clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the president's visit outside St. John's Church. I have to date been reticent to speak …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Axios, Fox News, The Nation, Task & Purpose, Mediaite, Raw Story, KTVZ-TV, The Hill and The Guardian
RELATED:
NPS.gov:
Statement from United States Park Police acting Chief Gregory T. Monahan about the actions taken over the weekend to protect life and property — The United States Park Police (USPP) is committed to the peaceful expression of First Amendment rights. However, this past weekend's demonstrations …
Discussion:
Vox, Redstate, The Federalist, Breitbart, NBC News, Deadline, Axios, Washington Post and Just The News
Jack Jenkins / Religion News Service:
Ahead of Trump Bible photo op, police forcibly expel priest from St. John's church near White House — U.S. — Judaism — Islam — Unaffiliated/Atheism — Hinduism — Buddhism — Sikhism — Alternative Faiths — Other Faiths — Cart — Apparel — Miscellaneous
Max Cohen / Politico:
Tim Scott: Lafayette Square should not have been cleared for Trump
Tim Scott: Lafayette Square should not have been cleared for Trump
Discussion:
Washington Post, Fox News, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Slate, FiveThirtyEight, IJR, Mediaite and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:
What Democracy Scholars Thought of Trump's Bible Photo Op
What Democracy Scholars Thought of Trump's Bible Photo Op
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Mother Jones
Washington Post:
Barr personally ordered removal of protesters near White House, leading to use of force against largely peaceful crowd
Barr personally ordered removal of protesters near White House, leading to use of force against largely peaceful crowd
Discussion:
U.S. Department of Justice, CNN, KTVZ-TV, The Hill, Daily Kos, Digby's Hullabaloo, DCist, Twitchy, Law & Crime, The American Spectator and Breitbart
NBC News:
‘The Bible is not a prop’: Religious leaders, lawmakers outraged over Trump church visit
‘The Bible is not a prop’: Religious leaders, lawmakers outraged over Trump church visit
Discussion:
Breitbart, Raw Story, emptywheel, Vanity Fair, DCReport.org, Slate, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Associated Press and CNN
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
The Christians Who Loved Trump's Stunt
The Christians Who Loved Trump's Stunt
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, americamagazine.org, Foreign Policy, The Mahablog, Law & Crime, Slate, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and The Guardian
Shirin Ghaffary / Vox:
Mark Zuckerberg on leaked audio: Trump's looting and shooting reference “has no history of being read as a dog whistle” — Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the House Financial Services Committee in October 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Discussion:
The Verge, CBS San Francisco, Breitbart, WLNS-TV, New York Times and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
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New York Times:
Zuckerberg Defends Hands-Off Approach to Trump's Posts — In a call with Facebook employees, who have protested the inaction on Mr. Trump's messages, Mr. Zuckerberg said his decision was “pretty thorough.” — SAN FRANCISCO — Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive …
Discussion:
Barry Schnitt, CNBC, Associated Press, The Wrap, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, VICE, TheStreet, Axios, Vanity Fair, Protocol and PAPER, more at Techmeme »
Chris Cillizza / CNN:
One of America's most prominent conservative columnists wants Republicans to lose in 2020 — (CNN)For the better part of the last four decades, George F. Will has been at the intellectual center of American conservatism. Now he is calling for a full-blown rout of the Republican Party at the ballot box in November.
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Axios:
McConnell blocks resolution condemning Trump's actions against peaceful protesters
McConnell blocks resolution condemning Trump's actions against peaceful protesters
Discussion:
Raw Story, Reason, The Hill and The American Independent
Reuters:
Exclusive: Most Americans sympathize with protests, disapprove of Trump's response - Reuters/Ipsos — NEW YORK (Reuters) - A majority of Americans sympathize with nationwide protests over the death of an unarmed black man in police custody and disapprove of President Donald Trump's response to the unrest …
Heather Mac Donald / Wall Street Journal:
The Myth of Systemic Police Racism — Hold officers accountable who use excessive force. But there's no evidence of widespread racial bias. — George Floyd's death in Minneapolis has revived the Obama-era narrative that law enforcement is endemically racist.
Discussion:
Conservative Review
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BuzzFeed News:
The DEA Has Been Given Permission To Investigate People Protesting George Floyd's Death — The Drug Enforcement Administration has been granted sweeping new authority to “conduct covert surveillance” and collect intelligence on people participating in protests over the police killing of George Floyd …
Discussion:
Washington Post
Vicky Prodeline / Polls:
Protestors' Anger Justified Even If Actions May Not Be — Most say police more likely to use excessive force on black individuals — West Long Branch, NJ - Most Americans say the anger about black deaths at the hands of police officers that led to recent protests is fully justified …
Discussion:
CBS News, Washington Post, KTVZ-TV, The Daily Caller and Fox News
Politico:
Trump tweets he wants to move GOP convention — UPDATE: — President Donald Trump tweeted he wants the GOP to seek a different location for the Republican National Convention, now scheduled to take place in North Carolina. He said that Governor Roy Cooper was “not allowing us to occupy …
Discussion:
Axios, Mediaite, Big League Politics, Associated Press, Fox News, The Daily Caller, CBS17.com and The Hill
RELATED:
Jason Easley / POLITICUSUSA:
George W. Bush Virtually Endorses Joe Biden In Powerful Statement — Former President and First Lady George W. and Laura Bush issued a statement on the riots that echoed Joe Biden's language of empathy and unity. — In part, the statement read: … The better way that Bushs wrote …
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Greg Miller / Washington Post:
CIA veterans who monitored crackdowns abroad see troubling parallels in Trump handling of protests — The scenes have been disturbingly familiar to CIA analysts accustomed to monitoring scenes of societal unraveling abroad — the massing of protesters, the ensuing crackdowns …
Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
“It's Spiraling Out of Control”: Confronting a Failed Presidency, Trump Plays Politics With the Protests — Teargassing protestors for a photo op, afraid to say anything that will make him look weak, Trump once again feels victimized. “He feels the blue-state governors are letting it burn because it hurts him.”
Ken Klippenstein / The Nation:
The FBI Finds ‘No Intel Indicating Antifa Involvement’ in Sunday's Violence — Trump wants to designate Antifa a terrorist organization despite lack of authority and evidence of wrongdoing. — The FBI's Washington Field Office “has no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence” …
Discussion:
Politico, Breitbart, The Daily Signal, VICE, Washington Post, spiked and Informed Comment
Olivia Messer / The Daily Beast:
Medical Workers Fighting COVID Say Cops Are Attacking Them — “I don't know if it's because they noticed my hospital ID or if it's because they saw the blood, but they stopped, threw my phone at me, and I walked back to the hospital.” — Twenty minutes after leaving his job at a Brooklyn hospital …
Discussion:
Texas Monthly and Denverite
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
It takes a village to create a monster — The events of Monday — the violent suppression of peaceful protesters (coupled with a threat to use the military against American civilians) so that President Trump could stage a photo op and besmirch the Bible — were not Trump's doing alone.
Discussion:
The Hill, ABC News and Mother Jones
Spencer Ackerman / The Daily Beast:
Joint Chiefs Chairman Blasted as Uniformed ‘Prop’ for Trump's ‘Fascist Political Stunt’ — Gen. Mark Milley strolled with Trump through Lafayette Park after it was violently cleared of protesters. National-security vets say the chairman crossed the line. — BEAST INSIDE
Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Bush administration alums form pro-Biden super PAC — Former officials from the George W. Bush administration have formed a super PAC to support former Vice President Joe Biden's White House campaign. — The super PAC, dubbed 43 Alumni For Biden, referring to the 43rd president …
Discussion:
Washington Post, POLICE Magazine and The Daily Beast
Zachary Warmbrodt / Politico:
Divided Senate confirms former Trump counsel as relief watchdog — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee to police the massive coronavirus economic rescue programs, filling a key oversight position Congress created as part of $2 trillion legislation in March.
Discussion:
Associated Press and The Hill