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.

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

“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.”

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 …

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 …

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

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” …

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.