Attorney General Bill Barr took a stroll with Defense Secretary Mark Esper around downtown Washington, D.C. on Monday night after federal police officers sprayed teargas at peaceful protesters who were not violating the city’s 7 p.m. curfew.
Continue reading “Barr Prowls Around DC In Publicity Stunt After Cops Teargas Peaceful Protesters”
Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was seen walking the streets of Washington, D.C., in battle fatigues after curfew Monday night — a scene that sparked an intense wave of criticism.
“We’ve got the D.C. National Guard out here, and I’m just checking there and seeing how they’re doing, that’s all,” Milley said as he strolled the nation’s capital on Tuesday, two hours after the city’s curfew which started at 7 p.m. ET
Continue reading “Top Military Leader’s DC Stroll In Fatigues Sets Off Wave Of Criticism”
A group of about a half-dozen Republican senators led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sided with the Justice Department and Michael Flynn Monday in their extraordinary beef with the judge handling Flynn’s case.
Continue reading “McConnell And Other GOP Senators Inject Themselves Into Michael Flynn Mess”
Rev. Gini Gerbasi, an Episcopal priest in D.C., said that federal police used tear gas to expel her and other people from St. John’s Episcopal Church property to make way for President Donald Trump’s photo-op staged there on Monday evening.
As much as anything else, the spectacle yesterday afternoon in front of the White House was a deliberate set-up. It’s a not-unknown stock in trade for bad actors to invite press to one kind of purported event and switch to something more ghastly on camera, forcing the press to become complicit in what unfolds.
Yesterday was a version of that.
The Hennepin County medical examiner’s office updated the autopsy report of George Floyd, who was died after white police officer Derek Chauvin dug his knee into Floyd’s neck for over five minutes, to rule his death as a homicide on Monday.
Continue reading “Hennepin County Medical Examiner Determines George Floyd’s Death Was A Homicide”
The Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, blasted President Donald Trump on Monday night after he had peaceful protesters teargassed so that he could use St. John’s Episcopal Church, one of her churches, to stage a photo-op.
Trump: "I will fight to protect you. I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters, but in recent days our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, looters, criminals antifa and others." pic.twitter.com/e2e9d1eX48
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) June 1, 2020
President Trump delivered his first formal address Monday evening amid mounting protests nationwide in the wake of George Floyd’s death, saying that he has “strongly recommended” that every governor deploy the National Guard to “dominate the streets.”
The President’s remarks in the Rose Garden came as federal police used tear gas and flash bangs to disperse a seemingly peaceful crowd outside the White House, creating a surreal split screen as unrest boils over in cities across the country.
The aggressive police tacts were apparently used so that Trump could make a surprise visit to St. John’s Episcopal Church — a historic church near the White House that was vandalized during protests the night before. The President stood in front of the church and waved alongside senior officials, including chief of staff Mark Meadows, Attorney General Bill Barr, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany for a photo-op. Trump also awkwardly waved around a Bible.
As the President left the White House to walk toward the church, a White House pool report noted the remarkable conditions on the ground: “Remnants of gas has your pooler and others coughing and choking.”
During his brief speech from the Rose Garden, Trump echoed comments he made earlier in the day about “dominating” protests.
“Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled,” Trump said. “If the city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residence, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”
Trump: "I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets." pic.twitter.com/0NqKuVNEbU
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) June 1, 2020
Louisville was on edge Monday after the shooting death of a black barbecue stand owner overnight. Continue reading “Louisville A Tinderbox: BBQ Owner Dead, No Body Cam Footage, Police Chief Fired”
