ThePast 24 Hours or So

Read Time: 6 Minutes

Protest News

• Protesters left a trail of red paint behind them to symbolize blood on the New York City streets as they marched to oppose police brutality and racism in the criminal justice system.

• One of the six police officers in Atlanta charged over an incident caught on video, in which two college students were pulled from their car at gunpoint and tased, has previously been named in a lawsuit over a 2016 shooting during a raid that killed a mentally ill man.

• President Trump said that he didn’t believe it was significant that the top US general apologized for his role in the president’s photo opportunity outside St John’s Church last week: “If that’s the way they feel, I think that’s fine.”

• Starbucks on Friday reversed its stance barring employees from wearing clothing that supports the Black Lives Matter movement.

“We see you. We hear you. Black Lives Matter. That is a fact and will never change,” Starbucks said in a statement.

The coffee chain giant made its initial stance against wearing Black Lives Matters shirts and pins known to employees in a memo earlier in the week

• Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd, could receive more than $1 million in pension benefits even if he is convicted, the Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association confirmed.

• Denver schools voted Thursday night to take police out of its schools, one of a handful of major districts to do so in recent days, fueled by protests over police brutality.

• Both chambers of the Iowa Legislature unanimously passed a police reform bill to ban most chokeholds and address officer misconduct. The bill was introduced simultaneously and flew through both the Senate and House within hours.

• “Breonna’s Law” will ban no-knock search warrants in Louisville, Kentucky, after police officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor in her home in March. The city council voted unanimously on the ban and the mayor pledged to sign it.

• New York City council leaders came out in support of a plan to cut $1 billion from the city’s police budget as protests across the country continue against systemic racism and police use of force.

• President Trump’s advisers are reportedly offering competing advice on how to address nationwide protests against racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd, with sources familiar with White House conversations claiming Trump has privately said, “these aren’t my voters” on more than one occasion when discussing protesters and how to respond.

• In a Fox NewsPresident Trump described the concept of chokeholds as “so innocent” in an interview that aired Friday, though he acknowledged that the practice in policing should be ended in most cases.

Trump, who said he hoped to see “strong but compassionate policing” moving forward, said he doesn’t like chokeholds before going on to defend the practice in certain situations against “tough” and “bad” people.

“I think the concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent, so perfect,” Trump said, explaining that it’s often a matter of physical strength and a case-by-case basis.

“So you have to be careful,” Trump added. “With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that generally speaking it should be ended.”

• President Donald Trump claimed in a Fox News interview with Harris Faulkner that he’s done more for the Black community than any other president in history, including Abraham Lincoln.

“So I think I’ve done more for the Black community than any other president, and let’s take a pass on Abraham Lincoln because he did good, although it’s always questionable, you know, in other words, the end result…” Trump said

Administration News

• Former White House national security adviser John Bolton will claim in his forthcoming book that President Trump engaged in “misconduct with other countries,” beyond his contacts with Ukraine, the subject of the president’s impeachment last year.

• The International Criminal Court condemned President Trump’s executive order sanctioning court officials investigating alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan, saying Trump’s “attacks constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court’s judicial proceedings.”

• President Trump’s former casino in Atlantic City, which has remained empty since 2014, is set to be demolished. Debris and panels have been falling off the crumbling facade and crashing down to the boardwalk.

• North Korean leaders say they see little reason to maintain ties with President Trump two years after the leaders’ first summit, accusing Trump of touting his relationship with leader Kim Jong Un to gain political clout instead of actually reaching a mutual agreement.

“Never again will we provide the U.S. chief executive with another package to be used for achievements without receiving any returns,” the country’s foreign minister said. “Nothing is more hypocritical than an empty promise.”

• A top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will appear before a House committee probing the ousting of the State Department’s independent watchdog, according to a letter sent to Congress and obtained by The Hill.

Under Secretary of State for Management Brian Bulatao can appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 22 or June 23, Pompeo informed Rep. Eliot Engel, the chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

• The Trump administration finalized a rule to erase Obama-era protections for transgender patients facing discrimination in health care. The administration announced the move on the 4-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting and during Pride Month.

A rule finalized on Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services means that the federal government no longer recognizes gender identity as an avenue for sex discrimination in health care.

• The FBI on Wednesday warned that malicious cyber actors were targeting mobile banking apps in an attempt to steal money as more Americans have moved to online banking during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a public service announcement, the FBI noted it expects to see hackers “exploit” mobile banking platforms, which have seen a 50 percent surge in use since the beginning of the pandemic.

Coronavirus/COVID-19

• Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, said that attending a protest is “risky,” and suggests those attending to wear face masks and wash their hands often.

• White House economic officials on Friday downplayed concerns about recent spikes in cases of the novel coronavirus in several U.S. states amid fears on Wall Street about a new wave of COVID-19.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on “Fox & Friends” that the developments did not signify a “second spike” nationally of COVID-19, citing conversations with White House health experts the evening prior.

Speaking later on Fox News, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett described some “embers flaring up” in various states, pointing to troubling data in South Carolina and Arizona, but he insisted that cases nationally continue to decline.

• The State Department will resume passport services for American citizens after a three-month pause in applications spurred by coronavirus-related closures and travel advisories.

Sources:  ABC News, Axios, CBS News, CNN, Financial Times, Fox News,The Hill, NBC News, NPR, NY Times, Politico, Reuters, Salon, Slate, Vanity Fair, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post