"It was painful to watch peaceful
protesters be subjected to tear gas in order for the president to go
across the street to a church that I believe he’s attended only once,"
said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). "I thought that the president came
across as unsympathetic and as insensitive to the rights of people to
peaceful protest."
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
George Floyd death: Trump's church visit shocks religious leaders
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52890650
Last night he held a Bible in front
of St John's Episcopal Church, just across the road from the White
House. Today, he'll visit the Shrine to St John Paul II, also in
Washington DC.
James Martin, a Jesuit priest and consultant to the Vatican's
communications department, tweeted: "Let me be clear. This is revolting.
The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a
political tool. God is not your plaything."
Will Americans ever forgive Trump for his heartless lack of compassion?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/05/will-americans-forgive-trump
One’s heart goes out to the reporters who have sifted through the
Donald Trump’s press briefings on the current pandemic – hour after hour
of bombast, self-promotion, vitriol, lies and recklessly unscientific
speculation – for any evidence of sympathy for those who are in pain.
It’s hardly a shock to learn that our president’s expressions of care
and compassion have occupied a total of less than five minutes, out of
all that time.
Reporter's Notebook 2020 Time Capsule Carlos Barria / Reuters Sort Notes Newest First Oldest First Show 1 Newer Notes James Fallows 11:24 AM / May 4, 2020 2020 Time Capsule #17: ‘Empathy and Simple Kindness’
https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2020/05/2020-time-capsule-17-empathy-and-simple-kindness/611092/
1) “Empathy and Simple Kindness.” This past Saturday, former President George W. Bush released a brief video
whose subtweeted message was unmistakable. It recognized the suffering
of those who had lost family members, or economic prospects, or hope
itself; it emphasized the all of us rather than the us and them response to national crisis; and it appealed to the generous rather than the resentful in human nature.
President Trump’s Big Moment in Front of a Church Shows He Has Missed the Point of the Protests
https://time.com/5846449/trump-church-protests/
As Trump began to speak in the Rose Garden, tear gas canisters could
be heard being launched into the crowd across the park, and the sounds
of bangs and screams carried over the treetops and punctuated his
remarks. Trump began with three sentences about Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who died in Minneapolis
on May 25 after a white police officer kept his knee on his neck for
eight minutes and 46 seconds. “All Americans were rightly sickened and
revolted by the brutal death of George Floyd,” Trump said, adding that
his Administration “is fully committed that for George and his family
justice will be served. He will not have died in vain.”
For the rest of Trump’s six minute and forty-two second speech,
the President did not mention or commit to solve the main grievance of
the protestors being noisily gassed outside: the frequency of killings
of unarmed black men and women by police officers across the country.
Instead, he pivoted to his central point of the night projecting himself
as the defender of order. “We cannot allow the righteous cries of
peaceful protestors to be drowned out by an angry mob,” he said. “I will
fight to protect you. I am your president of law and order and an ally
of all peaceful protestors.”
Trump responds to protests with a strongman act
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/02/politics/donald-trump-george-floyd-protest-military/index.html
While he mentioned Floyd -- who died a
week ago in the latest example of police brutality against black
Americans -- in his address, it was only in passing in a speech
dedicated to fostering the impression of tough guy leadership. He made
no attempt to soothe the anger, fear and alienation stalking the nation.
Trump, who has a record of racist rhetoric in and out of office, gave
little sign he appreciates that black men and women believe that their
country, amid some instances of brutal policing, sees their lives as
cheap.
Trump Can’t Designate Antifa — or Any Movement — Domestic Terrorist Organization
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/06/trump-cant-designate-antifa-or-any-movement-domestic-terrorist-organization/
“There’s no legal process or meaning” for what the president said,
Patel told us. “He’s reflecting on the process that we use for foreign
terrorist organizations.”
The secretary of state has the legal authority to designate groups as foreign terrorist organizations under federal law.
The federal government makes those FTO designations through a six-step
process involving the State Department and other agencies. The
designations enable the federal government to freeze assets, prosecute
individuals for aiding those groups and restrict immigration for members
of those groups, as the Government Accountability Office explains.
Ann Coulter Turns on ‘Disloyal Actual Retard’ Trump in Twitter Rant
https://www.thewrap.com/ann-coulter-turns-on-disloyal-actual-retard-trump-in-twitter-rant/
Ann Coulter went on an early Sunday morning Twitter tear, calling
President Donald Trump “the most disloyal actual retard that has ever
set foot in the Oval Office.”
The far-right media pundit and former Trump defender was triggered by
the president’s Friday tweet in which he called for Alabama voters to
“not trust Jeff Sessions” and instead put their support behind Sessions’
Republican Senate seat challenger, football coach Tommy Tuberville.
Trump says he supports the troops. His record suggests otherwise.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/todaysdebate/2020/05/05/trump-says-he-supports-troops-his-record-says-otherwise-our-view/4870524002/
Historically, American soldiers have tended to be
more conservative and Republican-leaning than the population at
large. Yet polls suggest that troops are beginning to sour on
this GOP president. Since Trump's election, the percentage of service
members disapproving of his performance has gone from a third to half of
the nation's fighting force.
Given his record of disrespect toward the military and its values, the surprise is that it isn't higher.
Michael Flynn judge defends decision to challenge DOJ request to drop case; no 'rubber stamp'
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/01/michael-flynn-judge-defends-decision-challenge-doj-effort-drop-case/5306884002/
The federal judge overseeing the fraught
prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn Monday
defended his decision to review the Justice Department's effort to
abandon the case, calling such a move "unprecedented."
"It
is unusual for a criminal defendant to claim innocence and move to
withdraw his guilty plea after repeatedly swearing under oath that he
committed the crime," attorneys for U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan
said in documents filed in a D.C. appellate court. "It is unprecedented
for an acting U.S. Attorney to contradict the solemn representations
that career prosecutors made time and again, and undermine the district
court’s legal and factual findings, in moving on his own to dismiss the
charge years after two different federal judges accepted the defendant’s
plea."
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