Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
June 1, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Chaos continued last night in at least 140 US cities . . . Chaos has continued to unfold in cities across America. Cops charged into demonstrators in New York City, and lootings and store raids continued to unfold in California, Philadelphia and Boston. Tens of thousands of people gathered as the National Guard was deployed across the nation for protests that have seen 4,100 people get arrested this weekend alone. But even the threat of
heavy officer presence didn't deter protesters in Philadelphia from hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails at police, crowds from raiding stores including Coach and Chanel in New York and San Francisco, or fires from being ignited mere feet from the White House. Late Sunday in Washington D.C. a fire was set ablaze in the historic St. John's Episcopal Church and Lafayette Park in front of the White House. Trump bashed Democrat-run cities burned by rioters and demands more National
Guard be activated. One protester was reportedly shot dead by police in Louisville after a crowd gathered in the city, where the George Floyd case has reignited anger over a separate shooting in March. Daily Mail
More than 50 Secret Service agents wounded outside White House . . . More than 50 Secret Service agents were injured, fires set by rioters blazed near the White House and authorities were searching for car bombs late Sunday as protests over the death of George Floyd continued to roil the capital just two days after President Trump had to be taken to a bunker for his safety. A senior official in the direct chain of command for defending
Washington D.C. told Fox News of the injuries to Secret Service agents, some of whom were hurt by rioters throwing bottles and Molotov cocktails in Lafayette Park, just across from the presidential residence. As observed in New York City and elsewhere, groups in D.C. are planting cars filled with incendiary materials for future use. Fox News
Trump was whisked to bunker as protests raged outside White House . . . Secret Service agents rushed President Donald Trump to a White House bunker on Friday night as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the executive mansion, some of them throwing rocks and tugging at police barricades. Trump spent nearly an hour in the bunker, which was designed for use in emergencies like terrorist attacks, according to a Republican close to the White
House who was not authorized to publicly discuss private matters and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The abrupt decision by the agents underscored the rattled mood inside the White House, where the chants from protesters in Lafayette Park could be heard all weekend and Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers struggled to contain the crowds. Associated Press
Truck barrels into protestors in Minneapolis . . . A truck barreled into a crowd of thousands of George Floyd protesters marching on a closed interstate near downtown Minneapolis on Sunday night.
Video showed the massive rig speeding down the I-35W bridge at about 6pm local time as protesters taking up all lanes of traffic fled out of its path. Authorities said the truck did not appear to have struck anyone before it came to a stop in the middle of the road. Protesters were seen climbing on the rig and pulling
the driver, identified as 35-year-old Bogdan Vechirko, out of the cabin and beating him in the road. Daily Mail
Two Brooklyn attorneys charged with Molotov cocktail attack on NY police . . . Two Brooklyn lawyers, including an Ivy League graduate corporate attorney, are facing federal charges over accusations they tossed a Molotov cocktail into an NYPD vehicle early Saturday morning during a protest over the police killing of George Floyd. Colinford Mattis, 32, a corporate lawyer and member of Community Board 5 in East New York, was charged along with fellow
attorney Urooj Rahman with the attempted attack on an empty police cruiser parked outside the 88th Precinct station house in Fort Greene. NY Daily News
Well, that's about what I'd expect out of an Ive League education.
Two Atlanta police officers fired for excessive force . . . Atlanta officials fired two police officers and placed three on desk duty pending review over the use of excessive force as protestors took to the streets Saturday to express their anger over the death of George Floyd.Sunday Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she saw a video, which she called "disturbing," of five officers pulling two college students out of a car in downtown
Atlanta. Bottoms and police Chief Erika Shields made the announcement at a press conference after reviewing body-camera footage. USA Today
Poll: Most Americans not ready to resume pre-pandemic activities . . . With two-thirds of Americans worried about a second wave of the coronavirus, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds nearly 6 in 10 people are unready to resume their pre-pandemic activities, underscoring continued public unease as the nation seeks a return to normalcy. Impacts of the pandemic are vast. Seventy-nine percent in this national survey say
their lives have been disrupted. Fifty-nine percent report severe economic impacts in their community -- up from 43% two months ago. Among those employed before the pandemic began, 24% have been laid off or furloughed. For all that, 57% say it's more important to try to control the spread of the virus than to try to restart the economy. And as states move to reopen, most people are hesitant. Asked if they're willing at this time to go to stores, restaurants and other public places the way
they did before the pandemic, 58% say it's too early for that. ABC News
Protests raise fear of virus rebound . . . Health experts fear that silent carriers of the virus could unwittingly infect others at protests where people are packed cheek to jowl, many without masks, many chanting, singing or shouting. The virus is dispersed by microscopic droplets in the air when people cough, sneeze, sing or talk. “There’s no question that, when you put hundreds or thousands of people together in close proximity, when we have got
this virus all over the streets ... it’s not healthy,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Two weeks from now across America, we’re going to find out whether or not this gives us a spike and drives the numbers back up again or not.” Associated Press
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White House divided on Trump addressing racial tensions . . . As protests continue to flare across the country, President Donald Trump and his top aides cannot settle on the next steps the White House should take to ease tensions after the latest death of an African American man detained by a white police officer. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has been pushing for the president to deliver a formal address to
the nation to emphasize his support for law and order and police officers, a familiar trope for the Republican Party and one that typically plays well with its base. Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, along with several other top aides, argued against such a move, fearing the tone could alienate key voters ahead of the November election, including African Americans whose support the administration has been trying to court. Politico
Trump will designate Antifa a terrorist organization . . . Trump said on Sunday the government will designate Antifa — the far-left extremist group his administration says is carrying out violence during the nationwide George Floyd protests — as a “terrorist” organization. “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization,” the president said on Twitter.
The designation could put Antifa — short for anti-fascist — under the domestic terror label laid out in the 2001 USA Patriot Act, which allows federal law enforcement agencies to target the entire organization. However there is no law on the books specifically against providing support to domestic terrorist organizations —
unlike foreign terror groups. New York Post
Trump demands arrests for mob that beat man defending Dallas store with machete . . . President Trump is demanding ‘arrests and long-term jail sentences’ for the individuals who were filmed beating a man who was said to have been trying to stop looters from attacking a bar in downtown Dallas on Saturday night. The president on Sunday tweeted in response to video of the incident, writing: 'SO TERRIBLE! Where are the arrests and LONG TERM
jail sentences?' Rioters last night were seen on video hurling rocks at a business owner who was allegedly trying to defend his store with a sword before he was brutally beaten unconscious in Dallas. The victim was stable, police said, after the man was seen slumped over in the street with blood pouring from gashes on his head. Daily Mail
Biden visits protest site in Delaware . . . Former Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday left his home for a site in Wilmington, Del., that has seen protests over the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer. It was his second time in a week he ventured outside after having elected to campaign from his house since coronavirus lockdowns went into effect. On Monday, Biden had attended a quick Memorial Day ceremony with his
wife. “We are a nation in pain, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us,” Biden wrote Sunday on social media posts across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Politico
They're letting him out too much. His polls are going to go down.
Biden staffers, celebrities donate to provide bail money for protestors . . . Over a dozen of former Vice President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign staffers announced their support for the Minnesota Freedom Fund, according to a report from Reuters. They were joined by a number of celebrities, from Chrissy Teigen and Justin Timberlake to Steve Carell and Emily Ratajkowski. Daily Caller
National Security Advisor O'Brien says no "systemic racism" among police . . . White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday he doesn’t think there is systemic racism in the nation’s police forces and “bad apples” are at fault for the impression even as protesters argue that a pattern of discrimination is at the root of George Floyd’s death. Black people have been killed in multiple high-profile interactions with police
in Baltimore, Missouri and other places across the U.S. Some data shows minorities are stopped or searched at higher rates than their share of the population, but other studies dispute the idea that racism courses through law enforcement and say police are no more likely to shoot a black suspect than a white one. O’Brien said 99.9% of law enforcement officers are “great Americans” and include blacks, Hispanics and Asians. Washington Times
A White House that is not enslaved by political correctness.
Ilhan Omar: Protestors "terrorized" by National Guard . . . Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) said Sunday that Minneapolis protesters who defied the governor's curfew orders Friday and Saturday night were "terrorized" by the National Guard and police enforcing the governor's orders. "There really was also many people who chose to demonstrate and not abide by the curfew, who felt like they also were terrorized by the presence of tanks, by
the presence of the National Guard and a militarized police," Omar said. Washington Free Beacon
Keith Ellison's son declares support for Antifa . . . The son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison tweeted on Sunday that he is declaring his support for Antifa after President Trump said that his administration would be declaring it a "Terrorist Organization." Jeremiah Ellison, who is a member of the Minneapolis City Council, noted in the tweet that he believes "white power" terrorists are
actually the ones engaging in the looting, arson and other riot activities as violent sects hijack some of the protests against racial inequality and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd last Monday. Fox News
A chip off the 'ole block
Mayor de Blasio's daughter arrested at Manhattan protest . . . New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s daughter was arrested at a Manhattan protest on Saturday night, law enforcement sources told The Post on Sunday. Chiara de Blasio, 25, was taken into custody around 10:30 p.m. after cops declared an unlawful assembly in Lower Manhattan, the sources said. She had allegedly been blocking traffic on Broadway and was arrested after refusing
to move, the source said. “That was a real hotspot, police cars were getting burned there, people were throwing and yelling, fighting with cops. There were thousands of people in that area at that time,” the source said. New York Post
A chip off the 'ole blockhead
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China trolls US over protests . . . Chinese officials and state media needled the Trump administration over race-related protests and looting that have engulfed U.S. cities in recent days, after weathering criticism and threats from Washington over Beijing’s own moves to quell unrest in Hong Kong. Over the weekend, China’s foreign ministry and state media seized the opportunity to fire back at Trump. Chinese propaganda
outlets played up scenes from the U.S. of violence, burning buildings, harsh police responses and protesters decrying government as part of a broader narrative that western democracies are regularly plagued by chaos and unrest that would never be permitted in the mainland. Bloomberg
China says it will retaliate for Trump over Hong Kong . . . China said on Monday U.S. attempts to harm Chinese interests will be met with firm countermeasures, criticising a U.S. decision to begin ending special treatment for Hong Kong as well as actions against Chinese students and companies. China’s parliament last week voted to move forward with imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong, which U.S. President Donald Trump said on
Friday was a tragedy for the people of the city, and which violated China’s promise to protect its autonomy. Trump ordered his administration to begin the process of eliminating special U.S. treatment for Hong Kong to punish China, ranging from extradition treatment to export controls. Reuters
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China claims virus eliminated in Wuhan . . . Wuhan authorities said they found no new cases of “silent spreaders” for the first time in nearly two months as the city’s aggressive push to test its entire population appears to have succeeded in breaking hidden chains of transmission. Of the 60,000 people tested on Sunday, no cases of asymptomatic infections were found, said the Wuhan municipal health commission on Monday. In an ambitious effort to guard against a resurgence of cases, Wuhan is testing its entire 11 million population for the virus and has found some 200 asymptomatic cases in the past
two weeks. Bloomberg
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Facebook employees criticize Zuckerberg for inaction over Trump . . . Senior Facebook employees took to Twitter over the weekend to express their dismay at Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg’s decision not to take action on incendiary comments posted to the social network by U.S. President Donald Trump. After the president tweeted a message with the words “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” in
response to protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Twitter Inc. for the first time obscured one of his tweets, marking it with a warning that it breached service rules by glorifying violence. Facebook’s response to the same content, in a post from Zuckerberg on Friday, was to say, “We think people need to know if the government is planning to deploy force.” Bloomberg
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Support for same-sex marriage matches record high . . . Two in three Americans said they support same-sex marriage, according to new poll, matching a record-high from 2018. Sixty-seven percent of Americans said marriage between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. The figures from the latest poll match the record-high level of support Gallup recorded in 2018, based on Gallup’s annual “values and beliefs” polls conducted yearly in May. The Hill
SpaceX crew delivered to international space station . . .
Nearly 24 hours after launching from Florida, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule delivered NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station on Sunday, marking the first U.S. space capsule to do so with a crew since 2011. The space station’s current crew welcomed them aboard with hugs and handshakes on schedule at 1:25 p.m. EDT,
after executing a critical spacecraft docking milestone and kicking off the crew’s potentially months-long stay in the orbital laboratory. Reuters
No protests, no coronavirus, what's not to like?
Christo dead at 84 . . . Christo, the Bulgarian-born conceptual artist who turned to epic-scale environmental works in the late 1960s, stringing a giant curtain across a mountain pass in Colorado, wrapping the Pont Neuf in Paris and the Reichstag in Berlin and zigzagging thousands of saffron-curtained gates throughout Central Park, died on Sunday at his home in New York City. His grand projects, often decades in the making and all of them
temporary, required the cooperation of dozens, sometimes hundreds, of landowners, government officials, judges, environmental groups, local residents, engineers and workers, many of whom had little interest in art and a deep reluctance to see their lives and their surroundings disrupted by an eccentric visionary speaking in only semi-comprehensible English. New York Times
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Protestor steals an entire cheesecake from Cheescake Factory . . . As protests sprang up across the country on Saturday following the death of George Floyd, many instances of looting were reported. However, one alleged looter became a viral internet sensation after she was spotted carrying a cheesecake in Seattle, apparently swiped from a nearby Cheesecake Factory. The internet was delighted by the woman’s priorities. Other
looters apparently smashed windows and took alcohol from the restaurant. New York Daily News
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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