| 6.1.20

The DC: Protests, riots spread nationwide & Do you support Trump terminating the U.S. relationship with WHO?

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by Causes | 6.1.20

Welcome to Monday, June 1st, friends...

Protests and riots spread across the nation this weekend, sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was recorded kneeling on Floyd's neck for minutes on end while Floyd shouted, "I can't breathe."

Protesters demanding justice stormed the streets of Minneapolis Thursday night, lighting fires, kicking down poles with surveillance cameras, and torching nearby stores.

President Donald Trump tweeted late Thursday:

"[W]hen the looting starts, the shooting starts."

On Friday afternoon, Chauvin was taken into custody and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd.

This did little to assuage protesters' anger. Demonstrations over Floyd's death, and other police-related killings of African Americans, resulted in several clashes between law enforcement and protesters over the weekend.

When demonstrations broke out near the White House Saturday, Trump threatened the protesters with "the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons."

Rioting also broke out in major U.S. cities - including Los Angeles, Seattle, and Atlanta - leading to overnight curfews.

The LAPD protecting firefighters and businesses on Melrose Ave after a night of looting.

Trump and others blamed Antifa and anarchist groups with hijacking what were peaceful protests and turning them into violent riots. On Sunday morning, the president tweeted that:

“The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.”

How do you feel about the protests? Curfews? Designating ANTIFA a terrorist organization?

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On the Radar

Trump Terminates U.S. Relationship With WHO

Trump on Friday announced the termination of the U.S. relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO) because it failed to pursue reforms that would make it less beholden to China, making good on warnings he has repeated over the last two months.

U.S. funding to the WHO has been suspended since April due to the impasse, and the Trump administration will now distribute funds that would’ve gone to the WHO to other public health initiatives.

At the press conference Friday, Trump also announced that the U.S. will end preferential policies for Hong Kong because of China’s move to violate the autonomy of the formerly self-governing city.

How do you feel about these announcements?

Under the Radar

Declassified Transcripts of Flynn's Calls With Russian Ambassador

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Friday declassified summaries and transcripts from several intercepted calls between Lt. General Mike Flynn and Sergei Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S. Ratcliffe offered the following statement about the declassification:

“As I stated throughout the confirmation process, transparency is vital to allowing the American people to have confidence in the Intelligence Community. As the Director of National Intelligence, it is my obligation to review declassification requests with the overarching priority of protecting sources and methods, while also providing transparency whenever possible.”

The calls occurred in the weeks leading up to President Trump’s inauguration and reveal Flynn reaching out to foreign governments as the incoming National Security Adviser.

Read a summary of what's included in the call transcripts, then join the conversation:

How do you feel about the contents of the calls?