[link removed]

The killing of George Floyd is further evidence that there is a significant problem with the way some police officers approach their work, especially when it concerns African Americans. Most officers serve honorably, but the actions of those who do not—and a police culture that too often protects them—is a threat to all of us. If trust is to be restored, there must be criminal consequences for criminal behavior by officers. But the problem goes much deeper. Some Americans, even in 2020, still hold the evil view that African American lives matter less than others. Confronting and addressing that atrocious untruth will take a lot more than revising police policies and procedures. It will require a social transformation—and for many still in denial to face reality and commit to change. —Evan McMullin
Top Ten

Click here for shareable version ([link removed])
1. 'When the looting starts, the shooting starts' After a chaotic night in the city of Minneapolis, where tensions reached a fever pitch following the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in police custody after pleading that he could not breathe, President Trump poured gasoline on the flames. As a police precinct was set ablaze in the city and the National Guard was called up to help restore order, Trump tweeted, "Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!" The tweet was swiftly slapped with a rule violation notice by Twitter for 'glorifying violence.' As it should be. —Bloomberg ([link removed])
* — Officer finally arrested. Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer seen in the bystander video kneeling on Floyd's neck, was arrested today. The arrest came three days too late for the city. In an address this morning, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged the "abject failure" of the response and called for swift justice for the police involved. —Associated Press ([link removed])

* — CNN reporter arrested at scene. CNN reporter Omar Jimenez resumed covering the protests after being arrested on live television by Minnesota State Patrol early this morning. Jimenez and his crew were released about an hour later, but the arrest of a journalist sparked outrage across social media. Walz later issued an apology for the "totally unacceptable" arrest. —Newsweek ([link removed])

* — Violence breaks out in Kentucky. As hundreds gathered in Louisville last night to protest the shooting of Breonna Taylor, also at the hands of police officers, what started out as a peaceful rally quickly turned violent. Seven people were shot, one of whom was in critical condition. Police Special Adviser Jessie Halladay said, "What we are seeing tonight in this community is the obvious frustration of the tension between police and residents." No police officers were reportedly involved in the shootings. —NBC News ([link removed])
*
* — Congress pushes for probe. Due to the recent high-profile killings of Floyd, Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery—all unarmed African Americans—the House Judiciary Committee has written to Attorney General Bill Barr to request a Department of Justice investigation. The DOJ is currently investigating whether the Arbery case warrants federal hate crime charges, and the FBI has opened a separate investigation into the Taylor case. —The Hill ([link removed])

More: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey calls Minneapolis unrest 'unacceptable' (Star Tribune) ([link removed])

2. Demings: A plea to my fellow officers "When an officer engages in stupid, heartless, and reckless behavior, their actions can either take a life or change a life forever. Bad decisions can bring irrevocable harm to the profession and tear down the relationships and trust between the police and the communities they serve. Remember, law enforcement needs that trust just as the public does. Think before you act! Remember, your most powerful weapon is the brain the good Lord gave you. Use it! We all know that the level of force must meet the level of resistance. We all can see that there was absolutely zero resistance from George Floyd. He posed no threat to anyone, especially law enforcement." —The Washington Post ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Val Demings represents Florida’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

More: 90-year-old grandma tries to defuse tense confrontation between police and her grandson (CNN) ([link removed])

3. Graham hopes to push judges out the door Somebody's getting anxious about November. Sen. Lindsey Graham tipped his hand in an interview with Hugh Hewitt yesterday, when he admitted that he is encouraging federal judges in their mid-to-late 60s to retire before the 2020 election so that they can be replaced in case of a power shift in the Senate. ([link removed])
* — Republicans' control of the White House and Senate since 2016 has enabled them to boost conservatives in courts, including two Supreme Court justices. ([link removed])
*
* — The prospect of losing the Senate majority in November—and with it, Graham's chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee—has created a sense of urgency within the GOP to nominate younger conservative judges while it still maintains control over judiciary confirmations. ([link removed])
*
* — "[I]f you're a Circuit judge in your mid-60s, late 60s, you can take senior status, now would be a good time to do that if you want to make sure the judiciary is right of center," Graham said. —Axios ([link removed])

More: DOJ memo offered to buy out immigration board members (Roll Call) ([link removed])

4. Alaimo: EO could complicate 2020 election ([link removed])

"After years of allowing Trump to spread lies and abuse on its platform for his own political gain, it finally appears as if Twitter is growing a backbone (the company has continued adding fact-checking labels amid news the president was preparing an executive order). But Trump's latest salvo could dampen the willingness of other companies to stand up to the president. The fight over the executive order, which is sure to face a legal challenge, will play out just as Trump seeks re-election. The stakes could not be higher, and it's more important than ever that voters receive accurate information on social media." —CNN ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Kara Alaimo, an associate professor of public relations at Hofstra University, is a former spokeswoman for international affairs in the Treasury Department and the author of "Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication."

More: Trump's social media order is a gift to disinformation bots, experts say (Defense One) ([link removed])

5. Disinfo site has some unexpected help Donald Trump isn't the only source of coronavirus disinformation. The website Medmedia.am, which promotes disinfo about the pandemic, was launched with the help of a U.S. State Department grant meant to promote global democracy. ([link removed])
* — The disinformation featured on the site includes warnings that Armenians should "refuse" future vaccine programs. Medmedia's most popular articles are pieces that have called COVID-19 a "fake pandemic" and falsely reported that a morgue offered to pay hundreds of dollars to a dead patient's family if they claimed the death had been caused by the coronavirus. ([link removed])
*
— The grant was awarded by the State Department to a group called the Armenian Association of Young Doctors, which launched the website last year and is led by a controversial doctor named Gevorg Grigoryan. ([link removed])
*
* — Grigoryan is known for his strong criticism of the government’s health ministry and its vaccine programs and has a history of anti-LGBT statements, including remarks posted on Facebook in 2014 in which he called for gay people to be burned. Ugh. —The Guardian ([link removed])

[link removed]

6. State Dept IG firing gets more suspicious Earlier this year, the Pentagon's Office of Inspector General cleared former State Department Inspector General Steve Linick of any wrongdoing in connection with allegations of leaking information to the media. President Trump said that he removed Linick at the request of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over alleged leaks from Linick's office. ([link removed])
* — The office found no evidence that Linick was leaking information to the media, and later confirmed its findings verbally with the State Department—casting doubt on Pompeo's claim that Linick was fired over leaks. ([link removed])
*
* — Linick's firing came shortly after he began investigating whether Pompeo was using State Department staffers to perform personal errands, such as walking his dog and getting his dry cleaning. Pompeo denies that he knew about the investigation when he requested that Linick be fired. ([link removed])
*
* — House Democrats believe that Linick's removal may be connected to an investigation he was conducting on whether Pompeo fast-tracked an $8 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates last year. —The Hill ([link removed])

7. Lai: Hong Kong deserves a fighting chance "Fighting for Hong Kong isn't just about saving Hong Kong or sending China a message. The longer the West supports Hong Kong while we, Hong Kongers, fight for the rule of law, for individual rights, for our freedoms—for freedom, period—the more the world will realize how distrust-worthy China is, how dangerous it is to peace in the world. Making this truth apparent is not about starting a new Cold War with China. It is about bringing stability to the world so that the West can protect its own free way of life—and the rest of us can have a fighting chance at that, too." —The New York Times ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Jimmy Lai is the founder and majority owner of Next Digital, which publishes the Apple Daily newspaper and Next Magazine in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

More: China has launched rule by fear in Hong Kong (The Economist) ([link removed])

8. FISA bill fails in the House House Democrats are walking away from a reauthorization of three national security surveillance authorities, which expired in March, under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Democratic leaders halted their efforts when they realized the bill did not have the votes to pass. ([link removed])
* — After President Trump announced his disapproval of the legislation, Republican support for the reauthorization fell apart. The Department of Justice also came out against the legislation, despite the fact that the original legislation was written by Attorney General Bill Barr and members of Congress. ([link removed])
*
* — Trump's disapproval of the reauthorization of the three FISA authorities stems from his incorrect view that former President Barack Obama illegally spied on the Trump campaign. Trump took to Twitter to thank Republican lawmakers for their "incredibly important blockage" of the bill. ([link removed])
*
* — The legislation would have reauthorized a "business records" provision, a roving wiretap provision, and a "lone-wolf" provision. Republican lawmakers are signaling that more needs to be done with the FISA warrant process before agreeing to any legislation. —Al Jazeera ([link removed])

9. Steele: The GOP gets vote-by-mail wrong ([link removed])

"There is legitimate debate to be had about election reform more broadly. Concerns that some proposed reforms may benefit one party over the other are valid, and should be heard. But mail-in voting does not favor either political party and has the added benefit of increasing voter turnout in rural and urban areas alike. Instead of finding reasons not to do something, this is the moment when every Republican elected official should be working to shore up the foundation of our democratic system so citizens can vote in November, no matter the state of our fight with the coronavirus." —National Review ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Michael Steele is the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

More: Four charts that show how absentee voting is skyrocketing in the pandemic (Talking Points Memo) ([link removed])

10. An American Story: Florida teen helps fight hunger Although the coronavirus pandemic posed some challenges for Kennedy McCormick and her initiative to help feed the hungry in her Tampa Bay, Fla., community, the enterprising 14-year-old still figured out a way to help. ([link removed])
* — Since she was seven, the Florida teen has used her birthday to collect cereal to donate to Tampa Bay's summer food program to help families in need. ([link removed])
*
* — This year, the pandemic interfered with her donation efforts, but McCormick came up with a virtual food drive that rewards contributions to Feeding Tampa Bay with a piano recital from the birthday girl herself. ([link removed])
*
— "I would normally be busy with school and sports, but this downtime has helped me to be able to think creatively about how I can help others during this pandemic," McCormick said. Great job, Kennedy! —CBS News ([link removed])

Ed. Note: We are spotlighting ways that Americans are helping each other through the coronavirus crisis. Would you like to suggest an "American Story" from your local news? If so, please forward a link to the story to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . Thank you!
What's Your Take?

Thank you, Twitter. Known slander, lies, and libel that damage citizens emotional health should be posted with a warning or not posted. —Ricki I., California

While it is worthy to promote truth on social media, we must be very careful how we do it. I see a lot of sentiment that Twitter, Facebook, and other social media giants should remove or flag posts with questionable correctness. This may seem like a great solution, but this kind of strategy runs headlong into the territory of supression of free speech. Worse, this kind of thing is not very likely to accomplish what it aims to do (which is create a better informed population). With our current state of politics, this strategy is more likely to only deepen the mistrust of the media and cement far-right anti-establishment narratives. Social media posts that are flagged or removed actually rise in credibility in certain circles. —Eliza C., Texas

Re: What the Miami Chief of Police said about George Floyd ("Do not defend the undefendable, attempt to justify the unjustifiable, or excuse the inexcusable."). Couldn't the same thing be said about what the president has done? Why do U.S. senators, representatives, and other seemingly intelligent people keep defending him, trying to justify what he says and does, and keep making excuses for that man? —Clyde K., Minnesota

Click here to tell us what you think about today's stories. ([link removed])

Got feedback about THE TOPLINE? Send it to Melissa Amour, Managing Editor, at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
[link removed]

Did you receive this email from a friend? Subscribe here. ([link removed])

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
The Topline . 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE . Washington, DC 20003-2493 . USA