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The symbolism of Rep. Steve King's defeat in the Iowa primary election last night, this week in particular, can't be overstated. King has a notorious reputation in Congress as a white supremacist, earning the recent condemnation of even his Republican colleagues, who stripped him of his committee assignments last year. We caution against assuming Republican primary voters rejected King based on racial issues—most of Feenstra's messaging centered on King's ineffectiveness—however, both Republicans and Democrats across the nation today are rightly cheering that we'll have at least one less racist in high power next year. —Mindy Finn
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3. It was Bill Barr all along
When President Trump told state governors in a contentious conference call on Monday that "We will activate Bill Barr and activate him strongly," he wasn't kidding. Turns out, it was Barr who ordered law enforcement officials to use extreme measures to clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square ahead of Trump's Monday evening stroll to St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo op.
More: House Democrat moves to cut Attorney General Barr's budget by $50 million (Reuters)"The age-old Republican rebuttal is to insist the party played a major role in standing up to racism and inequality in the 19th century and early part of the 20th century, and to some extent this is true. But it's an insufficient history. One that is tangential at best, and belies the underlying truth that the party has created a political reality wherein without giving refuge to racists, it wouldn't stand a chance at electoral success in what became Republican strongholds in the South, as a result of the adoption and continued implementation of this strategy.
And now, they are reaping what they've sown. This moment we're in as a country, confronting Trump's lawlessness, his MAGA contagion, and army of elected enablers seemingly feels like we are at the precipice of a proverbial fight against a modern-day Confederacy." —CNN
Ed. Note: Tara Setmayer is a Stand Up Republic board member, a Lincoln Project senior adviser, and a resident fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. Nate Nesbitt is the Lincoln Project national press secretary and a public affairs strategist.
More: Senate Republicans struggle to respond to Trump's actions on protests (NBC News)
5. White supremacist congressman loses primary
Nine-term congressman Steve King lost the Republican primary race for Iowa's 4th district to opponent Randy Feenstra last night. King's departure was expected as he was considered controversial and ineffective; his committee assignments had been stripped by Republican leadership for white supremacist comments he made last year.
- — An anti-immigration hardliner, King became a pariah even within his own party for his white supremacist views. In an interview with The New York Times in 2019, he said, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization—how did that language become offensive?"
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- — In a recent debate, King blamed "Never Trumpers" for leading the charge against him. In his concession speech, he blamed outside groups and super PACs for his loss, noting that it was an "effort to push out the strongest voice for full-spectrum, constitutional Christian conservatism that exists in the United States Congress."
— His opponent Feenstra was well funded and won the support of several conservative groups in Washington. Support for Feenstra was widespread in the district as well, as some Iowans worried that if King remained on the ticket in November, the seat was at risk of being lost to the Democrats. —CNN
More: Curfews, pandemic test voters in primaries held amid unrest (Associated Press)
7. Ebbighausen: No, China—the US is not Hong Kong
"Even if Beijing insists otherwise, the similar images from Hong Kong and the U.S. belie very important social differences. In Hong Kong, the social divisions are ordered from the top down by a ruling class that acts as the long arm of power from Beijing. The protests that began exactly one year ago, with millions of people on the streets, were an expression of the people versus the party. In the U.S., the current tension is inter-social and plays out across social milieus along the lines of the country's historical struggle with racism and the political rift between the left and right. In the U.S., people are fighting for recognition in a battered democracy. In China, and its authoritarian system, which is increasingly being imposed on Hong Kong, people only know the forced peace of a dictatorship." —Deutsche Welle
More: China trumpets Trump's attacks on American protests to counter criticism on Hong Kong (The Wall Street Journal)
10. An American Story: Teens keep Momentum going
Chef Chad Houser opened Cafe Momentum in Dallas, Tx., five years ago as a way to help give teens coming out of juvenile detention stability. When the coronavirus pandemic threatened that mission, he continued to provide the teens with work and a chance to help others.
- — When Cafe Momentum closed to dining in March, the teens began building meal kits for needy families, while Houser raised funds so he could keep paying the teens and keep them engaged in the nonprofit's program, which offers everything from counseling to education.
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- — Cafe Momentum has been delivering 1,550 meal kits, which include four meals, each week to families in the area through various groups.
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- — "Sometimes they get lost in how small their world is, but being able to sit down and pack boxes, they’re like: 'Man, I'm able to see someone else struggling and I'm a blessing to them. I'm able to help them,'" Sais Daniel, the cafe's curriculum coordinator, said. Great job by all! —Associated Press
Ed. Note: We are spotlighting ways that Americans are helping each other through the coronavirus crisis and recent unrest. Would you like to suggest an "American Story" from your local news? If so, please forward a link to the story to [email protected]. Thank you!
When I hear the name George Floyd, the first image that enters my mind is of a policeman with his knee on Floyd's neck. The vivid image of life leaving his body. This horrifying image randomly enters my mind throughout the day. It devastates me and breaks my heart. It is what happens when we do not hear the voices of our black brothers and sisters. When we do not listen to what they are saying, we have our knees on the neck of George Floyd. We must listen to and validate the feelings of our black community. We need to show that we see them, that we hear them, that we acknowledge their trauma. Trauma begets more trauma.
Intergenerational trauma leaves its mark on our communities of color. We need to stop this cycle of trauma and find ways to allow healing to take place. These images of George Floyd are a gift. It is a reminder to stop and listen, to hear and acknowledge the pain of our black brothers and sisters. My hope is when people hear the name George Floyd they remember the image of his lifeless body with a knee still on his neck. This is what happens when we don't hear our communities of color. We must acknowledge our personal responsibility in systematic racism. We cannot change what we do not acknowledge. We must change. George Floyd. Say his name. Say it often. —Teresa G., Minnesota
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