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Georgia's primary election yesterday was a call to immediate action on strengthening our electoral processes and infrastructure. Reported voting machine failure, as well as significant reductions in polling locations, untrained staff, and necessary pandemic precautions, meant voters often waited in line for hours to cast their ballots. Atlanta, home to the largest black communities in Georgia, was particularly hard hit, with 16,000 voters from five precincts forced to vote at one polling place. The situation was so chaotic that it prompted accusations of voter suppression, and the Georgia Secretary of State announced an investigation before the election was even over, calling it “unacceptable.” This is a preview of what could happen nationwide in November. I encourage every voter to call their governor and other senior state authorities and urge action now to ensure free, fair, and secure elections. —Evan McMullin
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1. House holds first hearing on Floyd killing
Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police two weeks ago, testified emotionally before the House Judiciary Committee today, just a day after burying his brother. The panel is examining police brutality and how Congress can help prevent it; for Philonese Floyd, it's about "Justice for George." George Floyd was arrested on May 25 after a convenience store worker alleged that he used a counterfeit bill to buy cigarettes. "He didn't deserve to die over twenty dollars," Philonese Floyd testified. "I am asking you, is that what a black man is worth?" —The Hill
- — No help from the DOJ? Since President Trump took office, the Justice Department has sharply curbed its use of investigations and consent decrees to hold police accountable, and Trump has said he doesn't see such oversight as a high priority. "The role of the federal government is primarily oversight," says Nelson Linder, the longtime head of the Austin NAACP. "[But] under Donald Trump, I don't bother to call the federal government anymore because they don't seem to be interested." —The Boston Globe
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- — Senate Republicans to roll out plan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has asked the chamber's lone black Republican, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, to put together a legislative package addressing police reforms. Scott said Republicans, while not fans of the Democratic legislation, are considering a proposal to increase de-escalation training, which would lessen the potential for chokeholds and other dangerous forms of police restraints. —NPR
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- — A sickening display in New Jersey. On the day of Floyd's burial, several men in Franklinville taunted protesters by mockingly re-enacting his murder. The men, backdropped by a Trump flag, shouted "All Lives Matter" at the demonstrators while repeatedly blaming Floyd's demise on his not "complying" with police. —Newsweek
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- — Hate and resistance in Connecticut. In Newtown, stickers associated with the white nationalist group Patriot Front were removed from Sandy Hook light posts and reported to police before a racial justice demonstration on Sunday. Patriot Front, a relatively new Texas-based group, is classified by two national watchdog organizations as a white supremacist hate group. —New Haven Register
More: Cooper-Jones: How was my son Ahmaud Arbery's murder not a hate crime? (The New York Times)
2. Louis: The other racism crisis
"It's a mistake to imagine that the virus will selectively spare white and wealthy Americans. We are all but one encounter away from the army of cooks, waitstaff, transit workers, drivers, airport baggage handlers, haircutters, delivery men and women, and assembly line workers who are currently bearing the brunt of infection, sickness, and death. [But] the urge to move on to the next big thing should not blind us to the ongoing health crisis in urban and rural communities of color from coast to coast. We will not truly defeat the disease until and unless we develop a plan to make these vulnerable communities safer and more resilient." —CNN
Ed. Note: Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York all-news channel.
3. Sharp rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations
More than a dozen states and Puerto Rico are recording their highest averages of new cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with hospitalizations in at least nine states on the rise since Memorial Day. In Texas, North and South Carolina, California, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah, and Arizona, an increasing number of patients are under supervised care because of coronavirus infections, and data suggest the spikes are not due solely to an increase in testing. As of Tuesday night, at least 110,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19, and nearly 2 million cases have been reported. Be careful out there. —The Washington Post
More: Burundi president dies of illness suspected to be coronavirus (The Guardian)
6. China's efforts to pursue dominance stymied
China has used legislative and military moves, propaganda, and technology to increase its global influence, but it is meeting with some resistance of late. After Beijing's aggressive actions toward Hong Kong, concerns have grown about the fate of Taiwan, where Chinese nationalist hard-liners envision a militaristic invasion. Yet popular opinion in China doesn't favor war at a time of pandemic and economic uncertainty. —Los Angeles Times
- — China's media war with India. China and India's latest border dispute appears mostly for show. Though there's been some troop maneuvers on the ground in the highly militarized region, this distinctly 21st-century conflict has mostly played out through propaganda, strategic leaks, and aggressive posturing in the media in both countries...at least for now. —CNN
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- — Back in the U.S., harried aerospace, technology, auto manufacturing, and other industries are busily working to comply with an Aug. 13 deadline after which all gear from Chinese tech firm Huawei is banned. The defense law could affect virtually all companies that count the federal government as a customer. —Bloomberg
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- — Why Huawei? Simple. It poses a serious cybersecurity threat. A new report released by the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations yesterday reveals that multiple Chinese telecom firms, which have operated in the U.S. with "little-to-no oversight" from government agencies for the past 20 years, were permitted near-total penetration of American communications networks and have collected data on millions of Americans, including military members and those in sensitive government posts. —The Washington Free Beacon
More: Russia will open nuclear disarmament talks with US but warns against including China in New Start negotiations (The Guardian)
9. Jason, Nagl & Yingling: Rename Army bases now
"The U.S. Army recently signaled a willingness to have a 'conversation' on its century-old practice of honoring Confederate generals. No such conversation is necessary. Below is a draft memo, prepared for the signature of Army Sec. Ryan McCarthy, to end this unambiguous practice of institutional racism. It is entirely within his power to correct this injustice; he needs no Congressional authorization or permission from the president to do so. Your move, Mr. Secretary." —Defense One
Ed. Note: Retired Army Col. Mike Jason commanded troops in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and is a defense consultant in Virginia. Retired Army Officer John Nagl, a veteran of both Iraq wars, is head of school at The Haverford School. Retired Army Lt. Col. Paul Yingling served three tours in Iraq, another in Bosnia, and a fifth in Operation Desert Storm.
More: Demonstrations prompt national security community push for diversity (Foreign Policy)
10. An American Story: Pandemic unleashes creativity
Most students and parents across the country were likely facing the last 10 weeks of school at home with some trepidation. Would anything educational be accomplished? To make the most of the time, Los Alamos Public Schools in New Mexico came up with an innovative idea, and with the assistance of Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation, developed a competition to keep the students engaged, encourage them to be creative, and allow them to spend time doing what they love to do.
- — LAPS Foundation launched the Superintendent's Project Challenge and waited to see if the concept would take off. Students entered the competition by submitting projects online. The types of projects were unlimited, and they were encouraged to be as creative as possible and have fun.
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- — It was a big hit. Each of the four rounds of the contest had 50 or more entries for a final total of 225. Videos, chalk art, musical performances, poetry, art, feats of engineering, essays, cooking lessons, a sibling reenactment of "Star Wars," sewing COVID-19 masks, creating and destroying a coronavirus pinata, and a variety of other imaginative projects resulted.
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- — Ranging from kindergarten to graduating seniors, the students communicated messages of thriving in adversity, problem-solving, laughter, connection, and hope. "We are looking for a way out of a dark tunnel by ourselves instead of realizing that other people are our flashlights. Especially during a time like this, we should respect others and help them by being their light," said eighth-grader Hana. Great job by all! —Los Alamos Daily Post
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!
In Georgia, where the officials closed 5% of the polling stations, reflecting what happened to Stacey Abrams, lots of people could not vote. Remember that our fearless leader hates mail-in ballots. Why are we not surprised?
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/09/politics/georgia-primary-election-delays/index.html
Regarding absentee voting for those who live abroad, U.S. expats cannot easily vote by absentee, as many of these countries are blocking mail overseas. A lot depends on the state the expat calls home, but in many instances those ballots must be returned only by mail. Hence, the only option is to mail the ballots to the U.S. Embassy in the country and have those ballots stamped and sent by diplomatic post. —Joel M., New Mexico
Please be careful about how you use the word "Evangelical." By definition, all Christians are evangelical because Jesus told us to go into all the world to spread the good news. I am a Christian, therefore I am "evangelical." Trump is not my savior, Jesus is. I have not voted, nor will I ever vote, for Trump. —Robert F., Wisconsin
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