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The vast majority of Americans were probably unaware, until this week, that some of the most familiar U.S. Army bases—Bragg, Benning, Hood, among others—are named for Confederate generals and officers, who fought against the Union in the Civil War. Fixing this is long overdue, but the opportunity to do so is greater now that more are aware. Black members of the military should not be asked to live and serve under the names of men who fought to keep them in chains. With public support, Congress is working to remedy this, another positive sign that we are once again reaching toward our founding ideals. As a nation, we’ve never been perfect—far from it—but we will always find strength and unity in persistently striving to more fully recognize the truth that all are created equal. —Evan McMullin
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1. 'Precipice of disaster'
Governors across America have eased pandemic lockdowns, but a new analysis shows coronavirus cases are rising in nearly half of U.S. states. In Arizona, hospitals have been told to prepare for the worst. Texas has more hospitalized COVID-19 patients than at any time before, and the governor of North Carolina said recent jumps in cases have caused him to rethink plans to reopen schools and businesses. Experts believe at least some spikes are due to lifting stay-at-home orders and other social distancing measures. Infections related to the ongoing social justice protests have not generally impacted case data yet, as the incubation period for the coronavirus tends to be about two weeks. —US News & World Report
- — Wear your face mask! A new modeling study out of Cambridge and Greenwich universities suggests that face masks may be even more important than originally thought in preventing the spread of COVID-19. While researchers believe that lockdowns alone won't help the reproduction number of the virus to drop below 1.0, a combination of lockdowns and widespread mask compliance might. —San Francisco Gate
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- — Please sign this waiver... Attendees at President Trump's upcoming MAGA rallies probably won't be required to wear a face mask, but they must sign a disclaimer at registration agreeing not to sue the campaign if they contract COVID-19 after the event. The online registration page makes no mention of safety requirements that will be in place at the rallies. —Politico
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- — "Democracy After Coronavirus." Democracy is deteriorating across Central Europe, according to an analysis by Reporting Democracy. The pandemic has unleashed rising autocracy, assaults on transparency and media freedoms, disregard for the rule of law, and heightened geopolitical tensions in the region. The report proposes some key remedies, such as greater support to free media, more parliamentary oversight, judicial independence, and respect for the rule of law. —Balkan Insight
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- — Twitter acts on disinfo again. China has stepped up its effort to spread misinformation on social media about the Communist Party's response to the coronavirus, according to Twitter. The company said yesterday that it has removed 23,750 accounts that were "highly engaged" in a coordinated effort to spread misinformation, as well as an additional 150,000 accounts that were dedicated to boosting China's messages. —The New York Times
More: Coronavirus prompts EU to curb spread of disinformation (Deutsche Welle)
3. Protests bear fruit with action on police reform
An ordinance called "Breonna's Law" was passed unanimously by the Louisville, Ky., metro council in honor of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police in her home in March. The law bans no-knock search warrants and requires officers to be equipped with an operating body camera while carrying out a search. Cameras must remain activated for five minutes prior to and after the search, and all recorded data must be retained for five years. —CNN
- — Boston Mayor Martin Walsh has declared racism a public health crisis and announced that he would transfer $3 million from the police overtime budget to the Boston Public Health Commission. "We're determined to accelerate our work toward systemic change to renew our nation and our city's promise of equal opportunity and justice for every person," Walsh said, adding that the health impacts of racism are evident in coronavirus case numbers. —The Boston Globe
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- — Defense Sec. Mark Esper has ordered a review of the National Guard's support of law enforcement across the country. The review is considered standard procedure following any significant operation, and the evaluation will address a range of issues including training, organizing, and deployment of National Guard forces. —CNN
- — And then there's Trump. At a roundtable discussion on law enforcement in Dallas, Tx., yesterday, President Trump referred to the sight of peaceful protesters getting sprayed with tear gas and the use of other force by the National Guard as a "beautiful scene," and claimed confronting bigotry and prejudice will "go quickly" and "very easily." He also warned against labeling "tens of millions of decent Americans as racist or bigots." The Dallas police chief, sheriff, and district attorney—all of whom are African-American—were not invited to the event. —The Washington Post
More: 'Adversaries are attempting to take advantage' of US unrest, national security adviser warns (Politico)
As a former Republican myself, I can't help but admire Evan and Mindy's integrity when it comes to the country's founding principles of liberty and justice. Over the years, it seems conservatives have merely produced hollow words in support of equality rather than taking action. Stand Up Republic has restored my faith in conservatism. —Carol M., Pennsylvania
Interesting and sickening small trend on Twitter that I'm seeing is advocating for recalling the retired generals who criticize Trump and prosecuting them for violating 10 USC 888. This is the questionable article people are sharing: https://t.co/YbCUoilxcZ?amp=1
Pretty vile, horrific, evil, and disgusting. So many "conservatives" want to line up these people who speak out. —Paul B., Pennsylvania
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