The Topline

A pair of news stories today reveals that efforts by Attorney General Bill Barr’s Justice Department to shield allies of Donald Trump from the consequences of their crimes are succeeding. Last night came word that a prosecutor who withdrew from the Roger Stone case will testify before Congress that he and his colleagues were repeatedly pressured to cut Stone "a break” because of his relationship with the president. This morning, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has overruled District Judge Emmet Sullivan and ordered him to accept the DOJ’s motion to dismiss the case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. These developments should concern every American. The rule of law is eroding bit by bit, and greater abuses of power are always what follow. —Evan McMullin

Top Ten

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1. How about that? A smooth pandemic primary

Fears that yet another primary election would lead to chaos amid the coronavirus pandemic were laid to rest yesterday, as voting in Kentucky, New York, and North Carolina went relatively smoothly. In Kentucky, where poll worker cancellations forced election officials to staff fewer than 200 polling locations instead of the usual 3,700, mail-in balloting and in-person early voting helped lessen demand on the polls—and lead to record numbers of voters casting ballots in the state. A win-win. —NPR

More: Litt: Long voting lines threaten our democracy. Fixing them is easier than you think (CNN)

2. Mitchell: What if Trump doesn't leave?

"Leaders like Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovych or even Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic did not rely simply on constitutional pyrotechnics to try to remain in power. They also used a ruling party that they controlled entirely, powerful state media, the threat of violence, and a large and loyal base of support.

We must be prepared for the possibility that Trump could do the same. The 2020 presidential election result may be close, with narrow victories in a few states determining the winner. If Trump loses those states by small margins it will be easy for him to build a 'stolen election' narrative based on the doubts he has already seeded about voting by mail and his frequent, and false, statements about widespread voting by non-citizens." —CNN

Ed. Note: Lincoln Mitchell teaches in the political science department at Columbia University and is the author of "The Color Revolutions."

More: In Arizona, Trump has a redo of his Oklahoma rally (Politico)

3. 'Stone was treated differently because of politics'

Two Justice Department employees, John Elias and Aaron Zelinsky, along with former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer, testified before the House Judiciary Committee today "to describe the unprecedented politicization of the Department under President Trump and Attorney General William Barr."

More: Inside the White House plan to plant cronies all over (Daily Beast)

4. Coronavirus has brought US 'to its knees'

Ouch. That's the assessment of Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who testified on Capitol Hill yesterday. He told the House Energy and Commerce Committee that core public health capabilities in the U.S. have been vastly underfunded for a long time, and urgent investment is required to continue fighting the coronavirus pandemic. —The Guardian

More: MLB announces 60-game season for 2020; Opening Day will be July 23 or 24 (CBS News)

5. Healey: Visa ban will do more harm than good

"It's easy to argue that Americans should be first in line when jobs come back (a process that may have already begun, if the May jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is any indication). But businesses and employment opportunities after the recession won't be the same as the ones before the collapse. Recessions invariably displace workers whose skills fall out of demand. And one thing this country doesn't seem to be very good at is retraining people to keep pace with those changes. In the meantime, though, it won't help the U.S. economy recover if businesses that are trying to reopen or expand can't do so because they can’t find the workers they need." —The Detroit News

6. A false alarm at NASCAR

Following an investigation, the FBI concluded late yesterday that the noose found in the team garage of Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's only black full-time driver, was not part of a hate crime. "The FBI report concludes, and photographic evidence confirms, that the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned there since as early as last fall," NASCAR said in a statement. Wallace has been unfairly criticized for staging the incident, but, like all drivers, he never entered the garage area nor witnessed the noose. He was informed of it by NASCAR after the investigation was already underway. —The Guardian

7. The Economist: China bullying the world

"China is taking advantage of a world distracted by COVID-19 to throw its weight around. It is true that China has been aggressive in recent months. Beyond its readiness to skirmish on the Indian border, it has decided to impose a draconian national security law on Hong Kong, slapped trade boycotts on Australia and other Western nations, and sent coastguard ships to sink or harass foreign vessels in the contested waters of the South China Sea. It is also true that the world is geopolitically distracted. It is hard for governments to chide China over democracy in Hong Kong, say, while also negotiating to buy Chinese ventilators." —The Economist

More: US moves to restrict Chinese media outlets as 'propaganda' (ABC News)

8. Global democracy roundup

The U.S. isn't alone in removing monuments in recent days. Historical statues have been disappearing in Thailand too, but they're not effigies of colonialists or slave-owners torn down by protesters. Instead, they're memorials to celebrated leaders of the 1932 revolution that ended absolute monarchy in Thailand, who were once officially honored as national heroes and symbols of democracy. And no one is sure who has removed them. —Reuters

More: Mongolia's future as 'Oasis of Democracy' put to election test (Bloomberg)

9. Tharoor: Journalist's sentence threatens democracy

"'This is how democracy dies in the 21st century: in a musty courtroom, with a judge invoking Mandela,' wrote Sheila Coronel, another celebrated Filipina journalist, and professor at Columbia University. 'There are no power grabs in the dead of night, no tanks rolling down the streets, no uniformed officers taking over TV stations. Just the steady drip, drip, drip of the erosion of democratic norms, the corruption of institutions, and the cowardly compromises of decision-makers in courts and congresses.'" —The Washington Post

10. An American Story: Mowing down racism

Eleven-year-old Jack Powers of Missouri recently started mowing lawns around his neighborhood to raise money for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ed. Note: We are spotlighting ways that Americans are helping each other through the coronavirus crisis and recent unrest, and promoting American values. 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!

What's Your Take?

I found yesterday's "What's Your Take?" to be especially moving and important. I am hoping that the difference between today's protests and those in which I participated in the '60s and '70s brings results, as it is not only the young people of color out there. It is young and old. It is the palest and the darkest of us. It is the rich and the poor. It is the voice of all of us.

My guilt over the lack of success from my youth continues to drive me to work for a more perfect union. E Pluribus Unum. —Harry G., Virginia

Watching Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' slobbering sycophancy to Donald Trump has been painful to me, but perhaps fatal to citizens of Florida.

Unlike governors like Andrew Cuomo in New York, Mike DeWine in Ohio, and Gavin Newsom in California, who have demonstrated resolute strength in these hours of crisis, DeSantis looks more like a dazed pledge at a college fraternity, so eager to ingratiate himself with the obnoxious head of the fraternity, lest he gets black-balled or paddled, he dare not say or do anything that might displease his superior.

"What do you REALLY think, Ron?" some reporter should ask him.

And if he were honest, he would reply, "Whatever I am told to think." —Jim V., New York

Click here to tell us what you think about today's stories.
The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.

Got feedback about THE TOPLINE? Send it to Melissa Amour, Managing Editor, at [email protected].

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