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Tupac Amaru Shakur, " I'm Loosing It...We MUST Unite!"

Sunday, June 7, 2020

Colin Powell says he’s voting for Biden. Other top Republicans may soon follow.

Powell, in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie, looks down slightly, a gold-framed painting behind him. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell at the US Capitol in 2018, paying his respects to former President George H.W. Bush. | Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images

Powell’s announcement comes amid reports of eroding support for Trump among former Republican leaders.

Colin Powell, former secretary of state under Republican President George W. Bush, said Sunday morning that President Donald Trump has “drifted away” from the Constitution and that he’ll be voting for Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

While the 2020 election would not mark Powell’s first time backing a Democrat for the nation’s highest office (he supported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016), his comments are remarkable given that they come as a number of other Republican leaders express hesitation or outright opposition to Trump’s candidacy.

“I think he has been not an effective president. He lies all the time,” Powell told CNN’s Jake Tapper, adding that he’s “close” to Biden and plans to support him.

“Every American citizen has to sit down, think it through, and make a decision on their own,” Powell said. “Use your common sense, say is this good for my country before you say this is good for me.”

Powell also said Trump’s response to the anti-police brutality protests show that he has strayed from the principles enshrined in the US Constitution — and added he’s “deeply troubled” by the president’s willingness to attack those who oppose him.

The president insults “anybody who dared to speak against him. That is dangerous for our democracy, it’s dangerous for our country,” Powell said.

Trump reacted to Powell’s comments with insults Sunday morning, tweeting that Powell is “a real stiff” who led the country into war in the Middle East. He then retweeted JT Lewis, a Republican state Senate candidate in Connecticut, who wrote that “retired bureaucrats” hate Trump because he’s “ending the corruption that pads their retirement accounts!”

Sunday is not the first time Powell has publicly criticized Trump — he said he voted for Clinton in 2016 and called Trump “a national disgrace and an international pariah” in emails leaked that year. But in speaking out now, he joins a number of other prominent Republicans who are reportedly unhappy with the leader of their party.

Republicans and military leaders are questioning Trump as he further slips in the polls

Former President George W. Bush and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah won’t support Trump’s re-election campaign, the New York Times reported Saturday. People close to Jeb Bush told the Times he isn’t certain how he will vote, and Cindy McCain, widow of Sen. John McCain, is “almost certain” to support Biden.

NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell reports an aide to former President Bush has pushed back on this reporting, calling it “completely made up.” The aide added, “President Bush is retired from presidential politics and hasn’t indicated how he will vote.”

Regardless, it seems unlikely Bush would support Trump in his campaign: None of these figures supported Trump in 2016, but some of those who did — including former Speakers of the House Paul Ryan and John Boehner — have not actively endorsed the president’s re-election bid.

The Biden campaign reportedly sees enough of an opportunity with these and grassroots Republicans that it even plans to launch a “Republicans for Biden” group later in the campaign, Democrats close to the campaign told the Times.

And it is not only Republicans who are criticizing the president. A number of elite military officials — who usually work to remain nonpartisan — have also criticized Trump in recent days over his response to protests against racism and police brutality that have occurred in cities across the country. Some of his controversial moves include reportedly calling for 10,000 active duty service members to deploy to stop them, and using US Park Police and other law enforcement officials to tear-gas peaceful protesters to make way for Trump to take a photo in front of a nearby church.

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who resigned from his post in the Trump administration in 2018 over the president’s Syria policy and remains widely respected on both sides of the aisle, released an excoriating statement earlier this week.

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try,” Mattis wrote. “We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”

Former Trump White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said Friday he agreed with Mattis.

And Gen. John Allen, the former commander of US troops in Afghanistan, penned an op-ed in Foreign Policy, writing that Trump “has failed to show sympathy, empathy, compassion, or understanding (for those protesting racial injustice)—some of the traits the nation now needs from its highest office.”

How widespread the sentiments of Powell, top Republicans, and some military leaders are will be revealed in the fall; polling, however, shows Biden has held a slight advantage over Trump for months, one that’s been rising in the weeks since nationwide anti-racism protests arose after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Support Vox’s explanatory journalism

Every day at Vox, we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you, and our audience around the world, with information that has the power to save lives. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower you through understanding. Vox’s work is reaching more people than ever, but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn. Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation, but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles, videos, and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today.



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Officers who knocked elderly man to ground charged with second-degree assault

A still from the viral video of two officers pushing protester Martin Gugino to the ground in Buffalo, New York. | WBFO

Two cops pushed a 75-year-old protester to the ground. A viral video brought them to justice.

Two police officers seen in a viral video shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground in Buffalo, New York, were charged with second-degree assault on June 6. The officers, Aaron Torgalski, 39, and Robert McCabe, 32, have pleaded not guilty and have been released without bail, but if convicted, they could face a maximum of seven years in prison.

The charges represent the latest of a number of cases in which viral videos showing evidence of police violence have led to disciplinary action. As Catherine Kim noted for Vox, since the police killing of George Floyd on May 25, countless videos have circulated on social media of officers beating, tasing, and violently arresting protesters — and in many of these cases, the officers have begun to face consequences.

In Chicago, the state attorney’s office has opened an investigation into a group of officers who were filmed swarming a car in a parking lot, breaking the car windows, and dragging people out. In Brooklyn, a police officer was suspended without pay after an officer pulled down the mask of a black protester and pepper sprayed him in the face.

What happened in Buffalo was one of the most graphic videos to come out of the current protests. On June 4, local NPR station WBFO tweeted a video showing a group of police officers walking toward an elderly man in the city’s Niagara Square while enforcing curfew. Two officers then push the man back, one using his baton, which causes him to stumble and hit his head on the sidewalk. Blood pours from his ear as dozens of police continue to walk past his unconscious body.

The video directly contradicted the Buffalo Police Department’s earlier statement that the man had been injured “when he tripped & fell,” a statement that neglected to mention any interaction with the police. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown released a statement later that night, writing that he was “deeply disturbed” by the video, and that the two officers who pushed the man down had been suspended without pay. Brown also noted the victim, Martin Gugino, was taken to the hospital in “stable but serious” condition.

Gugino is a community organizer and longtime member of People United for Sustainable Housing Buffalo, whose deputy director, Harper S.E. Bishop, told the Washington Post, “Martin shows up for his people, our community, to dismantle systems of oppression. That’s what he was doing tonight at City Hall. He shouldn’t have been met with police violence for showing up and demanding accountability for the ongoing brutality and murder of Black lives.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the officers’ actions “utterly disgraceful,” while Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a press conference, “They’re not trained to shove a 75-year-old man with a baton and knock him to the ground.”

Despite public outcry, other police officers are standing by Torgalski and McCabe

Despite widespread condemnation from city and state officials and the general public, however, the entirety of Buffalo’s 57-person Emergency Response Team (ERT), of which Torgalski and McCabe were a part, “resigned in disgust” from the team after the two were suspended, “because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders,” said John Evans, the president of the BPD union. Though they did not quit their jobs, the members have refused to participate in the crowd control duties of the ERT. And at the courthouse on Saturday where Torgalski and McCabe were charged, dozens of people gathered outside to cheer, many wearing “blue lives matter” T-shirts.

The solidarity from fellow police officers is indicative of a growing divide between people calling for restrictions on police power and budgets and those who are staunchly supportive of the current system. “Defund the police” has become a rallying cry among protesters, who argue that fewer public dollars should be allocated to a historically racist institution that continuously harms people of color. Instead, they argue, taxpayer money should go toward social work and less militarized forms of community safety measures.

Cities around the country are now evaluating the effectiveness of their forces and some, like in Minneapolis, are calling for a dramatic restructuring of public safety services. Meanwhile, police unions and city mayors have, for the most part, defended current police department budgets. President Donald Trump has also tweeted that he wants “a great and well paid LAW ENFORCEMENT,” while campaigning on promises of “law and order.”

That divide is one that can be seen at the protests themselves: As New York Times Magazine writer Carvell Wallace argued, “in a demonstration against police brutality, police are not law enforcement, they’re counter protesters.” Though ostensibly there to prevent violence or looting, videos like the one in Buffalo have shown that in policing protests against them, police officers can’t be considered neutral parties. “They are treating protesters like the enemy, lashing out violently, using disproportionate force, and attacking people who pose no threat to them,” write Vox’s Catherine Kim and Anna North.

The irony here is that the biggest threat posed to police officers by unarmed protesters is their ability to film that officer doing something unlawful. The support the officers in Buffalo have received from their colleagues reflects a history of police standing by one another even through indefensible acts of violence — one also seen in the cases of Sandra Bland and Eric Garner. But as recent arrests and suspensions have shown, as long as there’s video evidence and platforms on which to share it, the public will hold them accountable.

Support Vox’s explanatory journalism

Every day at Vox, we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you, and our audience around the world, with information that has the power to save lives. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower you through understanding. Vox’s work is reaching more people than ever, but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn. Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation, but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles, videos, and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today.



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Philadelphia bride and groom join in George Floyd protest

Kelly-Anne and Michael Gordon got married on Saturday in Philadelphia and in their first act as husband and wife, the newlywed stepped outside to protest for justice.

The couple stepped off the altar and walked outside of the Logan Hotel right into a crowd of thousands rallying for justice for George Floyd and countless other Black victims of police violence at Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

It was a memorable moment during the eighth day of demonstrations in Philly on behalf of Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed on Memorial Day, May 25, by Minneapolis police officers.

READ MORE: Project Runway’s Elaine Welteroth marries fiance in ‘virtual quarantine wedding’ on Brooklyn stoop

As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, the protesters cheered as the two came out the hotel in their tuxedo and wedding gown and kissed on the street.

Mrs. Gordon, 35, told ABC News it was a “very powerful moment.”

“Not only are we feeling the movement of the people … but I’m meeting my husband, on our wedding day, as a strong Black man and a good representative of who we are as people, what our men are like, what our culture is like. It was just a very, very empowering moment for us considering all of this is happening at one moment in one time,” she said.

READ MORE: Why Philadelphia’s George Floyd protests popped differently

The Gordons kept their wedding date knowing that the protests were going on. The couple is planning a wedding party for 2021, given that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic limited gathering sizes.

Mr. Gordon, 42, has been keeping up with the movement.

“We all see this injustice. We all want to see this needle shift away from the status quo” and it “made this day more memorable in ways,” he said.

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Michael B. Jordan puts Hollywood ‘on notice’ in calls for racial justice and equality

For 12 days, people have been protesting against racial inequality and police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Michael B. Jordan has now joined in the fighting, extending the demand for justice to Hollywood.

On Saturday, June 6, the actor and producer addressed a crowd of protesters in Los Angeles for a #BlackLivesMatter and #8CantWait rally organized by Century City’s Big 4 agencies: ICM Partners, CAA, UTA and WME.

As reported by Complex, Jordan said Hollywood “needs to go on notice,” and step up to the plate and allow Black creatives to have more of a say in content creation, beyond just the actors.

READ MORE: Ava Duvernay says ‘Selma’ was snubbed for Oscars over ‘I Can’t Breathe’ t-shirts

“You committed to a 50/50 gender parity in 2020, where is the challenge to commit to Black hiring? Black content, led by Black executives, Black consultants,” Jordan said “So let us bring our darkness to the light. We’re done with discrimination.”

In his speech, Jordan made mention of four characters he portrayed that illustrate important aspects of the current movement in the films Just Mercy, Fahrenheit 451, Black Panther and Fruitville Station. He portrayed 22-year-old Oscar Grant in Fruitville Station. Grant was killed by police in California’s Bay Area on New Year’s Day 2009.

 

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“I got the opportunity to embody who he was, I got to feel the pain of his family, his mother, his daughter,” Jordan said of Grant. “I lived with that, and it weighed on me.”

READ MORE: Michael B. Jordan explains why he turns down roles where his character dies

Jordan added that his production team is committed to hiring private security in lieu of police in an effort to keep funding out of their hands.

“Anybody that deals with me, if you have racist beliefs, if you have a racist bone in your body, if you’re not with me, if you don’t stand with me and people that look like me, you don’t need to be with me,” he explained. “I use my power to demand diversity, but it’s time that studios and agencies … do so.”

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Snoop Dogg Says He's Voting For The First Time in 2020 to Get Trump Out

West Coast rapper and internet uncle Snoop Dogg says he will be making his voice heard at the ballot box this year—for the first time in his life.

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