IMPORTANT READS

PERSPECTIVE--For decades, we’ve been told that policing is a public good: available to all, for the benefit of all. But in practice, that’s never been true.

SLAVERY POLITICS-Emancipation Day celebrations concluded this weekend, accompanied by significant talk among elected officials about finally recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday.

VIEW FROM HERE-As I sympathize with those who want to knock down and deface statues representing former slave owners, I realize that modern corporations are involved in the slave trade today.

GUEST WORDS—Imagine if Adolf Hitler had staged one of his infamous 1930s fascist Nuremberg hate-fests … and the stands were less than full, his speech fell flat, his flawless phalanxes dissolved into chaos, the fighting flags failed to unfurl.  

@THE GUSS REPORT-The United States and much of the free world is presently undergoing a transformational cleansing of racist brands and misdeeds by current celebrities, historic figures and Madison Avenue, for starters.  

WORLD WATCH-Notwithstanding what has been commonly discussed, if the Netanyahu government moves on its plan to annex nearly 30 percent of the West Bank, which will include the Jordan Valley and Israeli settlements, it would precipitate major adversarial repercussions for Israel. 

COMMON DREAMS-As coronavirus cases continue to increase nationwide, President Donald Trump is drawing criticism for his Saturday rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma from a number of angles, including his suggestion that he encouraged officials to slow down testing for Covid-19 and his unauthorized use of a song to promote "a campaign of hate." 

GUEST WORDS--Sign of the changing times: Aunt Jemima, the minstrel-based, cringey racist "mammy" figure on the classic fake maple syrup of our childhoods - and for some white people, their only black friend - is about to go.

GUEST WORDS--“This was not an attack on history. This is history. It is one of those rare historic moments whose arrival means things can never go back to how they were.”

VIEW FROM HERE-After Ferguson six years ago, police departments all over the country implemented several reforms to make officers more aware of their implicit biases and to embrace conflict de-escalation as one of their duties.

ELECTION PROTECTION-Unless election protection activists rise up, primary election disasters in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Georgia could signal the death of American democracy this fall. 

THE LEAD-Progressive critics and advocacy groups are responding with alarm and anger to the Trump administration's refusal to disclose the names of more than 4.5 million companies that have collectively received over $500 billion in corporate bailout money through a federal program created to provide businesses with relief from the coronavirus pandemic.

OTHER WORDS-Following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, national unrest has brought millions of protestors out from coast to coast. Most have been peaceful — but not all. 

RE-VOTING TO SURVIVE-I’ve been made aware of some anonymous but apparently real insider GOP analysis that I believe is of value as we proceed in this troubled election season

GUEST WORDS--As a White parent of White kids, ignoring the police slayings of Black people and other people of color could be easy.

WORLD WATCH-The murder of George Floyd by a police officer in broad daylight came amid a high point in the continuing rampage of the coronavirus throughout the country, killing over 100,000 and infecting nearly two million while more than 45 million have lost their jobs.

TALE OF TWO AMERICA’S--As protests and riots spread like wildfire across the nation in response to the death of George Floyd and other black people at the hands of white police officers, I cannot help but recall an old African Proverb:

OTHERWORDS--The grocery store across from my old house in La Mesa, California (just outside of San Diego) has been vandalized and looted. Two nearby banks were burned to the ground.

WORLD WATCH-The murder of George Floyd by a police officer in broad daylight came amid a high point in the continuing rampage of the coronavirus throughout the country, killing over 100,000 and infecting nearly two million while more than 45 million have lost their jobs.

AMERICA AT A CROSSROAD-No one wants to see their community burn.

GUEST WORDS--Over the last several days, protesters across the United States have demanded justice for the horrific police killings of George Floyd and countless other African Americans.