| President Trump on Monday deployed U.S. soldiers into the streets of the nation’s capital at the same time that police used tear gas against demonstrators across from the White House. Then he walked a block with Secret Service and police protection past graffiti-sprayed barriers to stand with a Bible in his hand in front of the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, which had been set on fire over the weekend. “I am your president of law and order,” he said during a seven-minute speech from the Rose Garden before venturing beyond heavy fortifications at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. with officials, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, trailing behind him. The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., said she was “outraged” the church did not learn in advance that Trump would appear in front of the damaged church (The Hill). CNN: Trump angered by coverage he was rushed to the underground bunker during protests Friday night and told aides he wanted to be seen outside the White House gates. The Hill: Trump mobilizes military in D.C. to quell protests as tear gas fired into crowds. The president said George Floyd, killed more than a week ago by a Minneapolis police officer who pinned the handcuffed suspect’s neck to the ground, will “not have died in vain.” Floyd’s death, captured in gruesome detail on a bystander’s smartphone video, sparked a week of coast-to-coast protests, both peaceful and violently destructive. Trump’s allies and detractors called on the president for days to try to unite a nation racked by fears of a virus, crushing unemployment and another in a long trail of black men killed by white law enforcement officers. The president, who campaigned and has governed on a tough law enforcement platform, said “riots and lawlessness” must end and violators in states and cities must be arrested, prosecuted and punished. Trump warned that if state and local officials did not “stop the problem,” he would send the U.S. military to restore order. “Where there is no justice, there is no liberty,” Trump said, using a twist on protesters’ cries of “no justice, no peace.” The Hill and The Associated Press: How the Trump team and law enforcement cleared a perimeter around the White House with tear gas and smoke bombs in advance of the president’s stroll for the cameras on Monday evening. Earlier in the day, the president convened a contentious teleconference with the nation’s governors, characterizing their efforts to combat demonstrators as “weak” and calling on them to “dominate” and “take back your streets” after multiple nights of violent protests (The New York Times audio HERE). The comments drew the ire of multiple high-profile Republicans, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who said the president’s compassion in recent days and weeks has been “nowhere to be found.” “Instead, we got bitterness, combativeness and self-interest,” Baker added (The Hill). Alexander Bolton, The Hill: Senate Republicans urge Trump to tone down rhetoric on protests. In cities across the country, curfews were instituted in an effort to curb the violent protests. In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced a 7 p.m. curfew for Monday and tonight, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) put New York City under an 11 p.m. curfew (The Associated Press). Despite the president’s plea, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) eased restrictions, bumping a curfew back from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday and tonight. The head of the Minnesota National Guard said its presence was no longer needed but it stood ready to help (The Hill). The Associated Press: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) said on Monday she did not want the National Guard in an active role in Portland because she said they are not needed and that “is exactly what President Trump wants.” The Associated Press: Democratic governors resist Trump’s calls for military intervention in states. The Hill: Attorney General William Barr will deploy federal riot teams into the District of Columbia and to Miami. In separate incidents, a police officer was shot and a protestor was shot by an officer during demonstrations along the Las Vegas Strip. The condition of the two individuals was unknown as of this morning (Las Vegas Sun). In St. Louis, Mo., four officers were shot as part of protests in downtown on Monday night (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). On Monday, the Minneapolis medical examiner ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide (The Associated Press), and an independent autopsy arranged by Floyd’s family determined the 46-year-old died of asphyxiation (USA Today). Bloomberg TV: Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who was pepper sprayed over the weekend in Columbus, Ohio, said in an interview that she wants federal funding to focus as much as possible on improving racial inequities in education and employment. “You have to do more than protest,” she said. “You cannot legislate away racism. … Laws must change, protocols. It is a culture that we have to invade and set a different tone.” Reuters: Rep. Justin Amash, a conservative Libertarian from Michigan, won support from a Minneapolis Democrat on Monday for his “Ending Qualified Immunity Act,” which would allow civil lawsuits against police, a recourse that the Supreme Court has all but done away with.  © Getty Images |