Skip to main content

Home/ History Readings/ Contents contributed and discussions participated by nrashkind

Contents contributed and discussions participated by nrashkind

nrashkind

Outpouring of rage over George Floyd killing tests limits of U.S. police tactics - Reuters - 0 views

  • Responses by law enforcement authorities in the U.S. capital and in Flint, Michigan, to protests over the police killing of George Floyd illustrated starkly contrasting approaches to handling angry crowds on American streets and repairing relations with grieving communities.
  • Sheriff Christopher Swanson of Michigan’s Genesee County was keenly aware that some protests in other cities against police brutality after the May 25 death of Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody in Minneapolis had descended into arson and looting.
  • “We’ve had protests every night since then. ... Not one arrest. Not one fire. And not one injury,” Swanson said in a telephone interview.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • “Not only is it a terrible tactic and unsafe ... it also is sending a tone as if this is the president that has ordered this,” said Ronald Davis, who headed the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama.
  • Davis oversaw a task force that in 2015 released new federal guidelines for improving police practices after demonstrations that turned violent over the 2014 police killing of a young black man named Michael Brown
  • That approach appears to have been seldom used in protests that have engulfed many U.S. cities since Floyd’s death after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during his arrest.
  • For example, police in New York City have used pepper spray on protesters, hit people with batons and in one case drove two cruisers into a crowd. In New York and some other cities police themselves have been the target of violence.
  • “If we were dealing with traditional, peaceful protest, everything would have been different,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters on Monday.
  • Candace McCoy, a professor at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, noted police face a complicated task.
nrashkind

U.S. prosecutor says UAW takeover remains option after ex-president pleads guilty - Reu... - 0 views

  • The United Auto Workers still needs to reform and a federal takeover remains an option, the U.S. prosecutor leading the investigation of corruption within the union told Reuters on Wednesday after the UAW’s former president pleaded guilty to embezzlement.
  • The union needs to change quite simply,” Matthew Schneider, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said in an interview, adding a possible takeover of the UAW “absolutely” remained an option.
  • “There’s a more urgent need to reform the union and fix it,” Schneider said. “I’m pretty much at the end of my patience.”
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • Former UAW president Gary Jones pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges he embezzled more than $1 million of union funds.
  • UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg said Gamble looks forward to meeting with Schneider.
  • “The UAW has made significant changes since Mr. Jones resigned and continues to look at ways to reform,” Rothenberg said.
  • One option Schneider said he would like the UAW to explore is the direct election of officers to make them more accountable. UAW officers are currently elected through delegates.
  • Jones, 63, entered his guilty plea during a videoconference hearing held by the U.S. District Court in Detroit.
  • Jones, a certified public accountant, was charged with conspiracy to embezzle funds from the UAW from 2010 through September 2019, and with conspiracy to defraud the United States by failing to pay taxes on the money prosecutors charge he stole. He resigned from the union last November.
  • The sides agreed to a sentencing guideline range of 46 to 57 months for Jones.
nrashkind

Minnesota attorney general says first-degree murder charge still possible - Reuters - 0 views

  • Minnesota attorney general says first-degree murder charge still possible
  • Minnesota Attorney General Ellison said on Wednesday that if the prosecution gets evidence to support a first-degree murder charge against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the George Floyd case it will be presented to a jury.
  • Ellison said: “We are continuing to gather evidence
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Asked in an interview with CNN about a possible first-degree murder charge,
  • if we get evidence to support that, that we can put in front of a jury, we will present that
  • At this time, we brought forth the maximum ethical charges as we could.”
nrashkind

Anti-government 'Boogaloos' charged with planning violence at Las Vegas protests - Reuters - 0 views

  • Three Las Vegas men alleged to be part of the extremist Boogaloo movement have been arrested and charged with planning to cause violence and destruction during protests in the city over the police killing of George Floyd.
  • “Violent instigators have hijacked peaceful protests and demonstrations across the country, including Nevada
  • Boogaloo is “a term used by extremists to signify a coming civil war and/or collapse of society,” the Joint Terrorism Task Force said in its news release Wednesday.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • The arrests come as law enforcement agencies struggle to keep the peace in the aftermath of Floyd’s death on May 25
  • A senior Justice Department official said Wednesday that members of the loosely organized left-wing anti-fascist groups known as Antifa have been involved in violent incidents in at least two states.
  • Some of the violence is driven by opportunistic looters who started out as peaceful protesters, and some is driven by hardened criminals who are taking advantage of the situation, said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
nrashkind

Obama calls on all U.S. mayors to pursue policing reforms in wake of protests - Reuters - 0 views

  • In his first live remarks on the unrest gripping dozens of U.S. cities, former President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged every American mayor to review their police department’s use-of-force policies in consultation with their communities.
  • The country’s first black president also struck a note of optimism, even as he acknowledged the despair and anger powering the protests since George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died as a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck nine days ago.
  • “In some ways, as tragic as these last few weeks have been, as difficult and scary and uncertain as they’ve been, they’ve also been an incredible opportunity for people to be awakened to some of these underlying trends,” Obama, a Democrat, said via livestream from his home in Washington, D.C.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • “This is not an either-or,” he said. “This is a both-and.”
  • Obama did not mention Trump on Wednesday, though he has criticized the president’s actions more frequently in recent weeks.
  • “And they offer an opportunity for us to all work together to tackle them, to take them on, to change America and make it live up to its highest ideals.
  • He also implicitly rejected those, like Trump, who have focused criticism on the demonstrators.
  • “For those who have been talking about protests, just remember: This country was founded on protests,” he said. “It is called the American Revolution.”
nrashkind

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake rocks Southern California, no immediate reports of damage - Re... - 0 views

  • 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck on Wednesday in the California desert about 150 miles (241 km) northeast of Los Angeles, but there were no reports of damage or injuries in the sparsely populated area.
  • The temblor hit in a sparsely populated area near the Mojave Desert community of Searles Valley but was felt across Southern California, as far away as Los Angeles itself.
  • A series of strong of earthquakes and aftershocks struck that area near the small town of Ridgecrest on July 4 and 5 of last year
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • Such quakes are not uncommon in seismically active California.
nrashkind

From power lunches to plywood: Vandalized Washington boards up business - Reuters - 0 views

  • Days after outbursts of arson and vandalism struck downtown Washington following peaceful protests against police brutality, the largely deserted heart of the U.S. capital resembles a city girding for a hurricane.
  • For block after block, office buildings and windows of upscale restaurants that cater to lobbyists, lawyers and business executives are being sheathed in plywood. Traffic, thinned by a two-month coronavirus lockdown, remains sparse and the outdoor patios of sandwich shops and bars are empty of lunch-time crowds.
  • Near the White House, a row of scorched umbrellas, their fire-blackened ribs resembling huge fish skeletons, sit outside the shuttered Sofitel hotel, blocks from where thousands of demonstrators gather daily.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • The protests and the pandemic have dealt a one-two punch to the normal thrum of Washington just as they have to cities and towns across the United States.
  • Plywood sheeting covered the windows of most stores, hotels and restaurants along the K Street corridor, which houses some of the country’s most powerful lobbying firms. But there were exceptions.
  • “I do a lot of work on this building, but I never thought I’d be doing this,” said Samuel Jimenez, 48, as he labored in the sweltering heat, cutting plywood sheets to fit over the windows of a Bank of America across from a White House office annex. “We never thought this would happen.”
  • ‘DESTROYING THIS CITY’
  • By Tuesday, the violence had subsided, but businesses were not taking chances.
  • As a customer sat for a haircut, Serena Chreky, who co-founded the Andre Chreky hair salon with her husband, said they supported the demonstrations and would not cover the windows.
  • It is not a message that Brian Mulholland shares.
  • “There is a way to voice that. It’s called the election.”
nrashkind

ACLU sues Minnesota police, alleging harassment of journalists at protests - Reuters - 0 views

  • The American Civil Liberties Union has accused Minnesota law enforcement of wrongly arresting, injuring and harassing journalists covering unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minneapolis police custody.
  • In a lawsuit, filed on behalf of journalists in U.S. District Court in Minnesota on Wednesday, the ACLU accuses the Minneapolis Police Department and Minnesota State Patrol of shooting journalists in the face with rubber bullets, arresting reporters and photographers without cause, and threatening them at gunpoint.
  • A Minneapolis police spokesman directed inquiries about the suit to City Attorney Erik Nilsson.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • We are facing a full-scale assault on the First Amendment freedom of the press,” said Brian Hauss, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “We will not let these official abuses go unanswered.”
  • The class-action lawsuit was filed with Minneapolis freelance journalist Jared Goyette as the lead plaintiff.
  • WCCO, CNN and the Los Angeles Times could not be reached immediately for comment.
  • The complaint also details two incidents involving Reuters journalists, although the news agency and its employees are not plaintiffs.
  • Minnesota on Wednesday increased to second-degree murder the charge against a fired Minneapolis police officer in the death of George Floyd, and leveled charges against three other sacked officers.
nrashkind

New charges in Floyd killing may give prosecutors clearer path to conviction - Reuters - 0 views

  • Prosecutors seeking to put a former Minneapolis police officer in prison for the death of George Floyd bolstered allegations on the use of force but stopped short of calling the killing intentional in a move legal experts said could ease the path to a conviction.
  • Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Wednesday added a more serious second-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin. Prosecutors last week accused Chauvin of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
  • He could serve up to 40 years in prison.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Three other officers (here) who were with Chauvin at the time of Floyd's death - Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao - all face two counts:
  • aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Two of those officers helped keep Floyd pinned to the ground.
  • Under Minnesota law, second-degree murder can be charged as an intentional or unintentional act.
  • “It makes their job a lot easier. They don’t have to prove intent to kill,” Groshek said. “This allows for a jury to return a conviction without having to believe the cop was bad. Juries don’t like to convict cops.”
  • Floyd, 46, died on May 25 after Chauvin used a knee to pin his neck for nearly nine minutes. A video of the incident led to a week of sometimes violent protests and civil unrest (here) in dozens of U.S. cities.
  • The new charges also modify the probable cause statement that was included with Chauvin’s original charging document.
nrashkind

Trump to accept Republican presidential nomination outside of North Carolina - Reuters - 0 views

  • President Donald Trump will accept the Republican presidential nomination outside North Carolina, the party said on Wednesday, following the Democratic governor’s decision not to lift social-distancing restrictions for the planned Aug. 24-27 convention.
  • On Tuesday, Governor Roy Cooper rejected Republican demands to guarantee that attendance at the convention in Charlotte would not be restricted by social-distancing measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
  • “We are working to schedule visits to these cities by Republican National Committee officials in the coming days,” the official said.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • In response, Trump said on Twitter that the party would relocate the event.
  • Earlier, the official said the states being considered were Florida, Georgia, Tennessee or Arizona.
  • ooper, referring to the Republicans, said on Twitter on Tuesday night: “It’s unfortunate they never agreed to scale down and make changes to keep people safe.”
  • Democrats have delayed their convention in Milwaukee, which was set for Aug. 17 to 20, and left the door open to a revised format. Former Vice President Joe Biden is the party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
nrashkind

On Raul Castro's birthday, U.S. threatens Cuba remittances - Reuters - 0 views

  • The Trump administration expanded on Wednesday its list of Cuban entities that Americans are banned from doing business with to include the financial corporation that handles U.S. remittances to the Communist-run country.
  • Military-owned Fincimex is the main Cuban partner of foreign credit card companies and money transfer firm Western Union, which Cubans in the United States have used for two decades to send money back to their loved ones on the Caribbean island.
  • Those remittances are all the more needed now as the coronavirus pandemic is worsening Cuba’s already grim economic outlook, grinding the key tourism industry to a halt.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • “If Cuba refuses, the Trump administration is prepared to cease remittances,” he said.
  • He noted a senior official had quipped to him that the sanction was “a birthday present to Raul Castro,” the leader of the Cuban Communist Party, who turned 89 on Tuesday.
  • New regulations implementing the sanction will be closely watched. There is the possibility existing U.S. business with Fincimex could be grandfathered in.
  • “The U.S. government continues to act as a rogue state,” the general director for U.S. affairs of Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, said on Twitter.
  • But this action could backfire, say analysts, as it will so openly hurt the relatives of Cuban-Americans, ordinary Cubans, more than the Communist government.
nrashkind

'Your lives matter': Obama offers words of hope in contrast to Trump's division | US ne... - 0 views

  • Barack Obama has told young people of colour “your lives matter” in public remarks that supporters welcomed as an antidote to Donald Trump’s racially-charged and divisive threats to crack down on civil dissent.
  • America’s first black president on Tuesday expressed faith in young people in the US and said he remains “optimistic” about the future despite the police killing of George Floyd and mounting crises that Trump’s critics say leave the country crying out for leadership.
  • “And you should be able to learn and make mistakes and live a life of joy without having to worry about what’s going to happen when you walk to the store, or go for a jog, or are driving down the street, or looking at some bird in a park.”
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • In striking contrast to the White House incumbent, whose expressions of sympathy for Floyd have been overshadowed by harsh warnings that the US military could be deployed to impose law and order, Obama at one point spoke directly to young men and women of color.
  • Trump’s strongman response, which contrasts with his support for armed white demonstrations against pandemic lockdowns in Michigan and elsewhere, has drawn fierce condemnation from Obama’s former vice-president, Joe Biden, and other Democrats.
  • He also noted that many comparisons have been made with the turmoil of riots, assassinations and anti-war protests in the 1960s.
  • He added: “There is a change in mindset that’s taking place, a greater recognition that we can do better.
nrashkind

Japan to explore 'simplified' Games to avoid outright cancellation: Yomiuri - Reuters - 0 views

  • Japan will consider various options such as having fewer spectators and mandatory coronavirus testing for a “simplified” Olympic Games next year to avoid the outright cancellation of the event, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday.
  • John Coates, the head of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) inspectorate for Tokyo, has said a lack of a defence against the new coronavirus threatened the Games and organisers had to start planning for what could be a “very different” Olympics if there were no signs of COVID-19 being eradicated.
  • he Yomiuri, citing government and organising committee sources, said making Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests mandatory for all spectators — in addition to athletes and staff — and limiting movement in and out of the athletes village were among the options Japan would discuss with the IOC.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • A further delay beyond 2021 has been ruled out.
  • The new coronavirus has infected more than 6.4 million people and killed about 380,000 around the world.
  • Japan has avoided the kind of explosive outbreak seen in countries such as the United States and Brazil, with about 17,000 infections and 900 known deaths to date.
nrashkind

Australian retailers suffer record sales slump, backs grim outlook for second-quarter G... - 0 views

  • Australian retail sales suffered a historic plunge in April while the trade surplus narrowed as the coronavirus battered the economy, leaving the nation facing its worst ever contraction in the current quarter.
  • Retail sales slumped a seasonally adjusted 17.7% in April, their biggest on record, from an 8.5% jump in March, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed on Thursday.
  • Separate data showed exports dropped 11% and imports 10% in some of the largest declines in years.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • With much of the world in recession, exports of everything from iron ore to coal to gold took a hit in the month.
  • On the import side the biggest swing was in tourism as globe-trotting Australians were barred from going abroad due to the pandemic.
  • That saw debits on tourism shrink to just A$49 million in April from A$2.8 billion in March and A$4.3 billion in February, boosting the monthly trade balance.
  • Analysts are predicting Australia’s gross domestic product (GDP) could fall roughly 8% in the current quarter, with the dive in April retail sales alone subtracting 2.1 percentage point off GDP.
  • That would leave the economy facing its first recession in nearly three decades following the 0.3% contraction last quarter.
nrashkind

NY governor allows outdoor dining in phase two, jabs at Trump Bible photo - Reuters - 0 views

  • New York will allow outdoor dining during phase two of reopening, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday, with restaurants in seven of 10 regions given the green light beginning on Thursday.
  • Cuomo also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for a staged photo holding a Bible in front of a church near the White House, a visit made possible after protesters were cleared with rubber bullets and tear gas.
  • Under the plan to restart economic activity shut during coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, restaurants and food services are not set to reopen fully until phase three. The hospitality industry and some lawmakers have been pushing to allow outdoor dining to help struggling businesses.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • New York City, which is set to enter phase one of reopening on Monday, and is not among the regions where outdoor dining can resume this week.
  • “You can’t use the military as a political weapon,” Cuomo said.
  • “The president held up the Bible the other day in Washington, D.C. Here in New York we actually read the Bible,” Cuomo told a briefing before reading some passages.
  • He noted that Trump did not read any passages from the Bible at his photo session at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
  • Cuomo said protesters in New York City were mainly peaceful on Tuesday and praised the police department’s handling of the events. A day earlier the governor had criticized the NYPD and the mayor.
  • “New York City last night was much better,” Cuomo told the briefing. “The protesters were mainly peaceful, the police officers had the resources and the capacity to do their job.”
nrashkind

China warns UK 'interfering' in Hong Kong affairs will 'backfire' | News | Al Jazeera - 0 views

  • China has warned the United Kingdom about interfering in Hong Kong's affairs after the former colonial power promised to give sanctuary to locals who may flee the city if a controversial security law is passed.
  • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote in an opinion piece on Wednesday that he would offer millions of Hong Kongers visas and a possible route to UK citizenship if China enacted its planned national security law that was approved by the parliament last week.
  • The United States and the UK have enraged Beijing with their criticism of planned national security legislation that critics fear would destroy the semi-autonomous city's limited freedoms.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • China's foreign ministry accused the UK of having a colonial mentality with its historical link to Hong Hong stemming from "aggressive and unequal treaties".
  • Hong Kong has been rocked by months of enormous and often violent pro-democracy protests over the past year.
  • 'Time is running out'
  • Beijing announced plans to introduce a sweeping national security law covering secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign interference.
  • But opponents, including many Western nations, fear it will bring mainland-style political oppression to a business hub that was supposedly guaranteed freedoms and autonomy for 50 years after its 1997 handover to China from the British Empire.
  • In Parliament on Tuesday, UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said he had reached out to Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada about contingency plans if the law creates a deluge of Hong Kongers looking to leave.
  • We encourage more Hong Kongers to join this global petition and wish more European leaders could stand with Hong Kong," Wong said. "Hong Kong is already under threat, and time is running out in this global city."
nrashkind

Brazil, Mexico coronavirus deaths hit daily record: Live updates | News | Al Jazeera - 0 views

  • The coronavirus death toll in Brazil and Mexico soared to new daily record, with 1,349 and 1,092 confirmed fatalities
  • as the country begins to ease lockdown restrictions. Brazil now has more than 32,000 deaths, while Mexico has over 11,000.
  • The malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine - which President Donald Trump took to try to prevent COVID-19, proved ineffective for that purpose in the first large, high-quality study to test it in people in close contact with someone with the disease, according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Around 6.4 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed around the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 383,000 people have died, including some 107,000 in the US. More than 2.7 million have recovered from the disease.
  • President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus, saying on Tuesday that death was "everyone's destiny."
  • AP news agency quoted the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as saying that the newly reported cases raised the country’s total to 11,629 with 273 deaths.
  • Here are the latest updates
  • The agency says 10,499 of them have recovered while 857 remains in treatment for the virus.
  • Mexico reports new one-day high of 1,092 coronavirus deaths
  • Mexico has more than 101,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths.
  • A 9-month-old who tested positive for COVID-19 was among eight more people whose deaths were related to the coronavirus in the US state of Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear has announced.
  • The latest deaths raised the statewide death toll to 450 since the pandemic began. There are more than 107,000 fatalities across the US.
nrashkind

US Republicans to shift August convention away from Charlotte | USA News | Al Jazeera - 0 views

  • he Republican National Committee unveiled plans on Wednesday to proceed with certain convention activities in Charlotte, North Carolina,
  • even though President Donald Trump will deliver his nomination acceptance speech somewhere else.
  • The move came in response to growing concerns from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper that the full capacity convention Trump had requested is "very unlikely" to happen in light of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • Cooper wants the GOP to continue discussing a scaled-back convention, while Republicans are seeking assurances that more than 10 people will be allowed in a room.
  • Dory MacMillan, a spokeswoman for Cooper, said in a statement that the governor "has been clear that the convention could be held with more than 10 people but that plans need to be in place for a scaled down convention with safety precautions
  • Republican governors in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee have called on Trump to move the convention to their states, and the RNC is scheduled to visit Nashville on Thursday.
  • Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College, noted former President Barack Obama held his 2012 convention in Charlotte but lost the state to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in 2012.
  • "Conventions don't really have as great of an impact as people think," Bitzer said. "The Democrats had a convention in Charlotte, and the state went for Romney by two points in 2012."
nrashkind

Will Americans still travel abroad? Only with cast-iron coronavirus cover - Reuters - 0 views

  • In the new reality of COVID-19, some Americans may still be willing to travel abroad - but they’re going to make sure they’re insured up to the hilt.
  • U.S. travel insurers are seeing a surge in demand for highly priced “cancel for any reason” policies as holidaymakers planning to venture out in the months ahead seek the kind of comprehensive cover that was seldom seen pre-pandemic.
  • As destinations in Europe and Asia ease lockdowns, several U.S. industry figures told Reuters this week that holidaymakers booking for later in the year were paying around 40% more for insurance as a result.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Data from U.S. comparison website Squaremouth shows purchases of the comprehensive any-reason cover surged by 680% compared with a year ago. The data is based on policy purchases from April 1 to May 10, for travel in June, July or August.
  • More than a third of holidaymakers planning summer trips searched for a policy that included cancellation or medical coverage if they contract COVID-19 or are quarantined. 
  • The shift in behavior is one area of opportunity for an insurance industry that has been hammered by the crisis, and is a rare area where they can develop new products.
  • The “cancel for any reason” cover includes travelers who pull out due to the fear of contacting the novel coronavirus, provided they cancel the trip within two days of departure.
  • BOON OR BANE?
  • In one simple search on Seven Corners, standard round trip cover for a $5,000, 15-day holiday from the United States to Italy cost $171 per head for a standard policy but $240 for the comprehensive cover, adding up to several hundred dollars when applied to families and other groups.
  • “When the pandemic occurred, travelers had concerns that were not covered. That is when it became the best option.”
  • A total of 72% said they would purchase insurance for trips abroad, up from 38% in 2018.
nrashkind

Exclusive: Most Americans sympathize with protests, disapprove of Trump's response - Re... - 0 views

  • Most Americans sympathize with protests, disapprove of Trump's response - Reuters/Ipsos
  • A majority of Americans sympathize with nationwide protests over the death of an unarmed black man in police custody and disapprove of President Donald Trump’s response to the unrest, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.
  • The demonstrations, some of which have turned violent, began last week after a Minneapolis police officer was videotaped kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes, even after Floyd appeared to lose consciousness.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Twice as many independent voters said they disapproved of Trump’s response to the unrest. Even among Republicans, only 67% said they approved of the way he had responded, significantly lower than the 82% who liked his overall job performance.
  • The survey conducted on Monday and Tuesday found 64% of American adults were “sympathetic to people who are out protesting right now,” while 27% said they were not and 9% were unsure.
  • The officer has been charged with murder.
  • Forty-seven percent of registered voters said they planned to support Biden in the Nov. 3 election, compared with 37% favoring Trump. Biden vowed not to “fan the flames of hate” in a speech on Tuesday about the unrest.
  • Public opinion could be particularly volatile as the protests continue to roil major cities every night. Several police officers were shot on Monday night, and Trump has derided governors who have not asked for military assistance.
  • The other poll conducted over the same period regarding Trump’s overall job performance and the 2020 election gathered responses from 1,113 American adults and had a credibility interval of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
1 - 20 of 115 Next › Last »
Showing 20 items per page