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The mass demonstrations against police violence and racism have ignited a debate about transformational change, Republican and military leaders start to abandon Trump, and the President celebrates double-digit unemployment. Then Los Angeles District Attorney candidate George Gascón talks to Tommy about progressive criminal justice reform.

Show notes

The Protests: What’s Next

• NYT: Protests Swell Across America as George Floyd Is Mourned Near His Birthplace 
• CNN: Breonna Taylor would have been 27 today. Here’s where her case stands
• WaPo: Protesters throng D.C., vowing to be heard after George Floyd’s death
• Guardian – George Floyd killing: peaceful protests sweep America as calls for racial justice reach new heights
• CNN: Trump says he’s ordering National Guard to begin process of withdrawing from Washington, DC 
• Vox: The protests are growing larger, calmer, and more community-oriented 
• WaPo: Chicago police face investigation of allegations of abuse during protests 
• Vox: Officers who knocked elderly man to ground charged with second-degree assault
• WaPo: America convulses amid a week of protests, but can it change 
• NYT: Young Protesters Say Voting Isn’t Enough. Will They Do It Anyway?
• NYT Op-Ed: Stacey Abrams: I Know Voting Feels Inadequate Right Now
• Five Thirty Eight: How Americans Feel About George Floyd’s Death And The Protests
• WSJ: Americans Are More Troubled by Police Actions in Killing of George Floyd Than by Violence at Protests, Poll Finds 
• NPR: Poll: Two-Thirds Think Trump Made Racial Tensions Worse After Floyd Was Killed
• NYT: Why Most Americans Support the Protests
• USA Today: Americans disapprove of Trump response to George Floyd death and protests, polls find
• LA Times: Growing the LAPD was gospel at City Hall. George Floyd changed that
• Guardian: ‘This is just a start’: states announce police reforms as protests enter second weekend 
• LA Times: Justice reforms are at risk at the ballot box. Protest now, vote in November 
• NYT: Cities Ask if It’s Time to Defund Police and ‘Reimagine’ Public Safety
• NYT: De Blasio Vows for First Time to Cut Funding for the N.Y.P.D\\
• Vox: Cities and states are barring police from using chokeholds and tear gas 
• Newsday: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo calls for police chokehold ban
• Dallas Morning News: Dallas Police Department announces new policies after seven days of protests 
• Politico: Protesters topple Confederate statue in Richmond
• USA Today: Marines order Confederate flags removed in ban that includes bumper stickers and clothing 
• NBC News : ‘Des Moines is not immune to this’: Iowa protesters march for racial justice — and get results 
• NYT: Democrats to Propose Broad Bill to Target Police Misconduct and Racial Bias 
• WaPo: Congressional Democrats to unveil police reform package next week
• Politico: Draft Democratic proposal seeks big changes to policing
• LA Times– Op-Ed: Joe Biden: No one can stay silent. No one can ignore injustice
• NYT: Joe Biden to Meet With George Floyd’s Family Ahead of Funeral
• Politico: How young black voters could break Biden — and why Democrats are worried
• NYT: Majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledges to dismantle the Police Department 
• The Appeal: MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ANNOUNCE INTENT TO DISBAND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, INVEST IN PROVEN COMMUNITY-LED PUBLIC SAFETY 
• Vox: Minneapolis mayor is booed out of a rally for rejecting calls to defund the police
• The Intercept:  “WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO WAIT”: MINNEAPOLIS ANTI-POLICE BRUTALITY ORGANIZER KANDACE MONTGOMERY ON DEFUNDING THE POLICE
• NY Times: Cities Ask if It’s Time to Defund Police and ‘Reimagine’ Public Safety 
• Axios: Black Lives Matter co-founder explains “Defund the police” slogan
• CNN: There’s a growing call to defund the police. Here’s what it means
• Guardian: What does ‘defund the police’ mean? The rallying cry sweeping the US – explained
• The Atlantic: Defund the Police
• New Republic: Defunding the Police Is Good Climate Policy 
• Data for Progress:  VOTERS SUPPORT PROTESTS, HAVE LOST TRUST IN POLICE
• Reuters: Democrats Grapple With U.S. Protesters’ Demand to Defund the Police
• NY Mag: Cops Get Away With Murder Because They’re Popular 
• Mother Jones: Here’s Where the Movement to Defund Police Is Gaining Momentum
• The Intercept: A PROGRESSIVE CHALLENGER WAS ATTACKED FOR CALLING TO DEFUND THE POLICE. SHE WON ANYWAY.
• WaPo: Protesters paint ‘Defund the police’ right next to D.C.’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural 
• Bloomberg: Defunding Police ‘Absurd,’ Says Top U.S. Homeland Official 
• Boston Globe:  Should Boston defund its police? Here’s what Marty Walsh said.
• NYT: How Police Unions Became Such Powerful Opponents to Reform Efforts
• Medium Post (DeRay): On The Path Toward Police Abolition 
• WaPo: Power Up; Protesters ‘defund the police’ rallying cry is achieving some progress 
• TIME: I’m a Minneapolis City Council Member. We Must Disband the Police– Here’s What Could Come Next
• HuffPost: Police Budgets Have Long Been Untouchable. That Could Change.
• Chicago https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2020/06/04/speakers-urge-san-antonio-cit1y-council-to-defund-the-police-during-budget-discussions/Tribune: Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Brickyard incident is under investigation, rejects calls to defund police: ‘It would be irresponsible’ 
• LATimes: Explainer: L.A. aggressively expanded the police force for 3 decades. Now, a political shift means cuts 
• CityLab: To Defund the Police, Activists Rewrote City Budgets 
• KSAT: Speakers urge San Antonio City Council to ‘defund the police’ during budget discussions 
• WPLN: Nashville Budget Hearing Dominated by Calls to Reduce Police Funding
• WHYY: Philly to slash police oversight, anti-violence initiatives while increasing PPD budget
• The Guardian: Movement to defund police gains ‘unprecedented’ support across the US 
• AZCentral: Activists ask cities to ‘defund police.’ In Phoenix, the council won’t hear it 
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Protesters have demanded police departments be ‘defunded.’ Tony Evers says that goes too far. 
• KUT: Activists and Protesters Call for Cuts to Police Department Budget 
• KUTV: Hundreds of people ask Salt Lake City Council to cut police budget 

GOP Establishment and Military Leaders become Never Trumpers

• NYT: Vote for Trump? These Republican Leaders Aren’t on the Bandwagon 
• WaPo: Powell endorses Biden, says Trump is a liar and a danger to the nation
• CNN: Colin Powell: Trump has ‘drifted away’ from the Constitution
• CBS News: Condoleezza Rice urges Trump to “put tweeting aside for a little bit”
• Mother Jones: Romney Claps Back at Trump’s Callousness Toward the Protests
• Daily Beast: Mike Huckabee ‘Livid’ at Republicans Who Won’t Bow Down to Trump
• Fox News – GOPers on Capitol Hill aren’t wavering in support of Trump despite criticism
• Reuters: Exclusive: In warning sign for Trump, Republicans growing pessimistic about country’s direction 
• CNN: Trump’s historically strong with his base — and that’s his problem
• NPR: As Trump Heads To Maine, GOP Sen. Susan Collins Won’t Be There To Greet Him
• Politico Magazine: Is the Crisis Putting the Republican Senate in Jeopardy? 
• FiveThirtyEight:  If Republicans Are Ever Going To Turn On Trump, This Might Be The Moment
• WaPo: GOP criticism of Trump grows, suggesting opposition has grown beyond his usual adversaries
• CNN: Republican senators shrug off Mattis’ criticism of Trump: ‘It’s his opinion’
• WaPo: How Mattis reached his breaking point — and decided to speak out against Trump
• WaPo: Trump’s bad breakups: Mattis is the latest official to go from hero to zero in the president’s telling

Recovery Summer

• NYT: Trump Says Jobs Report Made It a ‘Great Day’ for George Floyd, Stepping on Message 
• Politico: Surprise unemployment drop sparks debate over how fast the economy will rally – The rate reflects parts of the economy reopening in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Vox: The US economy added 2.5 million jobs in May – A surprisingly quick bounce back from pandemic lows. 
• AP: Fox News: Black deaths, stock market graphic was insensitive
• WaPo: Economists predicted 20 percent unemployment in May. How did they get it so wrong? 
• The Atlantic – What Does the Shocking Unemployment Report Really Mean? 
• WaPo: A ‘misclassification error’ made the May unemployment rate look better than it is. Here’s what happened.
• CNBC – Here’s why the real unemployment rate may be higher than reported
• Bloomberg  – American jobs are returning, but summer could be ugly 
• New Yorker – A Surprisingly Positive Jobs Report Doesn’t Mean Things Are Getting Back to Normal 
• Politico: Trump plans a ‘recovery summer’ message against a bleak backdrop 
• Politico: Trump launches massive ad buy seizing on Friday’s jobs report
• WaPo: Stung by crises, the brander in chief searches for a reelection message
• NYT: Trump Campaign Looks at Electoral Map and Doesn’t Like What It Sees
• WaPo: Trump clings to jobs numbers as a campaign life raft — and as a race-relations plan
• WaPo: The topics Trump addressed during his Rose Garden speech
• Bloomberg – Trump Says He’ll Ask Congress for Extra Economic Stimulus 
• Forbes – There ‘Definitely’ Will Be Another Stimulus Package, Trump Economic Adviser Says
• WaPo: As protesters demand reforms, Trump says strong economy is best plan for tackling racial inequality
• CNN: Republicans signal less urgency to pass new stimulus bill after positive jobs report
• WaPo: Trump banks on the economy rebounding quickly without more government help — for now 
• NYT: Joe Biden Warns Trump Against Declaring the Economic Crisis Over 
• CNN: Biden says Trump putting words in George Floyd’s mouth is ‘despicable’
• NYT: Falling Jobless Rate Could Imperil Aid Underpinning the Recovery 
• Politico: How the U.S. economic response could change as people go back to work
• CNBC: Surprise job gains narrow the White House vision for coronavirus relief, but Democrats still want to go big
• Vox: The unemployment rate improved in May, but left black workers behind