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PBC News & Comment: George Floyd Protests Are Changing Americans’ Views

After 2 weeks of constant protest, new polls show that big majorities—including some Republicans—recognize systemic injustice in America…–disapproval of Trump’s handling of protests and pandemic show his support declining, and Biden’s growing

WashPost details Biden’s pro-cop history in this deep dive

–now that it barely matters, Hillary Clinton endorses Black Lives Matter, as Alan Mcleod reports

–AG Barr contradicts Trump, says 45 went to the bunker on May 29 due to security concerns, not for “inspection”

–based on speculative report from OAN, Trump’s new favorite network, he tweets bizarre claim that brutalized Buffalo elder could be “antifa provocateur”

–24-year-old pre-law student from Charlotte tweeted taunt at FBI, posing as leader of local antifa unit, and FBI asked him to become an informer

–a man who rammed his truck into crowd of protesters in Virginia Sunday isn’t antifa—he’s an admitted Klan leader; a white supremacist in Bakersfield used his vehicle to kill a black protester

–2 more cases of police-induced asphyxiation are reported

–listener John Zweibel shared link to this video compilation of police violence against protesters

–NY cop who shoved a woman to the ground is first to face brutality charges

–in Brooklyn, film maker Christopher Frierson got a face full of pepper spray, and caught it on video

–in San Jose, an activist who trained cops on implicit bias tried to de-escalate a confrontation, and was shot with rubber bullet

–New York state’s civil code section 50-a, which keeps police misconduct secret, may be overturned

–in lengthy op-ed, Michelle Alexander offers wise words

–and at ConsortiumNews, Caitlin Johnstone warns that the Democrats will kill any real attempts at change

–in final memorial to George Floyd in Houston, Rep. Al Green calls for new “department of reconciliation”

–as GOP leaders reject calls to “defund the police”, David Sirota lists the law enforcement efforts already defunded by Republicans

–like the MeToo movement, the Floyd protests are reaching into the workplace, too

Forbes report on Norwegian scientist’s claim that coronavirus was made in a lab has disappeared online

–new study from UC Berkeley says the Covid shutdown prevented spread of 4.8 million cases in US by early April

–our daily Covid-19 update, edited by Linda Lewis

–the Trump recession following Covid shutdown is hastening the death of retail

–driven by more voter purges and new voting machines, Georgia’s primary sees long line and 3-hour waits

WashPost editorial notes that Trump’s efforts to isolate Iran and Venezuela have brought them together against US