President claims Minnesota is a 'laughing stock all over the world' as calls mount for him to respond to crisis

Man ‘shot dead by police’ in Louisville, local reports say

A man was fatally shot by law enforcement in Louisville, Kentucky during protests against the killing of George Floyd, according to local reports.

Local police officers and the National Guard were reportedly attempting to break up a gathering in a parking lot outside a grocery store when they were fired upon from the crowd. They returned fire, and one person was at some point shot dead.

The chief of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, Steve Conrad, told local media that several persons of interest are being interviewed. 

More details here:

China warns it will retaliate over US moves on Hong Kong

More from the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian’s press conference.

He said US attempts to harm Chinese interests will be met with firm countermeasures, criticising a decision to begin ending special treatment for Hong Kong as well as actions against Chinese students and companies.

China’s parliament last week voted to move forward with imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong, which Donald Trump said on Friday was a tragedy for the people of the city, and which violated China’s promise to protect its autonomy.

Trump ordered his administration to begin the process of eliminating special US treatment for Hong Kong to punish China, ranging from extradition treatment to export controls.

“The announced measures severely interfere with China's internal affairs, damage U.S.-China relations, and will harm both sides. China is firmly opposed to this,” Mr Zhao told reporters during a regular briefing.

“Any words or actions by the US that harm China’s interests will meet with China’s firm counterattack.”

Jay-Z calls Minnesota governor

Rap star Jay-Z called Minnesota’s governor Tim Walz, under pressure to take action over George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.

At a press conference, Walz mentioned the call with Jay-Z and said the rapper and producer knows that “how Minnesota handles this is going to have an impact across the country”.

“It’s a positive sign that someone of a stature, that has a presence like that, is focused in the moment of what Minnesotas are focused on,” he said.

Jay-Z later issued a statement about the call via his label Roc Nation’s official Twitter account, in which he thanked Walz for bringing attorney general Keith Ellison on to take over the case.

“Earlier today, Governor Walz mentioned having a human conversation with me – a dad and a black man in pain,” he wrote. “This is just a first step. I am more determined to fight for justice than any fight my would-be oppressors may have.”

Journalists in several cities injured covering protests

Ali Velshi, hit in his leg with a rubber bullet fired by police in Minneapolis, was one of at least a dozen journalists injured in cities across America this weekend. “It felt like a puck hit me in the shin,” said the MSNBC anchor.

CNN cameraman Leonel Mendez and producer Bill Kirkos were both hit by rubber bullets as they were covering the street protests in Minneapolis.

Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske wrote that several journalists in Minneapolis shouted “press” and waved credentials but were nonetheless cornered and chased by police spraying tear gas and firing rubber bullets. One hit her photographer colleague Carolyn Cole in the face.

More details here:

Could protests influence Joe Biden’s pick for running mate?

Joe Biden’s search for a running mate could be reshaped by the police killing of George Floyd and the unrest it has ignited across the country, according to political pundits.

Biden, who has already pledged to pick a woman, has cast a wide net in his search. Some of the women on his list have drawn national praise amid the protests over Floyd's death, including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who delivered an impassioned appeal for calm in her city on Friday night.

But the outcry over police brutality against minorities has complicated the prospects of Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar, who had a controversial record addressing police violence as a prosecutor in the city where Floyd died.

“The more we see this level of hatred, the more I think it’s important to confront it with symbolic acts, including potentially the selection of an African American woman as vice president,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Bottoms is one of several black women under consideration by Biden’s campaign. Others Biden is believed to be considering include California senator Kamala Harris, Florida congresswoman Val Demings and Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat and voting rights activist.

Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid suggested a resume as a prosecutor could be problematic for potential contenders.

“Prosecutors are not very popular, especially among young people now,” he said. “I’ve got a granddaughter who is graduating from law school and she wants to be a public defender. She doesn’t want to be a prosecutor. And I think a lot of younger people feel the same.”

Joe Biden has pledged to pick female running mate (AFP)

4,000 arrests since protests began

According to a CNN total, there have now been around 4,000 people arrested across the US since the protests over the police killing of George Floyd began.

After the sixth successive day of demonstrations, at least 40 US cities have imposed curfews and National Guard members have been “activated” across 15 states.

The National Guard said on Sunday that 5,000 soldiers and airmen had been called up, but that “state and local law enforcement agencies remain responsible for security.”

Donald Trump has called on state governors to make use of the soldiers and airmen, but his national security adviser said the president will not take the dramatic step, for now, of seeking control over the National Guard.

Iran condemns US officials for ‘violence against your people’

A spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry has condemned the American “regime” over police attempts to quell the protests.

The spokesman said to the demonstrators: “The world has heard your outcry over this state oppression. The world is standing with you”.

He added: “To American officials and police, stop violence against your people and let them breathe.”

China condemns ‘social ill’ of racism in America

More international condemnation. China’s foreign affairs ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian – who has already had plenty to say about the US cutting ties with the WHO and the elimination of special US treatment for Hong Kong – has reportedly called on the US to tackle its problems with “racial discrimination and violent law enforcement by police”.

According to CNN, Mr Zhao said: “We are following the latest developments around the death of Mr Floyd, Black Lives Matter and their human rights should be protected.”

The broadcaster also reported the spokesman saying that “the racial discrimination against minorities is a social ill in the United States ... what happened again reflects there are serious problems that should be urgently addressed, that is the racial discrimination and violent law enforcement by police”.

Zhao Lijian at Monday's press conference (EPA)

BBC cameraman ‘clearly targeted’ by police, says editor

The BBC’s North America editor Jon Sopel has shared footage of BBC cameraman Peter Murtaugh being rushed by police close to the White House in Washington DC last night. Sopel said he had been “clearly targeted”.

Kremlin cautious on Trump’s G7 invite

The Kremlin said on Monday it needed to see more details before responding to Donald Trump’s proposal to invite Russia to attend a G7 nations summit, but that president Vladimir Putin supported dialogue on the issue.

Trump said on Saturday he would postpone a G7 summit he had hoped to hold next month until September or later and expand the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea and India.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was not clear if the proposal was official and said Moscow needed to know more about the proposed summit, including what might be on the agenda and the format, before responding.