President claims Minnesota is a 'laughing stock all over the world' as calls mount for him to respond to crisis
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Donald Trump held a fiery teleconference call with state governors, law enforcement, and national security officials on Monday following a weekend of unrest across the nation protesting the death of George Floyd. In the phone call, Mr Trump called the state governors “weak” and said they needed to get “so much tougher” on protesters in the coming days.
Minneapolis was the first site of protests after Mr Floyd was killed during an arrest involving four former police officers. Mr Trump said Minnesota was a “laughing stock” across the world because police stations were set on fire. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was later commended by the president for taking control over the protests in days following.
Six nights of protests has encouraged the president to put pressure on law and order to control crowds. The president also vowed to designate the militant left-wing demonstrators commonly known as “Antifa” a terrorist organisation. He attacked Democratic mayors and governors for failing to call in the National Guard to deal with “anarchists”.
National security officials such as Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Attorney General Bill Barr also said it was time to get tougher on the protests. Mr Barr encouraged governors to "dominate" the streets to arrest "troublemakers", while Mr Esper officials should "dominate the battlespace".
All of this comes as conversations about police brutality have heightened across America.
The lawyer representing the late Mr Floyd and his family revealed an independent autopsy of his death was ordered. This independent autopsy found Mr Floyd died from asphyxia, which differed from the county's report. It also alleged Mr Floyd probably died at the scene and the three other officers contributed to his ultimate death.
The coronavirus pandemic continues despite attention turned towards the protests going on across the US. Health experts have expressed concerns the large gatherings could cause a second wave. Dr Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, revealed, though, that he and the president have not met or spoken about the issue in more than two weeks.
George Floyd's brother calls for end to violence as he visits scene of fatal arrest
Terrence Floyd has visited the scene where his brother George was detained by four police officers, resulting in his death, to call for an end to the violence that has marred mostly peaceful protests against police brutality, and to urge people to vote.
Andrew Buncombe reports while on the scene in Minneapolis:
Obama sets out how US can turn George Floyd protests into turning point for police reform
After six nights of fiery, violent clashes between police and people protesting the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, former US President Barack Obama decided to weigh in.
Mr Obama authored a post on the self-publishing platform Medium in which he called for a cessation of violence at the George Floyd protests and for the American public to have faith that electoral politics can produce positive change in the country.
Regarding the protests, Mr Obama praised the peaceful protesters, saying the "overwhelming majority of participants have been peaceful, courageous, responsible and inspiring. They deserve our respect and support, not condemnation - something that police in cities like Camden and Flint have commendably understood."
Greg Graziosi on Mr Obama's authored post:
Fauci has not spoken or met with Trump in two weeks
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the Coronavirus Task Force, says he has not spoken or met with Donald Trump in two weeks, adding his contact with the president has also been limited.
The start of the coronavirus pandemic showed Dr Facui often attending the president's press briefings and meeting with the Coronavirus Task Force daily to discuss how the US would handle the novel virus. Dr Fauci told STAT News he also would meet with the president about four times per week.
But now it appears collaboration has dwindled between the task force and the Trump administration, despite the virus still spreading throughout the US.
Dr Fauci's last interaction was with the president on 18 May and the task force last met on 28 May.
US defence secretary asks state governors to employ National Guard if needed
"I think the sooner that you mass and dominate the battlespace, the quicker this dissipates and we can get back to the right normal," Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on a phone call with state governors.
The phone call was with the president, state governors, law enforcement, and other national security officials.
"You have deep resources in the guard," Mr Esper added.
His rhetoric is similar to that of the president, who has pushed for "law and order" to control the protests that have broken out across the country.
George Floyd autopsy shows he died of asphyxia and his death was partly caused by other officers, lawyer says
The lawyer for George Floyd’s family says that an independent autopsy shows that Mr Floyd died from asphyxiation caused by neck and back compression during his arrest by police officers over Memorial Day weekend.
Medical examiners found that pressure on Mr Floyd’s carotid artery impeded blood flow to his brain and weight on his back impeded his ability to breathe. From all the evidence, doctors said it now appears that he died at the scene.
Breaking news here:
Putin sets new date for constitutional vote that would hand him power until 2036
Donald Trump spoke on the phone with the Russian president today to discuss the G7 summit amid this news.
Our story:
Trump attempt to tie Biden aides to 'anarchists' protesting around the US
Donald Trump is criticising aides to Joe Biden for donating money to help those arrested during weekend protests post bail, calling the protesters "anarchists" and backing the claim by many on the right that white supremacists are involved in the violent demonstrations.
The president is slated to remain out of public view on Monday for a second consecutive day, but he fired up his Twitter account as he again showed no signs of being ready or willing to try calming tensions across the country.
John T Bennett with the story:
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies