Latest in Civil Unrest
Protests against police brutality and coronavirus lockdowns have gripped the U.S. in recent weeks. Examining both protests simultaneously provides an opportunity to better understand the nature of violence.
Most governments consider tear gas a weapon of war yet routinely use it against their own populations during periods of internal unrest. The history is complicated.
During protests in Washington, D.C., a conspiracy theory spread on Twitter that the federal government had cut off communications within and from the city. Twitter users could have been warned.
It’s complicated.
Either the Justice Department’s legal reasoning is wrong, or it’s right—in which case Congress should close the loophole immediately.
National Guard troops and federal law enforcement were deployed across the nation’s capital without the consent of the city—a reminder of the unique relationship between Washington, D.C., and the federal government.
On June 2, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force charged three alleged members of the “Boogaloo” movement—a far-right anti-government extremist group—with conspiracy to cause destruction during recent protests in Las Vegas.
Americans have taken to the streets in dozens of cities to protest the death of George Floyd, police brutality, and systemic racism. President Trump has focused his attention on looting and violence, which he calls “domestic terror” and insisted governors “dominate” the protestors. The gang talks about the role of the military and the Insurrection Act, the role of Bill Barr and the Justice Department, and Trump’s use of other federal forces as America heads into another day of public demonstration amidst a still raging pandemic.
If President Trump wants to follow through on his threats to deploy the military around the country, he may have to push one of America’s oldest emergency laws to its limits.
The numerous layers of this crisis to which Congress must respond grow daily, and some have more barriers to bipartisanship than others.