President warns army cadets against 'passion and prejudice', after bowing to pressure over Juneteenth rally
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Donald Trump attended the US Military Academy's graduation for West Point in New York on Saturday, where he gave a commencement speech warning against "passion and prejudice" during moments of that are "turbulent" and "rough".
The comments came nearly two weeks after the president threatened to deploy the military to cities across the United States to control Black Lives Matter protests, which out of anger towards police brutality displayed against African Americans.
Mr Trump also mentioned the coronavirus during his speech, declaring how the US will "vanquish" the "invisible enemy", just a few days after cases in the country topped 2 million people and the CDC warned the death toll could reach 130,000 by 4 July. Following the graduation ceremony, the president returned to his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey where he is staying for the weekend.
The Trump campaign faced backlash this week for scheduling Mr Trump's first campaign rally since the start of the coronavirus pandemic on Juneteenth in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In a move not often seen by the president, he bowed to pressure and moved the date of the rally to prevent further backlash. Now the rally would take place on 20 June.
Conversations surrounding the president's controversial walk from the White House to St John's Episcopal Church last week only continue, as the Secret Service amends its initial statement about the event.
The agency previously said no pepper spray was used on protesters in Lafayette Park as a means to disperse the crowd so Mr Trump could make his walk. But now the agency has said one employee used the pepper spray "in response to an assaultive individual".
Thousands gather in Australia for Black Lives Matter protests
Thousands of people have gathered for Black Lives Matter protests in Australia this weekend following the killing of George Floyd in the US last month.
The anti-racism movement has spread globally in recent weeks, with protesters in Australia ignoring advice from the government and health authorities by holding demonstrations on Saturday.
The biggest demonstration was in Perth, Western Australia, where the Australian Broadcasting Corporation estimated that 5,000 people gathered to honor Mr Floyd and remember indigenous Australian people who have died while in custody.
However, the threat of rain and the lack of a city council permit meant the Perth rally did not reach the expected 8,000-15,000 people organisers had hoped would attend.
Hannah McGlade, a human rights lawyer and activist, called for an independent investigation into indigenous deaths in custody and rejected calls from politicians for people not to gather for the protests.
“They told us not to come. They told us to be silent. We will not be silent,” Ms McGlade said.
Mark McGowan, Western Australia’s state premier, had urged organisers to postpone the event due to concerns about the spread of Covid-19.
Biden supports removing names of Confederate leaders from military assets
Joe Biden has said he supports removing the names of Confederate leaders from military assets, setting up a potential point of conflict with Mr Trump in the 2020 election.
In a statement released on Friday, the presumptive Democratic nominee said:
“The names affixed to our military installations must honor the diverse heritage of leadership and sacrifice in our country's history.
“I fully support Senator Warren's bipartisan effort to form a commission to rename Defense Department facilities named after Confederate leaders in the next three years, and look forward to implementing the commission's work as president.”
Mr Trump said earlier this week he would “not even consider” renaming US military bases amid ongoing anti-racism protests across the country.
Former SNL star says police officer knelt on his neck during LA incident
Comedian Jay Pharoah has shared an Instagram video in which he revealed he was recently stopped and handcuffed by police in Los Angeles while out exercising.
The former SNL cast member said one of the officers knelt on his neck during the incident in a similar way to the killing of George Floyd, which has sparked anti-racism protests around the world.
You can find more on this story below:
Donald Trump is awake and on Twitter - and starting his day by touting his administration’s work on criminal justice reform.
His tweets could be read as a comment on the pushback against his widely-disputed claim last night that he has "done more for the black community than any other president".
Who will Joe Biden pick as his running mate?
Joe Biden’s search for a 2020 election running mate is said to be entering a second round of vetting this month, with a dwindling list of potential vice presidential candidates.
Democrats with knowledge of the process told AP Mr Biden’s search committee had narrowed the list down to about six serious contenders, including former Democratic candidates Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, and Barack Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice.
However, the Biden campaign dismissed the idea that a shortened list had been drawn up.
“Those who talk don't know and those who know don't talk,” Andrew Bates, a Biden spokesperson, said.
Amid widespread anti-racism protests, the presumptive Democratic nominee has faced increased calls from Democrats to select a woman of colour as his running mate and the campaign’s list is reported to include several black women.
Advisers have apparently looked closely at Florida representative Val Demings and Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, as well as New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is Latino.
Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar was once a possibility for the role but is now thought to have fallen out of contention due to her history as a prosecutor and the death of George Floyd, which occurred in her state.
Mr Trump has responded to a tweet by former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee from 2017 in order to urge his supporters to leave the telecommunications company Comcast.
The president said Comcast had “terrible service” but he appeared to be equally, if not more, concerned with the company owning MSNBC.
Juneteenth: What is the historically important day and how did it start?
Celebrated annually on 19 June across the US, Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas and the nation's "second" Independence Day.
The day now more widely represents the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans across the US following the Civil War and its violent aftermath.
As the nation reels from the killings of black Americans in police custody, Donald Trump was shamed by his opponents for choosing to host his first rally since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic on Juneteenth, in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, which recently recognised the 99th anniversary of a two-day massacre of hundreds of black residents by a white mob.
Alex Woodward with the reports:
Trump pushes 'law and order' message on Twitter
Donald Trump continues to push his "law and order" message on Twitter Saturday morning, which has been a go-to in recent weeks as protests calling for police reform make more waves.
He shared a tweet from his campaign team listing "Biden allies" who were attempting to "destroy" the police force. It is worth noting that some of those listed have called for decreasing police funding, not completely eliminating police departments.
Another tweet simply stated "Law & Order".
Trump to deliver commencement address for West Point in socially distanced ceremony
President Donald Trump will deliver a commencement address during West Point's socially distanced ceremony. West Point is a US Military Academy based in West Point, New York.
About 1,110 graduates are expected to graduate this year, but their graduation will look a bitt different with the coronavirus pandemic.
Students were tested for the novel virus and then separated into groups of 250 to then live, work, and eat together for the last two weeks. Now these groups will be placed 6 feet apart from each other to sit at the graduation ceremony – to be held at Plain Field Parade. The traditional location for the graduation ceremony is Michie Stadium.
All efforts will be made during the ceremony to prevent any spread of the virus, including the students receiving a salute from President Donald Trump and President and Lieutenant General Williams instead of a diploma.
Mr Trump tweeted about his upcoming commencement address on Saturday morning.
Minneapolis police officers condemn former colleague Derek Chauvin charged with killing George Floyd in open letter
More than a dozen members of the Minneapolis police department have condemned their former colleague Derek Chauvin in an open letter on the death of George Floyd.
Fourteen officers signed the letter on Thursday which is addressed to "everyone -- but especially Minneapolis citizens", following the killing of Floyd on 25 May.
"Derek Chauvin failed as a human and stripped George Floyd of his dignity and life. This is not who we are," the letter says.
Rory Sullivan reports:
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