Every weekday, Slog AM highlights a wide range of stories we think you should read, but Rich was at the Capitol Hill "riot" until midnight last night so we made today's Slog AM about a single story we thought was important: that
Trump's tear-gas-led Bible moment is many news outlets' biggest story this morning: Yesterday, Trump visited St. John's Episcopal Church and partook in a very uncomfortable photo op next to a Bible—the fact that it did not burst into flames suggests God has left the chat—after peaceful protestors were cleared with tear gas. The moment has pissed a whole lot of people off, even the priests.
Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. God is not your plaything. pic.twitter.com/RZwPeqrwoZ
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) June 2, 2020
Tonight President just used a Bible and a church of my diocese as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for. To do so, he sanctioned the use of tear gas by police officers in riot gear to clear the church yard. 1/1
— Mariann Budde (@Mebudde) June 2, 2020
Here's McConnell's take: Doesn't sound too different from liberal mayors.
Every one of us has an obligation to distinguish peaceful protests over the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery from the violent riots that continue to see innocent people hurt, businesses and neighborhoods destroyed, & law enforcement officers assaulted.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) June 2, 2020
And hey, hey, hey: Just because Secretary of Defense Mark Esper urged governors to use the National Guard to "dominate the battlespace," in reference to growing protests around the nation, doesn't mean you should look too much into the term "battlespace," says a senior defense official.
Senior defense official defended @Esper reference to American protests being a “battlespace”: “The use of the term battlespace is a term that we use to discuss… the area we are operating… Nothing should be read into the use of that term."
— Nick Schifrin (@nickschifrin) June 2, 2020
Gig economy companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash will likely have to provide paid sick and safe time to the workers in Seattle: Seattle City Council unanimously approved legislation requiring the move, and the Mayor's Office said she intends to sign the legislation.
Joe Biden gave an anticipated speech in Philadelphia this morning on systemic racism and the ongoing unrest as people demand justice for George Floyd. He continued to use his campaign's "the soul of the nation is at stake" rhetoric, saying “the president of the United States must be part of the solution, not the problem. This president today is part of the problem and accelerates it." More from his speech:
Civil rights leaders are "disappointed and stunned" after call with top Facebook villains: “We are disappointed and stunned by Mark [Zuckerberg]’s incomprehensible explanations for allowing the Trump posts to remain up,” wrote civil rights leaders from various organizations. “He did not demonstrate understanding of historic or modern-day voter suppression and he refuses to acknowledge how Facebook is facilitating Trump’s call for violence against protesters. Mark is setting a very dangerous precedent for other voices who would say similar harmful things on Facebook.”
With everything going on, I totally missed this story: 'Tiger King': Joe Exotic Loses Zoo to Carole Baskin In Court Ruling
I clutched my pearls... Click the tweet and zoom in on the signs to the left.
Per pooler @jonkarl, the President was greeted with many middle fingers & raised fists as his motorcade made its way to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine. Some pics, courtesy of the pooler: pic.twitter.com/bvo3siHGmx
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 2, 2020
The European Commission sides with Twitter over Trump: Not that it matters to Trump or his supporters. (Do you even remember this drama? Last week feels like forever ago.) Here's the EU executive branch’s vice president, Věra Jourová, per the Guardian:
I support Twitter in their efforts to develop and implement a transparent, clear and consistent moderation policy. This is not about censorship. This is about flagging verifiably false or misleading information that may cause public harm, linking to reliable information, or flagging content violating their policies.
The role of public authorities is not to interfere with content policies of private companies but to ensure that fundamental rights are protected online as well as offline – rights such as freedom of expression and information, non-discrimination, right to security.
These rights protect all citizens, not only those in power. As politicians, we have to be held to account, and answer to criticism with facts, not with threats and attacks.
Council members seem to be paying attention: Our reporters have had similar experiences each of the past three nights.
2/ I talked to a friend who was at the demonstration when it was broken up by SPD who was shocked by the sudden escalation. This friend, in confidence, told me this feels different. Like that the rules of traditional protest are being upended.
— Andrew J. Lewis (@LewisforSeattle) June 2, 2020
A poll to close out the morning: See you all again later today for PM.
monmouth poll — percent saying that racial and ethnic discrimination is a big problem in the US
jan 2015: 51%
jul 2016: 68%
now: 76%
— David Byler (@databyler) June 2, 2020