1 Protests Continue Over Breonna Taylor Decision
There's still anger on the streets of Louisville – and around the country – after a second night of demonstrations. The protests started the day before after a grand jury decided not to indict three Louisville police officers for the March shooting death of EMT Breonna Taylor during a raid. While one former officer was indicted for wanton endangerment – it wasn’t for shooting Taylor, it was for shooting into a neighboring apartment. Black Lives Matters protesters defied a citywide curfew last night and came up against armed counter-protesters, wearing military-style clothing and claiming they were there to protect property. Louisville residents aren’t alone – thousands of protestors have peacefully taken to the streets in Los Angeles, Rochester, Philadelphia and Seattle. They have been met with violence, however. In Hollywood last night a speeding vehicle plowed through a crowd. But Wednesday night in Seattle, a local police officer was captured on video riding his bike over a protestors head. He has been suspended pending the investigation.
2 As White House Declines To Confirm Peaceful Transition, McConnell Pushes Back
At White House press briefing, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany claims President Trump will "accept the results of a free and fair election" – but she won’t exactly explain what that means in real terms. Instead, she said the same question should be posed to Democrats. As we told you yesterday, Trump has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses re-election. Still, McEnany condemned mass mail-in voting and raised more questions about the potential for fraud, something FBI Director Chris Wray testified in a Senate hearing that the bureau has "not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national fraud effort in a major election." Either way, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is leading the chorus of Republicans to dismiss Trump’s positioning. First taking to Twitter, McConnell later appeared on Fox News to say the same, noting there will be “an orderly transfer of power" in January, just as there has been "every four years since Washington was elected for a second term in 1792."
3 Senators Agree On Need For New Rescue Package, But Argue On Who's At Fault
Senators agree there's a need for a new economic rescue package, but that's about it. Idaho Republican Senator Mike Crapo addressed a hearing yesterday saying Americans need help as they continue to deal with the pandemic. He added Democrats haven't accepted Republican efforts to provide such relief. Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown doesn't see it that way – saying that President Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are the only ones who don't seem to understand that the government needs to take a leading role. Brown argued a new stimulus bill needs to keep every American in mind. For his part, Mnuchin testified that he’s still hopeful for a new stimulus package – and said the Trump Administration is ready to work with Congress and work things out.