White supremacists pose as Antifa

Twitter says it suspended several hundred accounts and is investigating the viral spread of the hashtag, which it says was boosted by "hundreds of spammy accounts." https://t.co/9CvRni4wmt
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 2, 2020

White supremacists are now engaging in what Russians call active measures, posing as Antifa and inciting violence. https://t.co/dJBHBkh5JV
— Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) June 2, 2020

Trump threatens the use of military force; peaceful protesters are tear gassed

I don’t watch Trump speak but it sounds like he said nothing about the basis of the protests – police murders of African-Americans. There’s no reason for the protesters to stop until something is being done.

I don’t support vandalism and looting. I totally support the peaceful protests. You can make an argument that peaceful protests don’t work. Look where they got Colin Kaepernick – unemployed. Kaepernick was right then and Trump’s talk and actions have only validated his concerns.

So Trump just essentially said he was going to use the military to suppress the first amendment while encouraging his supporters to exercise the second amendment. Terrifying. This is the moment I’ve expected since J20 2017.
— baynardwoods (@baynardwoods) June 1, 2020

Police used tear gas and flash bangs to clear out peaceful protesters so Trump could have a photo op at St. John’s Church. Just amazing.
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) June 1, 2020

There is absolutely no doubt that what the @POTUS just said, and the images of the military police in moving on a peaceful crowd, will further inflame an already dangerous situation.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) June 1, 2020

This was a peaceful protest. And they are using tear gas. In the United States. In front of the White House.
— Jackie Kucinich (@JFKucinich) June 1, 2020

Were thousands of peaceful protestors just tear gassed so Trump could have a photo op? https://t.co/YZVC5oXXYM
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) June 1, 2020

Wtf. Fucktard is on tv spouting bullshit in the rose garden while he deploys federal police and military on a peaceful crowd! Made for tv moment. No questions for the law and order instigater in chief. He is declaring war on protest. This is going to be bad!#WarOnProtesters
— DreadMD (@originaldreadmd) June 1, 2020

Every fucking Democrat who voted to give Trump a humongous military budget, while claiming that he’s dangerous for the photo ops, bears some responsibility https://t.co/uirmYbW4uI
— Sarah Lazare (@sarahlazare) June 1, 2020

Newspaper editors have a choice: They don't have to use the photo that President used tear gas on his citizens to generate.
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) June 1, 2020

.@Acosta is reporting that the massive show of force (tear gas, etc.) against peaceful protestors across from the White House was to allow Trump to have a photo op at historic St. John’s church. Astonishing provocation – all for a photo op.
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) June 1, 2020

The President had peaceful protesters shot with tear gas and rubber bullets so he could get his picture taken.
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) June 1, 2020

The right wing always blames George Soros

.@RealCandaceO claimed that George Soros and his Open Society Foundations paid to organize “chaos” in Minneapolis. The foundation says it opposes violence and has never paid protesters. https://t.co/OQSoKtcnOo
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) June 1, 2020

Soros didn’t kneel on George Floyd’s neck until he died. https://t.co/pDcxOaR4aP
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) June 1, 2020

More on where to buy masks online

.@reviewed compiled 55 retailers who are selling face masks online, in many varieties. https://t.co/TLQn70VZuE
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 28, 2020

Police shootings of African-Americans lead to worse mental health for the community

“We found that every police shooting of an unarmed African American led to worse mental health, not just for the family, but for the entire African American community in the state” says David Williams, co-author of a study which shows the impact of police killings on communities. pic.twitter.com/9wpOBK2pYp
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) June 1, 2020

Trump’s attacks on the press have resulted in physical attacks by police

U.S. police have attacked journalists at least 100 times in the past four days https://t.co/H3UP37TXUp
— Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) June 1, 2020

I researched countless protests for my first book. I’ve written about many since. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve never seen the widespread, deliberate targeting of journalists by police that we’ve seen over the last few days. Something has changed.
— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) June 1, 2020

Detroit News reporter handcuffed, other journalists report conflicts with police https://t.co/yBzO9ffTZU via ⁦@detroitnews⁩
— ChristineFerretti_DN (@cferretti_dn) June 1, 2020

@tylergabriel_ is a reporter with @WSJ. He is also a young black man and he was assaulted despite having done everything he was supposed to: Had his press badge out, hands up. @NYCMayor @NYPDShea why are officers attacking reporters? He was doing his damn job. https://t.co/xg2cea8i89
— Jan Ransom (@Jan_Ransom) June 1, 2020

US Press Freedom Tracker says that they have so far documented at least 100 different “incidents of aggression” against the media over the weekend, but more from today have yet to be counted. There have been more than 60 assaults of journalists, per the group.
— Ted Johnson (@tedstew) June 1, 2020

I’ve never seen so many incidents with police and reporters simultaneously in different cities. Tension between cops and reporters is nothing new. Aggression on reporters in multiple locations nationally at same time is something different. https://t.co/SA5s1Wy3DP
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 1, 2020

Per @MarquardtA, a CNN photojournalist shooting the chaotic scene near the WH was hit in the leg by a police officer with a baton even after showing his press credentials
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 1, 2020

"The norms have broken down": Shock as journalists are arrested, injured by police while trying to cover protests https://t.co/U3kRtwiF6G
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 31, 2020

What Trump has done "the last four years of encouraging people to hate the press, 'enemy of the people,' 'scum of the earth,' using those rallies… it's a large factor in the attacks on press that we're seeing on the streets today," @DavidZurawik asserts https://t.co/M6WGhWxsWa
— Reliable Sources (@ReliableSources) June 1, 2020

The Trump factor, with its vicious enemy-of-the-people name calling, must not be ignored in understanding rising tide of attacks on members of press covering protests. https://t.co/KRMS4TguG0
— David Zurawik (@davidzurawik) June 1, 2020

Unable to cover #Minneapolis story after ⁦@latimes ⁦@mollyhf⁩ & I + other #journalists attacked by #MinnesotaStatePolice ⁦@GovTimWalz⁩ apologizes during press conference. pic.twitter.com/gOFJUkIuNg
— Carolyn Cole (@Carolyn_Cole) May 31, 2020

The moment Minneapolis police and state troopers stormed the Stop-N-Shop and trained their weapons on property owners and #journalists, pepper spraying @vicenews correspondent @MichaelAdams317 while he’s lying on the ground, Press ID above his head. pic.twitter.com/ZBcrASSn9U
— Roberto Daza (@rsdaza) May 31, 2020

My timeline is full of reporters who were assaulted by police after properly identifying themselves yesterday. Hard to think this unprecedented behavior is unrelated to Trump’s consistent attacks on the press. https://t.co/ExxD2cGgUi
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) May 31, 2020

Shock as journalists are arrested, injured by police while trying to cover the story https://t.co/FBWmbuBvkf
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 1, 2020

Trump’s terrible call with governors

He abdicates responsibility

He says nothing (as far as I read) about the real issue of police brutality against African-Americans that caused the protest

He blames the governors

His law and order pitch sounds like Nixon which is not a compliment

Trump should just shut up

Trump’s words to America’s Governor’s are not the words of an American President. They are the words of a thug and autocrat who despises our countries most sacred ideas and ideals. Trump is the author of unprecedented American weakness. Chaos, disease, death and economic collapse
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 1, 2020

President Trump, who has pardoned a number of his political allies, suggests that those protesting racial injustice in America get put in jail for 10 years. https://t.co/EsmEfOa5el
— Matt Viser (@mviser) June 1, 2020

Trump is quick to rule out that white supremacist groups have played any role in the violent demonstrations https://t.co/oSSFsWTvR5
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 1, 2020

Trump has no basis to say this

Here is transcript of a testy exchange between the president and @GovPritzker of Illinois, per person on call. pic.twitter.com/fNYW8BXkMs
— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) June 1, 2020

A sign of how tense this moment is.@GovJanetMills tells the sitting president his trip to Maine this week may “cause security problems for our state”

Trump fires back that he expects "a tremendous crowd of people showing up”

"They like their president," Trump says of Mainers
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) June 1, 2020

Trump is only the president of his cult.

The president who has spent the last few weeks condemning the overreach of FISA wants government to track people arrested during the protests. https://t.co/wCSKkYiOBT
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 1, 2020

Gov Pritzker confronting Trump on call per source: “I have been extraordinarily concerned with the rhetoric coming out of the WH making it worse. People are feeling real pain out there. We have to have national leadership in calling for calm.”
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 1, 2020

In addition to Tiananmen Square, Trump comments to governors recall these remarks suggesting cops get rougher on detainees during a Long Island speech in 2017 https://t.co/SzZIoxxQXK
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 1, 2020

Telling that the president feels compelled, yet again, to defend the honor of white supremacists. https://t.co/EDkysPof4T
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) June 1, 2020

They’re a major part of his base

As with COVID, potus seems at the moment to be trying outsource response to the unrest to governors. https://t.co/sQlDClBzCd
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 1, 2020

Here's the audio of that remarkable call where Trump lashes out at governors and says they need to crack down on protesters. pic.twitter.com/ANSsniYItN
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 1, 2020