Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd review — did Black Lives Matter fail?
To call what has happened since 'eventful' would be quite the understatement. The outrage sparked an international insurgence demanding equal rights for black people and an end to institutional racism. Black Lives Matter marches were staged, statues of slave traders were toppled, footballers took the knee, and it seemed that something had permanently shifted especially when that police officer, Derek Chauvin, was jailed for 22 years.
But a backlash was waiting. 'What the hell happened?' asked Nekima Levy Armstrong, a US lawyer and social justice
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The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Shelter worker is mauled to death by two dogs rescued from abuse and fighting ring
A shelter worker was mauled to death by two rescue animals saved from a dog-fighting ring. Clifford Phillips Jr., 57, died this month at Second Chance Animal Alliance in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, during the attack, according to WREG. 'A dog was already in a pen and he was trying to put another dog in there and the other dog tried to run out, and he tried to hold him off with his foot and that dog grabbed his leg, pulled him down. And then the other dog jumped in with him. One of them was a pit, and the other was a pit mixed breed, and they killed him. They got it all on tape down there,' friend Dudley Woods told the outlet. The two dogs that attacked were at the shelter after being taken in a court-ordered seizure in an investigation into abuse and dog fighting, Yalobusha County Sheriff Jermain Gooch told the North Mississippi Herald. Police who responded to the scene had to shoot one dog dead to reach Phillips. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other dog was euthanized. Phillips had worked at the shelter for two years, according to WREG. 'His quiet and caring demeanor helped him foster a love for animals and he remarked that he often felt more comfortable around his pets than around people, perhaps recalling the time he spent with Eon, his beloved childhood dog,' his obituary read. He had also worked at a bakery and a Piggy Wiggly in recent years, according to the obituary. Phillips loved watching social media videos - including seeing people's reactions to old TV shows and movies when being shown them for the first time. The 57-year-old was a regular attendee at Sylva Rena Baptist Church, his obituary stated. 'Quiet, caring, and unassuming, Cliff never met a stranger. He loved people. Cliff enjoyed meeting people and swapping stories about their past experiences and sharing details of his own,' the obituary stated. 'He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.' It's unclear what led the dogs to launch into their attack. The shelter released a statement in the wake of Phillips' death. 'It has been one week since the death at the shelter of our friend and employee Cliff Phillips,' it read. 'Alongside his family and many friends, we are devastated by this loss. While we cannot address every question or rumor we have seen over this past week, we have cooperated with local officials. 'Please know that we take the safety and security of our volunteers and employees seriously. We are proud of the work we do in our community and will remain vigilant as we continue to do it.' The victim's older brother, Charles, told WREG that his brother loved animals but he wondered if more could have been done. 'I went out and picked his vehicle up and his last paycheck, but she said, 'I'm sorry I have no words for it,' but she said, 'I'm so sorry for your loss and everything,'' Phillips told the station. 'They've always done good. They've took a lot of strays and puppies and stuff from around here and they've always done good with that.'
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ghislaine Maxwell's could dodge congressional subpoena for her testimony in Epstein investigation, lawyer says
Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is unsure whether she will comply with a recent congressional subpoena to testify about his abuse of girls and whether others were involved, amid continued pressure for the government to disclose more about the case. 'We have to make a decision about whether she will do that or not,' her attorney David Oscar Markus told Politico. 'That's been scheduled for the week of August 11th and we haven't gotten back to them on whether we'll do that.' Maxwell could invoke the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying, while Congress could offer the former British socialite immunity. Maxwell is currently in a Florida federal prison serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors, which she has sought to overturn in the Supreme Court. Her lawyer said, Maxwell is hoping Donald Trump pardons her. A bipartisan group on the House Oversight Committee voted Tuesday to subpoena Maxwell amid renewed interest into the Epstein scandal. Maxwell sat with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in recent days for an in-depth interview in Florida. The interview featured Maxwell answering questions about ' 100 different people,' her lawyer said. DOJ officials spoke to her as fallout from the president's handling of releasing information in the Epstein case continues to mount. Democrats have criticized Maxwell's conversations with the DOJ, arguing they are a conflict of interest given the political pressure the Trump administration is facing to disclose more about the Epstein case and Trump's personal relationship with the disgraced investor. 'Under no circumstances should anyone from Trump's DOJ be allowed to privately interview Ghislaine Maxwell,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X of the interview. 'The conflict of interest is glaring. It stinks of high corruption.' The battle over Epstein info has played out beyond just Congress, which House Speaker Mike Johnson broke early for an August recess as legislators pressured the administration to disclose the full Epstein files. Last week, President Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal 's parent companies News Corp and Dow Jones, after the paper reported that Trump sent a 'bawdy' birthday letter to Epstein. The president has denied the letter is valid. The Epstein saga has created a rare wedge between Trump and members of his base and party. Trump and his allies campaigned on releasing more information about Epstein, and initially, the White House made steps toward fulfilling that promise, releasing what it called ' Phase 1 ' of the Epstein files to a group of conservative commentators and online personalities in February. However, most of it was redacted or already disclosed. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice announced there was no 'Epstein client list' despite speculation, and that no more disclosures would be made about the case, infuriating parts of the MAGA base. The president has chastised his own supporters for their intrigue over Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, calling the scandal a Democrat-led 'scam' and 'con job.' The president, who has previously denied being mentioned in the Epstein files, was in fact told by the Justice Department he was one of numerous high-profile figures mentioned in the course of investigations into Epstein, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Feeling flush? Americans can Venmo government to help pay off US debt
John F Kennedy's sage words from his inaugural address are forever seared into America's political consciousness: 'Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.' Six decades and some change later, the United States Treasury is keeping Kennedy's spirit alive by offering Americans with a few dollars collecting dust in their Venmo balance a chance to fulfill a new patriotic duty: helping pay off the national debt. The US treasury department has long had a 'Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt' page available for those that dislike traditional charity, feel like they don't pay enough in taxes, or simply want to help the country stay No 1 in an eclectic list of superlatives that includes military spending, Olympic gold medals, prison population, corn subsidies, and healthcare costs. But the new-age, Gen Z-friendly method of payment is a recent addition, first flagged on Twitter by Planet Money's Jack Corbett. A bipartisan punching bag that trades sides of the aisle depending on who's in office and who needs funds earmarked for projects in their state, concern over the national debt is one of few issues that Democrats and Republicans can unite on. Also bipartisan is the debt's growth, which has increased every year since 2001, when it sat at $10.28tn. As of this writing, the debt has ballooned to $36.72tn. America is on track to continue the trend, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating that Trump's Big Beautiful Bill will add $3.4tn to the debt over the coming decade. It is unclear how much money Trump and Elon Musk's 'Doge' saved, although analysis estimates the number at under the advertised $180bn, and a far cry short of the initially advertised $2tn. The federal government spent $6.75tn in Fiscal Year 2024 while collecting $4.92tn in revenue. Highlights of past and present government spending include the $151bn procurement process for the Trump administration's Golden Dome missile defense project, over $2tn on Lockheed Martin's long delayed F-35 fighter jet, and roughly $800bn in annual spending on the Pentagon, which recently failed its seventh audit in a row. Kind-hearted Americans have gone above and beyond their regular tax-paying duties contributing around $67.3m since 1996. That's enough to fund 20 minutes of the US government's spending habit. If Americans could dig into their couch cushions, eat less takeout, and tighten their belts, they might be able to tackle the problem once and for all. It would only take about $107,000 per person, payable via ACH, Paypal, credit or debit card, and now, Venmo.
