Today’s Headlines and Commentary

An Air Force sergeant, Steven Carrillo, was charged on Tuesday with murder and attempted murder after allegedly shooting two law enforcement officers last month from the back of a moving vehicle in Oakland, California reports the New York Times. According to the F.B.I., Carrillo demonstrated allegiance to the anti-government “Boogaloo” movement. Another individual, Robert Alvin Justus Jr., who reportedly drove the vehicle, was also charged yesterday.

As many U.S. states continue their reopening processes, six states experienced record-high numbers of COVID-19 infections yesterday, according to Reuters. Overall, the number of new coronavirus cases increased in 17 states last week.

Senate Republicans released a police reform bill on Wednesday that discourages certain policing tactics, such as no-knock warrants and chokeholds, but does not ban them, reports the Washington Post. The bill also mandates that local law enforcement agencies notify the F.B.I. of deaths involving officer conduct and classifies lynching as a federal hate crime. Democrats in Congress say the deal falls short and are still crafting legislation likely to establish more formal requirements for law enforcement agencies.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit yesterday against John Bolton, President Trump’s former national security adviser, to halt the publication of his book detailing his experience in the Trump administration, writes the Times. The Justice Department is asking a judge to seize profits from the book and to order Bolton to try to convince the publishing company, Simon & Schuster, to retrieve all copies of the memoir. In April, a government official notified Bolton that the book had no classified information but that the review was not over. An additional evaluation of the manuscript began in May.

A judge rejected an effort by Tulsa residents and business owners on Tuesday to prohibit President Trump from conducting a campaign rally indoors in the Oklahoma city, according to the Washington Post. The plaintiffs cited concerns about the spread of the coronavirus as their reason for bringing the lawsuit. The number of COVID-19 cases in Tulsa’s county has risen over the last several days.

The leader of the House Oversight Committee’s’ national security subpanel, Rep. Stephen Lynch, sent a letter to the CIA, dated yesterday, requesting information about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s use of an external advisory board while Pompeo served as the head of the agency, reports Politico.

In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and protests against racism in the United States, the United Nations Human Rights Council, from which the United States withdrew two years ago, held an unprecedented discussion on Wednesday that focused on the problem of systemic racism in the United States, writes the Washington Post. During the meeting, Russian and Chinese representatives criticized the United States for its deep-seated racial inequality.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday during his second day of virtual hearings before the House Financial Services Committee that without continued congressional support for workers and businesses struggling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, recent economic progress could erode, reports the Wall Street Journal. Congress approved a $600 increase in jobless benefits in March to compensate for lost incomes due to the coronavirus, and Democrats in the House approved a six-month extension of those benefits. Congressional Republicans contend that this extra aid will deter people from returning to work as restrictions on business are lifted. Yesterday, Powell said high unemployment and failures among small businesses could have harmful impacts on the economy in the long term, according to the Journal.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast featuring a conversation with Lawrence Douglas, James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought at Amherst College, and author of the new book “Will He Go”, about presidential election concessions in light of the upcoming November election.

Richard Altieri and Margaret Taylor argued that President Trump’s aggressive rhetoric regarding his use of federal troops in Washington D.C. was unique compared to that of prior presidents.

Elliot Setzer shared a livestream of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on police use of force.

Mikhaila Fogel shared a Justice Department announcement detailing charges filed against two individuals in connection with a drive-by shooting that killed one law enforcement officer and severely injured another.

Elliot Setzer shared a livestream of the House Armed Services Committee hearing on racial disparity in the military justice system.

Eyal Tsir Cohen discussed potential risks to Israel brought on by European challenges to Israel’s annexation of the West Bank.

Elliot Setzer shared the indictment of a Harvard University chemistry professor charged with making false statements to federal law enforcement about his participation in a Chinese research talent recruitment plan.

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