Sep 25, 2017

LeBron James: "I'm not going to let" Trump "divide us"

LeBron James, during a press conference today, referred to President Trump as "that guy" dividing the nation. James was commenting on Trump's crusade against the NFL and national anthem protestors.

Other key quotes:

  • "...everyone that had anything or any association with the NFL yesterday was unbelievable. It was solidarity and no, there was no divide. No divide. Even from that guy that continues to try to divide us as people."
  • "I'm not going to let, while I have this platform, to let one individual, no matter the power, no matter the impact that he should have or she should have, ever use sport as a platform to divide us.
  • "...if you voted for him or not, you may have made a mistake, and that's okay. If you voted for him. It's okay. I mean, I've done things for my kid and realized I shouldn't have given my daughter that many skittles."
  • "Not one individual, no matter if it's the president of the United States or if someone in your household can stop your dreams from becoming reality."

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George Floyd protests: Unrest continues for 6th night across U.S.

A protest near the White House on Sunday night. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Most external lights at the White House were turned off late Sunday as the D.C. National Guard was deployed and authorities fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters nearby, per the New York Times.

What's happening: It's one of several tense, late-night standoffs between law enforcement and demonstrators in the United States.

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Journalists get caught in the crosshairs as protests unfold

A man waves a Black Lives Matter flag atop the CNN logo outside the CNN Center during a protest in response to the police killing of George Floyd, Atlanta, Georgia, May 29. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Dozens of journalists across the country tweeted videos Saturday night of themselves and their crews getting arrested, being shot at by police with rubber bullets, targeted with tear gas by authorities or assaulted by protesters.

Driving the news: The violence got so bad over the weekend that on Sunday the Cleveland police said the media was not allowed downtown unless "they are inside their place of business" — drawing ire from news outlets around the country, who argued that such access is a critical part of adequately covering protests.

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Jonathan Swan
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Inside Trump's antifa tweet

President Trump at Cape Canaveral on May 30. Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

As recently as Saturday night, senior administration officials told me that the designation of a violent cohort of far-left activists, antifa, as a terrorist organization was not being seriously discussed at the White House. But that was Saturday.

Behind the scenes: The situation changed dramatically a few hours later, after prominent conservative allies of the president, such as his friend media commentator Dan Bongino, publicly urged a tough response against people associated with antifa (short for "anti-fascist").

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