Aug 28, 2017

Mexico fires back against Trump's NAFTA tweet

Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray Caso (Marco Ugarte / AP)

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "will not negotiate NAFTA ... through social media or any other news platform." The statement came in response to President Trump's Sunday morning tweets, which called Mexico "one of the highest crime nations in the world" and said the U.S. "may have to terminate" NAFTA.

Why it matters: Trump has called his Twitter presence "modern day presidential," but tweets can't replace diplomatic negotiations.
On violence in Mexico: "It is a shared problem that will only end if its root causes are addressed: high demand for drugs in the United States and supply from Mexico (and other countries)," the foreign ministry wrote.
On the border wall: "Our country will not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall," it continued.

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Alexi McCammond, Stef W. Kight

22 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Black Americans' competing crises

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

For many black Americans, this moment feels like a crisis within a crisis within a crisis.

The big picture: It's not just George Floyd's killing by police. Or the deaths of EMT Breonna Taylor and jogger Ahmaud Arbery. Or the demeaning of birdwatcher Christian Cooper and journalist Omar Jimenez. Or the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate harm to African Americans. It's that it's all happening at once.

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Rebecca Falconer

Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Amnesty International: U.S. police must end militarized response to protests

Washington State Police use tear gas to disperse a crowd in Seattle during a demonstration protesting the death of George Floyd. Photo: Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

Amnesty International issued a statement on Sunday morning calling for an end to militarized policing in several U.S. cities and the use of "excessive force" against demonstrators protesting police brutality.

Why it matters: The human rights group said police across the country were "failing their obligations under international law to respect and facilitate the right to peaceful protest, exacerbating a tense situation and endangering the lives of protesters."

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Jacob Knutson

2 hours ago - Health

Coronavirus looms over George Floyd protests across the country

Protestors rally in Minneapolis. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Health experts fear that massive protests against police brutality in major cities around the United States could result in new coronavirus outbreaks due to the close proximity of demonstrators, AP reports.

Why it matters: The U.S. has already recorded more confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country in the world. A potential surge in cases stemming from the protests would come as many states are weeks into their phased reopening plans.

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