Axios

Former President Barack Obama called on all mayors to review their use-of-force policies and commit to policing reform in a virtual town hall Wednesday hosted by the Obama Foundation's My Brothers Keepers Alliance.

Why it matters: Obama has addressed the killing of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that followed on social media and in a Medium post, but this was his first time speaking about the past week's events on camera. His voice will add weight to the growing pressure on local, state and federal officials to pursue policing reforms.

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis condemned President Trump for making a "mockery of our Constitution" in a statement to The Atlantic on Wednesday, saying he was "appalled" at the president's response to mass protests in the wake of George Floyd's killing.

Why it matters: Trump’s former defense secretary had refrained from publicly criticizing his former boss since resigning in 2018.

The COVID-19 pandemic, record unemployment and escalating social unrest are all pushing American society close to the breaking point.

The big picture: Civilizations don't last forever, and when they collapse, the cause is almost always internal failure. Even in the midst of one of our darkest years, the U.S. still has many factors in its favor, but the fate of past societies holds frightening lessons for what may lie ahead.

The Pentagon is in talks with the House Armed Services Committee to arrange for Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Mark Milley to testify next week about President Trump's threats to federalize forces to respond to protests across America, several sources familiar with the committee's plans tell Axios.

Why it matters: Their potential testimony is significant in light of Esper's remarks that he and Milley "were not aware" that federal law enforcement would use physical force and chemicals to disperse peaceful protesters outside the White House on Monday.

All four of the former police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd face criminal charges, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said this afternoon.

Why it matters: The U.S. has been rocked by nine days of nationwide protests calling for justice.

Former President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday released a statement on Wednesday describing himself and his wife as "pained by the tragic racial injustices and consequent backlash across our nation in recent weeks."

Why it matters: All living American presidents have now officially weighed in on the civil unrest rattling the nation.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday defended President Trump's visit to St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo op Monday, comparing it to Winston Churchill inspecting bombing damage during World War II and George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch after 9/11.

Why it matters: Trump has received widespread criticism for the visit, including from clergy members at the church and even some Republican lawmakers. In order to safely allow the president and his entourage to walk to the church, police were ordered to forcibly remove largely peaceful protesters with smoke canisters and pepper balls.

The White House physician released a memo on Wednesday summarizing data from President Trump's latest physical exam, conducted between November 2019 and April 2020 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the White House.

The big picture: The White House physician found in Trump's third physical since taking office that there have been no significant changes and that the president continues to be in healthy condition.

President Trump and Joe Biden are in a tight race in Texas, with the former vice president trailing by just a point, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday.

Why it matters: Changing demographics in the state have made it a key target for Democrats in future presidential cycles, forcing the GOP to weigh how it can be more inclusive and keep its hold on the Lone Star State and its 38 electoral votes.

Americans are bearing witness to a painful moment in our history, with thousands showing up day after day to protest police brutality and racial inequality, even in the midst of a pandemic. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, joins Dan to analyze how we may understand it when the present becomes past.

Go deeper: Black Americans' competing crises

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) called upon Americans to "make meaningful change" as a result of the nationwide protests against police violence and systemic racism in an op-ed published Wednesday by the Los Angeles Sentinel, the city's black-owned newspaper.

Why it matters: The former California attorney general — one of just 10 black members to ever serve in the Senate — is considered a leading choice to become Joe Biden's vice presidential pick.

Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is testifying Wednesday before the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee, which is investigating the origins of the Russia investigation amid allegations of misconduct by law enforcement.

The big picture: Rosenstein, the first witness to testify in the investigation led by Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, defended his decision to appoint special counsel Robert Mueller after President Trump fired FBI director James Comey in an opening statement.

Ella Jones was elected Tuesday as the first black mayor — and the first woman in the post — of Ferguson, Missouri, where the 2014 police-involved shooting of Michael Brown sparked protests that brought national attention to the Black Lives Matter movement, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Jones was the first black woman elected to Ferguson's city council in 2015 — and her win comes as protests over police violence and systemic racism are again taking place across the country. "I've got work to do — because when you're an African American woman, they require more of you than they require of my counterpart," she said in a video posted by St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum.

The killing of George Floyd in police custody and protests against systemic racism are prompting many green groups to declare their support for racial justice, and one thing to watch now is how this all might influence Joe Biden's platform.

Driving the news: Even before the recent mass upheaval in response to Floyd's death, Biden said he was expanding outreach and eyeing wider plans around environmental justice, or the disproportionate pollution burdens facing poor communities and people of color.

Pope Francis condemned Wednesday the "tragic" killing of George Floyd, while praying for "all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism."

What he's saying: "My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life," the pope said to people in the U.S. "At the same time, we have to recognize that 'the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost,'" he added, quoting a statement from Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez.

Go deeper ... In photos: George Floyd protests continue to grip the nation

President Trump's call to treat antifa supporters like terrorists could be a green light for high-tech surveillance of dissidents.

Why it matters: It's unlikely the Trump administration can designate antifa as a terrorist group in any legally meaningful way, but the declaration gives law enforcement tacit approval to use a plethora of tech tools to monitor protesters and left-leaning activists.

The year 1968 has been on a lot of people’s minds lately — another year of protests, violence and upheaval that seemed to be tearing the nation apart.

Yes, but: This crisis also has moments we’ve never seen before — and some historians and experts say the differences suggest that 2020 doesn't compare well at all.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD officers kneeled with peaceful protesters in downtown Los Angeles following days of unrest that prompted a curfew to be imposed from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. The crowd chanted "Defund the police!" as Garcetti knelt, per the Los Angeles Times.

The big picture: There have been days-long clashes across the U.S. between law enforcement and demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd and other black people in police custody. But police and officials in several cities have taken to kneeling with protesters in recent days. One sheriff even marched alongside demonstrators in Michigan.

Thousands of mostly peaceful demonstrators defied an 8pm curfew to march through New York City on Tuesday, per AP.

Details: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized the New York Police Department via Twitter over reports that police were kettling in hundreds of protesters on Manhattan Bridge.

Voters lined up for hours to cast ballots in presidential primaries across the U.S. on Tuesday, even amid curfews imposed for protests over George Floyd's killing.

Zoom in: D.C. and Philadelphia's mayors exempted voters from curfews as long as they got into line to vote by 8 p.m. In D.C., some waited in line for four hours near McKinley Technology High School and were still out well past the city's 7 p.m. curfew. Others outside Washington's Hardy Middle School were still in line after 9 p.m.

In the midst of a global pandemic and national protests over the death of George Floyd, eight states and the District of Columbia held primary elections on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, needs to win 425 of the 479 delegates up for grabs in order to officially clinch the nomination. There are a number of key down-ballot races throughout the country as well, including a primary in Iowa that could determine the fate of Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).

State Sen. Randy Feenstra defeated incumbent Rep. Steve King in Tuesday's Republican primary for Iowa's 4th congressional district, according to the Cook Political Report.

Why it matters: King's history of racist remarks has made him one of the most controversial politicians in the country and a pariah within the Republican Party.

The mother of George Floyd's daughter spoke publicly on Tuesday for the first time, with their 6-year-old by her side, because she said she wants "everybody to know that this is what those officers took."

Details: "I'm here for my baby, and I'm here for George, because I want justice for him," Roxie Washington said at a news conference at Minneapolis City Hall, one week on from his death in police custody, as their daughter, Gianna, looked on.

The Republican National Committee is scrambling for a new convention host city after President Trump said Tuesday that North Carolina’s coronavirus restrictions will make Charlotte unworkable for the crowds he's counting on.

Driving the news: The organization still hopes to conduct the convention's "official business" in Charlotte, an RNC spokesperson said. But the part that most Americans think about the convention — the spectacle of the speakers and the president accepting the Republican nomination itself — will be held in a different state with more relaxed COVID-19 laws.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told NBC on Tuesday he had no notice that he was being led with President Trump on Monday to a photo op at St. John's Episcopal Church, saying: "I thought I was going to do two things: to see some damage and to talk to the troops."

Why it matters: The visit has received backlash from both sides of the political aisle as well as clergy from the church.

President Trump tweeted on Tuesday night that because of ongoing coronavirus restrictions in North Carolina, the Republican Party will be "forced to seek another state" to host its convention in August.

The big picture: The late-night tweet came after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) told convention organizers earlier Tuesday that Republicans should plan for a "scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings" given the impact of the pandemic.

Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) joined a protest against George Floyd's killing on Tuesday, after a week of similar demonstrations being held across the country.

Why it matters: Hurd, the only black GOP representative, is one of the only congressional Republicans to publicly join Floyd protesters and post about it online. He is not seeking re-election.

Minneapolis Public Schools announced Tuesday its board voted unanimously on Tuesday evening to end its contract with the city's police department following the death of George Floyd.

Details: The school board decided to terminate the $1.1 million contract because the actions of law enforcement after Floyd's death had "run directly counter to the values" of the district, BuzzFeed notes. Minneapolis Public Schools will not negotiate further with the police department.

A day after threatening to federalize forces to snuff out riots across the country, the president appears to be backing off the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act, sources familiar with his plans tell Axios.

What we're hearing: Aides say he hasn’t ruled out its use at some point, but that he's “pleased” with the way protests were handled last night (apart from in New York City, as he indicated on Twitter today) — and that for now he's satisfied with leaving the crackdown to states through local law enforcement and the National Guard.