Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced he would resign on Saturday, after President Trump gave Attorney General Bill Barr the green-light to fire Berman in response to his initial refusal to resign. Barr said he requested that Trump fire him.
Why it matters: Berman has overseen a series of high-profile cases that worried and angered Trump and his inner circle, including probes into his campaign, former attorney Michael Cohen and hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential election cycle.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Saturday that he plans to honor the committee's "blue-slip" rule for the Trump administration's move to nominate Jay Clayton as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Why it matters: Graham holding to this policy — in a clash over one of the highest profile districts in the country — would mean that Clayton's nomination would not be able to advance without approval from home-state Democratic senators, per the Washington Post.
A 19-year-old male has been fatally shot and another male remains in critical condition following an early morning shooting inside Seattle's protest zone known as Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP), according to the Seattle Police Department.
The state of play: The shooting took place around 2:30 a.m. local time near downtown Seattle. The police say they attempted to find the shooting victim, "but were met by a violent crowd that prevented officers safe access to the victim." SPD does not currently have anyone in custody. Investigators are reviewing public-source video and body-camera video for more information, Seattle Police Sgt. Lauren Truscott told The Seattle Times.
Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Six of President Trump's staffers, who were part of the campaign's advance team for the president's Saturday rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have been quarantined after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, the campaign told Axios.
Why it matters: Trump's Saturday rally is expected to draw tens of thousands of supporters and protesters. The president has specified that face coverings at the event are optional, telling Axios' Jonathan Swan on Friday: "I recommend people do what they want."
People across the U.S. participated in Juneteenth celebrations on Friday, the date that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
Why it matters: The celebrations come as the Black Lives Matter movement experiences a revitalization in the wake of George Floyd's death. Protests have consumed the country over excessive use of force by police — bringing racial inequality back into the forefront of America's consciousness.
Generation Z is coming of political age as they join with thousands in protesting the police killing of George Floyd, and much of it is playing out online.
Why it matters: Generations that came before Gen Z went through similar awakenings. However, Gen Z is likely to continue engaging even after the protests end because of the power of smartphones and social media, per Axios’ Sara Fischer.
Why it matters: A widespread push for police reform has swept multiple cities and states across the U.S. in response to massive Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality after George Floyd's killing.
Today's college students won't have a normal college experience — one with classes, graduations, internships and campus love.
Where it stands: Colleges' decisions about openings and closing are just as inconsistent as school districts', but with different stakes and a lot more money on the line.
About three-quarters of American adults are in favor of granting children who are protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) permanent legal status, according to a report from the Pew Research Center.
Why it matters: Americans' broader acceptance of DACA recipients, who came to the U.S. as undocumented children, comes as the Supreme Court ruled this week that the Trump administration violated federal law by ending the Obama-era program.
A federal judge on Saturday denied the Trump administration an emergency temporary restraining order to block the release of former national security advisor John Bolton’s book, "The Room Where It Happened."
The big picture: Copies of the book already leaked to a number of media outlets and its biggest claims have been widely published, including Bolton's allegation that President Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to increase agricultural purchases from the U.S. in order to improve his electoral prospects in farm states.
Protesters toppled the only statue of a Confederate general in the nation's capital and set it on fire on Juneteenth, the day marking the end of slavery.
The state of play: In Judiciary Square, cheering demonstrators jumped up and down as the 11-foot statue of Confederate general Albert Pike, dedicated in 1901, wobbled on its high granite pedestal before falling backward, AP reports.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman released a statement late Friday night indicating he has "no intention of resigning," and will "step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate."
Why it matters: Berman said he learned of his own departure when Attorney General Bill Barr put out a press release earlier Friday evening announcing Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton had been nominated for the position and that Berman would be "stepping down."
President Trump's 2016 voters enthusiastically stand with him — and against the Black Lives Matter movement, redirecting police funds and protests of police brutality and racism — in a new Axios/SurveyMonkey poll.
Why it matters: As the president slips behind Joe Biden in national polls, the survey found that Trump voters view the national uprising against George Floyd's killing in a substantially different way than a majority of Americans.
Why it matters: Berman oversaw one of the highest profile districts in the country and many politically charged prosecutions, including those over President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen and investigations into hush money payments during the 2016 election.
President Trump declined on Friday to say he retains full confidence in Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and said Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley should have been "proud" to join him on the now-infamous walk across Lafayette Square.
Driving the news: "I personally think they should have done it differently," Trump told Axios in an interview Friday in the Oval Office. "I think they should be proud to walk alongside of their president for purposes of safety."
President Trump defended his decision to move ahead with a controversial large-scale Tulsa rally this weekend amid the pandemic, saying in an interview Friday with Axios that "we have to get back to living our lives" and "we're going to have a wild evening tomorrow night at Oklahoma."
Pressed on why he wasn't using his presidential bully pulpitto encourage rally attendees to wear masks, Trump described masks as "a double-edged sword." When asked if he recommended people wear them, he added: "I recommend people do what they want."
The Department of Homeland Security monitored Black Lives Matters protests in more than 15 cities with airplanes, drones and helicopters, according to Customs and Border Protection data obtained by the New York Times.
Driving the news: The Air Force inspector general said on Thursday it plans to investigate the use of a military reconnaissance plane used to surveil demonstrations in multiple cities held in the wake of George Floyd's killing.
