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Republican Sen. Tim Scottcontinued to condemn President Donald Trump's defense of some protesters at a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia last week.

In an interview on CBS' "Face The Nation" on Sunday, Scott explained his argument that Trump's response to Charlottesville "complicates his moral authority" to lead the nation by equating neo-Nazis with counter-protesters.

"It's going to be very difficult for this president to lead if, in fact, that moral authority remains compromised," Scott said.

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TAYLOR, SC - APRIL 16: Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) visits Hidden Treasure Christian School in Taylors, South Carolina on Wednesday April 16, 2014. Here he watches teacher Stan Ellis, center, show Ryan Porter, 18, how to tamp down a seedling in the Vocational class. (Photo by Nanine Hartzenbusch for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - APRIL 1: Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks to a group of students from Greenville (SC) Tech Charter High School on the Senate steps outside of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, April 1, 2014. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Barry Black (from left), Carol Mosely Braun, Roland Burris, Tim Scott, Mo Cowan and Cory Booker participate at an event discussing their personal journeys and the nation's progress with America's black senators at the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. (Pete Marovich/MCT via Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 25: Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., left, speaks during the 'Honoring our Past and Celebrating our Future: Discussing Personal Journeys and a Nation's Progress with America's Black Senators' event, hosted by Sen. Scott on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. Also pictured are U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, D-Ill., and former Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

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He added: "His comments on Tuesday that erased his positive comments on Monday started to compromise that moral authority that we need the president to have for this nation to be the beacon of light to all mankind."

Scott urged Trump to try and forge deeper connections with black communities, saying the president needs to "have a personal connection to the painful history of racism and bigotry of this country."

"It would be fantastic if he sat down with a group of folks who have endured the pain of the '60s, the humiliation of the '50s and the '60s," Scott said.

"This would be an opportunity for him to become better educated and acquainted with the living history of so many folks from John Lewis to my mother and so many others who have gone through a very painful part of the history of this country so that when he acts, when he responds, and when he speaks, he's not reading the words that are so positive that he's breathing the very air that brings him to a different conclusion."

The South Carolina senator has repeatedly criticized Trump's Charlottesville response.

Scott said earlier this week that Trump's bungled Charlottesville response could also weaken the GOP legislative drive in congress as Republicans hope to pass major tax reform and infrastructure bills and raise the debt ceiling.

"When there is confusion where there should be clarity, it emboldens those folks on the other side," Scott told Vice News on Thursday. "It does not encourage the team to work as hard as we should on those priorities because there is so much headwind that you can't see straight."

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Republican senator says Trump's Charlottesville response compromises Trump's ability to lead - AOL

They were convicted of unlawful assembly after they stormed government property in September 2014, leading to the 79-day sit-in of major roads in the heart of the city's financial district.

On Sunday, demonstrators walked from the district of Wan Chai to the Court of Final Appeal, where the three activists are expected to lodge an appeal against their sentences.

Police told CNN the number of protesters during the peak period Sunday was about 22,000. While the protest organizers did not provide their own count, activist Agnes Chow told CNN it was the biggest protest since the 2014 Occupy movement.

"We were surprised that there were so many people coming out," she told CNN Monday by phone. "Originally we predicted a few thousand (attendees) but there were a lot more."

She said she saw a lot of anger on the streets towards the Hong Kong government over the decision to jail the trio, and that Sunday's turnout was a powerful message rejecting the judicial ruling.

"Yesterday showed the government failed," she said.

In 2014, hundreds of thousands of people crammed city streets to demand a say in the election of Hong Kong's leadership, and greater autonomy from China.

The trio were sentenced to between six and eight months' prison on Thursday. All three were initially given, and completed, community service sentences, but Hong Kong's Department of Justice appealed, arguing that those sentences were insufficient.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Hong Kong government said the decision to appeal the original sentences was "in accordance with Hong Kong's effective legal system," and had "absolutely no political consideration involved."

Wong, 20, was sentenced to eight months in prison Thursday, reduced to six months on account of previous community service, while fellow defendants Nathan Law, 24, and Alex Chow, 26, were sentenced to 10 months, reduced to eight, and eight months, reduced to seven, respectively.

The government statement added that authorities were "aware that the community has different views on the judgment and notices that the relevant defendants have indicated to lodge appeals.

"The case should be handled in accordance with judicial procedures."

Immediately following the verdict, Wong said on Twitter that the government "can lock up our bodies, but not our minds!"

Chow, who is a standing committee member of Demosisto, the political party founded by Wong in the wake of the Occupy movement, says that as "a person advocating civil disobedience" she is "not afraid to go to jail."

"I would say if they want to stop ... Hong Kong people desire for democracy and participating in a democratic movement it's difficult to stop (them).

"The Hong Kong government and justice department use political ways to try to stop us but they would not succeed in stopping us."

In Hong Kong, people who have served sentences of more than three months are barred from holding political office for five years.

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Tens of thousands protest jailing of Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders - CNN

By Dr. Ken Mulliken

All of human kind originated in Southern Africa, our tour guide, Richard Randall, announced as he greeted us in Johannesburg, so I want to welcome you home.

This reminder of our shared ancestry, as distant as it may be, set the theme for this years Democracy Project field experience in South Africa.

This month, 14 students from Southern Oregon University traveled to South Africa as part of SOUs Democracy Project. Involving students, faculty members and community partners, the Democracy Project (abbreviated here to DP) is a comprehensive international examination of democracy, organized by the SOU Honors College.

To solve shared challenges of the 21st century, emerging student leaders need a solid understanding of conflict resolution and how democracy is understood, implemented and promoted around the world. The DP is consistent with the mission and vision statements of Southern Oregon University and the Honors College, as it supports intellectual growth and responsible global citizenship.

Some of the issues studied through the DP include the historical evolution of democracy, sovereignty, freedom, nationalism, citizenship, immigration, patriotism, imperialism, colonialism, liberty, security, justice and equality. DP participants examine criteria in the Democracy Index and articles in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They compare and contrast the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights with national constitutions around the world, keeping in mind questions such as, what is the proper role of government? and, in a democracy, what is the appropriate balance between individual liberties and human rights?

Our educational experience in South Africa is the fourth field trip of the DP. Expanding from the first field trip to Washington, D.C., previous international DP field trips have studied India, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. Through conversations with journalists, professors, university students and business leaders, these field trips have been organized to better understand how democracy is structured and practiced on various jurisdictional levels.

Building on these international experiences, the DP has hosted annual symposiums at SOU, which are facilitated and moderated by SOU Honors College scholars. These symposiums explore the threats and challenges to democracy in the 21st century, and the degree to which the promotion of sustainable democracy is valuable and viable.

The first symposium, called "Crisis in Kashmir: Negotiating a Democratic Solution," was hosted by the SOU Honors College in April 2016, and attended by 125 local high school students. SOU Honors College scholars hosted the second symposium, called "Seeking Refuge: The Syrian Crisis," in April 2017, with more than high-school students participating. The third symposium is planned for April 2018, and will focus on issues relating to African democracy.

Mark Twain is credited with two quotes that relate to the learning objectives of the DP. The first is, Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.

This observation is directly applicable to democracy and conflict resolution today. At different times in history, and in various locations around the world, peoples customs, language, cuisine and clothing have contrasted sharply. However, what makes history and international travel relevant to our lives today is the underlying commonality of humanity.

As our South African tour guide noted, our ancestors all originated in southern Africa, if you trace our linguistic and genetic origins back far enough. No matter when one is born, or where one is raised, we share several fundamental concerns. These concerns include love, marriage, family, employment, health, availability of food and fresh water, clothing, shelter and freedom of personal expression. International travel reveals that we are more similar than we are different.

The second relevant quote attributed to Mark Twain is, History doesnt repeat itself, but it rhymes. We see this as a recurring theme in our DP research.

In Germany, the societal divisions evident during the period of Nazi rule in the 1930s and 1940s have been replaced by recent concerns about massive immigration from war-torn Syria. In India and Pakistan, religious disagreements divide Hindus and Muslims, dating back to independence in 1947. In South Africa, more than 40 years of racial segregation under the system of apartheid have given way in recent decades to a period of truth and reconciliation, which has had mixed social results.

Twain was right, history doesnt repeat itself, but the fundamental core of human relationships is remarkably similar, irrespective of time or location. Our DP research indicates that the health of a nations democracy, and the likelihood of its long-term sustainability, rests on one ultimate and essential question do people see themselves more as a part of, or apart from others in society? This question seems overly simplistic on the surface, but the answer affects all subsequent decisions, both on an individual and collective basis.

At some level, domestic politics and international relations will always be arenas of competing interests, however, if we focus on goals in the Democracy Index and articles in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we can collectively accomplish more together than we can individually.

What issues and problems are most urgent in our community, region, state and nation? What bothers you and makes you frustrated or angry? What motivates you to take action? Is it homelessness, mental illness, child neglect, drugs, diseases, sex trafficking, water rights or animal abuse? How about pollution, loss of biodiversity, global warming, income inequality, legal injustice, infant mortality, high-school graduation rates, inadequate health care, high crime, lack of access to education, bigotry and prejudice or racism?

In addition to these, there are so many other issues that are crying out to be solved, and are worthy of our thought, attention and action. Ignorance of the issues, or belief that ones actions wont matter are insufficient excuses for apathy. A successful and sustainable democracy depends on all of us being informed and taking action. It requires seeing others as "a part of" rather than "apart from. Awareness, engagement and collaborative action are the goals for the Democracy Project at Southern Oregon University.

Dr. Ken Mulliken is executive director of the Honors College at Southern Oregon University.

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SOU's Democracy Project: Are we 'a part of or apart from'? - Ashland Daily Tidings

Broadcast and cable news reluctance to talk about gerrymandering, let alone address the outsized impact it has in state and federal elections, has allowed American democracy to quietly become less representative. As movements build behind redistricting reform, the question remains: Will TV news ever care about gerrymandering?

A yearlongMedia Mattersstudyfoundthat cable news shows brought up gerrymandering in only five segments between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017. During that same time period, broadcast morning news programs and nightly newscasts didnt discuss gerrymandering at all. And this isnt a new trend; for years, media have shown areluctance to discussgerrymandering and redistricting. Given the outsized influence partisan and racial gerrymandering has on American democracy, these issues deserve more coverage.

Partisan gerrymandering is not exactly new, butsince 2010, Republicans have takenit to a new level. The Associated Press (AP)foundthat in the 2016 election, gerrymandering helped create the conditions that led to four times as many states with Republican-skewed state House or Assembly districts than Democratic ones. Additionally, among the two dozen most populated states that determine the vast majority of Congress, there were nearly three times as many with Republican-tilted U.S. House districts. As University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stonewrotefor HuffPost, Although partisan gerrymandering has been with us from the beginning, it is now worse than ever, because computer modeling enables legislators to design districts that almost precisely maximize their political advantage.

Racial gerrymandering whichinvolvesspreading minorities across voting districts, leaving them too few in number in any given district to elect their preferred candidates, or concentrating the minority vote in certain districts has also helpedRepublicans hold on to their majority. AsThe Washington Posts Wonkblog explained, Since the minority electorate leans liberal, packing minorities has the same effect as packing Democrats, causing the district map to favor Republicans in the same way it favors whites.The New York Times editorial boarddescribedthe radical racial gerrymandering that resulted inunconstitutional districtsin North Carolina as the GOPs unscrupulous efforts to fence off black communities.

While Republicans have been attacking the heart of American democracy, media coverage has been lacking, to say the least. At the same time,activistsandpoliticians fromboth sides of the aislehave been calling for independent, nonpartisan groups to take the charge on redistricting in the near future. With momentum rising, the question remains: Will media, specifically broadcast and cable news, ever care about gerrymandering? So far, the answer appears to be no.

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Gerrymandering is ruining our democracy. Will television news ever care? - Salon

Economic forces feeding on coercion and corruption are responsible for the assault on science and democracy in the country like never before, according to ecologist Madhav Gadgil, who headed an expert panel on the conservation of the Western Ghats. This attack was more intense than the one by religious fundamentalism.

Delivering a lecture on Science and democracy in contemporary India in memory of Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad activist I.G. Bhaskara Panicker, he said the Kerala government should drop the Athirappilly hydroelectric project as it was unviable.

He alleged the governments in power at the Centre earlier too had assaulted science and democracy. Mr. Gadgil claimed that the previous Union government had tried to suppress the report of the Western Ghats panel terming it anti-development. The panel had termed projects such as the Athirappilly hydroelectric project unviable, citing available data.

Mr. Gadgil said the River Research Foundation had authentic data from the Central Water Commission on the amount of water flowing in the Chalakudy river and it also had data about the amount of electricity that could be produced as part of the project. The amount of water in the Chalakudy river was far less than what was mentioned in the project document prepared by the proponents of the project. The claim on power production too was highly exaggerated. The impact on tribespeople, irrigation and tourism too were analysed and found unfavourable. During a hearing on the project, the officials could not counter any of these objections, he said.

Mr. Gadgil said the Kasturirangan panel was appointed later to modify the recommendations of the panel headed by him. He said that the Kasturirangan panel had not consulted them while preparing the report, which was unethical. To justify their actions, they lied that they had used better quality satellite data, he said. Mr. Gadgil said he was ready for a debate on the recommendations prepared by both the panels to prove his point.

As far as the assault on democracy and science was concerned, he said there was not much of a difference between the situation in States ruled by BJP such as Maharashtra and Goa or non-BJP parties like Kerala and Karnataka.

Even a Left Front government was supporting capitalistic projects like special economic zones against peoples interests, he said, citing the example of the Indian Oil Corporation plant at Puthuvype.

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Science and democracy under threat, says Gadgil - The Hindu