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National Guard troops stand with bayonets fixed as African-American sanitation workers peacefully march by while wearing placards reading "I AM A MAN." The nonviolent march contrasted with a similar demonstration the day before, when there was a racial outburst and a black teenager was slain by police. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who had left town after the first march, would soon return and be assassinated.

Attacking The Press

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker received reports of more than 300 violations of press freedoms between May 25 and June 3. The violations include physical assault, arrest, damage or seizure of equipment. According to TIME Magazine, the organization usually receives 100-150 claims per year. Its a scale that we have not seen before, Kirstin McCudden, managing editor of the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, told TIME. Its unprecedented in scope without a doubt.

The Spies Are Spooked

CIA veterans who spent their careers monitoring social breakdown come at us like a firehose, spraying information, disinformation and quotable tweets. And that was before the pandemic. Now with more than 100,00 dead, staged presidential photo ops and protests proclaiming black lives matter and decrying systematic racism in all 50 states, theres even more news flying under the radar. The team at BillMoyers.com brings you the news you need to know some of it good, some of it outrageous, all of it important that you may have missed.

Say Their Names

While all four officers involved in killing George Floyd now face charges, Black Americans who have been killed or injured by police continue to wait for justice. These are two of the names you should know:

Breonna Taylor, a 26 year-old EMT, was shot and killed in her Louisville, KY home by police officers with a no-knock warrant on March 13. None of the officers involved in her death currently face charges. Friday, June 5 would have been her 27th birthday.

Manuel Ellis, a musician and father of two, was detained by police on March 3 in Tacoma, WA. While he was restrained he told the arresting officers he could not breathe and he subsequently died. The medical examiner found that his death was a result of oxygen deprivation and the physical restraint used on him and ruled it a homicide. The four officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave. abroad see unnerving parallels in President Trumps handling of the nationwide protests. The Washington Post reports: In interviews and posts on social media in recent days, current and former U.S. intelligence officials have expressed dismay at the similarity between events at home and the signs of decline or democratic regression they were trained to detect in other nations. Ive seen this kind of violence, said Gail Helt, a former CIA analyst responsible for tracking developments in China and Southeast Asia. This is what autocrats do. This is what happens in countries before a collapse. It really does unnerve me.

Weapons of War

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing to end a Pentagon program that transfers military equipment to local law enforcement agencies. President Obama placed limitations on the program in 2015, but President Trump overturned those limits, claiming that law enforcement needed the equipment, which includes grenade launchers, armoured vehicles and explosives to protect themselves and their communities.

Historic Low

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) prevented the historic Emmett Till Antilynching Act from passing Congress yesterday. The bill passed the House in February with wide bipartisan support, but Paul claims its definition of lynching is too broad. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who introduced the bill with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), called Pauls claim ridiculous. In a passionate speech from the Senate floor, Harris said That we would not be taking the issue of lynching seriously is an insult, an insult to Sen. Booker, an insult to Sen. Tim Scott and myself, and all of the senators past and present who have understood this is part of the great stain of Americas history. The Senate could simply hold a roll call vote to pass the legislation but, Politico reports, GOP leadership has no plans to devote floor time to the bill.

The Rich Are Different

More than 11,000 people have been arrested since the George Floyd protests began last week, but Buzzfeed reports that prosecutions of white collar crime are way down just 359 white-collar crimes were federally prosecuted in the entire month of January, down 25% from 2015 levelsIf prosecutions continue at the same pace for the remainder of 2020, they are projected to fall to 5,175 almost half the level of their Obama-era peak, according to TRAC, a research group at Syracuse University that tracks federal law enforcement patterns.

At the same time, the IRS has failed to pursue almost a million high-income individuals who have failed to pay taxes: The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found that 879,415 high-income individuals who didnt file returns cumulatively failed to pay $45.7 billion in taxes from 2014 to 2016 and that the agency hasnt tried to collect from many of those taxpayers. The IRS didnt put 326,579 of the cases into its enforcement system, and it closed 42,601 of the cases without ever working on them. In addition, the remaining 510,235 high-income nonfilers, totaling estimated tax due of $24.9 billion, are sitting in one of the collection functions inventory streams and will likely not be pursued as resources decline, said the report, released Monday.

No Country For Old Men

Nearly 26,000 nursing home residents have died from COVID-19 and more than 60,000 have fallen ill, according to recently released federal data. However, these figures only reflect numbers for about 80 percent of nursing homes nationwide so the real total is likely much higher.

Eye On The Bailout

Deputy Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich is the Treasury official in charge of overseeing the federal coronavirus bailout and ProPublica found that A major beneficiary of that bailout so far: Muzinich & Co., the asset manager founded by his father where Justin served as president before joining the administration. He reported owning a stake worth at least $60 million when he entered government in 2017. Today, Muzinich retains financial ties to the firm through an opaque transaction in which he transferred his shares in the privately held company to his father. Ethics experts say the arrangement is troubling because his father received the shares for no money up front, and it appears possible that Muzinich can simply get his stake back after leaving government.

And this week the Senate confirmed Brian Miller, a White House lawyer, as special inspector general for pandemic recovery. Miller will act as a watchdog for the $5 billion passed in the CARES Act.

Meanwhile, NBC News reports that private jet owners could receive a subsidy from coronavirus relief funds. And Bloomberg found Almost one-third of unemployment benefits estimated to be owed to the millions of Americans who lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus slump havent been paid yet.

The Power Of The Pen

President Trump protected restrictions on student loan forgiveness issued by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos by vetoing a measure that would have overturned them. Axios reports several veterans groups have argued that the rules, which make it more difficult for student borrowers to prove that a college defrauded them, will harm former service members cheated by for-profit colleges.

And the EPA issued a final rule gutting section 401 of the Clean Water Act which will limit states ability to block pipeline projects that cross their waterways.

Primary Results

Nine states and D.C. held primary elections on Tuesday. The elections resulted in historic wins for women of color across the country. Ella James was elected mayor of Ferguson, MO, the first woman and the first Black person to lead the city. Her election comes six years after protests in Ferguson over the police killing of Michael Brown, a Black teenager, brought the Black Lives Matter movement to nationwide prominence.

And nine-term Republican Rep. Steve King, known for his racist language and ideas, lost his primary race in Iowa.

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In Other News: Rand Paul Blocked the Emmett Till Antilynching Act - BillMoyers.com

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky excoriated his colleagues in Congress over their efforts to provide relief to Americans while putting the country in debt instead of opening up the economy.

"If you print up billions of dollars and give it to people, they are unlikely to spend it until you end the quarantine," said Paul in his speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday after returning from his battle with coronavirus.

He went on to point out that there were some studies showing that experts' predictions of mortality rates from coronavirus could be inaccurate and overblown.

"The virus is still dangerous," he added, "and we shouldn't ignore the risks, but we should put those risks in perspective!"

Paul said that these randomized studies show that America can manage the coronavirus without continuing the "draconian" lockdown policies.

"So today I arise in opposition to spending $500 billion more. The virus bailouts have already cost over two trillion dollars. Our annual deficit this year will approach four trillion dollars!" he said.

"We can't continue on this course!" Paul added.

"No amount of bailout dollars will stimulate an economy that is being strangled by quarantine!" he exclaimed. "It is not a lack of money that plagues us, but a lack of commerce!"

Paul praised the numerous efforts from Americans to combat the coronavirus pandemic, then returned to the subject of the debt amassed by the relief bills.

"With the recent $2 trillion bailout we are borrowing faster than we have ever borrowed before!" he continued. "Had we practiced sound budgeting in the past, we would have been better, significantly better positioned to weather this storm."

He pointed out that the most recent statistics said more than 20 million Americans are unemployed.

"Make no mistake. The massive economic calamity we're experiencing right now is caused by government. Passing out $1,200 checks indiscriminately, to people who haven't lost their job, will do nothing to rescue the country!" he explained.

"Our recovery only comes when the quarantine is ended," Paul added.

Paul said that economists should also weigh in on what the balance should be between fighting a virus and causing harm to the entire economy.

"We need to get past a one-size-fits-all approach to infectious disease!" he said.

Paul also decried the passage of the massive relief bill without a recorded vote.

"I don't want to see this massive accumulation of debt destroy this great country," Paul concluded. "So my advice to the Senate and to the American people is, let's be aware of what we're doing by creating all this new debt and let's think before we jump to a terrible, terrible conclusion."

Rand Paul Delivers EXPLOSIVE Speech From Senate Floor After Recovering From Coronaviruswww.youtube.com

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Rand Paul returns to Congress after beating coronavirus and gives a fiery speech against 'draconian' lockdown - TheBlaze

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called out the so-called public option advocated by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during a Sunday appearance on the Trump campaigns War Room Weeklyshow.

Its like most other lies that we hear: if you like your plan, you can keep it, was the original promise but now this promise is if you like your plan you can keep it or you can get the government plan, its really not going to cost anything, I promise you, it wont cost anything, Paul told host Tim Murtaugh, the campaign communications director. But its just not true. These things turn out to be very expensive, so we have to put them in context.

Paul went on to critique the existing healthcare entitlement system to expose the risks of introducing socialized healthcare.

Right now, Medicare, as we know it for senior citizens, is $35 trillion in a hole, Paul said. Doctors and hospitals know this, because every year were forcing the prices that we pay doctors and nurses and hospitals down because theres not enough money.

If you ask a hospital, do you make money off Medicaid or Medicare, they say, oh yeah, well, we kinda break even, but if we dont have private insurance wed all lose money, Paul continued. So what really happens is rural hospitals are loaded up with Medicaid, they lose every patient, then they have Medicare, but if they lose private insurance they wont make any money at all and they will go bankrupt.

Healthcare has re-emerged as a major campaign issue in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has led to increased strain on hospitals. Democrats suggest the solution is a free, state-run public option, while Republicans prefer to leave the issue to the private sector.

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Rand Paul: Healthcare Public Option Is A "Lie" - The Liberty Conservative

President Donald Trump does not seem to be a fan of beards, according to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) during a Sunday appearance on the War Room Weekly show, hosted by campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh.

Sen. Paul noted that he had talked to the President two days ago, and Trump had commented on Pauls new beard, which Paul had grown while in quarantine after contracting coronavirus.

You look very distinguished with your beard you know my sons have those and I dont really approve of those Im not really sure what I think of that beard, Trump told Paul, in the latters account of the conversation.

Paul went on to dismiss Trumps skepticism during the interaction between the two men.

Alright, alright, Mr. President, Paul said that he replied.

Two of Trumps sons, Eric and Donald Jr., grew beards in 2019. The bearded look was also adopted by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2018, whom Rand later joked about on Twitter.

Congress has now decided to shut down the government because they arent spending enough money. I got suspicious when Ted Cruz came back from Thanksgiving break with that beard. pic.twitter.com/y0r3dpFbbG

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Trump on Rand's New Beard: "My Sons Have Those And I'm Not Sure I Approve" - The Liberty Conservative

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Congress has finished making April showers showers of money to the tune of trillions. Now theyre on recess for a week. For what made and didnt make the latest stimulus bill and a look ahead, Bloomberg Government editorial director Loren Duggan joinedFederal Drive with Tom Temin.

Tom Temin:And Loren, I guess you can maybe rundown whats not in the bill, which might give a clue to whether and if there will be a stimulus bill five, six and seven?

Loren Duggan:Well, theres certainly talks about the next round of stimulus bills and the numbering could be interesting, too, because while we had three phases going into the bill considered last week, that bill wasnt necessarily phase four. Some people called it the interim bill. So the numbering of these, perhaps historically is gonna be a little harder to figure out. But the House and the Senate passed that bill last week, are gone for at least another week, but are already talking about what may be needed in the future to continue to stimulate the economy and help people affected by the coronavirus. The big thing that wasnt in this package that could be at the heart of the next one is aid to state and local governments. Now there have been some programs that have gone out to state and local governments and theyre obviously getting money through a lot of the other different programs that are going through government agencies. But this is about direct aid, which many of the governors say they need because their states are hurting. They have a revenue issue. They have additional expenses, obviously, from dealing with the coronavirus and have had to pay a lot of bills here and are going to have a hard time meeting their budgets, especially if theyre in states, for example, that have balanced budget amendments that may make it harder to operate here. So thats going to be, I think, the centerpiece of the next bill. But hardly the only thing that members are going to seek because there were other things left on the cutting room floor here. In particular, additional SNAP benefits or food stamp benefits. While there has been additional money that went to the program in the previous bills, Democrats would like to see a percentage increase in the benefit that actually reaches families on that program. And then theres also calls for things like election aid either fixing money that already went out so it can be spent in the way that some members of Congress would like to see it or a lot of additional funds to handle voting by mail or other adjustments, that they maybe needed this fall, when Americans elect the president and the Congress and their state and local officials as well.

Tom Temin:And have you heard hints that some of the oversight mechanisms are going to kick in anytime soon and besides the legally created oversight bodies from the CARES Act, are members going to start looking into the stuff? I know that was one letter to the Small Business Administration over a data breach, and that letter noted theyd gotten almost $3 billion for the operation of the agency. Whats your sense on that point?

Loren Duggan:Oversight is definitely going to kick in. And there were some official mechanisms put into place by the CARES Act. Theres a commission that has nominees from the four leaders in Congress and a chairman jointly selected by Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that has I believe the four congressional members. And that should be up and running soon. Theres the panel of inspectors general that was created by that law. And then theres also a Special Inspector General created by that law. Separately, last week, we saw the house create a new select subcommittee, which will be led by Jim Clyburn, whos the number three Democrat in the house. And that should be getting up and running soon as well. Now, Republicans were not on board with the creation of that new select subcommittee saying that there were the mechanisms created and cares. And of course, all the other committees in Congress have oversight roles to have the agencies that got funding. We know the chairman, the ranking members on the house in the senate side have raised questions when theyve seen things that theyre not comfortable with. hearings have not really been a factor because the House and Senate havent been in session, or at least not doing that when they are in town. But we probably see well see more letters, well see more phone calls. And we will see hearings restart eventually, where people will look into how agencies operate. form, what steps they didnt take. And theres going to be competing calls for different aspects to be looked into. Im sure well see more calls to investigate the World Health Organization and its operations, given what the administration has said and many Republicans have said there. So I think we will have a number of investigations going forward or oversight hearings. Thats gonna be a factor here for sure.

Tom Temin:Were speaking with Loren Duggan, editorial director of Bloomberg Government. Give us a sense of what its like from an observational standpoint with all of those members with well too bad they werent muzzles in some cases, but masks on, talking to one another. Its kind of surreal, isnt it?

Loren Duggan:It has been. Ive not been up on the Hill during any of this. Ill say that for the record, but I have watched proceedings virtually as many have and on the House floor. You had a dias full of members and staff with masks on which is just unusual to see and people spread out in the chamber. The Rules Committee, which has a very tight meeting room up in the Capitol usually, when they met last Wednesday they met in a bigger committee room so they could spread out. So instead of being, you know, inches or feet from each other, they had space and they were in masks and it was very spread out. So its a very unusual way to see Congress. The House when it voted, took a very long time because they went in groups of members to the floor to vote and then to get out to try and limit exposure. And so a vote that normally could take 15 minutes or even five minutes, if its a sequence of votes, took well over an hour, an hour and a half to handle just because of the steps that were being taken. So Congress can meet in this very kind of unusual, stretched out socially distant fashion, but its a lot less efficient then because, you know, sometimes theyll stack 10, 20 votes in a row. You cant do that if its gonna take at 90 minutes to get through everyone voting, so a very unusual Congress to be sure.

Tom Temin:And I wonder if partisan lines might be drawn a little bit more sharply when it comes to aid to the states because that would be a big ticket item and Mitch McConnell hinted at it. And a few people have raised a small voice on this matter. But the fact is all of this money is being printed. Its trillions in excess of what the revenues are coming into the government this year. Therefore, the debt is going to be three, four, perhaps five times what it would have been otherwise. Is that at all factor from what you can tell in anybodys thinking?

Loren Duggan:It is. And you heard members voice that in the Senate session when they met for not a very long time and ended up passing the bill by voice vote. You did have a dissent from Rand Paul, who sometimes is the only vote on the other side of all his colleagues on things, but hes very worried about the amount of money thats been spent here so far, the debt that we will incur to pay for this. There are partisan differences in what goes in this bill and doesnt. If you listen to the debate, Republicans said we were ready to go a long time ago with the aid to replenish this paycheck Protection Program, the SBA program, but Democrats wanted more and that slowed it down. And Democrats would say that, well, we only got what we wanted because we slowed you down. And we still dont have everything we still need more. So partisanship was very much part of the discussion and the debate that was had on this bill, even though in the House the eventual vote was 388-to-5 on passing this interim package. But when it comes to things like state aid, there will be partisan differences. And I think partisan differences will be part of the oversight mechanisms that they kick in and what people choose to look at, not look at, the questions that they ask of witnesses when they come up. So that will be part of the factor here going forward. Once members get back into town and even before then on Twitter, social media and the mechanisms people are using to stay in touch with their constituents.

Tom Temin:What fun. Loren Duggan is editorial director of Bloomberg Government, as always, thanks so much for joining me.

Loren Duggan:Thank you.

Tom Temin:Well post this interview at http://www.FederalNewsNetwork.com/FederalDrive. Subscribe to the Federal Drive at Apple Podcasts or Podcastone.

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More Congressional money on the way - Federal News Network