Good morning. It's Friday and your last Capitol View for a couple days is here.
The National Guard is responding to George Floyd protests.Members are supplying personnel and equipment needed to “support emergency operations and response,” according to Gov. Tim Walz’s order. Some lawmakers expressed worry that a military presence would further inflame the situation. Minneapolis and St. Paul awoke to a night of flames and fury, leaving a trail of destruction as fires continued through the Twin Cities.
As protests continue, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman pleaded for patience as evidence is collected. “I will not rush justice because justice cannot be rushed,” said Freeman. He said there was no doubt the officer’s actions were “excessive and wrong. The question in my business is — is this criminal?”
President Trump was serious about fighting social media. Via NPR: "President Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at limiting the broad legal protections enjoyed by social media companies, two days after he tore into Twitter for fact-checking two of his tweets. 'We're here today to defend free speech from one of the gravest dangers it has faced in American history, frankly,' Trump said from the Oval Office. 'A small handful of powerful social media monopolies control the vast portion of all private and public communications in the United States.'"
Around midnight Friday, Trump posted tweets condemning violent protesters and saying that he had spoken to Walz. Trump indicated it would be acceptable to shoot looters.That prompted Twitter to add a warning to his tweet, saying it violated the platform's rules about "glorifying violence."
The order might not matter, though. NPR again: "The Trump administration hopes the order will eventually set the stage for new regulations on tech platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. But legal experts said they were doubtful the move would have any practical effect on the tech giants. Legal observers described the action as 'political theater,' arguing that the order does not change existing federal law and will have no bearing on federal courts."
