Obama, Bush to speak at Dallas memorial

The memorial at Dallas Police Headquarters.

(Image credit: Laura Buckman/AFP/Getty Images)

President Obama has cut business in Europe short to return to stateside, where he will speak at the memorial service for five officers killed last week. "The president recognizes that it's not just people in Dallas who are grieving, it's people all across the country who are concerned about the violence that so many Americans have witnessed in the last week or so," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

Some activists have criticized Obama for not speaking from Louisiana or Minnesota instead, while others, such as the executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, have slammed him for laying partial blame on police conduct and individual bias, The New York Times reports.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.