At least one person is happy about everything that's going on in Washington, D.C.
As everything that went down between President Trump and Ukraine comes to the surface, Russian President Vladimir Putin is literally saying "thank God" that eyes aren't on him anymore. "No one is accusing us of interfering in the U.S. elections anymore," he said at a Wednesday economic forum in Moscow, per NBC News. "Now they're accusing Ukraine."
Intelligence officials have concluded Russia meddled in the 2016 election and will try to do so again, but Trump has ignored that and instead pushed the idea that Ukraine is somehow even more to blame. He explicitly told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky that he'd like to see Ukraine investigate the 2016 election and baselessly claimed the country has a physical server holding the hacked Democratic National Committee emails. These unfounded claims have led to the ongoing impeachment inquiry into Trump and apparently left Putin thrilled that he's out of the conversation.
Just because Russia is out of the spotlight doesn't mean the country isn't still attempting to interfere in the 2020 presidential elections. Special Counsel Robert Mueller relayed a warning about Russian election interference during his congressional hearing back in April, saying it was likely happening as he testified. Putin himself seemingly joked last month that he's going to get meddling soon, though if we're being honest, that's probably not a joke. Kathryn Krawczyk
After being criticized for her remarks about George Floyd "sacrificing" his life "for justice," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tried again on Twitter.
"George Floyd should be alive today," Pelosi tweeted on Tuesday evening. "His family's calls for justice for his murder were heard around the world. He did not die in vain. We must make sure other families don't suffer the same racism, violence, and pain, and we must enact the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act."
Pelosi appeared at a press conference with the Congressional Black Caucus shortly after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man. Floyd's death gained worldwide attention, sparking global protests against police brutality, and during her remarks, Pelosi thanked Floyd "for sacrificing your life for justice." She added that because of him and "millions of people around the world who came out for justice, your name will always be synonymous for justice." Catherine Garcia
Darnella Frazier, the teenager who used her cell phone to record George Floyd's arrest last May outside of Cup Foods in Minneapolis, wrote on Facebook that she "cried so hard" on Tuesday when it was announced that former police officer Derek Chauvin had been found guilty of murdering Floyd, an unarmed Black man.
Frazier, then 17 years old, had gone to the market with her younger cousin to buy a snack. The footage she captured showed Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, and has been seen around the world, with many saying without it, Chauvin may have never been prosecuted. Frazier was one of the first witnesses to testify at Chauvin's trial, telling the court there have been "nights I stayed up apologizing and apologized to George Floyd for not doing more."
Per The Washington Post, Frazier wrote on Facebook Tuesday that before the guilty verdict was announced, "my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious," and she thanked God for Chauvin being convicted on all charges. "George Floyd we did it!" Frazier wrote, adding, "Justice has been served."
After the verdict was announced, President Biden called Frazier "brave," as did Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), who said Frazier and the other bystanders who pulled out their phones and started recording Floyd's arrest "performed simple yet profound acts of courage." Catherine Garcia
President Biden said it took "a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors" for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to be found guilty of George Floyd's murder — a verdict that is "much too rare" when it comes to police brutality cases.
This was a "murder in the full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see systemic racism," Biden said during a televised address. He praised the "brave young woman with a smartphone camera" who recorded Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, and said the police officers who testified against Chauvin "instead of just closing ranks" should be "commended." It took all of that, plus a "jury who heard the evidence and carried out their civic duty in the midst of an extraordinary moment," to deliver "just basic accountability," Biden said.
Most men and women in law enforcement "serve their communities honorably, but those few who fail to meet that standard must be held accountable, and today, one was," Biden said. The verdict sends the message that "no one should be above the law," yet "it's not enough," and "in order to deliver real change and reform, we must do more to reduce the likelihood that a tragedy like this ever happens again."
Biden called on state and local governments, as well as the federal government, to "step up" and take action to fix the racial disparities in policing and the criminal justice system. He ended his remarks on a hopeful note, saying, "This can be a moment of significant change." Catherine Garcia
Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday evening urged the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, saying that it would "hold law enforcement accountable and help build trust between law enforcement and our communities."
The legislation should not be viewed as "a panacea to every problem, but as a start," Harris said during a televised address. "This work is long overdue. America has a long history of systemic racism. Black Americans and Black men in particular have been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human. Black men are fathers, and brothers, and sons, and uncles, and grandfathers, and friends, and neighbors. Their lives must be valued."
Racial injustice isn't just an issue for people of color, Harris said, it's "a problem for every American. It is keeping us from fulfilling the promise of liberty and justice for all, and it is holding our nation back from realizing our full potential. We are all a part of George Floyd's legacy and our job now is to honor it and to honor him." Catherine Garcia
In an emotional press conference on Tuesday evening, George Floyd's brothers discussed how relieved they are that Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering their brother, and shared their hope that this is a turning point for the United States.
"This is a victory for all of us," Rodney Floyd said. "There's no color boundary on this. This is for everyone who has been held down, pinned down. We're standing together in union."
The recording of Chauvin with his knee on George Floyd's neck showed people around the world a "life being extinguished," Philonise Floyd said. Even with this guilty verdict, "I'm going to put up a fight every day," he said. "Because I'm not just fighting for George anymore. I'm fighting for everybody around this world. I get calls, I get DMs, from people from Brazil, Ghana, Germany. They are all saying the same thing: We won't be able to breathe until you're able to breathe. Today we are able to breathe again." Philonese thanked the protesters, activists, and supporters "who stepped up," adding that "justice for George means freedom for all."
Terrence Floyd called the verdict "monumental," and said he was grateful for the time he had with his brother George, who showed him how to be "strong," "respectful," and to "speak my mind." He is going to "miss him," Terrence added, "but now I know he's in history. What a day to be a Floyd, man." Catherine Garcia
Former President Barack Obama is glad that a "jury in Minneapolis did the right thing" on Tuesday when it found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd, but said if Americans are being "honest with ourselves, we know that true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial."
Video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes last May sparked protests and conversations around the world, Obama said in a statement released Tuesday evening, and there was always a question of whether justice would be served. The guilty verdict is a "necessary step on the road to progress," Obama said, but is "far from a sufficient one. We cannot rest."
There needs to be "concrete reforms that will reduce and ultimately eliminate racial bias in our criminal justice system," Obama continued. "We will need to redouble efforts to expand economic opportunity for those communities that have been too long marginalized." For there to be "true justice," the country needs to "come to terms with the fact that Black Americans are treated differently, every day," Obama said. "It requires us to recognize that millions of our friends, family, and fellow citizens live in fear that their next encounter with law enforcement could be their last."
The fight continues, he declared, but "we can draw strength from the millions of people — especially young people — who have marched and protested and spoken up over the last year, shining a light on inequity and calling for change. Justice is closer today not simply because of this verdict, but because of their work." Obama promised to stand "shoulder-to-shoulder" alongside former first lady Michelle Obama and those who are "committed to guaranteeing every American the full measure of justice that George and so many others have bene denied." Catherine Garcia