The wave of protests and riots that convulsed the U.S. over the weekend was the result of a simmering rage in the black community that has been building for a long time, said Leslie Ricard Chambers, deputy executive counsel for Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
"This isn't something that was spontaneously done," Chambers said in an interview with Cheddar Monday morning, as cities across the country woke up after another night of unrest.
"This is the manifestation of frustration over a long period of time of inaction by folks who are supposed to be in a position to serve and protect us."
"People are tired of a system that doesn't work for them," she added.
Chambers, a former prosecutor in Baton Rouge who now works under Louisiana's Democratic governor, said that the confluence of recent high-profile killings of black Americans — from George Floyd in Minneapolis to Breonna Taylor in Louisville to Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia — has led to a resurgence of "hurt that has been felt in the black community" that predates any of those tragic deaths.
Set against the backdrop of a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting people of color, Chambers said law enforcement needs to better understand — and empathize — with people who are "fed up" about "the totality of all the circumstances" affecting their communities.
The "foremost duty" of law enforcement is to serve and protect, Chambers said, adding that moments of civil unrest are what police are trained for. "If you're a law enforcement officer, your job is not going to be pretty every day," she said.
A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track. A handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill after what's become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services. But hurdles remain. Senators are hopeful they can pass the package as soon as Monday and send it to the House. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal has drawn criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation includes funding for SNAP food aid and other programs while ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers. But it fails to fund expiring health care subsidies Democrats have been fighting for, pushing that debate off for a vote next month.
Sabrina Siddiqui, National Politics Reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins to break down the SNAP funding delays and the human cost of the ongoing shutdown.
Arguments at the Supreme Court have concluded for the day as the justices consider President Donald Trump's sweeping unilateral tariffs in a trillion-dollar test of executive power.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated. The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without much of the economic data it typically relies on from the government. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that there were “strongly differing views” at the central bank's policy meeting about to proceed going forward.
