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.
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.
U.S. and Chinese officials say a trade deal between the world’s two largest economies is drawing closer. The sides have reached an initial consensus for President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to aim to finalize during their high-stakes meeting Thursday in South Korea. Any agreement would be a relief to international markets. Trump's treasury secretary says discussions with China yielded preliminary agreements to stop the precursor chemicals for fentanyl from coming into the United States. Scott Bessent also says Beijing would make “substantial” purchases of soybean and other agricultural products while putting off export controls on rare earth elements needed for advanced technologies.
A new poll finds most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive.
The White House budget office says mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
