The "racist baby" video shared by Donald Trump that received a "manipulated media" label has been removed from both Twitter and Facebook over a copyright complaint.
The mayor of Tulsa lifted a curfew for Trump supporters ahead of the president's rally on Saturday, while the White House clarified his statements weren't referring to "peaceful" protesters among those planning to travel from out of state to instigate riots and civil unrest.
Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton, meanwhile, had his day in court as arguments began over the publication of his upcoming memoir, The Room Where it Happened.
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Trump video post that earned Twitter warning is removed for breaching copyright
The "racist baby" video shared by Donald Trump that received a "manipulated media" label has been removed from both Twitter and Facebook over a copyright complaint.
The video on the president's Twitter feed now redirects to the message: "This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner."
Twitter's removal of the video late on Friday followed Facebook taking it down earlier in the day after parents of one of the toddlers lodged a copyright claim.
The video, of a CNN report about a racist white toddler chasing a black toddler before the full clip was shown of the two coming together to hug, was a satirical parody of the network's "Fake News" coverage of the Trump administration, the White House said on Friday.
The punch line being that the racist baby was "probably Trump voter".
"I think the president was making a satirical point that was quite funny if you go and actually watch the video," Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
"In 2019 CNN misleadingly aired a clip from one viewpoint repeatedly to falsely accuse the Covington boys of being, quote 'students in Maga gear harassing a Native American elder'. That's a harassing video, a misleading video about children, that had really grave consequences for their future."
In statements sent to media, both Twitter and Facebook confirmed the removal of the video over a copyright complaint,
After receiving more than 4 million views on Facebook and going viral on Twitter with 20 million views, a company that represents the owner of the original video submitted a takedown request.
In a statement to CNN Business, Jukin Media said neither the video owner nor Jukin gave Mr Trump permission to post the video.
"After our review, we believe that this unauthorized usage of the content is a clear example of copyright infringement without valid fair use or other defence," the statement said.
Read more.
ICYMI: George Washington was burned, defaced and pulled down in Portland
After a tumultuous week, Trump sticks to what he knows
It has been another contentious week for the president. While most of us would ease into the weekend with a cold beer or nice wine. Or, hey, tequila shots or pickle backs. Pick your poison.
The president sticks to what he knows, tweeting about his old foes Clinton and Biden.
First up was a photo of Hillary on a Wall Street Journal opinion piece about the Democrats working against school choice, which as the president said this week was the "civil rights issue of all time".
Then came a photo of a Biden rally that, if nothing else, certainly took the CDC's coronavirus guidelines to heart.
It has been another contentious week for the president. While most of us would ease into the weekend with a cold beer or nice wine. Or, hey, tequila shots or pickle backs. Pick your poison.
The president sticks to what he knows, tweeting about his old foes Clinton and Biden.
First up was a photo of Hillary on a Wall Street Journal opinion piece about the Democrats working against school choice, which as the president said this week was the "civil rights issue of all time".
Then came a photo of a Biden rally that, if nothing else, certainly took the CDC's coronavirus guidelines to heart.
Navy upholds firing of carrier captain in virus outbreak
In a stunning reversal, the Navy has upheld the firing of the aircraft carrier captain who urged faster action to protect his crew from a coronavirus outbreak, the Navy's top officer said Friday.
Admiral Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, also extended the blame for the ship's pandemic crisis, delaying the promotion of the one-star admiral who was also onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt -- concluding that both men made serious errors in judgment. Less than two months ago, Gilday had recommended that Captain Brett E Crozier be restored to command of the Roosevelt.
The spread of the coronavirus aboard the carrier while on deployment in the Pacific in March exploded into one of the biggest military leadership crises of recent years. More than 1,000 members of the crew eventually became infected, and one sailor died. The ship was sidelined for weeks at Guam but recently returned to duty. The acting Navy secretary at the time, Thomas Modly, resigned in April over his handling of the crisis.
In summarizing his findings, Gilday told a Pentagon news conference that Crozier, as the ship's skipper, and Crozier's immediate boss, Rear Admiral Stuart Baker, "failed to tackle the problem head on and take charge," as the virus spread throughout the ship, and their actions "fell well short of what we expect" of those in command.
Associated Press
In a stunning reversal, the Navy has upheld the firing of the aircraft carrier captain who urged faster action to protect his crew from a coronavirus outbreak, the Navy's top officer said Friday.
Admiral Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, also extended the blame for the ship's pandemic crisis, delaying the promotion of the one-star admiral who was also onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt -- concluding that both men made serious errors in judgment. Less than two months ago, Gilday had recommended that Captain Brett E Crozier be restored to command of the Roosevelt.
The spread of the coronavirus aboard the carrier while on deployment in the Pacific in March exploded into one of the biggest military leadership crises of recent years. More than 1,000 members of the crew eventually became infected, and one sailor died. The ship was sidelined for weeks at Guam but recently returned to duty. The acting Navy secretary at the time, Thomas Modly, resigned in April over his handling of the crisis.
In summarizing his findings, Gilday told a Pentagon news conference that Crozier, as the ship's skipper, and Crozier's immediate boss, Rear Admiral Stuart Baker, "failed to tackle the problem head on and take charge," as the virus spread throughout the ship, and their actions "fell well short of what we expect" of those in command.
Associated Press
NYPD considering "Blue Flu" for 4 July
Police in New York may be chuck a sickie on 4 July over the perceived anti-cop climate following weeks of protests and riots across the country, according to reports.
Citing multiple police sources, The New York Post says a pair of flyers are doing the rounds calling on NYPD cops to call out sick on Independence Day to "let the city have their independence without cops".
"The people and this city doesn't [sic] honor us why honor them [sic]," read one message, reported by The Post. Another read: "Police officers like you and me took an oath to protect strangers regardless of race, class or gender. Today we are vilified and must stand as one."
It comes after reports of Atlanta police calling in sick in the days since Garrett Rolfe was charged with the murder of Rayshard Brooks.
Police in New York may be chuck a sickie on 4 July over the perceived anti-cop climate following weeks of protests and riots across the country, according to reports.
Citing multiple police sources, The New York Post says a pair of flyers are doing the rounds calling on NYPD cops to call out sick on Independence Day to "let the city have their independence without cops".
"The people and this city doesn't [sic] honor us why honor them [sic]," read one message, reported by The Post. Another read: "Police officers like you and me took an oath to protect strangers regardless of race, class or gender. Today we are vilified and must stand as one."
It comes after reports of Atlanta police calling in sick in the days since Garrett Rolfe was charged with the murder of Rayshard Brooks.
Analysis: Arguably one of worst weeks of presidency as Republican strategists fret about November
As we head into the weekend, The Independent's John T Bennett takes a look at a cooped-up president who is running out of time to make the 2020 election about himself and Joe Biden.
The full piece is some recommended reading to close out Trump's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.
The full piece is some recommended reading to close out Trump's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.
Judge hears Trump v Bolton case to stop memoir publication
The Bolton horse has already... bolted, so to speak.
The Justice Department and lawyers for John Bolton squared off before DC District Judge Royce Lamberth on Friday to prevent the publication of The Room Where it Happened" from going on sale next Tuesday.
More than 200,000 copies of the book have already been printed, bound and distributed across the country, and thousands more internationally, the court heard.
"The horse, as we used to say in Texas, seems to be out of the barn," Judge Lamberth said.
The court heard mostly legal arguments including non-disclosure agreements, whether the book contained classified information, and whether a secondary review of classified information was valid if the reviewer didn't have the requisite training, and whether written approval was given, or if written approval was even required.
Regardless of the legal technicalities, excerpts of the book have been published and full copies widely distributed to media organisations.
"The speech has been spoken. It can't now be un-spoke," said Bolton's attorney, Chuck Cooper.
The Bolton horse has already... bolted, so to speak.
The Justice Department and lawyers for John Bolton squared off before DC District Judge Royce Lamberth on Friday to prevent the publication of The Room Where it Happened" from going on sale next Tuesday.
More than 200,000 copies of the book have already been printed, bound and distributed across the country, and thousands more internationally, the court heard.
"The horse, as we used to say in Texas, seems to be out of the barn," Judge Lamberth said.
The court heard mostly legal arguments including non-disclosure agreements, whether the book contained classified information, and whether a secondary review of classified information was valid if the reviewer didn't have the requisite training, and whether written approval was given, or if written approval was even required.
Regardless of the legal technicalities, excerpts of the book have been published and full copies widely distributed to media organisations.
"The speech has been spoken. It can't now be un-spoke," said Bolton's attorney, Chuck Cooper.
ICYMI: Garrett Rolfe, officer who killed Rayshard Brooks, moved to different jail
Graig Graziosi takes a closer look at our earlier post on the police officer accused of murdering Rayshard Brooks being moved from his jail to a different facility in Atlanta due to concerns over his safety.
Read the full story.
Graig Graziosi takes a closer look at our earlier post on the police officer accused of murdering Rayshard Brooks being moved from his jail to a different facility in Atlanta due to concerns over his safety.
Read the full story.
Snapchat makes a... slavery filter?
For Juneteenth, Snapchat thought it would be a good idea to make a filter that asked people to smile to break the chains...
Bold move Evan.
Let's get to Snapchat's mea culpa out of the way before we see the reaction
"We deeply apologize to the members of the Snapchat community who found this Lens offensive," the official response says.
"A diverse group of Snap team members were involved in developing the concept, but a version of the Lens that went live for Snapchatters this morning had not been approved through our review process.
We are investigating why this mistake occurred so that we can avoid it in the future."
Historically, smiling probably didn't come before the breaking of chains. But let's see how people felt about the filter.
For Juneteenth, Snapchat thought it would be a good idea to make a filter that asked people to smile to break the chains...
Bold move Evan.
Let's get to Snapchat's mea culpa out of the way before we see the reaction
"We deeply apologize to the members of the Snapchat community who found this Lens offensive," the official response says.
"A diverse group of Snap team members were involved in developing the concept, but a version of the Lens that went live for Snapchatters this morning had not been approved through our review process.
We are investigating why this mistake occurred so that we can avoid it in the future."
Historically, smiling probably didn't come before the breaking of chains. But let's see how people felt about the filter.
Trump-endorsed Katie Hopkins' Twitter account permanently suspended
From The Independent's Vincent Wood:
Far-right British commentator and former newspaper columnist Katie Hopkins has been permanently suspended from Twitter, the social media giant has said.
Ms Hopkins, who has been repeatedly retweeted by US president Donald Trump, gained more than 1.1 million followers on the site before her suspension, which came hours after she had complained she had lost her blue tick "verified" status.
In a statement a spokesperson for the social media firm said: "Keeping Twitter safe is a top priority for us -- abuse and hateful conduct have no place on our service and we will continue to take action when our rules are broken.
"In this case, the account has been permanently suspended for violations of our Hateful Conduct policy".
A previous contestant on reality show The Apprentice, Ms Hopkins forged a career as a commentator at a number of media outlets -- many of which she would leave amid outcry over her views on immigration and Islam.
Read more.
From The Independent's Vincent Wood:
Far-right British commentator and former newspaper columnist Katie Hopkins has been permanently suspended from Twitter, the social media giant has said.
Ms Hopkins, who has been repeatedly retweeted by US president Donald Trump, gained more than 1.1 million followers on the site before her suspension, which came hours after she had complained she had lost her blue tick "verified" status.
In a statement a spokesperson for the social media firm said: "Keeping Twitter safe is a top priority for us -- abuse and hateful conduct have no place on our service and we will continue to take action when our rules are broken.
"In this case, the account has been permanently suspended for violations of our Hateful Conduct policy".
A previous contestant on reality show The Apprentice, Ms Hopkins forged a career as a commentator at a number of media outlets -- many of which she would leave amid outcry over her views on immigration and Islam.
Read more.
Tulsa MAGA rally curfew lifted?
According to Trump, it seems so. The president just tweeted he spoke to the mayor about the curfew.
According to Trump, it seems so. The president just tweeted he spoke to the mayor about the curfew.
Or is this one curfew for protestors and no curfew for Trump supporters camping out ahead of rally?
It seems unclear at this point.
Trump wasn't referring to 'peaceful' protesters in Tulsa tweet, White House says
After tweeting that "protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes" would not be given the same treatment as Seattle or Minneapolis, the White House said he was not referring to "peaceful" protesters.
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the scenes from riots around the country, like the ambush of NYPD officers who were stabbed at shot at, were "inexcusable".
"What he was meaning was violent protesters, anarchists, looters, the kinds of lawlessness that we saw play out before president Trump came in with the National Guard and calmed our streets with law enforcement," she said.
So peaceful protestors have the right to peaceably assemble; confirmed.
Except, of course, if it's near the MAGA rally venue after the curfew announced by the Tulsa mayor.
After tweeting that "protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes" would not be given the same treatment as Seattle or Minneapolis, the White House said he was not referring to "peaceful" protesters.
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the scenes from riots around the country, like the ambush of NYPD officers who were stabbed at shot at, were "inexcusable".
"What he was meaning was violent protesters, anarchists, looters, the kinds of lawlessness that we saw play out before president Trump came in with the National Guard and calmed our streets with law enforcement," she said.
So peaceful protestors have the right to peaceably assemble; confirmed.
Except, of course, if it's near the MAGA rally venue after the curfew announced by the Tulsa mayor.
Won't somebody think about the children? White House and CNN trade jabs over Trump's 'racist baby' video
Today's White House press briefing was quite the sight to behold.
In president's corner was Kayleigh McEnany. In the CNN corner was Jim Acosta. Both brawlers came out swinging at today's press briefing over Trump's "racist baby" video.
Labelled as "manipulated media" by Twitter, the parody of CNN's news coverage hit a sour note for Mr Costa.
"It seems as though he's exploiting children to make some sort of crass political point. Why is he sharing fake videos?" Mr Acosta said.
Ms McEnany parried with her own concern for the children, saying Trump was making a point about CNN regularly taking him out of context.
"In 2019 CNN misleadingly aired a clip from one viewpoint repeatedly to falsely accuse the Covington boys of being, quote 'students in MAGA gear harassing a Native American elder'," she said.
"That's a harassing video, a misleading video about children, that had really grave consequences for their future."
Dodging that jab, Mr Acosta hit back saying that she was saying that it was "ok to exploit two toddlers hugging one another" to make a political point. Doesn't that make Trump fake news?
Ms McEnany said the point wasn't political, it was satirical that was quite funny, if you go an actually watch the video.
"The point is it was a play on CNN repeatedly taking the president out of context, like the time when you guys had a chyron that read 'Trump slams illegal immigrants, they're animals', Well guess what, the people he called animals were MS-13, the illegal immigrants who regularly mutilate people in this country. Those things are entirely misleading," she said.
At this point they really started going at it, talking over each other and throwing accusations over what is or isn''t a racial slur from the president.
"You gotta let me finish Jim this isn't a cable news segment I'm answering your question now from the White House podium," Ms McEnany said.
She landed a few blows as Mr Acosta tried to interject, but controlling the podium gave her the advantage of closing out the round before moving on to the next question.
"It's appalling you have one person on your network saying this is a celebration in the streets, it's a carnival-like atmosphere. There's a guy with a sign that says free hugs. It's beautiful what's happening in the streets. There is music, people are hugging," she said.
"You celebrate hugging in the context of a protest but in a Trump rally, where we celebrate historically low African American unemployment, criminal justice reform, HBCU's, that rally's not allowed because guess what Jim it doesn't' fit the ideological agenda of CNN."
Today's White House press briefing was quite the sight to behold.
In president's corner was Kayleigh McEnany. In the CNN corner was Jim Acosta. Both brawlers came out swinging at today's press briefing over Trump's "racist baby" video.
Labelled as "manipulated media" by Twitter, the parody of CNN's news coverage hit a sour note for Mr Costa.
"It seems as though he's exploiting children to make some sort of crass political point. Why is he sharing fake videos?" Mr Acosta said.
Ms McEnany parried with her own concern for the children, saying Trump was making a point about CNN regularly taking him out of context.
"In 2019 CNN misleadingly aired a clip from one viewpoint repeatedly to falsely accuse the Covington boys of being, quote 'students in MAGA gear harassing a Native American elder'," she said.
"That's a harassing video, a misleading video about children, that had really grave consequences for their future."
Dodging that jab, Mr Acosta hit back saying that she was saying that it was "ok to exploit two toddlers hugging one another" to make a political point. Doesn't that make Trump fake news?
Ms McEnany said the point wasn't political, it was satirical that was quite funny, if you go an actually watch the video.
"The point is it was a play on CNN repeatedly taking the president out of context, like the time when you guys had a chyron that read 'Trump slams illegal immigrants, they're animals', Well guess what, the people he called animals were MS-13, the illegal immigrants who regularly mutilate people in this country. Those things are entirely misleading," she said.
At this point they really started going at it, talking over each other and throwing accusations over what is or isn''t a racial slur from the president.
"You gotta let me finish Jim this isn't a cable news segment I'm answering your question now from the White House podium," Ms McEnany said.
She landed a few blows as Mr Acosta tried to interject, but controlling the podium gave her the advantage of closing out the round before moving on to the next question.
"It's appalling you have one person on your network saying this is a celebration in the streets, it's a carnival-like atmosphere. There's a guy with a sign that says free hugs. It's beautiful what's happening in the streets. There is music, people are hugging," she said.
"You celebrate hugging in the context of a protest but in a Trump rally, where we celebrate historically low African American unemployment, criminal justice reform, HBCU's, that rally's not allowed because guess what Jim it doesn't' fit the ideological agenda of CNN."
'Barely there Biden' new attack vector for Trump campaign
Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale unveiled the latest weapon on its attack ad "Death Star", the "Barely there Biden" website chronicling the former VP's "verbal gaffes", or "decline into incoherence", depending on who you're talking to.
"It's no wonder his handlers keep him under wraps ... because he's a mess!" Parscale tweeted.
Let's see what's going on in here:
Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale unveiled the latest weapon on its attack ad "Death Star", the "Barely there Biden" website chronicling the former VP's "verbal gaffes", or "decline into incoherence", depending on who you're talking to.
"It's no wonder his handlers keep him under wraps ... because he's a mess!" Parscale tweeted.
Let's see what's going on in here:
Officer charged in Rayshard Brooks death moved over safety concerns
Garrett Rolfe, facing 11 charges including murder over the death of Rayshard Brooks, was moved to a different jail before a scheduled court appearance on Friday.
Quoting three law enforcement sources, CNN reported that Mr Rolfe was moved from Fulton County Jail for security reasons, where he is being held without bond.
Garrett Rolfe, facing 11 charges including murder over the death of Rayshard Brooks, was moved to a different jail before a scheduled court appearance on Friday.
Quoting three law enforcement sources, CNN reported that Mr Rolfe was moved from Fulton County Jail for security reasons, where he is being held without bond.
BREAKING: Police officer Brett Hankison to be fired over Breonna Taylor killing
One of three police officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky on 13 March will be fired, the city's mayor announced on Friday.
One of three police officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky on 13 March will be fired, the city's mayor announced on Friday.
Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Rob Schroeder will remove Brett Hankison from the force, Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement.
Mr Hankison is one of three officers who have been assigned to administrative duty after firing their weapons at Ms Taylor, a 26-year-old health worker, after they raided her apartment on a no-knock warrant.
She was shot eight times.
Ms Taylor's family and thousands of demonstrators across the US have demanded that the officers be fired and prosecuted for her murder.
Follow the story as it unfolds.
Roswell: Alien invasion or Trump's Disneyland?
We may be a little too focused here on learning who our new alien overlords will be once the extraterrestrial invasion begins.
To that end, will Trump really declassify what is going on in Roswell like he suggested earlier today?
"I won't talk to you about what I know about it, but it's very interesting," Trump told his son, saying he'll "have to think about" whether or not to declassify the truth one day," he said in an interview with his son.
So what is going on here?
Let's turn to the body language experts to read between the lines. YouTube channel "Body Language Ghost" did a breakdown of what is in Trump's head when talking about ALIENS.
"Apparently it's good stuff, as far as Roswell, if it was bad things you would see more of a stress and you would see avoidance in the direction of, oh that's bad," the Body Language Ghost said.
"I actually get the impression that he looks at it like it's Disneyland when Disney was good."
Well that's reassuring. But will we ever know for sure or do we have to stick to the conspiracy theories?
According to Trump's body language, he's very closed off and in avoidance to the question.
"It's almost like a body wink. Moves to the side and slightly down. 'I'll think about that one'. I would take that personally as we may get a little bit, but we're definitely not getting the whole enchilada. And we ain't getting it any time soon."
Ok then. Going back to watching The X-Files.
We may be a little too focused here on learning who our new alien overlords will be once the extraterrestrial invasion begins.
To that end, will Trump really declassify what is going on in Roswell like he suggested earlier today?
"I won't talk to you about what I know about it, but it's very interesting," Trump told his son, saying he'll "have to think about" whether or not to declassify the truth one day," he said in an interview with his son.
So what is going on here?
Let's turn to the body language experts to read between the lines. YouTube channel "Body Language Ghost" did a breakdown of what is in Trump's head when talking about ALIENS.
"Apparently it's good stuff, as far as Roswell, if it was bad things you would see more of a stress and you would see avoidance in the direction of, oh that's bad," the Body Language Ghost said.
"I actually get the impression that he looks at it like it's Disneyland when Disney was good."
Well that's reassuring. But will we ever know for sure or do we have to stick to the conspiracy theories?
According to Trump's body language, he's very closed off and in avoidance to the question.
"It's almost like a body wink. Moves to the side and slightly down. 'I'll think about that one'. I would take that personally as we may get a little bit, but we're definitely not getting the whole enchilada. And we ain't getting it any time soon."
Ok then. Going back to watching The X-Files.
Civil emergency declared around Trump's MAGA rally as out of state groups plan riots
Well that escalated quickly.
Well that escalated quickly.
Trump warned "protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes" from disrupting his Oklahoma rally, and the mayor of Tulsa has declared a civil emergency.
The executive order came after law enforcement intel that showed organized groups involved in riots in other states planned to travel to Tulsa to cause "unrest" around the rally.
Citing the "violence and property damage throughout the city" in the civil unrest since 31 May, Mayor GT
Bynum set a curfew around the BOK Centre from 10pm to 6am on Saturday morning, and from the conclusion of the rally on Saturday to 6am Sunday.
"I have received information from the Tulsa Police Department and other law enforcement agencies that shows that individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive and violent behaviour in other states are planning to travel to the City of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally," she wrote in the executive order.
Trump calls an audible on Fauci
Add football to the list of things that Trump isn't talking to Dr Anthony Fauci about.
The president tweeted his clear response to the coronavirus taskforce head's opinion on the upcoming NFL season, which is to say - Unless football becomes some kind of bubbleball, it ain't happening this year.
"Unless players are essentially in a bubble, insulated from the community and they're tested nearly every day, it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall," Fauci told CNN on Thursday night.
"If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year."
FAKE NEWS!
"Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football. They are planning a very safe and controlled opening," he said.
Safe and controlled unless, you know, that whole knee thing.
Add football to the list of things that Trump isn't talking to Dr Anthony Fauci about.
The president tweeted his clear response to the coronavirus taskforce head's opinion on the upcoming NFL season, which is to say - Unless football becomes some kind of bubbleball, it ain't happening this year.
"Unless players are essentially in a bubble, insulated from the community and they're tested nearly every day, it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall," Fauci told CNN on Thursday night.
"If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year."
FAKE NEWS!
"Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football. They are planning a very safe and controlled opening," he said.
Safe and controlled unless, you know, that whole knee thing.
Unedited: Presidential Message on Juneteenth, 2020
The First Lady and I send our warmest greetings to those celebrating Juneteenth this year.
On this day 155 years ago, African Americans in Texas first heard the righteous and long-overdue words of General Order Number 3: "All slaves are free." These words confirmed for still-enslaved people in Texas that the Union Army would enforce and defend their freedom, announced nearly 3 years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln in his Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation's unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness. That ability is rooted in the fundamental goodness of America--in the truths upon which we, as a Nation, declared an end to our status as the subjects of a monarch and emerged as a free and independent people: that all men are created equal by the hand of God, endowed by our Creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These words form the heart of what Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called the "promissory note to which every American was to fall heir." The celebration of Juneteenth marks an important milestone in the hard-fought journey to make good on that promise for all Americans.
This Juneteenth, we commit, as one Nation, to live true to our highest ideals and to build always toward a freer, stronger country that values the dignity and boundless potential of all Americans.
