Today in 5 Lines
President Obama responded to recent officer-involved shootings of two black men in a statement on Facebook, saying the nation “can and must do better” to reduce racial bias in law enforcement. Donald Trump clashed with Republican lawmakers during a visit to Capitol Hill, and Ted Cruz told reporters he would be “happy” to speak at the Republican National Convention. Republicans grilled FBI Director James Comey in a House Oversight Committee hearing over the agency’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state, while in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, lawmakers criticized Obama’s plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, citing a threat to American security. And House leadership indefinitely postponed a vote on an “anti-terrorism package.”
Today on The Atlantic
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What Will Make the Killings Stop?: Recent police shootings of black men are a product of the aggressive nature of law enforcement training, coupled with what seems to be common racism. And it calls for a systemic remedy—a challenge to the state’s authorization of police aggression. (Vann Newkirk II)
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A Tweak to Trump Trump: A convention rule change could allow delegates to vote against the GOP nominee on the ballot if he hasn’t released his tax documents. Here’s how. (Conor Friedersdorf)
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The American Dream Is Alive in Scandinavia: In an interview with The Atlantic, Finnish author Anu Partanen explains why she believes concepts associated with the United States—like opportunity, freedom, independence—are actually thriving more in countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. (Uri Friedman)