It started as an ordinary D.

Crews have begun work to remove the large yellow “Black Lives Matter” painted on the street one block from the White House.

The nation's capital city will remove the large painting of the words “Black Lives Matter” on a street one block from the White House.

Four protesters have been awarded nearly $700,000 after they were jailed for writing anti-police slogans in chalk on a temporary police barricade on Jan. 1, 2021.

A leading Black Lives Matter activist in Los Angeles has lost her lawsuit against the city’s police department over its handling of hoax calls that brought a large law enforcement response to her home.

Two new studies track the effect of police violence on Black Americans.

Seattle has agreed to pay $10 million to 50 demonstrators who sued over the police department's heavy-handed response to racial justice protests in 2020.

A national Black Lives Matter nonprofit that was widely criticized for purchasing a sprawling California mansion with donated funds recently opened the property to dozens of families who lost loved ones in incidents of police violence.

A California judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit that grassroots racial justice activists from around the U.S. brought last summer against a foundation with stewardship of the Black Lives Matter movement’s charitable endowment worth tens of millions of dollars.

A national Black Lives Matter nonprofit, whose philanthropic fortunes grew almost overnight during historic racial justice protests three years ago, raised just over $9 million in its last fiscal year, new IRS tax filings show.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials under then-President Donald Trump compiled intelligence dossiers on people who were arrested at Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, Oregon.

In an exclusive interview, Patrisse Cullors, the former leader of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, tells The Associated Press that neither she nor anyone else in leadership has misused millions of dollars in donations.

Four anti-racism demonstrators have been cleared of criminal damage in the toppling of a statue of a 17th-century slave trader during a Black Lives Matter protest in southwestern England.

Authorities say three teenagers driven by racial hatred were behind hoax calls that brought major police responses to the home of one of the leading Black Lives Matter activists in Los Angeles.

Quinton de Kock has returned to South Africa’s team for the T20 World Cup game against Sri Lanka in Sharjah.

Vaccine mandates are expanding in New York.

While many Americans have a vast array of knowledge about Juneteenth, others don’t know as much about the holiday and the history behind it.

Virginia Tech researchers are looking at the history behind Juneteenth.

Did you realize that Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States?

An activist who has played a leading role in anti-racism demonstrations in Britain is in critical condition after being shot in London.

For many, the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin resulted in a complex mixture of emotions.

The guilty verdict in the trial over George Floyd's death was not just celebrated in America.

A former president of the organization that hosts the Golden Globes has been dropped from the group’s board after calling Black Lives Matter a “racist hate movement” in an email.

A body of experts that advises the United Nations on human rights concerns has slammed a widely criticized British government-backed report that concluded there was no systemic racism in the country.

The commission behind a report that concluded that Britain does not have a systemic problem with racism has defended itself against critics, some of whom have argued that it downplayed the country’s historic role in slavery.

Black Lives Matter is seen along East Green Street where is passes under South Aurora Street, Monday, March 22, 2021, in Ithaca, N.Y. The nationwide reexamination of policing after the killing of George Floyd has led the Ivy League town in New York to consider an ambitious and contentious plan to remake its force. A proposal would replace the 63-officer Ithaca Police Department with a new Department of Community Solutions and Public Safety. The Ithaca Common Council unanimously approved a series of reform recommendations Wednesday night that included reconstituting the city police force to add unarmed officers to handle nonviolent calls like petty thefts. AdArmed officers of the 63-officer force would be able to keep their positions, and supporters of the plan said the new unarmed officers would be able to engage more with communities distrustful of police.

(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, FILE)LONDON – The most senior Black adviser to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned, the government said Thursday, the day after a report on racial disparities concluded that Britain does not have a systemic problem with racism. But Simon Woolley, a former government equalities adviser and a member of the U.K. House of Lords, said Kasumu’s exit was connected to the “grubby” and “divisive” report. The Conservative government launched the inquiry into racial disparities in the wake of anti-racism protests last year. The panel of experts concluded that while “outright racism” exists in Britain, the country is not “institutionally racist” or “rigged” against ethnic minorities. “There are very serious issues that our society faces to do with racism that we need to address,” he said.

(AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Atlantic City says it will redo a Black Lives Matter tribute on a street because the original painting of those words across the entire road confused motorists who didn't know where to drive on it. Instead, the words “Black Lives Matter” will be painted onto the repaved road in a manner that does not obscure lane divider markings, Mayor Marty Small said Thursday. “The words ”Black Lives Matter" will still be on the street." The road painting was a compromise that averted a potential confrontation between activists who wanted to paint the words “Black Lives Matter” on the famous Boardwalk, and city officials who would not allow it. City Council member LaToya Dunston accused the city of wasting taxpayer dollars by painting the road without knowing the rules governing it.

Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri, facing, hugs her mother, Muna Tareh-Sahouri, after being found not-guilty at the conclusion of her trial at the Drake University Legal Clinic, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Kelsey Kremer/The Des Moines Register via AP, Pool)IOWA CITY, Iowa – An Iowa jury on Wednesday acquitted a journalist who was pepper-sprayed and arrested by police while covering a protest, in a case that critics have derided as an attack on press freedoms and an abuse of prosecutorial discretion. Robnett, 24, said he was sprayed and handcuffed after telling the officer that Sahouri was a Register journalist. Sahouri was the first working U.S. journalist to face a criminal trial since 2018, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Another Register reporter, Katie Akin, was near Sahouri and quickly informed police that they were journalists.

Protests erupted in Seattle and across the country after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. The latest findings are separate from three other investigations into Seattle officers by the Office of Police Accountability. In the latest reports, investigators found that officers and one commander violated department policies while responding to demonstrations in Seattle. As she walked toward a group of people, the officer threw the blast ball and it hit her in the chest. Investigations found that the officer violated department policy by throwing the blast ball overhand toward a person who was unarmed and not throwing projectiles at officers.

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2020, file photo, Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio wears a hat that says The War Boys during a rally in Portland, Ore. Police in the nations capital on Jan. 4, 2021, arrested the leader of the Proud Boys, who is accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington in December 2020. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner, File)WASHINGTON – A judge has banned the leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, from the nation’s capital after he was accused of vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church and found with high-capacity firearm magazines when he was arrested. Tarrio was arrested Monday by the Metropolitan Police Department and accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington last month. A large Black Lives Matter sign was ripped from Asbury United Methodist Church property, torn and set aflame in December. Tarrio was seen with the sign in video of the incident posted on YouTube, according to a police report.

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2020, file photo, Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio wears a hat that says The War Boys during a rally in Portland, Ore. Police in the nations capital on Jan. 4, 2021, arrested the leader of the Proud Boys, who is accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington in December 2020. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner, File)WASHINGTON – Police in the nation’s capital on Monday arrested the leader of the Proud Boys, who is accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington last month. By nightfall, vandals tore down a Black Lives Matter banner and sign from two historic Black churches in downtown Washington and set the banner ablaze. Tarrio told The Washington Post he had participated in the burning of the Black Lives Matter banner and said he would plead guilty to destruction of property and pay the church the cost of the banner. Another video showed men removing a Black Lives Matter sign at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church.

The NBA painted “Black Lives Matter” on the courts inside their Orlando, Florida, “bubble" and social justice messages were emblazoned on the backs of jerseys. Paul met with NBA players, and they decided awareness wasn’t enough anymore. “Black Lives Matter” also was featured prominently on the league’s courts. Wallace, the only full-time Black driver at the NASCAR national level, first began speaking out against racial injustice in America in the spring. His car featured a “Black Lives Matter” paint scheme.

The site of Middle Collegiate Church, which was devastated by a fire earlier in the month, is seen in New York on Dec. 14, 2020. The facade and the New York Liberty Bell are the only parts of the 128-year-old church that remain. Middle Collegiate had previously occupied two other locations in Manhattan beginning in 1729. Middle Collegiate has also welcomed 25 new parishioners since the fire, she said. “The church is made up of the congregation and what the people in the congregation believe and do,” said Slacik, who married her wife at the church.

FILE - In this July 11, 2020 file photo, Alycia Pascual-Pena, left, and Marley Ralph kneel while holding a Black Lives Matter banner during a protest in memory of Breonna Taylor, in Los Angeles. The document, labeled “restricted to law enforcement only,” is one of the few publicly available materials on its website. The law enforcement association, known by its nickname ILEETA, says in a mission statement that it's “committed to the reduction of law enforcement risk” and saving lives through high-quality training. The paper claims that those who participated in months of protests earlier this year in Portland and Seattle were “useful idiots” designed to give cover to the “hard-core, terrorist trained troops” that would follow. Goff, whose group works with departments to make policing “less racist and deadly,” said the document showed why it's important for critics to engage directly with local law enforcement to seek changes.

Back the Blue police supporters, left, stand next to Black Lives Matter protesters calling for defunding the police, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)

“Black Lives Matter saved us, because we had nobody,” said Jones. Now, BLM’s influence faces a test, as voters in Tuesday’s election consider candidates who endorsed or denounced the BLM movement amid a national reckoning on race. Enter Black Lives Matter. Across social media platforms, the Black Lives Matter movement boasts a following of millions. “Black Lives Matter,” as a slogan, elicited “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” responses from foes.

Is there a racial divide when it comes to voting wait times at precincts? In 2016, white voters waited an average of 10 minutes, according to a survey of voters conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In comparison, Black voters waited an average of 16 minutes and Latino voters were in line an average of 13 minutes, according to the survey. During the 2018 election, Black voters waited an average of 11.5 minutes, Latino voters an average of 11.7 minutes and white voters an average of 8.8 minutes, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. In precincts with 90% or more non-white voters, the average wait time was 32.4 minutes and the median was 13.3 minutes.

The federal lawsuit alleges the U.S. government violated federal environmental law by deploying “an unprecedented amount of dangerous chemical weapons” without assessing their environmental impacts beforehand, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality noted that “the repeated deployment of tear gas in downtown Portland has led to elevated levels of certain contaminants” in stormwater drains. But state officials said air-quality monitors aren’t located nearby and don’t measure tear gas exposure. Medical experts say there are few studies on health effects of tear gas. A European Union agency says it “is very toxic to aquatic life.”Figuring out precisely what tear gas components are in the environment is also a challenge.

A 24-year-old white man has been charged with ethnic intimidation and other counts for firing shots into the Hall's home just north of Detroit after the family put a Black Lives Matter sign in their front window. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)WARREN, Mich. – A white man accused of firing shots into the home of a Black suburban Detroit family who put a Black Lives Matter sign in their front window asked for forgiveness during a court hearing Thursday. Frederick told Judge Michael Chupa that he wanted Eddie and Candace Hall to forgive him, though he didn't specify what he did to make him seek their forgiveness. Outside, they discovered the swastika and found that someone had written “terrorist Black Lives Matter,” “not welcome” and a phrase containing an expletive on their pickup truck. A neighbor’s home surveillance video showed a masked and hooded man carrying what appears to be a handgun outside the Halls' home.

Black Lives Matter protesters march, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Louisville. Breonna Taylor's family demanded Friday that Kentucky authorities release all body camera footage, police files and the transcripts of the grand jury hearings that led to no charges against police officers who killed the Black woman during a March drug raid at her apartment. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

One of the cookie-decorating kits she offers has a Black Lives Matter theme. Other examples of homespun BLM merchandise include wine stoppers and even garden gnomes — objects more often associated with white suburbia. The yellow-and-black-clad gnome — a nod to the colors used on a Black Lives Matter website — wears a “BLM” hat. “Hopefully, someone who sees it is not offended.”He has since gotten a few orders for either Black Lives Matter gnomes or African American gnomes. Kate Mayer, 37, of Cincinnati, decided to offer a Black Lives Matter wine bottle stopper among her dozens of handmade wine stoppers.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Police maintained barricades and plans for a nighttime curfew as Louisville prepared Saturday for a fourth night of protests after a grand jury declined to charge the officers who shot Breonna Taylor. Protests Friday night were peaceful but police arrested 22 people for curfew violations. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer urged continued peaceful protests in a news conference Saturday evening. On Wednesday, Kentucky Attorney General Cameron announced a grand jury indicted one officer on wanton endangerment charges, saying he fired gunshots into a neighboring home that didn’t strike anyone. Since when does freedom and civil rights have a curfew?”___Associated Press writer Claire Galofaro contributed to this report from Louisville.

It's a scene that has unfolded in many other cities and small towns this year, the product of fear and conflict stoked by bogus posts on social media, right-wing news outlets and even some of the nation's most powerful leaders. A man suspected of fatally shooting a Trump supporter after a pro-Trump caravan in Portland, Oregon, last month had described himself in a social media post as “100% ANTIFA." They’re trying to blame all this stuff on antifa, and I’m like, ‘Who exactly is antifa? Adam Klein, an associate professor of communication studies at Pace University, analyzed social media posts by far-right extremists and antifascist activists leading up to the Charlottesville rally three years ago. “You don’t get the sense online that there is an organization as much as there are some prominent (social media) accounts associated with antifa,” he said.

– American Airlines will let employees wear Black Lives Matter pins on their uniforms, calling it a matter of equality and not politics. An American Airlines spokeswoman said Tuesday that Black employees saw workers at other airlines wearing a Black Lives Matter pin and asked if they could too. “Fundamentally, we believe Black Lives Matter is an expression of equality, not a political statement,” said the spokeswoman, Sarah Jantz. Starbucks reportedly banned employees from wearing Black Lives Matter shirts, then created one in June for workers to wear. Trump urged supporters to boycott Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. after a Kansas TV station reported that it allowed employees to wear Black Lives Matter attire but not clothing with the pro-police Blue Lives Matter or Trump’s campaign slogan.

NEW YORK The New York Police Department says it is trying to find a car that drove through a group of Black Lives Matter protesters blocking a street in Times Square. Video posted on social media shows the car jerking through the crowd Thursday night with its horn blaring as demonstrators scream and scramble out of the way. No one appeared to be seriously injured. The NYPD said on Twitter that the car wasnt a police vehicle.

Black Lives Matter protests, vigils and speeches marking the occasion are planned over three days and Trump supporters are planning another caravan rally. But smaller protests have continued, with groups of 100 to 200 people marching nightly. The protesters want city officials to slash the police budget and reallocate that money to Black residents and businesses. The tension reached a new high last weekend when the pro-Trump caravan motored into downtown, with some shooting paintballs and spraying bear repellent at Black Lives Matter protesters who tried to block the streets. Lost amid the escalating tensions are the voices of the citys Black residents, who are divided about the best way to keep up the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement.

A protester holds a flag during a Black Lives Matter march Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)If you need help with the Public File, call 540-512-1554.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Authorities say messages of Black Lives Matter and “Defund the Police” were spray-painted on several tourist attractions in Tennessee on Monday night, including Graceland, the Elvis Presley estate. The graffiti phrases were found Tuesday morning outside Graceland, the Levitt Shell Amphitheater in Overton Park and the “I Heart Memphis” mural in midtown Memphis. Stop placing value of white icons andproperty over Black lives. -Black Lives Matter Mississippi #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatterMississippi #BLM #EmmettTill #Mississippi #ElvisPresley #Graceland pic.twitter.com/W0tzV3i01R — Black Lives Matter Mississippi (@BLivesMatterMS) September 2, 2020Besides “Defund the Police,” expletive-laced messages about President Donald Trump and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and demands to arrest the Louisville police officers who killed Breonna Taylor were also scrawled on the walls. Graffiti from Black Lives Matter protesters right outside Graceland in Memphis, Tenn. (NBC News Channel)Memphis police say they’re investigating the incident.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ – A teen who organized a Black Lives Matter rally in her northern New Jersey town said she has been sent a $2,500 bill from officials for police overtime, according to a report by NBC New York. She said she called for action like increasing affordable housing in the town, and chastised Engelwood Cliffs for not implementing it over the years. The town’s letter said she had not met with officials before her protest, requiring them to hastily come up with security plans. She said she had reached out to Kranjac after getting the bill, but has gotten no response. Kranjac told NJ Advance Media that protesters’ rights of free speech and assembly were respected, and that Gil was wrong to link affordable housing to her protest.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, challenging the legality of the actions taken by U.S. agents sent by President Donald Trump to subdue protests in Portland. The federal agents exceeded the limits of their authority, making illegal arrests and using tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray and other tactics to squelch the protests, the lawsuit alleges. A video of plaintiff and Navy veteran Christopher David's encounter with U.S. agents outside the Portland courthouse circulated widely on social media. It showed one agent hitting David with a baton and another dousing him in the face with pepper spray. Local police have arrested hundreds of people over the three months and federal agents arrested at least 94 people at the height of the demonstrations in July.

This time, the town is Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has about 100,000 people and sits just south of Milwaukee. The city is now trying to quell racial tension after police were caught on camera shooting 29-year-old Jacob Blake in the back multiple times. (2020 Getty Images)A car attempts to drive through a crowd of protesters on Aug. 24, 2020 in Kenosha. (2020 Getty Images)Demonstrators chant in front of a burning truck on Aug. 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (2020 Getty Images)A man stands with a sign on Aug. 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

A small group of Black Lives Matter protesters pray near the sight of a police shooting Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. Kenosha police shot a man Sunday evening, setting off unrest in the city after a video appeared to show the officer firing several shots at close range into the man's back. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Twelve people were arrested during Sundays Black Lives Matter protest in Richmond. Police chief Gerald Smith says they fit the description of Antifa members. Smith says two of the twelve disguised themselves as peaceful protesters, embedded in a group called 381 Movement and were later seen vandalizing and damaging property. Once the 381 protest ended, Smith says another group ignored an unlawful assembly warning. Ten others were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly.

Fashion designer Stella Jean talks during an interview with the Associated Press, in Rome, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)MILAN The only Black designer belonging to Italys influential fashion council is demanding a "long overdue cultural reform from her colleagues under the slogan: Do Black Lives Matter in Italy? A frequent refrain from Black creatives in Italian fashion is that they are often the only person of color in the workplace. Stella chafes at the Africa Hub, which promoted five brands during Milan Fashion Week in February. While she won't show in September, she has asked Capasa to host a Black Lives Matter event to kick off "the immediate launch of a long-overdue fashion cultural reform.''

(Getty Images)Scenes from the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965. (Getty Images)Scenes from the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965. (Getty Images)Scenes from the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965. (Getty Images)Scenes from the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965. (Getty Images)Scenes from the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965.

“Black Lives Matter is racist. ... Black Lives Matter has no heart. And that is as offensive to me as the N-word,” he added, then used the full racist slur. “If I could get a few people that, when they see a Black Lives Matter sign up, to think the N-word, I have accomplished what I'm after,” he added. “They strongly want everyone to know this type of behavior is not typical of Leelanau County residents nor it is condoned by Leelanau County residents,” he said.

FILE - In this July 26, 2020, file photo, federal officers launch tear gas at demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore. The Associated Press found that there is no government oversight of the manufacture and use of tear gas. Instead, the industry is left to regulate itself. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

If that wasnt enough, the quality of play is so good that its almost like the NBA hadnt stopped playing for 4-1/2 months. In all honestly, its better than I was expecting ... talking about all the teams in general, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. So, you see some of the talents these guys have are coming out.The numbers inside the bubble are ridiculous. Try 36 points again, 18 rebounds and eight assists in the Bucks loss to Houston on Sunday night. The Rockets beat the Mavs 153-149 in overtime Friday and then tried 61 3-pointers to tie an NBA regulation-game record Sunday.

Leshan Terry hold his son Leshan Terry, Jr., 6, during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Friday, July 31, 2020, in Portland, Ore. A group identified as Firefighters for Black Lives Matter gathered in a small park a couple miles west of the courthouse. A parade of cars with Black Lives Matter signs taped to their windows slowed traffic in the city. Since then, there have been no visible signs of any federal law enforcement presence outside the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse. And while thousands have marched and rallied peacefully, Portlands federal courthouse became a target for some protesters.

The agents most nights fired tear gas in return. The mood remained calm at 1 a.m. Friday as the crowd dwindled to about 500 demonstrators. The Democrat also apologized to peaceful demonstrators exposed to tear gas used by Portland police before federal officials arrived. But federal officials insisted that the agents will not leave the city completely and will be kept on standby. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

The NBA had a strong, powerful re-opening night message. Tonight we witnessed sober, powerfully moving and heartfelt demonstrations by our players of their commitment to the pursuit of justice," National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts tweeted. And all the players, all the coaches, are united in that fact and committed to do what we can do to effect long-term change.Many players warmed up wearing shirts that said Black Lives Matter." Thursday also marked the debut of new jerseys bearing messages that many players chose to have added, such as Equality" and Peace." NBA players have used their platforms both in the bubble and on social media to demand equality, to demand justice for Taylor.

For weeks Bayern Munich players had been showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement at games when Jerome Boateng was approached by teammates for a deeper conversation. Before our break, I talked actually to Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka about it, Boateng recalled on a video call. There are some situations of course that are really hard to help, but you can always help in a situation, the defender said. Now the German champions are preparing to take the field again in the Champions League next week, in the round of 16 against Chelsea where they lead 3-0 from the first leg in February. I think about racism you never can do enough as you see how bad it is still in the world right now," Boateng said.

All rights reserved)RICHMOND, Va. Riots in downtown Richmond over the weekend were instigated by white supremacists under the guise of Black Lives Matter, according to law enforcement officials. Protesters tore down police tape and pushed forward toward Richmond police headquarters, where they set a city dump truck on fire. The mayor of Richmond thanked the Black Lives Matter protesters he said tried to stop the white supremacists from spearheading the violence. Their mission is simple, not the Richmond we know, said Mayor Levar Stoney. Besides the police department, damage also occurred in and around the VCU campus.

During demonstrations the previous night federal agents repeatedly fired tear gas to break up rowdy protests that continued into the early morning Saturday. Authorities say six federal officers were injured and one person was arrested. Trump said he sent federal agents to Portland to halt the unrest but state and local officials say they are making the situation worse. There were demonstrations for police reform and against the increased presence of federal law enforcement in cities across the country Saturday. The Federal Protective Service had declared the gathering in Portland that began Friday evening an unlawful assembly.

The New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals kneel while holding a black ribbon to honor Black Lives Matter before playing an opening day baseball game at Nationals Park, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Washington. before the start of the first inning of an opening day baseball game at Nationals Park, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Washington. Players from both clubs wore T-shirts saying Black Lives Matter during batting practice, and the letters BLM were stenciled into the back of the mound at the center of the diamond. In a poignant reference to the racial reckoning happening in the U.S., players and other members of both teams held a long black ribbon while standing spaced out along the two foul lines. That followed a series of videos: about Black Lives Matter, showing major league players such as New Yorks Aaron Judge and Washingtons Howie Kendrick; about the Nationals postseason run; about the COVID-19 outbreak.

Smoke fills the sky as federal officers try to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Portland, Ore. A federal judge is hearing arguments on Oregon's request for a restraining order against federal agents who have been sent to the state's largest city to quell protests that have spiraled into nightly clashes between authorities and demonstrators. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

(AP Photo/Noah Berger)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. MAYOR OF PORTLAND TEAR GASSED BY FEDS Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, was tear gassed by U.S. government agents as he stood at a fence guarding a federal courthouse during another night of raging protests. WHAT VIRUS-WRACKED COUNTRIES HAVE IN COMMON When it comes to battling COVID-19, nations led by populist leaders like the U.S., Britain and Brazil are faring poorly compared to more traditional liberal democratic models. CHINA JOINS RACE TO RED PLANET China launches its most ambitious Mars mission yet in a bold attempt to join the U.S. in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet. (FINALLY) Four months after it was originally scheduled, Major League Baseball’s opening day is here with the World Series champion Nationals hosting the New York Yankees.

New York Police Department officers attempt to detain a protester who defaced with black paint the Black Lives Matter mural outside of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue Saturday, July 18, 2020, in the Manhattan borough of New York. The Black Lives Matter street mural in front of Manhattans Trump Tower has been defaced with paint for the third time in a week. In the latest incident, two women were arrested around 3 p.m. Saturday after police said they poured black paint on the block-long mural outside Trump Tower on Manhattans chic Fifth Avenue. Meanwhile, police are continuing to look for a man in black shorts and a dark blue T-shirt who was seen splashing red paint on the Black Lives Matter mural around noon on Monday. Mayor Bill de Blasio helped paint the mural in front of President Donald Trumps namesake tower last week.

A Black Lives Matter billboard is seen next to a Confederate flag in Pittsboro, N.C., Thursday, July 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)A Black Lives Matter sign now fills a billboard next to a big Confederate flag that greets people coming into a small town outside Raleigh, thrilling some community organizers and angering the property owner. Friends called and asked if they could put a Confederate flag on my property," White said. He says they did it because the county commissioners had removed the Confederate statue.White has leased the billboard to Lamar Advertising, which sent representatives to notify him before putting up the Black Lives Matter sign on it. They wanted to know how I would react to it, and I told them I would not want a Black Lives Matter sign on that billboard, he said.

(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)LONDON An artist has erected a statue of a Black Lives Matter protester atop the plinth in the English city of Bristol once occupied by the toppled statue of a slave trader. Marc Quinn created the likeness of Jen Reid, a protester photographed standing on the plinth after demonstrators pulled down the statue of Edward Colston and dumped it in Bristols harbor on June 7. The statue, titled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid) was erected before dawn on Wednesday without approval from city officials. Colston was a 17th-century trader who made a fortune transporting enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas. Now were crystallizing it.Reid told The Guardian newspaper that the new statue was incredible and would help continue the conversation.City authorities fished the Colston statue out of the harbor and say it will be placed in a museum, along with placards from the Black Lives Matter demonstration.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Soon there will be a Black Lives Matter billboard flashing in Lynchburg again. Brooke Linville is behind a billboard on Wards Road, near Liberty University and paid to have it up for two weeks in June. She calls it the “Black Lives Matter Billboard Project” and has purchased ones in other cities too. Linville says recent news of the Lynchburg billboard has stirred up some divisive comments online. This article has been update to include a Gofundme link Linville has created to help put up another display.

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha takes a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Sunday, July 12, 2020. (Tim Keeton/Pool Photo via AP)LONDON A 12-year-old boy was arrested by police after Crystal Palace player Wilfried Zaha highlighted racist abuse he received ahead of Sunday's Premier League match at Aston Villa. The Premier League has launched a reporting system to allow players to report abuse that can be followed up by authorities. This behavior is completely unacceptable and the Premier League stands alongside Wilfried Zaha in opposing this, and discrimination in any form," the league said in a statement. We will continue to support players, managers, coaches and their family members who receive serious discriminatory online abuse."

Mayor Bill de Blasio, third from left, participates in painting Black Lives Matter on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower, Thursday, July 9, 2020, in New York. Al Sharpton as he helped paint the racial justice rallying cry in giant yellow letters on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower. Our streets!When we say Black Lives Matter, there is no more American statement, there is no more patriotic statement because there is no America without Black America, de Blasio said. We are acknowledging the truth of ourselves as Americans by saying Black Lives Matter. We are righting a wrong.The mayor announced the plan to paint Black Lives Matter in front of Trump Tower last month after earlier saying the slogan would be painted on streets at several locations around the city. Trump lived in Trump Tower before he took office as president but has spent little time there since.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Lynchburg’s Black Lives Matter chapter did not take a day off for the Fourth of July. Instead, it invited people to Miller Park for a discussion about Black independence. About a hundred people came to the rally, many of whom wore black in solidarity with the cause. “We possess so much strength, wisdom and knowledge,” said Glover-Tucker, while quoting a fellow Black Lives Matter Lynchburg member who recently passed away. “In our community, it’s time to start owning some stuff.”Hobson said home ownership is especially important because renting leaves communities at risk of displacement.

World champion Lewis Hamilton, the only black driver in F1, wore a T-shirt with Black Lives Matter on the front and End Racism on the back. Hamilton attended a Black Lives Matter march in London and is setting up a commission to increase diversity in motorsport. Soccer players on fields in England and Germany have taken the knee together simultaneously before games in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and F1 drivers discussed what they should do during a drivers briefing on Friday evening. Mercedes is competing in an all-black car instead of the usual silver, while Hamilton and Bottas have End Racism written on the cars halo. Hamilton praised some drivers for speaking out against racism, but he still feels others need to do more and he raised that in their briefing.

MARION, Va. – A small town in Southwest Virginia became the backdrop for a opposing protests on Friday. As Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ protesters were marching Friday evening, counter-protesters with the American Patriots followed them. Police asked the Black Lives Matter protesters to keep walking up one side of the road. It all started back in June, one day after a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest was met with counter-protesters. The family organized that Black Lives Matter protest and the one on Friday.

The White House, however, trumpeted the administration's continuing support of law officers in the now subsiding protests. If there was a shred of evidence, the administration would have presented fact witnesses to support this gaslighting, Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, said. The clearing of Lafayette Square is the subject of an Interior Department inspector-generals review and at least one lawsuit brought by those wounded. At a separate briefing Monday, a House Oversight subcommittee addressed the treatment of protesters and journalists at demonstrations across the country, including Lafayette Square. The administration has denied that authorities forced protesters from the square that day so Trump could stage a law-and-order photo op nearby, clinching an upheld Bible.

ROANOKE, Va. – A Black Lives Matter demonstration marched through the heart of Grandin Village Saturday afternoon, but this protest focused on families first. “This is about the whole family structure coming out in unison with black lives and being able to do that peacefully on a beautiful morning,” said Roanoke activist Jordan Bell, who helped lead Roanoke’s first Black Lives Matter march after George Floyd’s death. “As hard as it can be to have these discussions with the kids, we need to do our part to open their eyes,” Shires said. “This is just a small step in that process.”Bell says the Black Lives Matter movement has come a long way since the initial march at the end of May, and demonstrations like this are signs progress is still being made. “A lot of conversations are happening, but we hope those conversations turn into action and substance,” Bell said.

A plane towing a banner reading White Lives Matter Burnley flies above the stadium during the during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Burnley at Etihad Stadium, in Manchester, England, Monday, June 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Shaun Botterill,Pool)BURNLEY Police are looking into an incident in which a plane pulled a banner with the words White Lives Matter Burnley on it over Manchester Citys Etihad Stadium at the start of a Premier League match between the teams. The aircraft came into view moments after players and coaches from both clubs took a knee at kickoff on Monday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. When the league season resumed last week amid the coronavirus outbreak, Black Lives Matter replaced player names on the backs of shirts. Iffy Onuora, the equalities officer for English soccers players union, said he hoped the widespread condemnation of the banner will act as a catalyst for further conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sundays work follows the removal of two other Confederate statues on the state Capitol grounds in Raleigh on Saturday. Cooper ordered the statues removed after protesters toppled two other Confederate statues Friday night, stringing one up by the neck and hanging it from a light pole. Cooper has advocated the statues removal for years. In another case in California, symbols of the Black Lives Matter movement have been targeted in recent weeks with vandalism. The Ventura County Sheriffs Office said late Saturday that a tarp painted with the letters BLM has been repeatedly damaged in Thousand Oaks.

A white U.S. Police officer in Minneapolis, recently killed black man George Floyd, sparking anti-racism protests worldwide, and the Black Lives Matter movement hoping to enable reforms and greater social justice. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)LONDON Anti-racism demonstrators are holding a fourth weekend of protests across the U.K., despite a ban on large gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds assembled for a socially distanced Say No to Racism rally in Glasgows George Square, where earlier this week members of the far right attacked a refugee-rights gathering. Hundreds of thousands of people have held mostly peaceful anti-racism protests across Britain since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, urging the U.K. to confront its own history of imperialism and racial inequality. Hundreds of far-right activists clashed June 13 with police near the Churchill statue in London, which had been boarded up for protection.

Now more than ever it’s so important to lift up and amplify black artists and creators, which is why a new film festival was created to do just that. The inaugural Black Life Film Fest will take place Sept. 5, and luckily for people who are interested in watching the selected films, the film festival will happen virtually, from the comfort of your home. Swirl Films and Mansa Productions are producing the festival, and the people there are asking for short film submissions that fit any kind of category. From documentaries and comedies to drama or animation -- as long as the film shows the black experience, it is eligible for submission. To find out more information about how you can submit your short film, or just general details pertaining to the new festival, you can visit the website here.

The date - June 19th - is not a federal holiday, and many non-black Americans have only recently become of aware of the day. Several of her employees are spending the day volunteering for the Juneteenth Freedom Phonebank, an initiative encouraging Census participation. Declaring the date a federal holiday would add considerable momentum, and there is growing support for the idea. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, introduced legislation Thursday to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. In contrast, 93% of employers close on Independence day, with similar rates for Labor Day, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving.

Protesters march in a Black Lives Matter demonstration organized by the Dallas Black Firefighters Association on Juneteenth 2020 in Dallas, Friday, June 19, 2020. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure all enslaved people be freed, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Former President Abraham Lincoln first issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, and it became effective the following Jan. 1. Word didnt reach the last enslaved black people until June 19 of that year, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas. Kristi Noem proclaimed Friday as Juneteenth Day, but the proclamation does not make the day a state-recognized holiday.

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Aunt Jemima brand is merely a smiling face on a syrup bottle for some people, but Virginia Tech professor Dr. Wornie Reed considers it a reminder of America’s history of racism. “I, and people like me, will never accept it as anything more than a black Mammy,” said Reed, who directs Virginia Tech’s Race and Social Policy Center. Quaker Foods announced Wednesday it would discontinue the Aunt Jemima brand after more than 130 years. In a release, Quaker Foods North America Vice President Kristin Kroepfl said, “We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype. “It illustrates, ‘Look at these smiling Aunt Jemimas taking care of all of these white kids.‘”Some white shoppers, such as Rose Martin, have also avoided buying Aunt Jemima because of the connotations.

This Nov. 23, 2019 photo shows Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Alexis Johnson in Pittsburgh. Johnson, who was prohibited from covering the city's Black Lives Matter protests because of a tweet, sued the paper on Tuesday. Johnson, who is black, filed the lawsuit in federal court in Pennsylvania alleging the Post-Gazette was engaging in racial discrimination and retaliation. (Shantale Davis/@ShanShoots2 via AP)A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter prohibited from covering the city's Black Lives Matter protests because of a tweet sued the paper on Tuesday. Michael M. Santiago, a black photographer for the paper who says he was prohibited from protest coverage for the same reason, has accepted a buyout and is leaving the paper.

In this June 14, 2020 photo, U.S. flag flutters next to a giant Black Lives Matter banner at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. The banner has been removed from the U.S. Embassy building in South Korea's capital three days after it was raised there in solidarity with protesters back home. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)SEOUL A large Black Lives Matter banner has been removed from the U.S. Embassy building in South Korea's capital three days after it was raised there in solidarity with protesters back home. The Black Lives Matter banner was seen as support of worldwide movements honoring George Floyd, a black man who died in handcuffs while a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck. His death last month has prompted weeks of protests in the United States and around the world with the same theme: Black Lives Matter.

BLACKSBURG, Va. This Friday, you have the opportunity to support the Black Lives Matter movement and some local businesses at the same time. Downtown Blacksburg Inc. has organized a Black Lives Matter fundraiser. On Friday, several businesses, including Gourmet Pantry, will donate a portion of their profits to the Christiansburg Institute. The institute is a nonprofit that works to create community dialogue and promote the multicultural makeup of the New River Valley. Fringe Benefit, Main Street Pharmacy, Cafe de Bangkok, Next Door Bake Shop, New River Art & Fiber and Lias Hairstyling.

A protester prepares a banner prior to a solidarity rally for the death of George Floyd in Tokyo Sunday, June 14, 2020. Mitsuaki Shidara, standing in the crowd at Yoyogi Park, said Japan has plenty of discrimination problems, but they're overlooked. Last week, a rally with similar themes in Tokyo drew several hundred people, and one in Osaka, in central Japan, drew about 2,000. More Black Lives Matter gatherings are planned for next week, in the southwestern city of Fukuoka and the central city of Nagoya. The rallies reflect how more people of various backgrounds are becoming part of a rapidly globalizing Japan.

British police officers, left, scuffle with members of far-right groups protesting against a Black Lives Matter demonstration, in central London, Saturday, June 13, 2020. British police have imposed strict restrictions on groups planning to protest in London Saturday in a bid to avoid violent clashes between protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as far-right groups. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)LONDON Hundreds of far-right activists gathered to demonstrate in central London's Parliament Square Saturday, despite strict police restrictions and warnings to stay home to contain the coronavirus. Officials put protective panels around the monuments amid fears that far-right activists would seek confrontations with anti-racism protesters under the guise of protecting statues. In London, Churchills statue was daubed with the words was a racist.Police have imposed strict restrictions on Saturdays protests in a bid to avoid violent clashes.

The protests sweeping the world after George Floyd's death in the U.S. have added fuel to a movement to confront Europe's role in the slave trade and its colonial past. Leopold is increasingly seen as a stain on the nation where he reigned from 1865 to 1909. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. HISTORICAL FIGURES REASSESSED AROUND GLOBE The movement to pull down Confederate monuments around the U.S. in the wake of George Floyds death extends to statues of slave traders, imperialists, conquerors and explorers around the world. CHIEFS LEAD VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE The Super Bowl champions are putting together the program in response to the social unrest that has gripped the nation.

Scaffolders erect boarding around the statue of Sir Winston Churchill at Parliament Square, in London, Thursday, June 11, 2020, following Black Lives Matter protests that took place across the U.K. over the weekend. The protests were ignited by the death of George Floyd, who died after he was restrained by Minneapolis police while in custody on May 25. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA via AP)LONDON Authorities in London boarded up a war memorial and a statue of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill ahead of expected rival demonstrations by anti-racism and far-right protesters, as the citys mayor on Friday urged protesters to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Several other statues have been defaced during mass protests around the country, including Churchills, which was daubed with the words was a racist. Police now fear far-right groups plan to seek confrontation under the guise of protecting statues. With more demonstrations expected on the weekend, a protective plywood screen was erected late Thursday around Churchills statue outside Parliament.

Starbucks is creating its own Black Lives Matter shirt for employees to wear if they choose. The move comes after the coffee chain reportedly banned employees from wearing Black Lives Matter gear. The T-shirt depicts protest signs with phrases including Black Lives Matter, Speak Up and Time for Change. One sign shows a raised black fist. Social media blew up over news reports that Starbucks had told employees in a memo they couldn't wear Black Lives Matter shirts or other paraphernalia because it might be used to amplify divisiveness. Until the corporate T-shirts are available, Starbucks staffers can wear their own Black Lives Matter T-shirts and other gear.

NEW YORK Before the first pick was made, Major League Baseball delivered a message: The sport stands fully behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Executives from all 30 teams working remotely held up signs that read: Black Lives Matter. We have a systemic racism problem in the country. We felt like we could amplify the Black Lives Matter message, he added. That black lives matter, and that we are united for change.

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. Protests in the wake of George Floyds death have popped up all across Virginia. On Wednesday, the movement came to Christiansburg. The event started in Depot Park before the crowd marched down Franklin Street to the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office. Protest organizer Devin Lanier believes Christiansburgs crowd shows how impactful Floyds death by a police officer has become. We have to get in there and fight this battle as well if change is ever going to happen.

SEOUL SEOUL, South KoreaAs American protesters took to the streets to mourn the death of George Floyd, they found an unexpected ally: K-pop fans. They flooded right-wing hashtags and police apps with short video clips and memes of their K-pop stars. Even so, political activism isnt exactly associated with K-pop fans. Over the years, K-pop fans have gained notoriety for overtaking Twitter trends and Instagram feeds. He also said K-pop stars are often bound by legal contracts, keeping them from making remarks that could come cause friction.

Messages, posters and portraits, ranging from loving to enraged, almost blot out the view of the White House across the way. Police have turned a several-block area north of Lafayette Park, in front of the White House, into an open air pedestrian space. On Monday, White Press press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said there were no regrets on the part of this White House" over the handling of peaceful protesters that night. McEnany said it was Attorney General William Barr who made the decision to expand the security perimeter around the White House. As the violence subsided and the weather improved, the mood outside the the White House turned festive over the weekend.

___SEATTLE -- Seattle City Council members sharply criticized Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best after police used flash bang devices and pepper spray to disperse protesters a day after Durkan and Best said they were trying to de-escalate tensions. Police said via Twitter that several officers were injured by “improvised explosives.”The mayhem in the Capitol Hill neighborhood came on the ninth consecutive day of George Floyd protests in the city. Minneapolis was the center of both violent and peaceful protests following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. Before the march, Bucks guard Sterling Brown led the crowd in 9 seconds of silence to honor George Floyd. That corresponds to the length of time that prosecutors say George Floyd was pinned to the ground under a white Minneapolis police officer’s knee.

Queensland state police community liaison officers hand out face masks to people gathering for the Black Lives Matter protest in Brisbane on Saturday, June 6, 2020. Black Lives Matter protests across Australia proceeded mostly peacefully Saturday as thousands of demonstrators in state capitals honored the memory of Floyd and protested the deaths of indigenous Australians in custody. South Koreas caseload peaked in late February and early March when it recorded hundreds of new cases each day. The new cases in recent weeks have been linked to nightclubs, an e-commerce warehouse, church gatherings and door-to-door sellers in the Seoul metropolitan area. It is on guard against imported cases as it begins to ease restrictions on flights and people arriving from abroad.