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Hunter Biden's trial shows the US criminal justice system is working
Republican lawmakers are attacking the US criminal justice system as “rigged” and “shameful” after former president Donald Trump’s criminal convictions, calling the case a blatant example of political persecution. But in a twist of legal happenstance, Hunter Biden’s criminal trial began in Delaware just days after the Trump verdict was announced.
Bharara pointed out how unlikely it would be, if Trump won the presidency and somehow Don Jr. was indicted and put on trial, that the former president would stand idly by and not comment on it or try to get involved somehow, which Bremmer agreed was “inconceivable.” Not only that, but the timing of Hunter’s trial isn’t good for Biden, who wants the messaging right now to be squarely on Trump’s legal woes.
“You couldn’t even make this up,” Glasser argues, “That literally, while the Democrats finally get a couple days where they’re focusing the lens squarely on Donald Trump and his fitness for office, then boom, two days later, Hunter Biden is on trial. The timing is a reminder that Biden can’t seem to catch a break.”
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week on US public television (check local listings) and online.
Demographics of those arrested for crimes in the US, 2020%
The Graphic Truth: The racial breakdown of US arrests
Criminal justice advocates often point to US incarceration rates as proof of racial disparities in policing and American courts. But many say that systematic racism is also reflected in how law enforcement targets individuals for scrutiny and subsequent arrest – the cases of Tyre Nichols and Eric Garner are but two headline-grabbing examples. Consider that, despite accounting for just 13.6% of the national population, 36% of those arrested for violent crimes in 2020 were Black. We take a look at the race profiles of people arrested for various crimes.
Deval Patrick on defunding the police: “I’m not there yet, personally.”
In a new interview with GZERO World host Ian Bremmer, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick discusses the current movement to cut funding for policing across America, as protests and outrage continue in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Patrick explains to Bremmer that he understands the sentiment behind the phrase "Defund the Police," but he finds it similar to calls to abolish ICE. "Someone has to do that job," he says.
Patrick cites positive examples of police officers and law enforcement leaders joining in protest and supporting Black Lives Matter, while acknowledging there is tremendous need for change and reform. "I want us to be able to rely on responsible and modern policing that emphasizes restorative justice and deescalation and community building. But I take the point that there are reasons behind the desperation people feel in lots of American communities," he told Bremmer.
The GZERO World exchange is part of an extensive conversation on race and policing in America airing nationally on public television stations beginning Friday, June 12. Check local listings, and head to gzeromedia.com for more information.