The culture war is real. And woke ads are a victory.

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( June 05, 2020 Good afternoon, Today is Friday, June 5. Breonna Taylor, [who was killed by police officers]( in Louisville on March 13, [would have been 27 today](. The culture war is real. And [woke ads are a victory](. Independents are [not happy about Donald Trump's handling of protests](. Nearly 1 in 6 coronavirus cases in Illinois [could be tied to Cook County Jail](. "Qualified immunity" gives abusive cops a free pass. [Will the Supreme Court end it?]( Stephanie Mencimer has lived in DC for three decades and covered dozens of protests. [This one is profoundly different.]( Dr. Bronner's Soaps [wants to protect you from COVID](—and legalize your right to magic mushrooms. Why the campaign [to defund police is finally catching on](. Two Buffalo cops [resigned in protest]( after two officers were suspended for shoving an elderly man. Trump said [some very crazy things.]( Have a great weekend, Ben Dreyfuss [House Donation Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [In Defense of Woke Brands]( Culture wars don't win themselves. BY BEN DREYFUSS [Trending] ["It's been time": Why the campaign to defund police is finally catching on.]( BY MOLLY SCHWARTZ [Minneapolis' police union chief won't talk to reporters. Maybe he should admit he's married to one.]( BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS [Trump: George Floyd is in heaven and proud of our jobs report]( BY INAE OH [This week, Mark Zuckerberg sided with Donald Trump. History won't forget it.]( BY PEMA LEVY [House Subscription Ad]( [Weekend Reads] [Special Feature]( [The Summer of 2020 Is Going to Be Long, Violent, and Necessary]( While the brutal deaths of Black people are often the drumbeat of American life, this specific tone is deafening. BY JAMILAH KING [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( [Recharge] SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE [Solidarity at Yesterday's Protests]( As our reporters chronicled, protesters in both the [Bay Area]( and [New York City]( violated curfews last night to continue calling for justice and an end to police violence (or maybe just an [end to the police](, full stop). The [photos]( and [videos]( are heartening. “The scene provided a striking contrast to days of images dominated by police aggression,” we [noted]( of uprisings in New York. (I found particular joy in a dance party that [broke out]( here in Oakland three hours after curfew.) Combine this with the fact that, in the past few days, the protests have led to change—and things that have long been pushed for—across the country. Confederate statues, as our own Camille Squires wrote, are [coming down]( in the South. Lawmakers are pushing to end [qualified immunity](. Former President Obama on a Zoom livestream [called]( for a message of hope when looking at the protesters. “There is a change in mindset that’s taking place,” he said. He spoke to the “broad coalition” we’ve seen in the streets. He cautioned against comparing it to the uprisings in 1968. And perhaps for all of us, even if the former president’s message can feel like it’s coming from a distance, there’s a lesson there. Look at the [dancing](. Look at the [signs](. Look at the [togetherness](. Do not squeeze your eyes to narrowly view [this moment]( in the way the faux-embattled white intellectuals of the late 1960s saw rebellion. One of the most famous documents of the tumultuous demonstrations in 1968 is Norman Mailer’s bombastic, ambivalent, and hyperbolic [Miami and the Siege of Chicago](. It has its place. Yet it doesn’t feel like it says enough about what’s happening now. I think [the images]( of last night are a better document about what America—that word Mailer loved to toss around—can be. —Jacob Rosenberg Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755