June 2, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

President Trump has caused new controversy for his handling of a protest near the White House Monday night. Police began clearing people out from a peaceful demonstration in Lafayette Square before the citywide curfew took effect, firing gas with no apparent provocation. Trump then walked to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photograph. Yamiche Alcindor joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

With protests taking place in cities across the country, how should the federal government respond? Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota joins Judy Woodruff to discuss President Trump’s rhetoric about the use of force, whether a peaceful protest near the White House Monday should have been interrupted as it was, the role of Congress in addressing racial unrest and federal pandemic aid.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde leads the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C. That includes St. John's Church, across from the White House, which was partially burned during Sunday's unrest and the site of President Trump's Monday night photo op. Budde joins Judy Woodruff to discuss Trump's "extremely inflammatory" remarks and federal law enforcement's violent confrontation with protesters.

Former senior military officials are criticizing Secretary of Defense Mark Esper for participating in a controversial photo op with President Trump and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley for walking through D.C. in his battle-dress uniform. Nick Schifrin talks to John Yang and then discusses the increasing militarization of police with Radley Balko, author of “Rise of the Warrior Cop.”

In our news wrap Tuesday, U.S. health officials again warned that public protests gripping the nation could make the COVID-19 pandemic worse. Dr. Deborah Birx of the Coronavirus Task Force said expanding virus testing is even more important as large groups gather. Also, the North Carolina governor says the pandemic means the Republican National Convention scheduled for August must be scaled back.