Thousands of peaceful demonstrators holding banners gather in front of the White House for the fifth consecutive day to protest the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died last week after being pinned down by a white police officer in Minneapolis on June 2, 2020 in Washington, DC, United States.
Yasin Ozturk | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Nationwide tensions appeared to ease Tuesday night, as thousands of demonstrators launched peaceful protests across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd while he was being subdued by Minneapolis police.
Major cities enacted earlier curfews and beefed up law enforcement resources Tuesday night after days of violence. Businesses had boarded up in anticipation of more looting and vandalism. Though arrests in some cities remain at elevated levels, there were fewer clashes between protesters and police in comparison to recent days.
In Washington, added fencing has gone up near the White House and U.S. military members joined D.C. National Guard in policing streets. President Donald Trump hasn’t spoken publicly since Monday, when he threatened military action in U.S. cities.
This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the demonstrations gripping the U.S. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
SoftBank announces $100 million investment fund for minority-owned businesses
Marcelo Claure speaking at eMerge Americas in Miami on June 12, 2017.
David A. Grogan | CNBC
9:53 a.m. ET — SoftBank is creating a $100 million Opportunity Fund, which will only invest in companies led by people of color. The fund is one of the first big pieces of capital created in response to nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.
“I see a lot of people have good intentions, but I think each one of us needs to contribute to make change in America,” SoftBank executive Marcelo Claure told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
The fund will start with $100 million of its own capital and could grow with more investments. Still, the fund pales in comparison to SoftBank’s Vision Fund of $100 billion, which is designed to invest heavily in high-growth start-ups. —Jessica Bursztynsky
Bank of America CEO says ‘Things aren’t going to quiet down’
9:43 a.m. ET — Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told CNBC the U.S. has serious issues and “it’s time to fix them.”
“Things aren’t going to quiet down. They shouldn’t quiet down in terms of making the economic progress and core social progress we need to make here,” he said in a “Squawk Box” interview.
He called upon the business community to “redouble efforts” in promoting progress. Bank of America has pledged $1 billion in local economic opportunities. —Hannah Miller
Johnson & Johnson CEO says white men need to listen more
9:34 a.m. ET — Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky said white men need to “do more listening” to gain empathy and understanding of the experiences of black Americans.
Gorsky announced earlier this week that J&J is committing $10 million over the next three years “to fighting racism and injustice in America.” —Berkeley Lovelace
Gov. Cuomo ‘dishonored’ NYPD with criticism of looting response, Mayor de Blasio says
9:21 a.m. ET — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio returned verbal fire at Gov. Andrew Cuomo after the governor said de Blasio and the NYPD “did not do their job” responding to rioters.
“He can attack me all he wants. I’m used to it from him. I think he’s wrong,” de Blasio said in a Tuesday night radio interview.
“But that’s not the important point. The important point here is he dishonored the men and women of the NYPD in an absolutely inappropriate way while they were out there fighting in the streets to restore order and protect people. I mean, that’s disgraceful,” de Blasio said.
Police Chief Terence Monahan said on NBC’s “TODAY” that Cuomo’s office called the night before to apologize for his comments. Cuomo himself also called New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea to apologize, Monahan said.
A spokeswoman for Cuomo did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. —Kevin Breuninger
Former Trump advisor urges president to show more empathy
8:35 a.m. ET — A former top White House advisor told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that if he still had President Donald Trump’s ear, he would urge him to show more concern and sympathy for the people protesting the death of George Floyd.
Mick Mulvaney, who was Trump’s acting chief of staff until March, said the rhetoric surrounding protests is often couched in a false “binary choice” between empathy and authority.
“If I were advising the president, I would tell him, ‘Look, law and order, safety and security, is empathy,'” Mulvaney said.
Trump’s response to the unrest over Floyd’s death has focused almost exclusively on getting “tough” against the violence and looting seen at some of the demonstrations. He has repeatedly pressured local leaders to bring National Guard members into their states and cities to keep a tighter lid on the protests.
“If you’re afraid of the police in your community, that’s not safety, that’s not security,” said Mulvaney, who now serves as the U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland. —Kevin Breuninger
Trump reportedly softens on sending troops into states
8:11 a.m. ET — President Donald Trump has privately eased off the idea of sending troops into states to enact control over protests, the Associated Press reports, citing unnamed White House officials.
Trump on Monday threatened to deploy the military if local law enforcement couldn’t manage the unrest, and he later told governors that they needed to “dominate” in the face of demonstrations.
But the AP reports Trump has shifted his thinking, in part after seeing peaceful protests unfold in many cities Tuesday. —Sara Salinas
NYPD makes 200 arrests Tuesday
NYPD officers block off the entrance to the Manhattan bridge to prevent a large crowd that marches to protest against the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody on June 2, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Justin Heiman | Getty Images
7:57 a.m. ET — The New York Police Department made more than 200 arrests Tuesday related to protests throughout the city, NBC New York reports.
That’s about on par with the number of arrests made Monday night, despite thousands of demonstrators, an earlier curfew and a stronger police force. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday pushed for a stronger response from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s police department.
NBC New York reports more than 2,000 people have been arrested across the city during the six days of protests. —Sara Salinas
Read CNBC’s previous coverage of the nationwide demonstrations: Pentagon moves troops to DC, UCLA ‘troubled’ by police using stadium as ‘field jail’
