News Information and Media Site: Another tragic Sunday ... basketball stars speak out

From NBC's Ben Kamisar

If it's Sunday, you can learn a lot from how both sides respond to tragic events.

It's been a week of unrest in some parts of America—bookended by a police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin on one side and the shooting death in Portland last night.

And in the middle, a 17-year-old was arrested after a shooting in Wisconsin that killed two protestors.

But how the Trump and Biden camps responded on Sunday's "Meet the Press" shows how both sides are digesting the situation, and shines clear light on their campaign strategies moving into the fall.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows repeatedly blamed "Democrat-led" cities for not accepting federal law enforcement resources.

And when asked why the president hasn't publicly sought to de-escalate his own supporters, even as he rails on protestors on the left, Meadows declared that Trump is "on the side of law enforcement and the rule of law."

Cedric Richmond, the Louisiana Congressman who co-chairs the Biden campaign, took issue with that, arguing Meadows' response begs the question: "Who is on the side of justice? Who is on the side of constitutional policing?"

And he went on to argue that it will be up to Joe Biden to "try to heal this country because the president just doesn't have it in him."

It's a stark difference that reflects how both sides have conducted their campaigns, and the messaging we just saw at the conventions.

Click on the photos below to watch the full interviews.

Two top voices in professional basketball speak out

As the protests continued across the country last week, professional athletes tried to use their platforms to send a message, with many refusing to play.

Today's "Meet the Press" included a thoughtful discussion with Sue Bird, the WNBA All-Star and vice president of the Women's National Basketball Players Association, and Etan Thomas, a former NBA player.

Click on the photo below to watch the full interview.

"The fact that you are making millions of dollars in the NBA doesn't save you from being Black. And that's the difference. So when the policeman pulls me over, I have to follow a set of guidelines. It doesn't matter what I've accomplished in life or who I am or, you know, what tax bracket I'm in or anything like that. I'm a Black man and I'm a threat."

— Former NBA player Etan Thomas.

"As a female athlete, the one thing that I've come to realize is we're judged on everything except our sport. We've been judged because we're Black, gay, because we're women. Nobody talks about us playing."

—WNBA player Sue Bird

TWEETS OF THE DAY: A fast track?

DATA DOWNLOAD: The registration edge

Today's Data Download takes a look at voting registration numbers to try to glean insight as to the fall.

President Trump has always had to navigate the difficulties of a changing American electorate, and new data from TargetSmart show that Democrats have the advantage in new registrations in Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina.

But what's not clear is whether that trend is enough to put Democrats over the top.

Click on the photo below for more.