Why Statues Taken Down in 2020 Are Coming Back

June 4, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Why Statues Taken Down in 2020 Are Coming Back

A wave of cities across the US removed contentious statues in 2020 amid protests over police violence and racism following George Floyd's murder. Now, six years later, some of those monuments are being put back up. That development is one of several major stories in this edition of WSJ's What's News, which also covers growing investor pressure on Blackstone's private credit fund, Russian establishment figures publicly calling for an end to the war in Ukraine, and a Senate GOP fight over President Trump's anti-weaponization fund.

The Statue Wars Return

Many of the statues removed in 2020 were not destroyed but placed into storage. A large Christopher Columbus statue taken down from Columbus, Ohio's City Hall now sits in a city warehouse "on its back with yellow caution tape around it," according to WSJ National Affairs reporter Cameron McWhirter. A statue of a Texas Ranger from the 1950s and 60s—removed because the ranger was alleged to have sided with segregationists during school desegregation—has resurfaced at the Texas Rangers baseball team stadium, reigniting controversy.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Episode Open & Top Stories Preview** - Host Danny Lewis teases the day's top stories: Russian elites calling for an end to the Ukraine war, and the return of statues removed in 2020.
2 (01:16) **Blackstone's B-Cred Faces $4.4 Billion in Redemption Requests** - Investors are pulling billions from the world's largest private credit fund, with redemption requests rising to 10% of shares in Q2.
3 (02:25) **Market Update: Dow Rises, Tech Lags** - A rally in healthcare and financial stocks pushes the Dow higher, while Broadcom's disappointing AI demand guidance drags down tech and the Nasdaq.
4 (02:52) **Russian Elites Publicly Call for Putin to End Ukraine War** - Significant voices in the Russian establishment, including a former Putin-backed candidate and a prominent think tanker, are now arguing Russia has no path to victory.
5 (05:08) **Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Under Strain** - The ceasefire renewed just yesterday is already fragile, with both sides exchanging fire and Hezbollah demanding a full Israeli withdrawal before stopping attacks.
6 (05:45) **Senate GOP Infighting Over Trump's "Anti-Weaponization" Fund** - A $70 billion immigration enforcement bill is delayed by an internal Republican fight over a separate $1.8 billion fund for Trump allies.
7 (08:10) **The Return of Statues Removed in 2020** - WSJ's Cameron McWhirter reports on a push by traditionalists to restore statues of Confederate figures, Christopher Columbus, and others that were taken down during the 2020 protests.

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Show Notes

P.M. Edition for June 4. During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, cities across the U.S. removed monuments honoring Confederate generals, Founding Fathers and Christopher Columbus. Now, some people are fighting to restore them. Journal national affairs reporter Cameron McWhirter discusses why the statue wars have returned–and what’s different this time. Plus, some Russian elites are turning against the war with Ukraine. WSJ chief foreign affairs correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov discusses what this means for Vladimir Putin. And many investors in Blackstone’s premier private-credit fund want their money out. Danny Lewis hosts.

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