‘Tenet’ Is Bad

Friends , if Tenet is the film that 's supposed to save Hollywood from the pandemic , well , say goodbye to Hollywood .
Say goodbye , my baby .
Tenet is one of the most sheerly arrogant movies ever made , and a cautionary reminder of what can happen when a writer-director proves so successful that a studio basically figures he has a golden touch and should be allowed to do whatever he likes .
In the 1970s , that untrammeled freedom destroyed Peter Bogdanovich .
In the 1980s , it destroyed Michael Cimino .
In 2006 , M. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disney studio executives who had given him everything he wanted expressed bewilderment over a proposed project of his .
Even though they said they would make the movie because they loved him and wanted to keep working with him , Shyamalan condemned them for the insult to his `` individuality '' and took Lady in the Water elsewhere .
It was one of the worst movies ever made and the beginning of a cycle of Shyamalan disasters that lasted more than a decade .
Tenet is writer-director Christopher Nolan 's Lady in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ storyline Nolan seems unable or unwilling to clarify—unless it 's that he 's spent $ 200 million to design a puzzle he himself can not solve and is therefore incapable of explaining it to us .
Even more perversely , when the movie does offer expository plot points , they are often delivered by characters wearing masks that muffle their words or spoken by actors with thick accents you can barely make out .
As near as I could fathom , people in the future have been sending things back in time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've taught an evil Russian played by Kenneth Branagh how to reverse the forces of entropy .
What does this mean ?
You got me .
In practice , it means that scary people and cars and boats and stuff move backward while the rest of the world moves forward .
This apparently gives the bad guy a great advantage , though it 's never clear exactly why villains want to un-shoot bullets , a thing that keeps happening in the movie .
It 's cool the first time you see it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and by the tenth time it 's like , `` Oh , look , another bullet hole that reverses itself , big freakin ' deal . ''
A spy played by John David Washington is introduced to the world of entropy reversal , which seems to be code-named Tenet ( I do n't understand what Tenet is—an organization ?
a concept ?
—and neither will you ) .
This comes after an opening scene depicting a Chechen-like siege at an opera house in Kiev .
Why is Washington at the opera house in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why is there a siege there ?
We do n't know .
Next thing we do know , Washington is on a ship where he gets briefed on Tenet .
Apparently this entropy reversal stuff could be worse than a global nuclear war .
So Washington needs to get close to Kenneth Branagh—or so he 's told by a lady arms dealer in Mumbai to whom Nolan gives most of the plot details but for whose dialogue he provides no subtitles .
You thought Tom Hardy 's Bane was hard to understand in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Olivier enunciating Hamlet compared with the Indian lady .
There are fistfights between Washington going forward and a guy in a ninja costume going backward , which last forever but have nowhere near the impact of the scenes in Nolan 's Inception where the characters literally climb the walls to punch each other .
And no single use of time jumping has the same jolting effect as the moment in Nolan 's Interstellar when Matthew McConaughey and his spaceship crew return after a 15-minute visit to a planet near a black hole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the ship has been there by himself… for 23 years .
And there 's a bizarre battle scene with two squads of good guys , one going forward in time and the other going backward , fighting God knows who—which comes across as a bus-and-truck version of the chilling combat depicted in Nolan 's Dunkirk .
As all these evocations of better Nolan productions past might suggest , Tenet is a profoundly self-indulgent piece of work in which Nolan consciously fetishizes his own previous oeuvre .
Beginning with his breakthrough film , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interstellar , Nolan has played with time—fracturing and elongating his narratives in often fascinating and novel ways .
And when Dunkirk rolled around in 2017 , Nolan chose to tell the real-life story of that seminal real-world event with three separate plotlines taking place over three separate time frames , with a set of characters going through the course of a week , another set over the course of a day , and a third solo character over the course of a single hour .
Those were inventive .
Tenet is a storytelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after 10 viewings , Tenet will unfold the glories of its temporal complexities for you like a bird of paradise springing into bloom .
But even if it did , so what ?
A good version of Tenet would n't require repeat viewings just to get the story straight .
Which is why Tenet is the bad version of Tenet .
And why Nolan may have been lucky to have it open the way it did , as a potential savior of his entire industry—because in a conventional moviegoing year , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mouth on this utter stinkeroo would have led to it crashing and burning after a solid opening weekend .
Now Nolan can lay the blame for the indifferent box office it will generate on a world-historical calamity , even as people who go to see it might say as they make their way to the parking lot , `` You know what ?
I 'm not sure I need to go to a movie theater any longer . ''

Friends, if Tenet is the film that's supposed to save Hollywood from the pandemic, well, say goodbye to Hollywood. Say goodbye, my baby.
Tenet is one of the most sheerly arrogant movies ever made, and a cautionary reminder of what can happen when a writer-director proves so successful that a studio basically figures he has a golden touch and should be allowed to do whatever he likes. In the 1970s, that untrammeled freedom destroyed Peter Bogdanovich. In the 1980s, it destroyed Michael Cimino. In 2006, M. Night Shyamalan reacted with rage when the Disney studio executives who had given him everything he wanted expressed bewilderment over a proposed project of his. Even though they said they would make the movie because they loved him and wanted to keep working with him, Shyamalan condemned them for the insult to his "individuality" and took Lady in the Water elsewhere. It was one of the worst movies ever made and the beginning of a cycle of Shyamalan disasters that lasted more than a decade.
Tenet is writer-director Christopher Nolan's Lady in the Water. It has an insanely complicated storyline Nolan seems unable or unwilling to clarify—unless it's that he's spent $200 million to design a puzzle he himself cannot solve and is therefore incapable of explaining it to us. Even more perversely, when the movie does offer expository plot points, they are often delivered by characters wearing masks that muffle their words or spoken by actors with thick accents you can barely make out.
As near as I could fathom, people in the future have been sending things back in time to the present—and in doing so, they've taught an evil Russian played by Kenneth Branagh how to reverse the forces of entropy.
What does this mean? You got me. In practice, it means that scary people and cars and boats and stuff move backward while the rest of the world moves forward. This apparently gives the bad guy a great advantage, though it's never clear exactly why villains want to un-shoot bullets, a thing that keeps happening in the movie. It's cool the first time you see it, not so cool the second time, and by the tenth time it's like, "Oh, look, another bullet hole that reverses itself, big freakin' deal."
A spy played by John David Washington is introduced to the world of entropy reversal, which seems to be code-named Tenet (I don't understand what Tenet is—an organization? a concept?—and neither will you). This comes after an opening scene depicting a Chechen-like siege at an opera house in Kiev. Why is Washington at the opera house in Kiev? We don't know. Why is there a siege there? We don't know. Next thing we do know, Washington is on a ship where he gets briefed on Tenet. Apparently this entropy reversal stuff could be worse than a global nuclear war. So Washington needs to get close to Kenneth Branagh—or so he's told by a lady arms dealer in Mumbai to whom Nolan gives most of the plot details but for whose dialogue he provides no subtitles. You thought Tom Hardy's Bane was hard to understand in The Dark Knight Rises? He was like Olivier enunciating Hamlet compared with the Indian lady.
There are fistfights between Washington going forward and a guy in a ninja costume going backward, which last forever but have nowhere near the impact of the scenes in Nolan's Inception where the characters literally climb the walls to punch each other. And no single use of time jumping has the same jolting effect as the moment in Nolan's Interstellar when Matthew McConaughey and his spaceship crew return after a 15-minute visit to a planet near a black hole to find their lone colleague left behind on the ship has been there by himself… for 23 years. And there's a bizarre battle scene with two squads of good guys, one going forward in time and the other going backward, fighting God knows who—which comes across as a bus-and-truck version of the chilling combat depicted in Nolan's Dunkirk.
As all these evocations of better Nolan productions past might suggest, Tenet is a profoundly self-indulgent piece of work in which Nolan consciously fetishizes his own previous oeuvre. Beginning with his breakthrough film, Memento, and on through Inception and Interstellar, Nolan has played with time—fracturing and elongating his narratives in often fascinating and novel ways. And when Dunkirk rolled around in 2017, Nolan chose to tell the real-life story of that seminal real-world event with three separate plotlines taking place over three separate time frames, with a set of characters going through the course of a week, another set over the course of a day, and a third solo character over the course of a single hour. Those were inventive. Tenet is a storytelling Edsel.
It may well be that, after 10 viewings, Tenet will unfold the glories of its temporal complexities for you like a bird of paradise springing into bloom. But even if it did, so what? A good version of Tenet wouldn't require repeat viewings just to get the story straight. Which is why Tenet is the bad version of Tenet. And why Nolan may have been lucky to have it open the way it did, as a potential savior of his entire industry—because in a conventional moviegoing year, I can assure you, the word of mouth on this utter stinkeroo would have led to it crashing and burning after a solid opening weekend. Now Nolan can lay the blame for the indifferent box office it will generate on a world-historical calamity, even as people who go to see it might say as they make their way to the parking lot, "You know what? I'm not sure I need to go to a movie theater any longer."


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Maine Dem Spiked Ethics Probe Into Partymate’s Teen Sex Abuse

Democratic Senate candidate Sara Gideon spiked an ethics probe into how she handled allegations that one of her Democratic colleagues in the state legislature sexually abused teen girls .
The speaker of the Maine House of Representatives rallied Democrats in 2018 to vote against an ethics investigation into how her office dealt with sexual misconduct allegations against Democratic state legislator Dillon Bates .
Paula Sutton , the Republican state legislator who called for the ethics probe , said that Gideon 's decision to oppose the investigation demonstrates that Gideon was more concerned about political expediency than protecting children .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transparency , and she voted it down , '' Sutton told the Washington Free Beacon .
`` They just want to crush the problem , because they 're afraid to deal with it .
It 's just a lack of courage—a complete lack of conviction and courage . ''
Gideon previously acknowledged that she heard rumors about Bates for months , but called for his resignation only after a news outlet reported about his alleged misconduct .
Neither Gideon nor Bates responded to requests for comment .
Bates , a former drama teacher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , allegedly groomed underaged girls to have inappropriate relationships with him , according to an anonymous victim cited by the Bollard , the monthly magazine that first broke the news in August 2018 .
Gideon demanded Bates 's resignation on the same day the Bollard story ran , and the disgraced legislator resigned two weeks later .
While Bates denied the allegations and the state never charged him with a crime , Maine 's Department of Education declined to renew his teaching license due to the allegations .
Gideon whipped almost all Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early September , dooming the ethics probe in the Democrat-controlled legislature .
While she herself did not vote on the probe , 64 out of 73 Democrats voted to kill it , while 8 more abstained .
Only one Democrat , who was not running for reelection , voted to implement an ethics probe .
`` I just think Gideon just did n't want to deal with it , '' Sutton said .
`` Once he resigned , it was over and done in their eyes , and they wanted to move on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misconduct scandal has emerged as a hot button issue in Gideon 's bid to replace GOP senator Susan Collins , who has represented the state since 1997 .
In a series of ads , Republicans have questioned why Gideon sat on the accusations for months without taking action , while Democrats have responded with their own TV spots portraying the Maine Democrat as the hero of the situation who called for Bates 's resignation .
`` As the mother of two sons and one daughter , I value our children 's safety more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a recent ad .
This is not the first time Gideon killed an ethics probe along party lines .
In 2017 , Gideon mobilized her caucus to shoot down an ethics probe into a Democratic legislator accused of conflict of interest .
Calls for ethics investigations were not always partisan affairs in Maine .
In 2007 , a Democratic house speaker called for an ethics investigation into a fellow Democrat who used his political position to avoid a firework citation .
Gideon has a track record of shooting down anti-child abuse legislations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days after Bates resigned , Gideon whipped votes to oppose a bill that would have imposed criminal penalties for mandated reporters—teachers , doctors , and professionals who work with kids—who did not report child abuse .
She also repeatedly rallied Democrats to oppose legislation to criminalize female genital mutilation , a practice that mostly victimizes immigrants and young girls of color .

Democratic Senate candidate Sara Gideon spiked an ethics probe into how she handled allegations that one of her Democratic colleagues in the state legislature sexually abused teen girls.
The speaker of the Maine House of Representatives rallied Democrats in 2018 to vote against an ethics investigation into how her office dealt with sexual misconduct allegations against Democratic state legislator Dillon Bates. Paula Sutton, the Republican state legislator who called for the ethics probe, said that Gideon's decision to oppose the investigation demonstrates that Gideon was more concerned about political expediency than protecting children.
"Sara Gideon had an opportunity for full transparency, and she voted it down," Sutton told the Washington Free Beacon. "They just want to crush the problem, because they're afraid to deal with it. It's just a lack of courage—a complete lack of conviction and courage."
Gideon previously acknowledged that she heard rumors about Bates for months, but called for his resignation only after a news outlet reported about his alleged misconduct. Neither Gideon nor Bates responded to requests for comment.
Bates, a former drama teacher and athletics coach at Maine high schools, allegedly groomed underaged girls to have inappropriate relationships with him, according to an anonymous victim cited by the Bollard, the monthly magazine that first broke the news in August 2018. Gideon demanded Bates's resignation on the same day the Bollard story ran, and the disgraced legislator resigned two weeks later. While Bates denied the allegations and the state never charged him with a crime, Maine's Department of Education declined to renew his teaching license due to the allegations.
Maine Democratic leaders knew about the allegations for months before the Bollard story's publication, but Gideon said she did not take action after Bates denied the allegations. A senior Maine Democratic aide offered a full-throttled defense of Bates to a different news outlet earlier that year, saying there was "absolutely no truth" to the allegations.
After Bates resigned in mid-August, Sutton called for an ethics probe specifically into how the Gideon office dealt with the sexual misconduct allegations. She hoped the probe would uncover whether Gidoen sought to cover up Bates's sexual misconduct for months, as well as give Bates a chance to exonerate himself in a public space.
Gideon whipped almost all Democrats into voting to table the motion in early September, dooming the ethics probe in the Democrat-controlled legislature. While she herself did not vote on the probe, 64 out of 73 Democrats voted to kill it, while 8 more abstained. Only one Democrat, who was not running for reelection, voted to implement an ethics probe.
"I just think Gideon just didn't want to deal with it," Sutton said. "Once he resigned, it was over and done in their eyes, and they wanted to move on to other things."
The sexual misconduct scandal has emerged as a hot button issue in Gideon's bid to replace GOP senator Susan Collins, who has represented the state since 1997. In a series of ads, Republicans have questioned why Gideon sat on the accusations for months without taking action, while Democrats have responded with their own TV spots portraying the Maine Democrat as the hero of the situation who called for Bates's resignation.
"As the mother of two sons and one daughter, I value our children's safety more than anything else," Gideon said in a recent ad.
This is not the first time Gideon killed an ethics probe along party lines. In 2017, Gideon mobilized her caucus to shoot down an ethics probe into a Democratic legislator accused of conflict of interest. Calls for ethics investigations were not always partisan affairs in Maine. In 2007, a Democratic house speaker called for an ethics investigation into a fellow Democrat who used his political position to avoid a firework citation.
Gideon has a track record of shooting down anti-child abuse legislations in the state house. Just 10 days after Bates resigned, Gideon whipped votes to oppose a bill that would have imposed criminal penalties for mandated reporters—teachers, doctors, and professionals who work with kids—who did not report child abuse. She also repeatedly rallied Democrats to oppose legislation to criminalize female genital mutilation, a practice that mostly victimizes immigrants and young girls of color.
Gideon is running in a highly competitive race against Collins that could determine the Senate majority beginning in 2021. The Democrat holds a 4.5-point lead, according to Real Clear Politics.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--VIDEO: CNN Host or Biden Surrogate?

VIDEO: CNN Host or Biden Surrogate?

David Rutz is senior writer at the Washington Free Beacon .
He was previously a sports reporter for two years @ @ @ @ @ freelance sports reporting for the Washington Post .
He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2010 @ @ @ @ @ Ga. His Twitter handle is @ DavidRutz .
He can be reached at rutz @ @ @

CNN's "nonpartisan" dayside hosts can be difficult to distinguish from Joe Biden and his campaign surrogates.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--After Bostock, Courts Chip Away at Single-Sex Spaces in Schools

Federal courts across the country are already leveraging June 's LGBT rights decision to change bathroom access rules and allow transgender athletes to participate in women 's sports .
Relying on the Supreme Court 's surprise ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County , which barred workplace discrimination against gay and transgender people , two federal appeals courts covering eight states sided with transgender students challenging bathroom access policies , while a federal judge in Idaho struck down a state law restricting women 's sports to biological females .
Those panels say that the High Court 's analysis in Bostock applies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights laws , not just those governing the workplace .
The decisions suggest a rapid acceleration of cultural disputes over sex , privacy , and equality in schools .
With the force of federal courts increasingly behind transgender students , and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden promising a trans-friendly educational directive on his first day in office , LGBT activists and plaintiffs are accomplishing wide-ranging if little-noticed victories that could permanently alter the character of public schools .
At issue in Bostock was the meaning of an employment non-discrimination law , Title VII @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law forbids discrimination `` because of sex . ''
The question for the justices was whether it also forbids discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity .
The majority , led by Justice Neil Gorsuch , said that it does .
Gorsuch wrote that it is `` impossible '' to discriminate against LGBT workers without discriminating in some way `` because of sex . ''
In dissent , Justice Samuel Alito warned that over 100 federal statutes similarly ban discrimination `` because of sex . ''
One of those statutes is Title @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools .
The Court 's logic in Bostock would doubtless apply to a Title IX lawsuit featuring trans students and bathrooms segregated by biological sex , Alito predicted .
`` The Court provides no clue why a transgender person 's claim to such bathroom or locker room access might not succeed '' under Title IX , the justice wrote .
At the time , several such lawsuits were already underway .
In Virginia , a recently graduated high school student named Gavin Grimm had been fighting a Gloucester County school board directive on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board 's policy required students with `` gender identity issues '' to use either separate bathrooms—like those in a school nurse 's office—or the bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex .
Grimm , a transgender male , preferred to use the men 's restroom and had done so before the board 's policy took effect .
Grimm sued the school board in 2015 under Title IX and the Constitution .
A three-judge panel of the Fourth U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the board on Aug. 26 .
`` After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ v. Clayton County , we have little difficulty holding that a bathroom policy precluding Grimm from using the boys ' restrooms discriminated against him ‘ on the basis of sex , ' '' Judge Henry Floyd wrote .
In a short rhetorical flourish at the end of the decision , Floyd placed the case in a line of disputes beginning with Dred Scott v. Sandford , the 1857 Supreme Court ruling that denied citizenship to African Americans .
Just three weeks earlier on Aug. 7 , the 11th U.S .
Circuit Court of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a trans male student in Florida .
As in the Grimm case , administrators asked Adams to use either the ladies ' room or a gender-neutral bathroom in the school office .
Adams sued .
A federal judge in Idaho likewise cited Bostock when he put on hold a state law—the Fairness in Women 's Sports Act—that restricts women 's athletic leagues to biological females .
The Trump administration filed a brief supporting the law , arguing that the Constitution lets Idaho account for the `` average physiological differences between the biological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nye said the government 's position is `` of questionable validity '' in light of Bostock .
Nonetheless , the government has continued to advance a narrow view of the decision .
In an Aug. 31 letter , the Education Department 's Office for Civil Rights said Bostock is n't relevant to an ongoing dispute over the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference 's decision to let certain biological males participate in women 's sports on account of their gender identity .
The Alliance Defending Freedom , a conservative cause lawyering group , is challenging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ OCR to investigate .
`` The U.S. Supreme Court 's recent decision concerning a completely separate law can not be manipulated to mean that girls should be reduced to spectators in their own sports , '' ADF lawyer Christiana Holcomb said in a statement following the release of the Education Department 's letter .
While acknowledging some similarities between Title VII and Title IX , administration lawyers emphasized that Title IX serves a fundamentally unique goal—protecting girls and ensuring equal athletic opportunities for women .
Forcing women 's athletic leagues to accept transgender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the letter warned .
The ADF says the results of Connecticut 's policy make that point plain .
After the conference let biological males compete with women in 2016 , two trans track and field competitors won 15 statewide titles that were previously shared among nine athletes and displaced dozens of others from positions in postseason heats .
`` It is starkly contrary to the terms , spirit , and goals of Title IX to tolerate a policy which … deprives a girl of an opportunity to participate in elite competition which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaint reads .

Federal courts across the country are already leveraging June's LGBT rights decision to change bathroom access rules and allow transgender athletes to participate in women's sports.
Relying on the Supreme Court's surprise ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which barred workplace discrimination against gay and transgender people, two federal appeals courts covering eight states sided with transgender students challenging bathroom access policies, while a federal judge in Idaho struck down a state law restricting women's sports to biological females. Those panels say that the High Court's analysis in Bostock applies to a wide range of federal civil rights laws, not just those governing the workplace.
The decisions suggest a rapid acceleration of cultural disputes over sex, privacy, and equality in schools. With the force of federal courts increasingly behind transgender students, and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden promising a trans-friendly educational directive on his first day in office, LGBT activists and plaintiffs are accomplishing wide-ranging if little-noticed victories that could permanently alter the character of public schools.
At issue in Bostock was the meaning of an employment non-discrimination law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. That law forbids discrimination "because of sex." The question for the justices was whether it also forbids discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity. The majority, led by Justice Neil Gorsuch, said that it does. Gorsuch wrote that it is "impossible" to discriminate against LGBT workers without discriminating in some way "because of sex."
In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito warned that over 100 federal statutes similarly ban discrimination "because of sex." One of those statutes is Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in schools. The Court's logic in Bostock would doubtless apply to a Title IX lawsuit featuring trans students and bathrooms segregated by biological sex, Alito predicted.
"The Court provides no clue why a transgender person's claim to such bathroom or locker room access might not succeed" under Title IX, the justice wrote.
At the time, several such lawsuits were already underway. In Virginia, a recently graduated high school student named Gavin Grimm had been fighting a Gloucester County school board directive on bathroom access for five years. The board's policy required students with "gender identity issues" to use either separate bathrooms—like those in a school nurse's office—or the bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex. Grimm, a transgender male, preferred to use the men's restroom and had done so before the board's policy took effect.
Grimm sued the school board in 2015 under Title IX and the Constitution. A three-judge panel of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the board on Aug. 26.
"After the Supreme Court's recent decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, we have little difficulty holding that a bathroom policy precluding Grimm from using the boys' restrooms discriminated against him 'on the basis of sex,'" Judge Henry Floyd wrote.
In a short rhetorical flourish at the end of the decision, Floyd placed the case in a line of disputes beginning with Dred Scott v. Sandford, the 1857 Supreme Court ruling that denied citizenship to African Americans.
Just three weeks earlier on Aug. 7, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Drew Adams, a trans male student in Florida. As in the Grimm case, administrators asked Adams to use either the ladies' room or a gender-neutral bathroom in the school office. Adams sued.
A federal judge in Idaho likewise cited Bostock when he put on hold a state law—the Fairness in Women's Sports Act—that restricts women's athletic leagues to biological females. The Trump administration filed a brief supporting the law, arguing that the Constitution lets Idaho account for the "average physiological differences between the biological sexes." U.S. District Judge David Nye said the government's position is "of questionable validity" in light of Bostock.
Nonetheless, the government has continued to advance a narrow view of the decision. In an Aug. 31 letter, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights said Bostock isn't relevant to an ongoing dispute over the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference's decision to let certain biological males participate in women's sports on account of their gender identity. The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative cause lawyering group, is challenging Connecticut's practices in court and asked OCR to investigate.
"The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision concerning a completely separate law cannot be manipulated to mean that girls should be reduced to spectators in their own sports," ADF lawyer Christiana Holcomb said in a statement following the release of the Education Department's letter.
While acknowledging some similarities between Title VII and Title IX, administration lawyers emphasized that Title IX serves a fundamentally unique goal—protecting girls and ensuring equal athletic opportunities for women. Forcing women's athletic leagues to accept transgender competitors would defeat Title IX's purpose, the letter warned.
The ADF says the results of Connecticut's policy make that point plain. After the conference let biological males compete with women in 2016, two trans track and field competitors won 15 statewide titles that were previously shared among nine athletes and displaced dozens of others from positions in postseason heats.
"It is starkly contrary to the terms, spirit, and goals of Title IX to tolerate a policy which ... deprives a girl of an opportunity to participate in elite competition which she has rightfully earned," the complaint reads.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Top NYC Official Slams De Blasio Over Budget Cuts in Resignation Letter

A top official in New York City mayor Bill de Blasio 's administration slammed the Democratic mayor 's massive citywide budget cuts in a resignation letter Tuesday .
Sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia , who has led the department since 2014 , said de Blasio 's decision to slash her department 's budget by more than $ 100 million this summer was `` unconscionable . ''
`` At a time when protecting public health service is of the essence , cutting basic sanitation services is unconscionable , '' Garcia said in her letter .
`` If , as is often said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , my values require me to resign in the face of these cuts , which will harm New Yorkers . ''
The new budget , which took effect July 1 , also cut 400 positions from Garcia 's department and forced the sanitation department to reduce city trash can pickups by 60 percent .
In June , the mayor also cut $ 1 billion in funding for the New York Police Department in response to protesters who have spent the summer pushing local governments to reform and defund the police .
Garcia announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor for health and human services Dr. Raul Perea-Henze , who told the Wall Street Journal that he 's stepping down to spend more time with his family .
Perea-Henze , an Obama administration alum , took a leading role in the city 's response to the coronavirus pandemic , which began earlier this year .
In a July op-ed in USA Today , Perea-Henze admitted the city was `` caught off guard '' by the onset of the pandemic and `` lost valuable time '' in fighting the virus .

A top official in New York City mayor Bill de Blasio's administration slammed the Democratic mayor's massive citywide budget cuts in a resignation letter Tuesday.
Sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia, who has led the department since 2014, said de Blasio's decision to slash her department's budget by more than $100 million this summer was "unconscionable."
"At a time when protecting public health service is of the essence, cutting basic sanitation services is unconscionable," Garcia said in her letter. "If, as is often said, budgets are a statement of values, my values require me to resign in the face of these cuts, which will harm New Yorkers."
The new budget, which took effect July 1, also cut 400 positions from Garcia's department and forced the sanitation department to reduce city trash can pickups by 60 percent.
In June, the mayor also cut $1 billion in funding for the New York Police Department in response to protesters who have spent the summer pushing local governments to reform and defund the police.
Garcia announced her resignation the same day as deputy mayor for health and human services Dr. Raul Perea-Henze, who told the Wall Street Journal that he's stepping down to spend more time with his family. Perea-Henze, an Obama administration alum, took a leading role in the city's response to the coronavirus pandemic, which began earlier this year. In a July op-ed in USA Today, Perea-Henze admitted the city was "caught off guard" by the onset of the pandemic and "lost valuable time" in fighting the virus.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Biden Said 6,114 Military Service Members Died From Covid. The Real Number Is 7.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden inflated the number of U.S. military service members who have died from coronavirus by a @ @ @ @ @ `` Military COVID infected : 118,984 .
Military COVID deaths : 6,114 .
Folks , @ @ @ @ @ mattered , '' Biden said at a rally in Warren , Mich .
He did @ @ @ @ @ the 6,114 number , but it is off by 6,107 , according to the Department @ @ @ @ @ The number of military deaths is seven and the number of combined deaths between military @ @ @ @ @ and contractor Department of Defense employees is 90 .
The department has also experienced a @ @ @ @ @ infections , with just over 1,240 hospitalizations .
Biden read the number off of what @ @ @ @ @ schedule '' that he carries with the number of troops who have died or been @ @ @ @ @ , along with daily updates on coronavirus case and death counts in United States and @ @ @ @ @ CNN national security reporter Ryan Browne called attention to the error on Twitter .

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden inflated the number of U.S. military service members who have died from coronavirus by a factor of approximately 1,000.
"Military COVID infected: 118,984. Military COVID deaths: 6,114. Folks, every one of these lives mattered," Biden said at a rally in Warren, Mich.
He did not cite a source for the 6,114 number, but it is off by 6,107, according to the Department of Defense's website. The number of military deaths is seven and the number of combined deaths between military, civilian, dependent, and contractor Department of Defense employees is 90.
The department has also experienced a total of more than 58,000 infections, with just over 1,240 hospitalizations.
Biden read the number off of what he said was a "schedule" that he carries with the number of troops who have died or been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with daily updates on coronavirus case and death counts in United States and among the U.S. military.
CNN national security reporter Ryan Browne called attention to the error on Twitter.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--University of Michigan Apologizes for Apparent Segregation of Student Events

The University of Michigan has apologized for its framing of two online events that appeared to have been segregated by race , saying their initial descriptions were misleading .
The University of Michigan satellite campus in Dearborn , Mich. , held two cafe-style seminars , one for white students and another for students of color .
Both seminars , hosted by the Center for Social Justice and Inclusion , were billed as a space for students to discuss their experience as a given racial identity on campus .
One was entitled `` BIPOC Cafe '' and the other `` Non-POC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the same time .
The school now claims that neither event was intended to exclude individuals of any race .
`` UM-Dearborn sincerely regrets the terms used to describe the ‘ cafe ' events held on September 8 , '' a UM-Dearborn spokeswoman told the Washington Free Beacon .
`` The terms used to describe these virtual events and descriptions themselves were not clear and not reflective of the university 's commitment to diversity , equity , and inclusion . ''
According to the university , the event for students of color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space for students from marginalized communities to discuss their experiences on campus .
The event for white students was intended to deepen their understanding of race and racism `` without harming or relying on students of color to educate them . ''
After a tweet noted the events ' segregated appearance , the university took down public access to the event page and published an apology letter .
The school 's Center for Social Justice and Inclusion did not respond to requests for comment .

The University of Michigan has apologized for its framing of two online events that appeared to have been segregated by race, saying their initial descriptions were misleading.
The University of Michigan satellite campus in Dearborn, Mich., held two cafe-style seminars, one for white students and another for students of color. Both seminars, hosted by the Center for Social Justice and Inclusion, were billed as a space for students to discuss their experience as a given racial identity on campus. One was entitled "BIPOC Cafe" and the other "Non-POC Cafe." Both events took place at the same time.
The school now claims that neither event was intended to exclude individuals of any race.
"UM-Dearborn sincerely regrets the terms used to describe the 'cafe' events held on September 8," a UM-Dearborn spokeswoman told the Washington Free Beacon. "The terms used to describe these virtual events and descriptions themselves were not clear and not reflective of the university's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion."
According to the university, the event for students of color was originally intended to provide a meeting space for students from marginalized communities to discuss their experiences on campus. The event for white students was intended to deepen their understanding of race and racism "without harming or relying on students of color to educate them."
After a tweet noted the events' segregated appearance, the university took down public access to the event page and published an apology letter.
The school's Center for Social Justice and Inclusion did not respond to requests for comment.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Arab League Refuses Palestinian Call to Rebuke UAE-Israel Deal

The Arab League denied Palestinian pleas to condemn the recent peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel , the Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday .
During a video meeting between league members , Palestinian Authority officials argued the normalization between the UAE and Israel violated previous agreements between the Arab states .
No Arab country supported the position , however , and Arab League secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the league remains committed to the organization 's 2002 Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal .
`` The Arab Peace Initiative , which was adopted by the Arab summit in 2002 , remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Arabs to achieve a lasting , just , and comprehensive peace between Arabs and Israel , '' he said Wednesday .
Palestinian officials expressed frustration with the growing distance between the Palestinian Authority and several other Arab states .
`` We have even become the troublemakers , '' said Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki .
In the days before the meeting , Palestinian officials , fearing isolation over their hardline approach , reportedly toned down their hostility toward the peace agreement in their draft condemnation .
The proposal `` does not include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against , the Emirates over the U.S.-brokered deal , '' according to Reuters .
Arab League member Bahrain is reportedly expected to sign its own Washington-brokered peace deal with Israel in the coming months , and Muslim-majority Kosovo moved to normalize relations with Israel last week .
Trump administration officials are ultimately aiming for a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia to counter against Iran 's destabilizing posture in the Middle East .

The Arab League denied Palestinian pleas to condemn the recent peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday.
During a video meeting between league members, Palestinian Authority officials argued the normalization between the UAE and Israel violated previous agreements between the Arab states. No Arab country supported the position, however, and Arab League secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the league remains committed to the organization's 2002 Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal.
"The Arab Peace Initiative, which was adopted by the Arab summit in 2002, remains the basic plan and platform agreed upon by the Arabs to achieve a lasting, just, and comprehensive peace between Arabs and Israel," he said Wednesday.
Palestinian officials expressed frustration with the growing distance between the Palestinian Authority and several other Arab states.
"We have even become the troublemakers," said Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.
In the days before the meeting, Palestinian officials, fearing isolation over their hardline approach, reportedly toned down their hostility toward the peace agreement in their draft condemnation. The proposal "does not include a call to condemn, or act against, the Emirates over the U.S.-brokered deal," according to Reuters.
Arab League member Bahrain is reportedly expected to sign its own Washington-brokered peace deal with Israel in the coming months, and Muslim-majority Kosovo moved to normalize relations with Israel last week. Trump administration officials are ultimately aiming for a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia to counter against Iran's destabilizing posture in the Middle East.


Rule or Riot

If the idea of a November spent hunkered down at home with mass protests and violence again roiling the streets sounds appealing , do n't worry : The left has a plan for that .
A coalition of influential progressive groups—including the SEIU , AFT , Color of Change , Indivisible , MoveOn , and Demos—is organizing , the Daily Beast reports , for `` mass public unrest '' : `` Occupy shit , hold space , and shut things down , not just on Election Day but for weeks . ''
Only a fool would think that this `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a summer that 's seen over 500 riots across the nation .
In 2000 we had the Brooks Brothers riot ; in 2020 , Democrats are promising the real deal .
There 's a reason these `` secret '' plans were revealed in painstaking detail to a sympathetic outlet , one that would repeat fever dreams about `` MAGA violence after election day . ''
It 's the latest example of the left 's campaign of extortion : If you want the protesting , rioting , and murder wave to end , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden a landslide .
The organizations claim to be preparing for an election `` without a clear outcome , '' or the possibility that President Donald Trump refuses to concede .
Of course , they have also worked to assure an ambiguous election night by pressing for a massive , disorganized switch to mail-in voting , even as public health experts say in-person voting is as safe as grocery shopping .
Both the promised unrest and the scaremongering over the possibility Trump will not concede are part of the same drumbeat that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years : Trump , and indeed the entire GOP , are not just bad but illegitimate .
That 's why talking heads keep repeating the long-debunked claim that Russia handed Trump the White House ; why prominent Democrats pretend Stacey Abrams is the governor of Georgia ; why Biden-aligned postal unions invented a crisis at the Post Office ; why Hillary Clinton has told Joe Biden not to concede .
And of course it ’ s why Democrats are so invested in convincing voters that Trump and his white supremacist army are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democrats involved in this ludicrous exercise plot just that—the story concludes with a hypothetical Biden campaign call for the secession of West Coast states should Trump prevail in the Electoral College while losing the popular vote .
That would be an act of treason just as surely as it was 160 years ago .
The ( vanishingly small ) possibility that Trump refuses to leave the White House if he loses is irrelevant .
The person that the Electoral College—or , in the event of a tie , the House of Representatives—selects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Should he lose the election , at noon on January 20 , 2021 , Trump would turn into a pest for the Secret Service to escort off the property .
Our constitutional system is well-designed for such an orderly proceeding .
But Democrats have every reason to gin up this and other `` election day nightmares , '' because their electoral strategy is to use these as an excuse to threaten more rioting in the streets—whatever they need to do to retake power .
Reasonable patriots should not be afraid to call this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by insurgent ideological groups to threaten and intimidate their way to victory .
Such conduct , such a campaign to cow the populace into scared submission , is nothing less than electoral terrorism .
And Americans should not bend an inch .

If the idea of a November spent hunkered down at home with mass protests and violence again roiling the streets sounds appealing, don't worry: The left has a plan for that.
A coalition of influential progressive groups—including the SEIU, AFT, Color of Change, Indivisible, MoveOn, and Demos—is organizing, the Daily Beast reports, for "mass public unrest": "Occupy shit, hold space, and shut things down, not just on Election Day but for weeks."
Only a fool would think that this "nonviolent civil disobedience" will stay nonviolent after a summer that's seen over 500 riots across the nation. In 2000 we had the Brooks Brothers riot; in 2020, Democrats are promising the real deal.
There's a reason these "secret" plans were revealed in painstaking detail to a sympathetic outlet, one that would repeat fever dreams about "MAGA violence after election day." It's the latest example of the left's campaign of extortion: If you want the protesting, rioting, and murder wave to end, all you have to do is hand Joe Biden a landslide.
The organizations claim to be preparing for an election "without a clear outcome," or the possibility that President Donald Trump refuses to concede. Of course, they have also worked to assure an ambiguous election night by pressing for a massive, disorganized switch to mail-in voting, even as public health experts say in-person voting is as safe as grocery shopping.
Both the promised unrest and the scaremongering over the possibility Trump will not concede are part of the same drumbeat that Democrats have marched to over the past four years: Trump, and indeed the entire GOP, are not just bad but illegitimate.
That's why talking heads keep repeating the long-debunked claim that Russia handed Trump the White House; why prominent Democrats pretend Stacey Abrams is the governor of Georgia; why Biden-aligned postal unions invented a crisis at the Post Office; why Hillary Clinton has told Joe Biden not to concede.
And of course it’s why Democrats are so invested in convincing voters that Trump and his white supremacist army are preparing a coup d'état, even as the Democrats involved in this ludicrous exercise plot just that—the story concludes with a hypothetical Biden campaign call for the secession of West Coast states should Trump prevail in the Electoral College while losing the popular vote. That would be an act of treason just as surely as it was 160 years ago.
The (vanishingly small) possibility that Trump refuses to leave the White House if he loses is irrelevant. The person that the Electoral College—or, in the event of a tie, the House of Representatives—selects as president will become the president. Should he lose the election, at noon on January 20, 2021, Trump would turn into a pest for the Secret Service to escort off the property. Our constitutional system is well-designed for such an orderly proceeding.
But Democrats have every reason to gin up this and other "election day nightmares," because their electoral strategy is to use these as an excuse to threaten more rioting in the streets—whatever they need to do to retake power.
Reasonable patriots should not be afraid to call this behavior what it is: a campaign by insurgent ideological groups to threaten and intimidate their way to victory. Such conduct, such a campaign to cow the populace into scared submission, is nothing less than electoral terrorism. And Americans should not bend an inch.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--U.N. Secretary General Blames Coronavirus on the Patriarchy

The United Nations secretary general said the global coronavirus pandemic was the result of `` millennia of patriarchy . ''
`` The pandemic is only demonstrating what we all know : that millennia of patriarchy have resulted in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture which damages everyone—women , men , girls , and boys , '' U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an August 31 speech shared by the official U.N. Twitter account this weekend .
`` We must also emerge from this crisis with women ’ s equal leadership and representation , '' Guterres added in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen a growing recognition in the media and through academic research highlighting what we have known anecdotally for years : that women leaders are extremely effective .
Women heads of state , ministers of health , health workers and community leaders are winning widespread recognition for their empathy , compassion , communication , and evidence-based decision-making . ''
The United Nations and many of its subsidiary organizations support programs that benefit countries with long records of violating women 's rights .
China—a country that the U.N. 's World Health Organization defended vehemently in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the worst abusers of women ’ s rights in the world .
Women from minority ethnic groups in China have been subject to forced abortion , rape , and infanticide .
And China ’ s one-child and two-child policies in recent decades have led to an en masse `` gendercide , '' or the mass-scale abortion and elimination of female Chinese children .
`` There are tens of millions of missing girls in China today , '' Rep. Chris Smith ( R. , N.J. ) said in a 2016 congressional hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Beijing 's cruel and barbaric child limitation policies and cultural preference for boys . ''
Accordingly , China is a hotspot for serial sex and even bride trafficking of women , especially those abducted from neighboring parts of Southeast Asia .
China faces a looming demographic crisis in which millions of young men will be unable to find a spouse .
The United Nations Population Fund ( UNFP ) —which the Trump administration halted support for in 2017 and the Democratic platform calls for rejoining—assists in Chinese population control that disproportionately harms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues to partner with the [ Chinese government ] on family planning , and thus can be found to support , or participate in the management of China 's coercive policies , '' a 2017 Department of State brief reads .

The United Nations secretary general said the global coronavirus pandemic was the result of "millennia of patriarchy."
"The pandemic is only demonstrating what we all know: that millennia of patriarchy have resulted in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture which damages everyone—women, men, girls, and boys," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an August 31 speech shared by the official U.N. Twitter account this weekend.
"We must also emerge from this crisis with women’s equal leadership and representation," Guterres added in his speech. "The past months have seen a growing recognition in the media and through academic research highlighting what we have known anecdotally for years: that women leaders are extremely effective. Women heads of state, ministers of health, health workers and community leaders are winning widespread recognition for their empathy, compassion, communication, and evidence-based decision-making."
The United Nations and many of its subsidiary organizations support programs that benefit countries with long records of violating women's rights.
China—a country that the U.N.'s World Health Organization defended vehemently in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic—is one of the worst abusers of women’s rights in the world. Women from minority ethnic groups in China have been subject to forced abortion, rape, and infanticide. And China’s one-child and two-child policies in recent decades have led to an en masse "gendercide," or the mass-scale abortion and elimination of female Chinese children.
"There are tens of millions of missing girls in China today," Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) said in a 2016 congressional hearing. "It is a predictable consequence of Beijing's cruel and barbaric child limitation policies and cultural preference for boys."
Accordingly, China is a hotspot for serial sex and even bride trafficking of women, especially those abducted from neighboring parts of Southeast Asia. China faces a looming demographic crisis in which millions of young men will be unable to find a spouse.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFP)—which the Trump administration halted support for in 2017 and the Democratic platform calls for rejoining—assists in Chinese population control that disproportionately harms women.
"The [UNFP] continues to partner with the [Chinese government] on family planning, and thus can be found to support, or participate in the management of China's coercive policies," a 2017 Department of State brief reads.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Trump Releases List of Potential Supreme Court Nominees

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced 20 additions to his list of prospective Supreme Court nominees , including Republican senators Ted Cruz ( Texas ) , Tom Cotton ( Ark . )
, and Josh Hawley ( Mo . )
as well as 8 Trump appointees on the federals appeals courts .
A source familiar with the process told the Washington Free Beacon that the list was curated primarily by White House staff with regular and extensive input from outside advisers .
The source added that the list is meant to highlight that the conservative legal establishment has a diverse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's announcement , made with an eye toward the November election , is meant to galvanize conservatives after halting progress in the promised revolution of jurisprudence Trump hawked in 2016 .
While legal conservatives have notched landmark victories on school choice , religious symbolism in public life , and the First Amendment , they have been attended by recent setbacks on LGBT rights and abortion .
Joe Biden has yet to issue his own list though he has promised to name a black woman to the Supreme Court , greatly narrowing the universe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resisted calls to identify specific judges he would consider for the High Court .
Trump said Wednesday that Biden must release a list , but speculated that he would n't because it would hurt his electability .
`` Joe Biden has refused to release his list , perhaps because he knows the names are so extremely far left that they could never withstand public scrutiny or receive acceptance , '' Trump said .
`` He must release a list of justices for people to properly make a decision as to how they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected officials on the list was the biggest surprise , and not all of them said they would be willing to accept if nominated .
Cotton said he was `` honored '' to be included on Trump 's list and `` will always heed the call of service '' to the country For his part , Hawley was quick to disclaim any interest in judicial service .
The Missouri Republican has criticized conservative leaders for dumping social issues on the bottom of their judicial agenda in recent months .
Hawley called for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Justice Neil Gorsuch , a Trump appointee , wrote a landmark LGBT rights decision in June .
`` As I told the president , Missourians elected me to fight for them in the Senate , and I have no interest in the High Court , '' Hawley tweeted after the announcement .
`` I look forward to confirming constitutional conservatives . ''
Whatever Hawley 's misgivings , conservative legal groups are keeping faith with the administration .
‘ By issuing his updated Supreme Court list today , President Trump is once again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American people — promising to pick Supreme Court justices who understand their crucial job in protecting us from government overreach and mob rule , '' said Mike Davis , president of the conservative Article III Project .
The new additions include : Sen. Ted Cruz ( R. , Texas ) Sen. Tom Cotton ( R. , Ark . )
Sen. Josh Hawley ( R. , Mo . )
Judge Bridget Bade , Ninth U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan , Fifth U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals Judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court of Appeals Judge Gregory Katsas , U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C .
Circuit Judge Barbara Lagoa , 11th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Peter Phipps , Third U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Allison Jones Rushing , Fourth U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Lawrence Van Dyke , Ninth U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sarah Pitlyk , U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Judge Martha Pacold , U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Justice Carlos Muniz , Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deputy White House counsel Kate Todd U.S .
Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau Former solicitor general Paul Clement Former solicitor general Noel Francisco Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced 20 additions to his list of prospective Supreme Court nominees, including Republican senators Ted Cruz (Texas), Tom Cotton (Ark.), and Josh Hawley (Mo.) as well as 8 Trump appointees on the federals appeals courts.
A source familiar with the process told the Washington Free Beacon that the list was curated primarily by White House staff with regular and extensive input from outside advisers. The source added that the list is meant to highlight that the conservative legal establishment has a diverse and well-credentialed bench of candidates.
Wednesday's announcement, made with an eye toward the November election, is meant to galvanize conservatives after halting progress in the promised revolution of jurisprudence Trump hawked in 2016. While legal conservatives have notched landmark victories on school choice, religious symbolism in public life, and the First Amendment, they have been attended by recent setbacks on LGBT rights and abortion. Joe Biden has yet to issue his own list though he has promised to name a black woman to the Supreme Court, greatly narrowing the universe of possibilities.
Biden has thus far resisted calls to identify specific judges he would consider for the High Court. Trump said Wednesday that Biden must release a list, but speculated that he wouldn't because it would hurt his electability. "Joe Biden has refused to release his list, perhaps because he knows the names are so extremely far left that they could never withstand public scrutiny or receive acceptance," Trump said. "He must release a list of justices for people to properly make a decision as to how they will vote." The inclusion of high-profile elected officials on the list was the biggest surprise, and not all of them said they would be willing to accept if nominated. Cotton said he was "honored" to be included on Trump's list and "will always heed the call of service" to the country For his part, Hawley was quick to disclaim any interest in judicial service. The Missouri Republican has criticized conservative leaders for dumping social issues on the bottom of their judicial agenda in recent months. Hawley called for a new beginning of the conservative legal movement after Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, wrote a landmark LGBT rights decision in June. "As I told the president, Missourians elected me to fight for them in the Senate, and I have no interest in the High Court," Hawley tweeted after the announcement. "I look forward to confirming constitutional conservatives." Whatever Hawley's misgivings, conservative legal groups are keeping faith with the administration. 'By issuing his updated Supreme Court list today, President Trump is once again putting his cards on the table for the American people -- promising to pick Supreme Court justices who understand their crucial job in protecting us from government overreach and mob rule," said Mike Davis, president of the conservative Article III Project.
The new additions include:
Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas)
Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.)
Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.)
Judge Bridget Bade, Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge James Ho, Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge Gregory Katsas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge Barbara Lagoa, 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge Peter Phipps, Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge Allison Jones Rushing, Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge Lawrence Van Dyke, Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge Sarah Pitlyk, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Judge Martha Pacold, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Justice Carlos Muniz, Florida Supreme Court
Assistant attorney general Steven Engel
Deputy White House counsel Kate Todd
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau
Former solicitor general Paul Clement
Former solicitor general Noel Francisco
Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Los Angeles Fines Church Challenging Coronavirus Restrictions

Los Angeles County fined the church locked in a legal struggle with the county $ 1,000 for allegedly misplacing signs regarding coronavirus guidelines .
The signs at Grace Community Church , which are required by local law , asked congregants not to enter the church if they had an elevated temperature , a cough , or flu-like symptoms .
The county , however , said the signs were not placed at both the front and the back of the building , and failed to order attendees to wear masks and socially distance while inside .
The fine is the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which filed a lawsuit against the county over restrictions on in-person worship .
Last month the county evicted the church from a parking lot that it had leased for decades .
Los Angeles County did not respond to a request for comment .
The fine , first reported on Todd Starnes 's radio show , was confirmed to the Free Beacon by Grace Community Church .
A judge ruled earlier this summer that the church is allowed to hold in-person worship while the constitutional questions surrounding the case are adjudicated .
Hearings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 , and the judge 's decision is expected by the end of next week .
Grace 's pastor , John MacArthur , said last month that there is no coronavirus pandemic and claimed that an accurate reading of CDC data shows fewer than 10,000 deaths from the disease .

Los Angeles County fined the church locked in a legal struggle with the county $1,000 for allegedly misplacing signs regarding coronavirus guidelines.
The signs at Grace Community Church, which are required by local law, asked congregants not to enter the church if they had an elevated temperature, a cough, or flu-like symptoms. The county, however, said the signs were not placed at both the front and the back of the building, and failed to order attendees to wear masks and socially distance while inside.
The fine is the latest in an ongoing battle with the church, which filed a lawsuit against the county over restrictions on in-person worship. Last month the county evicted the church from a parking lot that it had leased for decades.
Los Angeles County did not respond to a request for comment. The fine, first reported on Todd Starnes's radio show, was confirmed to the Free Beacon by Grace Community Church.
A judge ruled earlier this summer that the church is allowed to hold in-person worship while the constitutional questions surrounding the case are adjudicated. Hearings for the case were held on Sept. 4, and the judge's decision is expected by the end of next week.
Grace's pastor, John MacArthur, said last month that there is no coronavirus pandemic and claimed that an accurate reading of CDC data shows fewer than 10,000 deaths from the disease.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Dallas Police Chief Resigns After City Council Criticized Her Handling of Protests

Dallas police chief Ulysha Reneé Hall announced her resignation on Tuesday following criticism from the city council over her crackdown on violent protests in the city .
Dallas City Council bashed Hall in August after the Dallas Police Department released a report detailing its response to a massive protest in June , which included arresting more than 647 and using tear gas to quell riots .
While city council members said the incident damaged the community ’ s trust in police , Hall insisted the department ’ s approach to quelling the protest kept Dallas from being overtaken by riots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent protests , looting , injuries to officers .
We 're not seeing that , '' Hall said in August .
`` So for everything that we recognized that we could ’ ve done differently , I think we are not looking at things we did right . ''
In her resignation letter , Hall , the first black woman to serve as Dallas ’ s top cop , referenced challenges she ’ s faced reforming the police department during her three-year tenure .
`` We have accomplished so much by standing together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the way our officers perform their duties in 2020 .
It has not been easy , '' Hall wrote .
`` I am proud that this department has not only coped with an unthinkable series of events , but we have also managed to implement critical reforms that were clearly needed for the Dallas Police Department to meet our 21st Century Policing goals . ''
Many supporters have lauded Hall ’ s attempts to implement police reform .
She created a police oversight board and eliminated the department 's 72-hour rule , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their side of the story if they were involved in a police shooting .
Dallas ’ s Black Police Association president Terrance Hopkins said criticism brought against Hall was unwarranted and cited positive changes Hall fostered during her tenure .
`` We increased hiring .
We increased pay during tenure , '' Hopkins said .
`` So there ’ s a lot of good things that Chief Hall did for the City of Dallas . ''
Jesurobo Enobakhare , chairman of the police oversight board , described Hall ’ s leadership as `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief has done pretty much has been historic in the city of Dallas : supporting the oversight board , making it easier for residents to submit complaints , '' Enobakhare said .
`` Some may not have liked her methods .
Some may not have liked some of the decisions she made , but at the end of the day , she was fighting to change the way Dallas policing works . ''
Hall 's resignation is set to go into effect at the end of the year .
Hall is among a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resigned this summer following a wave of anti-police protests .
Erika Shields in Atlanta and Jami Resch in Portland both resigned in June .
And Carmen Best , Seattle ’ s first black female police chief , resigned at the beginning of September after sparring with the city council .

Dallas police chief Ulysha Reneé Hall announced her resignation on Tuesday following criticism from the city council over her crackdown on violent protests in the city.
Dallas City Council bashed Hall in August after the Dallas Police Department released a report detailing its response to a massive protest in June, which included arresting more than 647 and using tear gas to quell riots. While city council members said the incident damaged the community’s trust in police, Hall insisted the department’s approach to quelling the protest kept Dallas from being overtaken by riots.
"Other cities are still experiencing violent protests, looting, injuries to officers. We're not seeing that," Hall said in August. "So for everything that we recognized that we could’ve done differently, I think we are not looking at things we did right."
In her resignation letter, Hall, the first black woman to serve as Dallas’s top cop, referenced challenges she’s faced reforming the police department during her three-year tenure.
"We have accomplished so much by standing together in support of community policing and changes in the way our officers perform their duties in 2020. It has not been easy," Hall wrote. "I am proud that this department has not only coped with an unthinkable series of events, but we have also managed to implement critical reforms that were clearly needed for the Dallas Police Department to meet our 21st Century Policing goals."
Many supporters have lauded Hall’s attempts to implement police reform. She created a police oversight board and eliminated the department's 72-hour rule, which gave officers three days to tell their side of the story if they were involved in a police shooting.
Dallas’s Black Police Association president Terrance Hopkins said criticism brought against Hall was unwarranted and cited positive changes Hall fostered during her tenure.
"We increased hiring. We increased pay during tenure," Hopkins said. "So there’s a lot of good things that Chief Hall did for the City of Dallas."
Jesurobo Enobakhare, chairman of the police oversight board, described Hall’s leadership as "historic."
"Everything that this chief has done pretty much has been historic in the city of Dallas: supporting the oversight board, making it easier for residents to submit complaints," Enobakhare said. "Some may not have liked her methods. Some may not have liked some of the decisions she made, but at the end of the day, she was fighting to change the way Dallas policing works."
Hall's resignation is set to go into effect at the end of the year.
Hall is among a handful of female police chiefs who have resigned this summer following a wave of anti-police protests. Erika Shields in Atlanta and Jami Resch in Portland both resigned in June. And Carmen Best, Seattle’s first black female police chief, resigned at the beginning of September after sparring with the city council.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Official With Anti-Israel U.N. Group to Help Train BDS Activists in D.C.

An official with a United Nations body supported by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is scheduled to speak next week in Washington , D.C. , before a group of Israel boycott supporters , fueling questions about the organization ’ s continued promotion of anti-Israel causes .
Laila Mokhiber , communications director for the U.N .
Relief and Works Agency ’ s ( UNRWA ) U.S. office , is slated to appear Monday at an event sponsored by one of the foremost promoters of the Boycott , Sanctions , and Divestment ( BDS ) movement , which wages economic warfare on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participation in the event is generating concerns about the U.N. agency , which saw its funding cut by the Trump administration as a result of anti-Israel controversies .
Her attendance is evidence the group has made no effort to reform .
In stark contrast to the Trump administration 's policy , Biden in May vowed to restore more than $ 350 million to the group if elected .
Biden maintains the aid is necessary to boost the Palestinian government and entice it into serious negotiations with Israel on peace .
The conference is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course on legislative advocacy '' in the United States that seeks to train activists to lobby Congress on issues such as BDS and other anti-Israel priorities .
The host , American Muslims for Palestine ( AMP ) , is a leading BDS group that was formed by alleged Hamas supporters and former leaders of the Holy Land Foundation , a charity shuttered by the FBI in 2001 for acting as a fundraising front for the terrorist group Hamas .
Five officials from the Holy Land Foundation were indicted by a federal grand jury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UNRWA ’ s Mokhiber is currently scheduled to speak on a panel at the event focusing on the various issues activists should bring up in meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill .
Mokhiber did not respond to a Washington Free Beacon request for comment on her relationship with AMP and the BDS movement .
Biden 's pledge to restore UNRWA 's funding is at odds with his official platform , in which he says he will `` firmly reject the BDS movement … and fight other efforts to delegitimize Israel on the global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the campaign 's Jewish outreach director , Aaron Keyak , did not respond to requests for comment on the matter .
UNRWA was established to provide education and support to Palestinian refugees .
The Trump administration cut funding to the group in 2018 over its misuse of money and support for anti-Israel educational curricula in the Middle East .
Critics of the aid maintain that UNRWA perpetuates Palestinian victimhood and runs educational curricula rife with anti-Israel materials .
Further , UNRWA facilities have been tied to Hamas terrorists and have been used as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the elimination of U.S. payments , the State Department called UNRWA an `` irredeemably flawed operation . ''
Republican lawmakers have already expressed opposition to Biden ’ s UNRWA pledge .
Rep. Doug Lamborn ( R. , Colo. ) told the Jewish News Syndicate last week that Biden ’ s bid to restore UNRWA funding is `` unfortunate . ''
He said UNRWA is a `` force for negative results rather than a force for positive results . ''

An official with a United Nations body supported by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is scheduled to speak next week in Washington, D.C., before a group of Israel boycott supporters, fueling questions about the organization’s continued promotion of anti-Israel causes.
Laila Mokhiber, communications director for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) U.S. office, is slated to appear Monday at an event sponsored by one of the foremost promoters of the Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) movement, which wages economic warfare on Israel.
The UNRWA official’s participation in the event is generating concerns about the U.N. agency, which saw its funding cut by the Trump administration as a result of anti-Israel controversies. Her attendance is evidence the group has made no effort to reform. In stark contrast to the Trump administration's policy, Biden in May vowed to restore more than $350 million to the group if elected. Biden maintains the aid is necessary to boost the Palestinian government and entice it into serious negotiations with Israel on peace.
The conference is billed by organizers as "an in-depth course on legislative advocacy" in the United States that seeks to train activists to lobby Congress on issues such as BDS and other anti-Israel priorities. The host, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), is a leading BDS group that was formed by alleged Hamas supporters and former leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, a charity shuttered by the FBI in 2001 for acting as a fundraising front for the terrorist group Hamas. Five officials from the Holy Land Foundation were indicted by a federal grand jury for providing material support to Hamas.
UNRWA’s Mokhiber is currently scheduled to speak on a panel at the event focusing on the various issues activists should bring up in meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Mokhiber did not respond to a Washington Free Beacon request for comment on her relationship with AMP and the BDS movement.
An UNRWA USA official told the Free Beacon following publication of this article that it does "not advocate for BDS or any other political perspective or platform." Mokibher is participating in the event as a member of UNRWA USA's national committee, a non-profit organization separated from UNRWA. Her participation is "allowed for within the guidelines of acceptable activities," according to the spokesperson, who maintained the event will not call for support of the BDS movement.
Biden's pledge to restore UNRWA's funding is at odds with his official platform, in which he says he will "firmly reject the BDS movement ... and fight other efforts to delegitimize Israel on the global stage." A Biden spokesperson and the campaign's Jewish outreach director, Aaron Keyak, did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
UNRWA was established to provide education and support to Palestinian refugees. The Trump administration cut funding to the group in 2018 over its misuse of money and support for anti-Israel educational curricula in the Middle East. Critics of the aid maintain that UNRWA perpetuates Palestinian victimhood and runs educational curricula rife with anti-Israel materials. Further, UNRWA facilities have been tied to Hamas terrorists and have been used as bases for Hamas operations. In announcing the elimination of U.S. payments, the State Department called UNRWA an "irredeemably flawed operation."
Republican lawmakers have already expressed opposition to Biden’s UNRWA pledge.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R., Colo.) told the Jewish News Syndicate last week that Biden’s bid to restore UNRWA funding is "unfortunate." He said UNRWA is a "force for negative results rather than a force for positive results."
Update September 14, 3:56 p.m.: This post has been updated with information from an UNRWA spokesperson.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Kansas Senate Dem’s Charity of Choice: Planned Parenthood

Democratic Kansas Senate nominee Barbara Bollier told supporters that she and her husband made Planned Parenthood the first interest group they donated to long before her switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party .
While she has campaigned as a moderate , Bollier boasted to students at a virtual town hall on Sept. 1 that she is a lifelong supporter of the nation 's largest abortion provider .
`` If you go look at Planned Parenthood donors , you 're going to see , my husband and I when we were married , that was the first group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a video obtained by the Washington Free Beacon .
Bollier married her husband in the 1980s , according to her campaign website .
She has bolstered her pro-choice credentials during her time in office , earning praise from the abortion industry .
`` Planned Parenthood has given me their Voice for Choice award not once , but twice , as a Republican , '' she said .
Bollier is running against Republican candidate Roger Marshall to replace outgoing GOP senator Pat Roberts .
She began her political career in 2010 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before being elected as a Republican to the state Senate .
She switched her party registration at the end of 2018 from Republican to Democrat .
She blamed President Trump and the Kansas Republican Party 's stance on transgender issues for her switch .
Her comments reveal that she has long held liberal beliefs out of step with the state , according to Kansans for Life PAC manager Melissa Leach .
`` Barbara Bollier is an abortion fanatic whose record includes support for brutal live dismemberment and taxpayer-funded abortion , '' Leach told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposed a measure to ensure clinics can not perform abortions on minor girls without parental knowledge .
No matter her affiliation , she puts the abortion industry above all else . ''
Bollier 's campaign did not respond to an email request for comment .

Democratic Kansas Senate nominee Barbara Bollier told supporters that she and her husband made Planned Parenthood the first interest group they donated to long before her switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
While she has campaigned as a moderate, Bollier boasted to students at a virtual town hall on Sept. 1 that she is a lifelong supporter of the nation's largest abortion provider.
"If you go look at Planned Parenthood donors, you're going to see, my husband and I when we were married, that was the first group that we gave to," she said in a video obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. Bollier married her husband in the 1980s, according to her campaign website. She has bolstered her pro-choice credentials during her time in office, earning praise from the abortion industry.
"Planned Parenthood has given me their Voice for Choice award not once, but twice, as a Republican," she said.
Bollier is running against Republican candidate Roger Marshall to replace outgoing GOP senator Pat Roberts. She began her political career in 2010 and served in the Kansas House of Representatives before being elected as a Republican to the state Senate. She switched her party registration at the end of 2018 from Republican to Democrat. She blamed President Trump and the Kansas Republican Party's stance on transgender issues for her switch. Her comments reveal that she has long held liberal beliefs out of step with the state, according to Kansans for Life PAC manager Melissa Leach.
"Barbara Bollier is an abortion fanatic whose record includes support for brutal live dismemberment and taxpayer-funded abortion," Leach told the Free Beacon. "She even opposed a measure to ensure clinics cannot perform abortions on minor girls without parental knowledge. No matter her affiliation, she puts the abortion industry above all else."
Bollier's campaign did not respond to an email request for comment.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Portland Police Arrest Dem Staffer During Riot

Police arrested a top Democratic staffer in Oregon 's state legislature this weekend for interfering with a police officer during the Portland riots .
The police arrested Kristina Narayan , who is legislative director for the top Democrat in Oregon 's House of Representatives , along with 58 others during a riot that began Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning , according to a Portland Police Bureau report .
Narayan has worked for House Speaker Tina Kotek since 2016 .
On Saturday , officers blocked a crowd marching toward the East Portland Community Policing Center .
Police declared a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a firebomb toward officers , which set fire to a member of the community .
The rioters continued to throw rocks , fireworks , and mortars toward the officers .
Nearly 150 calls to Portland police were left on hold Saturday night as the riot forced local police officers to abandon their patrol and help control the violence .
Oregon State Police were also on the scene .
Kotek 's office did not respond to a request for comment .
Protests in Portland began in late May following the police-involved death of George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 100 days .
Leaders on both the right and the left have condemned the Portland City Council and Mayor Ted Wheeler ( D. ) for `` endorsing '' the riots and destruction .

Police arrested a top Democratic staffer in Oregon's state legislature this weekend for interfering with a police officer during the Portland riots.
The police arrested Kristina Narayan, who is legislative director for the top Democrat in Oregon's House of Representatives, along with 58 others during a riot that began Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning, according to a Portland Police Bureau report. Narayan has worked for House Speaker Tina Kotek since 2016.
On Saturday, officers blocked a crowd marching toward the East Portland Community Policing Center. Police declared a riot after somebody in the crowd threw a firebomb toward officers, which set fire to a member of the community. The rioters continued to throw rocks, fireworks, and mortars toward the officers.
Nearly 150 calls to Portland police were left on hold Saturday night as the riot forced local police officers to abandon their patrol and help control the violence. Oregon State Police were also on the scene.
Kotek's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Protests in Portland began in late May following the police-involved death of George Floyd and have continued nightly for more than 100 days. Leaders on both the right and the left have condemned the Portland City Council and Mayor Ted Wheeler (D.) for "endorsing" the riots and destruction.


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Uighurs Accuse China of Genocide in International Court

Two Uighur organizations accused China of genocide and crimes against humanity in international court , NBC News reported Wednesday .
The two organizations—the East Turkistan Government in Exile and the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement—have retained human-rights lawyers based in London and the Hague to make the case for Chinese prosecution in the International Criminal Court .
The complaint marks the first time Uighurs have used an international court to combat China 's abuses against the ethnic group .
Compiling more than 20 accounts from survivors of Uighur labor camps , the legal team hopes to take aim at approximately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Chinese president Xi Jinping .
The Uighur population in Xinjiang—a province in western China—totals roughly 11.7 million , according to Chinese government figures .
At least one million Uighurs are detained in forced labor camps , where Chinese authorities forcibly sterilize and torture the ethnic Muslims .
The new complaint in the international court follows the Trump administration 's recent actions to fight Chinese human-rights abuses , including the passage of the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act in June and efforts to cut U.S. funds to United Nations programs that work with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report , the administration 's Commission on Unalienable Rights singled out China as a particularly pernicious abuser of individual liberty and religious freedom .
`` Where the previous administration and many other world leaders delivered speeches and empty rhetoric , President Trump has taken bold action , '' National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot told the Washington Free Beacon last month .
`` President Trump 's policies have demonstrated that every person—the born and unborn , the poor , the downcast , the disabled , the infirm , and the elderly—has inherent value @ @

Two Uighur organizations accused China of genocide and crimes against humanity in international court, NBC News reported Wednesday.
The two organizations—the East Turkistan Government in Exile and the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement—have retained human-rights lawyers based in London and the Hague to make the case for Chinese prosecution in the International Criminal Court. The complaint marks the first time Uighurs have used an international court to combat China's abuses against the ethnic group.
Compiling more than 20 accounts from survivors of Uighur labor camps, the legal team hopes to take aim at approximately 30 senior Chinese Communist Party leaders, including Chinese president Xi Jinping.
The Uighur population in Xinjiang—a province in western China—totals roughly 11.7 million, according to Chinese government figures. At least one million Uighurs are detained in forced labor camps, where Chinese authorities forcibly sterilize and torture the ethnic Muslims.
The new complaint in the international court follows the Trump administration's recent actions to fight Chinese human-rights abuses, including the passage of the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act in June and efforts to cut U.S. funds to United Nations programs that work with the Chinese government. In a July report, the administration's Commission on Unalienable Rights singled out China as a particularly pernicious abuser of individual liberty and religious freedom.
"Where the previous administration and many other world leaders delivered speeches and empty rhetoric, President Trump has taken bold action," National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot told the Washington Free Beacon last month. "President Trump's policies have demonstrated that every person—the born and unborn, the poor, the downcast, the disabled, the infirm, and the elderly—has inherent value."


freebeacon--2020-09-09--Graham Releases Tax Returns, Challenges Lobbyist Opponent to Do the Same

Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R. , S.C. ) released 11 years of tax returns on Wednesday and called on his opponent , former corporate lobbyist Jaime Harrison , to do the same .
`` Jaime Harrison was paid millions of dollars as a high-paid Washington lobbyist at the now-defunct Podesta Group , a well-known Democratic lobbying firm founded by Hillary Clinton 's campaign chairman , '' Graham 's campaign said in a statement .
`` We call on Mr. Harrison to come clean about how many millions he made as a high-paid lobbyist , release his state and federal tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and match Senator Graham 's unprecedented transparency . ''
Harrison did not respond to a request for comment on the challenge .
A financial disclosure for Harrison when he was a staffer for Rep. Jim Clyburn ( D. , S.C. ) in May 2008 showed no reportable assets and credit card and loan debt between $ 140,004 and $ 365,000 .
His financial outlook turned , however , after leaving Clyburn 's office months later to join Podesta Group .
At the now-defunct lobbying firm , Harrison represented a slew of corporate giants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of America , Boeing , and Google .
After leaving Podesta Group in 2016 , Harrison submitted a financial disclosure in August 2019 showing no credit card debt and assets of up to $ 3.45 million .
While the disclosure showed he still owed between $ 50,001 and $ 100,001 in outstanding student loans at the time , the debts were dwarfed by his assets , which included a checking account worth between $ 250,001 and $ 500,000 .
Harrison previously defended his work as a lobbyist while running for Democratic National Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no longer a lobbyist , but a lot of good Democrats are , '' Harrison told Vox .
`` I wo n't participate in this blanket assassination of various folks because some members of our party do n't agree with what their jobs are . ''
Harrison dropped out of the race in early 2017 to endorse eventual winner Tom Perez , who then paid Harrison more than $ 22,000 to cover campaign expenses .
He has since been embraced by the Democratic establishment , receiving the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee 's endorsement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after launching his campaign .
Graham , an Air Force veteran and former state legislator , is among the least wealthy members of the Senate , according to the Center for Responsive Politics .
His campaign says the tax returns show $ 2.1 million in adjusted gross income between 2008 and 2019 , with most of the money coming from his congressional salary and annual military pension .

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) released 11 years of tax returns on Wednesday and called on his opponent, former corporate lobbyist Jaime Harrison, to do the same.
"Jaime Harrison was paid millions of dollars as a high-paid Washington lobbyist at the now-defunct Podesta Group, a well-known Democratic lobbying firm founded by Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman," Graham's campaign said in a statement. "We call on Mr. Harrison to come clean about how many millions he made as a high-paid lobbyist, release his state and federal tax returns for the last 11 years, and match Senator Graham's unprecedented transparency."
Harrison did not respond to a request for comment on the challenge.
A financial disclosure for Harrison when he was a staffer for Rep. Jim Clyburn (D., S.C.) in May 2008 showed no reportable assets and credit card and loan debt between $140,004 and $365,000. His financial outlook turned, however, after leaving Clyburn's office months later to join Podesta Group. At the now-defunct lobbying firm, Harrison represented a slew of corporate giants, including Walmart, BP, Bank of America, Boeing, and Google.
After leaving Podesta Group in 2016, Harrison submitted a financial disclosure in August 2019 showing no credit card debt and assets of up to $3.45 million. While the disclosure showed he still owed between $50,001 and $100,001 in outstanding student loans at the time, the debts were dwarfed by his assets, which included a checking account worth between $250,001 and $500,000.
Harrison previously defended his work as a lobbyist while running for Democratic National Committee chairman in 2016.
"I'm no longer a lobbyist, but a lot of good Democrats are," Harrison told Vox. "I won't participate in this blanket assassination of various folks because some members of our party don't agree with what their jobs are."
Harrison dropped out of the race in early 2017 to endorse eventual winner Tom Perez, who then paid Harrison more than $22,000 to cover campaign expenses. He has since been embraced by the Democratic establishment, receiving the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's endorsement on May 30, 2019—just one day after launching his campaign.
Graham, an Air Force veteran and former state legislator, is among the least wealthy members of the Senate, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. His campaign says the tax returns show $2.1 million in adjusted gross income between 2008 and 2019, with most of the money coming from his congressional salary and annual military pension.