freebeacon--2020-09-14--9th Circuit Court Sides With Trump on Deportations

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) – A U.S. appeals court on Monday sided with President Donald Trump over his administration ’ s decision to end humanitarian protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants , many of whom have lived in the United States for decades .
In a 2-1 ruling , a panel of three judges in the California-based 9th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision that had blocked Trump ’ s move to phase out so-called Temporary Protected Status ( TPS ) for people from El Salvador , Haiti , Nicaragua and Sudan .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ status of people from Honduras and Nepal , who filed a separate lawsuit that was suspended last year pending the outcome of the broader case .
The appeals court ruling means that those immigrants will be required to find another way to remain in the United States legally or depart after a wind-down period at least until early March and longer in the case of El Salvador .
Judge Consuelo Callahan , an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush , wrote in a 54-page opinion that the Trump administration decisions to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and therefore should not have been blocked .
Callahan also rejected a claim by plaintiffs that Trump ’ s past criticism of non-white , non-European immigrants influenced the TPS decisions .
`` While we do not condone the offensive and disparaging nature of the president ’ s remarks , we find it instructive that these statements occurred primarily in contexts removed from and unrelated to TPS policy or decisions , '' she wrote .
An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California , which represents plaintiffs in the lawsuit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seek another `` en banc '' review of the matter by 11 of the appeals court ’ s judges .
The attorney , Ahilan Arulanantham , called the decision `` deeply flawed '' during a call with reporters , and said the case eventually could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court , depending on the outcome of the request for a broader appeals court review .
The termination of TPS for Haitians is also subject to separate litigation in the 2nd U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals in New York .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in June , but has not yet ruled .
Trump has made his tough immigration stance a hallmark of his presidency and 2020 re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Joe Biden .
TPS allows foreigners whose home countries experience a natural disaster , armed conflict or other extraordinary event to remain in the United States and apply for work permits .
The status must be renewed periodically by the secretary of homeland security , who can extend it for six- to 18-month intervals .
The Trump administration has argued that most countries in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or conflicts , while the status has been renewed for years beyond its need .
The Biden campaign has called the TPS decisions `` politically motivated '' and said that Biden would protect enrollees from being returned to unsafe countries .
Immigrants from El Salvador make up the largest group of TPS recipients , with an estimated 263,000 Salvadorans covered by the program , but a bilateral agreement will allow Salvadorans an additional year to stay in the United States if the courts ultimately uphold Trump ’ s termination .

By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday sided with President Donald Trump over his administration’s decision to end humanitarian protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many of whom have lived in the United States for decades.
In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of three judges in the California-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision that had blocked Trump’s move to phase out so-called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan.
The ruling is also expected to affect the status of people from Honduras and Nepal, who filed a separate lawsuit that was suspended last year pending the outcome of the broader case.
The appeals court ruling means that those immigrants will be required to find another way to remain in the United States legally or depart after a wind-down period at least until early March and longer in the case of El Salvador.
Judge Consuelo Callahan, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, wrote in a 54-page opinion that the Trump administration decisions to phase out the protections were not reviewable and therefore should not have been blocked.
Callahan also rejected a claim by plaintiffs that Trump’s past criticism of non-white, non-European immigrants influenced the TPS decisions.
"While we do not condone the offensive and disparaging nature of the president’s remarks, we find it instructive that these statements occurred primarily in contexts removed from and unrelated to TPS policy or decisions," she wrote.
An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which represents plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said on Monday that they planned to seek another "en banc" review of the matter by 11 of the appeals court’s judges.
The attorney, Ahilan Arulanantham, called the decision "deeply flawed" during a call with reporters, and said the case eventually could be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, depending on the outcome of the request for a broader appeals court review.
The termination of TPS for Haitians is also subject to separate litigation in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. The appeals court heard arguments in that case in June, but has not yet ruled.
Trump has made his tough immigration stance a hallmark of his presidency and 2020 re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
TPS allows foreigners whose home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event to remain in the United States and apply for work permits. The status must be renewed periodically by the secretary of homeland security, who can extend it for six- to 18-month intervals.
The Trump administration has argued that most countries in the program have recovered from the related disasters or conflicts, while the status has been renewed for years beyond its need.
The Biden campaign has called the TPS decisions "politically motivated" and said that Biden would protect enrollees from being returned to unsafe countries.
Immigrants from El Salvador make up the largest group of TPS recipients, with an estimated 263,000 Salvadorans covered by the program, but a bilateral agreement will allow Salvadorans an additional year to stay in the United States if the courts ultimately uphold Trump’s termination.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson and Mica Rosenberg; editing by Ross Colvin, Grant McCool and Jonathan Oatis)


freebeacon--2020-09-14--Republican Lawmakers Call For Investigation of ‘Mulan’ Filming

A total of 19 lawmakers—including 14 Republicans—signed an open letter Friday calling for an investigation into Disney ’ s filming of Mulan in China ’ s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region ( XUAR ) .
Addressed to Disney CEO Bob Chapek , the letter asks Disney to provide in detail the extent to which Disney cooperated with Chinese authorities , especially those reportedly complicit in the ongoing Uighur genocide in Xinjiang .
`` Disney ’ s apparent cooperation with officials of the People ’ s Republic of China who are most responsible for committing atrocities—or for covering up those crimes—is profoundly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The decision to film parts of Mulan in the XUAR , in cooperation with local security and propaganda elements , offers tacit legitimacy to these perpetrators of crimes that may warrant the designation of genocide , '' it adds .
Signatories of the letter include some of the GOP ’ s toughest lawmakers on China , such as Reps. Liz Cheney ( Wyo . )
, Chris Smith ( N.J. ) , Mike Gallagher ( Wis. ) , and Sens .
Tom Cotton , ( Ark . )
, Ted Cruz ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , Ben Sasse ( Neb . )
, and Marsha Blackburn ( Tenn. ) .
The letter goes on to request access to information from Disney about the filming , including the use of local labor and Disney executives ' knowledge regarding the ongoing Uighur genocide .
Disney CFO Christine McCarthy defended the company 's choice to film in Xinjiang but admitted that the decision has `` generated a lot of issues for us . ''
Liberal and conservative critics alike have called for a boycott of the film due to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Chinese human-rights abuses , as well as the lead actress 's controversial comments on the Hong Kong protests .
Liu Yifei has previously praised the Hong Kong police department , the same force that has led the way in the hostile takeover of democratic institutions on the island .
Sen. Josh Hawley ( R. , Mo . )
wrote a similar letter days prior to the release of this larger effort , blasting Disney for its ignorance of Chinese Communist Party malfeasance while filming .
`` Disney 's whitewashing of the ongoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your company 's supposed principles , '' Hawley wrote .
`` Your decision to uncritically approve this film 's release rather than apologizing to those harmed by Disney 's actions is reprehensible .
Your decision to put profit over principle , to not just ignore the CCP 's genocide and other atrocities but to aid and abet them , is an affront to American values . ''

A total of 19 lawmakers—including 14 Republicans—signed an open letter Friday calling for an investigation into Disney’s filming of Mulan in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
Addressed to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, the letter asks Disney to provide in detail the extent to which Disney cooperated with Chinese authorities, especially those reportedly complicit in the ongoing Uighur genocide in Xinjiang.
"Disney’s apparent cooperation with officials of the People’s Republic of China who are most responsible for committing atrocities—or for covering up those crimes—is profoundly disturbing," the letter reads.
"The decision to film parts of Mulan in the XUAR, in cooperation with local security and propaganda elements, offers tacit legitimacy to these perpetrators of crimes that may warrant the designation of genocide," it adds.
Signatories of the letter include some of the GOP’s toughest lawmakers on China, such as Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), Chris Smith (N.J.), Mike Gallagher (Wis.), and Sens. Tom Cotton, (Ark.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Ben Sasse (Neb.), and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.).
The letter goes on to request access to information from Disney about the filming, including the use of local labor and Disney executives' knowledge regarding the ongoing Uighur genocide.
Disney CFO Christine McCarthy defended the company's choice to film in Xinjiang but admitted that the decision has "generated a lot of issues for us."
Liberal and conservative critics alike have called for a boycott of the film due to the accusations that Disney turned a blind eye to Chinese human-rights abuses, as well as the lead actress's controversial comments on the Hong Kong protests. Liu Yifei has previously praised the Hong Kong police department, the same force that has led the way in the hostile takeover of democratic institutions on the island.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) wrote a similar letter days prior to the release of this larger effort, blasting Disney for its ignorance of Chinese Communist Party malfeasance while filming.
"Disney's whitewashing of the ongoing Uighur genocide is contrary to all of your company's supposed principles," Hawley wrote. "Your decision to uncritically approve this film's release rather than apologizing to those harmed by Disney's actions is reprehensible. Your decision to put profit over principle, to not just ignore the CCP's genocide and other atrocities but to aid and abet them, is an affront to American values."


freebeacon--2020-09-14--University of Chicago English Department to Accept Only Students Interested in Black Studies

The University of Chicago 's English department will only accept graduate school applicants interested in `` Black Studies '' for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle .
According to a faculty statement on the department 's homepage , the graduate program `` is accepting only applicants interested in working in and with Black Studies . ''
The department defines Black Studies as encompassing `` African diaspora literature and media , as well as … the histories of political struggle , collective action , and protest that Black , Indigenous and other racialized peoples have pursued . ''
Dated July 2020 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its struggle against `` inequality and brutality . ''
`` As literary scholars , we attend to the histories , atmospheres , and scenes of anti-Black racism and racial violence in the United States and across the world , '' the statement reads .
`` In light of this historical reality , we believe that undoing persistent , recalcitrant anti-Blackness in our discipline and in our institutions must be the collective responsibility of all faculty , here and elsewhere . ''
Since the death of George Floyd , many universities have promised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chicago 's English department continued this trend by saying that the discipline of English was itself racist .
`` English as a discipline has a long history of providing aesthetic rationalization for colonization , exploitation , extraction , and anti-Blackness , '' the statement says .
`` Our discipline is responsible for developing hierarchies of cultural production that have contributed directly to social and systemic determinations of whose lives matter and why . ''
The University of Chicago did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication .

The University of Chicago's English department will only accept graduate school applicants interested in "Black Studies" for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle.
According to a faculty statement on the department's homepage, the graduate program "is accepting only applicants interested in working in and with Black Studies." The department defines Black Studies as encompassing "African diaspora literature and media, as well as ... the histories of political struggle, collective action, and protest that Black, Indigenous and other racialized peoples have pursued." Dated July 2020, the statement pledges solidarity with Black Lives Matter in its struggle against "inequality and brutality."
"As literary scholars, we attend to the histories, atmospheres, and scenes of anti-Black racism and racial violence in the United States and across the world," the statement reads. "In light of this historical reality, we believe that undoing persistent, recalcitrant anti-Blackness in our discipline and in our institutions must be the collective responsibility of all faculty, here and elsewhere."
Since the death of George Floyd, many universities have promised to address their alleged complicity in racism. Chicago's English department continued this trend by saying that the discipline of English was itself racist.
"English as a discipline has a long history of providing aesthetic rationalization for colonization, exploitation, extraction, and anti-Blackness," the statement says. "Our discipline is responsible for developing hierarchies of cultural production that have contributed directly to social and systemic determinations of whose lives matter and why."


freebeacon--2020-09-14--Report: Iran Plotting to Assassinate U.S. Ambassador to South Africa

American intelligence officials warn that Iran is planning the assassination of U.S. ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks as revenge for the drone strike against Iranian general Qassem Soleimani , Politico reported Monday .
Officials told Politico they have been aware of plots targeting Marks since the spring , but more specific intelligence surrounding the threat to the ambassador has emerged in recent weeks .
One official said Tehran would employ its embassy in Pretoria in an operation against Marks .
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denied the allegations , telling state media the U.S. intelligence reports are `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islamic Republic of Iran . ''
Marks , who was confirmed to her position in 2019 , has been a close Trump ally with ties to South Africa .
She was born in the country and speaks some of its national languages .
She has been informed of the potential assassination attempts against her , a U.S. government official confirmed .
Iran continues to operate covert intelligence networks throughout South Africa , giving the Islamic regime comparatively stronger capabilities to execute such a mission than in Western Europe , where Washington maintains closer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since the 1970s , Iran has employed asymmetric and deadly tactics such as taking hostages , assassinating leaders , and funding terror networks to target adversaries .
In the past two decades , Tehran—in large part through the orchestration of the now-deceased Soleimani—has coordinated terror networks to attack American military installations .
Following a lethal airstrike on Soleimani and others , President Donald Trump revealed how Soleimani had plotted attacks on American strongholds in the Middle East .
`` They were looking to blow up our embassy , '' Trump said in January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fortified U.S. diplomatic compound in Iraq .
`` I can reveal I believe it probably would ’ ve been four embassies , '' he added in a Fox News interview later on .
Recent months have lent themselves to a wave of Iranian aggression , including overtures to China and Russia and collaboration with the Taliban .
Nevertheless , Gen. Frank McKenzie , head of U.S. Central Command , has publicly said the United States is prepared for Iranian attacks on American interests , given continued troop presence and the Soleimani killing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nature of that response will be , but we will certainly be ready for it , should it occur , '' McKenzie said .

American intelligence officials warn that Iran is planning the assassination of U.S. ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks as revenge for the drone strike against Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, Politico reported Monday.
Officials told Politico they have been aware of plots targeting Marks since the spring, but more specific intelligence surrounding the threat to the ambassador has emerged in recent weeks. One official said Tehran would employ its embassy in Pretoria in an operation against Marks.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denied the allegations, telling state media the U.S. intelligence reports are "worn-out tricks to create propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Marks, who was confirmed to her position in 2019, has been a close Trump ally with ties to South Africa. She was born in the country and speaks some of its national languages. She has been informed of the potential assassination attempts against her, a U.S. government official confirmed.
Iran continues to operate covert intelligence networks throughout South Africa, giving the Islamic regime comparatively stronger capabilities to execute such a mission than in Western Europe, where Washington maintains closer relationships with counterintelligence and law enforcement.
Since the 1970s, Iran has employed asymmetric and deadly tactics such as taking hostages, assassinating leaders, and funding terror networks to target adversaries. In the past two decades, Tehran—in large part through the orchestration of the now-deceased Soleimani—has coordinated terror networks to attack American military installations.
Following a lethal airstrike on Soleimani and others, President Donald Trump revealed how Soleimani had plotted attacks on American strongholds in the Middle East.
"They were looking to blow up our embassy," Trump said in January, referring to the massive, heavily fortified U.S. diplomatic compound in Iraq. "I can reveal I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies," he added in a Fox News interview later on.
Recent months have lent themselves to a wave of Iranian aggression, including overtures to China and Russia and collaboration with the Taliban.
Nevertheless, Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, has publicly said the United States is prepared for Iranian attacks on American interests, given continued troop presence and the Soleimani killing.
"I do not know what the nature of that response will be, but we will certainly be ready for it, should it occur," McKenzie said.


freebeacon--2020-09-14--N.Y. High School Teacher Hands Out Cartoon Likening Police to KKK

A high school teacher in Westchester County , New York , passed out a political cartoon to students that compared police to the KKK , the New York Post reported .
Westlake High School teacher Christopher Moreno passed out a five-paneled political cartoon depicting slave traders and owners , the KKK , and police officers kneeling on the necks of black people to his 11th-grade U.S. History and Government class on Sept. 8 .
The cartoon was attached to an assignment about the goals and purposes of the Black Lives Matter movement .
Student Nicole Paternostro told the Post she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overtly biased against police and called the cartoon `` disgusting . ''
`` The cartoon was disgusting .
It compared the police with all the terrible people in history , '' Paternostro said .
`` It was not fair .
It wasn ’ t right . ''
Paternostro ’ s mother , Ania , sent a letter to the school district 's administration and called the lesson `` brainwashing . ''
`` We do n't need a teacher brainwashing my kids , '' Ania Paternostro told the Post .
`` I 'll teach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what 's wrong . ''
Mount Pleasant School District superintendent Kurt Kotes told parents he would investigate the matter .
A summer of racial justice and anti-police protests has heightened debates over the approach to teaching race and history in America ’ s classrooms .
In August , one Illinois state congressman called on the state to halt all history instruction until experts could create a new , racially conscious curriculum .
Meanwhile , a national dispute continues over the implementation of the New York Times ’ s controversial 1619 Project in classrooms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curriculum based on the reporting to thousands of schools , many scholars contest the accuracy of the story—which led President Donald Trump to threaten to cut federal funding to schools that use the 1619 Project in their curriculum .

A high school teacher in Westchester County, New York, passed out a political cartoon to students that compared police to the KKK, the New York Post reported.
Westlake High School teacher Christopher Moreno passed out a five-paneled political cartoon depicting slave traders and owners, the KKK, and police officers kneeling on the necks of black people to his 11th-grade U.S. History and Government class on Sept. 8. The cartoon was attached to an assignment about the goals and purposes of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Student Nicole Paternostro told the Post she thought Moreno’s lesson plan was overtly biased against police and called the cartoon "disgusting."
"The cartoon was disgusting. It compared the police with all the terrible people in history," Paternostro said. "It was not fair. It wasn’t right."
Paternostro’s mother, Ania, sent a letter to the school district's administration and called the lesson "brainwashing."
"We don't need a teacher brainwashing my kids," Ania Paternostro told the Post. "I'll teach my kids about what's right and what's wrong."
Mount Pleasant School District superintendent Kurt Kotes told parents he would investigate the matter.
A summer of racial justice and anti-police protests has heightened debates over the approach to teaching race and history in America’s classrooms. In August, one Illinois state congressman called on the state to halt all history instruction until experts could create a new, racially conscious curriculum. Meanwhile, a national dispute continues over the implementation of the New York Times’s controversial 1619 Project in classrooms: While the Pulitzer Center has distributed curriculum based on the reporting to thousands of schools, many scholars contest the accuracy of the story—which led President Donald Trump to threaten to cut federal funding to schools that use the 1619 Project in their curriculum.


The Anti-Anti-Violence Manifesto

`` Social peace is just the condition under which patriarchal white supremacist violence is acting most fluidly and most thoroughly and is distributed most invisibly , '' writes Vicky Osterweil in her provocative tome , In Defense of Looting .
`` Only when we find such ‘ peace ' intolerable will we be able to envision what real peace might look like , and what it might take to get there . ''
Osterweil , a self-described agitator who named a pet after a French tyrant ( Robespierre ) , proceeds to lay out `` what it might take '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All Cops Are Bastards '' and `` No Such Thing as Nonviolence '' were too cryptic .
Revolution is `` the only way forward , '' and it wo n't be a nonviolent affair .
Considering the target reader is already familiar with Howard Zinn 's A People 's History of the United States , the book is at least 200 pages too long .
The casual reader , meanwhile , is likely to get bogged down in extended passages about NAFTA , El Salvador , and how `` racialized hierarchies were crucial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the formation of serf and slave populations . ''
Not to mention the preponderance of descriptive adjectives , as mandated by intersectionality .
Abolish capitalism ?
Nah .
Abolish `` cisheteropatriarchal white supremacist capitalism . ''
Osterweil is n't pro-violence , per se .
She 's anti-anti-violence , and prefers the term `` not-nonviolent '' to describe the revolution she envisions .
At the same time , she does n't want to alienate any readers .
`` I want to make clear that this discussion is not meant to denigrate anyone who uses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she explains .
That does n't mean nonviolence is good or advisable .
Far from it .
History proves that nonviolence is `` actually a collaborationist and misogynist affair . ''
Osterweil trods literary ground that few intellectuals have dared to trod .
You do n't often see the word `` egregious '' used to describe `` peacekeeping '' efforts that do n't involve the United Nations .
The word `` similarly '' is utilized in courageous fashion to compare a `` struggling business '' threatened by riots to `` a small white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people . ''
Some of the author 's attempts to diminish nonviolence as a political tactic read like a bad liberal parody of a bad conservative meme .
Martin Luther King did n't really believe in nonviolence , for example , because he `` traveled with a heavily armed entourage . ''
In a footnote , Osterweil attempts to burnish her anti-anti-violence bona fides by insisting that she does not intend `` to make a moral distinction between looting and property destruction or to imagine that property destruction is ‘ worse ' or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Phew , thanks for clarifying .
The politics espoused in the book are , to put it mildly , slightly to the left of mainstream .
The author praises Che Guevara for his `` radical leadership '' in promoting a system `` distinct from China and the USSR , the latter of which most revolutionaries in the sixties recognized as a reactionary , capitalist state . ''
She tries to assuage ideological purists who argue that looters `` are acting as consumers and therefore furthering capitalism . ''
What about the minority business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have their livelihoods destroyed in the name of abolishing [ insert descriptive adjectives ] capitalism ?
`` There ’ s no really clean or easy way to struggle without ever hurting anyone , '' is the best answer Osterweil could come up with in a recent interview with the New Yorker .
( She also elaborated on her comparison of small business owners to slaveholders , suggesting that all private property is akin to slavery . )
Are we to take the author literally , seriously , or both ?
The mainstream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defense of Looting as the rantings of a lone wolf radical perverting the beliefs of millions of peaceful demonstrators .
In any event , it 's less dangerous than a Tom Cotton op-ed .
Looting should be downplayed—to prevent Republicans from seizing—but never defended .
Except the book is n't really a defense of looting so much as a rebuke of capitalism , which ca n't so easily be dismissed as charmingly fringe .
The Democratic Party avoided a reckoning with this reality when voters salvaged Joe Biden 's zombie campaign to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nomination .
Bernie Sanders is old , but his influential allies in Congress are n't .
Younger generations view socialism more favorably than capitalism , even if they do n't really know what either term means .
Democratic leaders , mainstream liberals , and `` woke '' corporations wo n't be able to defer that reckoning indefinitely .
Time to start boarding up the windows .

"Social peace is just the condition under which patriarchal white supremacist violence is acting most fluidly and most thoroughly and is distributed most invisibly," writes Vicky Osterweil in her provocative tome, In Defense of Looting. "Only when we find such 'peace' intolerable will we be able to envision what real peace might look like, and what it might take to get there."
Osterweil, a self-described agitator who named a pet after a French tyrant (Robespierre), proceeds to lay out "what it might take"—in case chapter titles such as "All Cops Are Bastards" and "No Such Thing as Nonviolence" were too cryptic. Revolution is "the only way forward," and it won't be a nonviolent affair.
Considering the target reader is already familiar with Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, the book is at least 200 pages too long. The casual reader, meanwhile, is likely to get bogged down in extended passages about NAFTA, El Salvador, and how "racialized hierarchies were crucial to medieval European notions of nobility and the formation of serf and slave populations." Not to mention the preponderance of descriptive adjectives, as mandated by intersectionality. Abolish capitalism? Nah. Abolish "cisheteropatriarchal white supremacist capitalism."
Osterweil isn't pro-violence, per se. She's anti-anti-violence, and prefers the term "not-nonviolent" to describe the revolution she envisions. At the same time, she doesn't want to alienate any readers. "I want to make clear that this discussion is not meant to denigrate anyone who uses non-violent tactics in their struggles," she explains.
That doesn't mean nonviolence is good or advisable. Far from it. History proves that nonviolence is "actually a collaborationist and misogynist affair." Osterweil trods literary ground that few intellectuals have dared to trod. You don't often see the word "egregious" used to describe "peacekeeping" efforts that don't involve the United Nations. The word "similarly" is utilized in courageous fashion to compare a "struggling business" threatened by riots to "a small white farmer who enslaved only one or two people."
Some of the author's attempts to diminish nonviolence as a political tactic read like a bad liberal parody of a bad conservative meme. Martin Luther King didn't really believe in nonviolence, for example, because he "traveled with a heavily armed entourage." In a footnote, Osterweil attempts to burnish her anti-anti-violence bona fides by insisting that she does not intend "to make a moral distinction between looting and property destruction or to imagine that property destruction is 'worse' or more white supremacist than looting." Phew, thanks for clarifying.
The politics espoused in the book are, to put it mildly, slightly to the left of mainstream. The author praises Che Guevara for his "radical leadership" in promoting a system "distinct from China and the USSR, the latter of which most revolutionaries in the sixties recognized as a reactionary, capitalist state." She tries to assuage ideological purists who argue that looters "are acting as consumers and therefore furthering capitalism."
What about the minority business owners who might not be so inclined to have their livelihoods destroyed in the name of abolishing [insert descriptive adjectives] capitalism? "There’s no really clean or easy way to struggle without ever hurting anyone," is the best answer Osterweil could come up with in a recent interview with the New Yorker. (She also elaborated on her comparison of small business owners to slaveholders, suggesting that all private property is akin to slavery.)
Are we to take the author literally, seriously, or both? The mainstream media has been eager to dismiss In Defense of Looting as the rantings of a lone wolf radical perverting the beliefs of millions of peaceful demonstrators. In any event, it's less dangerous than a Tom Cotton op-ed. Looting should be downplayed—to prevent Republicans from seizing—but never defended. Except the book isn't really a defense of looting so much as a rebuke of capitalism, which can't so easily be dismissed as charmingly fringe.
The Democratic Party avoided a reckoning with this reality when voters salvaged Joe Biden's zombie campaign to prevent a 78-year-old socialist from running away with the nomination. Bernie Sanders is old, but his influential allies in Congress aren't. Younger generations view socialism more favorably than capitalism, even if they don't really know what either term means. Democratic leaders, mainstream liberals, and "woke" corporations won't be able to defer that reckoning indefinitely. Time to start boarding up the windows.


freebeacon--2020-09-14--Swing States See Gun Sales Boom, Activists Look to Capitalize

Former mechanic Shawn Shriver bought a storefront about an hour outside Pittsburgh years ago .
He created a 400-square-foot gun shop that he runs with his wife .
They sell guns , ammo , and holsters to their neighbors .
They normally carry about 150 pistols on a regular day .
But there have n't been many regular days since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March , as well as the public unrest that emerged in June .
`` I 've got like three pistols in this store , '' he said on Wednesday .
`` That 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played out in many gun stores across the country in recent months .
Shriver 's experience may be more relevant to understanding the electoral implications of the recent riot-inspired gun-sales spike because of where it 's happening : a small town at the southwest tip of a swing state that could play a key role in electing the next president of the United States .
`` After COVID hit we sold out of ammo , '' Shriver said .
`` And then they started with the protesting , and a lot more guns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania is not the only bellwether state where this is happening .
A broader look at monthly sales data , as measured by FBI background checks , confirms swing state voters ' eagerness to arm themselves in 2020 .
The nine states at the epicenter of the presidential race between President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden each saw historic seasonally adjusted gun sales in June—larger in all cases than the record-setting sales of March—a sign of surging demand for firearms in the wake of rioting and protests that have turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantial increases by comparison to historical means , too .
Background checks for gun sales shot up 4.2 times higher than average in Michigan in June , 3.8 times in Arizona , and 3.6 in Florida .
With the exception of Minnesota , each of the swing states saw gun sales more than double compared with the historical average—Minnesota sales were only 1.9 times higher than those of June 2019 .
Not only have gun sales increased ; so too has the number of first-time buyers .
A survey from the National Shooting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group , estimated that 40 percent of gun-store customers in the first half of 2020 were new .
Shriver said new customers at his store , SnS Brass and Guns in Claysville , make up about 20 percent of sales .
Since March , he thinks the number has been closer to 50 percent .
Kelly Ann , a firearms instructor in western Pennsylvania who works mainly with women , said she has seen unprecedented demand for her classes , especially from newcomers .
`` I have added five new classes to my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with demand , '' she said .
`` We have lots of first-time gun owners and people who want to be first-time gun owners , even very left-leaning people . ''
Gun dealers and activists in Pennsylvania , Florida , and Wisconsin told the Washington Free Beacon they expect the influx of new gun owners to have a significant electoral impact .
`` I 've long said that gun owners become gun voters , '' Erin Palette , Florida resident and founder of the LGBTQ gun-rights group Operation Blazing Sword , said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-defense indicates an unprecedented level of distrust by the average American of the government 's ability to keep them safe . ''
`` The folks already own these guns now and Wisconsin folks are gon na want to use the things they spend their money on , '' Rob Kovach , president of Wisconsin Firearms Owners , said .
Swing state dealers and activists have seen a rush on their inventory as Election Day approaches .
They are confident that the surge will create new gun voters , but they have yet to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID , the economy , and civil unrest dominating the 2020 election , it is not clear gun rights will break through as a significant factor despite the stark contrast in policy proposals from Trump and Biden .
Shriver said the first-time buyers coming into his shop are more concerned with personal protection than politics at this point .
`` A lot of that people come in , they 're like , ‘ Well , I 've never had a gun before .
I think I need one to protect myself because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , noting customers have bought up all of his semiautomatic handguns , rifles , and pump-action shotguns , but left the bolt-action rifles , which are better suited for hunting , untouched .
Brandon Wexler , a career firefighter who owns Wex Gunworks in Delray Beach , Fla. , said he has seen the same thing .
Most new customers are more concerned with getting their gun than getting involved in political activism at the moment .
He still thinks the new gun owners will turn out even in 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gunshine State , is Pro-2A . ''
Palette said she has n't seen new Florida gun owners turn into new gun-rights activists but said , `` Give it time . ''
Kovach had the same view of new Wisconsin gun owners , who he said were joining the ranks of an already politically active and unusually self-reliant community .
`` I think long term we 'll see those new gun owners seeking training and range time , '' he said .
`` Those activities will encourage folks to interact with us longtime gun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and habits will rub off on those new gun owners . ''
Ann , who is one of the Pennsylvania representatives for a female-led gun-rights group called the DC Project , said some 500 new women have volunteered in recent months .
While she thinks engagement with new gun owners is `` not enough '' at this point , she also believes it could be a sign of things to come .
`` It is certainly not enough to overthrow what [ pro-gun control group ] Everytown has , but people are starting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Shriver shared the hopeful outlook .
He said his regular customers are all-in on electing pro-gun candidates like President Trump in 2020 , one of whom gave him a stack of Pennsylvania voter registration applications to try and help get some of those new gun owners on the voting rolls .
`` They dropped these off , I 'm gon na say two weeks ago , three weeks ago .
And I 've been asking people and I have n't had anybody fill them out yet , '' he said laughing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ask them . ''

Stephen Gutowski and Charles Fain Lehman

Former mechanic Shawn Shriver bought a storefront about an hour outside Pittsburgh years ago. He created a 400-square-foot gun shop that he runs with his wife. They sell guns, ammo, and holsters to their neighbors. They normally carry about 150 pistols on a regular day. But there haven't been many regular days since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March, as well as the public unrest that emerged in June.
"I've got like three pistols in this store," he said on Wednesday. "That's it."
A similar story has played out in many gun stores across the country in recent months. Shriver's experience may be more relevant to understanding the electoral implications of the recent riot-inspired gun-sales spike because of where it's happening: a small town at the southwest tip of a swing state that could play a key role in electing the next president of the United States.
"After COVID hit we sold out of ammo," Shriver said. "And then they started with the protesting, and a lot more guns started going off the shelves."
Pennsylvania is not the only bellwether state where this is happening.
A broader look at monthly sales data, as measured by FBI background checks, confirms swing state voters' eagerness to arm themselves in 2020. The nine states at the epicenter of the presidential race between President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden each saw historic seasonally adjusted gun sales in June—larger in all cases than the record-setting sales of March—a sign of surging demand for firearms in the wake of rioting and protests that have turned violent.
Many of those states saw substantial increases by comparison to historical means, too. Background checks for gun sales shot up 4.2 times higher than average in Michigan in June, 3.8 times in Arizona, and 3.6 in Florida. With the exception of Minnesota, each of the swing states saw gun sales more than double compared with the historical average—Minnesota sales were only 1.9 times higher than those of June 2019.
Not only have gun sales increased; so too has the number of first-time buyers. A survey from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry's trade group, estimated that 40 percent of gun-store customers in the first half of 2020 were new. Shriver said new customers at his store, SnS Brass and Guns in Claysville, make up about 20 percent of sales. Since March, he thinks the number has been closer to 50 percent.
Kelly Ann, a firearms instructor in western Pennsylvania who works mainly with women, said she has seen unprecedented demand for her classes, especially from newcomers.
"I have added five new classes to my season just to try to keep up with demand," she said. "We have lots of first-time gun owners and people who want to be first-time gun owners, even very left-leaning people."
Gun dealers and activists in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Wisconsin told the Washington Free Beacon they expect the influx of new gun owners to have a significant electoral impact.
"I've long said that gun owners become gun voters," Erin Palette, Florida resident and founder of the LGBTQ gun-rights group Operation Blazing Sword, said. "These mass purchases of guns for self-defense indicates an unprecedented level of distrust by the average American of the government's ability to keep them safe."
"The folks already own these guns now and Wisconsin folks are gonna want to use the things they spend their money on," Rob Kovach, president of Wisconsin Firearms Owners, said.
Swing state dealers and activists have seen a rush on their inventory as Election Day approaches. They are confident that the surge will create new gun voters, but they have yet to see new gun-rights activists. And with COVID, the economy, and civil unrest dominating the 2020 election, it is not clear gun rights will break through as a significant factor despite the stark contrast in policy proposals from Trump and Biden.
Shriver said the first-time buyers coming into his shop are more concerned with personal protection than politics at this point.
"A lot of that people come in, they're like, 'Well, I've never had a gun before. I think I need one to protect myself because of what's going on,'" he said, noting customers have bought up all of his semiautomatic handguns, rifles, and pump-action shotguns, but left the bolt-action rifles, which are better suited for hunting, untouched.
Brandon Wexler, a career firefighter who owns Wex Gunworks in Delray Beach, Fla., said he has seen the same thing. Most new customers are more concerned with getting their gun than getting involved in political activism at the moment. He still thinks the new gun owners will turn out even in 2020, "because everyone in Florida, the Gunshine State, is Pro-2A."
Palette said she hasn't seen new Florida gun owners turn into new gun-rights activists but said, "Give it time." Kovach had the same view of new Wisconsin gun owners, who he said were joining the ranks of an already politically active and unusually self-reliant community.
"I think long term we'll see those new gun owners seeking training and range time," he said. "Those activities will encourage folks to interact with us longtime gun owners and perhaps some of our opinions and habits will rub off on those new gun owners."
Ann, who is one of the Pennsylvania representatives for a female-led gun-rights group called the DC Project, said some 500 new women have volunteered in recent months. While she thinks engagement with new gun owners is "not enough" at this point, she also believes it could be a sign of things to come.
"It is certainly not enough to overthrow what [pro-gun control group] Everytown has, but people are starting to step up," she said.
Shriver shared the hopeful outlook. He said his regular customers are all-in on electing pro-gun candidates like President Trump in 2020, one of whom gave him a stack of Pennsylvania voter registration applications to try and help get some of those new gun owners on the voting rolls.
"They dropped these off, I'm gonna say two weeks ago, three weeks ago. And I've been asking people and I haven't had anybody fill them out yet," he said laughing. "But when they come in, I ask them."


freebeacon--2020-09-15--The ‘Great Crime Decline’ Is Stalled Out

The two-decade-long crime decline appears to have conclusively plateaued , a new report released Monday shows , as the share of Americans who faced a violent crime remained between 0.9 and 0.6 percent for the 12th year running .
Data from the latest National Crime Victimization Survey , a nationwide survey conducted annually since 1993 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics , show that roughly 1.2 million Americans , or 7.3 per 1,000 adults , report having been violently victimized in the past year .
That 's down from 8.6 per 1,000 in 2018 , the first year to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bigger picture the new data paint is of a stalled-out crime decline .
After falling precipitously from 1993 through the mid-2000s , the violent victimization rate has hovered around 8 per 1,000 .
And while the NCVS does not stretch that far back , other major sources of federal data—namely the FBI 's uniform crime reports—suggest that violent crime today remains elevated above where it was in the early 1960s , before the great crime wave of the 1970s and '80s .
The so-called great American crime decline has been a key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades , with advocates arguing that plummeting crime means that America can ratchet back incarceration and police spending .
But the plateau in crime , now a well-established phenomenon , complicates that picture , suggesting that reform efforts may have slowed the crime decline , or that added reform could actually drive violence up .
The crime decline is one of the most significant—and hotly debated—facts of modern criminology .
Criminologists do not agree on what caused this drop—demographics , policing tactics , incarceration , and even pollution may have played a role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scale of the drop .
As the FBI data show , crime rose precipitously through the early 1990s , with violent crime peaking in 1992 .
Since then , however , rates of violence fell just as precipitously .
Between 1993 and 2009 , the violent victimization rate fell 73 percent , the equivalent of millions of crimes per year .
But then , the decline faltered : Between 2009 and 2019 , violent victimization dropped only 6 percent .
In general , since 2009 the trend in violent victimization rates has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but are generally within the range of 7.6 per 1,000 , plus or minus one .
This plateauing , though longstanding , is little remarked , with analyses tending to focus on the overall magnitude of the drop since the 1990s , rather than the trend .
It is possible that the plateauing is partially driven by the emptying out of America 's prisons , as the prison population has also steadily dropped since 2008 .
But that decline is driven by nonviolent offenders and is highly concentrated in just a few states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full explanation .
What is clear is that , as criminologist Thomas Abt has noted , violent crime rates remain above where they were in the 1960s , while the homicide rate remains roughly constant between the two periods .
`` Looking back , one might observe that the U.S. experienced a remarkable decline in violence and crime over the past twenty-five years , '' Abt writes in his 2019 book , Bleeding Out .
`` Another equally valid observation is that after more than fifty years we have made no progress whatsoever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantial impacts , both in general and in terms of racial equity .
Respondents to the NCVS reported an estimated half-a-million rapes and robberies , and over a million aggravated assaults , in 2019 alone ; black Americans account for roughly 25 percent of these , more than twice their prevalence in the population .
That suggests that there is more work to be done on cutting violent crime in the United States .
Progressives , however , have in recent months agitated for policies that would push the needle in the opposite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or abolishing police departments even as research shows police cut crime .
That means the crime decline might not only have plateaued—in coming years , Americans could see a sustained increase for the first time in decades .

The two-decade-long crime decline appears to have conclusively plateaued, a new report released Monday shows, as the share of Americans who faced a violent crime remained between 0.9 and 0.6 percent for the 12th year running.
Data from the latest National Crime Victimization Survey, a nationwide survey conducted annually since 1993 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, show that roughly 1.2 million Americans, or 7.3 per 1,000 adults, report having been violently victimized in the past year. That's down from 8.6 per 1,000 in 2018, the first year to see a significant uptick in decades.
But the bigger picture the new data paint is of a stalled-out crime decline. After falling precipitously from 1993 through the mid-2000s, the violent victimization rate has hovered around 8 per 1,000. And while the NCVS does not stretch that far back, other major sources of federal data—namely the FBI's uniform crime reports—suggest that violent crime today remains elevated above where it was in the early 1960s, before the great crime wave of the 1970s and '80s.
The so-called great American crime decline has been a key part of criminal justice reform rhetoric for decades, with advocates arguing that plummeting crime means that America can ratchet back incarceration and police spending. But the plateau in crime, now a well-established phenomenon, complicates that picture, suggesting that reform efforts may have slowed the crime decline, or that added reform could actually drive violence up.
The crime decline is one of the most significant—and hotly debated—facts of modern criminology. Criminologists do not agree on what caused this drop—demographics, policing tactics, incarceration, and even pollution may have played a role.
What is agreed on is the scale of the drop. As the FBI data show, crime rose precipitously through the early 1990s, with violent crime peaking in 1992. Since then, however, rates of violence fell just as precipitously.
Between 1993 and 2009, the violent victimization rate fell 73 percent, the equivalent of millions of crimes per year. But then, the decline faltered: Between 2009 and 2019, violent victimization dropped only 6 percent.
In general, since 2009 the trend in violent victimization rates has been one of small fluctuations—rates rise and fall but are generally within the range of 7.6 per 1,000, plus or minus one.
This plateauing, though longstanding, is little remarked, with analyses tending to focus on the overall magnitude of the drop since the 1990s, rather than the trend. It is possible that the plateauing is partially driven by the emptying out of America's prisons, as the prison population has also steadily dropped since 2008. But that decline is driven by nonviolent offenders and is highly concentrated in just a few states, suggesting that may not be the full explanation.
What is clear is that, as criminologist Thomas Abt has noted, violent crime rates remain above where they were in the 1960s, while the homicide rate remains roughly constant between the two periods.
"Looking back, one might observe that the U.S. experienced a remarkable decline in violence and crime over the past twenty-five years," Abt writes in his 2019 book, Bleeding Out. "Another equally valid observation is that after more than fifty years we have made no progress whatsoever."
The stalled-out crime decline has substantial impacts, both in general and in terms of racial equity. Respondents to the NCVS reported an estimated half-a-million rapes and robberies, and over a million aggravated assaults, in 2019 alone; black Americans account for roughly 25 percent of victims, more than twice their prevalence in the population.
That suggests that there is more work to be done on cutting violent crime in the United States. Progressives, however, have in recent months agitated for policies that would push the needle in the opposite direction, advocating for "defunding" or abolishing police departments even as research shows police cut crime.
That means the crime decline might not only have plateaued—in coming years, Americans could see a sustained increase for the first time in decades.


freebeacon--2020-09-15--Cal Cunningham Fuels Anti-Vaccine Conspiracies, Says He’d Be ‘Hesitant’ to Take

Cal Cunningham , the Democrat running for Senate in North Carolina , said he would be `` hesitant '' to take a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the FDA , citing `` underlying political and financial influences '' in Washington and encouraging the American people to `` ask questions . ''
`` Yes , I would be hesitant , '' Cunningham said in response to a question about a potential vaccine during Monday night 's debate against GOP incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis ( R. , N.C. ) .
`` But I 'm gon na ask a lot of questions .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us right now . ''
Cunningham 's answer could provide fuel for internet conspiracy theorists who have been sounding the alarm about a potential COVID-19 vaccine by suggesting that , among other things , wealthy individuals such as Bill Gates are plotting to implant microchips in every American under the guise of a government-run vaccination program .
Cunningham 's skepticism regarding a potential vaccine runs contrary to the recommendations of medical experts , who have warned that public confidence and trust in institutions will be critical to any effort to inoculate the population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FDA or the federal government , Cunningham suggested .
`` I would have a lot of questions of the FDA , '' the Democrat said .
`` I think the American people have a lot of questions about the government of this country . ''
If elected , Cunningham said he `` would be asking questions not only about this vaccine , but also about the underlying political and financial influences that are leading to distorted decision-making in Washington . ''
Reframing one 's position as simply a matter of `` asking questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theorists when asked to confront the implications of their extremist beliefs .
Tillis slammed Cunningham 's `` irresponsible '' rhetoric during the debate .
`` We just heard a candidate for the U.S. Senate look into the camera and tell 10 million North Carolinians he would be hesitant to take a vaccine .
I think that that 's irresponsible , '' the Republican said .
`` We are not going to release a vaccine that does n't have the effectiveness and safety that the gold standard of the FDA requires . ''

Cal Cunningham, the Democrat running for Senate in North Carolina, said he would be "hesitant" to take a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the FDA, citing "underlying political and financial influences" in Washington and encouraging the American people to "ask questions."
"Yes, I would be hesitant," Cunningham said in response to a question about a potential vaccine during Monday night's debate against GOP incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.). "But I'm gonna ask a lot of questions. I think that's incumbent on all of us right now."
Cunningham's answer could provide fuel for internet conspiracy theorists who have been sounding the alarm about a potential COVID-19 vaccine by suggesting that, among other things, wealthy individuals such as Bill Gates are plotting to implant microchips in every American under the guise of a government-run vaccination program.
Cunningham's skepticism regarding a potential vaccine runs contrary to the recommendations of medical experts, who have warned that public confidence and trust in institutions will be critical to any effort to inoculate the population. Americans shouldn't necessarily trust the FDA or the federal government, Cunningham suggested.
"I would have a lot of questions of the FDA," the Democrat said. "I think the American people have a lot of questions about the government of this country." If elected, Cunningham said he "would be asking questions not only about this vaccine, but also about the underlying political and financial influences that are leading to distorted decision-making in Washington."
Reframing one's position as simply a matter of "asking questions" is a popular tactic employed by conspiracy theorists when asked to confront the implications of their extremist beliefs.
Tillis slammed Cunningham's "irresponsible" rhetoric during the debate. "We just heard a candidate for the U.S. Senate look into the camera and tell 10 million North Carolinians he would be hesitant to take a vaccine. I think that that's irresponsible," the Republican said. "We are not going to release a vaccine that doesn't have the effectiveness and safety that the gold standard of the FDA requires."


freebeacon--2020-09-17--Karen Bass: ‘We Need International Observers for This Election’

Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman Karen Bass ( D. , Calif. ) called for `` international observers '' of the 2020 election on Thursday , comparing the United States to African nations that recently held elections in need of outside legitimation .
`` I frankly think we need international observers for this election , '' Bass said on MSNBC .
`` I have gone to Kenya , I 've gone to Zimbabwe .
I have been an international observer , and I think we could use that here . ''
Bass , who was on the shortlist to be Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to go beyond former director of national intelligence Dan Coats 's call for a bipartisan , domestic commission to oversee the 2020 race , saying Republicans could not be trusted because of their push for `` voter suppression . ''
`` I think unless we acted proactively and were aggressive about it , I do n't think that this would be a fair election , '' Bass said .
The United States has hosted election observer groups before , such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2016 , the Organization of American States sent its first mission to observe a U.S. race .
Bass 's star rose when she was vetted as a potential vice-presidential pick , but revelations about her past praise of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and the controversial Church of Scientology doomed her prospects .

Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman Karen Bass (D., Calif.) called for "international observers" of the 2020 election on Thursday, comparing the United States to African nations that recently held elections in need of outside legitimation.
"I frankly think we need international observers for this election," Bass said on MSNBC. "I have gone to Kenya, I've gone to Zimbabwe. I have been an international observer, and I think we could use that here."
Bass, who was on the shortlist to be Joe Biden's 2020 running mate, said she wanted to go beyond former director of national intelligence Dan Coats's call for a bipartisan, domestic commission to oversee the 2020 race, saying Republicans could not be trusted because of their push for "voter suppression."
"I think unless we acted proactively and were aggressive about it, I don't think that this would be a fair election," Bass said.
The United States has hosted election observer groups before, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has monitored seven U.S. elections since 2002. In 2016, the Organization of American States sent its first mission to observe a U.S. race.
Bass's star rose when she was vetted as a potential vice-presidential pick, but revelations about her past praise of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and the controversial Church of Scientology doomed her prospects.


freebeacon--2020-09-17--Trump Administration Requires Foreigners to Seek Permission to Conduct Research in U.S. Waters

In a blow to China , the State Department declared that it would no longer allow unauthorized scientific research within American waters , Radio Free Asia reported Wednesday .
China has a documented history of using ships to conduct data theft and illegal surveillance in foreign waters under the guise of marine research .
A State Department press release said the policy change serves to `` increase our maritime domain awareness '' and `` enhance maritime security . ''
`` The change in policy is consistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention and with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protects American citizens ’ interests , '' the press release adds .
China owns the largest fleet of state-owned research boats , and has often dispatched them into American waters and marine territory held by American allies .
According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies , Chinese research vessels can clandestinely gather military intelligence , such as studying the routes of submarines .
Given the documented civil-military fusion in China , there is reason for concern about what an increase in militaristic and scientific ambitions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A recent Pentagon report detailed the extent to which Chinese military investment now tracks with an increasingly global grand strategy .
`` I don ’ t think they ’ ve reached final conclusions on any of those yet , '' said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Chad Sbragia .
`` But their aspirations are not small , and they ’ re not limited to a single geographic location .
This is global in scale . ''
In opposition to China 's ambitions , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has released statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy with some of the legal building-block elements of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea .
`` In the South China Sea , we seek to preserve peace and stability , uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law , maintain the unimpeded flow of commerce , and oppose any attempt to use coercion or force to settle disputes , '' Pompeo said in a press release from July .
`` We share these deep and abiding interests with our many allies and partners who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

In a blow to China, the State Department declared that it would no longer allow unauthorized scientific research within American waters, Radio Free Asia reported Wednesday.
China has a documented history of using ships to conduct data theft and illegal surveillance in foreign waters under the guise of marine research. A State Department press release said the policy change serves to "increase our maritime domain awareness" and "enhance maritime security."
"The change in policy is consistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention and with the practice of other coastal states and protects American citizens’ interests," the press release adds.
China owns the largest fleet of state-owned research boats, and has often dispatched them into American waters and marine territory held by American allies. According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Chinese research vessels can clandestinely gather military intelligence, such as studying the routes of submarines.
Given the documented civil-military fusion in China, there is reason for concern about what an increase in militaristic and scientific ambitions says about the regime in Beijing. A recent Pentagon report detailed the extent to which Chinese military investment now tracks with an increasingly global grand strategy.
"I don’t think they’ve reached final conclusions on any of those yet," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Chad Sbragia. "But their aspirations are not small, and they’re not limited to a single geographic location. This is global in scale."
In opposition to China's ambitions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has released statements defending international norms, including aligning American policy with some of the legal building-block elements of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
"In the South China Sea, we seek to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law, maintain the unimpeded flow of commerce, and oppose any attempt to use coercion or force to settle disputes," Pompeo said in a press release from July. "We share these deep and abiding interests with our many allies and partners who have long endorsed a rules-based international order."


freebeacon--2020-09-17--NYT Reporter Lavishes Praise on Fake News Entrepreneur Tara McGowan

A New York Times tech reporter during a Thursday panel praised the work of progressive activist Tara McGowan , whose Courier Newsroom project has been labeled misleading and fake news by a variety of nonpartisan outlets .
Times reporter Davey Alba , who was moderating a panel on `` fake news and social media disinformation '' on which McGowan appeared , praised Courier and McGowan 's other projects , calling it `` really essential work that you 're doing . ''
Later in the conversation , Alba responded to McGowan 's claim that her sites exist to counter the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that your mission is to be an offensive player . ''
Alba 's comments , which went unchallenged by fellow panelists McKay Coppins of the Atlantic and Peter Hamby of Snapchat , reflect the Times ‘ s broader embrace of McGowan in the lead up to November 's election .
The latest event comes just days after the Times hosted a conversation with McGowan and comedian Ilana Glazer , who is coordinating with McGowan to boost young voter turnout in swing states—Times journalist and moderator Nick Corasaniti also did not mention the numerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skeptical eye toward McGowan 's operation .
Alba did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Courier is one of several projects launched by ACRONYM , McGowan 's political nonprofit and associated PAC .
It serves as an umbrella over a series of `` local '' news sites , which operate in swing states and push pro-Democratic talking points under the guise of local coverage .
Courier 's tactics have been extensively criticized in the media and by nonpartisan experts .
The outlets have been called `` hyperlocal partisan propaganda '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watchdog NewsGuard , while an analysis from the Center for Responsive Politics labeled Courier a `` fake news '' site hiding a `` dark money '' network 's `` political agenda . ''
CNN 's Jake Tapper and Brian Stelter counted Courier among so-called pink slime misinformation sites , while outlets such as Politico and Bloomberg have run skeptical profiles of the effort .
Courier is part of ACRONYM 's broader push for Democrats to retake the White House in 2020 , an effort into which it has poured tens of millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are backed by a coterie of progressive billionaires , including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman , Dollar Shave Club CEO Michael Dubin , and Laurene Powell Jobs , widow of Steve Jobs .
McGowan 's machinations at ACRONYM have also attracted legal scrutiny .
Earlier this month , Americans for Public Trust , a watchdog organization helmed by former Nevada attorney general and Republican Adam Laxalt , filed a complaint with the FEC , requesting that Courier be compelled to register as a political entity and forfeit its status as a legally protected news @ @

A New York Times tech reporter during a Thursday panel praised the work of progressive activist Tara McGowan, whose Courier Newsroom project has been labeled misleading and fake news by a variety of nonpartisan outlets.
Times reporter Davey Alba, who was moderating a panel on "fake news and social media disinformation" on which McGowan appeared, praised Courier and McGowan's other projects, calling it "really essential work that you're doing."
Later in the conversation, Alba responded to McGowan's claim that her sites exist to counter the right, saying, "I really love that your mission is to be an offensive player."
Alba's comments, which went unchallenged by fellow panelists McKay Coppins of the Atlantic and Peter Hamby of Snapchat, reflect the Times's broader embrace of McGowan in the lead up to November's election. The latest event comes just days after the Times hosted a conversation with McGowan and comedian Ilana Glazer, who is coordinating with McGowan to boost young voter turnout in swing states—Times journalist and moderator Nick Corasaniti also did not mention the numerous, nonpartisan entities that have turned a skeptical eye toward McGowan's operation.
Alba did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Courier is one of several projects launched by ACRONYM, McGowan's political nonprofit and associated PAC. It serves as an umbrella over a series of "local" news sites, which operate in swing states and push pro-Democratic talking points under the guise of local coverage.
Courier's tactics have been extensively criticized in the media and by nonpartisan experts. The outlets have been called "hyperlocal partisan propaganda" by Gabby Deutch of the nonpartisan media watchdog NewsGuard, while an analysis from the Center for Responsive Politics labeled Courier a "fake news" site hiding a "dark money" network's "political agenda." CNN's Jake Tapper and Brian Stelter counted Courier among so-called pink slime misinformation sites, while outlets such as Politico and Bloomberg have run skeptical profiles of the effort.
Courier is part of ACRONYM's broader push for Democrats to retake the White House in 2020, an effort into which it has poured tens of millions of dollars in recent months. Those efforts are backed by a coterie of progressive billionaires, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Dollar Shave Club CEO Michael Dubin, and Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs.
McGowan's machinations at ACRONYM have also attracted legal scrutiny. Earlier this month, Americans for Public Trust, a watchdog organization helmed by former Nevada attorney general and Republican Adam Laxalt, filed a complaint with the FEC, requesting that Courier be compelled to register as a political entity and forfeit its status as a legally protected news organization.


freebeacon--2020-09-17--Gay Rights Group Gives Dem Staffers Pass on Homophobic Slurs

A South Carolina gay rights group excused a pair of top aides to Democratic Senate nominee Jaime Harrison after they used homophobic slurs online .
SC Equality defended Harrison 's political director , Bre Maxwell , and communications director , Guy-Lee King , after the Washington Free Beacon reported on the staffers ' history of offensive comments online .
Maxwell used the terms `` faggot '' and `` fag '' at least six times in tweets sent between January 2012 and August 2013 .
King called `` getting involved with women 's problems '' `` gay atf '' in 2014 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gay '' for being `` in bed wit dudez n touch dey earz '' in 2010 .
Harrison 's campaign said the matter `` would be handled internally '' on Wednesday , one day after the Free Beacon report .
`` I have known Jaime and his team for a long time , and the statements made on Twitter do n't represent the fine team I know , '' SC Equality executive director Jeff Ayers told The State on Wednesday .
`` Let 's get back to focusing on the campaign . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ SC Equality Coalition , endorsed Harrison in September .
Maxwell served on the group 's board as recently as 2017 and spoke alongside Ayers at a January 2016 roundtable .
The group has admonished the use of homophobic slurs in the past , linking such remarks to `` alarming rates of bullying in schools '' and increased suicide rates among `` LGBT youth '' in its 2015 `` LGBT Best Practices Manual . ''
SC Equality also endorses candidates for local office through its state-level political action committee .
While the committee claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 67 of its current 2020 cycle endorsements went to Democrats .
While Harrison has not responded to a Tuesday request for comment from the Free Beacon , he told The State that his staff 's language `` has no place in our state '' and that he `` addressed this personally with these individuals and my entire team . ''
Harrison campaign manager Zack Carroll also told The State that the matter `` would be handled internally , '' saying the `` inappropriate '' posts are `` inconsistent with the values of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' In addition to her homophobic remarks , Maxwell praised anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in 2014 and criticized the use of the term `` ghetto '' in 2012 `` because ghetto is a Jewish term and the jewish Americans are wealthy . ''
The posts came years after Maxwell graduated from South Carolina State University in 2006 .
King , meanwhile , made a slew of misogynistic comments , tweeting `` U ai n't to fat n ugly to git raped LMAO !
!
!
!
!
! ''
in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my dick biiiiiitch !
!
!
!
! ''
in 2011 .
His controversial posts were sent while in high school and college .
Following the Free Beacon report , Maxwell locked her Twitter account and deleted her LinkedIn profile , while King deleted the posts in question .
The pair went on to apologize for the tweets in internal emails shared with The State .
Maxwell said that she has `` been on the receiving end of hurtful remarks '' and `` never wanted my words to be a source of pain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that as a `` Black gay man , '' he `` know [ s ] how hurtful words like this can be . ''

A South Carolina gay rights group excused a pair of top aides to Democratic Senate nominee Jaime Harrison after they used homophobic slurs online.
SC Equality defended Harrison's political director, Bre Maxwell, and communications director, Guy-Lee King, after the Washington Free Beacon reported on the staffers' history of offensive comments online. Maxwell used the terms "faggot" and "fag" at least six times in tweets sent between January 2012 and August 2013. King called "getting involved with women's problems" "gay atf" in 2014 and said a man was "so gay" for being "in bed wit dudez n touch dey earz" in 2010. Harrison's campaign said the matter "would be handled internally" on Wednesday, one day after the Free Beacon report.
"I have known Jaime and his team for a long time, and the statements made on Twitter don't represent the fine team I know," SC Equality executive director Jeff Ayers told The State on Wednesday. "Let's get back to focusing on the campaign."
The group's federal electoral arm, SC Equality Coalition, endorsed Harrison in September. Maxwell served on the group's board as recently as 2017 and spoke alongside Ayers at a January 2016 roundtable. The group has admonished the use of homophobic slurs in the past, linking such remarks to "alarming rates of bullying in schools" and increased suicide rates among "LGBT youth" in its 2015 "LGBT Best Practices Manual."
SC Equality also endorses candidates for local office through its state-level political action committee. While the committee claims to be "non-partisan," all 67 of its current 2020 cycle endorsements went to Democrats.
While Harrison has not responded to a Tuesday request for comment from the Free Beacon, he told The State that his staff's language "has no place in our state" and that he "addressed this personally with these individuals and my entire team." Harrison campaign manager Zack Carroll also told The State that the matter "would be handled internally," saying the "inappropriate" posts are "inconsistent with the values of our campaign and violate our employee policies."
In addition to her homophobic remarks, Maxwell praised anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in 2014 and criticized the use of the term "ghetto" in 2012 "because ghetto is a Jewish term and the jewish Americans are wealthy." The posts came years after Maxwell graduated from South Carolina State University in 2006.
King, meanwhile, made a slew of misogynistic comments, tweeting "U ain't to fat n ugly to git raped LMAO!!!!!!" in 2010 and "Dear Mrs. Lavine suck my dick biiiiiitch!!!!!" in 2011. His controversial posts were sent while in high school and college.
Following the Free Beacon report, Maxwell locked her Twitter account and deleted her LinkedIn profile, while King deleted the posts in question. The pair went on to apologize for the tweets in internal emails shared with The State. Maxwell said that she has "been on the receiving end of hurtful remarks" and "never wanted my words to be a source of pain for any community." King wrote that as a "Black gay man," he "know[s] how hurtful words like this can be."


freebeacon--2020-09-17--Chinese Media on U.S.-Taiwan Visit: ‘Stones May Become Torpedoes’

Chinese media issued threats to the United States after a top U.S. official visited Taiwan this week , U.S. News & World Report reported Thursday .
`` Once the People 's Liberation Army dispatches troops to reunify the island of Taiwan , the military equipment from the U.S. will be nothing but decorations , '' an article in China 's Global Times reads .
`` Once they go too far , the stones may become torpedoes , increasing the uncertainties in the entire region , as well as the risks of drastic changes in the Taiwan Straits . ''
Global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has historically served as a mouthpiece for China 's security apparatus .
`` [ PLA and CCP officials ] ca n't speak willfully , but I can , '' Hu Xijin , the Times ‘ s editor , told American reporters in 2016 .
The threats follow Undersecretary of State Keith Krach 's visit to Taiwan this week to pay respects to Taiwan 's recently deceased and first democratically elected president , Lee Teng-hui , and to increase strategic dialogue with Taiwan around security and trade agreements .
Taiwan 's representative to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade agreement this week , and the Trump administration also agreed Wednesday to sell roughly $ 7 billion dollars ' worth of arms to the island nation , including defensive equipment to be used against a potential Chinese amphibious assault .
The move places greater pressure on China , which has kept an even closer eye on Taiwan after its hostile takeover of Hong Kong earlier this summer .
China reportedly views Washington 's recent overtures to Taipei , including a visit from Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar last month , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Taiwan through the `` One China Principle . ''
China 's increasingly sharp rhetoric and corresponding military displays are meant to warn against rapprochement with the island country , said American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Mazza .
`` China is signaling that ‘ We 're not going to let up when it comes to our goal of eventual unification , ' '' Mazza said .
`` They 're saying , ‘ We 're here , we 're not going anywhere , and we 're not going to change the way we behave @ @ @ @ @

Chinese media issued threats to the United States after a top U.S. official visited Taiwan this week, U.S. News & World Report reported Thursday.
"Once the People's Liberation Army dispatches troops to reunify the island of Taiwan, the military equipment from the U.S. will be nothing but decorations," an article in China's Global Times reads. "Once they go too far, the stones may become torpedoes, increasing the uncertainties in the entire region, as well as the risks of drastic changes in the Taiwan Straits."
Global Times, a state-backed media outlet, has historically served as a mouthpiece for China's security apparatus. "[PLA and CCP officials] can't speak willfully, but I can," Hu Xijin, the Times's editor, told American reporters in 2016.
The threats follow Undersecretary of State Keith Krach's visit to Taiwan this week to pay respects to Taiwan's recently deceased and first democratically elected president, Lee Teng-hui, and to increase strategic dialogue with Taiwan around security and trade agreements.
Taiwan's representative to the United States reaffirmed support for a bilateral trade agreement this week, and the Trump administration also agreed Wednesday to sell roughly $7 billion dollars' worth of arms to the island nation, including defensive equipment to be used against a potential Chinese amphibious assault. The move places greater pressure on China, which has kept an even closer eye on Taiwan after its hostile takeover of Hong Kong earlier this summer.
China reportedly views Washington's recent overtures to Taipei, including a visit from Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar last month, as a threat to its claimed sovereignty over Taiwan through the "One China Principle."
China's increasingly sharp rhetoric and corresponding military displays are meant to warn against rapprochement with the island country, said American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Mazza.
"China is signaling that 'We're not going to let up when it comes to our goal of eventual unification,'" Mazza said. "They're saying, 'We're here, we're not going anywhere, and we're not going to change the way we behave toward Taiwan.'"


freebeacon--2020-09-17--Pete Buttigieg’s Husband Headlines Fall Class of Harvard Fellows

Chasten Buttigieg , best known for being married to a failed presidential candidate , was recently announced as a fall fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics .
Chasten rose to national prominence during the 2020 Democratic primary by campaigning with his husband Pete , who acquired a dedicated following among older white liberals with graduate degrees—particularly in `` boat shoe '' strongholds such as Nantucket , Martha ’ s Vineyard , and Cape Cod .
Chasten , who was the subject of numerous glowing profiles in national media outlets during the primary , recently published a memoir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The book received a lukewarm review in the Washington Post , a popular newspaper among older white liberals with graduate degrees .
`` Everyone loves Chasten Buttigieg , who was briefly in contention to become the nation ’ s first first gentleman , '' writes Post columnist Steven Petrow .
`` His Twitter feed , with more than 447,000 followers , helped him become Pete Buttigieg ’ s ‘ not-so-secret public-relations weapon , ' as he was described in a profile for this newspaper . ''
Unfortunately , Petrow notes , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's embarrassing lack of support among minority voters , not to mention his troubled record on race relations while serving as mayor of South Bend , the fourth-largest city in Indiana .
Some analysts argued that Buttigieg ran the `` whitest campaign since Mitt Romney '' in 2012 .
`` As out of touch as Pete may have appeared about the issue [ of race ] during the campaign , Chasten ’ s omission now , after the killing of George Floyd in police custody and months of racial protests in the streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if not worse , '' Petrow writes .
Pete Buttigieg is currently writing his second memoir in as many years .
Trust : America 's Best Chance is due out in October .
He is all but assured a prominent cabinet position in a Joe Biden administration .
Chasten , for his part , might decide to pursue a career in politics as well .
He 'd be following in the footsteps of prominent spouses such as Hillary Clinton and Sean Eldridge .
The Harvard Institute of Politics 's website describes Chasten as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teacher '' who `` lives in South Bend , Indiana , with his husband , Peter , and their two rescue dogs . ''

Chasten Buttigieg, best known for being married to a failed presidential candidate, was recently announced as a fall fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.
Chasten rose to national prominence during the 2020 Democratic primary by campaigning with his husband Pete, who acquired a dedicated following among older white liberals with graduate degrees—particularly in "boat shoe" strongholds such as Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Cape Cod.
Chasten, who was the subject of numerous glowing profiles in national media outlets during the primary, recently published a memoir, I Have Something to Tell You. The book received a lukewarm review in the Washington Post, a popular newspaper among older white liberals with graduate degrees.
"Everyone loves Chasten Buttigieg, who was briefly in contention to become the nation’s first first gentleman," writes Post columnist Steven Petrow. "His Twitter feed, with more than 447,000 followers, helped him become Pete Buttigieg’s 'not-so-secret public-relations weapon,' as he was described in a profile for this newspaper."
Unfortunately, Petrow notes, the memoir failed to adequately address Pete Buttigieg's embarrassing lack of support among minority voters, not to mention his troubled record on race relations while serving as mayor of South Bend, the fourth-largest city in Indiana. Some analysts argued that Buttigieg ran the "whitest campaign since Mitt Romney" in 2012.
"As out of touch as Pete may have appeared about the issue [of race] during the campaign, Chasten’s omission now, after the killing of George Floyd in police custody and months of racial protests in the streets, comes off as particularly tone-deaf, if not worse," Petrow writes.
Pete Buttigieg is currently writing his second memoir in as many years. Trust: America's Best Chance is due out in October. He is all but assured a prominent cabinet position in a Joe Biden administration. Chasten, for his part, might decide to pursue a career in politics as well. He'd be following in the footsteps of prominent spouses such as Hillary Clinton and Sean Eldridge.
The Harvard Institute of Politics's website describes Chasten as "a middle school drama and humanities teacher" who "lives in South Bend, Indiana, with his husband, Peter, and their two rescue dogs."


freebeacon--2020-09-17--Dem Senate Candidate Praises Farrakhan Supporter Who Compared Trump Election to 9/11 and Supports De

Dem Senate Candidate Praises Farrakhan Supporter Who Compared Trump Election to 9/11 and Supports Defunding Police

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock commended a Louis Farrakhan-supporting preacher Wednesday after he compared President Donald Trump 's election to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and applauded efforts to defund police departments .
Warnock , who invited Pastor Frederick Haynes III to virtually address his congregation at Atlanta 's Ebenezer Baptist Church , said he was `` grateful '' for Haynes 's words and called him his `` brother '' after he delivered a strongly political sermon .
`` [ Trump ] is COVID-45 who has mismanaged COVID-19 , '' Haynes said during his address .
`` In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that 11/9 was our spiritual and moral 9/11 . ''
Mirroring past remarks , he said modern policing is rooted in slavery and praised protests in 2020 that led to sliced police budgets in San Francisco and Los Angeles .
`` Normal resulted in white supremacy structuring our institutions , '' he said .
`` Normal resulted in a policing system with its roots in the slave patrols killing unarmed black bodies . ''
Warnock invited Haynes to address his church in spite of his past praise of radical Nation of Islam leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of himself and Farrakhan in 2017 and called Farrakhan a `` wonderful and great man . ''
In 2015 , he called him a `` prophetic leader for our time . ''
Farrakhan has made bigoted remarks about Jews , gays , and other groups , but he has continued to receive support from figures on the left such as former Women 's March leader Tamika Mallory .
Haynes is described by peers as a `` leader '' in the police-defunding movement .
He supports reallocating at least 60 percent of the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a racist system .
In response to a Blue Lives Matter rally last month in his Dallas church 's parking lot that included Confederate flags , Haynes said anyone who could not say `` Black Lives Matter '' was holding a `` Klan rally . ''
He added it was time to `` divest '' from police departments and reinvest in communities .
Haynes addressed the 2020 Democratic National Convention and said people who supported Trump 's border wall efforts may `` go to hell . ''
Warnock , the senior pastor at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak in 2016 .
His campaign did not respond to a request for comment .
Warnock said in June he does not support defunding police but does support efforts to `` demilitarize '' and `` responsibly fund law enforcement . ''
Warnock is running in the special jungle election against Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R. , Ga. ) , which also features Rep. Doug Collins ( R. , Ga. ) , Democrat Matt Lieberman , and more than a dozen others on the ballot .
The top two finishers will advance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of the vote on Election Day .

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock commended a Louis Farrakhan-supporting preacher Wednesday after he compared President Donald Trump's election to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and applauded efforts to defund police departments.
Warnock, who invited Pastor Frederick Haynes III to virtually address his congregation at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, said he was "grateful" for Haynes's words and called him his "brother" after he delivered a strongly political sermon.
"[Trump] is COVID-45 who has mismanaged COVID-19," Haynes said during his address. "In the future, the generations may well say that 11/9 was our spiritual and moral 9/11."
Mirroring past remarks, he said modern policing is rooted in slavery and praised protests in 2020 that led to sliced police budgets in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
"Normal resulted in white supremacy structuring our institutions," he said. "Normal resulted in a policing system with its roots in the slave patrols killing unarmed black bodies."
Warnock invited Haynes to address his church in spite of his past praise of radical Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Haynes tweeted a photo of himself and Farrakhan in 2017 and called Farrakhan a "wonderful and great man." In 2015, he called him a "prophetic leader for our time." Farrakhan has made bigoted remarks about Jews, gays, and other groups, but he has continued to receive support from figures on the left such as former Women's March leader Tamika Mallory.
Haynes is described by peers as a "leader" in the police-defunding movement. He supports reallocating at least 60 percent of the public safety budget to address what he calls a racist system. In response to a Blue Lives Matter rally last month in his Dallas church's parking lot that included Confederate flags, Haynes said anyone who could not say "Black Lives Matter" was holding a "Klan rally." He added it was time to "divest" from police departments and reinvest in communities.
Haynes addressed the 2020 Democratic National Convention and said people who supported Trump's border wall efforts may "go to hell."
Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer since 2005, also invited Haynes to speak in 2016. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Warnock said in June he does not support defunding police but does support efforts to "demilitarize" and "responsibly fund law enforcement."
Warnock is running in the special jungle election against Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R., Ga.), which also features Rep. Doug Collins (R., Ga.), Democrat Matt Lieberman, and more than a dozen others on the ballot. The top two finishers will advance to a runoff, unless someone gets 50 percent of the vote on Election Day.