talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--Minneapolis Mayor Imposes Citywide Curfew To Stanch Civil Unrest

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has announced a citywide curfew Friday and Saturday nights after days of civil unrest over the police killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day .
The curfew lasts from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time .
“ During the hours of curfew , all persons must not travel on any public street or in any public place , ” the order reads .
Violating the order is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine not to exceed $ 1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 90 days .
The order says that locals are at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” during the current civil unrest , and that the curfew is being imposed because “ much of the destruction and violence has taken place under the cover of darkness.
” The city has reached a boiling point in recent days , after police officer Derek Chauvin was caught on video kneeling on Floyd ’ s neck for almost nine agonizing minutes , while the Chauvin pleaded that he couldn ’ t breathe .
Agitated bystanders yelled for Chauvin to get up .
By the time he did , Floyd was unresponsive and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three officers with him at the scene were fired from the force , but protesters took to the streets , enraged that they hadn ’ t been arrested .
On Friday , Chauvin was arrested on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter .
In the meantime , destruction has rained down on the city as businesses were looted , protesters pelleted with police ’ s rubber bullets and a police precinct station torched .
It is unclear if the violence will continue at such a fever pitch now that Chauvin has been arrested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to quell violence in times of civil unrest .
In 2018 , Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake imposed one as protests raged after the mysterious death of Freddie Gray while in police custody .
Curfews were imposed by police in Ferguson , Missouri , in 2014 amid protests over the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson .
Los Angeles was put under curfew in 1992 during the riots that followed the acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers in the beating Rodney King .

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has announced a citywide curfew Friday and Saturday nights after days of civil unrest over the police killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day.
The curfew lasts from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time.
“During the hours of curfew, all persons must not travel on any public street or in any public place,” the order reads. Violating the order is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 90 days.
The order says that locals are at risk of “significant injury and death” during the current civil unrest, and that the curfew is being imposed because “much of the destruction and violence has taken place under the cover of darkness.”
The city has reached a boiling point in recent days, after police officer Derek Chauvin was caught on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine agonizing minutes, while the Chauvin pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.
Agitated bystanders yelled for Chauvin to get up. By the time he did, Floyd was unresponsive and declared dead soon after.
Chauvin and three officers with him at the scene were fired from the force, but protesters took to the streets, enraged that they hadn’t been arrested.
On Friday, Chauvin was arrested on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter.
In the meantime, destruction has rained down on the city as businesses were looted, protesters pelleted with police’s rubber bullets and a police precinct station torched.
It is unclear if the violence will continue at such a fever pitch now that Chauvin has been arrested.
Historically, curfews have been imposed to quell violence in times of civil unrest.
In 2018, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake imposed one as protests raged after the mysterious death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. Curfews were imposed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 amid protests over the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson. Los Angeles was put under curfew in 1992 during the riots that followed the acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers in the beating Rodney King.
Read Frey’s curfew order here.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--READ: Criminal Complaint Against Ex-MN Cop Charged In Killing Of George Floyd

Minnesota authorities released a criminal complaint Friday afternoon outlining murder and manslaughter charges against Derek Chauvin , the fired Minneapolis police officer seen in viral video footage kneeling on the neck of George Floyd .
Floyd ultimately died in police custody after being apprehended for allegedly purchasing a meal with counterfeit currency .
His death on Monday , May 25 , has set off waves of protests in Minneapolis and around the country calling for justice for his killing .
Chauvin faces state charges , including third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter , filed in Minnesota district court .
The criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case , including that Chauvin ’ s knee was on Floyd ’ s neck for two minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd was unresponsive .
After Floyd repeatedly told officers he couldn ’ t breathe and called out for his “ mama , ” the officers told Floyd that he was “ talking fine , ” according to the complaint .
The criminal complaint concludes with the Hennepin County Medical Examiner noting there were “ no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.
” “ Mr .
Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease and hypertensive heart disease , ” the complaint said .
“ The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police , his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death .
”

Minnesota authorities released a criminal complaint Friday afternoon outlining murder and manslaughter charges against Derek Chauvin, the fired Minneapolis police officer seen in viral video footage kneeling on the neck of George Floyd.
Floyd ultimately died in police custody after being apprehended for allegedly using counterfeit currency. His death on Monday, May 25, has set off waves of protests in Minneapolis and around the country calling for justice for his killing.
Chauvin faces state charges, including third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, filed in Minnesota district court. The criminal complaint lays out several new allegations in the case, including that Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s neck for two minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd was unresponsive. After Floyd repeatedly told officers he couldn’t breathe and called out for his “mama,” the officers told Floyd that he was “talking fine,” according to the complaint.
The criminal complaint concludes with the Hennepin County Medical Examiner noting there were “no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.”
“Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease,” the complaint said. “The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.”
Read the full document below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--Trump Admin Edits CDC Guidance That Suggested Limiting Choirs At Church Services

The Trump administration edited the CDC ’ s public “ Interim Guidance for Communities of Faith ” to remove advice about choirs and the risk of transmitting the novel coronavirus .
The Washington Post reported the change on Friday .
Initially , CDC guidance on COVID-19 — as seen on archived versions of the CDC website — advised on the risks of church choirs as well as communal chanting .
A passage on the page read : Consider suspending or at least decreasing use of a choir/musical ensembles and congregant singing , chanting , or reciting during services or other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tradition .
The act of singing may contribute to transmission of COVID-19 , possibly through emission of aerosols .
But as the website currently shows , the passage has been deleted .
So have other passages , including recommendations that virtual events — youth groups , religious education classes , home visits by clergy — be held in lieu of in-person activities .
Two unnamed White House officials told the Post that the first version of the CDC guidance was , in the paper ’ s words , “ not approved by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw it , the officials told the Post , they asked the CDC to post a different document .
The changes to choir guidance are notable given the CDC ’ s own epidemiological focus on choirs and churches .
A report published by the CDC this month focused on the case of a 2.5-hour choir practice attended by one person with COVID-19 symptoms .
After the rehearsal , per the report , “ 32 confirmed and 20 probable secondary COVID-19 cases occurred ( attack rate = 53.3 % to 86.7 % ) ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died .
Transmission was likely facilitated by close proximity ( within 6 feet ) during practice and augmented by the act of singing.
” The choir practice , in Skagit County , Washington , was reported on in March by The Los Angeles Times .

The Trump administration edited the CDC’s public “Interim Guidance for Communities of Faith” to remove advice about choirs and the risk of transmitting the novel coronavirus.
The Washington Post reported the change on Friday.
Initially, CDC guidance on COVID-19 — as seen on archived versions of the CDC website — advised on the risks of church choirs as well as communal chanting. A passage on the page read:
Consider suspending or at least decreasing use of a choir/musical ensembles and congregant singing, chanting, or reciting during services or other programming, if appropriate within the faith tradition. The act of singing may contribute to transmission of COVID-19, possibly through emission of aerosols.
But as the website currently shows, the passage has been deleted. So have other passages, including recommendations that virtual events — youth groups, religious education classes, home visits by clergy — be held in lieu of in-person activities.
Two unnamed White House officials told the Post that the first version of the CDC guidance was, in the paper’s words, “not approved by the White House.” After West Wing officials saw it, the officials told the Post, they asked the CDC to post a different document.
The changes to choir guidance are notable given the CDC’s own epidemiological focus on choirs and churches.
A report published by the CDC this month focused on the case of a 2.5-hour choir practice attended by one person with COVID-19 symptoms.
After the rehearsal, per the report, “32 confirmed and 20 probable secondary COVID-19 cases occurred (attack rate = 53.3% to 86.7%); three patients were hospitalized, and two died. Transmission was likely facilitated by close proximity (within 6 feet) during practice and augmented by the act of singing.”
The choir practice, in Skagit County, Washington, was reported on in March by The Los Angeles Times.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--READ: Transcripts From Flynn Calls With Russian Officials Released

The transcripts from several phone calls between Michael Flynn and Russian officials became public Friday , including his December 2016 call with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak discussing sanctions the Obama administration imposed on Russia .
The transcripts show Kisylak trying to suss out from Flynn what the incoming Trump administration ’ s policy towards Russia would be , as Flynn tried to ensure that Moscow took a “ reciprocal ” response to sanctions issued by the Obama administration as a response to Russian meddling in the 2016 election in support of Trump .
At one point during a call on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ now that U.S. policy might , uh , be changing or not , we want to understand what is going to be your policy when and if we are to implement things that we are working on.
” Flynn ’ s eventual reply was to ask that the Russian government remain restrained in its response to the sanctions , saying : “ Do not allow this administration to box us in , right now , okay ?
” In a separate call two days later , Kislyak told Flynn that the conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moscow.
” “ I just wanted to tell you that we found that these actions have targeted not only against Russia , but also against the president-elect , ” Kislyak added , attributing the sanctions to people “ dissatisfied with the loss of elections , ” and calling it “ deplorable.
” “ Good , good , ” Flynn replied , adding later that he appreciated “ that feedback.
” The dialogues are peppered with bumbling attempts by the two men to apparently ingratiate themselves with each other .
At one point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a meal .
“ Believe me , I always , I always like a free lunch , ” Flynn replied .
The transcripts quickly became public after John Ratcliffe , Trump ’ s new Director of National Intelligence , announced that they ’ d been declassified .
Ratcliffe ’ s move came after his predecessor , Ric Grenell , released other documents from the Russia probe .
Democrats have accused Grenell of selectively declassifying sensitive intelligence materials , however both they and Republicans together sought the release of the transcripts made public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts to get Flynn ’ s case dropped have revived interest in Flynn ’ s calls with Kislyak , which were the subject of his 2017 plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller .
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the content of the calls , including whether sanctions were discussed .
He and the Justice Department are now claiming the case should be dismissed , not because Flynn ’ s statements to the FBI weren ’ t false , but because the FBI had no business interviewing him about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In one media interview , Attorney General Bill Barr called Flynn ’ s conversation with the Russian official “ laudable.
” In seeking to walk away from its prosecution , the Justice Department has claimed that the calls were appropriate .
But what the transcripts make clear is just how egregious Flynn ’ s false statements to the FBI were .
He and his allies have suggested he may have just forgotten that sanctions had come up , even as he acknowledged to the FBI that the conversations took place .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made up a major portion of one of the calls in question .
According to the FBI summary of its agents ’ interview of Flynn , he denied that expulsion of diplomats came up on the call .
On the call itself , per the transcript , Flynn seemed to discuss that element of Russia ’ s response specifically .
“ We ’ re not going to escalate this thing … if we send out 30 guys and you send out 60 , you know , or you shut down every Embassy ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have to get this to a … let ’ s keep this at a level that uh is , is even-keeled , okay ?
” Flynn also told the FBI , per its summary , that he had not been aware of the plans to sanction Russia at the time of his Kislyak conversations .
But on the Dec. 29 call , it was he who brought up the issue , after discussing the potential for a secure line .
Flynn pivoted with his line about not allowing “ this administration to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ what uh , actions they take over this current issue of the cyber stuff.
” In trying to jog Flynn ’ s memory about the sanctions , the FBI agents used a specific phrase , “ tit-for-tat , ” that appeared in the transcripts .
But when asked by the FBI whether he remembered telling Russia to not engage in a tit-for-tat , Flynn said , “ not really ” and that the discussion wasn ’ t “ don ’ t do anything , ” according to the FBI ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in the dark about the sanctions until they were reported by the media .
Much of the material remains redacted .
It also reveals a new , previously unknown interaction between Flynn and Kislyak : a January 2016 conversation in which Flynn apparently called Kisylak to express condolences over the sudden death of the head of the GRU — Russia ’ s military intelligence agency responsible for orchestrating the 2016 election hacking campaign .
But for most of the late 2016 conversations , Flynn and Kisylak remained focused on finding ways to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and on the Middle East .
Kislyak reiterates to Flynn that it would be risky for the Trump administration to keep the Obama administration ’ s sanctions on the GRU and FSB — the successor agency to the KGB — because it would hinder cooperation against ISIS .
“ One of the problems among the measures that have been announced today is that now FSB and GRU … are sanctioned , and I ask myself , ‘ does it mean that the United States isn ’ t willing to work on terrorist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during one Dec. 29 call .
The Russian government had long suggested that the U.S. abandon its focus on the Kremlin ’ s activities in Eastern Europe in exchange for a joint focus on the Middle East .
On the call , Flynn told Kislyak that “ we need cool heads to prevail ” in response to the Obama administration ’ s sanctions .
“ We need to be very steady about what we ’ re going to do because we have absolutely a common threat in the Middle East right now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he understood , to which Flynn then asked that any Russian response to the Obama sanctions be kept to “ a reciprocal basis.
” “ Then that is a good message and we ’ ll understand that message , ” Flynn added .
At one point , Flynn suggested to Kislyak that President Trump may be aware of the calls , and of the proposals he has been making .
“ Globally , I want to keep the temperature down and we can do this if we are smart about it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Obama administration ’ s sanctions .
Flynn then said that he hadn ’ t gotten “ confirmation , ” yet , but added that “ the boss is aware and so please convey that .
”

The transcripts from several phone calls between Michael Flynn and Russian officials became public Friday, including his December 2016 call with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak discussing sanctions the Obama administration imposed on Russia.
The transcripts show Kisylak trying to suss out from Flynn what the incoming Trump administration’s policy towards Russia would be, as Flynn tried to ensure that Moscow took a “reciprocal” response to sanctions issued by the Obama administration as a response to Russian meddling in the 2016 election in support of Trump.
At one point during a call on Dec. 29, Kislyak told Flynn that “now that U.S. policy might, uh, be changing or not, we want to understand what is going to be your policy when and if we are to implement things that we are working on.”
Flynn’s eventual reply was to ask that the Russian government remain restrained in its response to the sanctions, saying: “Do not allow this administration to box us in, right now, okay?”
In a separate call two days later, Kislyak told Flynn that the conversation “had been taken into account in Moscow.”
“I just wanted to tell you that we found that these actions have targeted not only against Russia, but also against the president-elect,” Kislyak added, attributing the sanctions to people “dissatisfied with the loss of elections,” and calling it “deplorable.”
“Good, good,” Flynn replied, adding later that he appreciated “that feedback.”
The dialogues are peppered with bumbling attempts by the two men to apparently ingratiate themselves with each other. At one point, Kislyak suggests that the pair get together for a meal.
“Believe me, I always, I always like a free lunch,” Flynn replied.
The transcripts quickly became public after John Ratcliffe, Trump’s new Director of National Intelligence, announced that they’d been declassified. Ratcliffe’s move came after his predecessor, Ric Grenell, released other documents from the Russia probe. Democrats have accused Grenell of selectively declassifying sensitive intelligence materials, however both they and Republicans together sought the release of the transcripts made public Friday.
The Justice Department’s efforts to get Flynn’s case dropped have revived interest in Flynn’s calls with Kislyak, which were the subject of his 2017 plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the content of the calls, including whether sanctions were discussed.
He and the Justice Department are now claiming the case should be dismissed, not because Flynn’s statements to the FBI weren’t false, but because the FBI had no business interviewing him about the Kislyak calls in the first place. In one media interview, Attorney General Bill Barr called Flynn’s conversation with the Russian official “laudable.”
In seeking to walk away from its prosecution, the Justice Department has claimed that the calls were appropriate. But what the transcripts make clear is just how egregious Flynn’s false statements to the FBI were. He and his allies have suggested he may have just forgotten that sanctions had come up, even as he acknowledged to the FBI that the conversations took place. But the transcripts show that discussions about sanctions made up a major portion of one of the calls in question.
According to the FBI summary of its agents’ interview of Flynn, he denied that expulsion of diplomats came up on the call. On the call itself, per the transcript, Flynn seemed to discuss that element of Russia’s response specifically.
“We’re not going to escalate this thing … if we send out 30 guys and you send out 60, you know, or you shut down every Embassy?” Flynn said. “I mean we have to get this to a … let’s keep this at a level that uh is, is even-keeled, okay?”
Flynn also told the FBI, per its summary, that he had not been aware of the plans to sanction Russia at the time of his Kislyak conversations. But on the Dec. 29 call, it was he who brought up the issue, after discussing the potential for a secure line. Flynn pivoted with his line about not allowing “this administration to box us in,” and pointed to “what uh, actions they take over this current issue of the cyber stuff.”
In trying to jog Flynn’s memory about the sanctions, the FBI agents used a specific phrase, “tit-for-tat,” that appeared in the transcripts. But when asked by the FBI whether he remembered telling Russia to not engage in a tit-for-tat, Flynn said, “not really” and that the discussion wasn’t “don’t do anything,” according to the FBI’s summary. He again claimed that he was in the dark about the sanctions until they were reported by the media.
Much of the material remains redacted. It also reveals a new, previously unknown interaction between Flynn and Kislyak: a January 2016 conversation in which Flynn apparently called Kisylak to express condolences over the sudden death of the head of the GRU — Russia’s military intelligence agency responsible for orchestrating the 2016 election hacking campaign.
But for most of the late 2016 conversations, Flynn and Kisylak remained focused on finding ways to neutralize the Obama administration’s sanctions, and on the Middle East.
Kislyak reiterates to Flynn that it would be risky for the Trump administration to keep the Obama administration’s sanctions on the GRU and FSB — the successor agency to the KGB — because it would hinder cooperation against ISIS.
“One of the problems among the measures that have been announced today is that now FSB and GRU … are sanctioned, and I ask myself, ‘does it mean that the United States isn’t willing to work on terrorist threats?’” Kislyak asked Flynn during one Dec. 29 call.
The Russian government had long suggested that the U.S. abandon its focus on the Kremlin’s activities in Eastern Europe in exchange for a joint focus on the Middle East.
On the call, Flynn told Kislyak that “we need cool heads to prevail” in response to the Obama administration’s sanctions.
“We need to be very steady about what we’re going to do because we have absolutely a common threat in the Middle East right now,” he added.
Kisylak told Flynn that he understood, to which Flynn then asked that any Russian response to the Obama sanctions be kept to “a reciprocal basis.”
“Then that is a good message and we’ll understand that message,” Flynn added.
At one point, Flynn suggested to Kislyak that President Trump may be aware of the calls, and of the proposals he has been making.
“Globally, I want to keep the temperature down and we can do this if we are smart about it,” Flynn said, apparently referring to the Obama administration’s sanctions.
Kislyak replied, “you’re absolutely right.”
Flynn then said that he hadn’t gotten “confirmation,” yet, but added that “the boss is aware and so please convey that.”
“I will,” Kislyak replied.
Read the transcripts below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--Klobuchar Denies That She Declined To Prosecute Officer In Floyd Case In ’06 Shooting

Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ) said Friday that it was “ absolutely false ” that she declined to prosecute Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during her time as a county attorney .
“ This idea that I somehow declined a case — which has been reported on some news blogs and then sent out on the internet — against this officer is absolutely false , ” she told NBC News host Andrea Mitchell .
“ It is a lie .
I don ’ t know what else to say about it.
” Chauvin on Friday was charged with third-degree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Floyd .
Klobuchar cheered the charges on Twitter as a “ first step toward Justice.
” Klobuchar ’ s remarks to Mitchell came in response to criticism that Chauvin was let off the hook for another police killing in 2006 , which a grand jury later found was justified .
Klobuchar ’ s presidential bid , and speculation that she could become Joe Biden ’ s vice presidential pick , have sharpened the scrutiny of her record as a prosecutor .
From 1999 until January 2007 , Klobuchar had served as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes Minneapolis .
The charges against Chauvin Friday , meanwhile , have turned a spotlight on his actions 14 years ago — and on Klobuchar ’ s office ’ s response to them .
On Oct. 29 , 2006 , Chauvin was among a group of six officers who opened fire on and killed a man at the end of a police chase .
That night , Wayne Reyes , 42 , had stabbed his girlfriend Jamie Fink and Fink ’ s friend Tommy Strom , Strom told the Minneapolis Star Tribune at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened to kill all three people — Fink , Strom and himself — with a shotgun .
Strom called 9-1-1 and Reyes fled when police arrived .
Police pursued Reyes until he pulled his car over after several blocks , exiting the vehicle with what appeared to be a shotgun .
“ Several officers fired multiple shots , ” and Reyes was killed , police said , according to the Star Tribune report .
Klobuchar was the county prosecutor at the time of the killing , but a week later she won her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 .
She was sworn in the following January .
Klobuchar ’ s last day as a prosecutor was Dec. 31 of 2006 , a Hennepin County prosecutor ’ s office spokesperson told The New York Times .
Referring to the Reyes case , the spokesperson said Klobuchar had “ no involvement in the prosecution of this case at all.
” Klobuchar ’ s office , as was the case with many police shootings during her tenure , declined to charge the officers who shot and killed Reyes .
Instead , the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who determined the use of force was justified .
By the time that the case reached that grand jury , Klobuchar told NBC News , she ’ d been sworn in as a senator .
“ The decisions were made when I was in the U.S. Senate , ” she said Friday .
“ In fact , nine months after I was in the U.S. Senate is when it went to the grand jury.
” It was widespread at the time for police shooting cases to be sent to grand juries , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result in outcomes favorable to law enforcement .
Several analyses — in the Star Tribune , the Minnesota-based American Public Media , The Washington Post and The New York Times — note that then-prosecutor Klobuchar ’ s office did not bring charges in dozens of cases of police killings during her tenure , instead opting to use grand juries .
In one case cited by American Public Media , the grieving mother of a black teenager shot and killed by police , Courtney Williams , pleaded with Klobuchar to charge the case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jury .
“ The grand jury is a way of hiding that the prosecutor is not giving the full information of guilt to the grand jury , ” Tahisha Williams Brewer wrote to Klobuchar .
“ I want this process out in the open , where everyone can observe it and make sure that it is fair to my son.
” Klobuchar did not respond directly to the letter , APM reported , but her office sent the case to a grand jury that found the use of force justified .
As a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the practice of using grand juries to decide whether or not to indict officers in police killings .
Asked by Politico in February about her time as Hennepin County attorney , Klobuchar said “ if I would change one thing — back when I was there , all the DAs in our state , and really around the country , used grand juries to make decisions about police shootings.
” “ I think it is much better if you just take responsibility for that yourself .
”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said Friday that it was “absolutely false” that she declined to prosecute Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during her time as a county attorney.
“This idea that I somehow declined a case — which has been reported on some news blogs and then sent out on the internet — against this officer is absolutely false,” she told NBC News host Andrea Mitchell. “It is a lie. I don’t know what else to say about it.”
Chauvin on Friday was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter for the killing of George Floyd. Klobuchar cheered the charges on Twitter as a “first step toward Justice.”
Klobuchar’s remarks to Mitchell came in response to criticism that Chauvin was let off the hook for another police killing in 2006, which a grand jury later found was justified.
Klobuchar’s presidential bid, and speculation that she could become Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick, have sharpened the scrutiny of her record as a prosecutor. From 1999 until January 2007, Klobuchar had served as the top cop of Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis.
The charges against Chauvin Friday, meanwhile, have turned a spotlight on his actions 14 years ago — and on Klobuchar’s office’s response to them.
On Oct. 29, 2006, Chauvin was among a group of six officers who opened fire on and killed a man at the end of a police chase.
That night, Wayne Reyes, 42, had stabbed his girlfriend Jamie Fink and Fink’s friend Tommy Strom, Strom told the Minneapolis Star Tribune at the time. Strom said Reyes then threatened to kill all three people — Fink, Strom and himself — with a shotgun. Strom called 9-1-1 and Reyes fled when police arrived.
Police pursued Reyes until he pulled his car over after several blocks, exiting the vehicle with what appeared to be a shotgun. “Several officers fired multiple shots,” and Reyes was killed, police said, according to the Star Tribune report.
Klobuchar was the county prosecutor at the time of the killing, but a week later she won her U.S. Senate election, on Tuesday Nov. 7. She was sworn in the following January.
Klobuchar’s last day as a prosecutor was Dec. 31 of 2006, a Hennepin County prosecutor’s office spokesperson told The New York Times. Referring to the Reyes case, the spokesperson said Klobuchar had “no involvement in the prosecution of this case at all.”
Klobuchar’s office, as was the case with many police shootings during her tenure, declined to charge the officers who shot and killed Reyes. Instead, the case was referred to a grand jury, who determined the use of force was justified. By the time that the case reached that grand jury, Klobuchar told NBC News, she’d been sworn in as a senator.
“The decisions were made when I was in the U.S. Senate,” she said Friday. “In fact, nine months after I was in the U.S. Senate is when it went to the grand jury.”
It was widespread at the time for police shooting cases to be sent to grand juries, the proceedings of which are secret and often result in outcomes favorable to law enforcement.
Several analyses — in the Star Tribune, the Minnesota-based American Public Media, The Washington Post and The New York Times — note that then-prosecutor Klobuchar’s office did not bring charges in dozens of cases of police killings during her tenure, instead opting to use grand juries.
In one case cited by American Public Media, the grieving mother of a black teenager shot and killed by police, Courtney Williams, pleaded with Klobuchar to charge the case, rather than sending it to a grand jury.
“The grand jury is a way of hiding that the prosecutor is not giving the full information of guilt to the grand jury,” Tahisha Williams Brewer wrote to Klobuchar. “I want this process out in the open, where everyone can observe it and make sure that it is fair to my son.”
Klobuchar did not respond directly to the letter, APM reported, but her office sent the case to a grand jury that found the use of force justified.
As a presidential candidate, Klobuchar backed away from the practice of using grand juries to decide whether or not to indict officers in police killings.
Asked by Politico in February about her time as Hennepin County attorney, Klobuchar said “if I would change one thing — back when I was there, all the DAs in our state, and really around the country, used grand juries to make decisions about police shootings.”
“I think it is much better if you just take responsibility for that yourself.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--Graham Urges Older Conservative Judges To Stand Aside For Younger Appointees

Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) threw subtlety to the winds during a Thursday interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt , encouraging older federal conservative judges to take “ senior status ” and make room for a fresh batch .
“ This is an historic opportunity , ” Graham said .
“ We ’ ve put over 200 federal judges on the bench .
I think one in five federal judges are Trump appointees .
If you can get four more years , I mean , it would change the judiciary for several generations.
” “ So if you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , late 60s , you can take senior status , now would be a good time to do that , if you want to make sure the judiciary is right of center , ” he added .
“ Senior status ” is a state of semi-retirement for a federal judge , when they can choose to take on a reduced caseload if they wish .
Their seats on the bench are considered vacant , and the President can appoint replacements .
There has been an all-out push from Republican lawmakers and their adjacent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative justices while the White House and Senate are politically aligned .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) has been frank about his efforts , asserting that his remaking of the federal judiciary — and his refusal to let President Barack Obama seat Merrick Garland on the Supreme Court — is the most important part of his legacy .
His efforts have made his initial defenses on the Garland case , that he was letting the “ American people decide , ” clearly bogus .
If a Supreme Court seat opened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last May , “ we ’ d fill it.
” In his Thursday interview , Graham even acknowledged that “ we changed the rules for the Supreme Court.
” GOP lawmakers have been buoyed in their efforts by right-of-center legal groups including the Federalist Society , which channels its money and connections into extensive lobbying and media efforts to fast track hand-selected candidates onto the federal bench .
While the efforts to conservative-ize the courts are not new , the GOP willingness to so openly describe the campaign is more recent .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NYU Law School , could catalyze a backlash sooner rather than later .
“ They are loudly and aggressively packing the courts , ” he told TPM .
“ There is a high probability this is going to end in a crisis for the judiciary down the road.
” “ To the extent the judges ’ opinions are consistent with majority views in the country , the Republicans will have succeeded , but I will not be surprised one iota if the result ultimately is a backlash , ” he added .
Still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal judges would even heed Graham ’ s urging .
As Professor Steve Burbank of University of Pennsylvania law school pointed out , those who are eligible to take senior status were not appointed by President Trump and may have concerns about some of his hyper-partisan appointees .
And , based on a study Burbank conducted in 2012 , federal judges are more likely to be motivated by things like the tax benefits and ability to be selective about their caseload that come with senior status above political maneuvering .
“ Moreover , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well-publicized encouragement , they may not want the timing of their decision to contribute to the impression that the federal judiciary is not just part of our political system but also part of ordinary politics , ” he said .
“ Finally , they may not want advice from Lindsey Graham about anything.
” Graham , however , is unbowed .
Hewitt asked if he could assure eligible judges that their successors would be confirmed before Election Day — before , in McConnell ’ s words , the American people have a chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , urged expediency .
“ If you wait … no , ” he said of the older judges .
“ Do it now .
”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) threw subtlety to the winds during a Thursday interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, encouraging older federal conservative judges to take “senior status” and make room for a fresh batch.
“This is an historic opportunity,” Graham said. “We’ve put over 200 federal judges on the bench. I think one in five federal judges are Trump appointees. If you can get four more years, I mean, it would change the judiciary for several generations.”
“So if you’re a circuit judge in your mid-60s, late 60s, you can take senior status, now would be a good time to do that, if you want to make sure the judiciary is right of center,” he added.
“Senior status” is a state of semi-retirement for a federal judge, when they can choose to take on a reduced caseload if they wish. Their seats on the bench are considered vacant, and the President can appoint replacements.
There has been an all-out push from Republican lawmakers and their adjacent powerbrokers to pack the federal courts with conservative justices while the White House and Senate are politically aligned.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been frank about his efforts, asserting that his remaking of the federal judiciary — and his refusal to let President Barack Obama seat Merrick Garland on the Supreme Court — is the most important part of his legacy. His efforts have made his initial defenses on the Garland case, that he was letting the “American people decide,” clearly bogus. If a Supreme Court seat opened in an election year, McConnell said last May, “we’d fill it.”
In his Thursday interview, Graham even acknowledged that “we changed the rules for the Supreme Court.”
GOP lawmakers have been buoyed in their efforts by right-of-center legal groups including the Federalist Society, which channels its money and connections into extensive lobbying and media efforts to fast track hand-selected candidates onto the federal bench.
While the efforts to conservative-ize the courts are not new, the GOP willingness to so openly describe the campaign is more recent.
That candor, warned Professor Barry Friedman at NYU Law School, could catalyze a backlash sooner rather than later.
“They are loudly and aggressively packing the courts,” he told TPM. “There is a high probability this is going to end in a crisis for the judiciary down the road.”
“To the extent the judges’ opinions are consistent with majority views in the country, the Republicans will have succeeded, but I will not be surprised one iota if the result ultimately is a backlash,” he added.
Still, it’s not clear that federal judges would even heed Graham’s urging. As Professor Steve Burbank of University of Pennsylvania law school pointed out, those who are eligible to take senior status were not appointed by President Trump and may have concerns about some of his hyper-partisan appointees.
And, based on a study Burbank conducted in 2012, federal judges are more likely to be motivated by things like the tax benefits and ability to be selective about their caseload that come with senior status above political maneuvering.
“Moreover, in light of Senator Graham’s well-publicized encouragement, they may not want the timing of their decision to contribute to the impression that the federal judiciary is not just part of our political system but also part of ordinary politics,” he said. “Finally, they may not want advice from Lindsey Graham about anything.”
Graham, however, is unbowed. Hewitt asked if he could assure eligible judges that their successors would be confirmed before Election Day — before, in McConnell’s words, the American people have a chance to decide.
Graham, in response, urged expediency. “If you wait … no,” he said of the older judges. “Do it now.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--Biden On George Floyd Killing: ‘We Are A Country With An Open Wound’

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Joe Biden said Friday that the “ open wound ” of systemic racism was behind the police killing of a handcuffed black man in Minnesota .
Biden also accused President Donald Trump , without mentioning him by name , of inciting violence with a tweet that warned that protesters could be shot .
“ We are a country with an open wound .
None of us can turn away , ” Biden said in a brief address .
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has built his campaign around a promise to heal “ the soul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting his chance to try in real time .
Biden said he spoke to the family of George Floyd , a handcuffed black man who was killed in Minneapolis this week after a white police officer knelt on his neck .
Floyd ’ s death touched off violent protests there and elsewhere .
The former vice president said now was “ no time for incendiary tweets .
No time to incite violence.
” “ This is time for real leadership , ” he said .
That was a reference to Trump , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the president later warned online that protesters could be shot , prompting Twitter to flag his tweet as glorifying violence .
Twitter ’ s move further escalated tensions between the White House and the social media platform , which fact-checked a tweet of his earlier this week .

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden said Friday that the “open wound” of systemic racism was behind the police killing of a handcuffed black man in Minnesota. Biden also accused President Donald Trump, without mentioning him by name, of inciting violence with a tweet that warned that protesters could be shot.
“We are a country with an open wound. None of us can turn away,” Biden said in a brief address.
"The original sin of this country still stains our nation today … We're a country with an open wound. None of us any longer can hear the words ‘I can’t breathe’ and do nothing,“ Joe Biden says in statement in which he says he’s spoken with George Floyd’s family. pic.twitter.com/G6LNs0VNyI — MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 29, 2020
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has built his campaign around a promise to heal “the soul of the nation” and is suddenly getting his chance to try in real time.
Biden said he spoke to the family of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who was killed in Minneapolis this week after a white police officer knelt on his neck. Floyd’s death touched off violent protests there and elsewhere.
The former vice president said now was “no time for incendiary tweets. No time to incite violence.”
“This is time for real leadership,” he said.
That was a reference to Trump, who at first condemned police action in Minneapolis. But the president later warned online that protesters could be shot, prompting Twitter to flag his tweet as glorifying violence. Twitter’s move further escalated tensions between the White House and the social media platform, which fact-checked a tweet of his earlier this week.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--DOJ Targets Maine Order That Out-Of-State Travelers Self Quarantine First

The Justice Department has taken issue with Maine ’ s policy of requiring that out-of-state travelers self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival in the state .
The Department filed a statement of interest Friday in a case brought by private challengers who are objecting to how the policy has been applied to Maine campgrounds and RV parks .
The DOJ filing is the latest in a series of such statements — which are essentially “ friend of the court ” briefs that allow the U.S. government to brief judges on its own views of the law — that the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country challenging COVID-19 public health orders .
So far , most of the DOJ briefs have had to do with defending churches whose in-person services were limited by state or local public health orders .
Last week the administration also backed an Illinois Republican lawmaker who had a refused to wear a mask within the state Capitol .
Altogether , the cases are part of an initiative announced by Attorney General Bill Barr to go after COVID-19 public health orders that allegedly amount to constitutional “ overreach.
” The initiative was announced while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states to reopen their economies .
The Justice Department suggested that Maine ’ s current policy violates a clause in the U.S. Constitution that guarantees that “ Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
” It argued the Maine policy was unenforceable under that clause because it was “ insufficiently tailored ” to meet the state ’ s public health objectives .
“ It is unclear why the Governor requires every out-of-state resident to self-quarantine for 14 days before patronizing plaintiffs ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Had Maine imposed such a burden only on residents from COVID-19 hot spots , such as New York City , this might be a different case .
But Maine requires travelers from every corner of the Union to quarantine themselves upon arrival , even if they hail from jurisdictions ( such as nearby Vermont ) that have fewer confirmed cases of COVID-19—either as an absolute matter or per capita—than Maine does.
” The Maine policy applies to both non-Maine residents and Mainers who are returning to the state after out-of-state travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , Maine responded to similar legal arguments made by the private challengers in the case , calling the arguments wrong as both “ a matter of law and a matter of fact.
” “ Under Jacobson , the test is not strict scrutiny and a perfect fit is not necessary , ” the state said , referring to a Supreme Court decision relevant to the current case .
“ Even so , the self-quarantine requirement is narrowly tailored to advancing the State ’ s interest in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
” Maine ’ s defense of its policy noted the potential that its health care system would be severely overburdened , if the COVID-19 was to spread among those traveling in from out of state .
Its health care system — where only 165 critical care beds are currently available — is designed for only 1.3 million , while the state received more that 22 million out-of-state visits last year .
“ Risk is minimized by ensuring that the vast majority of persons who enter the state do not interact in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were not carrying the COVID-19 virus at the time of their arrival , ” Maine said .
“ Self-quarantine both controls the spread of the virus and reduces the possibility that Maine ’ s health care system will be over-taxed by a sudden flood of new cases.
” Read the DOJ filing and Maine ’ s brief defending the policy below :

The Justice Department has taken issue with Maine’s policy of requiring that out-of-state travelers self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival in the state.
The Department filed a statement of interest Friday in a case brought by private challengers who are objecting to how the policy has been applied to Maine campgrounds and RV parks.
The DOJ filing is the latest in a series of such statements — which are essentially “friend of the court” briefs that allow the U.S. government to brief judges on its own views of the law — that the Trump administration has filed in cases across the country challenging COVID-19 public health orders.
So far, most of the DOJ briefs have had to do with defending churches whose in-person services were limited by state or local public health orders. Last week the administration also backed an Illinois Republican lawmaker who had a refused to wear a mask within the state Capitol.
Altogether, the cases are part of an initiative announced by Attorney General Bill Barr to go after COVID-19 public health orders that allegedly amount to constitutional “overreach.” The initiative was announced while President Trump was increasing the pressure on states to reopen their economies.
The Justice Department suggested that Maine’s current policy violates a clause in the U.S. Constitution that guarantees that “Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.” It argued the Maine policy was unenforceable under that clause because it was “insufficiently tailored” to meet the state’s public health objectives.
“It is unclear why the Governor requires every out-of-state resident to self-quarantine for 14 days before patronizing plaintiffs’ campgrounds,” the Justice Department said. “Had Maine imposed such a burden only on residents from COVID-19 hot spots, such as New York City, this might be a different case. But Maine requires travelers from every corner of the Union to quarantine themselves upon arrival, even if they hail from jurisdictions (such as nearby Vermont) that have fewer confirmed cases of COVID-19—either as an absolute matter or per capita—than Maine does.”
The Maine policy applies to both non-Maine residents and Mainers who are returning to the state after out-of-state travel.
In a brief filed earlier this week, Maine responded to similar legal arguments made by the private challengers in the case, calling the arguments wrong as both “a matter of law and a matter of fact.”
“Under Jacobson, the test is not strict scrutiny and a perfect fit is not necessary,” the state said, referring to a Supreme Court decision relevant to the current case. “Even so, the self-quarantine requirement is narrowly tailored to advancing the State’s interest in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and protecting Maine’s health care system. ”
Maine’s defense of its policy noted the potential that its health care system would be severely overburdened, if the COVID-19 was to spread among those traveling in from out of state. Its health care system — where only 165 critical care beds are currently available — is designed for only 1.3 million, while the state received more that 22 million out-of-state visits last year.
“Risk is minimized by ensuring that the vast majority of persons who enter the state do not interact in the community until it is more certain that they were not carrying the COVID-19 virus at the time of their arrival,” Maine said. “Self-quarantine both controls the spread of the virus and reduces the possibility that Maine’s health care system will be over-taxed by a sudden flood of new cases.”
Read the DOJ filing and Maine’s brief defending the policy below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--Law Enforcement Files Discredit Brian Kemp’s Accusation That Democrats Tried to Hack the Georgia Ele

Law Enforcement Files Discredit Brian Kemp’s Accusation That Democrats Tried to Hack the Georgia Election

This story first appeared at ProPublica and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution .
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox .
It was a stunning accusation : Two days before the 2018 election for Georgia governor , Republican Brian Kemp used his power as secretary of state to open an investigation into what he called a “ failed hacking attempt ” of voter registration systems involving the Democratic Party .
But newly released case files from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reveal that there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the closed investigation indicates that Kemp ’ s office mistook planned security tests and a warning about potential election security holes for malicious hacking .
Kemp then wrongly accused his political opponents just before Election Day — a high-profile salvo that drew national media attention in one of the most closely watched races of 2018 .
“ The investigation by the GBI revealed no evidence of damage to ( the secretary of state ’ s office ’ s ) network or computers , and no evidence of theft , damage , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a March 2 memo from a senior assistant attorney general recommending that the case be closed .
The internet activity that Kemp ’ s staff described as hacking attempts was actually scans by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the secretary of state ’ s office had agreed to , according to the GBI .
Kemp ’ s chief information officer signed off on the DHS scans three months beforehand .
Although there was no malicious hack , the GBI files also report that the state ’ s website where voters can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerability — a flaw Kemp ’ s staff still won ’ t acknowledge a year and a half later .
Candice Broce , Kemp ’ s spokeswoman , continued to insist Friday that elections officials responded to a “ failed cyber intrusion , ” despite the GBI ’ s findings that scans came from DHS .
“ The attorney general determined that the secretary of state ’ s office properly referred this matter to law enforcement for investigation , ” Broce said .
“ The systems put in place by Brian Kemp as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter data safe and secure.
” In 2018 , while the secretary of state ’ s office rushed to fix the vulnerability before Election Day , Broce , who was also Kemp ’ s spokeswoman then , said the last-minute patches to the website were “ standard practice.
” The attorney general ’ s office in March closed the investigation Kemp started , finding no evidence that would justify a prosecution .
After the investigation ended , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used the Georgia Open Records Act to obtain 395 pages of GBI case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and election security reports .
“ Accusing an opponent of criminal acts without basis in fact , and lying to the public to cover up their own ineptitude , was a breach of public trust , ” Sara Tindall Ghazal , the Democratic Party of Georgia ’ s voter protection director at the time , said in an interview .
Ghazal helped alert authorities to the election website vulnerabilities .
The GBI files don ’ t explain the basis for the decision by Kemp ’ s office to blame the Democratic Party or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to narrowly defeat Democrat Stacey Abrams in the election for governor .
Events unfolded quickly when Richard Wright , a Roswell voter , noticed vulnerabilities in the state ’ s election website shortly before voters went to the polls Nov. 6 , 2018 , according to the case files .
Wright , a Georgia Tech graduate and Democratic voter who works for a software company , had listened to a news report about a lawsuit over election security .
He then checked his voter registration information and used his web browser ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s My Voter Page .
“ When visiting the MVP site , I was curious if there were security issues given the recent news coverage I had heard , ” Wright wrote in a response to questions from the attorney general ’ s office .
Wright found that he could look up other voters ’ information by modifying the web address on the site , a flaw confirmed by ProPublica and Georgia Public Broadcasting before it was fixed .
He also made more disconcerting claims , that someone could “ download any file @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters ’ driver ’ s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers .
Those allegations were not substantiated .
Wright told investigators he didn ’ t attempt to look at any information on the website other than his own and his wife ’ s .
“ Richard Wright ’ s allegations — sent through the Abrams campaign and funneled to the Democratic Party of Georgia — were false because you could not access confidential voter data , ” Broce said .
After discovering the vulnerability , Wright contacted plaintiffs in the election security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They passed along his concerns , which soon reached the FBI , the National Security Agency , the GBI , the Abrams campaign , Georgia Tech professors and attorneys for the secretary of state ’ s office .
Kemp ’ s staff began looking into Wright ’ s claims .
If true , they would be another blemish on Kemp ’ s election security record after his office had previously exposed voter data and wiped election servers soon after being sued .
His staffers , however , suspected hacking .
“ Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only way to accomplish this on the site is using tools designed to attack websites , which is what we fear is happening here , ” Ryan Germany , Kemp ’ s general counsel , wrote in a Nov. 3 email .
“ Our vendor is making changes tonight to resolve the issue and is reviewing logs , but after our initial research it seems that we are dealing with an intentional attempt to hack a website.
” An election security vendor for the state , Fortalice Solutions , later concluded , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter information had been accessed , manipulated or changed by bad actors .
Fortalice also confirmed vulnerabilities that exposed files on the My Voter Page .
DHS exploited those vulnerabilities when it was testing Georgia ’ s election system in October 2018 , according to the GBI files .
Details of Fortalice ’ s findings were redacted from those files .
The company said the vulnerabilities did not reveal confidential voter information .
Nevertheless , “ having an unpatched vulnerability like this is a really big problem , ” said Richard DeMillo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic Party with Wright ’ s concerns .
“ Since we know that the Russians were probing voter registration sites , why would you assume this kind of vulnerability wasn ’ t something they could exploit ?
” Wright ’ s email to the Democratic Party included an attached file that showed his web browser ’ s interactions with the My Voter Page .
The way the website worked suggested to Wright that the system could be exploited .
When that email reached Kemp ’ s office , Broce told investigators she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be used for hacking .
That wasn ’ t true , according to a GBI digital forensic investigator .
The file was “ merely a roadmap ” of the website ’ s behavior .
But someone else was probing Georgia ’ s election websites : the U.S. government .
The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed it was conducting cyberhygiene scanning to find vulnerabilities , tests that had been approved in advance by Kemp ’ s office .
Broce , who was both Kemp ’ s press secretary and a staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Wright had “ spoofed ” internet addresses to make it look like they were coming from DHS .
Investigators later confirmed with Homeland Security officials and their network providers that they were the source of the scans .
It remains unclear how Kemp ’ s staff concluded that the Democratic Party was responsible for a hacking attempt .
The party ’ s only role was that it had forwarded an email about vulnerabilities to two cybersecurity professors at Georgia Tech , including DeMillo , who then alerted authorities .
The GBI did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Instead of immediately addressing the problem , it became political .
It became an attack on the Democratic Party on the eve of the election , ” said David Cross , an attorney for plaintiffs in the election security lawsuit against the state .
“ I don ’ t see any way anyone could have a genuine belief there was any hacking done at all , much less by the Democratic Party.
” While publicly denying Wright ’ s claims about vulnerabilities , behind the scenes , Kemp ’ s staff was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GPB reported on the day before the election that Kemp ’ s office was patching problems with the state ’ s election website , even as Kemp maintained the system was secure .
The GBI files confirmed that the My Voter Page was modified to restrict access to vulnerable areas .
The secretary of state ’ s firewall hadn ’ t been set up to block access to the locations identified by Wright , according to a GBI agent ’ s report .
Election officials then “ set up safeguards to restrict access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last two days before the 2018 general election .
ProPublica found at the time that the vulnerability gave access to some nonconfidential information on the My Voter Page , such as a voter ’ s absentee ballot status .
Birthdates , Social Security numbers and driver ’ s license numbers weren ’ t available .
It wasn ’ t clear what sensitive information , however , could have been inadvertently accessible before programming errors were fixed .
Even if the security vulnerabilities revealed public information , web pages would have been nonetheless visible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been able to see them .
The flaws also exposed details of the computer system that could have given hackers a road map to inflict greater damage .
Georgia election officials and their cybersecurity companies should have detected the problem before Wright brought it to their attention , said Frank Rietta , the CEO of Rietta.com , a web application security firm based in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta .
Users of the My Voter Page were able to access voter registration information without first logging in .
This type of weakness , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the 10 most critical web application security risks , according to the Open Web Application Security Project , an organization that works to improve software security .
“ The fact that there ’ s one vulnerability is an indication that there might have been other vulnerabilities , ” Rietta said .
“ We should want to fix vulnerabilities , not pretend they ’ re not there until it is exploited by the bad guys.
” When Kemp ’ s office found out about the problem , Broce repeatedly dismissed it .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t validated , the GBI files confirmed that anyone could alter web addresses to access other voters ’ information on the My Voter Page .
Then Broce said changes to the website were routine , meant to accommodate high traffic prior to Election Day , when in fact election officials were fixing a vulnerability Wright had brought to their attention .
“ We make changes to our website all the time , ” Broce told ProPublica and GPB at the time .
“ We always move our My Voter Page to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volume and capacity .
It is standard practice.
” Even after the GBI cleared Wright , Broce said the investigation was appropriate .
Wright declined to comment for this article , but he answered a list of questions for the attorney general ’ s office about his findings .
“ I do not engage in ‘ hacking ’ activities .
I reported the vulnerability that I discovered on the SOS My Voter Webpage because I was concerned that our elections process might not be secure , ” Wright wrote .
Broce suspected a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s credibility , according to an interview with the GBI .
She was also facing questions about security weaknesses from reporters for the website WhoWhatWhy , who she speculated were working with the plaintiffs in the election security lawsuit .
Broce told investigators that cybersecurity companies had identified attempts to exploit voter registration websites , but they weren ’ t able to verify where the scans came from .
Those companies later verified that they originated with Homeland Security .
Soon after WhoWhatWhy published its article alleging that a hacker could compromise Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press release on the secretary of state ’ s website saying that the office was opening an investigation of the Democratic Party , alleging a hacking attempt .
Ghazal , with the Democratic Party , said in an interview that the party reported the website vulnerabilities but made no effort to publicize them , contact news media or turn them into an attack .

This story first appeared at ProPublica and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
It was a stunning accusation: Two days before the 2018 election for Georgia governor, Republican Brian Kemp used his power as secretary of state to open an investigation into what he called a “failed hacking attempt” of voter registration systems involving the Democratic Party.
But newly released case files from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reveal that there was no such hacking attempt.
The evidence from the closed investigation indicates that Kemp’s office mistook planned security tests and a warning about potential election security holes for malicious hacking.
Kemp then wrongly accused his political opponents just before Election Day — a high-profile salvo that drew national media attention in one of the most closely watched races of 2018.
“The investigation by the GBI revealed no evidence of damage to (the secretary of state’s office’s) network or computers, and no evidence of theft, damage, or loss of data,” according to a March 2 memo from a senior assistant attorney general recommending that the case be closed.
The internet activity that Kemp’s staff described as hacking attempts was actually scans by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the secretary of state’s office had agreed to, according to the GBI. Kemp’s chief information officer signed off on the DHS scans three months beforehand.
Although there was no malicious hack, the GBI files also report that the state’s website where voters can check their information did have a significant vulnerability — a flaw Kemp’s staff still won’t acknowledge a year and a half later.
Candice Broce, Kemp’s spokeswoman, continued to insist Friday that elections officials responded to a “failed cyber intrusion,” despite the GBI’s findings that scans came from DHS.
“The attorney general determined that the secretary of state’s office properly referred this matter to law enforcement for investigation,” Broce said. “The systems put in place by Brian Kemp as Georgia’s secretary of state kept voter data safe and secure.”
In 2018, while the secretary of state’s office rushed to fix the vulnerability before Election Day, Broce, who was also Kemp’s spokeswoman then, said the last-minute patches to the website were “standard practice.”
The attorney general’s office in March closed the investigation Kemp started, finding no evidence that would justify a prosecution.
After the investigation ended, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used the Georgia Open Records Act to obtain 395 pages of GBI case files, including interview summaries, emails and election security reports.
“Accusing an opponent of criminal acts without basis in fact, and lying to the public to cover up their own ineptitude, was a breach of public trust,” Sara Tindall Ghazal, the Democratic Party of Georgia’s voter protection director at the time, said in an interview. Ghazal helped alert authorities to the election website vulnerabilities.
The GBI files don’t explain the basis for the decision by Kemp’s office to blame the Democratic Party or support his accusation. Kemp went on to narrowly defeat Democrat Stacey Abrams in the election for governor.
Raising the Alarm
Events unfolded quickly when Richard Wright, a Roswell voter, noticed vulnerabilities in the state’s election website shortly before voters went to the polls Nov. 6, 2018, according to the case files.
Wright, a Georgia Tech graduate and Democratic voter who works for a software company, had listened to a news report about a lawsuit over election security. He then checked his voter registration information and used his web browser’s built-in tools to analyze the state’s My Voter Page.
“When visiting the MVP site, I was curious if there were security issues given the recent news coverage I had heard,” Wright wrote in a response to questions from the attorney general’s office.
Wright found that he could look up other voters’ information by modifying the web address on the site, a flaw confirmed by ProPublica and Georgia Public Broadcasting before it was fixed.
He also made more disconcerting claims, that someone could “download any file on the system” as well as voters’ driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. Those allegations were not substantiated. Wright told investigators he didn’t attempt to look at any information on the website other than his own and his wife’s.
Kemp’s office disputes Wright’s allegations.
“Richard Wright’s allegations — sent through the Abrams campaign and funneled to the Democratic Party of Georgia — were false because you could not access confidential voter data,” Broce said.
After discovering the vulnerability, Wright contacted plaintiffs in the election security lawsuit and the Democratic Party of Georgia. They passed along his concerns, which soon reached the FBI, the National Security Agency, the GBI, the Abrams campaign, Georgia Tech professors and attorneys for the secretary of state’s office.
Kemp’s staff began looking into Wright’s claims. If true, they would be another blemish on Kemp’s election security record after his office had previously exposed voter data and wiped election servers soon after being sued. His staffers, however, suspected hacking.
“Our vendor’s research shows that the only way to accomplish this on the site is using tools designed to attack websites, which is what we fear is happening here,” Ryan Germany, Kemp’s general counsel, wrote in a Nov. 3 email. “Our vendor is making changes tonight to resolve the issue and is reviewing logs, but after our initial research it seems that we are dealing with an intentional attempt to hack a website.”
An election security vendor for the state, Fortalice Solutions, later concluded, however, that there was no evidence that voter information had been accessed, manipulated or changed by bad actors.
Fortalice also confirmed vulnerabilities that exposed files on the My Voter Page. DHS exploited those vulnerabilities when it was testing Georgia’s election system in October 2018, according to the GBI files. Details of Fortalice’s findings were redacted from those files. The company said the vulnerabilities did not reveal confidential voter information.
Nevertheless, “having an unpatched vulnerability like this is a really big problem,” said Richard DeMillo, a Georgia Tech cybersecurity professor contacted by the Democratic Party with Wright’s concerns. “Since we know that the Russians were probing voter registration sites, why would you assume this kind of vulnerability wasn’t something they could exploit?”
Hacking Fears
Wright’s email to the Democratic Party included an attached file that showed his web browser’s interactions with the My Voter Page. The way the website worked suggested to Wright that the system could be exploited.
When that email reached Kemp’s office, Broce told investigators she thought the attachment was a script that could be used for hacking.
That wasn’t true, according to a GBI digital forensic investigator. The file was “merely a roadmap” of the website’s behavior.
But someone else was probing Georgia’s election websites: the U.S. government. The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed it was conducting cyberhygiene scanning to find vulnerabilities, tests that had been approved in advance by Kemp’s office.
Broce, who was both Kemp’s press secretary and a staff attorney, told investigators she was concerned that Wright had “spoofed” internet addresses to make it look like they were coming from DHS. Investigators later confirmed with Homeland Security officials and their network providers that they were the source of the scans.
It remains unclear how Kemp’s staff concluded that the Democratic Party was responsible for a hacking attempt. The party’s only role was that it had forwarded an email about vulnerabilities to two cybersecurity professors at Georgia Tech, including DeMillo, who then alerted authorities. The GBI did not interview Kemp about the case.
“Instead of immediately addressing the problem, it became political. It became an attack on the Democratic Party on the eve of the election,” said David Cross, an attorney for plaintiffs in the election security lawsuit against the state. “I don’t see any way anyone could have a genuine belief there was any hacking done at all, much less by the Democratic Party.”
While publicly denying Wright’s claims about vulnerabilities, behind the scenes, Kemp’s staff was working to correct them.
ProPublica and GPB reported on the day before the election that Kemp’s office was patching problems with the state’s election website, even as Kemp maintained the system was secure. The GBI files confirmed that the My Voter Page was modified to restrict access to vulnerable areas.
The secretary of state’s firewall hadn’t been set up to block access to the locations identified by Wright, according to a GBI agent’s report. Election officials then “set up safeguards to restrict access to the vulnerable areas” on the last two days before the 2018 general election.
ProPublica found at the time that the vulnerability gave access to some nonconfidential information on the My Voter Page, such as a voter’s absentee ballot status. Birthdates, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers weren’t available. It wasn’t clear what sensitive information, however, could have been inadvertently accessible before programming errors were fixed.
Even if the security vulnerabilities revealed public information, web pages would have been nonetheless visible to people who shouldn’t have been able to see them. The flaws also exposed details of the computer system that could have given hackers a road map to inflict greater damage.
Georgia election officials and their cybersecurity companies should have detected the problem before Wright brought it to their attention, said Frank Rietta, the CEO of Rietta.com, a web application security firm based in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. Users of the My Voter Page were able to access voter registration information without first logging in.
This type of weakness, called broken access control, is one of the 10 most critical web application security risks, according to the Open Web Application Security Project, an organization that works to improve software security.
“The fact that there’s one vulnerability is an indication that there might have been other vulnerabilities,” Rietta said. “We should want to fix vulnerabilities, not pretend they’re not there until it is exploited by the bad guys.”
When Kemp’s office found out about the problem, Broce repeatedly dismissed it. While some of Wright’s concerns weren’t validated, the GBI files confirmed that anyone could alter web addresses to access other voters’ information on the My Voter Page.
Then Broce said changes to the website were routine, meant to accommodate high traffic prior to Election Day, when in fact election officials were fixing a vulnerability Wright had brought to their attention.
“We make changes to our website all the time,” Broce told ProPublica and GPB at the time. “We always move our My Voter Page to a static page before Election Day to manage volume and capacity. It is standard practice.”
Even after the GBI cleared Wright, Broce said the investigation was appropriate.
Wright declined to comment for this article, but he answered a list of questions for the attorney general’s office about his findings.
“I do not engage in ‘hacking’ activities. I reported the vulnerability that I discovered on the SOS My Voter Webpage because I was concerned that our elections process might not be secure,” Wright wrote.
Broce suspected a Democratic Party plot to undermine Kemp’s credibility, according to an interview with the GBI.
She was also facing questions about security weaknesses from reporters for the website WhoWhatWhy, who she speculated were working with the plaintiffs in the election security lawsuit.
Broce told investigators that cybersecurity companies had identified attempts to exploit voter registration websites, but they weren’t able to verify where the scans came from. Those companies later verified that they originated with Homeland Security.
Soon after WhoWhatWhy published its article alleging that a hacker could compromise Georgia’s election, Broce posted a press release on the secretary of state’s website saying that the office was opening an investigation of the Democratic Party, alleging a hacking attempt.
Ghazal, with the Democratic Party, said in an interview that the party reported the website vulnerabilities but made no effort to publicize them, contact news media or turn them into an attack.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-30--Authorities Speculate About Outside Groups’ Role In Minnesota Turmoil, With Little Proof

As protests over the police killing of George Floyd rock Minnesota and the nation , authorities in the state and around the country have speculated about potential ties to extremist groups among pockets of rioters .
Particularly where Floyd was killed , in Minneapolis — but also in isolated cases elsewhere around the country — peaceful protests have regressed into destruction of property , looting and arson .
But aside from anecdotal information , there ’ s been little substantive evidence presented to conclusively tie the destruction to an organized ideological or criminal effort .
Nationally , President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assigned blamed predictably : “ It ’ s ANTIFA and the Radical Left .
Don ’ t lay the blame on others !
” Trump exclaimed on Twitter .
“ Antifa , ” his campaign spokesperson agreed a few hours later .
Attorney General Bill Barr , in brief remarks to press Saturday , was a little wordier , but still presented no evidence .
“ In many places , it appears the violence is planned , organized and driven by anarchic and left extremist groups– far-left extremist groups using antifa-like tactics , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state to promote the violence , ” Barr said .
Officials in Minnesota described rioters who appeared organized and prepared .
Authorities have been shot at , they say , and face improvised explosive devices .
Attorney General Keith Ellison at one point described “ evil elements ” that had blended with demonstrators “ to destroy and cause arson.
” At a press conference in the early morning hours Saturday , Minnesota ’ s Gov .
Tim Walz ( D ) was asked whether there were white supremacists causing destruction in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again we ’ re trying to get that , but we ’ ve got intel from all the different agencies .
Of course , this is where the federal government helps us with some of this .
I certainly can ’ t confirm personally on this .
My suspicions and what I ’ ve seen on this ?
Yes.
” Walz added that he ’ d heard reports of drug cartels “ trying to take advantage of the chaos that ’ s there , too.
” John Harrington , the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that while “ we ’ ve got intel reports that have been confirmed , I can not say that we have confirmed observations ” of white supremacist activity .
Harrington separately compared the effort to trace arrested rioters ’ affiliations to “ contact tracing , ” the practice used by public health officials to trace COVID-19 through interpersonal contacts .
But he offered no conclusions about what had been determined .
“ It ’ s contact tracing , ” Harrington said .
“ Who are they associated with ?
What platforms are they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things like white supremacist organizers who have posted things on platforms about coming to Minnesota .
We are checking to see , do the folks that we have made arrests on , and that we have made information — are they connected to those platforms ?
” The intelligence effort — for which state officials said they were receiving federal help , including from the military and the National Security Agency — comes as the state has mobilized its largest civilian law enforcement response in history .
“ Over the last 72 hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more terror to Minnesota than anybody in our history , ” Waltz said Saturday .
Minnesota officials also asserted Saturday that many of the arrests made in recent days have been of residents of other states , who presumably traveled to participate in the unrest .
However , jail data to support that point has been lacking .
Based on a few dozen jail intake records from Friday and Saturday , local station KARE 11 reported that the vast majority of those detained were from Minnesota .
The outlet cautioned that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sample size was small .
Also , a police spokesperson said he believed some who were arrested gave false addresses .
On top of all that uncertainty , KARE noted , “ many of those responsible for the worst destruction escaped apprehension .
”

As protests over the police killing of George Floyd rock Minnesota and the nation, authorities in the state and around the country have speculated about potential ties to extremist groups among pockets of rioters.
Particularly where Floyd was killed, in Minneapolis — but also in isolated cases elsewhere around the country — peaceful protests have regressed into destruction of property, looting and arson.
But aside from anecdotal information, there’s been little substantive evidence presented to conclusively tie the destruction to an organized ideological or criminal effort.
Nationally, President Donald Trump and his administration and reelection campaign have assigned blamed predictably: “It’s ANTIFA and the Radical Left. Don’t lay the blame on others!” Trump exclaimed on Twitter. “Antifa,” his campaign spokesperson agreed a few hours later.
Attorney General Bill Barr, in brief remarks to press Saturday, was a little wordier, but still presented no evidence.
“In many places, it appears the violence is planned, organized and driven by anarchic and left extremist groups– far-left extremist groups using antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from outside the state to promote the violence,” Barr said.
Officials in Minnesota described rioters who appeared organized and prepared. Authorities have been shot at, they say, and face improvised explosive devices. Attorney General Keith Ellison at one point described “evil elements” that had blended with demonstrators “to destroy and cause arson.”
At a press conference in the early morning hours Saturday, Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz (D) was asked whether there were white supremacists causing destruction in the state.
“The unconfirmed reports, and again we’re trying to get that, but we’ve got intel from all the different agencies. Of course, this is where the federal government helps us with some of this. I certainly can’t confirm personally on this. My suspicions and what I’ve seen on this? Yes.”
Walz added that he’d heard reports of drug cartels “trying to take advantage of the chaos that’s there, too.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey offered a similar take later Saturday.
We are now confronting white supremacists, members of organized crime, out of state instigators, and possibly even foreign actors to destroy and destabilize our city and our region. — Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) May 30, 2020
John Harrington, the state’s Department of Public Safety commissioner, said that while “we’ve got intel reports that have been confirmed, I cannot say that we have confirmed observations” of white supremacist activity.
Harrington separately compared the effort to trace arrested rioters’ affiliations to “contact tracing,” the practice used by public health officials to trace COVID-19 through interpersonal contacts. But he offered no conclusions about what had been determined.
“It’s contact tracing,” Harrington said. “Who are they associated with? What platforms are they advocating for? And we have seen things like white supremacist organizers who have posted things on platforms about coming to Minnesota. We are checking to see, do the folks that we have made arrests on, and that we have made information — are they connected to those platforms?”
The intelligence effort — for which state officials said they were receiving federal help, including from the military and the National Security Agency — comes as the state has mobilized its largest civilian law enforcement response in history.
“Over the last 72 hours, these people have brought more destruction and more terror to Minnesota than anybody in our history,” Waltz said Saturday.
Minnesota officials also asserted Saturday that many of the arrests made in recent days have been of residents of other states, who presumably traveled to participate in the unrest. However, jail data to support that point has been lacking.
Based on a few dozen jail intake records from Friday and Saturday, local station KARE 11 reported that the vast majority of those detained were from Minnesota.
The outlet cautioned that the data was not conclusive and that the sample size was small. Also, a police spokesperson said he believed some who were arrested gave false addresses.
On top of all that uncertainty, KARE noted, “many of those responsible for the worst destruction escaped apprehension.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-30--SpaceX Rocket Ship Blasts Off Into Orbit With 2 Americans

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. ( AP ) — A rocket ship built by Elon Musk ’ s SpaceX company thundered away from Earth with two Americans on Saturday , ushering in a new era of commercial space travel and putting NASA back in the business of launching astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade .
NASA ’ s Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken rode skyward aboard a sleek , white-and-black , bullet-shaped Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket , lifting off at 3:22 p.m. from the same launch pad used to send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half-century ago .
Minutes later , they safely entered orbit .
“ Let ’ s light this candle , ” Hurley said just before ignition , borrowing the words used by Alan Shepard on America ’ s first human spaceflight , in 1961 .
The two men are scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station on Sunday for a stay of up to four months , after which they will return to Earth in a Right Stuff-style splashdown at sea .
The mission unfolded amid the gloom of the coronavirus outbreak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and racial unrest across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd , a handcuffed black man , at the hands of Minneapolis police .
NASA officials and others held out hope the flight would would be a morale-booster .
“ Maybe there ’ s an opportunity here for America to maybe pause and look up and see a bright , shining moment of hope at what the future looks like , that the United States of America can do extraordinary things even in difficult times , ” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , SpaceX , founded by Musk , the Tesla electric-car visionary , became the first private company to launch people into orbit , a feat achieved previously by only three governments : the U.S. , Russia and China .
The flight also ended a nine-year launch drought for NASA , the longest such hiatus in its history .
Ever since it retired the space shuttle in 2011 , NASA has relied on Russian spaceships launched from Kazakhstan to take U.S. astronauts to and from the space station .
In the intervening years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building its next generation of spaceships to SpaceX and Boeing , awarding them $ 7 billion in contracts in a public-private partnership aimed at driving down costs and spurring innovation .
Boeing ’ s spaceship , the Starliner capsule , is not expected to fly astronauts until early 2021 .
Musk said earlier in the week that the project is aimed at “ reigniting the dream of space and getting people fired up about the future.
” Ultimately , NASA hopes to rely in part on its commercial partners as it works to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next few years , and on to Mars in the 2030s .
Before setting out for the launch pad in a gull-wing Tesla SUV — another Musk product — Behnken pantomimed a hug of his 6-year-old son , Theo , and said : “ Are you going to listen to Mommy and make her life easy ?
” Hurley blew kisses to his 10-year-old son and wife .
A launch attempt on Wednesday was called off with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown because of lightning .
On Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ postponement for most of the day , but then the skies began to clear in the afternoon just in time .

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket ship built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company thundered away from Earth with two Americans on Saturday, ushering in a new era of commercial space travel and putting NASA back in the business of launching astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade.
NASA’s Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken rode skyward aboard a sleek, white-and-black, bullet-shaped Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, lifting off at 3:22 p.m. from the same launch pad used to send the Apollo astronauts to the moon a half-century ago. Minutes later, they safely entered orbit.
“Let’s light this candle,” Hurley said just before ignition, borrowing the words used by Alan Shepard on America’s first human spaceflight, in 1961.
The two men are scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station on Sunday for a stay of up to four months, after which they will return to Earth in a Right Stuff-style splashdown at sea.
The mission unfolded amid the gloom of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed over 100,000 Americans, and racial unrest across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police. NASA officials and others held out hope the flight would would be a morale-booster.
“Maybe there’s an opportunity here for America to maybe pause and look up and see a bright, shining moment of hope at what the future looks like, that the United States of America can do extraordinary things even in difficult times,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said before launch.
With the on-time liftoff, SpaceX, founded by Musk, the Tesla electric-car visionary, became the first private company to launch people into orbit, a feat achieved previously by only three governments: the U.S., Russia and China.
The flight also ended a nine-year launch drought for NASA, the longest such hiatus in its history. Ever since it retired the space shuttle in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian spaceships launched from Kazakhstan to take U.S. astronauts to and from the space station.
In the intervening years, NASA outsourced the job of designing and building its next generation of spaceships to SpaceX and Boeing, awarding them $7 billion in contracts in a public-private partnership aimed at driving down costs and spurring innovation. Boeing’s spaceship, the Starliner capsule, is not expected to fly astronauts until early 2021.
Musk said earlier in the week that the project is aimed at “reigniting the dream of space and getting people fired up about the future.”
Ultimately, NASA hopes to rely in part on its commercial partners as it works to send astronauts back to the moon in the next few years, and on to Mars in the 2030s.
Before setting out for the launch pad in a gull-wing Tesla SUV — another Musk product — Behnken pantomimed a hug of his 6-year-old son, Theo, and said: “Are you going to listen to Mommy and make her life easy?” Hurley blew kisses to his 10-year-old son and wife.
A launch attempt on Wednesday was called off with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown because of lightning. On Saturday, stormy weather in Florida threatened another postponement for most of the day, but then the skies began to clear in the afternoon just in time.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-30--READ: Roberts Joins Court’s Liberals To Reject Church’s Challenge Of COVID-19 Rules

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — A divided Supreme Court on Friday rejected an emergency appeal by a California church that challenged state limits on attendance at worship services that have been imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus .
Over the dissent of the four more conservative justices , Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court ’ s four liberals in turning away a request from the South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista , California , in the San Diego area .
The church argued that limits on how many people can attend their services violate constitutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking an order in time for services on Sunday .
The church said it has crowds of 200 to 300 people for its services .
Roberts wrote in brief opinion that the restriction allowing churches to reopen at 25 % of their capacity , with no more than 100 worshipers at a time , “ appear consistent ” with the First Amendment .
Roberts said similar or more severe limits apply to concerts , movies and sporting events “ where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the restriction “ discriminates against places of worship and in favor of comparable secular businesses .
Such discrimination violates the First Amendment.
” Kavanaugh pointed to supermarkets , restaurants , hair salons , cannabis dispensaries and other businesses that are not subject to the same restrictions .
Lower courts in California had previously turned down the churches ’ requests .
The court also rejected an appeal from two churches in the Chicago area that objected to Gov .
Jay Pritzker ’ s limit of 10 worshipers at religious services .
Before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to allow for up to 100 people at a time .
There were no recorded dissents .

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Friday rejected an emergency appeal by a California church that challenged state limits on attendance at worship services that have been imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Over the dissent of the four more conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s four liberals in turning away a request from the South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista, California, in the San Diego area.
The church argued that limits on how many people can attend their services violate constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and had been seeking an order in time for services on Sunday. The church said it has crowds of 200 to 300 people for its services.
Roberts wrote in brief opinion that the restriction allowing churches to reopen at 25% of their capacity, with no more than 100 worshipers at a time, “appear consistent” with the First Amendment. Roberts said similar or more severe limits apply to concerts, movies and sporting events “where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in dissent that the restriction “discriminates against places of worship and in favor of comparable secular businesses. Such discrimination violates the First Amendment.” Kavanaugh pointed to supermarkets, restaurants, hair salons, cannabis dispensaries and other businesses that are not subject to the same restrictions.
Lower courts in California had previously turned down the churches’ requests.
The court also rejected an appeal from two churches in the Chicago area that objected to Gov. Jay Pritzker’s limit of 10 worshipers at religious services. Before the court acted, Pritzker modified the restrictions to allow for up to 100 people at a time. There were no recorded dissents.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-30--‘MAGA Loves The Black People’ Trump Says Of Supporters He’s Summoned To White House

President Donald Trump said Saturday that supporters of his he ’ d essentially summoned to the White House Saturday night “ love black people.
” In rambling remarks to press before taking off on a flight to Florida — in hopes of witnessing the Falcon 9 rocket launch — Trump was asked about his tweets that disparaged the protesters outside the White House Friday night .
The protesters , demonstrating against the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis , were ultimately forced away from the White House in the early morning hours after a series of scuffles with Secret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning , without proof , that the protesters had been “ professionally organized , ” and “ professionally managed.
” He added : “ Tonight , I understand , is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE ?
?
?
” A reporter Saturday afternoon asked Trump if the comment could “ be stoking more racial violence or more racial discord.
” “ No , not at all , ” Trump responded .
“ MAGA says ‘ Make America Great Again.
’ These are people that love our country .
I have no idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here .
I was just asking.
” “ By the way , ” he added , “ they love African-American people .
They love black people .
MAGA loves the black people.
” Trump said he didn ’ t know if his supporters would be at the White House , but that “ they love our country.
” Pressed by a reporter on whether he wasn ’ t “ calling on them to hold a counter-protest , ” Trump stopped himself mid-answer .
“ No , I don ’ t– I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t care , ” he said .
Trump also urged authorities in Minnesota to “ get tougher ” on rioters there , before referring to Floyd , whose killing in police custody has set of a wave of protests nationwide .
“ By being tougher , they will be honoring his memory , ” Trump said .

President Donald Trump said Saturday that supporters of his he’d essentially summoned to the White House Saturday night “love black people.”
In rambling remarks to press before taking off on a flight to Florida — in hopes of witnessing the Falcon 9 rocket launch — Trump was asked about his tweets that disparaged the protesters outside the White House Friday night.
The protesters, demonstrating against the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, were ultimately forced away from the White House in the early morning hours after a series of scuffles with Secret Service personnel.
Trump subsequently tweeted Saturday morning, without proof, that the protesters had been “professionally organized,” and “professionally managed.” He added: “Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???”
The professionally managed so-called “protesters” at the White House had little to do with the memory of George Floyd. They were just there to cause trouble. The @SecretService handled them easily. Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE??? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2020
A reporter Saturday afternoon asked Trump if the comment could “be stoking more racial violence or more racial discord.”
“No, not at all,” Trump responded. “MAGA says ‘Make America Great Again.’ These are people that love our country. I have no idea if they’re going to be here. I was just asking.”
“By the way,” he added, “they love African-American people. They love black people. MAGA loves the black people.”
Trump said he didn’t know if his supporters would be at the White House, but that “they love our country.”
Pressed by a reporter on whether he wasn’t “calling on them to hold a counter-protest,” Trump stopped himself mid-answer.
“No, I don’t– I don’t care, I mean, I don’t care,” he said.
Trump also urged authorities in Minnesota to “get tougher” on rioters there, before referring to Floyd, whose killing in police custody has set of a wave of protests nationwide.
“By being tougher, they will be honoring his memory,” Trump said.