hotair--2020-05-31--Veni, Sancte Spiritus -- and our reconnection: Sunday reflection

On the evening of that first day of the week , when the doors were locked , where the disciples were , for fear of the Jews , Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them , “ Peace be with you.
” When he had said this , he showed them his hands and his side .
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord .
Jesus said to them again , “ Peace be with you .
As the Father has sent me , so I send you.
” And when he had said this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to them , “ Receive the Holy Spirit .
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them , and whose sins you retain are retained.
” What is forgiveness ?
That seems to be a question for these days , but it ’ s an especially good question on Pentecost .
When we read about Pentecost , we mostly recall the miraculous ability of the disciples to speak in new languages to present the Gospel to travelers who had come to Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks ( Shavuot ) .
The Holy Spirit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their mission to spread the Good News to all nations .
As we read in Acts , that miracle was impressive enough to convert many in short order , and it remains impressive to this day .
But what about the power to forgive ?
That is very much like the gift of tongues for the apostles .
Both are gifts of reconnection , of restoring what has been lost .
That , more than anything , is the purpose of the church — to restore what has been lost through man ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Vigil Mass , we read from Genesis about the Tower of Babel , which people built in the years after the Great Flood .
In this narrative , the purpose of building the tower is assumed to be confounding God ’ s will .
Either the people wished to defy God and build so high that another punishing flood would not harm them , or they wanted to build a gateway to Heaven itself , in effect storming Paradise without the Lord ’ s permission .
The latter interpretation always appealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s more or less the human story throughout the ages .
Adam and Eve got exiled from the Garden of Eden because they wanted to usurp the Lord in understanding good and evil .
Salvation history is littered with examples of God ’ s people being more interested in worldly power and politics than with doing His will .
The Israelites and the Judeans constantly broke that connection between the Lord and themselves , and also broke connections with each other .
Let ’ s not lay all of this down on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeared , our history is also littered with peoples and nations who thought they could create a secular paradise , too , or change human nature through force .
Every single attempt to do so brought nothing but oppression and misery , and in some cases widespread death and destruction .
The lesson of Babel has never been taken to heart by humanity , no matter how many disasters such attempts create .
For that matter , we don ’ t even do so well with it on an individual basis .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often try to make ourselves equal or superior to our Creator , and that is not just a sin of nations .
How often do we negotiate with God ’ s Word rather than form our own hearts to it ?
We allow our free will to make choices we know to be sinful , and then our arrogance and shame lead us to argue that our desires shouldn ’ t be sins at all .
In our own ways , we are all building our own towers to heaven in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the Lord ’ s .
And so , the Lord destroys the edifices of our arrogance in order to remind us of our humble nature .
In Eden , He exiled Adam and Eve ; in Babel , He exiled people from each other through the use of language .
The Lord broke apart the human community and forced them into new , separated communities , with all of the misunderstandings and tensions that accompany language differences .
That makes the two gifts of Pentecost so important in combination .
Both the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconciliation offer the same promise to His lost sheep — reconnection , but reconnection through the Holy Spirit rather than human ambition and arrogance .
We are being called back to God and given a path to reconnect our loving relationship with the Father .
It is His way of calling us back from the conviction that I am the god of my own life to recognizing that God is my life — and therefore so is His family , all our brothers and sisters in Him .
Pentecost shows us the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us of His love for us , too .
We are both the elder and younger brother in the parable of the prodigal son , and God is the Father who keeps the road open for our return .
In this case , He has sent the Holy Spirit to our hearts and paved the road in anticipation .
All it takes to reach true salvation is for us to step away from our own arrogance and disconnections , and take one step at a time back to our Father .
The front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pentecost ” by El Greco , c. 1600 .
On display at the Museo del Prado .
Via Wikimedia Commons .
“ Sunday Reflection ” is a regular feature , looking at the specific readings used in today ’ s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world .
The reflection represents only my own point of view , intended to help prepare myself for the Lord ’ s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion .
Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here .
For previous Green Room entries @ @ @ @

This morning’s Gospel reading is John 20:19–23:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
What is forgiveness? That seems to be a question for these days, but it’s an especially good question on Pentecost. When we read about Pentecost, we mostly recall the miraculous ability of the disciples to speak in new languages to present the Gospel to travelers who had come to Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot). The Holy Spirit had given them those gifts to complete their mission to spread the Good News to all nations. As we read in Acts, that miracle was impressive enough to convert many in short order, and it remains impressive to this day.
But what about the power to forgive? That is very much like the gift of tongues for the apostles. Both are gifts of reconnection, of restoring what has been lost. That, more than anything, is the purpose of the church — to restore what has been lost through man’s disobedience and stubbornness.
In yesterday’s Vigil Mass, we read from Genesis about the Tower of Babel, which people built in the years after the Great Flood. In this narrative, the purpose of building the tower is assumed to be confounding God’s will. Either the people wished to defy God and build so high that another punishing flood would not harm them, or they wanted to build a gateway to Heaven itself, in effect storming Paradise without the Lord’s permission.
The latter interpretation always appealed more to me, as it’s more or less the human story throughout the ages. Adam and Eve got exiled from the Garden of Eden because they wanted to usurp the Lord in understanding good and evil. Salvation history is littered with examples of God’s people being more interested in worldly power and politics than with doing His will. The Israelites and the Judeans constantly broke that connection between the Lord and themselves, and also broke connections with each other.
Let’s not lay all of this down on the ancients, either. Even after Jesus appeared, our history is also littered with peoples and nations who thought they could create a secular paradise, too, or change human nature through force. Every single attempt to do so brought nothing but oppression and misery, and in some cases widespread death and destruction. The lesson of Babel has never been taken to heart by humanity, no matter how many disasters such attempts create.
For that matter, we don’t even do so well with it on an individual basis. The lesson of Babel is that we too often try to make ourselves equal or superior to our Creator, and that is not just a sin of nations. How often do we negotiate with God’s Word rather than form our own hearts to it? We allow our free will to make choices we know to be sinful, and then our arrogance and shame lead us to argue that our desires shouldn’t be sins at all. In our own ways, we are all building our own towers to heaven in order to demand entrance on our own terms rather than the Lord’s.
And so, the Lord destroys the edifices of our arrogance in order to remind us of our humble nature. In Eden, He exiled Adam and Eve; in Babel, He exiled people from each other through the use of language. The Lord broke apart the human community and forced them into new, separated communities, with all of the misunderstandings and tensions that accompany language differences.
That makes the two gifts of Pentecost so important in combination. Both the gift of tongues and the sacrament of reconciliation offer the same promise to His lost sheep — reconnection, but reconnection through the Holy Spirit rather than human ambition and arrogance. We are being called back to God and given a path to reconnect our loving relationship with the Father. It is His way of calling us back from the conviction that I am the god of my own life to recognizing that God is my life — and therefore so is His family, all our brothers and sisters in Him.
Pentecost shows us the way back to Him, but also reminds us of His love for us, too. We are both the elder and younger brother in the parable of the prodigal son, and God is the Father who keeps the road open for our return. In this case, He has sent the Holy Spirit to our hearts and paved the road in anticipation. All it takes to reach true salvation is for us to step away from our own arrogance and disconnections, and take one step at a time back to our Father.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus — come, Holy Spirit, come!
The front page image is a detail from “Pentecost” by El Greco, c. 1600. On display at the Museo del Prado. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here. For previous Green Room entries, click here.


hotair--2020-05-31--NYPD hit with Molotov cocktails by "peaceful protesters"

As we ’ ve already seen , rioters in Minnesota , Chicago and Atlanta have been brazen enough in recent nights to vandalize police cars and even burn down a police station .
But in typical fashion , the hoodlums in New York City are never to be outdone .
Rather than simply yelling at the NYPD or smashing their windows , at least one woman decided to take things to the next level on Friday night .
She and her friends threw four Molotov cocktails at the police , including tossing one into a clearly marked ( and occupied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bomb didn ’ t explode , but the rest caused serious injuries and set off yet another blaze in the process .
Unlike other “ protesters ” who launch cowardly attacks and flee into the night , the cops brought this woman down quickly .
( NY Post ) Raging George Floyd protesters with “ an agenda of violence ” targeted New York ’ s Finest overnight in Brooklyn with Molotov cocktails , bricks and brass knuckles , according to NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea , who said Saturday that “ countless ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into chaos .
At least one person was arrested for attempted murder of four cops after throwing a Molotov cocktail into a marked police van , Shea said .
A sergeant was punched in the head with brass knuckles .
And another cop got his teeth knocked out , a still shaken Shea said at a joint press conference with Mayor de Blasio in City Hall .
As one would hope , the NYPD wasn ’ t going to take this lying down .
Prosecutors quickly moved to charge Samantha Shader , 27 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , along with other crimes .
There doesn ’ t seem to be any question as to her guilt , either .
Oh , and just for good measure , she bit one of the cops while they were arresting her .
A woman was charged with the attempted murder of NYPD cops after allegedly hurling a Molotov cocktail into a marked , occupied police van in Brooklyn , authorities said .
The device did not ignite , and all of the officers got out of the van safely , police said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , NY , tossed the incendiary device through a rear window of the van at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue around 10:40 p.m. , police said .
Shader then allegedly bit an officer on the leg as she was taken into custody , police said .
Within 24 hours we learned that Shader had also drawn a federal charge in relation to the attack .
Curiously , the feds chose to hit her with a single count of Causing Damage by Fire and Explosives to a Police Vehicle .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for someone already facing four counts of attempting to murder uniformed police officers in the line of duty .
The NYPD had been pressing for federal murder charges as well , but apparently those will be handled at the state level .
I seriously hope that we don ’ t hear any more pandering from elected officials talking about the “ understandable anger and frustration among the protesters ” when discussing this incident .
The same goes for people sucker-punching the police with brass knuckles , but the firebombing is obviously the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest like her need to be tossed into a cell and have the key thrown away .
It ’ s not a question of “ protesting ” or even engaging in violence .
When you attack the police in the performance of their duties , you are attacking the basic fabric of our society and embracing anarchy .
Mayor Bill de Blasio ’ s efforts to put a leash on the NYPD over the years need to come to an end right now , at least temporarily .
These rioters have declared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field of combat .
And as we all know , bad things happen in war .
Anyone using bombs or weapons of any sort in attacks on the police should be met with bullets in return .
And then the city should dare the families to try to sue them .
What happened to George Floyd was disgraceful , assuming no mitigating details emerge during the investigation .
( I can ’ t imagine a single such thing , however , but everyone gets a chance to defend themselves at trial . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ accountable in court , assuming they are found guilty , to demonstrate to the entire country that no one is above the law .
But even with all of that in mind , rioting is never acceptable either .
And attempts to murder police officers must be dealt with swiftly and harshly .

As we’ve already seen, rioters in Minnesota, Chicago and Atlanta have been brazen enough in recent nights to vandalize police cars and even burn down a police station. But in typical fashion, the hoodlums in New York City are never to be outdone. Rather than simply yelling at the NYPD or smashing their windows, at least one woman decided to take things to the next level on Friday night. She and her friends threw four Molotov cocktails at the police, including tossing one into a clearly marked (and occupied) NYPD van. Thankfully, the bomb didn’t explode, but the rest caused serious injuries and set off yet another blaze in the process. Unlike other “protesters” who launch cowardly attacks and flee into the night, the cops brought this woman down quickly. (NY Post)
Raging George Floyd protesters with “an agenda of violence” targeted New York’s Finest overnight in Brooklyn with Molotov cocktails, bricks and brass knuckles, according to NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, who said Saturday that “countless” cops were injured when the demonstrations devolved into chaos. At least one person was arrested for attempted murder of four cops after throwing a Molotov cocktail into a marked police van, Shea said. A sergeant was punched in the head with brass knuckles. And another cop got his teeth knocked out, a still shaken Shea said at a joint press conference with Mayor de Blasio in City Hall.
As one would hope, the NYPD wasn’t going to take this lying down. Prosecutors quickly moved to charge Samantha Shader, 27, with four counts of attempted murder, along with other crimes. There doesn’t seem to be any question as to her guilt, either. Oh, and just for good measure, she bit one of the cops while they were arresting her.
A woman was charged with the attempted murder of NYPD cops after allegedly hurling a Molotov cocktail into a marked, occupied police van in Brooklyn, authorities said. The device did not ignite, and all of the officers got out of the van safely, police said. Samantha Shader, 27, of Catskill, NY, tossed the incendiary device through a rear window of the van at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue around 10:40 p.m., police said. Shader then allegedly bit an officer on the leg as she was taken into custody, police said.
Within 24 hours we learned that Shader had also drawn a federal charge in relation to the attack. Curiously, the feds chose to hit her with a single count of Causing Damage by Fire and Explosives to a Police Vehicle. That seems a bit on the milquetoast side for someone already facing four counts of attempting to murder uniformed police officers in the line of duty. The NYPD had been pressing for federal murder charges as well, but apparently those will be handled at the state level.
I seriously hope that we don’t hear any more pandering from elected officials talking about the “understandable anger and frustration among the protesters” when discussing this incident. The same goes for people sucker-punching the police with brass knuckles, but the firebombing is obviously the most egregious offense. This person and all the rest like her need to be tossed into a cell and have the key thrown away. It’s not a question of “protesting” or even engaging in violence. When you attack the police in the performance of their duties, you are attacking the basic fabric of our society and embracing anarchy.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s efforts to put a leash on the NYPD over the years need to come to an end right now, at least temporarily. These rioters have declared war on the police and entered the field of combat. And as we all know, bad things happen in war. Anyone using bombs or weapons of any sort in attacks on the police should be met with bullets in return. And then the city should dare the families to try to sue them.
What happened to George Floyd was disgraceful, assuming no mitigating details emerge during the investigation. (I can’t imagine a single such thing, however, but everyone gets a chance to defend themselves at trial.) The responsible officers need to be held accountable in court, assuming they are found guilty, to demonstrate to the entire country that no one is above the law. But even with all of that in mind, rioting is never acceptable either. And attempts to murder police officers must be dealt with swiftly and harshly.


hotair--2020-05-31--That story about "outsiders" rioting didn't age well

Yesterday , while waiting for the SpaceX launch , I watched a number of public statements given by governors and mayors of large cities regarding the ongoing riots in Minneapolis , St. Paul , Atlanta , Chicago and elsewhere .
If you did also , you probably noticed one interesting feature that all of them had in common .
Now , I ’ m not saying that they held some sort of meeting in advance to plan out their strategy , but virtually every one of them included statements blaming “ outsiders coming into our city ” for all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens would never behave so reprehensibly .
These are outside agitators and Left/Right-wing radicals .
Governor Tim Walz estimated that at least 80 % of the “ protesters ” came from out of state .
The Mayor of Minneapolis similarly pinned the blame on out-of-state anarchists .
The Mayor of St. Paul engaged in some one-upmanship and boldly claimed that every single person arrested the night before was from out of state .
We heard the same thing during the Freddie Gray riots in Baltimore back in 2015 .
I didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t believe it yesterday .
And at least in Minneapolis and St. Paul , as it turns out , arrest records are available to show the false nature of those claims .
Nearly all of the violent thugs and looters had local addresses .
( Fox 9 Minneapolis ) The overwhelming majority of people arrested in connection with the Minneapolis unrest have Minnesota addresses , a search of the online Hennepin County Jail log shows .
Of the 45 people arrested for rioting , unlawful assembly , stolen property , burglary or robbery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far , 38 had Minnesota addresses , according to publicly available jail records reviewed by FOX 9 .
Six had out-of-state address , and one person didn ’ t have address information listed .
It ’ s easy to understand why these elected officials want to shift the blame away from their own citizens .
First of all , it ’ s a bad look , particularly when you ’ re one of the people responsible for keeping your citizens safe and preventing this sort of carnage .
It ’ s also politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters for bad behavior .
If you ’ re the leader chosen to keep things under control , admitting the problem is home-grown could cause you to spend some time looking in the mirror .
Of course , there were obviously a few people coming from out of town to cause trouble .
Antifa loves to engage in precisely this sort of behavior .
But if you stop and think about it , this isn ’ t exactly a time when people are interested in hopping on a plane or going on long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little bit cautious about catching the novel coronavirus , wouldn ’ t you think ?
The fact is that most large cities already have built-in contingents of people who will immediately leap into action when an “ opportunity ” involving massive protests comes along .
They all have local contingents including Black Lives Matter and other activist groups who are ready to call for violence against the police at the drop of a hat .
On top of that , there are pretty much no American cities that don ’ t suffer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence .
Those folks aren ’ t going to pass up an opportunity to loot everything they can lay their hands on and set a few fires to boot , just to muddy the evidence trail .
And I seriously doubt most of them give a hoot about George Floyd .
What seems to be different this year is both the scale of the violence and the audacity of the rioters in the face of law enforcement .
In the past , a well-armed contingent of officers in riot gear frequently reduced the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considering turning violent .
But not this week .
Yelling at the police is one thing , but smashing the windows of police vehicles with officers inside , setting them on fire , and burning down police stations takes this to a new level .
The response in Minnesota from both state and municipal government officials has been weak thus far , despite the promises of more aggressive action from the Governor .
And the predators in the streets each night can sense that weakness the same way wolves can smell fear .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but if the government wants to put a stop to this madness there ’ s going to have to be some harsh measures taken in response to the violence and domestic terrorism we ’ re seeing in these cities .

Yesterday, while waiting for the SpaceX launch, I watched a number of public statements given by governors and mayors of large cities regarding the ongoing riots in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Atlanta, Chicago and elsewhere. If you did also, you probably noticed one interesting feature that all of them had in common. Now, I’m not saying that they held some sort of meeting in advance to plan out their strategy, but virtually every one of them included statements blaming “outsiders coming into our city” for all of the violence and destruction. Our fine citizens would never behave so reprehensibly. These are outside agitators and Left/Right-wing radicals.
Governor Tim Walz estimated that at least 80% of the “protesters” came from out of state. The Mayor of Minneapolis similarly pinned the blame on out-of-state anarchists. The Mayor of St. Paul engaged in some one-upmanship and boldly claimed that every single person arrested the night before was from out of state.
We heard the same thing during the Freddie Gray riots in Baltimore back in 2015. I didn’t believe it then and I didn’t believe it yesterday. And at least in Minneapolis and St. Paul, as it turns out, arrest records are available to show the false nature of those claims. Nearly all of the violent thugs and looters had local addresses. (Fox 9 Minneapolis)
The overwhelming majority of people arrested in connection with the Minneapolis unrest have Minnesota addresses, a search of the online Hennepin County Jail log shows. Of the 45 people arrested for rioting, unlawful assembly, stolen property, burglary or robbery on May 29 and May 30 so far, 38 had Minnesota addresses, according to publicly available jail records reviewed by FOX 9. Six had out-of-state address, and one person didn’t have address information listed.
It’s easy to understand why these elected officials want to shift the blame away from their own citizens. First of all, it’s a bad look, particularly when you’re one of the people responsible for keeping your citizens safe and preventing this sort of carnage. It’s also politically risky to go around blaming your own voters for bad behavior. If you’re the leader chosen to keep things under control, admitting the problem is home-grown could cause you to spend some time looking in the mirror.
Of course, there were obviously a few people coming from out of town to cause trouble. Antifa loves to engage in precisely this sort of behavior. But if you stop and think about it, this isn’t exactly a time when people are interested in hopping on a plane or going on long car rides. Even radicals must be a little bit cautious about catching the novel coronavirus, wouldn’t you think?
The fact is that most large cities already have built-in contingents of people who will immediately leap into action when an “opportunity” involving massive protests comes along. They all have local contingents including Black Lives Matter and other activist groups who are ready to call for violence against the police at the drop of a hat. On top of that, there are pretty much no American cities that don’t suffer from some level of gang activity and violence. Those folks aren’t going to pass up an opportunity to loot everything they can lay their hands on and set a few fires to boot, just to muddy the evidence trail. And I seriously doubt most of them give a hoot about George Floyd.
What seems to be different this year is both the scale of the violence and the audacity of the rioters in the face of law enforcement. In the past, a well-armed contingent of officers in riot gear frequently reduced the tension levels among protesters who might be considering turning violent. But not this week. Yelling at the police is one thing, but smashing the windows of police vehicles with officers inside, setting them on fire, and burning down police stations takes this to a new level.
The response in Minnesota from both state and municipal government officials has been weak thus far, despite the promises of more aggressive action from the Governor. And the predators in the streets each night can sense that weakness the same way wolves can smell fear. This was never going to end well, but if the government wants to put a stop to this madness there’s going to have to be some harsh measures taken in response to the violence and domestic terrorism we’re seeing in these cities.


hotair--2020-05-31--Sunday morning talking heads

Sunday morning talking heads

There are many guests but only one topic this morning as the country reels from the killing of George Floyd and unfolding riots .
Various black political leaders are scheduled but the most noteworthy among them is Rep. Val Demings of Florida , who spent years as a cop and ultimately police chief of Orlando before entering Congress .
She ’ s a shortlister for Biden ’ s VP as well so a noteworthy performance this morning may have major electoral implications .
She ’ ll chat with “ Meet the Press ” about Floyd ’ s death and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in law and order in places like Minneapolis and Atlanta .
Also of note : Benjamin Crump , the lawyer for Floyd ’ s family , will talk with “ Face the Nation ” about the family ’ s desire to see Derek Chauvin charged with first-degree murder , which is understandable but misguided .
Keith Ellison , Minnesota ’ s attorney general , will explain to “ Fox News Sunday ” why rioters should be nice to the National Guard but maybe not to Minneapolis PD .
And Ilhan Omar , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set to display all manner of radical wokeness on “ This Week.
” Nancy Pelosi will swing by “ This Week ” as well to continue her new initiative of trash-talking Trump publicly at every opportunity .
She ’ ll be followed by national security advisor Robert O ’ Brien ( who ’ ll also be on “ State of the Union ” ) to discuss whether there ’ s any plan to contain China as it expands into Hong Kong , India ( ! )
, and potentially Taiwan or if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The full line-up is at the AP .

There are many guests but only one topic this morning as the country reels from the killing of George Floyd and unfolding riots. Various black political leaders are scheduled but the most noteworthy among them is Rep. Val Demings of Florida, who spent years as a cop and ultimately police chief of Orlando before entering Congress. She’s a shortlister for Biden’s VP as well so a noteworthy performance this morning may have major electoral implications. She’ll chat with “Meet the Press” about Floyd’s death and how the country moves forward amid a breakdown in law and order in places like Minneapolis and Atlanta.
Also of note: Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for Floyd’s family, will talk with “Face the Nation” about the family’s desire to see Derek Chauvin charged with first-degree murder, which is understandable but misguided. Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s attorney general, will explain to “Fox News Sunday” why rioters should be nice to the National Guard but maybe not to Minneapolis PD. And Ilhan Omar, who represents a district in Minnesota, is set to display all manner of radical wokeness on “This Week.”
Nancy Pelosi will swing by “This Week” as well to continue her new initiative of trash-talking Trump publicly at every opportunity. She’ll be followed by national security advisor Robert O’Brien (who’ll also be on “State of the Union”) to discuss whether there’s any plan to contain China as it expands into Hong Kong, India(!), and potentially Taiwan or if we’re just going to wing it. The full line-up is at the AP.


hotair--2020-05-30--AG Barr, Mayors say white supremacists, Antifa have infiltrated peaceful protests (Update)

In the wake of all the rioting and destruction last night , there ’ s a new theory for what is really happening .
The new theory being spread on MSNBC and CNN is that white nationalist agitators are responsible for the bad behavior .
But now AG Barr has weighed in and said the agitators are real but they are Antifa .
So where is this coming from ?
The claims about white supremacist agitators have been floating around for a couple of days but it a lot more traction this morning after the Mayors of St. Paul and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggested these agitators were largely responsible for the violence .
Mayor Carter gave a statement this morning saying , “ Because we had a relative stillness in St. Paul , we didn ’ t make an enormous number of arrests , but every single person we arrested last night , I ’ m told , was from out of state .
What we are seeing right now is a group of people who are not from here .
“ As I talk to my friends who have been in this movement for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this movement every day , and I ask them what they ’ re seeing , what their feeling , what they ’ re hearing .
To a person , I hear them say ‘ We don ’ t know these folks .
We don ’ t know these folks who are agitating .
We don ’ t know these folks who are inciting violence .
We don ’ t know these folks who are first in to break a window.
” On top of that , Minnesota AG Keith Ellison went on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said he didn ’ t believe the kind of people who are protesting George Floyd ’ s death would attack Cubs food market or some of the other shops that have been burned or vandalized .
He pointed out that back in 2015 white supremacists had joined protests against the Jamar Clark shooting and wound up shooting several protesters .
The shooter in that case was given 15 years in prison .
Ellison concluded , “ They want the people looking at Minneapolis to believe that this is just Minneapolis people acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ m not saying that no one from the protests did anything that they shouldn ’ t have done .
I ’ m saying that the greater bulk of the violence and arson is being done by external forces , in my belief.
” Here ’ s the clip : Ellison also tweeted a link to a Vice story saying that “ Boogaloo Bois ” have said they wanted to join the protests in order to further a civil war against the state .
That story links back to this Bellingcat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of these people were in Minneapolis .
One of them apparently got shot with something after parading with a distinctive flag identifying him as aligned with the group .
Alternet also published a story Thursday claiming the “ Boogaloo Bois ” were infiltrating the protests : When protests against the police killing of George Floyd escalated into clashes between police and protesters on Tuesday night , a significant segment of the boogaloo movement was electrified… “ I think for a lot of boogaloo-ers , their primary interest is resisting the state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Alex Friedfeld , an investigative researcher at the ADL Center on Extremism in Chicago .
“ They have this hostility towards law enforcement… .
They oppose these [ pandemic ] directives .
They ’ re upset about no-knock raids , police brutality .
The George Floyd case — this is an example of police brutality , this willingness of the state to execute those who disobey — so it ’ s not surprising that they showed up to protest.
” … “ There ’ s two versions of boogaloo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There ’ s the white supremacist burn society down and build a white ethno-stage .
And then there ’ s the anti-government resist tyranny at all costs , and if it creates a civil war , so be it version.
” So far , the wing of the boogaloo movement that ’ s shown up in the streets is the more mainstream , outwardly inclusive version .
So it ’ s certainly true ( read the Bellingcat story ) that some of these militants are interested in joining a battle against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that at least a few of them have been seen in Minneapolis .
However , I think it ’ s still a leap from that to what Keith Ellison is saying , i.e .
“ the greater bulk of the violence and arson is being done by external forces.
” But the Mayor of Minneapolis is also making this claim , i.e .
blaming this on white supremacists .
While I think what Ellison is saying is a stretch , I do think it ’ s possible that , at least in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are really there to pursue their own agenda .
That was pretty clearly the case in Portland last night where mostly white goons targeted the same places that Antifa groups in the area usually target : banks .
And as I ’ m writing this , AG Barr has just made a statement saying outside “ far-left ” groups are organizing some of the rioting .
So authorities on all sides are now on board with this outside agitator idea , the remaining argument is over whether those agitators are far-left or far-right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both sides are right but that it ’ s the far-left protesters who are mostly responsible thus far : “ The real hard-core guys , this is their job : They ’ re involved in this struggle , ” said Adam Leggat , a former British Army counterterrorism officer who now works as a security consultant specializing in crowd management for the Densus Group .
“ They need protests on the street to give them cover to move in.
” … Leggat , the security consultant , said intelligence reports from his colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minneapolis are far-left or anarchists , and that far-right groups have not yet made a significant appearance .
He said looting is typically done by locals – usually people with no criminal record who just get caught up in the moment… A protester who has been outside some of the most intense scenes this week – the Minnehaha Mall on the south side on Thursday and Uptown on Friday – said his experiences with riots and protests leads him to believe most violence demonstrators are not from Minneapolis or St. Paul .
Arsonists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ definitely ” not from the neighborhoods they are damaging , Augustine Zion Livingstone said .
“ Ain ’ t no black person burning down no damn barbershops in their hood , ” Livingstone , 23 , said .
“ We ’ re not doing that.
” So it sounds like there ’ s some truth to the idea that outsiders are partly responsible for the violence , but we ’ re now going to have to sort out who is to blame .
And you can bet that networks like CNN whose hosts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to want to admit they were wrong .
Neither is Keith Ellison or the progressive mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul .
In the Mayors ’ case , they can release info on those arrested .
Names and mugshots will make it possible to identify some of those people and figure out why they were there .
Update 5/31 : I would have liked to update this last night but I was out of town .
Turns out the Mayors who made claims about everyone they arrested being from out of town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by two mayors and the governor was garbage .
There may be some agitators but it seems they are mostly home grown agitators .

In the wake of all the rioting and destruction last night, there’s a new theory for what is really happening. The new theory being spread on MSNBC and CNN is that white nationalist agitators are responsible for the bad behavior. But now AG Barr has weighed in and said the agitators are real but they are Antifa.
So where is this coming from? The claims about white supremacist agitators have been floating around for a couple of days but it a lot more traction this morning after the Mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis plus Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison suggested these agitators were largely responsible for the violence.
Minnesota AG @keithellison tells @JoyAnnReid that he has evidence and ample reason to believe that outside agitators are coming to Minnesota to cause harm & damage and incite violence — Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) May 30, 2020
Mayor Carter gave a statement this morning saying, “Because we had a relative stillness in St. Paul, we didn’t make an enormous number of arrests, but every single person we arrested last night, I’m told, was from out of state. What we are seeing right now is a group of people who are not from here.
“As I talk to my friends who have been in this movement for a very long time, who wake up in this movement every day, and I ask them what they’re seeing, what their feeling, what they’re hearing. To a person, I hear them say ‘We don’t know these folks. We don’t know these folks who are agitating. We don’t know these folks who are inciting violence. We don’t know these folks who are first in to break a window.”
On top of that, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison went on Joy Reid’s show on MSNBC and said he didn’t believe the kind of people who are protesting George Floyd’s death would attack Cubs food market or some of the other shops that have been burned or vandalized. He pointed out that back in 2015 white supremacists had joined protests against the Jamar Clark shooting and wound up shooting several protesters. The shooter in that case was given 15 years in prison.
Ellison concluded, “They want the people looking at Minneapolis to believe that this is just Minneapolis people acting up. It’s not true. I’m not saying that no one from the protests did anything that they shouldn’t have done. I’m saying that the greater bulk of the violence and arson is being done by external forces, in my belief.” Here’s the clip:
.@keithellison: The people who would go out on the street to protest for justice for Mr. Floyd are not going to burn down the historic social justice advocacy groups for the Native American community… That's not what these kinds of folks do. #AMJoy pic.twitter.com/PVscxmNbtz — Formerly 'AM JOY' on @MSNBC (@amjoyshow) May 30, 2020
Ellison also tweeted a link to a Vice story saying that “Boogaloo Bois” have said they wanted to join the protests in order to further a civil war against the state.
ICYMI: “Far-Right Extremists Are Hoping to Turn the George Floyd Protests Into a New Civil War” – VICE https://t.co/6wEPPofPvQ — Keith Ellison (@keithellison) May 30, 2020
That story links back to this Bellingcat story which cites evidence that at least some of these people were in Minneapolis. One of them apparently got shot with something after parading with a distinctive flag identifying him as aligned with the group. Alternet also published a story Thursday claiming the “Boogaloo Bois” were infiltrating the protests:
When protests against the police killing of George Floyd escalated into clashes between police and protesters on Tuesday night, a significant segment of the boogaloo movement was electrified… “I think for a lot of boogaloo-ers, their primary interest is resisting the state, what they believe to be state tyranny,” said Alex Friedfeld, an investigative researcher at the ADL Center on Extremism in Chicago. “They have this hostility towards law enforcement…. They oppose these [pandemic] directives. They’re upset about no-knock raids, police brutality. The George Floyd case — this is an example of police brutality, this willingness of the state to execute those who disobey — so it’s not surprising that they showed up to protest.”… “There’s two versions of boogaloo,” said Friedfeld of the ADL. “There’s the white supremacist burn society down and build a white ethno-stage. And then there’s the anti-government resist tyranny at all costs, and if it creates a civil war, so be it version.” So far, the wing of the boogaloo movement that’s shown up in the streets is the more mainstream, outwardly inclusive version.
So it’s certainly true (read the Bellingcat story) that some of these militants are interested in joining a battle against the police. And it’s true that at least a few of them have been seen in Minneapolis. However, I think it’s still a leap from that to what Keith Ellison is saying, i.e. “the greater bulk of the violence and arson is being done by external forces.” But the Mayor of Minneapolis is also making this claim, i.e. blaming this on white supremacists.
By being out tonight & breaking the 8pm curfew, you are helping the people using crowds as cover to prey on Minneapolis & destroy community. — Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) May 30, 2020
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
While I think what Ellison is saying is a stretch, I do think it’s possible that, at least in some cases, the people behind the rioting are really there to pursue their own agenda. That was pretty clearly the case in Portland last night where mostly white goons targeted the same places that Antifa groups in the area usually target: banks.
Overheard: “ fuck Trump, fuck the police, and fuck chase” pic.twitter.com/ljCMLetE3M — Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) May 30, 2020
Some protestors throw flares into the bank pic.twitter.com/SKZlnWSt42 — Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) May 30, 2020
Inside capitol one pic.twitter.com/6iywB6DSwp — Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) May 30, 2020
And as I’m writing this, AG Barr has just made a statement saying outside “far-left” groups are organizing some of the rioting. So authorities on all sides are now on board with this outside agitator idea, the remaining argument is over whether those agitators are far-left or far-right.
AG BARR: Peaceful protests are being hijacked by “Far Left extremist groups using Antifa-Like tactics.” pic.twitter.com/kqStdCZPxQ — Benny (@bennyjohnson) May 30, 2020
USA Today has a story saying both sides are right but that it’s the far-left protesters who are mostly responsible thus far:
“The real hard-core guys, this is their job: They’re involved in this struggle,” said Adam Leggat, a former British Army counterterrorism officer who now works as a security consultant specializing in crowd management for the Densus Group. “They need protests on the street to give them cover to move in.”… Leggat, the security consultant, said intelligence reports from his colleagues indicate most of the hard-core protesters in Minneapolis are far-left or anarchists, and that far-right groups have not yet made a significant appearance. He said looting is typically done by locals – usually people with no criminal record who just get caught up in the moment… A protester who has been outside some of the most intense scenes this week – the Minnehaha Mall on the south side on Thursday and Uptown on Friday – said his experiences with riots and protests leads him to believe most violence demonstrators are not from Minneapolis or St. Paul. Arsonists and people breaking into buildings are “definitely” not from the neighborhoods they are damaging, Augustine Zion Livingstone said. “Ain’t no black person burning down no damn barbershops in their hood,” Livingstone, 23, said. “We’re not doing that.”
So it sounds like there’s some truth to the idea that outsiders are partly responsible for the violence, but we’re now going to have to sort out who is to blame. And you can bet that networks like CNN whose hosts previously defended Antifa in principle are not going to want to admit they were wrong. Neither is Keith Ellison or the progressive mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. In the Mayors’ case, they can release info on those arrested. Names and mugshots will make it possible to identify some of those people and figure out why they were there.
Update 5/31: I would have liked to update this last night but I was out of town. Turns out the Mayors who made claims about everyone they arrested being from out of town were wrong.
Here's what the HCSO jail records show. There are 69 cases from Friday to Saturday that were categorized as "received by jail" as of about 11 am this morning. Of those, here's the state breakdowns: MN56
UNK 5
IL3
ARK1
MO1
IA1
Fla1
MI1 — Brandon Stahl (@b_stahl) May 30, 2020
More:
A review of all the arrests made by Minneapolis-based police agencies for rioting, unlawful assembly and burglary-related crimes from Friday to Saturday tells a different story. KARE 11 found that of 36 cases, about 86 percent of those arrested listed Minnesota as their address… Data provided Saturday afternoon by St. Paul police also appears to contradict the narrative that the majority of the violence is being caused by people from outside the state.
So this story pushed by two mayors and the governor was garbage. There may be some agitators but it seems they are mostly home grown agitators.


hotair--2020-06-01--Obama: Let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it

This plea would have a longer cultural reach delivered on television instead of in a Medium post , but it ’ s welcome regardless coming from the most influential person in the Democratic Party .
Plus , I think he ’ s in a tight spot politically that prevents him from charging into the debate via a big TV appearance .
First , the waves of protests across the country represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal justice system in the United States .
The overwhelming majority of participants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and inspiring .
They deserve our respect and support , not condemnation — something that police in cities like Camden and Flint have commendably understood .
On the other hand , the small minority of folks who ’ ve resorted to violence in various forms , whether out of genuine anger or mere opportunism , are putting innocent people at risk , compounding the destruction of neighborhoods that are often already short on services and investment and detracting from the larger cause .
I saw an elderly black woman being interviewed today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her neighborhood had been trashed .
If history is any guide , that store may take years to come back .
So let ’ s not excuse violence , or rationalize it , or participate in it .
If we want our criminal justice system , and American society at large , to operate on a higher ethical code , then we have to model that code ourselves .
Obama has two problems in trying to enter the fray here , one from the left and one from the right , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until November 3 .
On the right , he knows how much Republicans dislike him and how eager Trump is to use him as a foil .
If he becomes publicly identified with the protesters , George Floyd ’ s death and the larger issue of police brutality will become more of a partisan “ us and them ” thing — which they aren ’ t right now , according to the polls .
Seventy-eight percent of Americans believe Derek Chauvin should have been arrested for killing Floyd , including 68 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , though , the more that solidarity will be distorted by instincts towards negative partisanship .
He has a problem on the left too .
He doesn ’ t want to overshadow Biden — and it would be really easy to overshadow a Democrat as generic as Biden .
Biden and the Democrats are scrambling to seize opportunities to build his stature contrasting him behaving “ presidentially ” with Trump behaving … Trumpishly .
One example came last week on Memorial Day when Biden finally emerged from his basement to pay his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wear a mask while doing it , even switching his Twitter profile picture to one of him with the mask on .
This week , as Trump laid low amid the chaos following Floyd ’ s death , Team Joe saw another chance to elevate himself at POTUS ’ s expense .
Biden went out yesterday to meet with protesters and today he ’ s doing the sort of roundtable events with local leaders that the president would normally do : If Trump insists on avoiding public displays of conciliatory leadership during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shadow president in his absence to heighten the contrast : The more Obama ’ s out there , the more it seems like he ’ s still the leader of the Democratic Party .
Biden can ’ t build stature vis-a-vis Trump if O ’ s inadvertently reminding voters of who Biden ’ s last boss was .
Why was Trump AWOL for most of the weekend , until this afternoon ’ s Rose Garden appearance ?
Answer : Because he ’ s a tribalist by nature at a moment when most voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he starts calling for unity it ’ ll seem insincere ; it ’ s not who he is and he never makes much of a pretense of believing the things he ’ s saying when he reads a “ traditional ” unifying presidential address .
But if he indulges his instincts towards “ us and them ” tribalism , voters might recoil and punish him for making a bad situation worse .
So he and his advisors were stuck , until he went all-in on tough-guy posturing this afternoon .
He doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting tough with people out in the streets but he doesn ’ t want to be conciliatory because , well , that ’ s not him and it ’ s not his base .
There ’ s chatter about holding “ listening sessions ” with black leaders in addition to a public address like today ’ s remarks .
The more Biden attempts to seize the moment , the more Trump will feel obliged to make a gesture of leadership , however half-heartedly , to counter him .
But you never know — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ option .
Trump and some of his advisers calculated that he should not speak to the nation because he had nothing new to say and had no tangible policy or action to announce yet , according to a senior administration official .
Evidently not feeling an urgent motivation Sunday to try to bring people together , he stayed silent… “ The rioting in the streets has put an exclamation point on what this president can not do : To bring people around and say we are all in this together , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and former attorney general in New Hampshire .
“ On his automatic transmission , there is one speed .
It is not conciliate .
It is not comfort .
It is not forge consensus .
It is attack .
And the frustration right now is that nobody is in charge .
Anarchy rules.
” Aides have started leaking that they didn ’ t like his “ when the looting starts , the shooting starts ” tweet of a few days ago , with one telling Axios that it was his worst moment since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly being given to what effect a show of presidential strength against looters would have on suburban women , a voting bloc that helped hand the House to Democrats in 2018 and which Trump is desperate to make inroads with before November .
Would a law-and-order response to the riots win over upper-middle-class women from Biden ?
Or would Trump ’ s recurring problem with striking the wrong “ tone ” continue to alienate them ?
I think his rant to the governors this afternoon is a clue to how he ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he ultimately deferred to them on reopening the country , I think he ’ d rather hoot at them from the sidelines while ultimately letting them assume the burden of leadership .
If he says “ get tough ” and they don ’ t , and the riots get worse , he can blame them .
If he says “ get tough ” and they do , he can take credit .
If he says “ get tough ” and they don ’ t , and the riots end anyway as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s no harm , no foul .
He can ’ t go wrong politically with talking a big game and not actually doing anything .
His fans love the talk and everyone else will be relieved that he didn ’ t act .
But I don ’ t know .
His fascination with sending in the troops to face off with looters and , inevitably , some peaceful protesters who end up in the crossfire seems to be growing .
Here ’ s the mayor of Atlanta over the weekend encouraging @ @ @ @ @ @ @

This plea would have a longer cultural reach delivered on television instead of in a Medium post, but it’s welcome regardless coming from the most influential person in the Democratic Party. Plus, I think he’s in a tight spot politically that prevents him from charging into the debate via a big TV appearance.
First, the waves of protests across the country represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal justice system in the United States. The overwhelming majority of participants have been peaceful, courageous, responsible, and inspiring. They deserve our respect and support, not condemnation — something that police in cities like Camden and Flint have commendably understood. On the other hand, the small minority of folks who’ve resorted to violence in various forms, whether out of genuine anger or mere opportunism, are putting innocent people at risk, compounding the destruction of neighborhoods that are often already short on services and investment and detracting from the larger cause. I saw an elderly black woman being interviewed today in tears because the only grocery store in her neighborhood had been trashed. If history is any guide, that store may take years to come back. So let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it. If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.
Obama has two problems in trying to enter the fray here, one from the left and one from the right, and they’re problems that will recur until November 3. On the right, he knows how much Republicans dislike him and how eager Trump is to use him as a foil. If he becomes publicly identified with the protesters, George Floyd’s death and the larger issue of police brutality will become more of a partisan “us and them” thing — which they aren’t right now, according to the polls. Seventy-eight percent of Americans believe Derek Chauvin should have been arrested for killing Floyd, including 68 percent of Republicans. The more O wades into this, though, the more that solidarity will be distorted by instincts towards negative partisanship.
He has a problem on the left too. He doesn’t want to overshadow Biden — and it would be really easy to overshadow a Democrat as generic as Biden. Biden and the Democrats are scrambling to seize opportunities to build his stature contrasting him behaving “presidentially” with Trump behaving … Trumpishly. One example came last week on Memorial Day when Biden finally emerged from his basement to pay his respects to fallen troops and made sure to wear a mask while doing it, even switching his Twitter profile picture to one of him with the mask on. This week, as Trump laid low amid the chaos following Floyd’s death, Team Joe saw another chance to elevate himself at POTUS’s expense. Biden went out yesterday to meet with protesters and today he’s doing the sort of roundtable events with local leaders that the president would normally do:
We are a nation in pain right now, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us. As President, I will help lead this conversation — and more importantly, I will listen, just as I did today visiting the site of last night's protests in Wilmington. pic.twitter.com/0h2ApbKT0C — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 31, 2020
Biden will have a virtual roundtable today at 1 p.m. with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, his campaign says. Usually it would be the president convening such key mayors. — Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) June 1, 2020
If Trump insists on avoiding public displays of conciliatory leadership during the crisis, Biden will happily play shadow president in his absence to heighten the contrast:
To anyone worried that Trump is AWOL as America implodes, rest assured: I'm told he's tracking down some very promising Joe Scarborough leads. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) June 1, 2020
.@CharlieBakerMA, growing emotional in criticizing Trump directly. Amid these times, "He is simply nowhere to be found." — Matt Stout (@MattPStout) June 1, 2020
The more Obama’s out there, the more it seems like he’s still the leader of the Democratic Party. Biden can’t build stature vis-a-vis Trump if O’s inadvertently reminding voters of who Biden’s last boss was.
Why was Trump AWOL for most of the weekend, until this afternoon’s Rose Garden appearance? Answer: Because he’s a tribalist by nature at a moment when most voters want leaders to encourage unity. If he starts calling for unity it’ll seem insincere; it’s not who he is and he never makes much of a pretense of believing the things he’s saying when he reads a “traditional” unifying presidential address. But if he indulges his instincts towards “us and them” tribalism, voters might recoil and punish him for making a bad situation worse. So he and his advisors were stuck, until he went all-in on tough-guy posturing this afternoon. He doesn’t want to be too vocal about getting tough with people out in the streets but he doesn’t want to be conciliatory because, well, that’s not him and it’s not his base.
On the one hand, some top aides – including CoS Mark Meadows – believe Trump should deliver a formal address to the nation arguing it would offer him a chance to unify the country. Other aides – including Kushner – believe it wouldn’t be helpful, sources tell me & @Santucci https://t.co/eVemwYDooh — Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) May 31, 2020
There’s chatter about holding “listening sessions” with black leaders in addition to a public address like today’s remarks. The more Biden attempts to seize the moment, the more Trump will feel obliged to make a gesture of leadership, however half-heartedly, to counter him. But you never know — doing nothing is still very much an option.
Trump and some of his advisers calculated that he should not speak to the nation because he had nothing new to say and had no tangible policy or action to announce yet, according to a senior administration official. Evidently not feeling an urgent motivation Sunday to try to bring people together, he stayed silent… “The rioting in the streets has put an exclamation point on what this president cannot do: To bring people around and say we are all in this together,” said Tom Rath, a longtime Republican official and former attorney general in New Hampshire. “On his automatic transmission, there is one speed. It is not conciliate. It is not comfort. It is not forge consensus. It is attack. And the frustration right now is that nobody is in charge. Anarchy rules.”
Aides have started leaking that they didn’t like his “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” tweet of a few days ago, with one telling Axios that it was his worst moment since his Charlottesville comments. Much thought is reportedly being given to what effect a show of presidential strength against looters would have on suburban women, a voting bloc that helped hand the House to Democrats in 2018 and which Trump is desperate to make inroads with before November. Would a law-and-order response to the riots win over upper-middle-class women from Biden? Or would Trump’s recurring problem with striking the wrong “tone” continue to alienate them?
I think his rant to the governors this afternoon is a clue to how he’d prefer to handle it. Just like when he ultimately deferred to them on reopening the country, I think he’d rather hoot at them from the sidelines while ultimately letting them assume the burden of leadership. If he says “get tough” and they don’t, and the riots get worse, he can blame them. If he says “get tough” and they do, he can take credit. If he says “get tough” and they don’t, and the riots end anyway as the energy behind them burns out, then there’s no harm, no foul. He can’t go wrong politically with talking a big game and not actually doing anything. His fans love the talk and everyone else will be relieved that he didn’t act.
But I don’t know. His fascination with sending in the troops to face off with looters and, inevitably, some peaceful protesters who end up in the crossfire seems to be growing.
Here’s the mayor of Atlanta over the weekend encouraging him not to talk at all.


hotair--2020-06-01--D.C. police use tear gas to clear protesters from Lafayette Park moments before Trump speech

Is this as bad as it looks or am I missing a piece of information ?
Trump announced that he was going to speak in the Rose Garden at 6:15 .
Curfew in D.C. tonight is at 7 p.m. by order of the mayor .
Protesters had been demonstrating in Lafayette Park , across from the White House , all afternoon .
Shortly before Trump went to the podium , the attorney general came out towards the park to chat with law enforcement .
Possible information I ’ m missing : Were the protesters being violent , requiring a police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they weren ’ t .
So what are the police doing going in there like a goon squad to run them out of a place they were entitled to be until 7 p.m. ?
Trump began his speech tonight by calling himself a defender of law and order and an ally of peaceful protesters .
D.C. cops were running peaceful protesters out of a public space at that very moment just a block or two today , apparently on Bill Barr ’ s orders .
Bbecause they created an “ unhelpful ” backdrop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oh , and because Trump — with Bible in hand — and his aides wanted a photo op at St. John ’ s church across the street , which was partially burned last night : He had no more right to the park than the protesters did .
And the cops had no authority to remove them before 7 , especially as aggressively as they did , unless they were behaving violently .
The read as I write this on political Twitter is that he *wants* a provocation .
He invited the antagonism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ park , knowing that it ’ s likely to set people off tonight and encourage even more rage .
Then he ’ ll get to send in the troops , leading to God knows what , and strut around proclaiming that he ’ s Mr. Law and Order .
At the very least he ’ ll get to show that he ’ s not cowering in his bunker .
For the moment .
This will backfire .
It ’ s true that voters want the rioting to end but I think they want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to end , and he ’ s the face of it .
The riots will be a distant memory in November but the residue will be a sense of endless destabilization , often abetted by the president willingly or through incompetence , that ’ s grown somehow tiresome and dangerous all at once .
It won ’ t be forgotten at the polls that he always sought maximum conflict .
Update : If you ’ re going to tear-gas protesters because they ’ re in the way of a photo op to impress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense being subtle about that photo op .
Ask him to quote a single line from the Bible from memory .
Except “ an eye for an eye , ” I mean .
We know he knows that one .

Is this as bad as it looks or am I missing a piece of information?
Trump announced that he was going to speak in the Rose Garden at 6:15. Curfew in D.C. tonight is at 7 p.m. by order of the mayor. Protesters had been demonstrating in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, all afternoon.
Shortly before Trump went to the podium, the attorney general came out towards the park to chat with law enforcement.
AG Bill Barr just showed up with his security detail to seemingly take a look at the protest in Lafayette Square. He’s talking to law enforcement officials here. Right before, much more security came to the front line. pic.twitter.com/dghUPk7d9L — Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) June 1, 2020
Soon afterward, all hell broke loose:
The area outside the White House looks like a warzone right now pic.twitter.com/MgoUnrPh6l — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 1, 2020
Trump is set to deliver a speech in minutes like two blocks away from here pic.twitter.com/NrtzTqJhz9 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 1, 2020
"Do you see this?" a protester asks @CNN's camera. "We're doing nothing!" pic.twitter.com/M5HQyaQCwS — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 1, 2020
Tear gas just deployed at 16th & H Streets, police in riot gear & on horseback pushed the crowd back to Connecticut Av #dcprotest pic.twitter.com/LOd2UC5nmH — Ken Duffy (@KenDuffyNews) June 1, 2020
Police outside the WH just repeatedly bashed a cameraman as they pushed back protestors – just now on @ABC7News pic.twitter.com/XyE2sI6I3v — Ben Siegel (@bensiegel) June 1, 2020
Possible information I’m missing: Were the protesters being violent, requiring a police response? Reporters on the scene say they weren’t. So what are the police doing going in there like a goon squad to run them out of a place they were entitled to be until 7 p.m.?
Trump began his speech tonight by calling himself a defender of law and order and an ally of peaceful protesters. D.C. cops were running peaceful protesters out of a public space at that very moment just a block or two today, apparently on Bill Barr’s orders. Bbecause they created an “unhelpful” backdrop to the president’s speech.
Trump: I am your president of Law and Order and an ally of all peaceful protestors pic.twitter.com/p0kMVE0O8l — Acyn (@Acyn) June 1, 2020
Oh, and because Trump — with Bible in hand — and his aides wanted a photo op at St. John’s church across the street, which was partially burned last night:
Secretary of Defense Esper and General Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, are with President Trump as he walks across Lafayette Square to the boarded-up Saint John's Church. — Mike Glenn (@mrglenn) June 1, 2020
BREAKING: Lafayette Square Park was cleared of protesters to allow Trump to walk through here. #dcprotest pic.twitter.com/BJbbL6M81l — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) June 1, 2020
He had no more right to the park than the protesters did. And the cops had no authority to remove them before 7, especially as aggressively as they did, unless they were behaving violently.
The read as I write this on political Twitter is that he *wants* a provocation. He invited the antagonism of pushing the protesters out of the park, knowing that it’s likely to set people off tonight and encourage even more rage. Then he’ll get to send in the troops, leading to God knows what, and strut around proclaiming that he’s Mr. Law and Order. At the very least he’ll get to show that he’s not cowering in his bunker. For the moment.
This will backfire. It’s true that voters want the rioting to end but I think they want all of the upheaval of this era to end, and he’s the face of it. The riots will be a distant memory in November but the residue will be a sense of endless destabilization, often abetted by the president willingly or through incompetence, that’s grown somehow tiresome and dangerous all at once. It won’t be forgotten at the polls that he always sought maximum conflict.
Update: If you’re going to tear-gas protesters because they’re in the way of a photo op to impress your base, there’s no sense being subtle about that photo op.
I remember being a kid in catechism classes before my First Communion. The nun who taught the class was talking about the commandments and what they mean. She asked what it meant to take the Lord's name in vain.
/1 — IncitementToResurrectionHat (@Popehat) June 1, 2020
/3 I cannot conceive that any sane or honest person could look at this and think that it is done to glorify God or for His purposes. I suppose there is no commandment, yet, forbidding me to take Trump's name in vain. pic.twitter.com/EspCxpR1Mg — IncitementToResurrectionHat (@Popehat) June 1, 2020
Ask him to quote a single line from the Bible from memory. Except “an eye for an eye,” I mean. We know he knows that one.


hotair--2020-06-01--Sweden launches inquiry into handling of pandemic as death rate becomes highest in the world

We ’ ve been arguing about the coronavirus response in Sweden for months now and I ’ m sure we ’ ll still be arguing about it months from now .
Meanwhile Sweden itself has launched an investigation into the handing of the crisis after criticism from parties on both the left and the right .
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced on Monday that the country will launch an inquiry into its handling of the pandemic before the summer .
The decision comes amid rising criticisms from opposition parties on both Sweden ’ s right and left .
Sweden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conservative Moderate Party and the populist Sweden Democrats – urged on Friday for an independent commission to be in place before the summer to investigate the country ’ s response to the outbreak .
Lofven had previously said a special commission would be appointed once the pandemic is over but he and his Social Democrats party – which rule in coalition with the Greens – have faced mounting pressure to take action sooner .
What ’ s behind the new pressure to investigate now rather than later is the fact that Sweden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million people : Sweden has taken the ignominious title of the country with the world ’ s highest death rate from Covid-19 .
The title , which was was briefly held by the UK late last month , comes after Swedish officials decided to ignore the lockdown advice of countless health experts and kept the country largely open during the pandemic .
The number of deaths per capita in Sweden is now more than four-times that of its Nordic neighbours .
To be clear , the death rate being discussed here is new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most daily deaths per million , that wasn ’ t always the case .
In this version of the graph , you can see that the UK , France and Italy have all had much higher daily totals at the peak , before dropping .
Meanwhile Sweden ’ s average ( the red line ) has remained relatively high since April .
Those figures are a 7-day average .
The death toll in Sweden tends to drop dramatically on the weekends because reports are not being made and then it usually picks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So for instance , Sweden didn ’ t report any new deaths yesterday but that could change in the next couple days .
Sweden ’ s numbers are especially dramatic when compared to Norway , Denmark and Finland .
That difference was highlighted this weekend when Norway and Denmark announced they would be reopening travel between the two countries , but excluding Sweden .
The deal excludes Sweden , which has suffered by far the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the Nordic region .
Just a few days before the decision was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that any deal excluding Sweden would be a political decision and not justifiable on health grounds .
The Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said there was a “ strong desire ” to find a solution for the Swedish border , but that the countries “ are in different places ” with respect to the coronavirus situation .
The Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg agreed that “ the infection situation looks different in Sweden , ” but added that Norway is continuing dialog with Sweden , Finland and Iceland about including them at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sting a bit .
So does all of this prove that Sweden ’ s experiment in it ’ s handling of the coronavirus has failed .
This weekend Wired published a piece saying it does : More than 4,000 people have died in a country of ten million .
For seven of the last 14 days , Sweden has had the highest number of deaths per capita in the world .
“ Sweden hasn ’ t changed very much at all , ” says Paul Franks , an epidemiologist at Lund University .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ other countries , you ’ ve noticed the change in the relative death rates.
” The comparison is particularly stark when compared to Sweden ’ s neighbours , which have similar cultural practices and healthcare systems – it has almost four times as many deaths as Norway , Finland and Denmark combined… In countries that instituted a lockdown , the curve of the epidemic is bell-shaped , with a peak and then a steady decline .
Sweden ’ s looks more like the United States , with cases tailing off much more slowly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a higher level relative to the peak .
Anders Tegnell , the man driving the Swedish response , has consistently denied that he was pushing for herd immunity but has also said that Sweden would be in a better position for a second wave because so many more people will have been infected .
But recent antibody testing showed the percentage of the population with antibodies in Sweden was lower than experts believed ( in April ) .
So Sweden isn ’ t really close to benefiting from herd immunity .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointing out that herd immunity is still a long way off everywhere around the world .
Official case counts often substantially underestimate the number of coronavirus infections .
But in new studies that test the population more broadly , the percentage of people who have been infected so far is still in the single digits .
The numbers are a fraction of the threshold known as herd immunity , at which the virus can no longer spread widely .
The precise herd immunity threshold for the novel coronavirus is not yet clear ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be higher than 60 percent .
Sweden may be about as close to herd immunity as New York City , which means both places have a long way to go to get there ( unless a vaccine becomes available ) .
It ’ s true that Sweden has so far kept the spread of the virus from overwhelming hospitals , which was the original goal of the shutdown , but even if Sweden hasn ’ t overwhelmed the health system their approach has been deadly for a lot of elderly Swedes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far , Sweden ’ s neighbors have done far better in limiting those deaths .
Whether the rest of the world can do better than Sweden in the long run still remains to be seen .
Right now Sweden ’ s numbers look bad but that doesn ’ t mean things will look this way six months or a year from now .
Still , the government is concerned enough that it is starting an investigation of the handling of this now rather than months from now .
Depending on the results of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or decide it was on the right track all along .

We’ve been arguing about the coronavirus response in Sweden for months now and I’m sure we’ll still be arguing about it months from now. Meanwhile Sweden itself has launched an investigation into the handing of the crisis after criticism from parties on both the left and the right.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced on Monday that the country will launch an inquiry into its handling of the pandemic before the summer. The decision comes amid rising criticisms from opposition parties on both Sweden’s right and left. Sweden’s two biggest opposition parties – the conservative Moderate Party and the populist Sweden Democrats – urged on Friday for an independent commission to be in place before the summer to investigate the country’s response to the outbreak. Lofven had previously said a special commission would be appointed once the pandemic is over but he and his Social Democrats party – which rule in coalition with the Greens – have faced mounting pressure to take action sooner.
What’s behind the new pressure to investigate now rather than later is the fact that Sweden now leads the world in deaths per million people:
Sweden has taken the ignominious title of the country with the world’s highest death rate from Covid-19. The title, which was was briefly held by the UK late last month, comes after Swedish officials decided to ignore the lockdown advice of countless health experts and kept the country largely open during the pandemic. The number of deaths per capita in Sweden is now more than four-times that of its Nordic neighbours.
To be clear, the death rate being discussed here is new daily deaths. While Sweden now has the most daily deaths per million, that wasn’t always the case. In this version of the graph, you can see that the UK, France and Italy have all had much higher daily totals at the peak, before dropping. Meanwhile Sweden’s average (the red line) has remained relatively high since April.
Those figures are a 7-day average. The death toll in Sweden tends to drop dramatically on the weekends because reports are not being made and then it usually picks up again by Tuesday or Wednesday. So for instance, Sweden didn’t report any new deaths yesterday but that could change in the next couple days.
Sweden’s numbers are especially dramatic when compared to Norway, Denmark and Finland. That difference was highlighted this weekend when Norway and Denmark announced they would be reopening travel between the two countries, but excluding Sweden.
The deal excludes Sweden, which has suffered by far the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the Nordic region. Just a few days before the decision was announced, Swedish foreign minister Ann Linde said that any deal excluding Sweden would be a political decision and not justifiable on health grounds. The Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said there was a “strong desire” to find a solution for the Swedish border, but that the countries “are in different places” with respect to the coronavirus situation. The Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg agreed that “the infection situation looks different in Sweden,” but added that Norway is continuing dialog with Sweden, Finland and Iceland about including them at a later date.
That has to sting a bit. So does all of this prove that Sweden’s experiment in it’s handling of the coronavirus has failed. This weekend Wired published a piece saying it does:
More than 4,000 people have died in a country of ten million. For seven of the last 14 days, Sweden has had the highest number of deaths per capita in the world. “Sweden hasn’t changed very much at all,” says Paul Franks, an epidemiologist at Lund University. “But because things have changed in other countries, you’ve noticed the change in the relative death rates.” The comparison is particularly stark when compared to Sweden’s neighbours, which have similar cultural practices and healthcare systems – it has almost four times as many deaths as Norway, Finland and Denmark combined… In countries that instituted a lockdown, the curve of the epidemic is bell-shaped, with a peak and then a steady decline. Sweden’s looks more like the United States, with cases tailing off much more slowly – and the daily death toll stabilising at a higher level relative to the peak.
Anders Tegnell, the man driving the Swedish response, has consistently denied that he was pushing for herd immunity but has also said that Sweden would be in a better position for a second wave because so many more people will have been infected. But recent antibody testing showed the percentage of the population with antibodies in Sweden was lower than experts believed (in April). So Sweden isn’t really close to benefiting from herd immunity. Last week the NY Times published an article pointing out that herd immunity is still a long way off everywhere around the world.
Official case counts often substantially underestimate the number of coronavirus infections. But in new studies that test the population more broadly, the percentage of people who have been infected so far is still in the single digits. The numbers are a fraction of the threshold known as herd immunity, at which the virus can no longer spread widely. The precise herd immunity threshold for the novel coronavirus is not yet clear; but several experts said they believed it would be higher than 60 percent.
Sweden may be about as close to herd immunity as New York City, which means both places have a long way to go to get there (unless a vaccine becomes available). It’s true that Sweden has so far kept the spread of the virus from overwhelming hospitals, which was the original goal of the shutdown, but even if Sweden hasn’t overwhelmed the health system their approach has been deadly for a lot of elderly Swedes in care homes. And at least so far, Sweden’s neighbors have done far better in limiting those deaths.
Whether the rest of the world can do better than Sweden in the long run still remains to be seen. Right now Sweden’s numbers look bad but that doesn’t mean things will look this way six months or a year from now. Still, the government is concerned enough that it is starting an investigation of the handling of this now rather than months from now. Depending on the results of that investigation, Sweden could change course or decide it was on the right track all along.


hotair--2020-06-01--Floyd's brother demands end to violence: "If his own family and blood is not doing it, then why are

Floyd's brother demands end to violence: "If his own family and blood is not doing it, then why are you?"

No one has more right to outrage and anger than the Floyd family , Terrence Floyd told ABC News , but they want people to stop destroying communities in George Floyd ’ s name .
“ They ’ re using this as an excuse to be stupid , ” Floyd said about his brother ’ s death at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers .
The family wants an end to all of the rioting not just in the Twin Cities but around the country , which they see as an affront to the way George Floyd lived his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he urged , “ stop making excuses ” ( via Townhall ) : “ [ S ] ometimes I get angry , I want to bust some heads , too , ” Terrence Floyd told ABC News .
“ I wan na just go crazy .
But I ’ m here .
My brother wasn ’ t about that .
My brother was about peace .
You ’ ll hear a lot of people say he was a gentle giant.
” … “ Don ’ t tear up your town , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own family and blood is not doing it , then why are you ?
” said Terrence Floyd .
“ If his own family and blood are trying to deal with it and be positive about it , and go another route to seek justice , then why are you out here tearing up your community ?
Because when you ’ re finished and turn around and want to go buy something , you done tore it up .
So now you messed up your own living arrangements .
So just relax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Floyd family and George ’ s girlfriend have made a valiant effort to advocate for peace in the eruption of anger following his death .
Unfortunately , most of the street action seen in the Twin Cities and elsewhere don ’ t have much to do with George Floyd .
The legitimate protests over his death have been used for cover by violent agitators with an entirely different agenda , and they ’ re not likely to be swayed by Terrence Floyd ’ s sensible argument for dialing down the tensions .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to come to Minneapolis soon , along with civil-rights activists from New York City .
Floyd appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the trip with Rev .
Kevin McCall , who wore a mask with George Floyd ’ s picture and the words “ We Can ’ t Breathe ” on it : Terrence Floyd said on “ GMA ” that he is traveling from his home in New York City on Tuesday to visit the site in Minneapolis where his brother drew his last breath .
“ I just want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ Just connect with him again.
” The Rev .
Kevin McCall and other civil rights activists from the New York City area will be joining Terrence Floyd on that trip to “ call for peace and unity.
” “ We can be able to call for justice , but we need peace as well , ” McCall said .
“ Nobody is more angry than the family.
” Hopefully Floyd ’ s message of peace and positive action gets taken to heart by those committing violence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ much to do with Floyd ’ s death except as an exploitation of it , the need for National Guard control will likely — and sadly — continue .
Kudos to Terrence Floyd and his family for doing all they can regardless of whether it works or not , though .

No one has more right to outrage and anger than the Floyd family, Terrence Floyd told ABC News, but they want people to stop destroying communities in George Floyd’s name. “They’re using this as an excuse to be stupid,” Floyd said about his brother’s death at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers. The family wants an end to all of the rioting not just in the Twin Cities but around the country, which they see as an affront to the way George Floyd lived his life. “Do something positive,” he urged, “stop making excuses” (via Townhall):
“[S]ometimes I get angry, I want to bust some heads, too,” Terrence Floyd told ABC News. “I wanna just go crazy. But I’m here. My brother wasn’t about that. My brother was about peace. You’ll hear a lot of people say he was a gentle giant.” … “Don’t tear up your town, all of this is not necessary because if his own family and blood is not doing it, then why are you?” said Terrence Floyd. “If his own family and blood are trying to deal with it and be positive about it, and go another route to seek justice, then why are you out here tearing up your community? Because when you’re finished and turn around and want to go buy something, you done tore it up. So now you messed up your own living arrangements. So just relax. Justice will be served.”
The Floyd family and George’s girlfriend have made a valiant effort to advocate for peace in the eruption of anger following his death. Unfortunately, most of the street action seen in the Twin Cities and elsewhere don’t have much to do with George Floyd. The legitimate protests over his death have been used for cover by violent agitators with an entirely different agenda, and they’re not likely to be swayed by Terrence Floyd’s sensible argument for dialing down the tensions.
The younger Floyd also told ABC that he plans to come to Minneapolis soon, along with civil-rights activists from New York City. Floyd appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the trip with Rev. Kevin McCall, who wore a mask with George Floyd’s picture and the words “We Can’t Breathe” on it:
“I just want to feel my brother’s spirit … to connect with him again.” Terrence Floyd reacts to the protests that have erupted across the country after his brother’s death as he plans to make a visit to the site where his brother died in Minneapolis. https://t.co/we0hSARItv pic.twitter.com/f5a0HfABR3 — Good Morning America (@GMA) June 1, 2020
Terrence Floyd said on “GMA” that he is traveling from his home in New York City on Tuesday to visit the site in Minneapolis where his brother drew his last breath. “I just want to feel my brother’s spirit,” he said. “Just connect with him again.” The Rev. Kevin McCall and other civil rights activists from the New York City area will be joining Terrence Floyd on that trip to “call for peace and unity.” “We can be able to call for justice, but we need peace as well,” McCall said. “Nobody is more angry than the family.”
Hopefully Floyd’s message of peace and positive action gets taken to heart by those committing violence. Since the violence doesn’t have much to do with Floyd’s death except as an exploitation of it, the need for National Guard control will likely — and sadly — continue. Kudos to Terrence Floyd and his family for doing all they can regardless of whether it works or not, though.