hotair--2020-08-04--Escalation: Mayor tells Houstonians to mask up or pay up

The mayor of Houston has lowered the boom .
He ’ s aggravated that the city is having a hard time getting the coronavirus outbreak under control , so what ’ s a politician to do ?
Fine the citizens of the city , of course .
The mask wars have been a bumpy ride in Texas .
It ’ s crackdown time on those who refuse to wear a face mask in public .
On Monday , Mayor Sylvester Turner instructed the Houston Police Department to first issue warnings with citations to those who are not wearing a face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not heeded and the person refuses to put on a mask , a fine of $ 250 will be levied .
This is an escalation from the mayor ’ s previous statements about face masks .
When the county judge ( the county CEO ) first issued a mandate for face masks back in April , a fine of $ 1,000 plus possible jail time was put on the table .
Mayor Turner , however , and HPD Chief Art Acevedo both assured Houstonians that the police department would not be adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citations to their daily assignments .
They left Harris County Judge Hidalgo out on that tree branch all by herself .
She soon admitted such a mandate is hard to enforce properly .
That was then and this is now .
Houston was doing quite well with the initial coronavirus outbreak in the city and Harris County .
Mitigation was going smoothly on a volunteer basis , with residents listening to guidance from the medical community experts .
Then , as the state began to re-open , despite the care that businesses took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cases and hospitalizations began to tick up .
One of the nasty problems with this coronavirus is how quickly it spreads , even from people who are asymptomatic .
After Memorial Day weekend , the alarms were sounded – hospitals were filling back up very quickly .
It has been a struggle ever since .
So , Governor Abbott , who hesitated to issue a statewide face mask mandate , issued a mandate in early July .
Mayor Turner has given regular coronavirus updates through press conferences .
The number of cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent days but that plateau is at a higher number than hoped for by medical experts .
The rate of positivity , for example , is at 17.6 % , which is down from a high of nearly 26 % last month but contact tracing can not be effective until the positivity rate is at 5 % .
In other words , the trend is downward , just not quickly enough .
So , the city residents must be punished , or something .
“ Lives are at stake so I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down , ” Turner said .
As I said , hospitalizations are down , which is good news .
Other progress is being made .
Houston Health Authority Dr. David Persse offered some observations .
He said the average age of COVID patients in Houston is now 34 .
It peaked at 53 a few months back .
The mayor blames too many street parties and house parties for spreading the virus among younger Houstonians .
Dr. Persse said they ’ re seeing progress in treating coronavirus patients with remdesivir and with new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 cases in Houston is just under 50,000 and 472 people here have died .
Texas crossed the 7,000 COVID-19 death mark Monday .
The state ’ s death toll is now at 7,016 .
Two-thousand of those deaths were reported in the last 10 days .
I ’ ll note that while the politically correct medical community points the finger at younger people gathering at “ street parties and house parties ” , there have also been some very large gatherings like BLM protests and there was a very large funeral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To not include those events is irresponsible , in my opinion .
There is no magic immunity to the coronavirus for protesters .
So , the mayor alerted the public of his decision .
The police chief ( appointed by Turner ) is onboard .
“ For months , we have been focusing on education and not citations , but now I am instructing the Houston Police Department to issue the necessary warnings and citations to anyone not wearing a mask in public if they do not meet the criteria for an exemption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Art Acevedo , who was appointed by Turner , agreed with the mayor ’ s order , saying it would help limit the spread of the coronavirus .
He said HPD ’ s tally of infected and quarantined officers has grown “ very rapidly , ” with 108 testing positive and 64 awaiting test results .
“ What we need is for people to stop worrying about selfish interests and think about the collective interests , ” Acevedo said .
“ We are better together , and we don ’ t want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the right thing , to follow the science and simply have the courtesy to wear a mask in public and follow the other health and safety guidelines that have been put out.
” Gamaldi , asked for comment on Turner ’ s order Monday , referred the Chronicle to the union ’ s statement to members that said , “ While a $ 250 citation may be issued for anyone repeatedly refusing to comply and do not have a condition that exempts them , we also want to remind you that you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then use your discretion after that.
” “ Under no circumstances shall a person be arrested for only failing to wear a mask , ” the union ’ s statement continued .
“ Encourage those to wear a mask , just as we have done from day one , and remember you have discretion on Class C ( misdemeanor ) offenses.
” Turner said that the police will not respond to 911 calls about people not wearing masks , which you know will begin happening right away .
And , he asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police officers.
” Yeah , right .
I ’ m sure that in the summer heat and with people already stressed out and tense about the current economic climate and worries about the plague , everything will go swimmingly .
The mayor says that flu season is right around the corner so public response is crucial in August .
The mayor has launched a local initiative , focused on minority communities , which educates people on how to mitigate the plague .
Workers are going door to door with literature and instructions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cya measure from Mayor Turner .
For months he poo-poohed a police response to those who are not following mitigation guidance or mandates , even joining in on protests , marches , and of course , the big funeral .
Now that the numbers are not coming down fast enough – especially with schools about to re-open ( or not ) – he makes a move to appear more in charge .
He ’ s trying to do his own kind of mitigation of his wishy-washy , inconsistent leadership .

The mayor of Houston has lowered the boom. He’s aggravated that the city is having a hard time getting the coronavirus outbreak under control, so what’s a politician to do? Fine the citizens of the city, of course.
The mask wars have been a bumpy ride in Texas. It’s crackdown time on those who refuse to wear a face mask in public. On Monday, Mayor Sylvester Turner instructed the Houston Police Department to first issue warnings with citations to those who are not wearing a face mask. Then, if the warning is not heeded and the person refuses to put on a mask, a fine of $250 will be levied.
This is an escalation from the mayor’s previous statements about face masks. When the county judge (the county CEO) first issued a mandate for face masks back in April, a fine of $1,000 plus possible jail time was put on the table. Mayor Turner, however, and HPD Chief Art Acevedo both assured Houstonians that the police department would not be adding the task of stopping people and issuing citations to their daily assignments. They left Harris County Judge Hidalgo out on that tree branch all by herself. She soon admitted such a mandate is hard to enforce properly.
That was then and this is now. Houston was doing quite well with the initial coronavirus outbreak in the city and Harris County. Mitigation was going smoothly on a volunteer basis, with residents listening to guidance from the medical community experts. Then, as the state began to re-open, despite the care that businesses took to do so safely, the number of cases and hospitalizations began to tick up. One of the nasty problems with this coronavirus is how quickly it spreads, even from people who are asymptomatic. After Memorial Day weekend, the alarms were sounded – hospitals were filling back up very quickly. It has been a struggle ever since.
So, Governor Abbott, who hesitated to issue a statewide face mask mandate, issued a mandate in early July. Mayor Turner has given regular coronavirus updates through press conferences. The number of cases seems to have hit a plateau in recent days but that plateau is at a higher number than hoped for by medical experts. The rate of positivity, for example, is at 17.6%, which is down from a high of nearly 26% last month but contact tracing cannot be effective until the positivity rate is at 5%. In other words, the trend is downward, just not quickly enough. So, the city residents must be punished, or something. “Lives are at stake so I’m taking this step to drive these numbers down,” Turner said.
As I said, hospitalizations are down, which is good news. Other progress is being made. Houston Health Authority Dr. David Persse offered some observations.
He said the average age of COVID patients in Houston is now 34. It peaked at 53 a few months back. The mayor blames too many street parties and house parties for spreading the virus among younger Houstonians. Dr. Persse said they’re seeing progress in treating coronavirus patients with remdesivir and with new techniques for using steroids. The number of COVID-19 cases in Houston is just under 50,000 and 472 people here have died. Texas crossed the 7,000 COVID-19 death mark Monday. The state’s death toll is now at 7,016. Two-thousand of those deaths were reported in the last 10 days.
I’ll note that while the politically correct medical community points the finger at younger people gathering at “street parties and house parties”, there have also been some very large gatherings like BLM protests and there was a very large funeral held for George Floyd, too. To not include those events is irresponsible, in my opinion. There is no magic immunity to the coronavirus for protesters.
So, the mayor alerted the public of his decision. The police chief (appointed by Turner) is onboard.
“For months, we have been focusing on education and not citations, but now I am instructing the Houston Police Department to issue the necessary warnings and citations to anyone not wearing a mask in public if they do not meet the criteria for an exemption,” he said. Police Chief Art Acevedo, who was appointed by Turner, agreed with the mayor’s order, saying it would help limit the spread of the coronavirus. He said HPD’s tally of infected and quarantined officers has grown “very rapidly,” with 108 testing positive and 64 awaiting test results. “What we need is for people to stop worrying about selfish interests and think about the collective interests,” Acevedo said. “We are better together, and we don’t want to write tickets. We want people to do the right thing, to follow the science and simply have the courtesy to wear a mask in public and follow the other health and safety guidelines that have been put out.”
Houston Police Officers’ Union President Joe Gamaldi issued a statement to union members.
Gamaldi, asked for comment on Turner’s order Monday, referred the Chronicle to the union’s statement to members that said, “While a $250 citation may be issued for anyone repeatedly refusing to comply and do not have a condition that exempts them, we also want to remind you that you should always give a verbal warning first and then use your discretion after that.” “Under no circumstances shall a person be arrested for only failing to wear a mask,” the union’s statement continued. “Encourage those to wear a mask, just as we have done from day one, and remember you have discretion on Class C (misdemeanor) offenses.”
Turner said that the police will not respond to 911 calls about people not wearing masks, which you know will begin happening right away. And, he asked people to not “get mad at the police officers.” Yeah, right. I’m sure that in the summer heat and with people already stressed out and tense about the current economic climate and worries about the plague, everything will go swimmingly.
The mayor says that flu season is right around the corner so public response is crucial in August. The mayor has launched a local initiative, focused on minority communities, which educates people on how to mitigate the plague. Workers are going door to door with literature and instructions.
It’s why Mayor Turner launched the Better Together campaign. It’s an emergency outreach effort to make sure Houstonians have the knowledge and skills to protect their families from COVID-19. The goal is to drop Houston’s positivity rate down to 5% by the end of August.
It looks like this is mostly a cya measure from Mayor Turner. For months he poo-poohed a police response to those who are not following mitigation guidance or mandates, even joining in on protests, marches, and of course, the big funeral. Now that the numbers are not coming down fast enough – especially with schools about to re-open (or not) – he makes a move to appear more in charge. He’s trying to do his own kind of mitigation of his wishy-washy, inconsistent leadership.


hotair--2020-08-04--The terrifying explosion in Beirut; Update: Ammonium nitrate?

There are no details yet about who , what , or why as I write this at noon , but the clips speak for themselves .
The reason so many cameras were trained on that area when the bomb went off is that there were actually two explosions .
The first , smaller one took place at the port , according to reporter Joyce Karam .
Beirut residents were filming that when the big boom happened not far away , inside the city itself .
Could it be that a fire from the first explosion spread to something combustible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explanation ?
Prime Minister Saad Hariri is reportedly okay .
Anytime something explodes in Beirut , Hezbollah is the first suspect ; Karam notes that the verdict of a UN-backed tribunal into the assassination of Hariri ’ s father , former prime minister Rafiq Hariri , is expected within days .
Maybe this is Hezbollah either sending a statement about the tribunal or defiantly trying to take out the younger Hariri before it ’ s formally found guilty of killing the elder one .
Stand by for updates .
I ’ m curious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoke .
Update : The aftermath of the shockwave .
Update : For what it ’ s worth : “ The state-run National News Agency reported that a fire had broken out in a fireworks storehouse at the port before the explosion .
But it was not immediately clear what had caused such a large blast.
” Update : A former BBC correspondent says she felt the shockwave from the blast in Cyprus .
That ’ s … 150 miles away .
He speculates that one of Iran ’ s many enemies may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the belief that Biden will soon be president and the U.S. will shift back towards appeasing Iran .
If that ’ s so , efforts to disarm Iran now may get … aggressive .
Update : Nuclear experts are assuring people that , as enormous as the blast was , it wasn ’ t atomic .
That should have been clear enough from the lack of a flash in the clips , but there you have it .
Update : Again , for what it ’ s worth : Update : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the story that this was an accident .
A really , really big one : Reportedly more than 50 are dead and 3,000 injured .

There are no details yet about who, what, or why as I write this at noon, but the clips speak for themselves.
https://twitter.com/Doranimated/status/1290671746039844865
Moment that the second explosion hit #Beirut Lebanon. Many houses damaged, injuries reported. First was at Port. This is closer to downtown pic.twitter.com/6DdmgQFriD — Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) August 4, 2020
Close to ground zero in this video of the explosion in Beirut. pic.twitter.com/cjgZQ4NBG7 — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 4, 2020
My brother sent me this, we live 10 KM away from the explosion site and the glass of our bldgs got shattered. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/MPByBc673m — Abir Ghattas (@AbirGhattas) August 4, 2020
Huge blast in Beirut just now! pic.twitter.com/hId8JhZMKV — Tobias Schneider (@tobiaschneider) August 4, 2020
The reason so many cameras were trained on that area when the bomb went off is that there were actually two explosions. The first, smaller one took place at the port, according to reporter Joyce Karam. Beirut residents were filming that when the big boom happened not far away, inside the city itself. Could it be that a fire from the first explosion spread to something combustible, or is a bomb the only conceivable explanation?
Prime Minister Saad Hariri is reportedly okay. Anytime something explodes in Beirut, Hezbollah is the first suspect; Karam notes that the verdict of a UN-backed tribunal into the assassination of Hariri’s father, former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, is expected within days. Maybe this is Hezbollah either sending a statement about the tribunal or defiantly trying to take out the younger Hariri before it’s formally found guilty of killing the elder one.
Stand by for updates. I’m curious to know what generated that distinctive red smoke.
Update: The aftermath of the shockwave.
Update: For what it’s worth: “The state-run National News Agency reported that a fire had broken out in a fireworks storehouse at the port before the explosion. But it was not immediately clear what had caused such a large blast.”
Update: A former BBC correspondent says she felt the shockwave from the blast in Cyprus. That’s … 150 miles away.
Update: An interesting point by Noah Pollak:
Beirut explosion is in area known to be used by Hezbollah for its long-range precision-guided missile project, which Israel publicly calls a red line. I have no specific knowledge, but would be surprised if explosives that detonated were not associated w/ that project. 1/ — Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) August 4, 2020
He speculates that one of Iran’s many enemies may have targeted Hezbollah’s weapons depot in the belief that Biden will soon be president and the U.S. will shift back towards appeasing Iran. If that’s so, efforts to disarm Iran now may get … aggressive.
Just massive destruction this afternoon:
I am getting a lot of videos from the ground and from the family WhatsApp group.
I will be posting them here.
Damage around the explosion area. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/DJ4zPB8nst — Abir Ghattas (@AbirGhattas) August 4, 2020
Update: Nuclear experts are assuring people that, as enormous as the blast was, it wasn’t atomic. That should have been clear enough from the lack of a flash in the clips, but there you have it.
Update: Again, for what it’s worth:
Lebanese Army source just told me no cause confirmed yet for explosions in Beirut but possibly a "container of fireworks was burning and the fire spread to reach a nitrate warehouse that led to this massive explosions." — Abby Sewell (@sewella) August 4, 2020
Update: Seems awfully coincidental:
BREAKING — The Beirut explosion caused by highly explosive sodium nitrate confiscated from a ship more than a year ago and were placed in one of the warehouses located in the port — Sources to LBCI — Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 4, 2020
Update: The Lebanese government does seem to be sticking to the story that this was an accident. A really, really big one:
Lebanon’s pm says 2750 TONS of stored ammonium nitrate (like a huge fertilizer bomb) ripped through Beirut. Now concerns about fumes in a city with blown out windows and doors. — Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) August 4, 2020
Reportedly more than 50 are dead and 3,000 injured.


The Trump/Axios interview

Between this and the Chris Wallace segment a few weeks ago , I ’ m going to guess that there ’ ll be only friendly interviews for the president from now until Election Day .
He ’ ll have to take his chances with the moderators at the debates , of course , but apart from that he ’ d be best served by sticking to the “ Hannity ” circuit from now on .
In fact , I wonder if some of his advisors watched this Axios interview with Jonathan Swan and decided that maybe he ’ s better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Normally the candidate who ’ s behind in the polls wants more debates , not fewer , since he ’ s hoping for a game-changing moment that ’ ll reverse his fortunes .
But if Trump does the debates and sounds overmatched by the material , as he does at times here — and if Biden , the opponent derided as senile , does not — it ’ s a disaster in the making .
Arguably he ’ s better off canceling on grounds that the moderators can ’ t be trusted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking a risk like that .
I ’ ll give you the three most talked-about clips this morning in case you don ’ t want to watch the full interview .
Here Trump and Swan argue over whether the U.S. is doing better or worse than most other major countries in terms of deaths from COVID .
That ’ s a tough spot for Trump since we have more deaths than any other western country ( maybe more than any other country , period , depending on how much you believe China ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths right now than European countries , which have brought their numbers way down .
He ’ d be better off just conceding that we ’ ve had a hard spring and summer and emphasizing that things will look better as therapeutics come online this fall , but he ’ s determined to engage : He ’ s focused on the case fatality rate , which is essentially meaningless .
All the CFR tells you is what percentage of people with confirmed cases of COVID end up dying .
If we diagnose 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , our CFR is 10 percent .
If Country X diagnoses 10 people with the disease and two die , their CFR is 20 percent .
Which country has a worse outbreak in those circumstances ?
It ’ s impossible to say , since we ’ d want to know how many tests each is conducting and compare the size of their populations .
That ’ s what Swan ’ s focused on .
The fact that we have a lower CFR than , say , Spain may simply mean that we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up more cases than they have — although that ’ s an awkward point for Trump to make , given that he often complains that “ we only have more cases because we ’ re doing so many tests !
” If we followed his advice and tested fewer people , our CFR would be higher .
A higher CFR could conceivably mean that our doctors are doing a better job of saving people diagnosed with COVID than doctors in other countries are , but it ’ s hard to compare the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their deaths came in the first two months of the pandemic , when doctors still didn ’ t know much about the disease .
Who ’ s doing better treating their respective populations now , five months in , when Europe ’ s number of daily deaths is low and ours is still rocking along at 1,000+ ?
The irony is that the U.S. does have fewer deaths per capita than Spain and Italy , even now .
Trump could have focused on that in responding to Swan .
I get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his advisors are so eager to present him with good news about the feds ’ response to the pandemic that they ’ ve pushed an unimportant metric like the CFR on him to mislead him into thinking that we ’ re doing better than we really are .
Either he ’ s trying to sell Swan on it here too , unsuccessfully , or he just doesn ’ t see why it ’ s not that important .
The next clip ’ s more straightforward .
This is Swan serving up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump to be magnanimous and say something kind about John Lewis despite Lewis ’ s scorn for him .
He can ’ t do it : I do mean that he can ’ t do it , not that he won ’ t .
It ’ s clearly in his political interest to say something admiring about Lewis and his place in American history .
His fans won ’ t hold it against him and voters who are leery of him , particularly how he ’ s handled race relations , might feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just can ’ t separate Lewis ’ s legacy from the fact that Lewis refused to attend his inauguration .
His narcissism is too overweening , even when it ’ s to his own benefit to lay the grievance aside .
It reminds me of this passage from a Politico story today : There ’ s no strategy .
“ Strategy ” in this case would mean being the bigger man and saying something complimentary of Lewis , which would be statesmanlike .
( Witness Bush 43 ’ s recently eulogy for Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential inauguration . )
He just can ’ t muster it .
It devolved to this point , after Trump insisted he ’ s done more for blacks than any American president : The third clip speaks for itself : A Twitter pal wondered this morning how the QAnon cultists , obsessed as they are with theories of a ring of powerful pedophiles preying on America ’ s children , would have reacted to a well-known Democrat wishing Ghislaine Maxwell well — repeatedly .
And I frankly don ’ t know what to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was murdered .
Epstein died in a federal prison , under Trump ’ s ultimate supervision .
If the president doesn ’ t have reason to believe that Epstein was murdered , why is he idly suggesting such a thing ?
And if he does have reason to believe it , why isn ’ t he sharing the evidence ?
Exit question : Is he going to wish Ghislaine Maxwell well at the debates ?
He ’ s ensured now that he ’ s going to be asked about it .
And that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about it .

Between this and the Chris Wallace segment a few weeks ago, I’m going to guess that there’ll be only friendly interviews for the president from now until Election Day. He’ll have to take his chances with the moderators at the debates, of course, but apart from that he’d be best served by sticking to the “Hannity” circuit from now on.
In fact, I wonder if some of his advisors watched this Axios interview with Jonathan Swan and decided that maybe he’s better off skipping the debates after all. Normally the candidate who’s behind in the polls wants more debates, not fewer, since he’s hoping for a game-changing moment that’ll reverse his fortunes. But if Trump does the debates and sounds overmatched by the material, as he does at times here — and if Biden, the opponent derided as senile, does not — it’s a disaster in the making. Arguably he’s better off canceling on grounds that the moderators can’t be trusted to be fair to him or whatever than taking a risk like that.
I’ll give you the three most talked-about clips this morning in case you don’t want to watch the full interview. Here Trump and Swan argue over whether the U.S. is doing better or worse than most other major countries in terms of deaths from COVID. That’s a tough spot for Trump since we have more deaths than any other western country (maybe more than any other country, period, depending on how much you believe China’s data) and many more daily deaths right now than European countries, which have brought their numbers way down. He’d be better off just conceding that we’ve had a hard spring and summer and emphasizing that things will look better as therapeutics come online this fall, but he’s determined to engage:
.@jonathanvswan: “Oh, you’re doing death as a proportion of cases. I’m talking about death as a proportion of population. That’s where the U.S. is really bad. Much worse than South Korea, Germany, etc.”@realdonaldtrump: “You can’t do that.” Swan: “Why can’t I do that?” pic.twitter.com/MStySfkV39 — Axios (@axios) August 4, 2020
He’s focused on the case fatality rate, which is essentially meaningless. All the CFR tells you is what percentage of people with confirmed cases of COVID end up dying. If we diagnose 100 people with the disease and 10 die, our CFR is 10 percent. If Country X diagnoses 10 people with the disease and two die, their CFR is 20 percent. Which country has a worse outbreak in those circumstances? It’s impossible to say, since we’d want to know how many tests each is conducting and compare the size of their populations. That’s what Swan’s focused on. The fact that we have a lower CFR than, say, Spain may simply mean that we’ve tested more extensively and thus turned up more cases than they have — although that’s an awkward point for Trump to make, given that he often complains that “we only have more cases because we’re doing so many tests!” If we followed his advice and tested fewer people, our CFR would be higher.
A higher CFR could conceivably mean that our doctors are doing a better job of saving people diagnosed with COVID than doctors in other countries are, but it’s hard to compare the U.S. to Europe on that point since most of their deaths came in the first two months of the pandemic, when doctors still didn’t know much about the disease. Who’s doing better treating their respective populations now, five months in, when Europe’s number of daily deaths is low and ours is still rocking along at 1,000+?
The irony is that the U.S. does have fewer deaths per capita than Spain and Italy, even now. Trump could have focused on that in responding to Swan. I get the sense from the clip, though, that his advisors are so eager to present him with good news about the feds’ response to the pandemic that they’ve pushed an unimportant metric like the CFR on him to mislead him into thinking that we’re doing better than we really are. Either he’s trying to sell Swan on it here too, unsuccessfully, or he just doesn’t see why it’s not that important.
The next clip’s more straightforward. This is Swan serving up the fattest softball of the interview, inviting Trump to be magnanimous and say something kind about John Lewis despite Lewis’s scorn for him. He can’t do it:
Trump tells #AxiosOnHBO that he “can’t say one way or the other” whether John Lewis was impressive. “He didn’t come to my inauguration.” pic.twitter.com/L0uevhjrG4 — Axios (@axios) August 4, 2020
I do mean that he can’t do it, not that he won’t. It’s clearly in his political interest to say something admiring about Lewis and his place in American history. His fans won’t hold it against him and voters who are leery of him, particularly how he’s handled race relations, might feel some goodwill for him. But Trump just can’t separate Lewis’s legacy from the fact that Lewis refused to attend his inauguration. His narcissism is too overweening, even when it’s to his own benefit to lay the grievance aside. It reminds me of this passage from a Politico story today:
“What do you mean by strategy?” said a person close to the president when asked about Trump’s recent conduct. “I don’t think Donald Trump wakes up and says, ‘Here’s my strategy. Let me tweet out something.’ I don’t think there’s a political strategy there. He believes the way he interacts and communicates is what got him elected and he’s going to continue to do that.”
There’s no strategy. “Strategy” in this case would mean being the bigger man and saying something complimentary of Lewis, which would be statesmanlike. (Witness Bush 43’s recently eulogy for Lewis, despite the congressman snubbing his own presidential inauguration.) He just can’t muster it. It devolved to this point, after Trump insisted he’s done more for blacks than any American president:
Swan: "Lyndon Johnson! He passed the Civil Rights Act."
Trump: "Ask, ask: how has it worked out? If you take a look at what Lyndon Johnson did. How has it worked out?"
Swan: "You think the Civil Rights Act was a mistake?" — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 4, 2020
The third clip speaks for itself:
Trump tells #AxiosOnHBO that he stands by his comments wishing alleged child sex trafficker and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell well. “I wish her well. I'd wish you well. I'd wish a lot of people well.” pic.twitter.com/1MRxyqzCLk — Axios (@axios) August 4, 2020
A Twitter pal wondered this morning how the QAnon cultists, obsessed as they are with theories of a ring of powerful pedophiles preying on America’s children, would have reacted to a well-known Democrat wishing Ghislaine Maxwell well — repeatedly. And I frankly don’t know what to say about Trump speculating that maybe Epstein was murdered. Epstein died in a federal prison, under Trump’s ultimate supervision. If the president doesn’t have reason to believe that Epstein was murdered, why is he idly suggesting such a thing? And if he does have reason to believe it, why isn’t he sharing the evidence?
Exit question: Is he going to wish Ghislaine Maxwell well at the debates? He’s ensured now that he’s going to be asked about it. And that Biden will have something scripted to say about it.


hotair--2020-08-04--Trump's timely EO to curb H-1B visa abuse

This is a story that definitely didn ’ t generate much in the way of headlines yesterday .
In fact , I ’ d missed it entirely until later in the evening .
President Trump signed a new executive order on Monday curbing the use of H-1B visas which allow foreign workers to come to the United States at the request of companies planning on hiring them .
In theory , employers ( including the federal government ) are supposed to ensure that there are no qualified citizens available to take these jobs before recruiting foreign help through the H-1B @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has proven to be difficult and patchy at best .
Rather than focusing on new workers coming in , however , this EO will require all federal agencies to conduct a review and see if any of their current H-1B workers are holding jobs that could be awarded to citizens .
Here ’ s part of the White House announcement of this order , via Breitbart .
President Trump is signing an Executive Order to create a policy where Federal agencies will focus on United States labor in lucrative Federal contracts .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replace perfectly qualified Americans with workers from other countries .
The Executive Order will require all Federal agencies to complete an internal audit and assess whether they are in compliance with the requirement that only United States citizens and nationals are appointed to the competitive service .
The Department of Labor will also finalize guidance to prevent H-1B employers from moving H-1B workers to other employers ’ job sites to displace American workers .
How long have we been talking about this problem ?
Well , I wrote about it more than two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t seem to have been much progress on tackling the issue since then .
This really should have been a no-brainer for Washington from the beginning and that ’ s particularly true of government jobs .
But with the tens of millions of people currently out of work because of the pandemic , the need for action was even more urgent .
Too many jobs lost to the government-mandated shutdowns may not be coming back if this drags on much longer .
And with all of those workers available to pick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employer with government contracts should be able to find more than enough labor here at home rather than looking abroad .
As Breitbart indicates , the situation that probably pushed President Trump to action involves the Tennessee Valley Authority .
The TVA has apparently been trying to outsource more than 200 jobs to companies that specialize in importing H-1B workers .
But the TBA will likely be found to have ignored many Americans who are out of work but may not be interested in taking the lower wages that these companies offer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have to comply with the same wage standards that direct employees would benefit from .
It doesn ’ t end with the TVA , however , because there are multiple federal and state agencies around the country who engage in these practices .
Under this EO , they will all have to audit their current staffing and hiring practices to curb the abuse of the H-1B visa program .
This is a timely move by the White House and one you ’ re not hearing about very much on cable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mount much of an argument against it .
All Trump is really doing here is beefing up enforcement of existing labor laws that prioritize the hiring of qualified American citizens .
It would take some seriously cynical political leanings to argue very loudly against that .

This is a story that definitely didn’t generate much in the way of headlines yesterday. In fact, I’d missed it entirely until later in the evening. President Trump signed a new executive order on Monday curbing the use of H-1B visas which allow foreign workers to come to the United States at the request of companies planning on hiring them. In theory, employers (including the federal government) are supposed to ensure that there are no qualified citizens available to take these jobs before recruiting foreign help through the H-1B program, but enforcement of that provision has proven to be difficult and patchy at best. Rather than focusing on new workers coming in, however, this EO will require all federal agencies to conduct a review and see if any of their current H-1B workers are holding jobs that could be awarded to citizens. Here’s part of the White House announcement of this order, via Breitbart.
President Trump is signing an Executive Order to create a policy where Federal agencies will focus on United States labor in lucrative Federal contracts. It would be unfair for Federal employers to replace perfectly qualified Americans with workers from other countries. The Executive Order will require all Federal agencies to complete an internal audit and assess whether they are in compliance with the requirement that only United States citizens and nationals are appointed to the competitive service. The Department of Labor will also finalize guidance to prevent H-1B employers from moving H-1B workers to other employers’ job sites to displace American workers.
How long have we been talking about this problem? Well, I wrote about it more than two and a half years ago but there doesn’t seem to have been much progress on tackling the issue since then.
This really should have been a no-brainer for Washington from the beginning and that’s particularly true of government jobs. But with the tens of millions of people currently out of work because of the pandemic, the need for action was even more urgent. Too many jobs lost to the government-mandated shutdowns may not be coming back if this drags on much longer. And with all of those workers available to pick from, any government entity or private employer with government contracts should be able to find more than enough labor here at home rather than looking abroad.
As Breitbart indicates, the situation that probably pushed President Trump to action involves the Tennessee Valley Authority. The TVA has apparently been trying to outsource more than 200 jobs to companies that specialize in importing H-1B workers. But the TBA will likely be found to have ignored many Americans who are out of work but may not be interested in taking the lower wages that these companies offer. And since they are subcontractors, they don’t have to comply with the same wage standards that direct employees would benefit from.
It doesn’t end with the TVA, however, because there are multiple federal and state agencies around the country who engage in these practices. Under this EO, they will all have to audit their current staffing and hiring practices to curb the abuse of the H-1B visa program. This is a timely move by the White House and one you’re not hearing about very much on cable news because it’s hard to mount much of an argument against it. All Trump is really doing here is beefing up enforcement of existing labor laws that prioritize the hiring of qualified American citizens. It would take some seriously cynical political leanings to argue very loudly against that.


hotair--2020-08-04--Minneapolis mayor: Walz dithered on his requests to deploy National Guard until it was too late

Jacob Frey has decided to fight back .
The mayor of Minneapolis has gotten deluged with criticism over the feckless response to riots in the Third Precinct , including his tearful press conference at the beginning when he seemed more interested in rebuking Donald Trump than in taking control of his city .
In an interview with the Star Tribune , however , Frey said he ’ d repeatedly requested the National Guard to restore order — and it was Governor Tim Walz who dithered and delayed .
And , at least according to the Strib , Frey has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gross ) : “ Through an extremely difficult situation , I told the truth , ” Frey said Monday .
“ I relayed information as best I could to state partners .
And we did what was demanded for the sake of our city.
” … On Wednesday , May 27 , the second evening of unrest around the Third Precinct , Frey said Police Chief Medaria Arradondo called him at 6:23 p.m. to say that the Target store near the police station was being looted and that he needed the National Guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at 6:29 p.m. , relayed information , and asked him to send in the National Guard .
“ We expressed the seriousness of the situation .
The urgency was clear , ” Frey said .
“ He did not say yes , ” Frey said of Walz .
“ He said he would consider it.
” Frey insisted that he explicitly asked whether his verbal requests constituted a formal request , and the governor ’ s staff confirmed that they did .
The governor ’ s office disputes that .
The newspaper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support Frey ’ s position — to a point .
Walz and public-safety commissioner John Harrington dispute Frey ’ s version of events in two ways .
First , Walz says that Frey didn ’ t put the request in writing , as is required for such an extraordinary act .
Second , Harrington argued , Frey was so vague about what was needed that Walz couldn ’ t put together an action plan for the deployment : The governor ’ s office disputed several of Frey ’ s assertions .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s staff told Frey a verbal request can not be considered an official request for the National Guard ; the city ’ s request did not focus on protecting the Third Precinct ; and the National Guard mobilized Thursday morning and was on the ground in the Twin Cities within 24 hours of Frey ’ s informal request .
… “ They weren ’ t specific about what they wanted or any details on what the mission would be , ” Harrington said .
Then , when they received a list of areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ list was so all-encompassing we could not possibly staff all the things they wanted.
” Oddly , though , Walz and Harrington still called up the Guard on Thursday evening — but only 90 of them deployed that night .
And as it turns out , the Star Tribune found communications from Police Chief Medaria Arradondo to Harrington that sound , well , pretty darned specific : At 9:11 p.m. Wednesday , Arradondo sent an e-mail to Harrington that included an attachment requesting “ assistance of the MN National Guard for immediate assistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City of Minneapolis.
” … It listed a four-point mission plan : “ Area Security and Force Protection Operations , ” “ Area Denial Operations , ” “ Transportation assistance for law enforcement officers , ” “ Logistical assistance for the overall security operation.
” Arradondo asked for 600 National Guard soldiers “ along with compliment [ sic ] of command and control , ” as well as vehicles .
The National Guard would report to police department supervisors , who would coordinate with the National Guard ’ s leaders .
At 12:23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harrington an e-mail that included a list of “ critical infrastructure sites to be protected , ” listing the five police precincts and other government and medical buildings and businesses along Lake Street and other areas .
Ten hours later , Walz and Harrington deployed less than a hundred Guard soldiers , who had no impact at all on disorder in the streets .
It took another full day for the state to order up a major deployment of its Guard , eventually numbering seven thousand-plus , to spread out across the Twin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By that time , it was too late for the Third Precinct , which had burned to the ground , at which point Walz called the city ’ s response to the rioting an “ abject failure.
” Frey still resents that attack from Walz , calling it a “ hit in the gut.
” From this sequence of events , it ’ s tough to blame him for holding that grudge .
But even without Frey ’ s requests , this is still on Walz .
Frey doesn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guard , and Walz didn ’ t need to wait for a request from Frey to do it .
As governor , Walz has plenary authority to deal with disasters and unrest in the state by using the Guard to restore order when necessary .
By the time Frey first called for the Guard , the need to restore order and protect the city ’ s assets and buildings had become obvious .
It should have been Walz calling Frey to inform him that the Guard was on its way and to formulate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and police leadership .
That wasn ’ t the moment to ask for Form 1262-B to be filled out in triplicate and sent to the Department of Pretty Please With Sugar On Top before executive action was taken .
Frey ’ s track record is bad enough .
In this case , though , the true “ abject failure ” happened at the very top .
Walz is an abject embarrassment , and his administration seems intent on continuing to prove it .

Jacob Frey has decided to fight back. The mayor of Minneapolis has gotten deluged with criticism over the feckless response to riots in the Third Precinct, including his tearful press conference at the beginning when he seemed more interested in rebuking Donald Trump than in taking control of his city. In an interview with the Star Tribune, however, Frey said he’d repeatedly requested the National Guard to restore order — and it was Governor Tim Walz who dithered and delayed.
And, at least according to the Strib, Frey has the records to prove it (via Gary Gross):
“Through an extremely difficult situation, I told the truth,” Frey said Monday. “I relayed information as best I could to state partners. And we did what was demanded for the sake of our city.”… On Wednesday, May 27, the second evening of unrest around the Third Precinct, Frey said Police Chief Medaria Arradondo called him at 6:23 p.m. to say that the Target store near the police station was being looted and that he needed the National Guard. Frey said he immediately telephoned Walz, at 6:29 p.m., relayed information, and asked him to send in the National Guard. “We expressed the seriousness of the situation. The urgency was clear,” Frey said. “He did not say yes,” Frey said of Walz. “He said he would consider it.” Frey insisted that he explicitly asked whether his verbal requests constituted a formal request, and the governor’s staff confirmed that they did. The governor’s office disputes that.
The newspaper reviewed e-mails and text messages that tend to support Frey’s position — to a point. Walz and public-safety commissioner John Harrington dispute Frey’s version of events in two ways. First, Walz says that Frey didn’t put the request in writing, as is required for such an extraordinary act. Second, Harrington argued, Frey was so vague about what was needed that Walz couldn’t put together an action plan for the deployment:
The governor’s office disputed several of Frey’s assertions. According to the office: The Governor’s staff told Frey a verbal request cannot be considered an official request for the National Guard; the city’s request did not focus on protecting the Third Precinct; and the National Guard mobilized Thursday morning and was on the ground in the Twin Cities within 24 hours of Frey’s informal request. … “They weren’t specific about what they wanted or any details on what the mission would be,” Harrington said. Then, when they received a list of areas they needed help with, “the list was so all-encompassing we could not possibly staff all the things they wanted.”
Oddly, though, Walz and Harrington still called up the Guard on Thursday evening — but only 90 of them deployed that night. And as it turns out, the Star Tribune found communications from Police Chief Medaria Arradondo to Harrington that sound, well, pretty darned specific:
At 9:11 p.m. Wednesday, Arradondo sent an e-mail to Harrington that included an attachment requesting “assistance of the MN National Guard for immediate assistance with significant civil unrest occurring in the City of Minneapolis.” … It listed a four-point mission plan: “Area Security and Force Protection Operations,” “Area Denial Operations,” “Transportation assistance for law enforcement officers,” “Logistical assistance for the overall security operation.” Arradondo asked for 600 National Guard soldiers “along with compliment [sic] of command and control,” as well as vehicles. The National Guard would report to police department supervisors, who would coordinate with the National Guard’s leaders. At 12:23 p.m. the following day, Arradondo sent Harrington an e-mail that included a list of “critical infrastructure sites to be protected,” listing the five police precincts and other government and medical buildings and businesses along Lake Street and other areas.
Ten hours later, Walz and Harrington deployed less than a hundred Guard soldiers, who had no impact at all on disorder in the streets. It took another full day for the state to order up a major deployment of its Guard, eventually numbering seven thousand-plus, to spread out across the Twin Cities and tamp down rioting and looting.
By that time, it was too late for the Third Precinct, which had burned to the ground, at which point Walz called the city’s response to the rioting an “abject failure.” Frey still resents that attack from Walz, calling it a “hit in the gut.” From this sequence of events, it’s tough to blame him for holding that grudge.
But even without Frey’s requests, this is still on Walz. Frey doesn’t have any authority to call up the National Guard, and Walz didn’t need to wait for a request from Frey to do it. As governor, Walz has plenary authority to deal with disasters and unrest in the state by using the Guard to restore order when necessary. By the time Frey first called for the Guard, the need to restore order and protect the city’s assets and buildings had become obvious. It should have been Walz calling Frey to inform him that the Guard was on its way and to formulate a plan to coordinate between the deployment and police leadership. That wasn’t the moment to ask for Form 1262-B to be filled out in triplicate and sent to the Department of Pretty Please With Sugar On Top before executive action was taken.
Frey’s track record is bad enough. In this case, though, the true “abject failure” happened at the very top. Walz is an abject embarrassment, and his administration seems intent on continuing to prove it.


hotair--2020-08-04--Taking down Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue just got a bit harder

Perched on an enormous pedestal along Richmond , Virginia ’ s historic Monument Avenue sits a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee mounted on horseback .
While covered in graffiti , it ’ s the last Confederate statue left in the district , with the rest having either been previously removed by the city or torn down by rioting mobs .
Governor Ralph Northam ( of blackface fame ) has sworn that the Lee statue will come down also , but the attempts to do so legally have been tied up in court for months .
Yesterday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the judge overseeing the case , but before anyone could make a move to remove it , the judge erected another legal barrier , throwing the situation back on hold , likely for a few more months .
And so the angry crowds and the showboating governor will have to wait a bit longer .
( Associated Press ) A judge on Monday dissolved one injunction preventing Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam ’ s administration from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond but immediately instituted a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The new 90-day injunction issued by Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant bars the statue ’ s removal while the claims in a lawsuit filed by a group of Richmond property owners are litigated .
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has filed a motion to dismiss the property owners ’ case , which has not yet been acted on by the judge , according to Herring ’ s spokeswoman .
The case that was dismissed had been based on property rights dating back to the 19th century .
The statue sits on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a group of landowners turned it over to the state in 1890 .
A descendent of one of those landowners had come forward with documentation showing that the state promised to “ faithfully guard ” and “ affectionately protect ” the statue as part of the agreement to transfer ownership of the land .
The judge apparently didn ’ t find the argument compelling .
But the second suit that has arisen is based on far more recent real estate concerns .
Four residents who own property along Monument Avenue have claimed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the neighborhood losing its National Historic Landmark designation .
This , they argue , would lower property values adversely impact the resident ’ s financial prospects .
The judge found the neighbors to have the standing to sue on that basis .
Given that it will take at least 90 days before another hearing is held , that means that the statue will likely remain standing right through the election .
I don ’ t know if the protests will simmer down after their political value to the Democratic Party abates , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live to fight another day ( figuratively speaking ) .
It ’ s unlikely that the mobs will be able to tear it down in the meantime .
As the AP notes , that monument is more than 20 feet tall and weighs more than eleven tons .
It ’ s been standing there for well over a century , and nobody is going to be simply pulling it down with ropes and hooks .
Since the statue stands on public property , it should be up to the people of the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected officials .
And since polling has shown that slim majorities of Virginia voters oppose the removal of Confederate monuments , those officials will probably have a lot of thinking to do .

Perched on an enormous pedestal along Richmond, Virginia’s historic Monument Avenue sits a towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee mounted on horseback. While covered in graffiti, it’s the last Confederate statue left in the district, with the rest having either been previously removed by the city or torn down by rioting mobs. Governor Ralph Northam (of blackface fame) has sworn that the Lee statue will come down also, but the attempts to do so legally have been tied up in court for months. Yesterday, the last existing legal hurdle was cleared by the judge overseeing the case, but before anyone could make a move to remove it, the judge erected another legal barrier, throwing the situation back on hold, likely for a few more months. And so the angry crowds and the showboating governor will have to wait a bit longer. (Associated Press)
A judge on Monday dissolved one injunction preventing Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond but immediately instituted a new one in a different lawsuit. The new 90-day injunction issued by Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant bars the statue’s removal while the claims in a lawsuit filed by a group of Richmond property owners are litigated. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has filed a motion to dismiss the property owners’ case, which has not yet been acted on by the judge, according to Herring’s spokeswoman.
The case that was dismissed had been based on property rights dating back to the 19th century. The statue sits on what was once private property, but a group of landowners turned it over to the state in 1890. A descendent of one of those landowners had come forward with documentation showing that the state promised to “faithfully guard” and “affectionately protect” the statue as part of the agreement to transfer ownership of the land. The judge apparently didn’t find the argument compelling.
But the second suit that has arisen is based on far more recent real estate concerns. Four residents who own property along Monument Avenue have claimed that removing the last historic figure could result in the neighborhood losing its National Historic Landmark designation. This, they argue, would lower property values adversely impact the resident’s financial prospects. The judge found the neighbors to have the standing to sue on that basis.
Given that it will take at least 90 days before another hearing is held, that means that the statue will likely remain standing right through the election. I don’t know if the protests will simmer down after their political value to the Democratic Party abates, but if so, the statue may live to fight another day (figuratively speaking). It’s unlikely that the mobs will be able to tear it down in the meantime. As the AP notes, that monument is more than 20 feet tall and weighs more than eleven tons. It’s been standing there for well over a century, and nobody is going to be simply pulling it down with ropes and hooks.
Since the statue stands on public property, it should be up to the people of the city and the state to decide via their elected officials. And since polling has shown that slim majorities of Virginia voters oppose the removal of Confederate monuments, those officials will probably have a lot of thinking to do.


hotair--2020-08-04--Floyd bodycam footage leaked -- what next?

The Daily Mail ’ s publication of body-cam footage in the George Floyd homicide raises a number of questions , not the least of which is — just how did this footage leak , and for what purpose ?
The video came from a camera of some sort pointing at a computer screen playing the video , which means someone in the courthouse or connected to the case either recorded it or allowed it to be recorded .
The transcripts of these bodycam videos had already been released by the court , but the videos themselves were supposed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are out now , which means other questions will arise — and it ’ s best to know just what those will be .
Just FYI , the second video has a content warning on it , but it ’ s a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted .
We ’ ve seen the horrible death of Floyd ad infinitum from bystander footage already : The Daily Mail ’ s coverage of the tapes is anything but sympathetic to the police .
Bodycam footage from two cops accused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed exclusively by DailyMail.com today — and it shows a rookie officer terrifying Floyd by pointing a handgun at his head and another callously picking a pebble from the squad car tire just inches from the dying man and seconds before he draws his last breath .
The tapes show in minute detail how a very distressed Floyd begs ‘ Mr .
Officer , please don ’ t shoot me .
Please man , ’ before the struggle that ended with his death on May 25 .
It also shows how belligerent cops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ignoring his pleas for compassion .
Floyd resisted as the cops tried to force him into the back of the car , telling them he suffers from claustrophobia and anxiety and how Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes , leading to his death , ignoring Floyd ’ s repeated cries of ‘ I can ’ t breathe.
’ Floyd is even heard predicting his own death .
‘ I ’ ll probably just die this way , ’ he says .
Transcripts from the videos were released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had ruled the video could only be viewed in the courthouse , meaning few people have had the chance to watch the powerful images .
That itself is a very curious question .
The court has already let it be known that it isn ’ t pleased with this leak and plans a full investigation into it : Hennepin County District Court spokesman Spenser Bickett confirmed that the court was aware of the leak , and said an investigation was underway .
“ The court will provide no further comment on this matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an e-mail .
Attorney General Keith Ellison , who is leading the prosecution of the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in Floyd ’ s death , issued a statement that he was not the source of the leak .
“ We will continue to take the strictest precautions to ensure a fair trial , ” Ellison said .
It ’ s probably a safe bet that it didn ’ t come from the prosecution .
For one thing , it depicts the arresting officers in a more or less normal approach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite the Mail ’ s description , the officers are trying to reassure Floyd that he ’ ll be okay in the car , but he keeps resisting .
That makes it tough to establish the kind of malice or reckless disregard necessary for a murder count , meaning that Ellison ’ s bigger problem might be overcharging : John Hinderaker agrees , although he ’ s always been somewhat skeptical of the charges : Floyd wouldn ’ t get into the squad car , saying he was claustrophobic .
The officers struggled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but were never able to get him securely inside the squad car .
At one point he tumbled out the opposite door of the squad car , onto the street .
The officers , believing correctly that Floyd was high on drugs , called for an ambulance .
Floyd complained of being unable to breathe long before anyone knelt on his neck .
( Shortness of breath is a symptom of fentanyl overdose . )
He apparently preferred being on the ground to being inside the squad car .
One of his companions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Daily Mail , made a finger-twirling-next-to-the-temple gesture to explain his mental state .
A more likely explanation is drugs .
The toxicology report that was part of his autopsy found that Floyd had 11 ng/mL of fentanyl in his blood , along with other drugs and metabolites .
Published literature ( based on a modest Google search ) finds lethal overdoses of fentanyl down to 5 ng/mL , less than half the concentration in Floyd ’ s blood .
If I am misreading the literature , I am happy to be corrected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the extent of what a jury would conclude about Floyd ’ s death from this video .
Derek Chauvin had his knee on Floyd ’ s neck for over nine minutes , which is beyond excessive .
People on fentanyl die , but they also survive , and it would be tough to conclude that compressing Floyd ’ s neck wasn ’ t the proximate cause of his demise .
That ’ s especially the case since Chauvin continued that compression for a couple of minutes past the point when Floyd became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chauvin to notice .
“ He ’ s not responsive right now , bro !
” one man yells clearly enough to be heard on the bodycam video .
However , sustaining a murder charge against Chauvin is going to be tough , unless the other two videos show something significantly different .
A manslaughter charge would have made more sense , but that would have made it very difficult if not impossible to charge the other three officers .
Two of them had made several attempts to get Floyd into the car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear that Floyd was resisting almost from the first point of contact .
This won ’ t acquit Chauvin , but it ’ s very possible that the other three could walk if a jury considers the full context of the video .
So who leaked the video ?
It could have been anyone , but usually the best question in these cases is this : cui bono ?

The Daily Mail’s publication of body-cam footage in the George Floyd homicide raises a number of questions, not the least of which is — just how did this footage leak, and for what purpose? The video came from a camera of some sort pointing at a computer screen playing the video, which means someone in the courthouse or connected to the case either recorded it or allowed it to be recorded. The transcripts of these bodycam videos had already been released by the court, but the videos themselves were supposed to be under seal.
Two of the four are out now, which means other questions will arise — and it’s best to know just what those will be. Just FYI, the second video has a content warning on it, but it’s a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. We’ve seen the horrible death of Floyd ad infinitum from bystander footage already:
The Daily Mail’s coverage of the tapes is anything but sympathetic to the police.
Bodycam footage from two cops accused in the murder of George Floyd is revealed exclusively by DailyMail.com today — and it shows a rookie officer terrifying Floyd by pointing a handgun at his head and another callously picking a pebble from the squad car tire just inches from the dying man and seconds before he draws his last breath. The tapes show in minute detail how a very distressed Floyd begs ‘Mr. Officer, please don’t shoot me. Please man,’ before the struggle that ended with his death on May 25. It also shows how belligerent cops cursed at and manhandled the sobbing suspect, ignoring his pleas for compassion. Floyd resisted as the cops tried to force him into the back of the car, telling them he suffers from claustrophobia and anxiety and how Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, leading to his death, ignoring Floyd’s repeated cries of ‘I can’t breathe.’ Floyd is even heard predicting his own death. ‘I’ll probably just die this way,’ he says. Transcripts from the videos were released in mid-July but a judge in Minneapolis had ruled the video could only be viewed in the courthouse, meaning few people have had the chance to watch the powerful images.
That itself is a very curious question. The court has already let it be known that it isn’t pleased with this leak and plans a full investigation into it:
Hennepin County District Court spokesman Spenser Bickett confirmed that the court was aware of the leak, and said an investigation was underway. “The court will provide no further comment on this matter at this time,” Bickett said in an e-mail. Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is leading the prosecution of the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in Floyd’s death, issued a statement that he was not the source of the leak. “We will continue to take the strictest precautions to ensure a fair trial,” Ellison said.
It’s probably a safe bet that it didn’t come from the prosecution. For one thing, it depicts the arresting officers in a more or less normal approach to dealing with a recalcitrant suspect; despite the Mail’s description, the officers are trying to reassure Floyd that he’ll be okay in the car, but he keeps resisting. That makes it tough to establish the kind of malice or reckless disregard necessary for a murder count, meaning that Ellison’s bigger problem might be overcharging:
This video will not bode well for the prosecution. A window into his mental state, layered w/ his toxicology report, the fact he bagan stating he couldn’t breathe long before prone or had any pressure applied. The event was tragic but the DA overcharged https://t.co/dDj50sqDxL — Rob O'Donnell (@odonnell_r) August 3, 2020
John Hinderaker agrees, although he’s always been somewhat skeptical of the charges:
Floyd wouldn’t get into the squad car, saying he was claustrophobic. The officers struggled with him for around ten minutes, but were never able to get him securely inside the squad car. At one point he tumbled out the opposite door of the squad car, onto the street. The officers, believing correctly that Floyd was high on drugs, called for an ambulance. Floyd complained of being unable to breathe long before anyone knelt on his neck. (Shortness of breath is a symptom of fentanyl overdose.) He apparently preferred being on the ground to being inside the squad car. One of his companions, his “ex” according to the Daily Mail, made a finger-twirling-next-to-the-temple gesture to explain his mental state. A more likely explanation is drugs. The toxicology report that was part of his autopsy found that Floyd had 11 ng/mL of fentanyl in his blood, along with other drugs and metabolites. Published literature (based on a modest Google search) finds lethal overdoses of fentanyl down to 5 ng/mL, less than half the concentration in Floyd’s blood. If I am misreading the literature, I am happy to be corrected.
I disagree somewhat, at least to the extent of what a jury would conclude about Floyd’s death from this video. Derek Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, which is beyond excessive. People on fentanyl die, but they also survive, and it would be tough to conclude that compressing Floyd’s neck wasn’t the proximate cause of his demise. That’s especially the case since Chauvin continued that compression for a couple of minutes past the point when Floyd became non-responsive, a status that bystanders urged Chauvin to notice. “He’s not responsive right now, bro!” one man yells clearly enough to be heard on the bodycam video.
However, sustaining a murder charge against Chauvin is going to be tough, unless the other two videos show something significantly different. A manslaughter charge would have made more sense, but that would have made it very difficult if not impossible to charge the other three officers. Two of them had made several attempts to get Floyd into the car without success, and it’s clear that Floyd was resisting almost from the first point of contact. This won’t acquit Chauvin, but it’s very possible that the other three could walk if a jury considers the full context of the video.
So who leaked the video? It could have been anyone, but usually the best question in these cases is this: cui bono?


hotair--2020-08-04--Seattle's "peaceful protesters" come after Police Chief's suburban home <span class='red'>Update: Vi

Seattle's "peaceful protesters" come after Police Chief's suburban home Update: Video

It ’ s probably time to update one of our standard political sayings for the crazy world of 2020 .
Try this one on for size .
“ A Liberal Reform Police Chief is just a Law and Order Police Chief who hasn ’ t had her home vandalized yet.
” That may turn out to be the case with Seattle Chief of Police Carmen Best .
She ’ s been working alongside Mayor Jenny Durkan all during the protests and riots , preaching the need to hear the voices of underserved communities , reexamine how they police the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be lurking .
And she ’ s largely been following the media narrative of “ mostly peaceful protesters ” as the mobs have ravaged the streets of her city .
But that seems to have come to an end after the mob showed up at her own house on Sunday night .
In a letter she sent to the City Council yesterday , her language took on a markedly different tone .
( Washington Times ) Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best sent a letter to the city council asking members to “ stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of protesters descended on her home over the weekend .
“ A residence of mine in Snohomish County was targeted by a large group of aggressive protestors late last night , ” Chief Best wrote in a letter to the city council made public Monday .
“ My neighbors were concerned by such a large group , but they were successful in ensuring the crowd was not able to trespass or engage in other illegal behavior in the area , despite repeated attempts to do so.
” On Saturday night , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of vehicles descended on the quiet street in Snohomish County where Chief Best lives , though she was not home at the time of the demonstration , according to reports .
Reading through her statement , the first thing you ’ ll notice is that the phrase “ peaceful protesters ” has been replaced by “ aggressive protestors.
” Gone is the talk of people “ raising their voices.
” That ’ s now been replaced by “ other illegal behavior.
” Her letter speaks of “ violence and intimidation ” against elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like myself.
” She even went so far as to demand that the Council take action to prevent “ mob rule.
” Is this the same Chief Best we ’ ve been hearing from for months now ?
What happened to political correctness ?
Keep in mind that this is the same Chief of Police who recently sent a different letter to business owners and residents of the city ’ s downtown area saying that they were basically on their own when the mobs arrived .
But now that the mobs have shown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparently a whole new ballgame .
This is something that people with a firmer grip on reality have been warning about since the beginning .
It ’ s one thing for the rest of the country to watch the mob violence play out on their televisions when it ’ s largely contained to the centers of our larger cities .
But when the violent crowds begin spilling out into the suburbs , you will see attitudes changing very , very quickly , and demands for a law and order agenda will be heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rioters will find their positions far less secure .
But is it too late to unring that bell at this point ?
The mobs have clearly been listening to the media coverage and the statements from easily cowed mayors and governors .
They ’ ve been set loose to smash storefronts and loot businesses , leaving graffiti-covered , burned-out shells in their wake .
And few have received more than a slap on the wrist for it .
Why wouldn ’ t they move into the suburbs ?
There ’ s plenty of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
Oh , wait .
That ’ s right .
Gun sales have been surging among homeowners .
The next phase of this battle may wind up turning quite ugly .
But the elected officials who allowed events to spiral this far out of control are far more to blame than anyone but the rioters themselves .
UPDATE : Check out this video of protesters trying to get past residents who are having none of it .
“ We are peaceful !
You pointed a gun at my face !
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

It’s probably time to update one of our standard political sayings for the crazy world of 2020. Try this one on for size. “A Liberal Reform Police Chief is just a Law and Order Police Chief who hasn’t had her home vandalized yet.”
That may turn out to be the case with Seattle Chief of Police Carmen Best. She’s been working alongside Mayor Jenny Durkan all during the protests and riots, preaching the need to hear the voices of underserved communities, reexamine how they police the community and sniff out racism wherever it may be lurking. And she’s largely been following the media narrative of “mostly peaceful protesters” as the mobs have ravaged the streets of her city. But that seems to have come to an end after the mob showed up at her own house on Sunday night. In a letter she sent to the City Council yesterday, her language took on a markedly different tone. (Washington Times)
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best sent a letter to the city council asking members to “stand up for what is right” after hundreds of protesters descended on her home over the weekend. “A residence of mine in Snohomish County was targeted by a large group of aggressive protestors late last night,” Chief Best wrote in a letter to the city council made public Monday. “My neighbors were concerned by such a large group, but they were successful in ensuring the crowd was not able to trespass or engage in other illegal behavior in the area, despite repeated attempts to do so.” On Saturday night, a group of about 200 protesters and dozens of vehicles descended on the quiet street in Snohomish County where Chief Best lives, though she was not home at the time of the demonstration, according to reports.
Reading through her statement, the first thing you’ll notice is that the phrase “peaceful protesters” has been replaced by “aggressive protestors.” Gone is the talk of people “raising their voices.” That’s now been replaced by “other illegal behavior.” Her letter speaks of “violence and intimidation” against elected officials and civil servants, “especially like myself.” She even went so far as to demand that the Council take action to prevent “mob rule.”
Is this the same Chief Best we’ve been hearing from for months now? What happened to political correctness? Keep in mind that this is the same Chief of Police who recently sent a different letter to business owners and residents of the city’s downtown area saying that they were basically on their own when the mobs arrived. But now that the mobs have shown up at her house it’s apparently a whole new ballgame.
This is something that people with a firmer grip on reality have been warning about since the beginning. It’s one thing for the rest of the country to watch the mob violence play out on their televisions when it’s largely contained to the centers of our larger cities. But when the violent crowds begin spilling out into the suburbs, you will see attitudes changing very, very quickly, and demands for a law and order agenda will be heard. Any politicians seen as coddling the rioters will find their positions far less secure.
But is it too late to unring that bell at this point? The mobs have clearly been listening to the media coverage and the statements from easily cowed mayors and governors. They’ve been set loose to smash storefronts and loot businesses, leaving graffiti-covered, burned-out shells in their wake. And few have received more than a slap on the wrist for it. Why wouldn’t they move into the suburbs? There’s plenty of prime real estate waiting to be looted there.
Oh, wait. That’s right. Gun sales have been surging among homeowners. The next phase of this battle may wind up turning quite ugly. But the elected officials who allowed events to spiral this far out of control are far more to blame than anyone but the rioters themselves.
UPDATE: Check out this video of protesters trying to get past residents who are having none of it.
“We are peaceful! You pointed a gun at my face!”
“That’s why you are peaceful.”
https://twitter.com/Doranimated/status/1290473037729587202


hotair--2020-08-05--The expected storm over Kobach didn't materialize

Politico described it as Republicans “ dodging a Kansas nightmare.
” Perhaps there was more attention focused on the Kansas GOP Senate primary because , at least in part , there ’ s so little actual election news to talk about in the midst of all the rest of the 2020 whirlwind .
The race between the more “ radical conservative ” Kris Kobach and the RNC favorite , Roger Marshall was supposed to be coming down to the wire .
No matter which way it wound up going , hard feelings were expected .
But in the end , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marshall wound up taking the victory lap by a reasonably comfortable margin .
( Associated Press ) Kansas Republicans on Tuesday nominated Rep. Roger Marshall for the Senate over polarizing conservative Kris Kobach , heeding the party establishment ’ s advice as it tries to keep a normally safe seat out of play in what could be a difficult year for the GOP .
Marshall prevailed comfortably in a crowded primary field with the backing of major farm , business and anti-abortion groups but without a pre-election endorsement from President Donald Trump sought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the two-term congressman for western and central Kansas .
Marshall overcame Kobach ’ s reputation as a conservative firebrand and informal adviser to Trump .
Marshall will face Democratic state Sen. Barbara Bollier , a former lifelong moderate Republican who received national attention at the end of 2018 by switching parties .
GOP leaders have worried for months about Bollier ’ s ability so far to raise more in contributions than the top GOP candidates combined .
Allahpundit gave us the rundown last night .
Supporters of Kobach were expected to revolt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ buying the nomination.
” Had Kobach prevailed , Marshall ’ s supporters ( and likely the NRSC ) would have been screaming bloody murder about putting a safe seat in play and possibly costing them the Senate majority .
But with the dust quickly settling , I imagine most of the hard feelings will be put on the shelf for now in the interest of not turning the upper chamber over to Chuck Schumer .
Personally , if we were going strictly on policy questions , I would have preferred Kobach if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on immigration , controlling spending and other conservative touchstones .
But the reality is that we need to keep the seat and Kobach has already shown he ’ s capable of blowing a totally winnable election .
And it ’ s not as if Marshall is some sort of budding socialist icon .
As of this morning , Marshall was up by roughly 14 points with just shy of 40 % of the vote , so I don ’ t think this one is going to be contested .
Just for fun , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throw into these calculations .
What if Kansas had a “ jungle primary ” like a few other states do ?
Marshall fended off the rest of the field pretty convincingly , but he ’ s still well short of a majority .
Kobach delivered a fairly solid 25 % showing .
But Bob Hamilton , David Linstrom , and Steve Roberts racked up more than 27 % between them , with Hamilton getting the lion ’ s share .
If Marshall and Kobach had to go into a runoff , how would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the supporters of the bottom five candidates broke toward Kobach he could still have pulled this thing off .
That ’ s one hypothetical that will never be known .
The real question now is how well the GOP will rally around Marshall .
Barbara Bollier earned herself all sorts of love from the national press when she bailed on the GOP after the 2018 elections to plant her flag with the Democrats .
But she also must have earned the antipathy of most of the reliably conservative voters in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been raising a lot of money off that move , but I rather doubt that it will translate into a big turnout in her favor .
Unlike Politico , I wouldn ’ t describe Kobach as any sort of “ nightmare ” for the Kansas GOP , but the voters there may have just locked up that Senate seat for the next six years .
It will also take some financial strain off the other races that will likely wind up being much closer .
And that ’ s not a @ @ @ @ @

Politico described it as Republicans “dodging a Kansas nightmare.” Perhaps there was more attention focused on the Kansas GOP Senate primary because, at least in part, there’s so little actual election news to talk about in the midst of all the rest of the 2020 whirlwind. The race between the more “radical conservative” Kris Kobach and the RNC favorite, Roger Marshall was supposed to be coming down to the wire. No matter which way it wound up going, hard feelings were expected. But in the end, the race played out fairly normally and Marshall wound up taking the victory lap by a reasonably comfortable margin. (Associated Press)
Kansas Republicans on Tuesday nominated Rep. Roger Marshall for the Senate over polarizing conservative Kris Kobach, heeding the party establishment’s advice as it tries to keep a normally safe seat out of play in what could be a difficult year for the GOP. Marshall prevailed comfortably in a crowded primary field with the backing of major farm, business and anti-abortion groups but without a pre-election endorsement from President Donald Trump sought by Senate Majority Mitch McConnell and others for the two-term congressman for western and central Kansas. Marshall overcame Kobach’s reputation as a conservative firebrand and informal adviser to Trump. Marshall will face Democratic state Sen. Barbara Bollier, a former lifelong moderate Republican who received national attention at the end of 2018 by switching parties. GOP leaders have worried for months about Bollier’s ability so far to raise more in contributions than the top GOP candidates combined.
Allahpundit gave us the rundown last night. Supporters of Kobach were expected to revolt against Mitch McConnell and the NRSC for “buying the nomination.” Had Kobach prevailed, Marshall’s supporters (and likely the NRSC) would have been screaming bloody murder about putting a safe seat in play and possibly costing them the Senate majority. But with the dust quickly settling, I imagine most of the hard feelings will be put on the shelf for now in the interest of not turning the upper chamber over to Chuck Schumer.
Personally, if we were going strictly on policy questions, I would have preferred Kobach if only for his tough but sensible positions on immigration, controlling spending and other conservative touchstones. But the reality is that we need to keep the seat and Kobach has already shown he’s capable of blowing a totally winnable election. And it’s not as if Marshall is some sort of budding socialist icon. As of this morning, Marshall was up by roughly 14 points with just shy of 40% of the vote, so I don’t think this one is going to be contested.
Just for fun, here’s an interesting wrench to throw into these calculations. What if Kansas had a “jungle primary” like a few other states do? Marshall fended off the rest of the field pretty convincingly, but he’s still well short of a majority. Kobach delivered a fairly solid 25% showing. But Bob Hamilton, David Linstrom, and Steve Roberts racked up more than 27% between them, with Hamilton getting the lion’s share. If Marshall and Kobach had to go into a runoff, how would that have played out? If most of the supporters of the bottom five candidates broke toward Kobach he could still have pulled this thing off.
That’s one hypothetical that will never be known. The real question now is how well the GOP will rally around Marshall. Barbara Bollier earned herself all sorts of love from the national press when she bailed on the GOP after the 2018 elections to plant her flag with the Democrats. But she also must have earned the antipathy of most of the reliably conservative voters in the state for her show of disloyalty. She’s been raising a lot of money off that move, but I rather doubt that it will translate into a big turnout in her favor.
Unlike Politico, I wouldn’t describe Kobach as any sort of “nightmare” for the Kansas GOP, but the voters there may have just locked up that Senate seat for the next six years. It will also take some financial strain off the other races that will likely wind up being much closer. And that’s not a terrible thing at all.


hotair--2020-08-04--Poll: Share who say they'll get COVID vaccine once it's available falls to ... 42%

Forty-two percent seems about right for dystopian America .
So does the fact that interest has fallen since early May across all three partisan groups .
Democrats are actually down off their peak slightly more than Republicans are and independents are the group least inclined to get the vaccine among the three .
Yahoo News speculates , probably correctly , that different groups are expressing their lack of trust in different actors .
For Republicans , it may be skepticism of experts like Fauci that ’ s driving wariness about the vaccine .
For Democrats , it ’ s likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push a vaccine to market before it ’ s been fully tested as a pre-election “ October surprise.
” No one trusts anyone and so we find ourselves in a surreal moment in which 150,000 people are dead , the epidemic shows no sign of abating , yet most Americans when asked about the possibility of a cure react with “ um , maybe not just yet.
” Maybe someone can convince “ Q ” to endorse the vaccine .
That might boost public confidence across our decaying , mortifying country .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t get the vaccine .
A larger share is in the wait-and-see category and will probably come around once there ’ s an actual product on the market and authorities whom Americans trust endorse it as safe and effective .
One potential snag : Who are those authorities , exactly ?
Even the “ trusted ” scientists aren ’ t so trusted at this point .
Not a single figure listed there cracks 50 percent with independents .
Presumably Fauci ’ s and the CDC ’ s numbers will continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no-man ’ s land politically , technically employees of Trump and thus a bit suspect to Dems but also spokesmen for the scientific consensus and thus suspect to Republicans .
Trump ’ s numbers , meanwhile , are a dumpster fire , further evidence of what I wrote a few days ago about how silly it is to think he ’ ll win the election by bringing a dubious vaccine to the public in October .
No one except his core MAGA base trusts him enough to take it .
By the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ ll be no one with enough credibility to convince Americans to get the jab .
Undecideds will probably end up watching the early adapters for evidence that the shot really does work and that the side effects aren ’ t too miserable .
Speaking of which , when people were asked if they ’ d get the shot knowing that it causes fever and headaches in one-third of recipients , refuseniks became a plurality .
The numbers went from 42/27 on yes/no to getting vaccinated to 35/40 .
Remember that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge majority of the population to be vaccinated in order to have a shot at herd immunity , and even then it might not be possible unless the vaccine is highly effective in preventing infection .
If it ’ s hit-or-miss , with the same middling efficacy rate that the annual flu shot has , COVID may plague us every year even if we all get vaccinated .
It ’ ll probably be brute legal force that forces a widespread public buy-in , not the dulcet endorsement of Anthony Fauci .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to certain services , e.g .
attending school , buying an airline ticket , attending an event held in an arena or stadium , that ’ ll force further compliance .
But even that may not be enough to eradicate the virus .
It might never go away .
A post as depressing as this one deserves a note of optimism to lighten it up .
Coincidentally , a little-known biotech firm named Novavax released some data from Phase One of its own vaccine trial today .
Novavax has never successfully brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ design for a COVID-19 vaccine earned it a billion-dollar grant from the U.S. government as part of Operation Warp Speed .
This fascinating NYT piece about their product and the new data suggests that scientists are very taken with the early results , even by the standards of other promising vaccines like Moderna and Oxford .
Although it ’ s not possible to directly compare the data from clinical trials of different coronavirus vaccines , John Moore , a virologist at Weill Cornell Medicine who was not involved in the studies , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had seen so far .
“ This is the first one I ’ m looking at and saying , ‘ Yeah , I ’ d take that , ’ ” Dr. Moore said… When … monkeys were infected , some versions of the vaccine left them with no trace of the vaccine in their lungs or noses .
“ That ’ s pretty remarkable , ” said Akiko Iwasaki , an immunologist at Yale University .
She noted that the Novavax vaccine provided stronger protection for monkeys than have other coronavirus vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RNA vaccine .
Novavax uses cells from moths to manufacture the signature “ spike ” protein found on SARS-CoV-2 ; “ [ p ] rotein-based vaccines have a longer track record than some of the newer approaches , ” notes the Times .
But it ’ s not just the protein that patients are inoculated with .
Novavax adds a compound called an “ adjuvant ” that turbo-charges the immune response .
Without the adjuvant , recipients of the vaccine produced modest levels of antibodies .
With the adjuvant , they produced large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ T-cells , another key immunity component . )
Using moth cells also allows Novavax to make the proteins for the vaccine more quickly than traditional protein-based vaccines , which use cells from mammals .
The company ’ s president called it “ very attractive from a manufacturing standpoint .
You can make a huge number of doses.
” They ’ re still a few months away from Phase Three trials to test if the vaccine truly immunizes humans from coronavirus but researchers seem excited about its potential .
Maybe that ’ s what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public to clamor for it — not just a “ yeah , it works ” verdict from scientists but a “ holy hell , it works much better than we hoped ” burst of enthusiasm .
And if that fails , there ’ s always brute legal force .

Forty-two percent seems about right for dystopian America.
So does the fact that interest has fallen since early May across all three partisan groups. Democrats are actually down off their peak slightly more than Republicans are and independents are the group least inclined to get the vaccine among the three. Yahoo News speculates, probably correctly, that different groups are expressing their lack of trust in different actors. For Republicans, it may be skepticism of experts like Fauci that’s driving wariness about the vaccine. For Democrats, it’s likely the suspicion that Trump might try to push a vaccine to market before it’s been fully tested as a pre-election “October surprise.” No one trusts anyone and so we find ourselves in a surreal moment in which 150,000 people are dead, the epidemic shows no sign of abating, yet most Americans when asked about the possibility of a cure react with “um, maybe not just yet.”
Maybe someone can convince “Q” to endorse the vaccine. That might boost public confidence across our decaying, mortifying country.
“Only” around 20-25 percent say they won’t get the vaccine. A larger share is in the wait-and-see category and will probably come around once there’s an actual product on the market and authorities whom Americans trust endorse it as safe and effective. One potential snag: Who are those authorities, exactly? Even the “trusted” scientists aren’t so trusted at this point.
Not a single figure listed there cracks 50 percent with independents. Presumably Fauci’s and the CDC’s numbers will continue to deteriorate since they’re both in no-man’s land politically, technically employees of Trump and thus a bit suspect to Dems but also spokesmen for the scientific consensus and thus suspect to Republicans. Trump’s numbers, meanwhile, are a dumpster fire, further evidence of what I wrote a few days ago about how silly it is to think he’ll win the election by bringing a dubious vaccine to the public in October. No one except his core MAGA base trusts him enough to take it.
By the time we have a vaccine that works, there’ll be no one with enough credibility to convince Americans to get the jab. Undecideds will probably end up watching the early adapters for evidence that the shot really does work and that the side effects aren’t too miserable. Speaking of which, when people were asked if they’d get the shot knowing that it causes fever and headaches in one-third of recipients, refuseniks became a plurality. The numbers went from 42/27 on yes/no to getting vaccinated to 35/40. Remember that, in all probability, America will need a huge majority of the population to be vaccinated in order to have a shot at herd immunity, and even then it might not be possible unless the vaccine is highly effective in preventing infection. If it’s hit-or-miss, with the same middling efficacy rate that the annual flu shot has, COVID may plague us every year even if we all get vaccinated.
It’ll probably be brute legal force that forces a widespread public buy-in, not the dulcet endorsement of Anthony Fauci. If proof of vaccination becomes a prerequisite for access to certain services, e.g. attending school, buying an airline ticket, attending an event held in an arena or stadium, that’ll force further compliance. But even that may not be enough to eradicate the virus. It might never go away.
A post as depressing as this one deserves a note of optimism to lighten it up. Coincidentally, a little-known biotech firm named Novavax released some data from Phase One of its own vaccine trial today. Novavax has never successfully brought a product to market but its experimental design for a COVID-19 vaccine earned it a billion-dollar grant from the U.S. government as part of Operation Warp Speed. This fascinating NYT piece about their product and the new data suggests that scientists are very taken with the early results, even by the standards of other promising vaccines like Moderna and Oxford.
Although it’s not possible to directly compare the data from clinical trials of different coronavirus vaccines, John Moore, a virologist at Weill Cornell Medicine who was not involved in the studies, said the Novavax results were the most impressive he had seen so far. “This is the first one I’m looking at and saying, ‘Yeah, I’d take that,’” Dr. Moore said… When … monkeys were infected, some versions of the vaccine left them with no trace of the vaccine in their lungs or noses. “That’s pretty remarkable,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University. She noted that the Novavax vaccine provided stronger protection for monkeys than have other coronavirus vaccines, such as Moderna’s messenger RNA vaccine.
Novavax uses cells from moths to manufacture the signature “spike” protein found on SARS-CoV-2; “[p]rotein-based vaccines have a longer track record than some of the newer approaches,” notes the Times. But it’s not just the protein that patients are inoculated with. Novavax adds a compound called an “adjuvant” that turbo-charges the immune response. Without the adjuvant, recipients of the vaccine produced modest levels of antibodies. With the adjuvant, they produced large amounts. (The vaccine also boosted T-cells, another key immunity component.) Using moth cells also allows Novavax to make the proteins for the vaccine more quickly than traditional protein-based vaccines, which use cells from mammals. The company’s president called it “very attractive from a manufacturing standpoint. You can make a huge number of doses.” They’re still a few months away from Phase Three trials to test if the vaccine truly immunizes humans from coronavirus but researchers seem excited about its potential.
Maybe that’s what it’ll take to get the public to clamor for it — not just a “yeah, it works” verdict from scientists but a “holy hell, it works much better than we hoped” burst of enthusiasm. And if that fails, there’s always brute legal force.