hotair--2020-07-28--Uh-oh, Ellen might be about to get cancelled

Yesterday Variety reported that the Ellen DeGeneres talk show is being investigated by WarnerMedia after several reports suggested she and her staff run a really awful workplace .
“ The Ellen DeGeneres Show ” has become the subject of an internal investigation by WarnerMedia following numerous accounts of workplace problems on the long-running daytime series , Variety has learned .
Executives from show producer Telepictures and distributor Warner Bros. Television sent a memo to staffers last week saying they have engaged WBTV-owner WarnerMedia ’ s employee relations group and a third party firm , who will interview current and former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said sources .
The story that most likely kicked off this investigatin was the one published by Buzzfeed about two weeks ago .
That story alleged that contrary to the host ’ s sunny on-air personality , the working environment at the show was actually terrible for a lot of employees : “ That ‘ be kind ’ bullshit only happens when the cameras are on .
It ’ s all for show , ” one former employee told BuzzFeed News .
“ I know they give money to people and help them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show.
” … A Black woman who used to work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show told BuzzFeed News she experienced racist comments , actions , and “ microaggressions ” during her year and a half as an employee .
She said when she was hired , a senior-level producer told her and another Black employee , “ Oh wow , you both have box braids ; I hope we don ’ t get you confused.
” And at a work party , she said , one of the main writers told her , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only know the names of the white people who work here , ” and other coworkers “ awkwardly laughed it off ” instead of coming to her defense .
When the former employee brought up issues of race and representation on the show and asked producers not to use offensive terms like “ spirit animal ” in segments , her colleagues called her “ the PC police.
” Back in March a comedian named Kevin Porter offered to donate $ 2 to charity for every mean ( but true ) story revealed about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He got hundreds and hundreds of responses .
Some of the responses were obviously made up but there did seem to be quite a few about not treating her staff well .
Anyway , the Buzzfeed story suggests much worse things have happened to people working on the show : After working on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for nearly a year , one former employee said they took medical leave for one month to check into a mental health facility for a suicide attempt .
But the week they returned to work , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eliminated .
“ You ’ d think that if someone just tried to kill themselves , you don ’ t want to add any more stress to their lives , ” the employee , whose story was corroborated by four other employees and medical records , told BuzzFeed News… A third former employee said they were given a warning for creating a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for medical costs that weren ’ t covered by their company health insurance and then sharing it on social media… “ They discovered my fundraiser , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They were more concerned about Ellen ’ s brand instead of helping me out , ” the former employee , whose story was corroborated by four other employees , told BuzzFeed News .
A month later , that employee also got fired for posting a picture on social media .
I ’ m not a fan of Ellen ’ s show , I just hate to see people with a lot of money and fame treating people who work for them like dirt .
Maybe the investigation will convince her to treat some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bit better .

Yesterday Variety reported that the Ellen DeGeneres talk show is being investigated by WarnerMedia after several reports suggested she and her staff run a really awful workplace.
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has become the subject of an internal investigation by WarnerMedia following numerous accounts of workplace problems on the long-running daytime series, Variety has learned. Executives from show producer Telepictures and distributor Warner Bros. Television sent a memo to staffers last week saying they have engaged WBTV-owner WarnerMedia’s employee relations group and a third party firm, who will interview current and former staffers about their experiences on set, said sources.
The story that most likely kicked off this investigatin was the one published by Buzzfeed about two weeks ago. That story alleged that contrary to the host’s sunny on-air personality, the working environment at the show was actually terrible for a lot of employees:
“That ‘be kind’ bullshit only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show,” one former employee told BuzzFeed News. “I know they give money to people and help them out, but it’s for show.”… A Black woman who used to work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show told BuzzFeed News she experienced racist comments, actions, and “microaggressions” during her year and a half as an employee. She said when she was hired, a senior-level producer told her and another Black employee, “Oh wow, you both have box braids; I hope we don’t get you confused.” And at a work party, she said, one of the main writers told her, “I’m sorry, I only know the names of the white people who work here,” and other coworkers “awkwardly laughed it off” instead of coming to her defense. When the former employee brought up issues of race and representation on the show and asked producers not to use offensive terms like “spirit animal” in segments, her colleagues called her “the PC police.”
Back in March a comedian named Kevin Porter offered to donate $2 to charity for every mean (but true) story revealed about Ellen in response to his tweet. He got hundreds and hundreds of responses. Some of the responses were obviously made up but there did seem to be quite a few about not treating her staff well.
this may have been shared already but an intern i know said that, should an intern enter a room ellen is in, ellen will stop what she’s doing & look at the floor until the intern leaves — christopherrrrrr (@00chris1) March 20, 2020
Working for her, I was instructed that I can’t look her in the eye and never ever say hi to her first. “But don’t worry, she definitely won’t be saying hi to you in the first place.” She creates the most toxic environment for her staff. — Maggie Klaus 🏄♀ (@Maggie_Klaus) March 23, 2020
Was wrking on a show @ WB that was next to her stage. Was our showrunner's 50th Bday. Caterer grilling steaks outside for special fancy lunch. Ellen sent someone over to demand they stop, as she doesn't eat meat. She's the worst. — Alison Freer ✂ (@AlisonVFreer) March 20, 2020
More generally notorious for performatively only giving gifts to staffers she likes — Nick Wiger (@nickwiger) March 21, 2020
Anyway, the Buzzfeed story suggests much worse things have happened to people working on the show:
After working on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for nearly a year, one former employee said they took medical leave for one month to check into a mental health facility for a suicide attempt. But the week they returned to work, they were told their position was being eliminated. “You’d think that if someone just tried to kill themselves, you don’t want to add any more stress to their lives,” the employee, whose story was corroborated by four other employees and medical records, told BuzzFeed News… A third former employee said they were given a warning for creating a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for medical costs that weren’t covered by their company health insurance and then sharing it on social media… “They discovered my fundraiser, then got mad at me. … They were more concerned about Ellen’s brand instead of helping me out,” the former employee, whose story was corroborated by four other employees, told BuzzFeed News.
A month later, that employee also got fired for posting a picture on social media.
I’m not a fan of Ellen’s show, I just hate to see people with a lot of money and fame treating people who work for them like dirt. Maybe the investigation will convince her to treat some of the ‘common people’ a bit better.


hotair--2020-07-28--In Boston, the eviction crisis is already slamming... landlords

A few weeks ago we discussed the “ eviction crisis ” that has been on the horizon for a while now .
The subject came up again this week , at least tangentially , with the release of the Senate ’ s version of the next pandemic relief bill .
( It contained a moratorium on evictions through the end of the year . )
Some government actions have provided benefits for renters who lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 outbreak , if only in the short term .
But one group of people who have not been getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landlords .
While many people might think of massive real estate investment and banking firms when the subject of landlords comes up , those vast entities don ’ t even account for half of the total rental properties in the country .
The majority of rental properties are either owned by individuals who only have a single property or small business owners who have a relatively small number of units .
And they have a lot of bills that still have to be paid every month while renters are not paying rent and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Boston Globe offers a profile of one such landlord this week and she ’ s getting pushed to the limits .
Marie Baptiste owns a rental property in Randolph .
A nurse at a hospital in Fall River , she kept her old house when she moved to a newer one several years ago , figuring the rent would help her pay the bills when she retires .
Lately , though , she ’ s had to pull money out of her retirement savings to cover the mortgage , property taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paying rent last fall , Baptiste said , well before the COVID-19 pandemic .
She says the tenant owes her nearly $ 19,000 , but because of a freeze on evictions during the pandemic , there ’ s nothing she can do about it now .
Baptiste ’ s tenant , who asked that her name not be used , said she stopped paying rent in November because the house had fallen into serious disrepair , including water damage and an infestation of rats .
Baptiste disputes those claims , saying the tenant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems .
By some estimates , between one quarter and one-third of all the “ mom and pop ” landlords in the country could be out of the market by the end of the year if the eviction moratorium continues that long and they don ’ t get any federal relief of their own .
While many banks and credit unions are offering individual homeowners the chance to move their payments out to the end of their mortgages , few are offering similar deals on commercial properties .
There also hasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief either .
So the landlords have to keep forking over their property taxes and their mortgage payments on properties that are no longer generating rental income .
And any maintenance and damage repair that ’ s required also comes out of the landlord ’ s pocket .
Those costs don ’ t go away when the unit is still occupied .
So what ’ s the solution ?
As with everything else during this crisis , the only thing that the federal government or the states have come up with is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money tree and send “ free money ” to tenants to pay their rent .
The Democrats put another $ 100B in the second House stimulus bill passed in May , but that legislation still appears stuck and there wasn ’ t a matching figure in the Senate version .
Even if they manage to do that , however , how much longer can the system sustain itself ?
The government simply can ’ t afford to keep paying everyone ’ s bills indefinitely even as far fewer people are working , businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tank .
These are not sustainable options .
If we could have gotten through this pandemic and back on our feet in a couple of months , the economy would have taken a hit , but we ’ d have dug our way out .
But now people are talking about autumn or even the end of the year .
Others don ’ t even know if we ’ ll be anywhere close to full operability before next spring .
By that point , the well may truly run dry .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rental and real estate sector .
But most other aspects of our economy will be facing similar hard choices .

A few weeks ago we discussed the “eviction crisis” that has been on the horizon for a while now. The subject came up again this week, at least tangentially, with the release of the Senate’s version of the next pandemic relief bill. (It contained a moratorium on evictions through the end of the year.) Some government actions have provided benefits for renters who lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 outbreak, if only in the short term. But one group of people who have not been getting much in the way of help are landlords.
While many people might think of massive real estate investment and banking firms when the subject of landlords comes up, those vast entities don’t even account for half of the total rental properties in the country. The majority of rental properties are either owned by individuals who only have a single property or small business owners who have a relatively small number of units. And they have a lot of bills that still have to be paid every month while renters are not paying rent and can’t be evicted for it. The Boston Globe offers a profile of one such landlord this week and she’s getting pushed to the limits.
Marie Baptiste owns a rental property in Randolph. A nurse at a hospital in Fall River, she kept her old house when she moved to a newer one several years ago, figuring the rent would help her pay the bills when she retires. Lately, though, she’s had to pull money out of her retirement savings to cover the mortgage, property taxes, and insurance because her tenant stopped paying rent last fall, Baptiste said, well before the COVID-19 pandemic. She says the tenant owes her nearly $19,000, but because of a freeze on evictions during the pandemic, there’s nothing she can do about it now. Baptiste’s tenant, who asked that her name not be used, said she stopped paying rent in November because the house had fallen into serious disrepair, including water damage and an infestation of rats. Baptiste disputes those claims, saying the tenant is to blame for most of the problems.
By some estimates, between one quarter and one-third of all the “mom and pop” landlords in the country could be out of the market by the end of the year if the eviction moratorium continues that long and they don’t get any federal relief of their own. While many banks and credit unions are offering individual homeowners the chance to move their payments out to the end of their mortgages, few are offering similar deals on commercial properties.
There also hasn’t been much in the way of tax relief either. So the landlords have to keep forking over their property taxes and their mortgage payments on properties that are no longer generating rental income. And any maintenance and damage repair that’s required also comes out of the landlord’s pocket. Those costs don’t go away when the unit is still occupied.
So what’s the solution? As with everything else during this crisis, the only thing that the federal government or the states have come up with is to pick more billions off of the magic money tree and send “free money” to tenants to pay their rent. The Democrats put another $100B in the second House stimulus bill passed in May, but that legislation still appears stuck and there wasn’t a matching figure in the Senate version. Even if they manage to do that, however, how much longer can the system sustain itself? The government simply can’t afford to keep paying everyone’s bills indefinitely even as far fewer people are working, businesses remain offline and tax revenue is in the tank.
These are not sustainable options. If we could have gotten through this pandemic and back on our feet in a couple of months, the economy would have taken a hit, but we’d have dug our way out. But now people are talking about autumn or even the end of the year. Others don’t even know if we’ll be anywhere close to full operability before next spring. By that point, the well may truly run dry. A better solution is needed, particularly in the rental and real estate sector. But most other aspects of our economy will be facing similar hard choices.


hotair--2020-07-28--Hoyer: On second thought, we'd like to negotiate on the unemployment bonuses

Perhaps Democrats in Congress should have acknowledged the “ validity ” of Republican concerns over disincentives in the unemployment benefit bonuses in March .
At the time , the fierce urgency of now argument prevailed as Senate Democrats shot down an amendment that would have fixed the disincentive issue in April .
From that point forward , Democrats steadfastly refused to debate or negotiate the $ 600-per-week unemployment bonus that paid some workers more than they made from working .
Their latest version of Phase 4 relief , the HEROES Act , would extend it through the end of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued an ultimatum , forcing Republicans to swallow the disincentive in order to get aid passed .
This time around , Mitch McConnell is trying the same tactic in reverse — and it might be working .
Steny Hoyer , the House Democrats ’ second-ranking leader , told CNN that the provision should be changed — in negotiation , rather than in an ultimatum : CNN ’ s John Berman is so surprised at this switch that he has to double-check with Hoyer to make sure he heard it correctly .
“ “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m hearing you correctly , ” Berman says , and for good reason .
Just a few hours earlier , both Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi rejected the Senate Republican proposal in toto out of hand , including the cut to $ 200 per week , as Jazz noted this morning .
They didn ’ t bother to acknowledge the “ validity ” of GOP arguments on anything , including the disincentives in the jobless benefits in the CARES Act .
That ’ s quite a change in just a few short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hoyer and other Democrats are less married to that provision than they are to state aid , which they have repeatedly promised and proposed by the truckload in the HEROES Act .
This looks like an opening bid to new negotiations for some version of state bloc-grant aid , ostensibly to pay for COVID-19 efforts but more likely to be used to shore up strained budgets .
The cost savings from reductions in this program could offset those grants a little , but the HEROES Act spent one trillion dollars on just that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the better of that exchange in the end — even if the reductions do incentivize returns to work and provide Donald Trump an economic boost .
So what will Republicans get in exchange to offset that concession when it comes ?
( And it will come , believe you me . )
They will probably get a somewhat limited version of the liability protections they want to pass , which Republicans argue ( and hope ) will boost the economy by safeguarding small businesses .
That ’ s the real tradeoff that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hoyer just signaled that Democrats are willing to deal on their “ values , ” as he put it to Berman .
The trial-lawyer lobby will be one of those “ values ” on the negotiating block if they want to get state aid passed in the Senate , and Hoyer ’ s signaling that Democrats are now open for business .

Perhaps Democrats in Congress should have acknowledged the “validity” of Republican concerns over disincentives in the unemployment benefit bonuses in March. At the time, the fierce urgency of now argument prevailed as Senate Democrats shot down an amendment that would have fixed the disincentive issue in April. From that point forward, Democrats steadfastly refused to debate or negotiate the $600-per-week unemployment bonus that paid some workers more than they made from working. Their latest version of Phase 4 relief, the HEROES Act, would extend it through the end of the year.
In April, Democrats essentially issued an ultimatum, forcing Republicans to swallow the disincentive in order to get aid passed. This time around, Mitch McConnell is trying the same tactic in reverse — and it might be working. Steny Hoyer, the House Democrats’ second-ranking leader, told CNN that the provision should be changed — in negotiation, rather than in an ultimatum:
Q: “I just want to make sure I'm hearing you correctly. It does seem like you might be willing to come off some from $600. Not to $200, but you're not demanding $600 or bust?” Leader Hoyer: It's not $600 or bust… that's not where we are. We are prepared to discuss this.” pic.twitter.com/Ihgn5zOzIV — Senate Republican Communications Center (@SRCC) July 28, 2020
CNN’s John Berman is so surprised at this switch that he has to double-check with Hoyer to make sure he heard it correctly. ““I just want to make sure I’m hearing you correctly,” Berman says, and for good reason. Just a few hours earlier, both Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi rejected the Senate Republican proposal in toto out of hand, including the cut to $200 per week, as Jazz noted this morning. They didn’t bother to acknowledge the “validity” of GOP arguments on anything, including the disincentives in the jobless benefits in the CARES Act.
That’s quite a change in just a few short hours. What gives? Likely, Hoyer and other Democrats are less married to that provision than they are to state aid, which they have repeatedly promised and proposed by the truckload in the HEROES Act. This looks like an opening bid to new negotiations for some version of state bloc-grant aid, ostensibly to pay for COVID-19 efforts but more likely to be used to shore up strained budgets. The cost savings from reductions in this program could offset those grants a little, but the HEROES Act spent one trillion dollars on just that aid alone. Democrats know they will get the better of that exchange in the end — even if the reductions do incentivize returns to work and provide Donald Trump an economic boost.
So what will Republicans get in exchange to offset that concession when it comes? (And it will come, believe you me.) They will probably get a somewhat limited version of the liability protections they want to pass, which Republicans argue (and hope) will boost the economy by safeguarding small businesses. That’s the real tradeoff that will be at stake in Phase 4. Hoyer just signaled that Democrats are willing to deal on their “values,” as he put it to Berman. The trial-lawyer lobby will be one of those “values” on the negotiating block if they want to get state aid passed in the Senate, and Hoyer’s signaling that Democrats are now open for business.


hotair--2020-07-28--Family feud: Chris Cuomo suddenly taking shots at Ron DeSantis over coronavirus

I ’ m sure Chris would say that he ’ s no more or less interested in Florida ’ s COVID outbreak than any other political observer , simply sharing the occasional thought about it on social media as people are wont to do .
But that ’ s hard to believe given his effusive cheerleading on CNN for his brother ’ s mangled pandemic response in New York .
Particularly since Andrew Cuomo and Ron DeSantis have had a feud simmering over their states ’ respective handling of the virus for months .
It ’ s hard to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it was this clip from late May .
DeSantis and his team were understandably pissed at the media ’ s incessant warnings amid New York ’ s darkest days that Florida was next .
That was a logical enough assumption — Florida ’ s a big state with an outsized elderly population and lots of traffic with New York — but it also reeked of running political interference for Cuomo , an early effort to suggest that a Republican-run jurisdiction would have just as many problems eventually as a Democratic-run one had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a point of noting here that he ’ d managed to hold cases down despite having so many visitors from Cuomo ’ s hot-spot state .
On the same day he said that , NRO ran an interview with DeSantis comparing the success of Florida ’ s response to the failure of New York ’ s .
This passage figured prominently : Florida fortified the hospitals with PPE , too , but DeSantis realized that it wouldn ’ t do the hospitals any good if infection in the nursing homes ran out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PPE to the nursing homes , and they can prevent an outbreak there , that ’ s going to do more to lower the burden on hospitals than me just sending them another 500,000 N95 masks.
” It ’ s impossible to overstate the importance of this insight , and how much it drove Florida ’ s approach , counter to the policies of New York and other states .
( “ I don ’ t want to cast aspersions on others , but it is incredible to me , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official , “ that Governor Cuomo [ and others ] are able to kind of just avoid real questions about their policies early on to actually send individuals into the nursing home , which is completely counter to the real data.
” ) DeSantis had issued an order in late March requiring visitors from New York to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Florida .
By mid-June New York ’ s epidemic was in steep decline and Florida ’ s was beginning to pick up .
Cuomo made a point of noting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the shoe was on the other foot at last , and threatened to impose a similar 14-day quarantine on Floridians : “ If you went to Florida , you had to quarantine for two weeks because they were afraid that New Yorkers were bringing the virus to their state .
Fast forward a 100 days , now we ’ re afraid they ’ re bringing the virus to our state.
” To which DeSantis replied with this roundhouse : “ Governors have prerogative to do what they need to do .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t quarantine Floridians in nursing homes in New York.
” A top Cuomo advisor jabbed back , saying , “ Maybe less time repeating right-wing Twitter bots and more time trying to competently manage the pandemic that ’ s spiking in his state .
His citizens , which polls show have zero faith in him , might appreciate it.
” That was a month ago .
Since then , the trends in the two states haven ’ t favored DeSantis… …and I think the Cuomo boyz are eager to note it .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governors to be taking potshots at each other over who has the higher case count ( Florida overtook New York just yesterday ) or death toll ( New York remains far , far , far ahead ) .
But it ’ s a really bad look for one governor ’ s newscaster brother , who ’ s already been criticized by all sides for turning his “ news ” show into a showcase for soft-touch interview with his sibling , to start chiming in with shots at DeSantis as well .
These three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s account last night ( the middle one from CNN was retweeted by him ) : Righties were killing him for that on Twitter this morning , although I think this is my single favorite response : I would have said “ quarter-witted ” but we needn ’ t quibble .
Why would a Cuomo dare lead the criticism of another state ’ s governor knowing how badly his own brother botched New York ’ s ?
Simple : He wants to make Andrew ’ s disaster seem less disastrous by comparison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t do a thing to stop him .
He ’ s run propaganda pieces for Andrew *on CNN .
* Management ’ s not going to bug him about trying to stir up a “ DeSantis is the real failure ” spin effort .
I ’ ll leave you with this , in which the governor of New York once again demonstrates that whether mass gatherings are acceptable or unacceptable depends purely on whether he agrees with their politics or not .

I’m sure Chris would say that he’s no more or less interested in Florida’s COVID outbreak than any other political observer, simply sharing the occasional thought about it on social media as people are wont to do.
But that’s hard to believe given his effusive cheerleading on CNN for his brother’s mangled pandemic response in New York. Particularly since Andrew Cuomo and Ron DeSantis have had a feud simmering over their states’ respective handling of the virus for months.
It’s hard to say when that feud took off but I think it was this clip from late May. DeSantis and his team were understandably pissed at the media’s incessant warnings amid New York’s darkest days that Florida was next. That was a logical enough assumption — Florida’s a big state with an outsized elderly population and lots of traffic with New York — but it also reeked of running political interference for Cuomo, an early effort to suggest that a Republican-run jurisdiction would have just as many problems eventually as a Democratic-run one had. DeSantis got fed up and made a point of noting here that he’d managed to hold cases down despite having so many visitors from Cuomo’s hot-spot state.
Good stuff from DeSantis here. pic.twitter.com/ESvo6Pb1uw — Noam Blum (@neontaster) May 20, 2020
On the same day he said that, NRO ran an interview with DeSantis comparing the success of Florida’s response to the failure of New York’s. This passage figured prominently:
Florida fortified the hospitals with PPE, too, but DeSantis realized that it wouldn’t do the hospitals any good if infection in the nursing homes ran out of control : “If I can send PPE to the nursing homes, and they can prevent an outbreak there, that’s going to do more to lower the burden on hospitals than me just sending them another 500,000 N95 masks.” It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this insight, and how much it drove Florida’s approach, counter to the policies of New York and other states. (“I don’t want to cast aspersions on others, but it is incredible to me, it’s shocking,” says the Florida health official, “that Governor Cuomo [and others] are able to kind of just avoid real questions about their policies early on to actually send individuals into the nursing home, which is completely counter to the real data.”)
DeSantis had issued an order in late March requiring visitors from New York to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Florida. By mid-June New York’s epidemic was in steep decline and Florida’s was beginning to pick up. Cuomo made a point of noting at a press conference at the time that the shoe was on the other foot at last, and threatened to impose a similar 14-day quarantine on Floridians: “If you went to Florida, you had to quarantine for two weeks because they were afraid that New Yorkers were bringing the virus to their state. Fast forward a 100 days, now we’re afraid they’re bringing the virus to our state.”
To which DeSantis replied with this roundhouse: “Governors have prerogative to do what they need to do. If that is done, please don’t quarantine Floridians in nursing homes in New York.” A top Cuomo advisor jabbed back, saying, “Maybe less time repeating right-wing Twitter bots and more time trying to competently manage the pandemic that’s spiking in his state. His citizens, which polls show have zero faith in him, might appreciate it.”
That was a month ago. Since then, the trends in the two states haven’t favored DeSantis…
…and I think the Cuomo boyz are eager to note it. It’s a bad look for two governors to be taking potshots at each other over who has the higher case count (Florida overtook New York just yesterday) or death toll (New York remains far, far, far ahead). But it’s a really bad look for one governor’s newscaster brother, who’s already been criticized by all sides for turning his “news” show into a showcase for soft-touch interview with his sibling, to start chiming in with shots at DeSantis as well. These three tweets appeared in succession on Chris Cuomo’s account last night (the middle one from CNN was retweeted by him):
Head of task force praising gov who mishandled pandemic https://t.co/nuxX4ePAa6 — Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) July 28, 2020
Florida, with Gov. Ron DeSantis at the helm, has become a global ground zero for Covid-19 cases and a poster child for the Trump administration and its closest allies' failures in responding to the pandemic https://t.co/JQNCUZ8zFJ — CNN (@CNN) July 27, 2020
Can we trust the data from florida’s governor? https://t.co/1rLT3YzUYe — Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) July 27, 2020
Righties were killing him for that on Twitter this morning, although I think this is my single favorite response:
https://twitter.com/ltthompso/status/1288085755588481030
I would have said “quarter-witted” but we needn’t quibble. Why would a Cuomo dare lead the criticism of another state’s governor knowing how badly his own brother botched New York’s? Simple: He wants to make Andrew’s disaster seem less disastrous by comparison and he knows his network won’t do a thing to stop him. He’s run propaganda pieces for Andrew *on CNN.* Management’s not going to bug him about trying to stir up a “DeSantis is the real failure” spin effort.
I’ll leave you with this, in which the governor of New York once again demonstrates that whether mass gatherings are acceptable or unacceptable depends purely on whether he agrees with their politics or not.


hotair--2020-07-28--DOJ: 22 people were charged after violent weekend in Portland

The Department of Justice published a press release yesterday detailing 22 individuals who were arrested and charged with various crimes after a violent weekend in Portland .
This summary breaks down all of the arrests by day , starting with last Thursday night : U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that 22 people have been arrested and are facing federal charges for their roles in weekend protests at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S .
Courthouse in Portland .
According to court documents , since May 26 , 2020 , protests in downtown Portland have been followed by nightly criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , destruction of property , looting , arson , and vandalism .
The Hatfield Federal Courthouse has been a nightly target of vandalism during evening protests and riots , sustaining extensive damage… Six people have been charged for alleged criminal conduct during a protest beginning July 23 , 2020 and continuing into the early morning hours of July 24 , 2020 .
Carly Anne Ballard , 34 , and David Michael Bouchard , 36 , are charged with assaulting federal officers ; and Josslynn Kreutz , 28 , Dakota Eastman , 30 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rolycanov , 28 , are charged with failing to obey lawful orders .
On July 24 , 2020 , agents from Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested Ronald Bernard Hickey , 44 , a Canadian National , for harassing and stalking federal employees assigned to assist the Federal Protective Service with ongoing civil unrest in Portland .
Hickey used his Twitter account , @ TawasiSoce , to knowingly release personal information of these employees in an attempt to threaten , intimidate , or incite violence against them .
Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for assaulting an officer and one for flying a drone : Sunday night there were seven more arrests for assaulting federal officers : By my count that ’ s 16 people charged with assaulting police officers .
We know from on the ground reporting this weekend that rioters threw rocks , canned food , and large fireworks at police , in addition to the ever-present green lasers .
At least six federal agents were injured on Saturday alone , one of whom had burns on both arms and another of whom got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his head .
Keep all of this in mind when people on the left claim that the riots were seeing , which have also involved a lot of destruction of property , isn ’ t real violence .
In fact , there are people being injured in these things every night .
In Seattle last Saturday , 59 police officers were injured .
In Chicago recently 18 officers were injured .
And as a DHS Twitter account pointed out yesterday , it ’ s clear from the items found that the violence is @ @

The Department of Justice published a press release yesterday detailing 22 individuals who were arrested and charged with various crimes after a violent weekend in Portland. This summary breaks down all of the arrests by day, starting with last Thursday night:
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that 22 people have been arrested and are facing federal charges for their roles in weekend protests at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland. According to court documents, since May 26, 2020, protests in downtown Portland have been followed by nightly criminal activity including assaults on law enforcement officers, destruction of property, looting, arson, and vandalism. The Hatfield Federal Courthouse has been a nightly target of vandalism during evening protests and riots, sustaining extensive damage… Six people have been charged for alleged criminal conduct during a protest beginning July 23, 2020 and continuing into the early morning hours of July 24, 2020. Carly Anne Ballard, 34, and David Michael Bouchard, 36, are charged with assaulting federal officers; and Josslynn Kreutz, 28, Dakota Eastman, 30, Ezra Meyers, 18, and Mark Rolycanov, 28, are charged with failing to obey lawful orders.
Friday night a Canadian was arrested for doxing police.
On July 24, 2020, agents from Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested Ronald Bernard Hickey, 44, a Canadian National, for harassing and stalking federal employees assigned to assist the Federal Protective Service with ongoing civil unrest in Portland. Hickey used his Twitter account, @TawasiSoce, to knowingly release personal information of these employees in an attempt to threaten, intimidate, or incite violence against them.
Saturday things got violent with seven people arrested for assaulting an officer and one for flying a drone:
Eight people have been charged for alleged criminal conduct during a protest beginning July 25, 2020 and continuing into the early morning hours of July 26, 2020. Rebecca Gonzales-Mota, 37; Stephen O’Donnell, 65; Thomas Johnson, 33; Nathan Oderdonk-Snow, 21; Joshua Webb, 22; Pablo Avvacato, 26; and Doug Dean, 34, are charged with assaulting federal officers. Richard Lindstet, 33, is charged with operating a drone in restricted airspace.
Sunday night there were seven more arrests for assaulting federal officers:
Seven people have been charged for alleged criminal conduct during a protest beginning July 26, 2020 and continuing into the early morning hours of July 27, 2020. Michael Stephenson, 23; Caleb Willis, 29; Noelle Mandolfo, 30; Travis Williams, 27; Patrick Stanford, age unknown; Coree Jefree, age unknown; and Tyler Gabriel, 22, are charged with assaulting federal officers.
By my count that’s 16 people charged with assaulting police officers. We know from on the ground reporting this weekend that rioters threw rocks, canned food, and large fireworks at police, in addition to the ever-present green lasers. At least six federal agents were injured on Saturday alone, one of whom had burns on both arms and another of whom got a concussion when a firework went off near his head.
Keep all of this in mind when people on the left claim that the riots were seeing, which have also involved a lot of destruction of property, isn’t real violence. In fact, there are people being injured in these things every night. In Seattle last Saturday, 59 police officers were injured. In Chicago recently 18 officers were injured. And as a DHS Twitter account pointed out yesterday, it’s clear from the items found that the violence is intentional.


hotair--2020-07-28--Today's hot topics on Relevant Radio®: Media bias, euthanasia, eviction crisis, credit threats, and

Today's hot topics on Relevant Radio®: Media bias, euthanasia, eviction crisis, credit threats, and more!

Once again , I get to step outside the box and guest host the Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio® from 3-6 ET today !
The Catholic talk-radio network is heard nationwide on the air , as well as online and through their free mobile app that plays live and podcast shows .
• Andrew Malcolm joins us for Tuesdays with Andrew !
The Prince of Twitter and I will discuss all of the hot political stories of the day , as well as his column on the emergence of Kayleigh McEnany in the White House briefing room .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netherlands and Canada • Dr. Joseph Capizzi explains Catholic social teaching on rent , evictions , and the economic crisis • Paul Oster advises us how to keep up our personal credit in the economic turmoil • And more to come … stay tuned !
We may add more before the show starts today , plus we will have the chaplet of Divine Mercy in the second hour .
We will also take your calls at 1-888-914-9149 .
You can also listen on the Relevant Radio® app no matter where you are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ll look forward to talking with you !

Once again, I get to step outside the box and guest host the Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio® from 3-6 ET today! The Catholic talk-radio network is heard nationwide on the air, as well as online and through their free mobile app that plays live and podcast shows.
Today’s Relevant Radio® show includes:
Andrew Malcolm joins us for Tuesdays with Andrew! The Prince of Twitter and I will discuss all of the hot political stories of the day, as well as his column on the emergence of Kayleigh McEnany in the White House briefing room.
Alex Schadenberg on euthanasia developments in the Netherlands and Canada
Dr. Joseph Capizzi explains Catholic social teaching on rent, evictions, and the economic crisis
Paul Oster advises us how to keep up our personal credit in the economic turmoil
And more to come … stay tuned!
We may add more before the show starts today, plus we will have the chaplet of Divine Mercy in the second hour. We will also take your calls at 1-888-914-9149. You can also listen on the Relevant Radio® app no matter where you are in the world, so download it now. I’ll look forward to talking with you!


hotair--2020-07-28--"I know how to deal with liars": New lawsuits coming for CNN, WaPo over breach of contract with Sand

"I know how to deal with liars": New lawsuits coming for CNN, WaPo over breach of contract with Sandmann settlements?

The first rule of Settlement Club is that you don ’ t talk about Settlement Club .
And the second rule of Settlement Club — ah , heck , the first fifty rules of Settlement Club is that you don ’ t talk about settlements in lawsuits with mutual gag rules in place .
Apparently that didn ’ t sink in at CNN or the Washington Post after both media outlets decided to quietly end the litigation brought by Nicholas Sandmann .
Their employees went on social media attempting to spin the settlement and suggest that Sandmann only got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Big mistake , Sandmann attorney Lin Wood made clear almost immediately .
“ I know how to deal with liars , ” Wood tweeted , and warned that new lawsuits would be filed unless “ heads rolled ” at both outlets : This started with speculation that Sandmann had indeed gotten paid nothing more than “ nuisance value.
” Law & Crime wrote a pretty comprehensive overview of the social-media discussion of that premise after some attorneys unconnected to the case tried to read the tea leaves from various announcements in both cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least for the legal theories behind the speculation .
That included a rather anodyne statement from Wood expressing his opinion that the speculation was “ uninformed , errant nonsense , ” but added that “ questions about confidentiality and the timing of the settlement will have to be directed to others.
” Wood didn ’ t threaten anyone over the speculation — because they were not party to the confidentiality agreement , and neither was Law & Crime .
That isn ’ t the case with Stelter , Rangappa , and Zak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these lawsuits and act as their agents .
As soon as they published and expanded on the speculation , they characterized the settlement in terms their employer specifically agreed not to do .
Not only does that open up new avenues for Sandmann against the Post and CNN , it might allow Wood to add the three as respondents in a new libel/defamation action .
Wood made it sound like that is a distinct possibility , and that the longer they remain employed , the stronger his new case against both outlets might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak and a time to refrain from speaking , ” attorney Lin Wood told the Washington Examiner .
“ I will not be speaking on this subject today beyond my tweets .
But I will be taking actions.
” … It is standard in legal settlements for both parties to agree to keep the details of the final arrangement confidential , meaning neither CNN nor the Washington Post nor Sandmann ’ s attorneys are to discuss the dollar amount awarded or whether anyone admitted or denied guilt .
The entire point of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pays another so that they can both walk away and never speak of the matter again , thus avoiding a costly , drawn-out , and possibly devastating trial .
Someone should tell that to certain CNN and Washington Post staffers .
There aren ’ t many ways for the two outlets to win this new argument .
If , for instance , the speculation was accurate , it was still protected by a confidentiality agreement — and violating that could prompt much bigger damages and punitive action if it goes to trial .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN , WaPo , and its employees have once again defamed and libeled Sandmann — and will be in a much tougher position than the first time around .
This practically screams malice , in both the normal and the legal sense .
So which is it ?
Bet on Door Number Two : Hence the First Fifty-One Rules of Settlement Club .
But shouldn ’ t “ journalists ” have a first rule not to pass along speculation without checking facts first ?
Of course , if CNN and the Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have had to settle with Sandmann in the first place .

The first rule of Settlement Club is that you don’t talk about Settlement Club. And the second rule of Settlement Club — ah, heck, the first fifty rules of Settlement Club is that you don’t talk about settlements in lawsuits with mutual gag rules in place. Apparently that didn’t sink in at CNN or the Washington Post after both media outlets decided to quietly end the litigation brought by Nicholas Sandmann. Their employees went on social media attempting to spin the settlement and suggest that Sandmann only got a minimal payment to shut him up.
Big mistake, Sandmann attorney Lin Wood made clear almost immediately. “I know how to deal with liars,” Wood tweeted, and warned that new lawsuits would be filed unless “heads rolled” at both outlets:
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1287815888884858882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287815888884858882%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flawandcrime.com%2Fmedia%2Flawyer-for-covington-catholics-nick-sandmann-threatens-to-sue-cnns-brian-stelter-and-others-for-tweeting-about-defamation-case%2F
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1287845514474655747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287845514474655747%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flawandcrime.com%2Fmedia%2Flawyer-for-covington-catholics-nick-sandmann-threatens-to-sue-cnns-brian-stelter-and-others-for-tweeting-about-defamation-case%2F
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1287817475686531072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287817475686531072%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flawandcrime.com%2Fmedia%2Flawyer-for-covington-catholics-nick-sandmann-threatens-to-sue-cnns-brian-stelter-and-others-for-tweeting-about-defamation-case%2F
This started with speculation that Sandmann had indeed gotten paid nothing more than “nuisance value.” Law & Crime wrote a pretty comprehensive overview of the social-media discussion of that premise after some attorneys unconnected to the case tried to read the tea leaves from various announcements in both cases. It’s worth reading, at least for the legal theories behind the speculation. That included a rather anodyne statement from Wood expressing his opinion that the speculation was “uninformed, errant nonsense,” but added that “questions about confidentiality and the timing of the settlement will have to be directed to others.” Wood didn’t threaten anyone over the speculation — because they were not party to the confidentiality agreement, and neither was Law & Crime.
That isn’t the case with Stelter, Rangappa, and Zak. They work for the respondents in these lawsuits and act as their agents. As soon as they published and expanded on the speculation, they characterized the settlement in terms their employer specifically agreed not to do. Not only does that open up new avenues for Sandmann against the Post and CNN, it might allow Wood to add the three as respondents in a new libel/defamation action.
Wood made it sound like that is a distinct possibility, and that the longer they remain employed, the stronger his new case against both outlets might be:
“There is a time to speak and a time to refrain from speaking,” attorney Lin Wood told the Washington Examiner. “I will not be speaking on this subject today beyond my tweets. But I will be taking actions.” … It is standard in legal settlements for both parties to agree to keep the details of the final arrangement confidential, meaning neither CNN nor the Washington Post nor Sandmann’s attorneys are to discuss the dollar amount awarded or whether anyone admitted or denied guilt. The entire point of a settlement is that one party quietly pays another so that they can both walk away and never speak of the matter again, thus avoiding a costly, drawn-out, and possibly devastating trial. Someone should tell that to certain CNN and Washington Post staffers.
There aren’t many ways for the two outlets to win this new argument. If, for instance, the speculation was accurate, it was still protected by a confidentiality agreement — and violating that could prompt much bigger damages and punitive action if it goes to trial. If the speculation is inaccurate, then CNN, WaPo, and its employees have once again defamed and libeled Sandmann — and will be in a much tougher position than the first time around. This practically screams malice, in both the normal and the legal sense.
So which is it? Bet on Door Number Two:
A spokesperson for the Washington Post said Monday that Zak’s tweet was deleted because he has no idea what he is talking about. “Dan’s tweet was taken down because it had no basis in fact,” she told the Washington Examiner. “Dan has no knowledge about the agreement.”
Hence the First Fifty-One Rules of Settlement Club. But shouldn’t “journalists” have a first rule not to pass along speculation without checking facts first? Of course, if CNN and the Washington Post had such a rule, they never would have had to settle with Sandmann in the first place.


hotair--2020-07-28--Twitter suspends Don Jr after he and Trump push hydroxychloroquine miracle-cure clip

I keep thinking about the fact that the two countries on Earth with the most cases of COVID and the most deaths from COVID are run by strongmen who will not be deterred in their belief that hydroxychloroquine is the key to solving the crisis .
Given Trump ’ s and Bolsonaro ’ s sponsorship of the drug and their enormous influence over their many millions of supporters , it ’ s probably the case that more people in the United States and Brazil are using HCQ to treat their illness than anywhere else on the planet .
What has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t things be better if people were warned that there ’ s no panacea if you get infected , therefore the only “ cure ” right now is strict precautions against getting infected ?
But there ’ s an easy response to that : “ Maybe the outbreaks in both countries would be *worse* if fewer were using it.
” Anyway , this all started on social media , where most bad things originate nowadays , when a video of an event staged by “ America ’ s Frontline Doctors ” in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get sick , ” said Dr. Stella Immanuel at the press conference .
“ This virus has a cure.
” The cure , allegedly , is hydroxychloroquine , an unconventional belief among America ’ s doctors .
But then , according to the Daily Beast , Immanuel has lots of unconventional beliefs : Immanuel , a pediatrician and a religious minister , has a history of making bizarre claims about medical topics and other issues .
She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and witches .
She alleges alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments , and that scientists are cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious .
And , despite appearing in Washington , D.C. to lobby Congress on Monday , she has said that the government is run in part not by humans but by “ reptilians ” and other aliens .
Not only did Immanuel tout HCQ as a “ cure , ” she claimed it was so surefire that Americans don ’ t need to wear masks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t need a mask , ” the Beast quotes her . )
Just a few days ago the governor of Texas touted his mask mandate as a key reason why the state ’ s cases have begun to decline ; a new study says there ’ s reason to believe that that ’ s true .
Now here was Immanuel encouraging the public not to worry so much about precautions in a clip posted to Facebook by Breitbart that went mega-viral , with help from many of Trump ’ s prominent friends on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diamond & Silk , even Donald Trump Jr .
It amassed something like 13 million views in a matter of hours before Facebook decided to yank it as a form of misinformation about COVID-19 .
Junior has been handed a 12-hour suspension of his account for his part in it : The president ’ s retweets of people who promoted Immanuel ’ s “ miracle cure ” video have also been deleted .
https : //twitter.com/numbersmuncher/status/1287952126015143936″ > One tweet he amplified alleged that hydroxychloroquine had been suppressed “ by Fauci & the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Remember that the better part of the past week had been spent by Trump and the White House on “ pivoting ” from the absurdly sanguine view of the pandemic held by POTUS over the past four months to a message more in tune with the public mood .
We need masks , we ’ re canceling the convention , we ’ re doing briefings again , we ’ re putting safety first : It was a new Trump , someone who finally , finally grasped the seriousness of the problem and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a serious way .
Within about eight hours last night , he was back to pressuring governors to reopen everywhere and tweeting that hydroxychloroquine is a miracle cure which his own top scientific advisor is working to discredit in order to assist Democrats .
There ’ ll never be a “ new Trump.
” There ’ s only Trump .
Here ’ s a brief recap of where the science stands on hydroxychloroquine right now .
There are observational studies pointing in both directions on the drug ’ s efficacy against COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has benefits ; other studies found the opposite .
But the clinical studies — the gold standard among doctors — seem to point in one direction .
On the other hand , less than a week ago an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health published an op-ed in Newsweek swearing that hydroxychloroquine really is the key to limiting severe cases of COVID based on the data .
Give it to patients early , he insisted , and there ’ s every reason to believe you ’ ll see bad outcomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assailed by critics but Yale ’ s prestige means the jury on HCQ will remain out for awhile longer despite the clinical data .
The question is why Trump continues to invest in it politically if he ’ s trying to convince voters that he ’ s taking the disease seriously now , particularly by promoting a video that discourages basic precautions like masks .
He could say something like , “ Scientists continue to study it , but in the meantime we should proceed on the assumption that it doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limit transmissions.
” A cynical Twitter pal speculates that he ’ s back to promoting HCQ as a coping mechanism , because the reality that the disease isn ’ t going to “ magically ” disappear in time for the election has become too unpleasant .
Other critics were suggesting last night that this is just a preliminary step in Trump ’ s habit of finding a scapegoat for all of his political problems .
It ’ s not that he managed the pandemic response badly , he ’ ll say if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that scheming doctors like Fauci deliberately sabotaged an effective response by talking down hydroxychloroquine even though it would leave hundreds of thousands dead .
And even though South Korea , Taiwan , Japan , and Europe have managed to get a handle on the pandemic without widespread use of HCQ .
Benjy Sarlin makes a fair point here .
It ’ s true generally that Trump is more a symptom of what ’ s happened to righties over the past 10 years than a cause , but less true when it comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci on “ Good Morning America ” today being asked about hydroxychloroquine and specifically Trump ’ s retweet about him sabotaging interest in the drug .
He and the social-media companies that ended up purging the “ don ’ t wear masks , take HCQ ” video yesterday have something in common in that each is often left with no good options by Trump ’ s antics .
In the case of Facebook , they ’ re forced to choose between leaving up a clip that might help propagate the virus by discouraging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific dispute over hydroxychloroquine that remains unresolved among scientists .
In the case of Fauci , he ’ s forced to choose between staying in the job and enduring these petty crankish public insults from his boss and the boss ’ s supporters and between walking off the job in the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic while vaccine work is proceeding .
A bad outcome no matter what you do .

I keep thinking about the fact that the two countries on Earth with the most cases of COVID and the most deaths from COVID are run by strongmen who will not be deterred in their belief that hydroxychloroquine is the key to solving the crisis. Given Trump’s and Bolsonaro’s sponsorship of the drug and their enormous influence over their many millions of supporters, it’s probably the case that more people in the United States and Brazil are using HCQ to treat their illness than anywhere else on the planet. What has it gotten either country? Wouldn’t things be better if people were warned that there’s no panacea if you get infected, therefore the only “cure” right now is strict precautions against getting infected?
But there’s an easy response to that: “Maybe the outbreaks in both countries would be *worse* if fewer were using it.”
Anyway, this all started on social media, where most bad things originate nowadays, when a video of an event staged by “America’s Frontline Doctors” in Washington went viral. “Nobody needs to get sick,” said Dr. Stella Immanuel at the press conference. “This virus has a cure.” The cure, allegedly, is hydroxychloroquine, an unconventional belief among America’s doctors. But then, according to the Daily Beast, Immanuel has lots of unconventional beliefs:
Immanuel, a pediatrician and a religious minister, has a history of making bizarre claims about medical topics and other issues. She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches. She alleges alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments, and that scientists are cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious. And, despite appearing in Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress on Monday, she has said that the government is run in part not by humans but by “reptilians” and other aliens.
Not only did Immanuel tout HCQ as a “cure,” she claimed it was so surefire that Americans don’t need to wear masks. (“Hello, you don’t need a mask,” the Beast quotes her.) Just a few days ago the governor of Texas touted his mask mandate as a key reason why the state’s cases have begun to decline; a new study says there’s reason to believe that that’s true. Now here was Immanuel encouraging the public not to worry so much about precautions in a clip posted to Facebook by Breitbart that went mega-viral, with help from many of Trump’s prominent friends on the right — Turning Point USA, Diamond & Silk, even Donald Trump Jr. It amassed something like 13 million views in a matter of hours before Facebook decided to yank it as a form of misinformation about COVID-19.
Junior has been handed a 12-hour suspension of his account for his part in it:
https://twitter.com/Surabees/status/1288101467581227011
The president’s retweets of people who promoted Immanuel’s “miracle cure” video have also been deleted. https://twitter.com/numbersmuncher/status/1287952126015143936″>One tweet he amplified alleged that hydroxychloroquine had been suppressed “by Fauci & the Democrats to perpetuate Covid deaths to hurt Trump.” Remember that the better part of the past week had been spent by Trump and the White House on “pivoting” from the absurdly sanguine view of the pandemic held by POTUS over the past four months to a message more in tune with the public mood. We need masks, we’re canceling the convention, we’re doing briefings again, we’re putting safety first: It was a new Trump, someone who finally, finally grasped the seriousness of the problem and was prepared to reckon with it in a serious way.
Within about eight hours last night, he was back to pressuring governors to reopen everywhere and tweeting that hydroxychloroquine is a miracle cure which his own top scientific advisor is working to discredit in order to assist Democrats. There’ll never be a “new Trump.” There’s only Trump.
Here’s a brief recap of where the science stands on hydroxychloroquine right now. There are observational studies pointing in both directions on the drug’s efficacy against COVID-19. The Henry Ford Health System found that it has benefits; other studies found the opposite. But the clinical studies — the gold standard among doctors — seem to point in one direction.
2) Trials are many fold stronger evidence than any Henry Ford retrospective analysis or case series report. Henry Ford Health system (thsr showed lower risk with HCQ) was also just one of several retrospective analyses. The other ones all showed NO BENEFIT or even HIGHER risk. — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 28, 2020
4) here is another earlier HCQ retrospective analysis of 1400 patients in 25 NYC hospitals. Again, no benefit for either HCQ or HCQ+azithromycin sliced 12 different ways. https://t.co/chFU7VEHCJ https://t.co/LxTZ8n9SBM — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 28, 2020
6) And another May study of #Hydroxychloroquine from New York City in NEJM: from 1376 patients over 22 days, there was NO association between hydroxychloroquine and intubation or death (hazard ratio, 1.04, 95% CI, 0.82 to 1.32). Results robust. https://t.co/HpIHarTx4N — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 28, 2020
8) For those just arriving here from another tweet thread, note that this trial by Boulware in NEJM was for HCQ and PREVENTION… not for hospitalized, yet still no effect. Reposting from above so bottom/mid-thread arrivers see it: https://t.co/Zh5ot06ExJ https://t.co/oZA6XXaK67 — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 28, 2020
On the other hand, less than a week ago an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health published an op-ed in Newsweek swearing that hydroxychloroquine really is the key to limiting severe cases of COVID based on the data. Give it to patients early, he insisted, and there’s every reason to believe you’ll see bad outcomes melt away. That op-ed has been assailed by critics but Yale’s prestige means the jury on HCQ will remain out for awhile longer despite the clinical data.
The question is why Trump continues to invest in it politically if he’s trying to convince voters that he’s taking the disease seriously now, particularly by promoting a video that discourages basic precautions like masks. He could say something like, “Scientists continue to study it, but in the meantime we should proceed on the assumption that it doesn’t work and do everything we can to limit transmissions.” A cynical Twitter pal speculates that he’s back to promoting HCQ as a coping mechanism, because the reality that the disease isn’t going to “magically” disappear in time for the election has become too unpleasant. Other critics were suggesting last night that this is just a preliminary step in Trump’s habit of finding a scapegoat for all of his political problems. It’s not that he managed the pandemic response badly, he’ll say if he loses in November, it’s that scheming doctors like Fauci deliberately sabotaged an effective response by talking down hydroxychloroquine even though it would leave hundreds of thousands dead. And even though South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Europe have managed to get a handle on the pandemic without widespread use of HCQ.
Benjy Sarlin makes a fair point here. It’s true generally that Trump is more a symptom of what’s happened to righties over the past 10 years than a cause, but less true when it comes to the HCQ craze:
It’s always fashionable to say Trump is merely an expression or inevitable result of X or Y broader trend, but there’s probably not a single 2016 rival who would plausibly act on a weird viral video with no vetting that contradicted their own administration. That affects things. — Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) July 28, 2020
Here’s Fauci on “Good Morning America” today being asked about hydroxychloroquine and specifically Trump’s retweet about him sabotaging interest in the drug. He and the social-media companies that ended up purging the “don’t wear masks, take HCQ” video yesterday have something in common in that each is often left with no good options by Trump’s antics. In the case of Facebook, they’re forced to choose between leaving up a clip that might help propagate the virus by discouraging mask-wearing and between taking sides in a scientific dispute over hydroxychloroquine that remains unresolved among scientists. In the case of Fauci, he’s forced to choose between staying in the job and enduring these petty crankish public insults from his boss and the boss’s supporters and between walking off the job in the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic while vaccine work is proceeding. A bad outcome no matter what you do.


hotair--2020-07-28--NY Times: BLM protesters wonder if the movement has lost focus as they make 'room for rage' (Update)

Should they be trying to injure federal officers every night with rocks , cans , lasers and fireworks ?
That ’ s the question BLM activists are wrestling with according to the NY Times .
Some believe the nightly attacks on a federal courthouse in Portland have become a distraction from the “ defund police ” message while others see it as perfectly consistent with that message .
At least one activist argues that vandalism and arson aren ’ t violence at all .
“ There may be people throwing water bottles at officers .
I ’ m not going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t see the point , ” said Jennifer Kristiansen , a family-law attorney who joined the Wall of Moms last week and was later arrested by federal agents .
“ But if people want to express their frustration in that way , I ’ m not going to stop them.
” “ There is room for chanting and dancing and joyful noises and there is also room for rage .
We make that space for each other , ” she said… Cat Brooks , a racial justice organizer in Oakland and the co-founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Lives Matter protests and the movement to oust federal forces from cities were “ one connected struggle.
” “ I don ’ t consider property destruction violence , ” she said .
“ Violence is when you attack a person or another living , breathing creature on this planet .
Windows don ’ t cry and they can ’ t die.
” The sense the piece gives is that some organizers think the violence is counter-productive but a significant number of people embrace the “ diversity of tactics ” idea that Antifa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone is going to break windows or set fires but if some people want to do that it ’ s their choice .
And even if some people aren ’ t comfortable with the damage being done , they ’ ll still defend those who do it by providing a crowd ( or a wall of moms ) for the vandals to hide behind .
Ultimately it makes the entire crowd culpable for the worst behavior on display each night .
The Times points out that in Seattle this weekend that included a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trailers , destorying four of them .
The same group also broke into a Starbucks and vandalized it inside and out .
Then someone lit a fire inside .
The Starbucks is on the first floor of a residential building with doznes of people living directly above it .
The Fire Department had to evacuate the building but fortunately , that fire was put out .
The crowd is also attacking the property of anyone they think might not be a supporter : Jamie Boudreau , who runs a bar a block away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ 100 percent ” supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement , said he was texting his wife as the crowd went by .
Someone confronted him , accusing him of taking a video of the crowd .
He said it escalated until people were punching and spitting on him and an employee .
His storefront windows were smashed .
“ I was like , ‘ Guys , you are totally targeting the wrong person right now , ’ ” Mr. Boudreau said .
“ We ’ ve been on the marches .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ And of course this doesn ’ t include the rocks , bricks , batteries and explosives being thrown at police and fire fighters .
Dozens of police officers were injured in Seattle last weekend .
Half a dozen were hurt in Portland .
Even in the twisted view of Cat Brooks , that ’ s actual violence .
Clearly the BLM mob isn ’ t against that either .
Even the commenters at the NY Times think this is getting out of hand .
Not all of them of course , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The major theme of these is that the violent protesters are helping President Trump .
Here ’ s a sample : • “ Maybe it ’ s time for the peaceful protestors to separate themselves from the yahoos .
Protest someplace else , keep the message clear , keep it under control .
That ’ s how you will attract more people to your cause .
There really is no excuse whatsoever for violent protest.
” • “ Quit playing into Trump ’ s hand by using violence and destruction .
You are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ they are burning buildings that have people inside , and they have to wonder if they have ‘ lost focus ’ .
” • “ As this mob becomes uncontrollable the police respond in an attempt to defuse the situation.The mob reacts and there ’ s more violence .
This insanity will continue , BLM will become less relevant , support for the police will increase and even the idea of positive change will become a distant memory.
” • “ I no longer buy the argument that the protesters in Portland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some are actually committing violence , the rest are deliberately , consciously encouraging and enabling violence against other human beings .
And for what goal ?
As the article highlights , the violence does nothing for Black people but undermine progress .
This violence is wrong , it ’ s criminal , and it accomplishes absolutely nothing good .
We should stop pretending that vigilante violence is any part of justice.
” • “ This is decidedly not ‘ what democracy looks like.
’ Democracy looks like people voting .
Democracy looks like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the best solutions we can to the problems we face .
One self-appointed group bestowing upon themselves the authority to overturn democratically established laws , violently attack other human beings , and celebrate destruction of other people ’ s property isn ’ t democracy.
” I ’ m not cherry picking these .
I ’ m pretty much just going down the list from the top .
A lot of readers see the problem with the logic ( and there is a twisted logic ) behind these violent protests .
Not everyone on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that nightly attacks on police and disfavored property owners is advancing the cause of justice .
That ’ s good news but you still have a group of several thousand people in Portland who consider themselves Civil Rights heroes for what they are doing and for the most part no one is willing to tell them they are wrong .
A majority of the media refuses to condemn any tactics rioters choose to use and even when they are critical of a specific act they don ’ t allow it to tarnish the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absurd “ mostly peaceful ” claim in a story about a riot , i.e .
they are still pretending it ’ s just a tiny fraction of the crowd responsible , when it ’ s clear the entire crowd plays a role in allowing the violence to happen .
Everyone who marches on the federal courthouse in Portland each night knows what will happen .
It ’ s not a mystery at this point .
Until the media becomes as critical of the nightly violence as the readership of the NY Times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shouldn ’ t be a very high bar but so far it seems to be too high for most partisan journalists .
Update : My friend Jeryl Bier reminded me that the idea that destruction of property isn ’ t violence isn ’ t such a fringe idea anymore .
Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones , author of the 1619 Project also said something like this recently .
Nikole Hannah Jones responded to Jeryl Bier ’ s tweet ( which included her name ) : I just see this as gaslighting at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand that as a matter of law and common sense some crimes are worse than others .
Breaking windows ( “ destruction ” ) isn ’ t as serious as killing someone .
That doesn ’ t mean destruction and arson aren ’ t violence .
In fact , as Bier pointed out , even the killing of a person has lesser and more serious distinctions , from 1st degree murder to involuntary manslaughter .
What Nikole Hannah-Jones and others on the left don ’ t seem willing to admit is that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in these riots .
Attempting to light a building on fire with people inside is real violence .
Throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police vehicle with police inside is real violence .
Throwing rocks , bricks , cans , batteries and explosive at police is real violence against persons , not things .
Attempted murder during a protest is real violence .
Burning a man to death is real violence .
Shooting a police officer in the head is real violence .
Killing a man to loot a store he is guarding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go on TV and make a rhetorical distinction as if the rioting shouldn ’ t be mentioned in the same breath as the death of George Floyd but the truth is we ’ re way past the point where George Floyd is the only victim .

Should they be trying to injure federal officers every night with rocks, cans, lasers and fireworks? That’s the question BLM activists are wrestling with according to the NY Times. Some believe the nightly attacks on a federal courthouse in Portland have become a distraction from the “defund police” message while others see it as perfectly consistent with that message. At least one activist argues that vandalism and arson aren’t violence at all.
“There may be people throwing water bottles at officers. I’m not going to do that because I don’t see the point,” said Jennifer Kristiansen, a family-law attorney who joined the Wall of Moms last week and was later arrested by federal agents. “But if people want to express their frustration in that way, I’m not going to stop them.” “There is room for chanting and dancing and joyful noises and there is also room for rage. We make that space for each other,” she said… Cat Brooks, a racial justice organizer in Oakland and the co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project, said Black Lives Matter protests and the movement to oust federal forces from cities were “one connected struggle.” “I don’t consider property destruction violence,” she said. “Violence is when you attack a person or another living, breathing creature on this planet. Windows don’t cry and they can’t die.”
The sense the piece gives is that some organizers think the violence is counter-productive but a significant number of people embrace the “diversity of tactics” idea that Antifa has always promoted, i.e. not everyone is going to break windows or set fires but if some people want to do that it’s their choice. And even if some people aren’t comfortable with the damage being done, they’ll still defend those who do it by providing a crowd (or a wall of moms) for the vandals to hide behind. Ultimately it makes the entire crowd culpable for the worst behavior on display each night.
The Times points out that in Seattle this weekend that included a mob which set fire to five construction trailers, destorying four of them. The same group also broke into a Starbucks and vandalized it inside and out. Then someone lit a fire inside. The Starbucks is on the first floor of a residential building with doznes of people living directly above it. The Fire Department had to evacuate the building but fortunately, that fire was put out. The crowd is also attacking the property of anyone they think might not be a supporter:
Jamie Boudreau, who runs a bar a block away, and who described himself as a “100 percent” supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, said he was texting his wife as the crowd went by. Someone confronted him, accusing him of taking a video of the crowd. He said it escalated until people were punching and spitting on him and an employee. His storefront windows were smashed. “I was like, ‘Guys, you are totally targeting the wrong person right now,’” Mr. Boudreau said. “We’ve been on the marches. It’s just so bizarre.”
And of course this doesn’t include the rocks, bricks, batteries and explosives being thrown at police and fire fighters. Dozens of police officers were injured in Seattle last weekend. Half a dozen were hurt in Portland. Even in the twisted view of Cat Brooks, that’s actual violence. Clearly the BLM mob isn’t against that either.
Even the commenters at the NY Times think this is getting out of hand. Not all of them of course, but the most upvoted comments are from critics. The major theme of these is that the violent protesters are helping President Trump. Here’s a sample:
“Maybe it’s time for the peaceful protestors to separate themselves from the yahoos. Protest someplace else, keep the message clear, keep it under control. That’s how you will attract more people to your cause. There really is no excuse whatsoever for violent protest.”
“Every night of destructive protests brings Trump closer to reelection.”
“Quit playing into Trump’s hand by using violence and destruction. You are doing exactly want he wants.”
“they are burning buildings that have people inside, and they have to wonder if they have ‘lost focus’.”
“As this mob becomes uncontrollable the police respond in an attempt to defuse the situation.The mob reacts and there’s more violence. This insanity will continue, BLM will become less relevant, support for the police will increase and even the idea of positive change will become a distant memory.”
“I no longer buy the argument that the protesters in Portland are ‘mostly peaceful.’ While only some are actually committing violence, the rest are deliberately, consciously encouraging and enabling violence against other human beings. And for what goal? As the article highlights, the violence does nothing for Black people but undermine progress. This violence is wrong, it’s criminal, and it accomplishes absolutely nothing good. We should stop pretending that vigilante violence is any part of justice.”
“This is decidedly not ‘what democracy looks like.’ Democracy looks like people voting. Democracy looks like people engaging in rational debate to find the best solutions we can to the problems we face. One self-appointed group bestowing upon themselves the authority to overturn democratically established laws, violently attack other human beings, and celebrate destruction of other people’s property isn’t democracy.”
I’m not cherry picking these. I’m pretty much just going down the list from the top. A lot of readers see the problem with the logic (and there is a twisted logic) behind these violent protests. Not everyone on the left is buying into the idea that nightly attacks on police and disfavored property owners is advancing the cause of justice. That’s good news but you still have a group of several thousand people in Portland who consider themselves Civil Rights heroes for what they are doing and for the most part no one is willing to tell them they are wrong.
A majority of the media refuses to condemn any tactics rioters choose to use and even when they are critical of a specific act they don’t allow it to tarnish the BLM brand. Hence you get the absurd “mostly peaceful” claim in a story about a riot, i.e. they are still pretending it’s just a tiny fraction of the crowd responsible, when it’s clear the entire crowd plays a role in allowing the violence to happen. Everyone who marches on the federal courthouse in Portland each night knows what will happen. It’s not a mystery at this point.
Until the media becomes as critical of the nightly violence as the readership of the NY Times, this is going to continue. That shouldn’t be a very high bar but so far it seems to be too high for most partisan journalists.
Update: My friend Jeryl Bier reminded me that the idea that destruction of property isn’t violence isn’t such a fringe idea anymore. Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the 1619 Project also said something like this recently.
"Violence is when an agent of the state kneels on a man's neck until all of the life is leached out of his body. Destroying property, which can be replaced, is not violence. To use the same language to describe those two things is not moral" –@nhannahjones on CBSN pic.twitter.com/GGteXRFwAr — CBS News (@CBSNews) June 2, 2020
Nikole Hannah Jones responded to Jeryl Bier’s tweet (which included her name):
https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/1288162804730560512
I just see this as gaslighting at this point. Yes, we all understand that as a matter of law and common sense some crimes are worse than others. Breaking windows (“destruction”) isn’t as serious as killing someone. That doesn’t mean destruction and arson aren’t violence. In fact, as Bier pointed out, even the killing of a person has lesser and more serious distinctions, from 1st degree murder to involuntary manslaughter.
What Nikole Hannah-Jones and others on the left don’t seem willing to admit is that there is plenty of high-level violence taking place in these riots. Attempting to light a building on fire with people inside is real violence. Throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police vehicle with police inside is real violence. Throwing rocks, bricks, cans, batteries and explosive at police is real violence against persons, not things. Attempted murder during a protest is real violence. Burning a man to death is real violence. Shooting a police officer in the head is real violence. Killing a man to loot a store he is guarding is real violence.
So you can go on TV and make a rhetorical distinction as if the rioting shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as the death of George Floyd but the truth is we’re way past the point where George Floyd is the only victim.


hotair--2020-07-28--NY Times slips in shocking new details on UFO "crash retrieval" data and materials

Hang on to your hats , folks .
The ride may be about to go off the rails entirely .
When the New York Times published its latest bombshell UFO article from reporters Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal last week , it created quite a stir .
And I ’ m not just talking about people in the ufology community who always follow this sort of news .
The story was showing up on cable news programs and in mainstream publications around the world .
Despite the fact that the reporters expressed some annoyance over people leaking the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article ahead of time , it seems to have been very well received .
But at the end of my post , I noted that during a follow-on interview , Blumenthal dropped a hint that there might be more to come .
Well , as the saying goes , that didn ’ t take long at all .
This morning a new UFO article appeared at the Gray Lady from the same pair of reporters .
Going by the title and the introductory paragraphs , this one appeared at first to be more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ Do We Believe in U.F.O.s ?
That ’ s the Wrong Question.
” What they ’ re talking about is a topic that I ’ ve covered here repeatedly in the past .
“ Believing ” in UFOs or Bigfoot or any other paranormal phenomenon really isn ’ t relative to whatever the underlying reality of these phenomena may or may not be .
What matters is the data we are able to acquire so people can arrive at rational conclusions themselves .
If you suddenly stop “ believing ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t simply fall to the floor .
But after covering that ground , the reporters expand on the information they obtained while researching last week ’ s article , and it contains some material that is , at least in my opinion , even more shocking than most of what ’ s come before .
They describe talking to sources inside the Pentagon with access to information regarding the potential existence of “ retrieved ” materials from “ crash retrievals of advanced aerospace vehicles.
” And while access to physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , their sources were far more direct about what ’ s going on than others have been in the past .
But our latest article provided a more daunting set of challenges , since we dealt with the possible existence of retrieved materials from U.F.O.s .
Going from data on a distant object in the sky to the possession of a retrieved one on the ground makes a leap that many find hard to accept and that clearly demands extraordinary evidence .
Numerous associates of the Pentagon program , with high security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.F.O .
investigations , told us they were convinced such crashes have occurred , based on their access to classified information .
But the retrieved materials themselves , and any data about them , are completely off-limits to anyone without clearances and a need to know .
We were provided a series of unclassified slides showing that the program took this seriously enough to include it in numerous briefings .
One slide says one of the program ’ s tasks was to “ arrange for access to data/reports/materials from crash retrievals of A.A.V.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehicles .
Wait a minute .
“ Advanced Aerospace Vehicles ?
” So now we have yet another acronym to deal with ?
( AAV ) The reporters go into detail , saying that their Pentagon sources were quite clear in what they meant by this .
They aren ’ t talking about “ vehicles made in any country — not Russian or Chinese.
” Instead , they are referring to “ technology in the realm of the truly unexplained.
” The sources go on to tell Kean and Blumenthal that their statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beliefs.
” We should all probably make sure we ’ re sitting down for this part .
So these sources who were good enough to pass muster for the Times editorial board are saying factually that there are materials from vehicles that were not made in Russia , China or the United States and were capable of spaceflight ?
( Based on the “ aerospace ” descriptor as opposed to “ aerial ” or “ aviation.
” ) Okay… so if our main adversaries didn ’ t build them and we didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
The reporters were also provided with slides used in government briefings , presumably for some congressional committees .
Check out the one in the linked article .
Here ’ s what it says , and you should read the contents of this slide very closely : ( See update below ) If you weren ’ t hearing a record-scratch sound effect in your head reading the “ Current Threat ” section of the slide , you weren ’ t paying attention when the description of the AAV phenomena was specifically referenced as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that possibly mean other than what virtually every one of us is thinking right now ?
Second item : When the slide addresses some “ Future Threat ” they are clearly talking about Russia and China , among others .
But those adversaries are specifically described as “ terrestrial adversaries.
” Why in the world would you bother specifying that the Russians and the Chinese are “ terrestrial ” in nature unless you ’ re allowing the option of adversaries that aren ’ t terrestrial ?
And if something isn ’ t terrestrial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one other word that describes everything else in the universe not falling into that category… Extraterrestrial .
Did someone at the Pentagon just reveal , without 100 % definitively saying it , that the government knows it ’ s been dealing with an extraterrestrial intelligence ?
And if so , when precisely were they planning on getting around to telling the rest of us ?
Is that what Marco Rubio and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence are trying to accomplish with S.4049 and calling for the release of a publicly available report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the top , hang on to your hats , buckle up tight and make sure your seat-back trays are stowed in the upright position , folks .
Things may be about to get very weird in an unimaginably wonderful way .
UPDATE : ( Jazz ) Some experienced ufology sleuths on Twittter have pointed out that the slide presented by Kean and Blumenthal is not from an official DoD presentation , or at least not originally .
It comes from a public presentation given by Hal Puthoff in 2018 .
Other have noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occasions and the slide may have been reused , but that ’ s not definitive yet .
See Twitter thread below .

Hang on to your hats, folks. The ride may be about to go off the rails entirely.
When the New York Times published its latest bombshell UFO article from reporters Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal last week, it created quite a stir. And I’m not just talking about people in the ufology community who always follow this sort of news. The story was showing up on cable news programs and in mainstream publications around the world. Despite the fact that the reporters expressed some annoyance over people leaking the fact that they’d been working on the article ahead of time, it seems to have been very well received. But at the end of my post, I noted that during a follow-on interview, Blumenthal dropped a hint that there might be more to come.
Well, as the saying goes, that didn’t take long at all. This morning a new UFO article appeared at the Gray Lady from the same pair of reporters. Going by the title and the introductory paragraphs, this one appeared at first to be more of a philosophical piece. The title was “Do We Believe in U.F.O.s? That’s the Wrong Question.” What they’re talking about is a topic that I’ve covered here repeatedly in the past. “Believing” in UFOs or Bigfoot or any other paranormal phenomenon really isn’t relative to whatever the underlying reality of these phenomena may or may not be. What matters is the data we are able to acquire so people can arrive at rational conclusions themselves. If you suddenly stop “believing” in the chair you’re sitting in you don’t simply fall to the floor.
But after covering that ground, the reporters expand on the information they obtained while researching last week’s article, and it contains some material that is, at least in my opinion, even more shocking than most of what’s come before. They describe talking to sources inside the Pentagon with access to information regarding the potential existence of “retrieved” materials from “crash retrievals of advanced aerospace vehicles.” And while access to physical proof was not offered (or possible), their sources were far more direct about what’s going on than others have been in the past.
But our latest article provided a more daunting set of challenges, since we dealt with the possible existence of retrieved materials from U.F.O.s. Going from data on a distant object in the sky to the possession of a retrieved one on the ground makes a leap that many find hard to accept and that clearly demands extraordinary evidence. Numerous associates of the Pentagon program, with high security clearances and decades of involvement with official U.F.O. investigations, told us they were convinced such crashes have occurred, based on their access to classified information. But the retrieved materials themselves, and any data about them, are completely off-limits to anyone without clearances and a need to know. We were provided a series of unclassified slides showing that the program took this seriously enough to include it in numerous briefings. One slide says one of the program’s tasks was to “arrange for access to data/reports/materials from crash retrievals of A.A.V.’s,” or advanced aerospace vehicles.
Wait a minute. “Advanced Aerospace Vehicles?” So now we have yet another acronym to deal with? (AAV) The reporters go into detail, saying that their Pentagon sources were quite clear in what they meant by this. They aren’t talking about “vehicles made in any country — not Russian or Chinese.” Instead, they are referring to “technology in the realm of the truly unexplained.” The sources go on to tell Kean and Blumenthal that their statements are based on “facts, not beliefs.”
We should all probably make sure we’re sitting down for this part. So these sources who were good enough to pass muster for the Times editorial board are saying factually that there are materials from vehicles that were not made in Russia, China or the United States and were capable of spaceflight? (Based on the “aerospace” descriptor as opposed to “aerial” or “aviation.”) Okay… so if our main adversaries didn’t build them and we didn’t build them… who or what did?
The reporters were also provided with slides used in government briefings, presumably for some congressional committees. Check out the one in the linked article. Here’s what it says, and you should read the contents of this slide very closely: (See update below)
Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program – AATIP (cont.) Twofold Nature of the Threat: 1. Current Threat: AAV phenomena of foreign derivation (including off-world), being globally deployed/tested, including in CONUS
2. Future Threat: Potential terrestrial adversaries achieving significant breakthroughs in the development of game-changing technologies based on evaluations of AAV phenomena from sensor data or crash/retrieved materials.
If you weren’t hearing a record-scratch sound effect in your head reading the “Current Threat” section of the slide, you weren’t paying attention when the description of the AAV phenomena was specifically referenced as “including off-world.” What else could that possibly mean other than what virtually every one of us is thinking right now?
Second item: When the slide addresses some “Future Threat” they are clearly talking about Russia and China, among others. But those adversaries are specifically described as “terrestrial adversaries.” Why in the world would you bother specifying that the Russians and the Chinese are “terrestrial” in nature unless you’re allowing the option of adversaries that aren’t terrestrial? And if something isn’t terrestrial in nature, there’s only one other word that describes everything else in the universe not falling into that category… Extraterrestrial.
Did someone at the Pentagon just reveal, without 100% definitively saying it, that the government knows it’s been dealing with an extraterrestrial intelligence? And if so, when precisely were they planning on getting around to telling the rest of us? Is that what Marco Rubio and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence are trying to accomplish with S.4049 and calling for the release of a publicly available report on UAPs?
Like I said at the top, hang on to your hats, buckle up tight and make sure your seat-back trays are stowed in the upright position, folks. Things may be about to get very weird in an unimaginably wonderful way.
UPDATE: (Jazz) Some experienced ufology sleuths on Twittter have pointed out that the slide presented by Kean and Blumenthal is not from an official DoD presentation, or at least not originally. It comes from a public presentation given by Hal Puthoff in 2018. Other have noted that he has briefed Congress on multiple occasions and the slide may have been reused, but that’s not definitive yet. See Twitter thread below.
@nytimes and @lesliekean, sorry but it’s not a slide from an official unclassified US Gov’t presentation about a secret UFO program. It’s from a Hal Puthoff’s 2018 public conference available on Youtube (link below). Please check your sources. What a shame… pic.twitter.com/EH1jClubFm — Marc Cecotti (@MC05A) July 28, 2020
UPDATE 1: (Jazz) Mystery solved. From Leslie Kean’s FB page