hotair--2020-03-05--Biden: My wife is "my Secret Service" and she could use some help

Joe Biden isn ’ t going to be able to count on his wife and a senior campaign adviser forever , you know , for his personal safety when he addresses a crowd .
Sooner or later some crazy protester is going to get too close to Biden and his wife won ’ t be there to push that person away .
Symone Sanders may not be there to tackle the protester and drag her off the stage , either .
Now that Joe Biden is the newly anointed candidate of choice for the non-socialist wing of the Democrat Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to actually require some additional security .
Up until the panic set in that the party might really have to acknowledge Bernie Sanders as the front-runner on the way to the DNC convention this summer , Sleepy Joe didn ’ t have much enthusiasm behind his candidacy .
The campaign wasn ’ t exactly looking for bigger venues to hold large crowds .
That all changed after Rep. James Clyburn handed Biden a victory in South Carolina and the Jomemtum continued into Super Tuesday .
Whoever is writing Joe ’ s remarks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make light of the situation he faced during his victory speech in Los Angeles on Super Tuesday .
He addressed the incident by calling Dr. Jill ( she has a doctorate in education , not a medical doctor ) “ my Secret Service ” .
“ I ’ m probably the only candidate running for president whose wife is my Secret Service .
Whoa , you don ’ t screw around with a Philly girl , I ’ ll tell you what , ” Biden told the crowd gathered at Paramount Pictures chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Air Wednesday , according to a pool report .
The two-term vice president added , “ I thought I heard on the news on the way over that that the committee in charge of Secret Service decided they have to start providing Secret Service for us .
I think that ’ s because they ’ re afraid Jill ’ s going to hurt someone.
” Nothing like admitting he needs his wife to protect him , amirite ?
The guy is asking people to vote for him to be the most powerful man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ok .
Cool story , Joe .
A call for Secret Service protection for both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders was sent out by former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs on MSNBC Tuesday night after the attempted attack on Biden took place .
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Team Biden is considering asking for Secret Service protection .
The Sanders campaign will likely do the same .
Bernie has had his own encounters with protesters storming the stage .
In 2016 , early Secret Service protection was given to Donald Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hillary Clinton .
Naturally , Biden had to slam Trump as he explained the necessity of a request .
Biden said “ it ’ s becoming increasingly ” clear that such protection is necessary .
“ I don ’ t like to pull the Trump routine of someone stands up and protests and throw them out you know , ” Biden said .
“ Kick the bum out kind of , I don ’ t do that .
But I do think that the idea of jumping on a stage .
it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing we need is anybody hurt.
” Wednesday Rep. Bennie Thompson , chairman of the Homeland Security Committee , wrote to acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf asking him to offer Secret Service protection to the Democrat candidates .
Candidates are required to specifically make a request for early protection , as it is only allowed 120 days before an election as standard procedure .
“ I write to urge you to immediately undertake the consultation process necessary to determine whether any Democratic candidates for President should be afforded protection by the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” read the letter to Wolf .
“ While the Guidelines indicate that a candidate must request protection from the Secretary and the USSS Director in order to begin the consultation and authorization process , the Guidelines also indicate that the absence of a request would not prevent the authorization of protection when warranted , ” the Mississippi Democrat added .
Late Wednesday , a Secret Service spokesperson released a statement .
The agency is ready whenever the candidates make a request .
Thursday morning Biden was on the TODAY show and told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the extra protection and then sounded as if his wife and daughter “ have more courage ” than him , which is a troubling remark .
Maybe one of them should be the candidate , not old Joe .
Well , I think that that ’ s something that has to be considered the more outrageous it becomes , ” he told “ TODAY ” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive interview that aired Thursday .
“ But I tell you my wife ’ s something else , isn ’ t she ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for me .
I was worried about for Jill .
She is incredible .
She did the same thing at another event in New Hampshire when a guy I didn ’ t even see him coming behind me he approached me in a black and she runs up and grabs him.
” “ She and my daughter have more courage than I think anyway I that ’ s what I worry about , I worry about Jill , ” he continued .
I am not sure what Joe meant when he said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a black ” but that ’ s the type of sentences we are getting used to from Biden .
Bless his heart .

Joe Biden isn’t going to be able to count on his wife and a senior campaign adviser forever, you know, for his personal safety when he addresses a crowd. Sooner or later some crazy protester is going to get too close to Biden and his wife won’t be there to push that person away. Symone Sanders may not be there to tackle the protester and drag her off the stage, either.
Now that Joe Biden is the newly anointed candidate of choice for the non-socialist wing of the Democrat Party, his crowds will likely get big enough to actually require some additional security. Up until the panic set in that the party might really have to acknowledge Bernie Sanders as the front-runner on the way to the DNC convention this summer, Sleepy Joe didn’t have much enthusiasm behind his candidacy. The campaign wasn’t exactly looking for bigger venues to hold large crowds. That all changed after Rep. James Clyburn handed Biden a victory in South Carolina and the Jomemtum continued into Super Tuesday.
Whoever is writing Joe’s remarks thought it was a good idea to make light of the situation he faced during his victory speech in Los Angeles on Super Tuesday. He addressed the incident by calling Dr. Jill (she has a doctorate in education, not a medical doctor) “my Secret Service”.
“I’m probably the only candidate running for president whose wife is my Secret Service. Whoa, you don’t screw around with a Philly girl, I’ll tell you what,” Biden told the crowd gathered at Paramount Pictures chief Sherry Lansing’s house in Bel Air Wednesday, according to a pool report. The two-term vice president added, “I thought I heard on the news on the way over that that the committee in charge of Secret Service decided they have to start providing Secret Service for us. I think that’s because they’re afraid Jill’s going to hurt someone.”
Nothing like admitting he needs his wife to protect him, amirite? The guy is asking people to vote for him to be the most powerful man in the free world, but, ok. Cool story, Joe.
A call for Secret Service protection for both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders was sent out by former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs on MSNBC Tuesday night after the attempted attack on Biden took place.
“I hope a conversation happens in Washington tomorrow. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden need Secret Service protection,” Gibbs said. “What happened tonight was nothing short of genuinely scary.” “Those two candidates are the likely Democratic nominee. They should have Secret Service protection in the next 24 to 48 hours,” he added.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Team Biden is considering asking for Secret Service protection. The Sanders campaign will likely do the same. Bernie has had his own encounters with protesters storming the stage. In 2016, early Secret Service protection was given to Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton. Naturally, Biden had to slam Trump as he explained the necessity of a request.
Biden said “it’s becoming increasingly” clear that such protection is necessary. “I don’t like to pull the Trump routine of someone stands up and protests and throw them out you know,” Biden said. “Kick the bum out kind of, I don’t do that. But I do think that the idea of jumping on a stage. it’s just not permissible. The last thing we need is anybody hurt.”
Wednesday Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, wrote to acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf asking him to offer Secret Service protection to the Democrat candidates. Candidates are required to specifically make a request for early protection, as it is only allowed 120 days before an election as standard procedure.
“I write to urge you to immediately undertake the consultation process necessary to determine whether any Democratic candidates for President should be afforded protection by the United States Secret Service (USSS),” read the letter to Wolf. “While the Guidelines indicate that a candidate must request protection from the Secretary and the USSS Director in order to begin the consultation and authorization process, the Guidelines also indicate that the absence of a request would not prevent the authorization of protection when warranted,” the Mississippi Democrat added.
Late Wednesday, a Secret Service spokesperson released a statement. The agency is ready whenever the candidates make a request.
“The Secret Service has had teams identified, trained, and ready to deploy for months. Our men and women stand ready to execute this vital mission when a candidate makes a request through the Secretary of Homeland Security in consultation with the Congressional Candidate Advisory Panel,” spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan said.
Thursday morning Biden was on the TODAY show and told the anchor that the campaign is discussing the extra protection and then sounded as if his wife and daughter “have more courage” than him, which is a troubling remark. Maybe one of them should be the candidate, not old Joe.
Well, I think that that’s something that has to be considered the more outrageous it becomes,” he told “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie in an exclusive interview that aired Thursday. “But I tell you my wife’s something else, isn’t she? Well, I wasn’t scared for me. I was worried about for Jill. She is incredible. She did the same thing at another event in New Hampshire when a guy I didn’t even see him coming behind me he approached me in a black and she runs up and grabs him.” “She and my daughter have more courage than I think anyway I that’s what I worry about, I worry about Jill,” he continued.
I am not sure what Joe meant when he said the protester in New Hampshire “approached me in a black” but that’s the type of sentences we are getting used to from Biden. Bless his heart.


hotair--2020-03-05--A fix for New York's disastrous bail reform law?

In the roughly two months since New York ’ s new bail reform law went into effect , support for the measure ( which was tepid at best to start with ) has almost entirely collapsed for obvious reasons .
The revolving door for criminals created by this law has produced an endless stream of embarrassing headlines in Gotham ’ s newspapers , as bad guys laugh at the criminal justice system and go on robbery and assault sprees .
Despite the Governor ’ s promise to “ look at ” some possible reforms to the measure , nothing has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New York City , continues to deteriorate .
Perhaps both Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio should take to heart a new analysis from the Manhattan Institute which suggests that the time to fix this broken system is now .
They offer some specific remedies which could at least limit the damage and quell some of the public anger currently being directed at the state and municipal governments .
( Free Beacon ) On Jan. 1 , New York became the latest state to largely do away with cash bail , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many felony offenses .
The results have not been encouraging .
Crime rates have spiked in New York City and polling support for bail reform has more or less collapsed .
In the new report , Rafael Mangual , deputy director of legal policy at the conservative Manhattan Institute , argues that the state needs to do three things to get bail reform back on track : Allow judges to make algorithmically informed considerations of public safety in bail decisions , allow the revocation of release if someone is rearrested , and give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases faster .
As far as I ’ m concerned , the best option would be to repeal the law in its entirety and start over again if the state ’ s elected officials think the public will stand for another attempt .
But since they appear to be digging in their heels , some “ reform of the reform ” may be all we can hope for .
With that in mind , all three elements of this proposal from the Manhattan Institute are worth considering .
The first one is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allowing more freedom for judicial discretion is certainly worth looking at , but it likely won ’ t satisfy anyone on either side of the debate .
For those concerned over crime and high recidivism rates , some activist judges that keep letting convicts off with a slap on the wrist were part of the original problem .
That ’ s how we wound up with mandatory minimum sentencing laws .
But proponents of reform point out that some judges frequently hand down harsher sentences to convicts of color , saying the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s something of a circular firing squad in political terms .
The second item should be a no-brainer .
The biggest black eye that the bail reform law has taken deals with the repeat offenders who have turned the court system into a very unfunny joke .
The one guy who robbed six banks in just over a week despite having been arrested twice became the poster child for scrapping this law , but there were many more examples .
If you must allow the suspects to leave jail with no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If they go on to get arrested again before their court date , that should be the end of it .
They will have proven that they are a clear and present threat to society and should be held until their trial .
The final reform proposal is an obvious one .
The cops and the courts are working overtime ( literally ) to try to process all of these criminals in a timely fashion so more funding is always going to be needed .
But both the state and the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with increasing numbers of people fleeing the region , leading to a shrinking tax base .
However , if the money can be found , then , by all means , do this as well .
As I mentioned at the top , public support for the bail reform law and the other “ criminal justice reform ” measures recently enacted has cratered .
But both the municipal and state governments are thumbing their noses at the voters .
It ’ s much the same as the “ green light law ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cards to illegal aliens .
A majority of voters opposed that measure as well , but it was voted into law anyway .
So rather than just reforming bad laws , I have a different suggestion for the people of New York .
How about you reform your voting habits and stop sending these worthless Democrats back to office year after year ?
A radical concept , I know .
But you might have to start considering it .

In the roughly two months since New York’s new bail reform law went into effect, support for the measure (which was tepid at best to start with) has almost entirely collapsed for obvious reasons. The revolving door for criminals created by this law has produced an endless stream of embarrassing headlines in Gotham’s newspapers, as bad guys laugh at the criminal justice system and go on robbery and assault sprees. Despite the Governor’s promise to “look at” some possible reforms to the measure, nothing has been done and the situation, particularly in New York City, continues to deteriorate.
Perhaps both Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio should take to heart a new analysis from the Manhattan Institute which suggests that the time to fix this broken system is now. They offer some specific remedies which could at least limit the damage and quell some of the public anger currently being directed at the state and municipal governments. (Free Beacon)
On Jan. 1, New York became the latest state to largely do away with cash bail, prohibiting its use for all misdemeanors and many felony offenses. The results have not been encouraging. Crime rates have spiked in New York City and polling support for bail reform has more or less collapsed. In the new report, Rafael Mangual, deputy director of legal policy at the conservative Manhattan Institute, argues that the state needs to do three things to get bail reform back on track: Allow judges to make algorithmically informed considerations of public safety in bail decisions, allow the revocation of release if someone is rearrested, and give more funding to state courts to process cases faster.
As far as I’m concerned, the best option would be to repeal the law in its entirety and start over again if the state’s elected officials think the public will stand for another attempt. But since they appear to be digging in their heels, some “reform of the reform” may be all we can hope for. With that in mind, all three elements of this proposal from the Manhattan Institute are worth considering.
The first one is the toughest to wrestle to the ground. Allowing more freedom for judicial discretion is certainly worth looking at, but it likely won’t satisfy anyone on either side of the debate. For those concerned over crime and high recidivism rates, some activist judges that keep letting convicts off with a slap on the wrist were part of the original problem. That’s how we wound up with mandatory minimum sentencing laws. But proponents of reform point out that some judges frequently hand down harsher sentences to convicts of color, saying the system is rife with racism and abuse. It’s something of a circular firing squad in political terms.
The second item should be a no-brainer. The biggest black eye that the bail reform law has taken deals with the repeat offenders who have turned the court system into a very unfunny joke. The one guy who robbed six banks in just over a week despite having been arrested twice became the poster child for scrapping this law, but there were many more examples. If you must allow the suspects to leave jail with no bail, it should be done once. If they go on to get arrested again before their court date, that should be the end of it. They will have proven that they are a clear and present threat to society and should be held until their trial.
The final reform proposal is an obvious one. The cops and the courts are working overtime (literally) to try to process all of these criminals in a timely fashion so more funding is always going to be needed. But both the state and the city already have budget problems aplenty, particularly with increasing numbers of people fleeing the region, leading to a shrinking tax base. However, if the money can be found, then, by all means, do this as well.
As I mentioned at the top, public support for the bail reform law and the other “criminal justice reform” measures recently enacted has cratered. But both the municipal and state governments are thumbing their noses at the voters. It’s much the same as the “green light law” that gave driver’s licenses and identification cards to illegal aliens. A majority of voters opposed that measure as well, but it was voted into law anyway. So rather than just reforming bad laws, I have a different suggestion for the people of New York. How about you reform your voting habits and stop sending these worthless Democrats back to office year after year? A radical concept, I know. But you might have to start considering it.


hotair--2020-03-05--We don't actually know who won California on Tuesday

The media called California for Bernie Sanders moments after the polls closed on Friday so everyone knows how that played out , right ?
Bernie Sanders won the Golden State , but not by as wide of a margin as earlier polls had predicted .
Well… maybe .
The truth is that barely half of the votes have been counted .
The “ final ” results we were given were largely based on exit polls and trends in the actual votes cast in person on Tuesday .
But as The Guardian is reporting , there are more than five million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office warehouses or on their way to officials to be tallied .
And nobody knows how many of them were cast for which candidate because they were all mailed in early .
One political analyst described it as a “ black box.
” Bernie Sanders was declared the winner in California just moments after polls closed but his final haul of delegates could remain uncertain for days , or even weeks , as election officials tally the millions of provisional votes and mail-in ballots .
And while triumph in the Golden State will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become essentially a two-person race between him and Joe Biden , the eventual delegate math could indicate a decidedly shakier path to the nomination than the Vermont senator expected last week… “ It ’ s like there ’ s this black box of how many ballots are at the post office right now , ” said [ Paul Mitchell , of Political Data Inc. ] So far , about 5.3m ballots have been counted , according to Mitchell , just over 50 % of the 10m he expects have been cast in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cycle , we wouldn ’ t expect any sort of huge shift in the projections because we ’ ve gotten fairly good at gauging such things based on exit polling .
But this is far from a normal election cycle .
Keep in mind that the California primary took place three days after South Carolina voted and barely 48 hours after two other candidates from the “ moderate ” lane who had measurable support dropped out .
We should also remember that California Democrats started voting 40 days before the actual primary date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s campaign had been left for dead on the side of the road by many analysts ( as Joe so loves to point out this week ) .
Pete Buttigieg was being seen as an ascendent , competitive player after Iowa and New Hampshire .
Bernie Sanders was being talked about as “ inevitable ” for a good portion of that period .
And Michael Bloomberg was running a massive television ad campaign all over California in every major market .
He was also rising in the polls .
With all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibly know what story those five million ballots will tell ?
This is precisely the problem I was talking about yesterday when discussing the massive problems with extreme early voting .
The bulk of those millions of ballots were cast by people who didn ’ t have anywhere near all the information they would surely have liked to have had when they sent them in .
For all we know , Bernie Sanders could have such a massive share of those ballots that he ’ ll take the lead back in the delegate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Californians may have been panicking over a potential Sanders nomination and voting in droves for Buttigieg .
Or Biden .
Or even Bloomberg .
At this point , we ’ re trying to read the minds of people who were making decisions without a lot of information that voters had on primary day .
It ’ s an exercise in futility .
Yes , in all likelihood , Bernie Sanders won and will pick up a sizable pack of delegates .
But there ’ s a non-zero probability that it might be much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he might have even finished second .

The media called California for Bernie Sanders moments after the polls closed on Friday so everyone knows how that played out, right? Bernie Sanders won the Golden State, but not by as wide of a margin as earlier polls had predicted.
Well… maybe. The truth is that barely half of the votes have been counted. The “final” results we were given were largely based on exit polls and trends in the actual votes cast in person on Tuesday. But as The Guardian is reporting, there are more than five million ballots stacked up in bags at post office warehouses or on their way to officials to be tallied. And nobody knows how many of them were cast for which candidate because they were all mailed in early. One political analyst described it as a “black box.”
Bernie Sanders was declared the winner in California just moments after polls closed but his final haul of delegates could remain uncertain for days, or even weeks, as election officials tally the millions of provisional votes and mail-in ballots. And while triumph in the Golden State will help Sanders remain competitive in what has become essentially a two-person race between him and Joe Biden, the eventual delegate math could indicate a decidedly shakier path to the nomination than the Vermont senator expected last week… “It’s like there’s this black box of how many ballots are at the post office right now,” said [Paul Mitchell, of Political Data Inc.] So far, about 5.3m ballots have been counted, according to Mitchell, just over 50% of the 10m he expects have been cast in this election.
In a more normal election cycle, we wouldn’t expect any sort of huge shift in the projections because we’ve gotten fairly good at gauging such things based on exit polling. But this is far from a normal election cycle. Keep in mind that the California primary took place three days after South Carolina voted and barely 48 hours after two other candidates from the “moderate” lane who had measurable support dropped out.
We should also remember that California Democrats started voting 40 days before the actual primary date. At that point, Joe Biden’s campaign had been left for dead on the side of the road by many analysts (as Joe so loves to point out this week). Pete Buttigieg was being seen as an ascendent, competitive player after Iowa and New Hampshire. Bernie Sanders was being talked about as “inevitable” for a good portion of that period. And Michael Bloomberg was running a massive television ad campaign all over California in every major market. He was also rising in the polls.
With all of that in mind, how can we possibly know what story those five million ballots will tell? This is precisely the problem I was talking about yesterday when discussing the massive problems with extreme early voting. The bulk of those millions of ballots were cast by people who didn’t have anywhere near all the information they would surely have liked to have had when they sent them in.
For all we know, Bernie Sanders could have such a massive share of those ballots that he’ll take the lead back in the delegate count. Conversely, huge numbers of Californians may have been panicking over a potential Sanders nomination and voting in droves for Buttigieg. Or Biden. Or even Bloomberg. At this point, we’re trying to read the minds of people who were making decisions without a lot of information that voters had on primary day. It’s an exercise in futility. Yes, in all likelihood, Bernie Sanders won and will pick up a sizable pack of delegates. But there’s a non-zero probability that it might be much closer to a tie. Heck, he might have even finished second.


hotair--2020-03-05--Consequences: FISA court disqualifies FBI agents linked to Carter Page warrants

Substantively , it might not seem like much , but symbolically , this order will sting the FBI and Department of Justice .
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court effectively barred any agents involved in the Carter Page FISA warrants from taking part in its proceedings as a consequence of the misconduct that took place in Operation Crossfire Hurricane .
Also , the court will now require agents and attorneys to swear under oath explicitly that they have included all potentially exculpatory evidence in their presentations : A secretive federal court on Wednesday effectively barred F.B.I .
officials involved in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from appearing before it in other cases at least temporarily , the latest fallout from an internal inquiry into the bureau ’ s surveillance of the aide .
A 19-page opinion and order by James E. Boasberg , the chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court , also largely accepted changes the F.B.I .
has said it will make to its process for seeking national-security wiretaps following a damning inspector general report about errors and omissions in applications to monitor the adviser , Carter Page .
But Judge Boasberg ordered law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the applications to the court contain “ all information that might reasonably call into question the accuracy of the information or the reasonableness of any F.B.I .
assessment in the application , or otherwise raise doubts about the requested findings.
” The court has also accepted a package of reforms from the FBI , after rejecting their first submission .
Warrant applications will now have to be sworn by case agents rather than their supervisors , as was previously the case .
The bureau also promised “ enhanced training ” to avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whatever that means .
Do they really need enhanced training to avoid deliberately misrepresenting a target ’ s relationship with other US intelligence agencies , for instance ?
The banishment of Crossfire Hurricane figures is almost certainly meant to be embarrassing , but that ’ s about as much teeth as FISC has in this situation .
As the New York Times ’ Charlie Savage points out , the court has limited authority to deal with FBI misconduct .
It has no oversight over the Department of Justice at all , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s rotating judges had already adopted a more skeptical approach to more recent surveillance warrant applications after reading the Michael Horowitz report , but unless Congress changes the FISA law , courts are still required to follow it .
Speaking of which , the law is due to expire , and Donald Trump has already declared he won ’ t sign an extension without significant changes .
Given what happened in Crossfire Hurricane , few would be surprised to know that , of course : President Donald Trump told top House and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would not support a clean extension of federal surveillance powers and called for them to work out a deal with Democrats on how to move forward .
… Trump ’ s comments in an hour-plus meeting on Tuesday night came despite a push from Attorney General William Barr to modify the law administratively to appease the president , who has railed in the past against the spying law after authorities used it to monitor an associate of his 2016 campaign .
“ The president made it exceedingly clear he will not accept a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Sen. Rand Paul ( R-Ky. ) , told reporters after the meeting .
“ He was told by the attorney general , we can massage around the edges and we can fix this through regulation , the president didn ’ t accept that , pushed back very vigorously and said ‘ we ’ re not doing this . '
” Trump instead told the lawmakers : “ You all work out a bipartisan deal and come back to me and I ’ ll sign it , ” according to a source in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 15th , which means that the FISC ’ s sanctions on the FBI and DoJ might be moot by the 16th .
That would involve not just humiliation but likely some level of panic at the FBI over its national-security responsibilities .
They are the only national agency allowed to conduct counter-intelligence operations within the US , and any covert surveillance of a “ US Person ” would require a FISA warrant even to begin .
Last week , I spoke with former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker about the FISA process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who still advises the president at times , says the process needs reform but not a shutdown or complete revision : The Horowitz report has been out for months , though , so the deadline issue is one that Congress created for itself .
If they want to renew FISA , it had better start including an adversarial process to test the government case in some manner and a lot more accountability for fraudulent representations on warrants .
That ’ s not an unreasonable ask in the post-Russiagate era .

Substantively, it might not seem like much, but symbolically, this order will sting the FBI and Department of Justice. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court effectively barred any agents involved in the Carter Page FISA warrants from taking part in its proceedings as a consequence of the misconduct that took place in Operation Crossfire Hurricane. Also, the court will now require agents and attorneys to swear under oath explicitly that they have included all potentially exculpatory evidence in their presentations:
A secretive federal court on Wednesday effectively barred F.B.I. officials involved in the wiretapping of a former Trump campaign adviser from appearing before it in other cases at least temporarily, the latest fallout from an internal inquiry into the bureau’s surveillance of the aide. A 19-page opinion and order by James E. Boasberg, the chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, also largely accepted changes the F.B.I. has said it will make to its process for seeking national-security wiretaps following a damning inspector general report about errors and omissions in applications to monitor the adviser, Carter Page. But Judge Boasberg ordered law enforcement officials to specifically swear in future cases that the applications to the court contain “all information that might reasonably call into question the accuracy of the information or the reasonableness of any F.B.I. assessment in the application, or otherwise raise doubts about the requested findings.”
The court has also accepted a package of reforms from the FBI, after rejecting their first submission. Warrant applications will now have to be sworn by case agents rather than their supervisors, as was previously the case. The bureau also promised “enhanced training” to avoid the pitfalls of the Page case, whatever that means. Do they really need enhanced training to avoid deliberately misrepresenting a target’s relationship with other US intelligence agencies, for instance?
The banishment of Crossfire Hurricane figures is almost certainly meant to be embarrassing, but that’s about as much teeth as FISC has in this situation. As the New York Times’ Charlie Savage points out, the court has limited authority to deal with FBI misconduct. It has no oversight over the Department of Justice at all, which is an executive-branch agency. Presumably the court’s rotating judges had already adopted a more skeptical approach to more recent surveillance warrant applications after reading the Michael Horowitz report, but unless Congress changes the FISA law, courts are still required to follow it.
Speaking of which, the law is due to expire, and Donald Trump has already declared he won’t sign an extension without significant changes. Given what happened in Crossfire Hurricane, few would be surprised to know that, of course:
President Donald Trump told top House and Senate Republicans on Tuesday evening that he would not support a clean extension of federal surveillance powers and called for them to work out a deal with Democrats on how to move forward. … Trump’s comments in an hour-plus meeting on Tuesday night came despite a push from Attorney General William Barr to modify the law administratively to appease the president, who has railed in the past against the spying law after authorities used it to monitor an associate of his 2016 campaign. “The president made it exceedingly clear he will not accept a clean re-authorization … without real reform,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), told reporters after the meeting. “He was told by the attorney general, we can massage around the edges and we can fix this through regulation, the president didn’t accept that, pushed back very vigorously and said ‘we’re not doing this.'” Trump instead told the lawmakers: “You all work out a bipartisan deal and come back to me and I’ll sign it,” according to a source in the room.
The law sunsets on March 15th, which means that the FISC’s sanctions on the FBI and DoJ might be moot by the 16th. That would involve not just humiliation but likely some level of panic at the FBI over its national-security responsibilities. They are the only national agency allowed to conduct counter-intelligence operations within the US, and any covert surveillance of a “US Person” would require a FISA warrant even to begin.
Last week, I spoke with former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker about the FISA process and the need for reform. Whittaker, who still advises the president at times, says the process needs reform but not a shutdown or complete revision:
The Horowitz report has been out for months, though, so the deadline issue is one that Congress created for itself. If they want to renew FISA, it had better start including an adversarial process to test the government case in some manner and a lot more accountability for fraudulent representations on warrants. That’s not an unreasonable ask in the post-Russiagate era.


hotair--2020-03-05--Hollywood suddenly flocking to Joe Biden

Now that the primary circus has left town you ’ d think that the candidates would be done with California , wouldn ’ t you ?
For the most part , they are , but Joe Biden was out in Los Angeles yesterday on some very important business .
Hollywood ’ s glitterati were eager to open up their wallets and shower money on the new frontrunner and Uncle Joe couldn ’ t disappoint them .
Former Paramount Pictures honcho Sherry Lansing had arranged a fundraiser for Joe at her mansion prior to Tuesday ’ s voting , but she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats .
But once the polls had closed and Biden had been anointed as the new Great Hope to defeat the Bad Orange Man , attendance to her shindig more than quadrupled and she was actually forced to turn people away .
( Washington Times ) A fundraiser for Joe Biden at the Los Angeles home of Paramount Pictures executive Sherry Lansing mushroomed from 80 to 350 attendees in the days after the South Carolina primary .
Biden addressed the crowd Wednesday in Lansing ’ s backyard outside her mansion in Bel Air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interested donors away after Biden ’ s strong showing in Tuesday night ’ s primary .
“ It was a deluge , ” she said .
According to the Hollywood Reporter , tickets to the gala ranged from $ 1,000 to $ 2,800 , depending on how much access to the candidate you wanted .
The list of notable attendees was as long as your arm , with Leonardo Dicaprio being one of the bigger names .
Biden attended with his wife .
Or maybe it was his sister .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe ’ s speech was the usual stuff we ’ ve grown used to this week , talking about how everyone said his campaign was “ dead ” but now it ’ s very much “ alive.
” A couple of things about this story stood out to me beyond the usual notion of a politician snuggling up to the rich and famous to pry some cash out of them .
First of all , when did all of these Hollywood power brokers fall in line behind Biden ?
I seem to recall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of these same people were out on the trail acting as surrogates for Elizabeth Warren , Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar ?
I guess when it comes down to brass tacks , Hollywood ’ s elites are ready to fall in line with anything that advances the interests of the Democrats .
In some ways , they ’ re more homogenous than the DNC itself .
The other aspect of this story that lands with a bit of a dull thud is the nauseating optics on display .
Every one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running as a champion for “ the people.
” You know… the little guys out there who are struggling to make ends meet .
But as soon as Joe begins looking like he might indeed be the inevitable nominee , he takes a private jet out to a mansion in LaLaLand and starts slurping champagne with Leo Dicaprio and his pals ?
The only other notable news from the fundraiser was Biden ’ s announcement that he ’ s going to be getting Secret Service protection soon .
This is , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who rushed the stage on Tuesday night and had to be tackled by Jill Biden .
Uncle Joe said that the Secret Service was “ afraid Jill ’ s going to hurt someone.
” Thank you .
Thank you .
He ’ ll be here all week .
Try the veal .

Now that the primary circus has left town you’d think that the candidates would be done with California, wouldn’t you? For the most part, they are, but Joe Biden was out in Los Angeles yesterday on some very important business. Hollywood’s glitterati were eager to open up their wallets and shower money on the new frontrunner and Uncle Joe couldn’t disappoint them. Former Paramount Pictures honcho Sherry Lansing had arranged a fundraiser for Joe at her mansion prior to Tuesday’s voting, but she’d been having trouble filling the seats. But once the polls had closed and Biden had been anointed as the new Great Hope to defeat the Bad Orange Man, attendance to her shindig more than quadrupled and she was actually forced to turn people away. (Washington Times)
A fundraiser for Joe Biden at the Los Angeles home of Paramount Pictures executive Sherry Lansing mushroomed from 80 to 350 attendees in the days after the South Carolina primary. Biden addressed the crowd Wednesday in Lansing’s backyard outside her mansion in Bel Air. Lansing said she had to turn interested donors away after Biden’s strong showing in Tuesday night’s primary. “It was a deluge,” she said.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, tickets to the gala ranged from $1,000 to $2,800, depending on how much access to the candidate you wanted. The list of notable attendees was as long as your arm, with Leonardo Dicaprio being one of the bigger names.
Biden attended with his wife. Or maybe it was his sister. It’s so hard to tell these days. Joe’s speech was the usual stuff we’ve grown used to this week, talking about how everyone said his campaign was “dead” but now it’s very much “alive.”
A couple of things about this story stood out to me beyond the usual notion of a politician snuggling up to the rich and famous to pry some cash out of them. First of all, when did all of these Hollywood power brokers fall in line behind Biden? I seem to recall as little as five weeks ago that many of these same people were out on the trail acting as surrogates for Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar? I guess when it comes down to brass tacks, Hollywood’s elites are ready to fall in line with anything that advances the interests of the Democrats. In some ways, they’re more homogenous than the DNC itself.
The other aspect of this story that lands with a bit of a dull thud is the nauseating optics on display. Every one of the Democratic candidates has promised that they are running as a champion for “the people.” You know… the little guys out there who are struggling to make ends meet. But as soon as Joe begins looking like he might indeed be the inevitable nominee, he takes a private jet out to a mansion in LaLaLand and starts slurping champagne with Leo Dicaprio and his pals?
The only other notable news from the fundraiser was Biden’s announcement that he’s going to be getting Secret Service protection soon. This is, according to Joe, a result of that protester who rushed the stage on Tuesday night and had to be tackled by Jill Biden. Uncle Joe said that the Secret Service was “afraid Jill’s going to hurt someone.”
Thank you. Thank you. He’ll be here all week. Try the veal.


hotair--2020-03-05--Withholding funds: Trump begins crackdown on sanctuary cities

Thanks to a ruling from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on February 26 , federal funding can be withheld from sanctuary cities and states across America .
Thursday President Trump delivered a message via tweet – sanctuary cities had better change their status or federal funding will be cut .
The ruling came after numerous courts had ruled against the Trump administration claiming it didn ’ t have the authority to impose immigration-related conditions on certain funding .
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said , hold on , there ’ s a grant program for that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Manhattan ruled on Feb. 26 that the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) could withhold funding from cities and states that refuse to cooperate with the Trump administration ’ s crackdown on undocumented immigrants .
The three-judge panel found Congress had delegated authority to the attorney general to set conditions on the federal grant program it had created , called the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program .
The policy decision from the Trump administration was announced in 2017 and the lawsuits followed .
The policy is to be a deterrent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ignore federal immigration law and allow illegal immigrants to live and work in their cities without legal consequences , the first step being deportation .
Federal law trumps , so to speak , state and local jurisdiction on immigration .
Cities don ’ t get to dictate which federal laws they will or will not enforce .
While an appeal will be filed over the ruling , the original lawsuit dates back to 2017 when Jeff Sessions was the Attorney General .
Last month Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) announced the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help arrest and deport illegal immigrants .
Expanded surveillance operations and additional manpower will provide aid to carry out the arrests and deportations .
Several major cities are targeted as the operations begin .
Efforts began last month and will continue through December .
Intensifying its enforcement in so-called sanctuary cities across the country , Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun 24-hour-a-day surveillance operations around the homes and workplaces of undocumented immigrants .
The agency plans to deploy hundreds of additional officers in unmarked cars in the coming weeks to increase arrests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement .
ICE leadership has requested at least 500 special agents who normally conduct long-term investigations into dangerous criminals and traffickers to join the enhanced arrest campaign rolling out in sanctuary cities , according to an internal email reviewed by The New York Times .
For years sanctuary cities have stubbornly resisted immigration enforcement and efforts by the federal government .
President Trump is rightfully frustrated .
When all else fails , hit them in the pocketbook .
The administration said the task force will “ flood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done .
Because immigration law violations are civil infractions rather than criminal ones , the officers deployed in the expanded ICE operations can not , in most cases , obtain warrants to forcibly enter places where their subjects are hiding .
Instead , ICE officers are embarking on the aggressive surveillance campaign , which involves closely watching some individuals for more than 12 hours a day in the hopes of arresting them outside their homes or workplaces .
Capturing illegal aliens outside of their homes will eliminate the visual trauma that innocent children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one taken away in handcuffs .
Going to a door and knocking often leads to those inside refusing to open the door to law enforcement because they are being told by local officials that they should refuse to cooperate .
Mayors in cities hold press conferences and tell illegal residents to be uncooperative , especially because it is the bad Orange Man ’ s orders .
If the operation really did begin last month , then kudos to the administration for doing it quietly .
There hasn ’ t been an abundance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the people affected – the media works overtime to make them the victims , not the perpetrators in breaking the law in the first place when they illegally entered the United States .
It looks like the federal agents are taking a common-sense approach and continuing their work despite uncooperative mayors and local officials .
Officers have the ability to exercise discretion .
An official familiar with the latest ICE operation said its agents were targeting individuals who , because of sanctuary policies , were let go by local police officers even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be temporarily held in custody .
The official said that while some of those targets have been apprehended in the effort , the majority of the arrests have been “ collateral ” — undocumented individuals who were not targeted , but who happened to be present during an attempted apprehension .
Mr. Lucero said that no one living in the United States illegally was safe from deportation , but that officers could exercise discretion in choosing whether to make such collateral arrests .
It ’ s a start .
While law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pocketbook of sanctuary cities should provide reinforcement for success .

Thanks to a ruling from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on February 26, federal funding can be withheld from sanctuary cities and states across America. Thursday President Trump delivered a message via tweet – sanctuary cities had better change their status or federal funding will be cut.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1235568602696355840
The ruling came after numerous courts had ruled against the Trump administration claiming it didn’t have the authority to impose immigration-related conditions on certain funding. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said, hold on, there’s a grant program for that.
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled on Feb. 26 that the Department of Justice (DOJ) could withhold funding from cities and states that refuse to cooperate with the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The three-judge panel found Congress had delegated authority to the attorney general to set conditions on the federal grant program it had created, called the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
The policy decision from the Trump administration was announced in 2017 and the lawsuits followed. The policy is to be a deterrent to cities and states that want to ignore federal immigration law and allow illegal immigrants to live and work in their cities without legal consequences, the first step being deportation. Federal law trumps, so to speak, state and local jurisdiction on immigration. Cities don’t get to dictate which federal laws they will or will not enforce.
While an appeal will be filed over the ruling, the original lawsuit dates back to 2017 when Jeff Sessions was the Attorney General.
A group of seven states and New York City sued the DOJ in 2017 after then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the agency would start withholding funding from local governments that refused to share information about undocumented immigrants or provide jail access to federal authorities investigating inmates’ immigration status. Officials that backed the lawsuit pledged to challenge the appeals court ruling.
Last month Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the deployment of the elite tactical BORTAC agents to help arrest and deport illegal immigrants. Expanded surveillance operations and additional manpower will provide aid to carry out the arrests and deportations. Several major cities are targeted as the operations begin. Efforts began last month and will continue through December.
Intensifying its enforcement in so-called sanctuary cities across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun 24-hour-a-day surveillance operations around the homes and workplaces of undocumented immigrants. The agency plans to deploy hundreds of additional officers in unmarked cars in the coming weeks to increase arrests in cities where local law enforcement agencies do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. ICE leadership has requested at least 500 special agents who normally conduct long-term investigations into dangerous criminals and traffickers to join the enhanced arrest campaign rolling out in sanctuary cities, according to an internal email reviewed by The New York Times.
For years sanctuary cities have stubbornly resisted immigration enforcement and efforts by the federal government. President Trump is rightfully frustrated. When all else fails, hit them in the pocketbook. The administration said the task force will “flood the streets” to get the job done.
Because immigration law violations are civil infractions rather than criminal ones, the officers deployed in the expanded ICE operations cannot, in most cases, obtain warrants to forcibly enter places where their subjects are hiding. Instead, ICE officers are embarking on the aggressive surveillance campaign, which involves closely watching some individuals for more than 12 hours a day in the hopes of arresting them outside their homes or workplaces.
Capturing illegal aliens outside of their homes will eliminate the visual trauma that innocent children may experience seeing their parent or loved one taken away in handcuffs. Going to a door and knocking often leads to those inside refusing to open the door to law enforcement because they are being told by local officials that they should refuse to cooperate. Mayors in cities hold press conferences and tell illegal residents to be uncooperative, especially because it is the bad Orange Man’s orders.
If the operation really did begin last month, then kudos to the administration for doing it quietly. There hasn’t been an abundance of stories meant to pull at your heartstrings about the people affected – the media works overtime to make them the victims, not the perpetrators in breaking the law in the first place when they illegally entered the United States. It looks like the federal agents are taking a common-sense approach and continuing their work despite uncooperative mayors and local officials. Officers have the ability to exercise discretion.
An official familiar with the latest ICE operation said its agents were targeting individuals who, because of sanctuary policies, were let go by local police officers even though the agency had asked for them to be temporarily held in custody. The official said that while some of those targets have been apprehended in the effort, the majority of the arrests have been “collateral” — undocumented individuals who were not targeted, but who happened to be present during an attempted apprehension. Mr. Lucero said that no one living in the United States illegally was safe from deportation, but that officers could exercise discretion in choosing whether to make such collateral arrests.
It’s a start. While law enforcement does its job, a wallop to the pocketbook of sanctuary cities should provide reinforcement for success.


hotair--2020-03-05--More than a dozen Senate Republicans back resolution to censure Schumer for threatening Gorsuch and

More than a dozen Senate Republicans back resolution to censure Schumer for threatening Gorsuch and Kavanaugh

Fifteen in all so far , including lead author Josh Hawley .
Not to be outdone , Ted Cruz is not only co-sponsoring the resolution but turned it into a gimmick to build an email list for his next campaign .
One notable omission from the sponsors is Trump pal Lindsey Graham , who was asked today by CNN if he ’ ll support it and said … no : Graham , a close ally of President Donald Trump , explained that his position on the issue is , in part , because Schumer walked back his remarks , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacking Trump .
“ I don ’ t want to start censuring everybody , ” the South Carolina Republican said , later adding , “ If we start censuring him , they ’ re going to want to censure Trump , and this stuff never ends.
” Schumer richly deserves censure for what he said but yeah , I think Graham ’ s right to see the censure effort quickly turning into a days-long effort by Democrats and their media friends to revisit every dubious thing Trump ’ s said and done that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even polite criticism — by the Republican majority .
There ’ s a new Pew poll out tonight that asked people how they feel about the way he conducts himself as president .
Even among Republicans , just 31 percent said they like it versus 50 percent who have mixed feelings and 16 percent who dislike it .
Among the overall public those numbers were 15/30/53 .
Fertile ground for a “ tu quoque ” push by Dems .
And so not a can of worms Lindsey wants to open up .
Neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guessing , but maybe he ’ ll let the resolution come to the floor to make Democrats squirm for a few days by having to answer for what Schumer said .
A short national debate on whether Trump is or maybe isn ’ t more obnoxious than the most powerful Democrat in the Senate isn ’ t a bad outcome for the GOP .
I wonder , though , if he thinks the vote will cause headaches for Susan Collins or Cory Gardner in their Senate races this year , in which case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Besides , Dems can always justify voting no despite how gross Schumer ’ s comments were on grounds that he very weakly semi-apologized this morning .
It specifically cites statistics of violence against the judiciary , including 4,542 “ threats and inappropriate communications ” that were investigated in 2018 , and four federal judges that have been murdered since 1979… It also uses Schumer ’ s own past words condemning threats .
“ Senator Schumer has acknowledged that threatening statements can increase the dangers of violence against government officials when he stated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the attempted murder of several elected Members of Congress , ‘ We would all be wise to reflect on the importance of civility in our [ N ] ation ’ s politics ’ and that ‘ the level of nastiness , vitriol , and hate that has seeped into our politics must be excised , ” the resolution reads .
Andrew Napolitano picked up on the same point this morning , as you ’ ll see below .
It ’ s not that Schumer meant Gorsuch or Kavanaugh any harm , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would-be James Hodgkinsons out there who already strongly dislike them and whose fragile minds might understand “ you will pay the price ” differently from how Putzhead meant it .
Assuming he even meant it differently , I mean .

Fifteen in all so far, including lead author Josh Hawley.
Hawley is sponsoring a measure to censure Schumer for his remarks at SCOTUS yesterday. Cosponsors: Mike Braun, Kevin Cramer, Ted Cruz, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Jim Inhofe, Mike Lee, Kelly Loeffler, Martha McSally, David Perdue, Ben Sasse, Rick Scott, Tim Scott, and Thom Tillis. — Alexandra DeSanctis (@xan_desanctis) March 5, 2020
Not to be outdone, Ted Cruz is not only co-sponsoring the resolution but turned it into a gimmick to build an email list for his next campaign. One notable omission from the sponsors is Trump pal Lindsey Graham, who was asked today by CNN if he’ll support it and said … no:
Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, explained that his position on the issue is, in part, because Schumer walked back his remarks, but also because it could lead to Democrats attacking Trump. “I don’t want to start censuring everybody,” the South Carolina Republican said, later adding, “If we start censuring him, they’re going to want to censure Trump, and this stuff never ends.”
Schumer richly deserves censure for what he said but yeah, I think Graham’s right to see the censure effort quickly turning into a days-long effort by Democrats and their media friends to revisit every dubious thing Trump’s said and done that hasn’t earned censure — or even polite criticism — by the Republican majority. There’s a new Pew poll out tonight that asked people how they feel about the way he conducts himself as president. Even among Republicans, just 31 percent said they like it versus 50 percent who have mixed feelings and 16 percent who dislike it. Among the overall public those numbers were 15/30/53. Fertile ground for a “tu quoque” push by Dems.
And so not a can of worms Lindsey wants to open up. Neither does Mitch McConnell, I’m guessing, but maybe he’ll let the resolution come to the floor to make Democrats squirm for a few days by having to answer for what Schumer said. A short national debate on whether Trump is or maybe isn’t more obnoxious than the most powerful Democrat in the Senate isn’t a bad outcome for the GOP. I wonder, though, if he thinks the vote will cause headaches for Susan Collins or Cory Gardner in their Senate races this year, in which case he’s going to block it. Besides, Dems can always justify voting no despite how gross Schumer’s comments were on grounds that he very weakly semi-apologized this morning.
A key bit from the resolution:
It specifically cites statistics of violence against the judiciary, including 4,542 “threats and inappropriate communications” that were investigated in 2018, and four federal judges that have been murdered since 1979… It also uses Schumer’s own past words condemning threats. “Senator Schumer has acknowledged that threatening statements can increase the dangers of violence against government officials when he stated on June 15, 2017, following the attempted murder of several elected Members of Congress, ‘We would all be wise to reflect on the importance of civility in our [N]ation’s politics’ and that ‘the level of nastiness, vitriol, and hate that has seeped into our politics must be excised,” the resolution reads.
Andrew Napolitano picked up on the same point this morning, as you’ll see below. It’s not that Schumer meant Gorsuch or Kavanaugh any harm, it’s the fact that there are doubtless would-be James Hodgkinsons out there who already strongly dislike them and whose fragile minds might understand “you will pay the price” differently from how Putzhead meant it. Assuming he even meant it differently, I mean.


hotair--2020-03-05--Oof: Biden leads Bernie by 10 in new national poll

Oof: Biden leads Bernie by 10 in new national poll -- with Warren's voters closely split between them

We may be much closer to endgame in this race than anyone could have dreamed a week ago .
And not endgame for Bernie , either .
In the March 4-5 poll , released on Thursday , 55 % of registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they would support Biden for the Democratic nomination if the only other choice was U.S .
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont .
Another 45 % said they would vote for Sanders .
Biden is again considered to be the candidate with the best shot at beating Trump .
When the poll asked which of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , twice as many Democrats picked Biden as those who picked Sanders .
Last week , the poll showed Sanders was considered the most electable candidate .
A 55/45 deficit with Warren out and her voters now free agents is a bad number for Bernie .
The crosstabs at Reuters suggest that he is indeed the top second choice of Democratic Warren voters , but only by a 30/25 margin over Biden .
Factor in independents who had Warren as their first choice and it ’ s just 47/46 for Bernie .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ named “ other ” as its second choice , which presumably means the centrists Buttigieg , Klobuchar , or Bloomberg .
Which way do you suppose those voters will tilt when forced to choose between centrist Joe Biden and socialist Bernie Sanders ?
There ’ s an X factor here , of course : Warren hasn ’ t endorsed yet and she ’ s quite likely to endorse Bernie when she does .
That might move some of her fans who prefer Joe into Sanders ’ s column , which will narrow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two-thirds of her fans to support Bernie , though , how much will that matter ?
To see , let ’ s look at the latest poll from Michigan .
Bernie led by nine points in a poll taken there in mid-February , an auspicious sign given the momentous upset he pulled on Clinton there in 2016 .
The latest poll , conducted partly after Biden ’ s huge win in South Carolina but before his shocking rampage on Super Tuesday , looks different : That poll is deceptive in that it implies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason to believe the race isn ’ t all that close .
If two-thirds of Warren ’ s voters there break for Bernie , that would net Sanders 2.3 points — nice , but not enough to overtake Biden .
Meanwhile , Joe ’ s likely to pick up the overwhelming majority of Bloomberg ’ s 10.5 percent , which will not only offset those Warren votes for Bernie but push him up to a double-digit lead .
And nearly a third of the entire electorate is undecided here , probably because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were leaning towards Buttigieg or Klobuchar a few days ago .
I ’ ll give you one guess which way the bulk of those undecideds are apt to tilt , especially with Pete and Amy having now endorsed Biden .
He could win by 20 points or more here , in other words , in what ’ s supposed to be a Bernie state .
There are other promising omens for him in Michigan based on the demographics and exit polling from Super Tuesday : Sanders wound up beating Clinton 50 percent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he did it in part by running 15 points ahead of her among whites without a college degree , who made up a larger share of the electorate ( 36 percent ) than any other group… But the problem for Sanders is that Biden isn ’ t Hillary Clinton — and momentum tends to outweigh historical analogies .
On Super Tuesday , Biden won non-college-educated white voters in eight states , according to the exit polls ; Sanders won them in four .
Crucially , Biden swept blue-collar whites in the two northern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where Biden won non-college whites by 12 points ) and Massachusetts ( where Biden won them by 8 points ) .
That was a key reason why Biden upset Sanders in both primaries , which Sanders was widely expected to win .
Bernie ’ s secret ingredient in 2016 is one of Biden ’ s secret ingredients in 2020 .
There are 125 pledged delegates at stake in Michigan ; there are 219 at stake the following week in Florida .
As noted this morning , Biden ’ s going to blow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well win going away in the former .
If he does , adding to an already probably insurmountable national delegate lead and proving that he ’ s more viable in two key swing states than Sanders is , what ’ s left of this race realistically ?
In hindsight , Hillary ’ s weakness against Bernie in the 2016 Michigan primary was a harbinger that she was vulnerable against Trump in the Rust Belt in the general election .
If Bernie loses this time by 25 or whatever , Team Joe will torture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the weak link as nominee in the midwest this time .
Look again at the detail in the Reuters post up top about the massive shift in perceived electability between the two since Biden ’ s big win in South Carolina .
My theory of the nuclear Joementum we ’ re seeing is that lots of Democrats nationally wanted to support Biden , chiefly on electability grounds , but were holding their breath after he faceplanted in Iowa , New Hampshire , and Nevada .
South Carolina was the acid test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , big , and prove that he was worth gambling on .
He did , which led Democrats to exhale .
Now that Joe ’ s reestablished himself as the electable candidate in the race and is poised to demonstrate that in gory ways in Michigan and Florida , what can Bernie do ?
What ’ s the argument for continuing this exercise in futility if , realistically , he can ’ t catch up to Biden in delegates ?
There isn ’ t even a debate this weekend to give Biden a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including Michigan , will vote before Joe takes the stage again on the 15th .
And his lead in Florida is so enormous at this point that it ’ s probably gaffe-proof .
He ’ s likely to have a prohibitive delegate lead soon no matter what Sanders does .
And there may be one man above all others whom Biden has to thank for that .
No , not Barack Obama .
The suburbanites who delivered the House to Democrats in 2018 also helped deliver a world-beating surge for Biden two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nominee , there ’ s every reason to believe right now that they ’ ll hang with Team Blue this fall .
Here ’ s Bernie telling Rachel Maddow last night that if Biden has more “ votes ” than him at the convention , then yes , he should be the nominee .
( By “ votes , ” I think he means delegate votes , not national popular votes .
Although Biden will almost certainly lead in that metric too . )
As I say , it ’ ll become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have more delegates in Milwaukee than Bernie no matter what happens over the next three months , which means Bernie will come under heavy pressure to accept reality and bow out .
And maybe not just from centrists ; there may be progressives too who are willing to admit he ’ s beaten and that it can only hurt the anti-Trump effort to keep this going .
Exit question via NBC : Would it be better for lefties if Warren endorsed Biden ?
“ Privately , some Warren allies say she might be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s campaign and potential administration than Sanders since her support could be more valuable to a moderate candidate.
” If backing Sanders won ’ t change the outcome , she might as well start earning favors for progressives from Joe .

We may be much closer to endgame in this race than anyone could have dreamed a week ago. And not endgame for Bernie, either.
In the March 4-5 poll, released on Thursday, 55% of registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they would support Biden for the Democratic nomination if the only other choice was U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Another 45% said they would vote for Sanders. Biden is again considered to be the candidate with the best shot at beating Trump. When the poll asked which of the presidential contenders is the most electable, twice as many Democrats picked Biden as those who picked Sanders. Last week, the poll showed Sanders was considered the most electable candidate.
A 55/45 deficit with Warren out and her voters now free agents is a bad number for Bernie. The crosstabs at Reuters suggest that he is indeed the top second choice of Democratic Warren voters, but only by a 30/25 margin over Biden. Factor in independents who had Warren as their first choice and it’s just 47/46 for Bernie. There’s also a healthy contingent that named “other” as its second choice, which presumably means the centrists Buttigieg, Klobuchar, or Bloomberg. Which way do you suppose those voters will tilt when forced to choose between centrist Joe Biden and socialist Bernie Sanders?
There’s an X factor here, of course: Warren hasn’t endorsed yet and she’s quite likely to endorse Bernie when she does. That might move some of her fans who prefer Joe into Sanders’s column, which will narrow the gap. Even if she can convince two-thirds of her fans to support Bernie, though, how much will that matter?
To see, let’s look at the latest poll from Michigan. Bernie led by nine points in a poll taken there in mid-February, an auspicious sign given the momentous upset he pulled on Clinton there in 2016. The latest poll, conducted partly after Biden’s huge win in South Carolina but before his shocking rampage on Super Tuesday, looks different:
That poll is deceptive in that it implies a close-ish race when there’s reason to believe the race isn’t all that close. If two-thirds of Warren’s voters there break for Bernie, that would net Sanders 2.3 points — nice, but not enough to overtake Biden. Meanwhile, Joe’s likely to pick up the overwhelming majority of Bloomberg’s 10.5 percent, which will not only offset those Warren votes for Bernie but push him up to a double-digit lead. And nearly a third of the entire electorate is undecided here, probably because they’re generally on the fence or were leaning towards Buttigieg or Klobuchar a few days ago. I’ll give you one guess which way the bulk of those undecideds are apt to tilt, especially with Pete and Amy having now endorsed Biden.
He could win by 20 points or more here, in other words, in what’s supposed to be a Bernie state. There are other promising omens for him in Michigan based on the demographics and exit polling from Super Tuesday:
Sanders wound up beating Clinton 50 percent to 48 percent on primary day — and he did it in part by running 15 points ahead of her among whites without a college degree, who made up a larger share of the electorate (36 percent) than any other group… But the problem for Sanders is that Biden isn’t Hillary Clinton — and momentum tends to outweigh historical analogies. On Super Tuesday, Biden won non-college-educated white voters in eight states, according to the exit polls; Sanders won them in four. Crucially, Biden swept blue-collar whites in the two northern states most like Michigan: Minnesota (where Biden won non-college whites by 12 points) and Massachusetts (where Biden won them by 8 points). That was a key reason why Biden upset Sanders in both primaries, which Sanders was widely expected to win.
Bernie’s secret ingredient in 2016 is one of Biden’s secret ingredients in 2020. There are 125 pledged delegates at stake in Michigan; there are 219 at stake the following week in Florida. As noted this morning, Biden’s going to blow the roof off in the latter and might well win going away in the former. If he does, adding to an already probably insurmountable national delegate lead and proving that he’s more viable in two key swing states than Sanders is, what’s left of this race realistically?
In hindsight, Hillary’s weakness against Bernie in the 2016 Michigan primary was a harbinger that she was vulnerable against Trump in the Rust Belt in the general election. If Bernie loses this time by 25 or whatever, Team Joe will torture him with the talking point that he’s the weak link as nominee in the midwest this time. Look again at the detail in the Reuters post up top about the massive shift in perceived electability between the two since Biden’s big win in South Carolina. My theory of the nuclear Joementum we’re seeing is that lots of Democrats nationally wanted to support Biden, chiefly on electability grounds, but were holding their breath after he faceplanted in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. South Carolina was the acid test: Mr. Electability had to win there, big, and prove that he was worth gambling on. He did, which led Democrats to exhale. Now that Joe’s reestablished himself as the electable candidate in the race and is poised to demonstrate that in gory ways in Michigan and Florida, what can Bernie do? What’s the argument for continuing this exercise in futility if, realistically, he can’t catch up to Biden in delegates?
There isn’t even a debate this weekend to give Biden a chance to embarrass himself. Six states, including Michigan, will vote before Joe takes the stage again on the 15th. And his lead in Florida is so enormous at this point that it’s probably gaffe-proof. He’s likely to have a prohibitive delegate lead soon no matter what Sanders does.
And there may be one man above all others whom Biden has to thank for that. No, not Barack Obama.
You know who paved Biden's path to the nomination? Donald Trump, by accelerating the migration of upscale suburban GOP moderates into the Dem primary electorate. — Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 5, 2020
The suburbanites who delivered the House to Democrats in 2018 also helped deliver a world-beating surge for Biden two days ago. If he’s the nominee, there’s every reason to believe right now that they’ll hang with Team Blue this fall.
Here’s Bernie telling Rachel Maddow last night that if Biden has more “votes” than him at the convention, then yes, he should be the nominee. (By “votes,” I think he means delegate votes, not national popular votes. Although Biden will almost certainly lead in that metric too.) As I say, it’ll become clear soon that Biden will in fact have more delegates in Milwaukee than Bernie no matter what happens over the next three months, which means Bernie will come under heavy pressure to accept reality and bow out. And maybe not just from centrists; there may be progressives too who are willing to admit he’s beaten and that it can only hurt the anti-Trump effort to keep this going. Exit question via NBC: Would it be better for lefties if Warren endorsed Biden? “Privately, some Warren allies say she might be able to exert more influence over Biden’s campaign and potential administration than Sanders since her support could be more valuable to a moderate candidate.” If backing Sanders won’t change the outcome, she might as well start earning favors for progressives from Joe.


hotair--2020-03-05--Bill Clinton: Monica was a way to 'manage my anxieties' (Update)

There ’ s a new docu-series about Hillary Clinton that will be airing on Hulu soon .
One of the topics that comes up in the four-part series is Bill ’ s affair with Monica Lewinsky .
According to the Daily Mail , Bill blames his poor decision making on anxiety : Asked why he took such a risk with his family , his marriage and his country , Bill said he wasn ’ t thinking about those things when he cheated .
Instead , the pressures of being in the White House led him to seek a distraction .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ staggering around , you ’ ve been in a 15 round prize fight that was extended to 30 rounds and here ’ s something that will take your mind off it for a while , that ’ s what happens .
‘ Because there , whatever life – not just me .
Everybody ’ s life has pressures and disappointments , terrors , fears of whatever .
‘ Things I did to manage my anxieties for years .
I ’ m a different , totally different person than I was , a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ he said… In the Hulu documentary , Bill said : ‘ Maybe it ’ s just getting older but I hope it was also going through a lot of this .
But whatever , what I did was bad but it wasn ’ t like – how can I think about the most stupid thing I could and do it .
He specifically feels terrible about what happened to Monica : There ’ s one obvious problem with Bill claim that he ’ s a “ totally different person ” than he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years ago he was being asked about this same topic while he was on a book tour for the thriller novel he co-wrote with James Patterson .
At the time , Bill got angry when he was asked and went on a long tangent about his record promoting women in Arkansas .
Here ’ s how Erin Gloria Ryan at the Daily Beast described it at the time : Instead of remorse , Clinton offered a brand of sleazy obfuscation that has come to personify the gaudy detachment political elites still have from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was the self-pity ( “ I left the White House $ 16 million in debt ” ) , the argumentum ad populum ( “ Two-thirds of the American people sided with me ” ) , and the clever , vague distractions ( “ you typically have ignored gaping facts in describing this ” ) .
There was even the misdirection .
“ I ’ ve apologized to everybody in the world , ” he said when asked whether he ’ d expressed sorrow to Monica Lewinsky… But above all , there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to its purest form , is just a ham-fisted attempt to avoid taking responsibility .
How could he , Bill Clinton , have been bad to Monica Lewinsky if he , Bill Clinton , had been so good for women elsewhere ?
In that same interview , Bill was also explicit about not owing Monica an apology : “ I asked if you ’ d ever apologized and you said you had , ” NBC News ’ Craig Melvin said .
“ I have , ” Clinton said adding , “ I apologized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Do you feel that you owe her an apology ?
” Melvin asked .
“ No…I do…I , I do not…I have never talked to her , but I did say publicly on more than one occasion that I was sorry , ” Clinton fumbled .
“ That ’ s very different , ” Clinton added with a big grin .
“ The apology was public.
” “ And you don ’ t think a private apology was owed ?
” Melvin asked .
At that point , James Patterson stepped in to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think this thing has been—It ’ s 20 years ago .
Come on .
Let ’ s talk about JFK .
Let ’ s talk about LBJ .
Stop already.
” One of two things are true .
Either Bill is really different than he was 20 years ago in which case it ’ s very hard to explain why he sounded so angry and unapologetic in June of 2018 .
The other possibility is that Bill learned from the blowback he got in 2018 that his defensive , ‘ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t go over well and this newfound regret is purely for public consumption .
I ’ m pretty sure which one is true but I ’ m sure some people will continue to believe the best about this creep .
Speaking of which , do the credible allegation of rape against Bill Clinton get a mention in the new Hillary series ?
I ’ m going to guess the answer is no .
I wonder if the producers agreed ahead of time not to mention it or if they just decided on their @ @ @ @ @ @

There’s a new docu-series about Hillary Clinton that will be airing on Hulu soon. One of the topics that comes up in the four-part series is Bill’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. According to the Daily Mail, Bill blames his poor decision making on anxiety:
Asked why he took such a risk with his family, his marriage and his country, Bill said he wasn’t thinking about those things when he cheated. Instead, the pressures of being in the White House led him to seek a distraction. ‘You feel like you’re staggering around, you’ve been in a 15 round prize fight that was extended to 30 rounds and here’s something that will take your mind off it for a while, that’s what happens. ‘Because there, whatever life – not just me. Everybody’s life has pressures and disappointments, terrors, fears of whatever. ‘Things I did to manage my anxieties for years. I’m a different, totally different person than I was, a lot of that stuff 20 years ago,’ he said… In the Hulu documentary, Bill said: ‘Maybe it’s just getting older but I hope it was also going through a lot of this. But whatever, what I did was bad but it wasn’t like – how can I think about the most stupid thing I could and do it. ‘It’s not a defense, it’s an explanation. I feel awful’.
He specifically feels terrible about what happened to Monica:
‘I feel terrible about the fact that Monica Lewinsky’s life was defined by it, unfairly I think. ‘Over the years I’ve watched her trying to get a normal life back again, but you’ve got to decide how to define normal’.
There’s one obvious problem with Bill claim that he’s a “totally different person” than he was 20 years. Less than two years ago he was being asked about this same topic while he was on a book tour for the thriller novel he co-wrote with James Patterson. At the time, Bill got angry when he was asked and went on a long tangent about his record promoting women in Arkansas. Here’s how Erin Gloria Ryan at the Daily Beast described it at the time:
Instead of remorse, Clinton offered a brand of sleazy obfuscation that has come to personify the gaudy detachment political elites still have from the moment in which we live. There was the self-pity (“I left the White House $16 million in debt”), the argumentum ad populum (“Two-thirds of the American people sided with me”), and the clever, vague distractions (“you typically have ignored gaping facts in describing this”). There was even the misdirection. “I’ve apologized to everybody in the world,” he said when asked whether he’d expressed sorrow to Monica Lewinsky… But above all, there was the moral preening that, when distilled to its purest form, is just a ham-fisted attempt to avoid taking responsibility. How could he, Bill Clinton, have been bad to Monica Lewinsky if he, Bill Clinton, had been so good for women elsewhere?
In that same interview, Bill was also explicit about not owing Monica an apology:
“I asked if you’d ever apologized and you said you had,” NBC News’ Craig Melvin said. “I have,” Clinton said adding, “I apologized to everybody in the world.” “But you didn’t apologize to her,” Melvin asked. “I haven’t talked to her,” Clinton said. “Do you feel that you owe her an apology?” Melvin asked. “No…I do…I, I do not…I have never talked to her, but I did say publicly on more than one occasion that I was sorry,” Clinton fumbled. “That’s very different,” Clinton added with a big grin. “The apology was public.” “And you don’t think a private apology was owed?” Melvin asked. At that point, James Patterson stepped in to defend the former president, “I think this thing has been—It’s 20 years ago. Come on. Let’s talk about JFK. Let’s talk about LBJ. Stop already.”
One of two things are true. Either Bill is really different than he was 20 years ago in which case it’s very hard to explain why he sounded so angry and unapologetic in June of 2018. The other possibility is that Bill learned from the blowback he got in 2018 that his defensive, ‘I’m the real victim’ attitude didn’t go over well and this newfound regret is purely for public consumption. I’m pretty sure which one is true but I’m sure some people will continue to believe the best about this creep.
Speaking of which, do the credible allegation of rape against Bill Clinton get a mention in the new Hillary series? I’m going to guess the answer is no. I wonder if the producers agreed ahead of time not to mention it or if they just decided on their own to leave it out.
Update: Will they?


hotair--2020-03-06--SXSW canceled, Emerald City Comic Con postponed because of coronavirus (and this is just the start)

Allahpundit wrote about concern that the coronavirus is likely to spread dramatically in the United States in the coming weeks .
He mentioned the strategy of “ social distancing ” which could lead authorities in infected areas to shut down schools and other social gatherings .
Already today some major public events are being canceled .
This morning the organizers of Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle announced the event would be postponed until summer : We have been closely monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 virus in Seattle , and , after many hours of conversation internally and consultation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bureau , we have decided to move next week ’ s Emerald City Comic Con to Summer 2020 with date and detail announcement forthcoming .
We did everything that we could to run the event as planned , but ultimately , we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed .
Our hearts go out to the entire Seattle community , everyone impacted by the COVID-19 virus , and all of you , the nearly 100,000 amazing human beings who look forward to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incredibly excited to see you at Emerald City Comic Con next week , however , fans , artists , exhibitors and the rest of the community are what make Reedpop events so special and it is our duty to make sure that your safety comes first .
Washington state , in particular Seattle , has been the area of the U.S. hardest hit by the virus .
Thirteen people have died from the disease so far .
Concern about spreading the virus led the University of Washington to announce today that it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the semester : The University of Washington said on Friday that it would cancel in-person classes and have students take courses and finals remotely while the Seattle area grapples with a growing coronavirus outbreak , in a move that other colleges around the country are preparing to follow if the virus becomes more widespread… The University of Washington , with 50,000 students on three campuses across the Seattle region , was apparently the first large college in the United States to make the shift entirely to online classes amid virus concerns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and continue through the remainder of the winter quarter , which ends March 20 .
The university ’ s president , Ana Mari Cauce , said she was hopeful that normal classes would resume during the spring quarter .
But the concern isn ’ t limited to Seattle .
Also today , the SXSW festival was canceled by the city of Austin : The City of Austin has canceled the March dates for SXSW and SXSW EDU .
SXSW will faithfully follow the City ’ s directions .
We are devastated to share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show must go on ” is in our DNA , and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place .
We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation .
As recently as Wednesday , Austin Public Health stated that “ there ’ s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer.
” However , this situation evolved rapidly , and we honor and respect the City of Austin ’ s decision .
We are committed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff , attendees , and fellow Austinites .
This could be just the start .
In Iran , schools are closed and Friday prayers have been canceled .
The country has even emptied prisons to prevent the disease from spreading there .
And still , earlier this week , someone shot a video of dozens of bodies stacked inside and Iranian morgue : In Italy entire towns are shut down .
Schools and public parks are closed .
There are no public events taking place , not even funerals .
Today Italy announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus deaths .
The death toll from the new coronavirus in Italy has risen to 197 after the largest daily increase in fatalities there since the outbreak began… The government this week ordered the closure of all schools for 10 days as it battles to contain the outbreak .
All professional sport , including Serie A football matches , will also be played behind closed doors for a month… The BBC ’ s Rome correspondent Mark Lowen tweeted that a resident in the quarantined Italian town of Codogno told him the most upsetting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funerals are not being permitted for coronavirus victims because of the need to limit gatherings .
So cancelling a few major events and closing schools could be just the start if the spread of the virus isn ’ t contained .

Allahpundit wrote about concern that the coronavirus is likely to spread dramatically in the United States in the coming weeks. He mentioned the strategy of “social distancing” which could lead authorities in infected areas to shut down schools and other social gatherings. Already today some major public events are being canceled. This morning the organizers of Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle announced the event would be postponed until summer:
We have been closely monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 virus in Seattle, and, after many hours of conversation internally and consultation with local government officials and the tourism bureau, we have decided to move next week’s Emerald City Comic Con to Summer 2020 with date and detail announcement forthcoming. We did everything that we could to run the event as planned, but ultimately, we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed. Our hearts go out to the entire Seattle community, everyone impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and all of you, the nearly 100,000 amazing human beings who look forward to this event each year. Our team was incredibly excited to see you at Emerald City Comic Con next week, however, fans, artists, exhibitors and the rest of the community are what make Reedpop events so special and it is our duty to make sure that your safety comes first.
Washington state, in particular Seattle, has been the area of the U.S. hardest hit by the virus. Thirteen people have died from the disease so far. Concern about spreading the virus led the University of Washington to announce today that it would cease all in-person classes for the rest of the semester:
The University of Washington said on Friday that it would cancel in-person classes and have students take courses and finals remotely while the Seattle area grapples with a growing coronavirus outbreak, in a move that other colleges around the country are preparing to follow if the virus becomes more widespread… The University of Washington, with 50,000 students on three campuses across the Seattle region, was apparently the first large college in the United States to make the shift entirely to online classes amid virus concerns. It said the change would begin Monday and continue through the remainder of the winter quarter, which ends March 20. The university’s president, Ana Mari Cauce, said she was hopeful that normal classes would resume during the spring quarter.
But the concern isn’t limited to Seattle. Also today, the SXSW festival was canceled by the city of Austin:
The City of Austin has canceled the March dates for SXSW and SXSW EDU. SXSW will faithfully follow the City’s directions. We are devastated to share this news with you. “The show must go on” is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place. We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation. As recently as Wednesday, Austin Public Health stated that “there’s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer.” However, this situation evolved rapidly, and we honor and respect the City of Austin’s decision. We are committed to do our part to help protect our staff, attendees, and fellow Austinites.
This could be just the start. In Iran, schools are closed and Friday prayers have been canceled. The country has even emptied prisons to prevent the disease from spreading there. And still, earlier this week, someone shot a video of dozens of bodies stacked inside and Iranian morgue:
Breaking news 🛑: IRAN 🇮🇷: Iranian city of Qom Hospital. Many Iranians die from the Corona virus pic.twitter.com/xYAh4BpfbT — SCOTT (@SCOTT74J) March 2, 2020
In Italy entire towns are shut down. Schools and public parks are closed. There are no public events taking place, not even funerals. Today Italy announced a big jump in the number of coronavirus deaths.
The death toll from the new coronavirus in Italy has risen to 197 after the largest daily increase in fatalities there since the outbreak began… The government this week ordered the closure of all schools for 10 days as it battles to contain the outbreak. All professional sport, including Serie A football matches, will also be played behind closed doors for a month… The BBC’s Rome correspondent Mark Lowen tweeted that a resident in the quarantined Italian town of Codogno told him the most upsetting thing for many people there is that funerals are not being permitted for coronavirus victims because of the need to limit gatherings.
So cancelling a few major events and closing schools could be just the start if the spread of the virus isn’t contained.