hotair--2020-08-23--White House: Trump to announce coronavirus therapeutic "breakthrough"

Surprisingly , many hours after Kayleigh McEnany teased the news , the specifics still haven ’ t leaked .
As of 12:30 p.m .
ET on Sunday it ’ s a mystery — although we can take an educated guess .
It ’ s probably an announcement that the FDA has issued emergency-use authorization for convalescent plasma .
Trump ’ s been talking about the potential for plasma for weeks in his daily briefings .
Scientists have been using it for ages to treat other diseases .
Find someone who ’ s had the disease , draw their blood , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make sure that it has the correct antibodies , and voila , you have a product that can quickly boost the immune response in a person who ’ s just been infected .
In theory .
The catch with plasma is that no one ’ s completed a randomized clinical trial yet assessing whether it works against COVID-19 .
Many thousands of Americans have already received it through a Mayo Clinic program sponsored by the feds , but that ’ s not a clinical trial .
Everyone who enrolls in that program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which means there ’ s no way to compare outcomes between patients who ’ ve received the treatment and those who haven ’ t .
Why America has been so slow to undertake those clinical trials given the potential of plasma is a complicated question .
Partly it ’ s because no one sick with COVID wants to run the risk of receiving a placebo .
Partly it ’ s because we ’ ve been too busy running trials on other therapeutic possibilities , like , er , hydroxychloroquine .
The FDA has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for several weeks , but has held off .
If in fact the news tonight is that EUA has been granted , without any trials having been completed , there ’ ll be heat for Trump and FDA chief Stephen Hahn from some doctors tomorrow .
A passage from a Times story published on August 4 : The F.D.A .
is preparing an emergency authorization to use the treatment , according to scientists who have been briefed on the plans .
The policy would ease the clerical burden on hospitals to get clearance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , researchers said .
An F.D.A .
spokeswoman declined to comment on whether such an authorization was in the works .
The move would mean the F.D.A .
is “ yielding to political pressure , ” said Dr. Luciana Borio , who oversaw public health preparedness for the National Security Council under Mr. Trump and who was acting chief scientist at the F.D.A .
under President Barack Obama .
“ I ’ m not as concerned about the political leaders having a misguided approach to science , ” she said .
“ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists having a misguided approach to science.
” A trial for plasma being conducted at Johns Hopkins is aiming to produce preliminary results sometime between mid-September and mid-October .
“ The science is really important , because we ’ ve taken some wrong turns in recent months , ” said one doctor at Baylor to NBC of the now-rescinded EUA for hydroxychloroquine , which has never shown efficacy against COVID in a clinical trial .
The counterargument to that is that we can ’ t afford to wait , as we might see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hopkins has data .
Since plasma appears to be safe — again , thousands have gotten it through the Mayo Clinic — why not roll it out now ?
Trump made that point yesterday morning in his own Trumpy way , farting out a little conspiratorial nonsense to try to explain why the FDA might be reluctant to approve a treatment that hasn ’ t passed a clinical trial .
Pelosi took him to task for that in a presser yesterday afternoon : A president demagoguing his own FDA as subversive political hacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have doubts about is gross even by the standards of this era , especially in light of the timing .
The Republican convention starts tomorrow ; Trump doubtless wants to be able to tout some sort of progress on COVID to voters who are tuning in .
( He may also be envious of Russia ’ s announcement that they ’ ve approved a vaccine without doing more than cursory testing .
Why can ’ t America do that ? )
So he bullied his top scientist by accusing him of being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t move faster on approving therapeutics .
And it worked .
Hahn ’ s going to look like a chump standing up there today having greenlit plasma just 24 hours after Trump ’ s tweet .
Anyone worried that POTUS might pressure the FDA into approving a vaccine that ’ s not ready for primetime before November 3 , in order to help his election chances , has to feel partially vindicated since it seems that ’ s what ’ s happened with therapeutics and the convention .
But whatever — if plasma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Hahn will come out smelling like roses .
If it doesn ’ t work , and it turns out Hahn pushed this out despite misgivings , his reputation as a scientist rather than a political apparatchik might never recover .
I ’ ll leave you with two clips , one of Mark Meadows defending Trump ’ s impulse to pressure the FDA and one of Scott Gottlieb , the agency ’ s former commissioner , insisting that they ’ d never slow-walk a therapeutic , especially for political reasons .

Surprisingly, many hours after Kayleigh McEnany teased the news, the specifics still haven’t leaked. As of 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday it’s a mystery — although we can take an educated guess.
News conference with President @realDonaldTrump at 6 pm tomorrow concerning a major therapeutic breakthrough on the China Virus. Secretary Azar and Dr. Hahn will be in attendance. — Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) August 23, 2020
It’s probably an announcement that the FDA has issued emergency-use authorization for convalescent plasma. Trump’s been talking about the potential for plasma for weeks in his daily briefings. Scientists have been using it for ages to treat other diseases. Find someone who’s had the disease, draw their blood, isolate the plasma component, analyze it to make sure that it has the correct antibodies, and voila, you have a product that can quickly boost the immune response in a person who’s just been infected.
In theory. The catch with plasma is that no one’s completed a randomized clinical trial yet assessing whether it works against COVID-19. Many thousands of Americans have already received it through a Mayo Clinic program sponsored by the feds, but that’s not a clinical trial. Everyone who enrolls in that program gets plasma, not a placebo, which means there’s no way to compare outcomes between patients who’ve received the treatment and those who haven’t.
Why America has been so slow to undertake those clinical trials given the potential of plasma is a complicated question. Partly it’s because no one sick with COVID wants to run the risk of receiving a placebo. Partly it’s because we’ve been too busy running trials on other therapeutic possibilities, like, er, hydroxychloroquine. The FDA has reportedly been considering emergency-use authorization for plasma for several weeks, but has held off. If in fact the news tonight is that EUA has been granted, without any trials having been completed, there’ll be heat for Trump and FDA chief Stephen Hahn from some doctors tomorrow. A passage from a Times story published on August 4:
The F.D.A. is preparing an emergency authorization to use the treatment, according to scientists who have been briefed on the plans. The policy would ease the clerical burden on hospitals to get clearance for transfusions, further hampering clinical trials, researchers said. An F.D.A. spokeswoman declined to comment on whether such an authorization was in the works. The move would mean the F.D.A. is “yielding to political pressure,” said Dr. Luciana Borio, who oversaw public health preparedness for the National Security Council under Mr. Trump and who was acting chief scientist at the F.D.A. under President Barack Obama. “I’m not as concerned about the political leaders having a misguided approach to science,” she said. “What I’m really concerned about is scientists having a misguided approach to science.”
A trial for plasma being conducted at Johns Hopkins is aiming to produce preliminary results sometime between mid-September and mid-October. “The science is really important, because we’ve taken some wrong turns in recent months,” said one doctor at Baylor to NBC of the now-rescinded EUA for hydroxychloroquine, which has never shown efficacy against COVID in a clinical trial. The counterargument to that is that we can’t afford to wait, as we might see another 50,000 deaths by the time Johns Hopkins has data. Since plasma appears to be safe — again, thousands have gotten it through the Mayo Clinic — why not roll it out now?
Trump made that point yesterday morning in his own Trumpy way, farting out a little conspiratorial nonsense to try to explain why the FDA might be reluctant to approve a treatment that hasn’t passed a clinical trial.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1297138862108663808
Pelosi took him to task for that in a presser yesterday afternoon:
A president demagoguing his own FDA as subversive political hacks to get them to approve a treatment they have doubts about is gross even by the standards of this era, especially in light of the timing. The Republican convention starts tomorrow; Trump doubtless wants to be able to tout some sort of progress on COVID to voters who are tuning in. (He may also be envious of Russia’s announcement that they’ve approved a vaccine without doing more than cursory testing. Why can’t America do that?) So he bullied his top scientist by accusing him of being a deep-state provocateur if he doesn’t move faster on approving therapeutics.
And it worked. Hahn’s going to look like a chump standing up there today having greenlit plasma just 24 hours after Trump’s tweet. Anyone worried that POTUS might pressure the FDA into approving a vaccine that’s not ready for primetime before November 3, in order to help his election chances, has to feel partially vindicated since it seems that’s what’s happened with therapeutics and the convention. But whatever — if plasma works to help patients, both Trump and Hahn will come out smelling like roses. If it doesn’t work, and it turns out Hahn pushed this out despite misgivings, his reputation as a scientist rather than a political apparatchik might never recover.
I’ll leave you with two clips, one of Mark Meadows defending Trump’s impulse to pressure the FDA and one of Scott Gottlieb, the agency’s former commissioner, insisting that they’d never slow-walk a therapeutic, especially for political reasons.
.@GStephanopoulos: So Trump does believes there are those in the FDA who are trying to delay testing vaccines and therapeutics for political purposes? Mark Meadows: “I believe that there are a number of people that do not see the same sense of urgency.” https://t.co/AEHLs1K3Ot pic.twitter.com/71CYGCV7ol — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 23, 2020


hotair--2020-08-23--Baltimore State's Attorney says her business emails are none of your business

Baltimore has a new Mayor coming in January , which is probably a relief to many of the residents of Charm City since the one they had before the current , interim Mayor is currently in prison on corruption charges .
At the same time , many of her colleagues at the University of Maryland Medical System ( UMMS ) Board of Directors are under investigation to see just how many people had their fingers in the cookie jar .
But now that crew may not have to feel all alone in the world .
The City ’ s State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently under investigation by the city ’ s Inspector General as well .
You may remember Mosby for her involvement in the Freddie Gray debacle back in the day and her attempts ( and failures ) to prosecute a lot of police officers instead of wasting her time with Baltimore ’ s massive , raging gang violence problem .
It turns out she must have a lot of free time on her hands even with all of that backlogged work because now she ’ s become embroiled in this situation .
We don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on , but it has something to do with several private-sector travel and consulting businesses that Mosby set up last year without bothering to list them on her ethics reports .
The reason we don ’ t know more is that when the Baltimore Sun filed a Public Information Act request for any emails on her government computer system mentioning the businesses , she basically told them to go whistle for their dinner .
She claims those records are none of the public ’ s business so she ’ s not turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Attorney Marilyn Mosby won ’ t make public emails that mention her private businesses and are stored on her government computer , arguing that they are exempt from disclosure because they are part of an investigation by Baltimore ’ s inspector general .
The Baltimore Sun filed a Public Information Act request for all emails that mention three private travel businesses Mosby set up last year but did not initially disclose in her state ethics filings .
Her office cited three reasons for not releasing the documents : the ongoing investigation ; that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business ; and that they “ contain information about the finances of an individual.
” Mosby also declined a separate request for her companies ’ financial records — such as receipts and tax returns — that are not subject to state public records laws .
And she refused repeated requests for an interview .
Mosby ’ s spokesperson has been rather tight-lipped and a number of the questions that Sun reporters have put to her have gone unanswered .
She claims that these companies exist “ only in name ” and they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel in comfort .
But if that ’ s the case , why not set them up as nonprofits ?
Also , why set them up just as she ’ s starting another term in office rather than waiting until she ’ s at least close to getting out of politics and law enforcement when she ’ ll have more time to operate them ?
It ’ s also curious that financial statements apparently exist for the companies as well .
That ’ s rather odd since they allegedly only exist on paper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of course , we don ’ t know because she ’ s not turning those over either .
Oh , and the Inspector General is looking into another matter as well , though it ’ s uninvolved with these businesses .
Mosby has been doing a lot of travel these past two years , much of it overseas .
And almost all of it was on the dime of private interests .
Hey , wait… is that why she wanted to start a travel business ?
Hrmm… If Marilyn Mosby wants to set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side , that ’ s up to her , assuming she stays inside the guidelines of the law .
But any records on her government computer and official email system are part of the public record , no matter what they are about .
( Unless their disclosure could endanger ongoing criminal investigations being handled by her office , of course , but that hardly sounds like the case here . )
And while we ’ re on the subject , if these companies are entirely private and none of the public ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those affairs on your government email system ?
Given the cavalcade of corruption that Baltimore ’ s citizens have had to put up with from their mayors , the members of City Council and the UMMS , I would think that any public official in Charm City with nothing to hide would be rushing to the microphones to deliver any requested official documents , do interviews and take questions .
That ’ s how you put any possible misunderstandings behind you and maintain the trust of the public .
But Mosby ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens of Charm City may have yet another stinking cycle of news about municipal corruption coming their way .

Baltimore has a new Mayor coming in January, which is probably a relief to many of the residents of Charm City since the one they had before the current, interim Mayor is currently in prison on corruption charges. At the same time, many of her colleagues at the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) Board of Directors are under investigation to see just how many people had their fingers in the cookie jar. But now that crew may not have to feel all alone in the world. The City’s State’s Attorney, Marilyn Mosby is currently under investigation by the city’s Inspector General as well.
You may remember Mosby for her involvement in the Freddie Gray debacle back in the day and her attempts (and failures) to prosecute a lot of police officers instead of wasting her time with Baltimore’s massive, raging gang violence problem. It turns out she must have a lot of free time on her hands even with all of that backlogged work because now she’s become embroiled in this situation.
We don’t know precisely what’s going on, but it has something to do with several private-sector travel and consulting businesses that Mosby set up last year without bothering to list them on her ethics reports. The reason we don’t know more is that when the Baltimore Sun filed a Public Information Act request for any emails on her government computer system mentioning the businesses, she basically told them to go whistle for their dinner. She claims those records are none of the public’s business so she’s not turning them over.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby won’t make public emails that mention her private businesses and are stored on her government computer, arguing that they are exempt from disclosure because they are part of an investigation by Baltimore’s inspector general. The Baltimore Sun filed a Public Information Act request for all emails that mention three private travel businesses Mosby set up last year but did not initially disclose in her state ethics filings. Her office cited three reasons for not releasing the documents: the ongoing investigation; that they weren’t related to state business; and that they “contain information about the finances of an individual.” Mosby also declined a separate request for her companies’ financial records — such as receipts and tax returns — that are not subject to state public records laws. And she refused repeated requests for an interview.
Mosby’s spokesperson has been rather tight-lipped and a number of the questions that Sun reporters have put to her have gone unanswered. She claims that these companies exist “only in name” and they are intended to help underserved Black residents to travel in comfort. But if that’s the case, why not set them up as nonprofits? Also, why set them up just as she’s starting another term in office rather than waiting until she’s at least close to getting out of politics and law enforcement when she’ll have more time to operate them?
It’s also curious that financial statements apparently exist for the companies as well. That’s rather odd since they allegedly only exist on paper, don’t you think? Of course, we don’t know because she’s not turning those over either. Oh, and the Inspector General is looking into another matter as well, though it’s uninvolved with these businesses. Mosby has been doing a lot of travel these past two years, much of it overseas. And almost all of it was on the dime of private interests. Hey, wait… is that why she wanted to start a travel business? Hrmm…
Questions also surround Mosby’s travels while in office. She has disclosed to the Ethics Commission that she traveled at least 20 times for events over the past two years, including trips abroad to Berlin, Portugal and Kenya. Most of the travel — which totaled about $30,000 — was paid for by private organizations.
If Marilyn Mosby wants to set up some legal private business on the side, that’s up to her, assuming she stays inside the guidelines of the law. But any records on her government computer and official email system are part of the public record, no matter what they are about. (Unless their disclosure could endanger ongoing criminal investigations being handled by her office, of course, but that hardly sounds like the case here.) And while we’re on the subject, if these companies are entirely private and none of the public’s business, why are you handling those affairs on your government email system?
Given the cavalcade of corruption that Baltimore’s citizens have had to put up with from their mayors, the members of City Council and the UMMS, I would think that any public official in Charm City with nothing to hide would be rushing to the microphones to deliver any requested official documents, do interviews and take questions. That’s how you put any possible misunderstandings behind you and maintain the trust of the public. But Mosby’s behavior is looking increasingly like the beleaguered citizens of Charm City may have yet another stinking cycle of news about municipal corruption coming their way.


hotair--2020-08-23--Oddly, the Democrats didn't seem too interested in helping the Post Office in 2015

I had originally expressed skepticism over the idea that Nancy Pelosi would actually call the House back for a rare weekend vote in the middle of their August recess , but she actually did it .
( By the way , it must be nice to get the entire month of August off .
What is this… France ? )
So did they get around to passing a compromise bill that the GOP would sign off on for additional COVID-19 relief or an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits ?
Don ’ t be silly .
They passed a measure designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US Postal Service and then adjourned until September .
You see , saving the Post Office was that critical .
But as we ’ ll see in a moment , the Democrats in both chambers didn ’ t always feel that the fortunes of the USPS were so critical to democracy .
( NBC News ) The House passed a bill Saturday giving $ 25 billion in emergency funds to the U.S .
Postal Service and reversing recent cost-cutting operational changes .
Democrats are seeking to reinforce the agency ahead of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cast mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The vote passed 257-150 in the Democratic-controlled House , earning some support from Republicans who expressed concerns about delayed mail .
The bill is likely to meet significant opposition in the GOP-led Senate .
The rare Saturday session in August comes amid a national uproar over mail interference , putting the Postal Service and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at the center of an unprecedented election year .
The House will recess again until next month .
Cocaine Mitch has already weighed in on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debating such a bill in the upper chamber .
Further , the odds of the President signing such a bill are pretty much zero .
So in other words , Nancy Pelosi dragged the House back into session for yet another dramatic , showboating vote that will be meaningless , coincidentally ( I ’ m sure ) on the eve of the GOP convention and Trump ’ s renomination .
But as I mentioned above , let ’ s look at the substance of the bill .
The Post Office is still losing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of their budget .
The bill that the House passed would inject $ 25 billion into their coffers , so if you ’ re really interested in making sure the USPS remains healthy , that ’ s a nice gesture , right ?
Sure .
But let ’ s just say that this hand-wringing and concern over the fate of the organization is something of a recent development .
Let ’ s jump in the Way-Back Machine and see how Congress was handling this same situation back in October of 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barack Obama ’ s presidency , as well as the period when Hillary Clinton was firing up her primary bid in the early states , widely expected to win the Democratic nomination and then go on to become the nation ’ s first female president .
While it didn ’ t get nearly as much air time then , the USPS was already in dire straights .
They ’ d lost money for nearly every year for the past half-decade .
( Things did improve a bit in the following couple of years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were begging Congress for relief at the time .
And how did our legislature respond ?
A proposal was put on the table by a bipartisan coalition including Elaine Kamarck , a former Clinton administration official , to break up the Post Office and sell off its package delivery services .
Who was the Minority Leader in the House back then ?
That ’ s right .
It was Nancy Pelosi .
Harry Reid was in charge of the minority in the Senate , but Chuck Schumer was already one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen as Reid ’ s likely successor .
The Washington Post published a couple of analysis pieces featuring a Brookings Institute study suggesting that this might be the only way to effectively deal with the Post Office ’ s financial woes .
At the same time , what the Post Office was asking for was relief from a Congressional requirement that they set aside $ 5.5 billion a year to be put toward health care costs in the agency ’ s bloated retirement and pension plans .
Without that requirement , they would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
And what was the answer they received from Congress ?
Go pound sand .
We were heading into a “ critical ” presidential election then also and there were certainly going to be the normal number of people requesting absentee ballots and voting by mail in the few states already using that system .
Where was all of this concern for the vital nature of the Post Office and the danger any shortcomings could present to our most vulnerable citizens then ?
Nowhere to be seen .
The Post Office has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the changes being scheduled by the Trump administration to address those shortcoming have been in the works for quite a while .
But this is 2020 , so everything has to be the center ring at the circus .
It ’ s all so very tiresome .

I had originally expressed skepticism over the idea that Nancy Pelosi would actually call the House back for a rare weekend vote in the middle of their August recess, but she actually did it. (By the way, it must be nice to get the entire month of August off. What is this… France?) So did they get around to passing a compromise bill that the GOP would sign off on for additional COVID-19 relief or an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits? Don’t be silly. They passed a measure designed to thwart any changes being made at the US Postal Service and then adjourned until September. You see, saving the Post Office was that critical. But as we’ll see in a moment, the Democrats in both chambers didn’t always feel that the fortunes of the USPS were so critical to democracy. (NBC News)
The House passed a bill Saturday giving $25 billion in emergency funds to the U.S. Postal Service and reversing recent cost-cutting operational changes. Democrats are seeking to reinforce the agency ahead of the November election when many voters are expected to cast mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic. The vote passed 257-150 in the Democratic-controlled House, earning some support from Republicans who expressed concerns about delayed mail. The bill is likely to meet significant opposition in the GOP-led Senate. The rare Saturday session in August comes amid a national uproar over mail interference, putting the Postal Service and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at the center of an unprecedented election year. The House will recess again until next month.
Cocaine Mitch has already weighed in on this and he shows no appetite for debating such a bill in the upper chamber. Further, the odds of the President signing such a bill are pretty much zero. So in other words, Nancy Pelosi dragged the House back into session for yet another dramatic, showboating vote that will be meaningless, coincidentally (I’m sure) on the eve of the GOP convention and Trump’s renomination.
But as I mentioned above, let’s look at the substance of the bill. The Post Office is still losing money and remains in a tenuous situation in terms of their budget. The bill that the House passed would inject $25 billion into their coffers, so if you’re really interested in making sure the USPS remains healthy, that’s a nice gesture, right? Sure. But let’s just say that this hand-wringing and concern over the fate of the organization is something of a recent development.
Let’s jump in the Way-Back Machine and see how Congress was handling this same situation back in October of 2015. Those were the heady days of Barack Obama’s presidency, as well as the period when Hillary Clinton was firing up her primary bid in the early states, widely expected to win the Democratic nomination and then go on to become the nation’s first female president. While it didn’t get nearly as much air time then, the USPS was already in dire straights. They’d lost money for nearly every year for the past half-decade. (Things did improve a bit in the following couple of years, though.) In fact, they were begging Congress for relief at the time.
And how did our legislature respond? A proposal was put on the table by a bipartisan coalition including Elaine Kamarck, a former Clinton administration official, to break up the Post Office and sell off its package delivery services. Who was the Minority Leader in the House back then? That’s right. It was Nancy Pelosi. Harry Reid was in charge of the minority in the Senate, but Chuck Schumer was already one of the senior figures by that point and widely seen as Reid’s likely successor.
The Washington Post published a couple of analysis pieces featuring a Brookings Institute study suggesting that this might be the only way to effectively deal with the Post Office’s financial woes. At the same time, what the Post Office was asking for was relief from a Congressional requirement that they set aside $5.5 billion a year to be put toward health care costs in the agency’s bloated retirement and pension plans. Without that requirement, they would have shown a profit during those same years. And what was the answer they received from Congress? Go pound sand.
We were heading into a “critical” presidential election then also and there were certainly going to be the normal number of people requesting absentee ballots and voting by mail in the few states already using that system. Where was all of this concern for the vital nature of the Post Office and the danger any shortcomings could present to our most vulnerable citizens then? Nowhere to be seen. The Post Office has been in financial trouble for decades and the changes being scheduled by the Trump administration to address those shortcoming have been in the works for quite a while. But this is 2020, so everything has to be the center ring at the circus. It’s all so very tiresome.


hotair--2020-08-24--Judge: California church not barred from holding indoor services

Out in the San Fernando Valley region of California , the Grace Community Church and Pastor John MacArthur have found themselves in a spot of trouble of late .
Pastor MacArthur , seeing other essential businesses and operations reopening after the pandemic shutdowns , disagreed with the state ’ s refusal to allow churches to have indoor services .
After several rounds of failed discussions and appeals to elected officials , the Pastor went ahead and resumed services , albeit with limited attendance , sterilization procedures and social distancing rules being enforced .
Los Angeles County moved to shut him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to court .
On Thursday of last week , the judge finally issued a ruling .
There was no court order prohibiting the church from holding services .
Let the congregation say Hallelujah !
( CBS Los Angeles ) A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled that there is no court order in place that prohibits a San Fernando Valley megachurch from holding indoor worship services , attorneys said Thursday .
Jenna Ellis , an attorney for the Thomas More Society , which is representing pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitchell L. Beckloff “ correctly found there is no court order prohibiting Grace Community Church from holding indoor services.
” “ We are pleased with the outcome today , ” said Ellis , who said the county “ continues to harass and target Pastor MacArthur .
Having failed to get a court order to shut down the church they have sought three times , they ’ re going to try again by hauling us back into court.
” Perhaps I was a bit hasty with the calls for a round of Hallelujah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge ’ s ruling wasn ’ t a complete exoneration .
Looking at the wording , he didn ’ t say that the church was free to proceed with indoor services without penalty .
He only determined that there was no standing ruling from any other court specifically barring them from doing so .
Why is that distinction important to these proceedings ?
Because the judge failed to completely dismiss the claim from Los Angeles County that the church should pay $ 20,000 in fines for violating an executive order from the county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no current order preventing them from doing so doesn ’ t mean that the county executive order might not still be legal and enforceable .
And if that ’ s the case , the Pastor would wind up having to pay the thousands of dollars in fees anyway .
However , the judge also put off a decision on whether the non-denominational , evangelical megachurch should face sanctions for holding large indoor services in spite of the county ’ s guidelines .
Attorneys for the county asked a judge to impose sanctions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying it was in clear violation of health orders banning indoor church services in an effort to prevent spread of COVID-19 .
So we still likely have one more round of hearings ( at least ) to go before we find out whether or not this particular mega-church is in the clear or not .
I don ’ t know what sort of cash reserves Grace Community Church is sitting on at the moment , but we do know that many churches are suffering for resources during the pandemic due to diminished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county with a rather basic message in keeping with his faith .
A direct quote from the Man of the Cloth : “ When , how , and how often the church worships is not subject to Caesar .
Caesar himself is subject to God .
”

Out in the San Fernando Valley region of California, the Grace Community Church and Pastor John MacArthur have found themselves in a spot of trouble of late. Pastor MacArthur, seeing other essential businesses and operations reopening after the pandemic shutdowns, disagreed with the state’s refusal to allow churches to have indoor services. After several rounds of failed discussions and appeals to elected officials, the Pastor went ahead and resumed services, albeit with limited attendance, sterilization procedures and social distancing rules being enforced. Los Angeles County moved to shut him down and the parties involved wound up going to court. On Thursday of last week, the judge finally issued a ruling. There was no court order prohibiting the church from holding services. Let the congregation say Hallelujah! (CBS Los Angeles)
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled that there is no court order in place that prohibits a San Fernando Valley megachurch from holding indoor worship services, attorneys said Thursday. Jenna Ellis, an attorney for the Thomas More Society, which is representing pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, said Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff “correctly found there is no court order prohibiting Grace Community Church from holding indoor services.” “We are pleased with the outcome today,” said Ellis, who said the county “continues to harass and target Pastor MacArthur. Having failed to get a court order to shut down the church they have sought three times, they’re going to try again by hauling us back into court.”
Perhaps I was a bit hasty with the calls for a round of Hallelujah, though. We should note that the judge’s ruling wasn’t a complete exoneration. Looking at the wording, he didn’t say that the church was free to proceed with indoor services without penalty. He only determined that there was no standing ruling from any other court specifically barring them from doing so.
Why is that distinction important to these proceedings? Because the judge failed to completely dismiss the claim from Los Angeles County that the church should pay $20,000 in fines for violating an executive order from the county. So simply saying that there is no current order preventing them from doing so doesn’t mean that the county executive order might not still be legal and enforceable. And if that’s the case, the Pastor would wind up having to pay the thousands of dollars in fees anyway.
However, the judge also put off a decision on whether the non-denominational, evangelical megachurch should face sanctions for holding large indoor services in spite of the county’s guidelines. Attorneys for the county asked a judge to impose sanctions of up to $20,000 against the church, saying it was in clear violation of health orders banning indoor church services in an effort to prevent spread of COVID-19.
So we still likely have one more round of hearings (at least) to go before we find out whether or not this particular mega-church is in the clear or not. I don’t know what sort of cash reserves Grace Community Church is sitting on at the moment, but we do know that many churches are suffering for resources during the pandemic due to diminished attendance. But Pastor MacArthur answered the county with a rather basic message in keeping with his faith. A direct quote from the Man of the Cloth:
“When, how, and how often the church worships is not subject to Caesar. Caesar himself is subject to God.”
Amen, Pastor.


hotair--2020-08-24--Pelosi: Trump and congressional Republicans are "domestic enemies" in trying to interfere with our e

Pelosi: Trump and congressional Republicans are "domestic enemies" in trying to interfere with our election

This was no slip of the tongue or regrettable moment of ill-temper .
She was so proud of it that she posted a version of the clip to her own Twitter feed .
What is this country going to look like in November ?
The Speaker of the House , not normally regarded as a loose-cannon blowhard the way the president is , is all but accusing the other party of treason .
Jake Tapper asked her yesterday whether she ’ ll accept the results of the election if Trump wins .
“ Of course , ” she replied .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ discourage voting by mail make him an “ enemy of the state ” … …then how does “ the state ” abide if he profits from those attempts by winning ?
Even MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin can ’ t help but mutter “ wow ” as she pulls the pin on this grenade .
Pelosi is a highly strategic politician , which makes me think she ’ s seen data that the uproar over the Postal Service is helping Democrats a bunch .
This is her turning the volume up to 11 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that this isn ’ t the first time lately that her rhetoric about Trump and Republicans has gone to a place that seems motivated less by strategy than by not-quite-controlled contempt .
Sometimes it ’ s petty insults , like when she claimed in May that Trump was “ morbidly obese.
” Other times it ’ s bareknuckle demagoguery , accusing Republicans in June of trying to get away with the murder of George Floyd because their police-reform bill wasn ’ t to her liking .
Last month she took to calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most famously , there was the spectacle of her theatrically tearing up Trump ’ s prepared remarks on camera after he finished the State of the Union .
When , exactly , did Nancy Pelosi start to lose her sh*t ?
Can we pinpoint it ?
The moment that sticks out in my mind is her finally authorizing the Ukraine impeachment inquiry last September .
Up until then , her attitude towards impeachment had been to shoo progressives in her caucus away from it .
They wanted to go after Trump over Russiagate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted no part of it .
She remembered how impeachment backfired on congressional Republicans under Clinton .
Her eyes were on the prize of winning the 2020 election and ousting Trump the old-fashioned way .
Then the Ukraine thing blew up , she flipped , and she ’ s never really looked back .
She spent most of January crowing that the stigma of impeachment would haunt Trump forever no matter what the Senate did .
She ’ s getting Trumpier in tone by the day .
At the rate she ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by sending the sergeant-at-arms out to arrest him and hold him in the House basement .
Increasingly I don ’ t know how this country survives this election fully intact .
Trump is trying to delegitimize the results in the fear/expectation that he ’ ll lose .
( Asked recently by a judge in Pennsylvania to produce any evidence of fraud involving voting by mail there , his campaign couldn ’ t do it . )
And now here ’ s Pelosi , the definition of the Democratic establishment , the so-called adult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Molotov cocktail .
If you ’ re the praying type , pray for America .

This was no slip of the tongue or regrettable moment of ill-temper.
She was so proud of it that she posted a version of the clip to her own Twitter feed.
What is this country going to look like in November? The Speaker of the House, not normally regarded as a loose-cannon blowhard the way the president is, is all but accusing the other party of treason.
UNHINGED: Nancy Pelosi labels Republicans "domestic enemies…enemies of the state" pic.twitter.com/8TnFfk3VFQ — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 24, 2020
Jake Tapper asked her yesterday whether she’ll accept the results of the election if Trump wins. “Of course,” she replied. But how? If his attempts to discourage voting by mail make him an “enemy of the state”…
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1297495295266357248
…then how does “the state” abide if he profits from those attempts by winning? Even MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin can’t help but mutter “wow” as she pulls the pin on this grenade.
Pelosi is a highly strategic politician, which makes me think she’s seen data that the uproar over the Postal Service is helping Democrats a bunch. This is her turning the volume up to 11 to leverage that — maybe. The wrinkle is that this isn’t the first time lately that her rhetoric about Trump and Republicans has gone to a place that seems motivated less by strategy than by not-quite-controlled contempt. Sometimes it’s petty insults, like when she claimed in May that Trump was “morbidly obese.” Other times it’s bareknuckle demagoguery, accusing Republicans in June of trying to get away with the murder of George Floyd because their police-reform bill wasn’t to her liking. Last month she took to calling the coronavirus the “Trump virus.”
Most famously, there was the spectacle of her theatrically tearing up Trump’s prepared remarks on camera after he finished the State of the Union.
When, exactly, did Nancy Pelosi start to lose her sh*t? Can we pinpoint it?
The moment that sticks out in my mind is her finally authorizing the Ukraine impeachment inquiry last September. Up until then, her attitude towards impeachment had been to shoo progressives in her caucus away from it. They wanted to go after Trump over Russiagate but Pelosi, strategic as ever, wanted no part of it. She remembered how impeachment backfired on congressional Republicans under Clinton. Her eyes were on the prize of winning the 2020 election and ousting Trump the old-fashioned way.
Then the Ukraine thing blew up, she flipped, and she’s never really looked back. She spent most of January crowing that the stigma of impeachment would haunt Trump forever no matter what the Senate did. She’s getting Trumpier in tone by the day. At the rate she’s going, by October she’ll by sending the sergeant-at-arms out to arrest him and hold him in the House basement.
Increasingly I don’t know how this country survives this election fully intact. Trump is trying to delegitimize the results in the fear/expectation that he’ll lose. (Asked recently by a judge in Pennsylvania to produce any evidence of fraud involving voting by mail there, his campaign couldn’t do it.) And now here’s Pelosi, the definition of the Democratic establishment, the so-called adult in the room, tossing a rhetorical Molotov cocktail. If you’re the praying type, pray for America.


hotair--2020-08-24--GOP convention, night one: Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Trump Jr -- and Trump

Tonight we get our first clue about the biggest mystery of the campaign : Can anyone ’ s opinion of Trump change , even just a little , after three and a half years of Trumpiness ?
Because he needs some minds to change , even just a little , to have a shot in November .
The show begins at 8:30 ET ; you can watch right here if you ’ re not near a TV .
Read on… Want to know what tonight ’ s program will look like ?
Well , join the club .
The majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the details of this week ’ s convention in the same manner most Americans do — by watching it unfold on TV… Some speakers , like Lieutenant Gov .
Jeanette Nuñez of Florida , were unclear as of late last week from where they would speak — in D.C. or their home state — or the exact format of their remarks… “ There ’ s just been very little communication with Republican officials and their staffs , ” one Republican congressional aide told POLITICO .
“ There doesn ’ t seem to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ d be shocked if they can put together four nights of programming without a major catastrophe.
” Democrats had the advantage of throwing in the towel early on a live convention , giving them time to focus on working out the bugs of a virtual production .
Republicans were stuck scrambling to go ( mostly ) virtual after Trump called off the live festivities that had been planned in Jacksonville due to COVID-19 .
The results of that hasty planning are … unpredictable .
We do at least have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fewer than six Trump family members besides the president plus Don Jr ’ s significant other , Kimberly Guilfoyle .
If the GOP is now little more than a personality cult , it makes sense that the royal family would be featured extensively at the coronation .
That list is thin on establishment figures , as you can see .
Even McConnell reportedly intended to skip the convention before the attention paid to his absence led him to change his mind .
Nikki Haley will be there tonight , though , as she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and needs to preserve some degree of goodwill from Trumpers .
She has no chance of winning populist votes in a primary but she stands a good chance of convincing those populists to support her in a general election if she manages to avoid pissing them off .
That ’ s the Biden strategy for winning a major-party nomination and , perhaps , the presidency .
Two big differences between him and her , though .
One is that he had universal name recognition when he ran , making him an easy default @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of the field .
The other is that he was well-matched to the moment , a perfectly generic and amiable Democrat for a party that wanted to make the election a referendum on Trump .
It ’ s possible that the post-Trump GOP will want a younger , more traditional Republican woman of color as its nominee in 2024 and thus that Haley will be well-matched to her moment as well .
But I sure wouldn ’ t bet that way .
Which reminds me : Where are Ted Cruz and Josh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ re both likely to run , both will be competing for populist votes , and therefore both would want to prove themselves good MAGA soldiers by appearing at the convention .
I assume they ’ ll both be added to the program eventually but it ’ s surprising that they weren ’ t booked from the start .
The party will show off some racial diversity tonight with Haley , Tim Scott , and congressional candidate Kim Klacik , who ’ s running in the special election for Maryland ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ re also going to try to seize an opportunity gifted to them by Democrats in appealing to working-class voters .
The Democratic convention was heavy on professional politicians and light on reasons to support Biden apart from him not being Donald Trump .
Republicans are planning to draw a contrast by featuring some regular joes as speakers , which is smart .
They ’ re also likely to hammer at kitchen-table issues , hoping to appeal to voters who agree that Joe Biden is a much nicer guy than Trump but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to care : Even if Biden emerges from the convention with a boost in the polls , his choice to focus less on economic appeals and more on sweeping themes and social issues , particularly racial justice , raises some of the same questions that surfaced after the Democrats ’ last national meeting .
Though Hillary Clinton ’ s 2016 convention drew strong reviews , it too emphasized the party ’ s embrace of diversity , the breadth of her coalition , and Trump ’ s deficiencies of character without delivering a clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those choices faced pointed second-guessing after Election Day , when Trump ’ s huge margins among non-college-educated white voters allowed him to dislodge the Rust Belt battlegrounds of Michigan , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin from the Democrats ’ “ blue wall ” and claim his narrow victory .
[ James Carville ] gave high marks to the convention ’ s personal introduction of Biden and its outreach to young people , but he worried that the event wasn ’ t following the formula Democrats used to win the House in 2018 : Minimize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns , such as defending the Affordable Care Act and its protections for Americans with preexisting health conditions .
[ U ] nless Biden can win across a wide range of Sun Belt states , he ’ s unlikely to reach 270 Electoral College votes without improving at least somewhat among working-class white voters in the key Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania , Michigan , and Wisconsin .
And analysts have long observed that many older Latino and African American voters in particular are more motivated to turn out to the polls by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by broad promises of confronting discrimination .
The economic message will also be paired with an emphasis on rising violent crime , especially the intermittent riots in Chicago and the more consistent riots in Portland .
Of note , via Josh Kraushaar : “ A recent Pew Research Center survey found that dealing with violent crime is now the fifth-most important issue for votes , with 59 percent listing it as ‘ very important ’ to their vote in November .
For context , it ’ s nearly as important to Americans as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 63 percent listing it as a top issue.
” In short , Republicans are going to sweep aside woke Democratic claptrap and convince people that there ’ s only one party that understands what keeps them up at night , namely , being able to pay the rent and feeling safe in your own home .
Or rather , that ’ s what Republicans should be doing .
It ’ s the rational move .
Trump might get up there instead and rant for two hours about hydroxychloroquine and ballot drop boxes being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what makes the GOP convention so much more intriguing than its Democratic counterpart : Anything can happen .
It could be surprisingly effective , it could be a complete sh*tshow .
Since it ’ s a Trump production , it ’ ll probably be both .
Speaking of Trump ranting , he ’ ll appear tonight in the 10 p.m. hour — and in tomorrow ’ s 10 p.m. hour , and Wednesday ’ s , and then he ’ ll deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday .
It ’ s not traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four nights , but hey .
Here ’ s a Twitter widget that ’ ll feature live commentary from people worth following as the proceedings unfold .
And of course comments are open before for your participation .

Tonight we get our first clue about the biggest mystery of the campaign: Can anyone’s opinion of Trump change, even just a little, after three and a half years of Trumpiness? Because he needs some minds to change, even just a little, to have a shot in November. The show begins at 8:30 ET; you can watch right here if you’re not near a TV. Read on…
Want to know what tonight’s program will look like? Well, join the club.
The majority of Republican politicians and operatives will learn about the details of this week’s convention in the same manner most Americans do — by watching it unfold on TV… Some speakers, like Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Nuñez of Florida, were unclear as of late last week from where they would speak — in D.C. or their home state — or the exact format of their remarks… “There’s just been very little communication with Republican officials and their staffs,” one Republican congressional aide told POLITICO. “There doesn’t seem to be much of an organized surrogate plan. I’d be shocked if they can put together four nights of programming without a major catastrophe.”
Democrats had the advantage of throwing in the towel early on a live convention, giving them time to focus on working out the bugs of a virtual production. Republicans were stuck scrambling to go (mostly) virtual after Trump called off the live festivities that had been planned in Jacksonville due to COVID-19. The results of that hasty planning are … unpredictable. We do at least have a list of speakers, which features no fewer than six Trump family members besides the president plus Don Jr’s significant other, Kimberly Guilfoyle. If the GOP is now little more than a personality cult, it makes sense that the royal family would be featured extensively at the coronation.
GOP convention lineup includes: pic.twitter.com/LU51hKeiAr — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 23, 2020
That list is thin on establishment figures, as you can see. Even McConnell reportedly intended to skip the convention before the attention paid to his absence led him to change his mind. Nikki Haley will be there tonight, though, as she’s certain to run in 2024 and needs to preserve some degree of goodwill from Trumpers. She has no chance of winning populist votes in a primary but she stands a good chance of convincing those populists to support her in a general election if she manages to avoid pissing them off. That’s the Biden strategy for winning a major-party nomination and, perhaps, the presidency. Two big differences between him and her, though. One is that he had universal name recognition when he ran, making him an easy default option for voters left unimpressed by the rest of the field. The other is that he was well-matched to the moment, a perfectly generic and amiable Democrat for a party that wanted to make the election a referendum on Trump. It’s possible that the post-Trump GOP will want a younger, more traditional Republican woman of color as its nominee in 2024 and thus that Haley will be well-matched to her moment as well.
But I sure wouldn’t bet that way.
Which reminds me: Where are Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley on the list of speakers? They’re both likely to run, both will be competing for populist votes, and therefore both would want to prove themselves good MAGA soldiers by appearing at the convention. I assume they’ll both be added to the program eventually but it’s surprising that they weren’t booked from the start.
The party will show off some racial diversity tonight with Haley, Tim Scott, and congressional candidate Kim Klacik, who’s running in the special election for Maryland’s 7th District, a D+26 jurisdiction. They’re also going to try to seize an opportunity gifted to them by Democrats in appealing to working-class voters. The Democratic convention was heavy on professional politicians and light on reasons to support Biden apart from him not being Donald Trump. Republicans are planning to draw a contrast by featuring some regular joes as speakers, which is smart. They’re also likely to hammer at kitchen-table issues, hoping to appeal to voters who agree that Joe Biden is a much nicer guy than Trump but don’t see any particular reason to care:
Even if Biden emerges from the convention with a boost in the polls, his choice to focus less on economic appeals and more on sweeping themes and social issues, particularly racial justice, raises some of the same questions that surfaced after the Democrats’ last national meeting. Though Hillary Clinton’s 2016 convention drew strong reviews, it too emphasized the party’s embrace of diversity, the breadth of her coalition, and Trump’s deficiencies of character without delivering a clearly delineated economic agenda for working families. Those choices faced pointed second-guessing after Election Day, when Trump’s huge margins among non-college-educated white voters allowed him to dislodge the Rust Belt battlegrounds of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin from the Democrats’ “blue wall” and claim his narrow victory. [James Carville] gave high marks to the convention’s personal introduction of Biden and its outreach to young people, but he worried that the event wasn’t following the formula Democrats used to win the House in 2018: Minimize discussion of Trump and emphasize bread-and-butter economic concerns, such as defending the Affordable Care Act and its protections for Americans with preexisting health conditions. [U]nless Biden can win across a wide range of Sun Belt states, he’s unlikely to reach 270 Electoral College votes without improving at least somewhat among working-class white voters in the key Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. And analysts have long observed that many older Latino and African American voters in particular are more motivated to turn out to the polls by concrete plans to improve their life than by broad promises of confronting discrimination.
The economic message will also be paired with an emphasis on rising violent crime, especially the intermittent riots in Chicago and the more consistent riots in Portland. Of note, via Josh Kraushaar: “A recent Pew Research Center survey found that dealing with violent crime is now the fifth-most important issue for votes, with 59 percent listing it as ‘very important’ to their vote in November. For context, it’s nearly as important to Americans as the coronavirus, which ranks fourth with 63 percent listing it as a top issue.” In short, Republicans are going to sweep aside woke Democratic claptrap and convince people that there’s only one party that understands what keeps them up at night, namely, being able to pay the rent and feeling safe in your own home.
Or rather, that’s what Republicans should be doing. It’s the rational move. Trump might get up there instead and rant for two hours about hydroxychloroquine and ballot drop boxes being infected with coronavirus. That’s what makes the GOP convention so much more intriguing than its Democratic counterpart: Anything can happen. It could be surprisingly effective, it could be a complete sh*tshow. Since it’s a Trump production, it’ll probably be both.
Speaking of Trump ranting, he’ll appear tonight in the 10 p.m. hour — and in tomorrow’s 10 p.m. hour, and Wednesday’s, and then he’ll deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday. It’s not traditional for a nominee to speak on all four nights, but hey. Here’s a Twitter widget that’ll feature live commentary from people worth following as the proceedings unfold. And of course comments are open before for your participation.
A Twitter List by allahpundit


hotair--2020-08-24--Seattle Times columnist: City should push forward reforms even if there isn't a 'fully formed' plan

Last Friday Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan vetoed a budget passed by the city council which would have cut about 100 police officers from the force .
One of the things she repeated as she announced the veto was that the council had no plan for what to do going forward : There ’ s no plan for how the city will bridge potential gaps in the police response caused if we lose 100 police officers .
There ’ s no plan for how we could even accomplish an out-of-order layoff or the alternative , cut one of the most diverse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had .
And there ’ s no plan that I can support to cut 40 percent of the salaries who are in the ranks and leadership of the Seattle police department who have valid agreements with our city and who have been working to provide community safety to every part of our city .
Today a Seattle Times columnist argued that the city should push forward even if the plan isn ’ t all that clear .
The author complains that the resignation of Chief Best has taken some of the wind out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Following a decision by the City Council to cut $ 3 million from the police budget to make a “ down payment ” on bigger cuts to the police in 2021 , Best announced her resignation , saying she could not carry out the officer layoffs the council supported .
Best is Seattle ’ s first Black police chief .
Best ’ s decision opened the floodgates of criticism toward the mostly women of color council members who led the defunding effort from those who opposed any cuts to the police in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw things different last week .
He wrote that Chief Best resignation may have saved Seattle from itself ?
Why ?
Because it made even some of the progressives on the council back away from the extremism of socialist council member Kshama Sawant whose goal is toe disband the police .
On the morning of the budget committee vote on Aug. 5 , Sawant put in an amendment to cut the salaries of Best and her command staff .
It was so new it wasn ’ t listed on the agenda , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much by council staff ( the amount of money to be saved was at the time listed as “ $ XX ” because staff hadn ’ t even had time to calculate it ) .
After only a few minutes of questions about whether it was legal to modify employment contracts midstream ( council staff wasn ’ t sure of that either , while Sawant insisted it was ) , the council backed the pay cuts with a 6 to 3 vote… In addition to defunding Chief Best , it was Sawant who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep that staff wrote “ SPD may not be able to make this reduction without eliminating all or nearly all staff.
” Even knowing this — that her plan could lay off the entire department — she pushed it to a vote anyway ( it didn ’ t pass ) … At least five council members realize this was a huge political blunder .
One , Lisa Herbold , apologized , while another , Debora Juarez , termed it a “ wake up call ” to work more collaboratively .
Black Lives Matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it “ does nothing ” for their cause that the city ’ s first Black police chief had been “ forced out of her job.
” Chief Best didn ’ t resign at random , she was pushed out by the most extreme voice on the city council .
And even some of the people who voted to cut her salary seem to have belatedly realized they made a mistake listening to the most extreme member of the group .
Getting back to the argument in favor of defunding police without a plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the police are not an anti-crime vending machine .
You can ’ t insert money and have public safety come out .
If it was , then the 36 % hike in the Seattle police budget over the past five years would have left us with a commensurate reduction of crime .
In fact while the property crime rate has declined about 8 percentage points over that period , the violent crime rate has gone up and down .
If you follow that link about the hike in the police budget you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the past five years without any increase in the number of officers : The department has justified these and many other new positions as necessary to modernize the force , win community trust and satisfy the terms of a 2012 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice ( DOJ ) .
A deal with the police union in late 2018 added measures on officer discipline and oversight while considerably raising wages .
The revamping of SPD helps explain how its budget swelled by more than $ 100 million over the last five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even as the number of police officers barely budged… SPD ’ s increasingly large budgets reflect more than simply adding police resources , with rising costs for pensions , health care and insurance — along with funds shifted between departments — playing a role .
Even with the addition of civilians , sworn officers still make up 77 % of SPD ’ s personnel costs , according to a City Council presentation last week .
It ’ s true that if you pay the same number of officers more money , as spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you probably won ’ t get less crime .
That doesn ’ t mean that cutting the number of officers dramatically , which is what the city council wants to do , won ’ t have a negative impact .
Rushing ahead without a clear plan ( as the author admits the council lacks ) isn ’ t a good idea : She ’ s almost literally saying that having a plan hasn ’ t worked so let ’ s try not having one and see how that goes .
This argument @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after school shootings , i.e .
progressives say now is the time to do something but often don ’ t seem to have any plans that would actually change the outcome for the better .
Opening the discussion about policing to more people is fine and maybe even a good idea , but common sense suggests you should do that before you make dramatic changes to staffing levels and force the police chief out , not after you do those things .
Now is not the time to take a leap of faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ re already seeing a surge of violent crime in cities around the country .
Moving forward without a plan could turn out to be very costly .

Last Friday Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan vetoed a budget passed by the city council which would have cut about 100 police officers from the force. One of the things she repeated as she announced the veto was that the council had no plan for what to do going forward:
There’s no plan for how the city will bridge potential gaps in the police response caused if we lose 100 police officers. There’s no plan for how we could even accomplish an out-of-order layoff or the alternative, cut one of the most diverse groups of recruits that we’ve had. And there’s no plan that I can support to cut 40 percent of the salaries who are in the ranks and leadership of the Seattle police department who have valid agreements with our city and who have been working to provide community safety to every part of our city.
Today a Seattle Times columnist argued that the city should push forward even if the plan isn’t all that clear. The author complains that the resignation of Chief Best has taken some of the wind out of the reformer’s sails.
Following a decision by the City Council to cut $3 million from the police budget to make a “down payment” on bigger cuts to the police in 2021, Best announced her resignation, saying she could not carry out the officer layoffs the council supported. Best is Seattle’s first Black police chief. Best’s decision opened the floodgates of criticism toward the mostly women of color council members who led the defunding effort from those who opposed any cuts to the police in the first place.
Another Seattle Times columnist saw things different last week. He wrote that Chief Best resignation may have saved Seattle from itself? Why? Because it made even some of the progressives on the council back away from the extremism of socialist council member Kshama Sawant whose goal is toe disband the police.
On the morning of the budget committee vote on Aug. 5, Sawant put in an amendment to cut the salaries of Best and her command staff. It was so new it wasn’t listed on the agenda, and it hadn’t yet been vetted much by council staff (the amount of money to be saved was at the time listed as “$XX” because staff hadn’t even had time to calculate it). After only a few minutes of questions about whether it was legal to modify employment contracts midstream (council staff wasn’t sure of that either, while Sawant insisted it was), the council backed the pay cuts with a 6 to 3 vote… In addition to defunding Chief Best, it was Sawant who offered a plan of police cuts so deep that staff wrote “SPD may not be able to make this reduction without eliminating all or nearly all staff.” Even knowing this — that her plan could lay off the entire department — she pushed it to a vote anyway (it didn’t pass)… At least five council members realize this was a huge political blunder. One, Lisa Herbold, apologized, while another, Debora Juarez, termed it a “wake up call” to work more collaboratively. Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County blasted the council, saying it “does nothing” for their cause that the city’s first Black police chief had been “forced out of her job.”
Chief Best didn’t resign at random, she was pushed out by the most extreme voice on the city council. And even some of the people who voted to cut her salary seem to have belatedly realized they made a mistake listening to the most extreme member of the group. Getting back to the argument in favor of defunding police without a plan:
Despite how some talk about it, the police are not an anti-crime vending machine. You can’t insert money and have public safety come out. If it was, then the 36% hike in the Seattle police budget over the past five years would have left us with a commensurate reduction of crime. In fact while the property crime rate has declined about 8 percentage points over that period, the violent crime rate has gone up and down.
If you follow that link about the hike in the police budget you’ll see that the spending increased over the past five years without any increase in the number of officers:
The department has justified these and many other new positions as necessary to modernize the force, win community trust and satisfy the terms of a 2012 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). A deal with the police union in late 2018 added measures on officer discipline and oversight while considerably raising wages. The revamping of SPD helps explain how its budget swelled by more than $100 million over the last five years, a 36% increase, even as the number of police officers barely budged… SPD’s increasingly large budgets reflect more than simply adding police resources, with rising costs for pensions, health care and insurance — along with funds shifted between departments — playing a role. Even with the addition of civilians, sworn officers still make up 77% of SPD’s personnel costs, according to a City Council presentation last week.
It’s true that if you pay the same number of officers more money, as spending goes up on pensions and health plans, you probably won’t get less crime. That doesn’t mean that cutting the number of officers dramatically, which is what the city council wants to do, won’t have a negative impact. Rushing ahead without a clear plan (as the author admits the council lacks) isn’t a good idea:
Does the City Council have a fully formed plan put together by highly paid consultants and city staff? No. But again, how has that approach worked so far to end racial injustice in policing? It hasn’t and it’s time to try something different, even if it means that those who are used to having a seat at the table have to make the table bigger and open it up to more people.
She’s almost literally saying that having a plan hasn’t worked so let’s try not having one and see how that goes. This argument reminds me of the one we have after school shootings, i.e. progressives say now is the time to do something but often don’t seem to have any plans that would actually change the outcome for the better.
Opening the discussion about policing to more people is fine and maybe even a good idea, but common sense suggests you should do that before you make dramatic changes to staffing levels and force the police chief out, not after you do those things. Now is not the time to take a leap of faith on policing and hope for the best. We’re already seeing a surge of violent crime in cities around the country. Moving forward without a plan could turn out to be very costly.


hotair--2020-08-24--Jerry Falwell Jr's "pool boy": Let me tell you what's really going on here; <span class='red'>Update

Jerry Falwell Jr's "pool boy": Let me tell you what's really going on here; Update: I haven't resigned, says Falwell

All I really want to know about this story is : What did Michael Cohen and/or Trump know , and when did they know it ?
Did this actually play a ( small ) part in how Trump came to be the GOP nominee ?
Remember , according to an NYT story published last year , Ted Cruz ’ s campaign had reason to believe Falwell would endorse their guy for president in 2016 .
Cruz was looking to lock down the evangelical vote before the primaries , expecting that Christians would balk at Trump ’ s checkered past .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
Having the support of the president of Liberty University , the son of a famous minister , would serve as a benediction .
But Falwell shocked the campaign by endorsing Trump instead , one of the earliest inklings that evangelical voters would be more receptive to a louche billionaire from Manhattan than anyone expected .
Did Falwell have a timely epiphany about Trump or did the president and his loyal lackey Cohen employ tactics they honed with the National Enquirer to “ influence ” his endorsement ?
From the Times : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photographs , personal photographs , that somehow the guy ended up getting — whether it was off of Jerry ’ s phone or somehow maybe it got AirDropped or whatever the hell the whole thing was , ” Mr. Cohen told Mr. Arnold in the recording , which Mr. Arnold shared with The Times .
Mr. Cohen never identified “ the guy.
” “ These are photos between husband and wife , ” Mr. Cohen added , joking that “ the evangelicals are kinkier than Tom Arnold.
” He explained , “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was going to get the negatives and do an agreement where they turn over all the technology that has the photographs or anything like that , any copies.
” But the payoff “ never happened , ” he said , “ and the guy just either deleted them on his own or what have you.
” That incident came early in 2016 , a few months before Falwell endorsed Trump , according to Reuters .
There ’ s no evidence ( yet ) that Cohen used what he knew as leverage to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s surely no reason to think he was above it .
Imagine putting Michael Cohen , of all people , in a situation where he could easily blackmail you .
Anyway , since then the rumors have swirled : What did Cohen see ?
What sort of dirt is floating around on Falwell that might require a fixer ’ s intervention ?
Reports have been published over the past few years about the unusual relationship between him , his wife , and a 20-year-old pool boy whom they befriended during a visit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those stories have been long on innuendo but short on specifics — until last night , when Falwell finally broke the ice himself with a statement to the Washington Examiner .
His wife had had a short fling with the pool boy years ago , he claimed , and they ’ ve been fending off his extortion attempts ever since .
Why would he suddenly up and reveal a skeleton in the family closet which he ’ d succeeded in keeping a secret for so long ?
For only one possible reason : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public and this was Falwell ’ s way of getting ahead of the story , a “ limited hangout ” aimed at spinning what happened in the most sympathetic possible light .
“ Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person , something in which I was not involved — it was nonetheless very upsetting to learn about , ” Falwell ’ s statement to the Examiner read .
But in the end it was a tale of redemption .
“ Thankfully , our love has never been stronger .
Becki and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her indiscretion may have been more obvious and apparent , I realized that there were important smaller things I needed to do better too , ” it went on .
Mrs. Falwell had briefly succumbed to temptation , her husband had forgiven her , and now they were being preyed upon .
Why , they ’ re the victims in all this .
That ’ s not what happened , though , said “ pool boy ” Giancarlo Granda to Reuters .
Falwell was involved .
He was , allegedly , a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room , ” Granda claimed .
And it wasn ’ t a brief fling ; it went on for years , he says , with multiple trysts each year .
Why should anyone believe him ?
Well , there ’ s this audio from just two years ago in which all three of them are on a call together and a woman , presumably Mrs. Falwell , talks about feeling hurt when Granda tells her he ’ s been hooking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also this , from just last year : If there was a brief affair in 2012 which Falwell wasn ’ t involved in , how does he explain that apparently verified screenshot seven full years later ?
Something happened earlier this year to sour the relationship because , says Reuters , by June Granda and Falwell were sending each other hostile messages involving claims of extortion and going “ the kamikaze route.
” Weirdly , that occurred *before* the mini-scandal a few weeks back that forced Falwell to take a leave of absence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photo of himself with his pants unbuttoned and his arm around his wife ’ s assistant .
That caused an uproar because Liberty is strict about morals among its students , requiring modest dress along with more traditional prohibitions like curfews and bans on premarital sex .
If there really was an extortion attempt here , maybe Falwell ’ s mini-scandal explains why the scandal involving Granda is coming to a head now .
Falwell ’ s job is already hanging by a thread .
A desperate man might be willing to pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might yet emerge about how long the powers that be at Liberty have known that their president not only wasn ’ t following the moral code he laid down for students , he was flouting it in unusually sordid ways .
It ’ s one thing for someone who preaches Christian morals to have an occasional lapse and seek forgiveness ; people aren ’ t perfect , which is why they seek moral instruction through faith .
But if Granda ’ s telling the truth , especially about how long this went on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lapse.
” It was a lifestyle .
The president of the country ’ s most prominent evangelical university , charged with enforcing a code of virtue against thousands of young adults , was in largely open rebellion against that code privately for many years .
Does Falwell believe at all in the standards to which Liberty holds its students or is it all a grift for him ?
The craziest part is that the statement he gave to the Examiner attempts to blame the entire mess on his wife .
Whether he and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy or if he wrote it without her approval , in a frantic attempt to save his job by claiming that his wife was the only one who had sinned , only they know .
It reeks either way .
And it ’ s bizarre that Falwell would insist that he wasn ’ t involved , and that the affair was long over , when he had every reason to assume that Granda had documentary evidence to contradict that .
If your wife is Facetiming naked with a guy , and you and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ odds are very high in the age of smartphones that he has a record of it somewhere .
“ Reckless ” doesn ’ t begin to describe what happened here if Granda ’ s telling the truth .
Literally I was writing this sentence — “ It seems a fait accompli that he ’ ll be dismissed now ” — when news broke that Falwell has resigned from Liberty .
Now we get to sit back and find out who , if anyone , at the school knew what and when , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How many trustees tacitly agreed with Falwell that the school ’ s moral code applied only to the plebes ?
Exit quotation from a Politico piece published last year : “ At Liberty , Falwell is ‘ very , very vocal ’ about his ‘ sex life , ’ in the words of one Liberty official—a characterization multiple current and former university officials and employees interviewed for this story support.
” Update : I ’ m glad to hear this .
It shouldn ’ t be so easy for Liberty to rid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quick , clean resignation .
Let him fight it and make a spectacle of things for awhile .

All I really want to know about this story is: What did Michael Cohen and/or Trump know, and when did they know it? Did this actually play a (small) part in how Trump came to be the GOP nominee?
Remember, according to an NYT story published last year, Ted Cruz’s campaign had reason to believe Falwell would endorse their guy for president in 2016. Cruz was looking to lock down the evangelical vote before the primaries, expecting that Christians would balk at Trump’s checkered past. (How young we all were then.) Having the support of the president of Liberty University, the son of a famous minister, would serve as a benediction. But Falwell shocked the campaign by endorsing Trump instead, one of the earliest inklings that evangelical voters would be more receptive to a louche billionaire from Manhattan than anyone expected.
Did Falwell have a timely epiphany about Trump or did the president and his loyal lackey Cohen employ tactics they honed with the National Enquirer to “influence” his endorsement? From the Times:
“There’s a bunch of photographs, personal photographs, that somehow the guy ended up getting — whether it was off of Jerry’s phone or somehow maybe it got AirDropped or whatever the hell the whole thing was,” Mr. Cohen told Mr. Arnold in the recording, which Mr. Arnold shared with The Times. Mr. Cohen never identified “the guy.” “These are photos between husband and wife,” Mr. Cohen added, joking that “the evangelicals are kinkier than Tom Arnold.” He explained, “I was going to pay him, and I was going to get the negatives and do an agreement where they turn over all the technology that has the photographs or anything like that, any copies.” But the payoff “never happened,” he said, “and the guy just either deleted them on his own or what have you.”
That incident came early in 2016, a few months before Falwell endorsed Trump, according to Reuters. There’s no evidence (yet) that Cohen used what he knew as leverage to obtain Falwell’s endorsement but there’s surely no reason to think he was above it. Imagine putting Michael Cohen, of all people, in a situation where he could easily blackmail you.
Anyway, since then the rumors have swirled: What did Cohen see? What sort of dirt is floating around on Falwell that might require a fixer’s intervention? Reports have been published over the past few years about the unusual relationship between him, his wife, and a 20-year-old pool boy whom they befriended during a visit to a Miami hotel in 2012. Those stories have been long on innuendo but short on specifics — until last night, when Falwell finally broke the ice himself with a statement to the Washington Examiner. His wife had had a short fling with the pool boy years ago, he claimed, and they’ve been fending off his extortion attempts ever since.
Why would he suddenly up and reveal a skeleton in the family closet which he’d succeeded in keeping a secret for so long? For only one possible reason: The pool boy was about to go public and this was Falwell’s way of getting ahead of the story, a “limited hangout” aimed at spinning what happened in the most sympathetic possible light. “Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which I was not involved — it was nonetheless very upsetting to learn about,” Falwell’s statement to the Examiner read. But in the end it was a tale of redemption. “Thankfully, our love has never been stronger. Becki and I forgave each other, because while her indiscretion may have been more obvious and apparent, I realized that there were important smaller things I needed to do better too,” it went on. Mrs. Falwell had briefly succumbed to temptation, her husband had forgiven her, and now they were being preyed upon. Why, they’re the victims in all this.
That’s not what happened, though, said “pool boy” Giancarlo Granda to Reuters. Falwell was involved. He was, allegedly, a very willing cuck. “Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” Granda claimed. And it wasn’t a brief fling; it went on for years, he says, with multiple trysts each year. Why should anyone believe him? Well, there’s this audio from just two years ago in which all three of them are on a call together and a woman, presumably Mrs. Falwell, talks about feeling hurt when Granda tells her he’s been hooking up with people:
Exclusive: A business partner of Jerry Falwell Jr and his wife Becki shared text and audio messages with @Reuters, showing his relationship with the evangelical couple https://t.co/CCq99hpizy pic.twitter.com/l1K9w5kEQk — Reuters (@Reuters) August 24, 2020
There’s also this, from just last year:
The material Granda showed Reuters includes screenshots from what Granda said was a FaceTime conversation he had with the Falwells in 2019. During that call, Granda said, Becki was naked as the two discussed their relationship while Jerry peeked from behind a door. Reuters was able to verify Granda’s description of the screenshots.
If there was a brief affair in 2012 which Falwell wasn’t involved in, how does he explain that apparently verified screenshot seven full years later?
Something happened earlier this year to sour the relationship because, says Reuters, by June Granda and Falwell were sending each other hostile messages involving claims of extortion and going “the kamikaze route.” Weirdly, that occurred *before* the mini-scandal a few weeks back that forced Falwell to take a leave of absence from Liberty, after he posted a photo of himself with his pants unbuttoned and his arm around his wife’s assistant. That caused an uproar because Liberty is strict about morals among its students, requiring modest dress along with more traditional prohibitions like curfews and bans on premarital sex.
If there really was an extortion attempt here, maybe Falwell’s mini-scandal explains why the scandal involving Granda is coming to a head now. Falwell’s job is already hanging by a thread. A desperate man might be willing to pay more for silence.
And imagine what might yet emerge about how long the powers that be at Liberty have known that their president not only wasn’t following the moral code he laid down for students, he was flouting it in unusually sordid ways. It’s one thing for someone who preaches Christian morals to have an occasional lapse and seek forgiveness; people aren’t perfect, which is why they seek moral instruction through faith. But if Granda’s telling the truth, especially about how long this went on, it wasn’t a “lapse.” It was a lifestyle. The president of the country’s most prominent evangelical university, charged with enforcing a code of virtue against thousands of young adults, was in largely open rebellion against that code privately for many years. Does Falwell believe at all in the standards to which Liberty holds its students or is it all a grift for him?
The craziest part is that the statement he gave to the Examiner attempts to blame the entire mess on his wife. Whether he and Becki Falwell agreed on that as a strategy or if he wrote it without her approval, in a frantic attempt to save his job by claiming that his wife was the only one who had sinned, only they know. It reeks either way. And it’s bizarre that Falwell would insist that he wasn’t involved, and that the affair was long over, when he had every reason to assume that Granda had documentary evidence to contradict that. If your wife is Facetiming naked with a guy, and you and she happen to be prominent people, odds are very high in the age of smartphones that he has a record of it somewhere. “Reckless” doesn’t begin to describe what happened here if Granda’s telling the truth.
Literally I was writing this sentence — “It seems a fait accompli that he’ll be dismissed now” — when news broke that Falwell has resigned from Liberty. Now we get to sit back and find out who, if anyone, at the school knew what and when, and what was done to keep that quiet. How many trustees tacitly agreed with Falwell that the school’s moral code applied only to the plebes? Exit quotation from a Politico piece published last year: “At Liberty, Falwell is ‘very, very vocal’ about his ‘sex life,’ in the words of one Liberty official—a characterization multiple current and former university officials and employees interviewed for this story support.”
Update: I’m glad to hear this. It shouldn’t be so easy for Liberty to rid itself of its Falwell problem with a quick, clean resignation. Let him fight it and make a spectacle of things for awhile.


hotair--2020-08-24--Gov. Evers calls out the National Guard, plus additional details about the shooting (Update: A dispu

Gov. Evers calls out the National Guard, plus additional details about the shooting (Update: A dispute over a scratched car)

Earlier today I wrote about the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha , Wisconsin and the riots and looting that followed .
Gov .
Tony Evers was quick to side with Black Lives Matter after the shooting , comparing the situation to the death of George Floyd ( though Blake is still alive ) .
Now , however it appears that Gov .
Evers is concerned about the reaction to the shooting and has called out the National Guard : Wisconsin ’ s governor summoned the National Guard for fear of another round of violent protests Monday after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under murky circumstances turned Kenosha into the nation ’ s latest flashpoint city in a summer of racial unrest .
Democratic Gov .
Tony Evers said 125 members of the National Guard would be in Kenosha by night with responsibility for “ guarding infrastructure and making sure our firefighters and others involved are protected.
” County authorities also announced an 8 p.m. curfew .
WTMJ in Milwaukee has more : The governor explained that the Guards ’ mission in Kenosha will be to guard infrastructure from looting and vandalism , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting out fires and other tasks amid unrest… “ Serving our fellow Wisconsin citizens and assisting civil authorities during times of need is one of core missions in the National Guard , ” said Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp , Wisconsin ’ s adjutant general , in the release .
“ Our Citizen Soldiers and Airmen are well-trained and prepared to assist in any way we can in an effort to preserve public safety.
” Meanwhile , the man who shot the video of Jacob Blake ’ s shooting is giving some more detail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot .
He claims that three officers were wrestling with Blake before the clip started and one had used a stun gun before Blake got free and walked around the car .
He also claims the officers yelled something about a knife : The man who claimed to have made the video , 22-year-old Raysean White , said that he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell , “ Drop the knife !
Drop the knife !
” before the gunfire erupted .
He said he didn ’ t see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The governor said that he has seen no information to suggest Blake had a knife or other weapon , but that the case is still being investigated by the state Justice Department… White , who claimed to have made the video , said that before the gunfire , he looked out his window and saw six or seven women shouting at each other on the sidewalk .
A few moments later , Blake drove up in his SUV and told his son , who was standing nearby , to get in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Blake did not say anything to the women .
White said he left the window for a few minutes , and when he came back , saw three officers wrestling with Blake .
One punched Blake in the ribs , and another used a stun gun on him , White said .
He said Blake got free and started walking away as officers yelled about a knife .
There ’ s another video which appears to start a few seconds earlier .
It ’ s hard to see much of what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police were fighting with Blake before the shooting .
I don ’ t see a knife visible in the two videos we ’ ve seen so far but obviously if he had one that would change things since he wouldn ’ t be unarmed at that point .
I don ’ t know if police in Kenosha have body cams but I hope so .
Update : The Washington Post just published a story which says Blake became involved in a dispute over a scratched car .
Stella London , who lives in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday that they think Blake was breaking up a fight between two women over a scratch on one of their cars and police just “ assumed ” he was a problem .
“ It all came from a scratched vehicle .
It ’ s just so sad , ” said Sheila Winters , 65 .
The women worry that if Blake does not survive , their city will become consumed by violence .
As for the body cameras , Kenosha police don ’ t have them :

Earlier today I wrote about the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin and the riots and looting that followed. Gov. Tony Evers was quick to side with Black Lives Matter after the shooting, comparing the situation to the death of George Floyd (though Blake is still alive). Now, however it appears that Gov. Evers is concerned about the reaction to the shooting and has called out the National Guard:
Wisconsin’s governor summoned the National Guard for fear of another round of violent protests Monday after the police shooting of a Black man under murky circumstances turned Kenosha into the nation’s latest flashpoint city in a summer of racial unrest. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said 125 members of the National Guard would be in Kenosha by night with responsibility for “guarding infrastructure and making sure our firefighters and others involved are protected.” County authorities also announced an 8 p.m. curfew.
WTMJ in Milwaukee has more:
The governor explained that the Guards’ mission in Kenosha will be to guard infrastructure from looting and vandalism, as well as to protect firefighters who are involved in putting out fires and other tasks amid unrest… “Serving our fellow Wisconsin citizens and assisting civil authorities during times of need is one of core missions in the National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, in the release. “Our Citizen Soldiers and Airmen are well-trained and prepared to assist in any way we can in an effort to preserve public safety.”
Meanwhile, the man who shot the video of Jacob Blake’s shooting is giving some more detail about what happened before the clip he shot. He claims that three officers were wrestling with Blake before the clip started and one had used a stun gun before Blake got free and walked around the car. He also claims the officers yelled something about a knife:
The man who claimed to have made the video, 22-year-old Raysean White, said that he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife!” before the gunfire erupted. He said he didn’t see a knife in Blake’s hands. The governor said that he has seen no information to suggest Blake had a knife or other weapon, but that the case is still being investigated by the state Justice Department… White, who claimed to have made the video, said that before the gunfire, he looked out his window and saw six or seven women shouting at each other on the sidewalk. A few moments later, Blake drove up in his SUV and told his son, who was standing nearby, to get in the vehicle, according to White. White said Blake did not say anything to the women. White said he left the window for a few minutes, and when he came back, saw three officers wrestling with Blake. One punched Blake in the ribs, and another used a stun gun on him, White said. He said Blake got free and started walking away as officers yelled about a knife.
There’s another video which appears to start a few seconds earlier. It’s hard to see much of what is happening but it does look as if police were fighting with Blake before the shooting.
Here's a video of the shooting that happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This video shows the shooting of Jacob Blake from a different vantage point. pic.twitter.com/d2CYIis6Zm — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 24, 2020
I don’t see a knife visible in the two videos we’ve seen so far but obviously if he had one that would change things since he wouldn’t be unarmed at that point. I don’t know if police in Kenosha have body cams but I hope so.
Update: The Washington Post just published a story which says Blake became involved in a dispute over a scratched car.
Stella London, who lives in the area, and her daughters said Monday that they think Blake was breaking up a fight between two women over a scratch on one of their cars and police just “assumed” he was a problem. “It all came from a scratched vehicle. It’s just so sad,” said Sheila Winters, 65. The women worry that if Blake does not survive, their city will become consumed by violence.
As for the body cameras, Kenosha police don’t have them: