hotair--2020-07-31--Fauci: Europe did better than we did this summer because they shut down more comprehensively to star

Fauci: Europe did better than we did this summer because they shut down more comprehensively to start with

He doesn ’ t literally say the words “ we reopened too soon ” here , but that ’ s his point .
We reopened too soon .
Which must be a source of deeply mixed feelings in the White House , since ( a ) Trump was America ’ s biggest champion of getting businesses reopened ASAP in hopes of kickstarting a big economic turnaround before the election , yet ( b ) the president ’ s own team has already pivoted to blaming Trump-friendly governors for reopening too soon by ignoring the federal guidelines .
I wonder how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the one hand , scapegoating Ron DeSantis ( or really anyone else ) for his political problems must be immensely enticing .
He loves to pass the buck .
On the other hand , he ’ s so wedded to the idea of reopening , and so clearly unmoved by the plight of Americans fearful of being infected , that he reverted instinctively to pushing governors to reopen just a few days ago , after his advisors had already shifted to scolding them for reopening too early .
My guess is that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the clip below even though they ’ re in line with the “ new ” White House message because he prefers the “ old ” White House message and resents Fauci for being more popular than he is .
Here ’ s a little Twitter clue , which doesn ’ t mention Fauci himself but does complain about the case data on which Fauci ’ s point rests : Attributing rising cases to more testing is very much an “ old ” White House talking point , not part of the new “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we swear ” message .
And it ’ s still untrue , despite him hammering at it for weeks .
We ’ ve done more total testing than any country but that ’ s partly a function of population .
When you look at tests per capita , we ’ ve done more than some hard-hit European countries ( a little more than Spain , a lot more than France ) and less than others ( a little less than Russia , considerably less than the UK ) .
America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , although thankfully off its recent high earlier this month .
According to the Rona Viz site , we have twice as many people hospitalized today as we had on June 18 .
And deaths nationally this week reached their highest point since May .
We had 1,200 or so yesterday .
Europe collectively had fewer than 500 .
Outbreaks are still happening around the world , but in most places they ’ re starting from a small enough baseline of cases that contact tracing makes it at least theoretically possible to contain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because only New York really crushed the curve , contact tracing is useless .
The baseline is just too high nationally to run down how every infected person probably contracted the virus and to quarantine that group .
Vanity Fair has an investigative piece out today that purports to explain why the U.S. fell short on managing coronavirus , and contains an allegation so shocking that there ’ ll probably be hearings about it at some point : Worried about the stock market and his reelection prospects , Trump also feared that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case counts and more bad publicity .
Meanwhile , Dr. Deborah Birx , the White House ’ s coronavirus response coordinator , was reportedly sharing models with senior staff that optimistically—and erroneously , it would turn out—predicted the virus would soon fade away .
Against that background , the prospect of launching a large-scale national plan was losing favor , said one public health expert in frequent contact with the White House ’ s official coronavirus task force .
Most troubling of all , perhaps , was a sentiment the expert said a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : that because the virus had hit blue states hardest , a national plan was unnecessary and would not make sense politically .
“ The political folks believed that because it was going to be relegated to Democratic states , that they could blame those governors , and that would be an effective political strategy , ” said the expert .
“ [ T ] reating the coronavirus as a blue state problem was a fairly widespread approach in the West Wing , ” said Maggie Haberman of the NYT in response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Relatedly , a few days ago the Washington Post reported that aides had finally convinced Trump to pivot to a greater emphasis on safety in his COVID messaging by presenting him “ with maps and data showing spikes in coronavirus cases among ‘ our people ’ in Republican states.
” The idea that the White House didn ’ t go full throttle on testing because they viewed the crisis through a red/blue filter , with the safety of residents of blue states a lower priority than the safety of “ our people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s hard to believe , but it does align with Trump ’ s practice of catering to his base on almost every major political issue .
Even his polling is touted in terms of what Republicans think of him , no one else .
I sure hope we don ’ t find out that the reason America was cursed with the sort of unmanageable elevated national baseline that Fauci describes here is because the people in charge talked themselves into believing that coronavirus “ only ” afflicts Democrats for the most part .

He doesn’t literally say the words “we reopened too soon” here, but that’s his point. We reopened too soon. Which must be a source of deeply mixed feelings in the White House, since (a) Trump was America’s biggest champion of getting businesses reopened ASAP in hopes of kickstarting a big economic turnaround before the election, yet (b) the president’s own team has already pivoted to blaming Trump-friendly governors for reopening too soon by ignoring the federal guidelines.
I wonder how Trump processes all of that. On the one hand, scapegoating Ron DeSantis (or really anyone else) for his political problems must be immensely enticing. He loves to pass the buck. On the other hand, he’s so wedded to the idea of reopening, and so clearly unmoved by the plight of Americans fearful of being infected, that he reverted instinctively to pushing governors to reopen just a few days ago, after his advisors had already shifted to scolding them for reopening too early.
My guess is that he bristled at Fauci’s points in the clip below even though they’re in line with the “new” White House message because he prefers the “old” White House message and resents Fauci for being more popular than he is.
Here’s a little Twitter clue, which doesn’t mention Fauci himself but does complain about the case data on which Fauci’s point rests:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1289201326375804930
Attributing rising cases to more testing is very much an “old” White House talking point, not part of the new “we’re taking this seriously now, we swear” message. And it’s still untrue, despite him hammering at it for weeks. We’ve done more total testing than any country but that’s partly a function of population. When you look at tests per capita, we’ve done more than some hard-hit European countries (a little more than Spain, a lot more than France) and less than others (a little less than Russia, considerably less than the UK). America’s positivity rate is up since late June, although thankfully off its recent high earlier this month. According to the Rona Viz site, we have twice as many people hospitalized today as we had on June 18. And deaths nationally this week reached their highest point since May. We had 1,200 or so yesterday. Europe collectively had fewer than 500.
Outbreaks are still happening around the world, but in most places they’re starting from a small enough baseline of cases that contact tracing makes it at least theoretically possible to contain those outbreaks before they spread. Here, because only New York really crushed the curve, contact tracing is useless. The baseline is just too high nationally to run down how every infected person probably contracted the virus and to quarantine that group.
Vanity Fair has an investigative piece out today that purports to explain why the U.S. fell short on managing coronavirus, and contains an allegation so shocking that there’ll probably be hearings about it at some point:
Worried about the stock market and his reelection prospects, Trump also feared that more testing would only lead to higher case counts and more bad publicity. Meanwhile, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, was reportedly sharing models with senior staff that optimistically—and erroneously, it would turn out—predicted the virus would soon fade away. Against that background, the prospect of launching a large-scale national plan was losing favor, said one public health expert in frequent contact with the White House’s official coronavirus task force. Most troubling of all, perhaps, was a sentiment the expert said a member of Kushner’s team expressed: that because the virus had hit blue states hardest, a national plan was unnecessary and would not make sense politically. “The political folks believed that because it was going to be relegated to Democratic states, that they could blame those governors, and that would be an effective political strategy,” said the expert.
“[T]reating the coronavirus as a blue state problem was a fairly widespread approach in the West Wing,” said Maggie Haberman of the NYT in response to the Vanity Fair piece this morning. Relatedly, a few days ago the Washington Post reported that aides had finally convinced Trump to pivot to a greater emphasis on safety in his COVID messaging by presenting him “with maps and data showing spikes in coronavirus cases among ‘our people’ in Republican states.” The idea that the White House didn’t go full throttle on testing because they viewed the crisis through a red/blue filter, with the safety of residents of blue states a lower priority than the safety of “our people,” is so gross that it’s hard to believe, but it does align with Trump’s practice of catering to his base on almost every major political issue. Even his polling is touted in terms of what Republicans think of him, no one else. I sure hope we don’t find out that the reason America was cursed with the sort of unmanageable elevated national baseline that Fauci describes here is because the people in charge talked themselves into believing that coronavirus “only” afflicts Democrats for the most part.


hotair--2020-07-31--"Tired of being a punching bag": Florida police union unanimously endorses Trump in emergency vote

“ You have a lot of power to tilt an election , ” Brian Kilmeade told John Kazanjian on Fox & Friends this morning .
The Florida Police Benevolent Association certainly hopes so , and one has to assume other police unions and support organizations do too .
Kazanjian will deliver an endorsement letter to Donald Trump later today from the FPBA , one that got a unanimous vote as police officers begin to push back against Democrats demanding “ defunding.
” The FPBA has already withdrawn an endorsement of a local Democrat , Kazanjian noted as well , over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re 30,000 strong .
We go from the panhandle to Daytona , to Tampa down to Miami and the Keys , ” said the president of the Florida Police Benevolent Association , John Kazanjian .
Kazanjian explained that the decision to endorse Trump started with his move last week to call for an “ emergency meeting via conference phone ” with all of the chapter and charter presidents and board of directors .
“ I spelled it out on what ’ s going on not just in Florida but across this country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what , we ’ re getting beat up .
We ’ re getting used like a punching bag and we ’ re tired of it and President Donald Trump has been there for us .
He supported us.
’ ” Kazanjian comments came after a Florida county-level union rescinded its endorsement of a Democratic candidate for the state legislature , in the wake of public statements in which he called for police to be demilitarized and questioned the need for patrol officers to drive unmarked cars , Fox News has learned .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kazanjian points out .
Those members have friends and family who might resent the attacks on police and demands to defund or abolish them too , as might retired police officers .
Donald Trump won Florida in 2016 by only 113,000 votes .
One presumes that police officers probably lined up in the Republican category more than with Democrats in that election , but this time around they will likely be more enthusiastic about aligning with Trump and the GOP .
If the unanimous vote for an endorsement is an indication , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This will likely be a trend , and one that will impact Joe Biden .
He has normally enjoyed a rather positive relationship with police , but that was based on the same law-and-order votes that he ’ s all but disclaimed in this cycle under pressure from the Left .
This isn ’ t so much about Biden personally anyway , but about the Democratic Party ’ s now-open hostility to law enforcement in their rush to pander to the Black Lives Matter movement and anarcho-progressives on their fringe .
Don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oppose the defund efforts , especially in the suburbs but also in the cities .
They may see a need for police reform , but the nihilism and rioting that has taken place over the last two months will remind them why police are more necessary now than ever .
If Trump can get more disciplined on law and order , this might end up being the breaking point in 2020 .

“You have a lot of power to tilt an election,” Brian Kilmeade told John Kazanjian on Fox & Friends this morning. The Florida Police Benevolent Association certainly hopes so, and one has to assume other police unions and support organizations do too. Kazanjian will deliver an endorsement letter to Donald Trump later today from the FPBA, one that got a unanimous vote as police officers begin to push back against Democrats demanding “defunding.”
The FPBA has already withdrawn an endorsement of a local Democrat, Kazanjian noted as well, over the issue of defunding:
“We’re 30,000 strong. We go from the panhandle to Daytona, to Tampa down to Miami and the Keys,” said the president of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, John Kazanjian. Kazanjian explained that the decision to endorse Trump started with his move last week to call for an “emergency meeting via conference phone” with all of the chapter and charter presidents and board of directors. “I spelled it out on what’s going on not just in Florida but across this country that, ‘Hey, you know what, we’re getting beat up. We’re getting used like a punching bag and we’re tired of it and President Donald Trump has been there for us. He supported us.’” Kazanjian comments came after a Florida county-level union rescinded its endorsement of a Democratic candidate for the state legislature, in the wake of public statements in which he called for police to be demilitarized and questioned the need for patrol officers to drive unmarked cars, Fox News has learned.
The 30,000 figure is just current membership, Kazanjian points out. Those members have friends and family who might resent the attacks on police and demands to defund or abolish them too, as might retired police officers. Donald Trump won Florida in 2016 by only 113,000 votes. One presumes that police officers probably lined up in the Republican category more than with Democrats in that election, but this time around they will likely be more enthusiastic about aligning with Trump and the GOP. If the unanimous vote for an endorsement is an indication, they’re a lot more enthusiastic now.
This will likely be a trend, and one that will impact Joe Biden. He has normally enjoyed a rather positive relationship with police, but that was based on the same law-and-order votes that he’s all but disclaimed in this cycle under pressure from the Left. This isn’t so much about Biden personally anyway, but about the Democratic Party’s now-open hostility to law enforcement in their rush to pander to the Black Lives Matter movement and anarcho-progressives on their fringe.
Don’t forget too that most people oppose the defund efforts, especially in the suburbs but also in the cities. They may see a need for police reform, but the nihilism and rioting that has taken place over the last two months will remind them why police are more necessary now than ever. If Trump can get more disciplined on law and order, this might end up being the breaking point in 2020.


hotair--2020-07-31--CBC chair and veepstakes contender: Sure, I hung out in Cuba with a radical Castro front group in th

CBC chair and veepstakes contender: Sure, I hung out in Cuba with a radical Castro front group in the 70's

Hey , who didn ’ t ?
Er … probably everyone else on Joe Biden ’ s veepstakes list , or at least so we ’ d assume .
The Atlantic ’ s Edward-Isaac Dovere discovered that Rep. Karen Bass ( D-CA ) , who currently chairs the Congressional Black Caucus , spent some time in Cuba with the Venceremos Brigade , an initiative by Fidel Castro to encourage radicalization in the US through the extremist group Students for a Democratic Society : Karen Bass , the congresswoman from California , is in contention to become Joe Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this .
She is reliably liberal , she chairs the Congressional Black Caucus , and she shares a history of family loss with Biden .
But she ’ s also the only person on Biden ’ s list who spent part of the 1970s working construction in Fidel Castro ’ s Cuba with the Venceremos Brigade , a group that has organized annual trips to Cuba for young , leftist Americans for half a century .
The Biden campaign knows about Bass ’ s history with the Brigade , which began as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Students for a Democratic Society , the leftist , antiwar organization that gave birth to the Weather Underground terrorist group .
She told Biden ’ s vetting committee weeks ago that this was probably going to come up .
So far , it hasn ’ t been a deal breaker—in fact , her potential to drive up African-American votes might help in Florida among voters who traditionally haven ’ t been paid as much attention in the state .
When Dovere called to discuss it , Bass seemed eager to put it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to build houses and commune with the people , she told Dovere .
Think of it as an early version of Habitat for Humanity … added to a lot of cult worship of Castro , natch : “ We built houses during the day , ” Bass said , “ and then we had what they called cultural activities and we called parties .
There was great music , rum , dancing .
And we toured the country.
” Going to Cuba was a way to meet other young activists , Bass told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cubans there doing construction work , ” she said .
“ But it was an opportunity for all of the various activists to get together.
” She wasn ’ t the only future politician to join the Venceremos Brigade : Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa , a longtime friend of hers , also went .
Bass went to see Castro speak in Revolution Square in Havana , joining “ about a bazillion people ” in the crowd , she said .
Although she couldn ’ t understand him , he was “ extremely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then that Cuba under Castro wasn ’ t the utopia that some of her friends believed it to be .
“ I know that the crowds cheered , but I have no idea what they were cheering about—and I ’ m not sure if they didn ’ t cheer , that wouldn ’ t have been a problem , ” she said .
That was the contrast she saw between American activists and Cubans at the time .
“ I didn ’ t have any illusions that the people in Cuba had the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home and was protesting everything ; I knew that the Cuban people didn ’ t have the ability to do that.
” She didn ’ t buy the Cuban government ’ s propaganda , she insisted .
I asked whether she knew any American activists who had gotten involved in espionage or violence , and she was firm in her response : “ Let me say : Hell no .
No , I did not know anybody like that.
” That might suffice as an explanation if Bass had left the program filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radical Marxism meant .
It didn ’ t , and it still didn ’ t prevent Bass from going back , however .
Bass returned seven times after that supposed insight into oppression : Just how radical was the Venceremos Brigade ?
An undercover investigator told a congressional committee in 1972 — just before Bass traveled to Cuba for the first time — that it was no humanitarian mission .
“ To be a member of the brigade , ” deputy sheriff Dwight Crews testified , “ you have to be confirmed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assignment when they returned to the US , too : To get into the Venceremos Brigade , he said , required filling out a detailed application , undergoing interviews concerning his political beliefs and three‐and‐a‐half months of twice‐a‐week indoctrination sessions .
… Deputy Crews said that the brigade members had been put into a Cuban labor camp east of Havana and had helped to build 14 houses for a new town , working five‐and‐a‐half days , 44 hours a week .
The deputy said that he joined a 20‐member “ propaganda committee ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ develop propaganda for use on our return to the United States in support of the Cuban revolution and further the cause of Communism within the United States.
” Does that explain why Bass went back seven times to Cuba in the 1970s ?
It certainly raises questions about her political aspirations .
It also raises serious questions about Joe Biden ’ s judgment in putting a one-time Castro propagandist-in-training on his veepstakes short list .
However , it does tend to explain why Bass went out of her way to express her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Comandante in Jefe ” when Castro died a few years ago — as well as her rapid retreat from that sentiment earlier this week .
Biden won ’ t pick Bass for other reasons ; he already has California in the bag , and Bass doesn ’ t have any executive experience .
However , he should have his head examined for putting her on the short list to begin with , and for keeping her on it while knowing about her connection to Castro ’ s propaganda efforts in the US .

Hey, who didn’t? Er … probably everyone else on Joe Biden’s veepstakes list, or at least so we’d assume. The Atlantic’s Edward-Isaac Dovere discovered that Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), who currently chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, spent some time in Cuba with the Venceremos Brigade, an initiative by Fidel Castro to encourage radicalization in the US through the extremist group Students for a Democratic Society:
Karen Bass, the congresswoman from California, is in contention to become Joe Biden’s running mate. There are good reasons for this. She is reliably liberal, she chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, and she shares a history of family loss with Biden. But she’s also the only person on Biden’s list who spent part of the 1970s working construction in Fidel Castro’s Cuba with the Venceremos Brigade, a group that has organized annual trips to Cuba for young, leftist Americans for half a century. The Biden campaign knows about Bass’s history with the Brigade, which began as a joint venture of the Castro government and Students for a Democratic Society, the leftist, antiwar organization that gave birth to the Weather Underground terrorist group. She told Biden’s vetting committee weeks ago that this was probably going to come up. So far, it hasn’t been a deal breaker—in fact, her potential to drive up African-American votes might help in Florida among voters who traditionally haven’t been paid as much attention in the state.
When Dovere called to discuss it, Bass seemed eager to put it into context. Bass went there just to build houses and commune with the people, she told Dovere. Think of it as an early version of Habitat for Humanity … added to a lot of cult worship of Castro, natch:
“We built houses during the day,” Bass said, “and then we had what they called cultural activities and we called parties. There was great music, rum, dancing. And we toured the country.” Going to Cuba was a way to meet other young activists, Bass told me. “Obviously, there were Cubans there doing construction work,” she said. “But it was an opportunity for all of the various activists to get together.” She wasn’t the only future politician to join the Venceremos Brigade: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a longtime friend of hers, also went. Bass went to see Castro speak in Revolution Square in Havana, joining “about a bazillion people” in the crowd, she said. Although she couldn’t understand him, he was “extremely charismatic.” She said she was aware then that Cuba under Castro wasn’t the utopia that some of her friends believed it to be. “I know that the crowds cheered, but I have no idea what they were cheering about—and I’m not sure if they didn’t cheer, that wouldn’t have been a problem,” she said. That was the contrast she saw between American activists and Cubans at the time. “I didn’t have any illusions that the people in Cuba had the same freedoms I did. I came home and was protesting everything; I knew that the Cuban people didn’t have the ability to do that.” She didn’t buy the Cuban government’s propaganda, she insisted. I asked whether she knew any American activists who had gotten involved in espionage or violence, and she was firm in her response: “Let me say: Hell no. No, I did not know anybody like that.”
That might suffice as an explanation if Bass had left the program filled with a realization of what Cuba and radical Marxism meant. It didn’t, and it still didn’t prevent Bass from going back, however. Bass returned seven times after that supposed insight into oppression:
She was there eight times in the 1970s, and has been back about as many times since. That’s good evidence that she didn’t lead her life focused on building a résumé or trying to rise in politics, she argued.
Just how radical was the Venceremos Brigade? An undercover investigator told a congressional committee in 1972 — just before Bass traveled to Cuba for the first time — that it was no humanitarian mission. “To be a member of the brigade,” deputy sheriff Dwight Crews testified, “you have to be confirmed as a Marxist-Leninist.” They also had an assignment when they returned to the US, too:
To get into the Venceremos Brigade, he said, required filling out a detailed application, undergoing interviews concerning his political beliefs and three‐and‐a‐half months of twice‐a‐week indoctrination sessions. … Deputy Crews said that the brigade members had been put into a Cuban labor camp east of Havana and had helped to build 14 houses for a new town, working five‐and‐a‐half days, 44 hours a week. The deputy said that he joined a 20‐member “propaganda committee” of the brigade that was ordered to “develop propaganda for use on our return to the United States in support of the Cuban revolution and further the cause of Communism within the United States.”
Does that explain why Bass went back seven times to Cuba in the 1970s? It certainly raises questions about her political aspirations. It also raises serious questions about Joe Biden’s judgment in putting a one-time Castro propagandist-in-training on his veepstakes short list. However, it does tend to explain why Bass went out of her way to express her condolences for the death of the “Comandante in Jefe” when Castro died a few years ago — as well as her rapid retreat from that sentiment earlier this week.
Biden won’t pick Bass for other reasons; he already has California in the bag, and Bass doesn’t have any executive experience. However, he should have his head examined for putting her on the short list to begin with, and for keeping her on it while knowing about her connection to Castro’s propaganda efforts in the US.


hotair--2020-07-31--Ghislaine Maxwell docs released: Did FBI stall pursuit of Epstein?

Or did they just give up after Alex Acosta ’ s sweetheart deal with Jeffrey Epstein ?
The release of depositions from prior civil cases in Ghislaine Maxwell ’ s prosecution for sex trafficking raises a number of questions about the FBI , but even more about the men connected to Epstein , as various media outlets report today .
Most acutely , though , it raises the potential for a perjury charge against Maxwell .
Remember when Maxwell tried to secure bail and claimed that she hadn ’ t been in contact with Epstein for over a decade ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Maxwell in 2015 , Epstein appears to be composing a draft statement for Maxwell to release publicly .
The date in January 2015 is a few weeks after one of Epstein ’ s alleged victims , Virginia Roberts Giuffre , first shared her story with a British newspaper .
In another typo-filled email a few days later , dated Jan. 25 , 2015 , “ jeffrey E. ” writes : “ You have done nothing wrong and i woudl urge you to start acting like it .
go outside , head high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go to parties .
deal with it.
” The emails refer to “ Gmax ” either in the recipient section or the email address .
That ’ s the name the FBI and federal prosecutors say Maxwell used when trying to set up a cell phone this past year in another person ’ s name .
Prosecutors have contended this was one of the ways Maxwell sought to avoid detection and possible arrest .
“ Gmax ” ?
That ’ s hardly the world ’ s most clever cover name if your true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intended to fool people with that pseudonym , it ’ s a wonder she remained free for as long as she did .
In fact , as Techno Fog points out in his lengthy Twitter thread on the release , it looks like Maxwell and Epstein stayed free not out of cleverness , but out of a curious lack of action from the FBI ( via Matt Vespa ) : This paints the FBI as disinterested to the point of obstinacy , but there is some important context to consider as well .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as did local law enforcement in Florida , of more serious crimes in the 2007 investigation .
Then-US Attorney Alex Acosta is the one who surprisingly approved a plea deal which let Epstein off with a minor crime and an agreement never to prosecute anything else that had happened before , including against his associates .
It wasn ’ t until the Miami Herald published its exposé of that plea deal in 2019 that the Department of Justice decided to test out that Acosta deal and prosecute Epstein in another jurisdiction .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought that the plea deal precluded any further action .
Epstein and Maxwell clearly thought that , too .
That ’ s almost certainly why Epstein was scolding Maxwell for acting like an “ escaping convict ” rather than mixing in public again , as he was already doing in a somewhat low-key manner .
He thought the two of them had gotten away with it — and they had , until the Herald stoked outrage again a few years later .
Most of the documents released relate to the lawsuits involving Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other figures .
Maxwell ’ s defense team wanted those to remain under seal , arguing that the release of that testimony would taint Maxwell ’ s ability to get a fair jury .
They tried so much to block the release that the judge ended up rebuking them for trying to “ muddy the waters , ” but it ’ s easy to see why they wanted the records to remain sealed : In one document , the transcript of Giuffre ’ s deposition , she describes how Maxwell brought her and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mar-a-Lago club — where they both worked — to the Epstein mansion , gaining their trust .
Giuffre recounts that Maxwell even stripped naked with her the first time she was abused as a minor by Epstein .
“ So then Ghislaine told me that she wanted me to undress and began to take off my shirt and skirt , my white uniform from Mar-a-Lago , she also took off her shirt and got undressed , and so I was there with just my undies on , and she was completely bare , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maxwell took nude photographs of her for Epstein , and described a secret room with the entire wall covered with photographs of nude underage girls who ’ d been through the Palm Beach mansion .
And she alleged that within nine months Maxwell involved her in efforts to procure other underage girls for Epstein .
That same transcript also names people who traveled with Epstein .
While many of the names have been publicly linked to Epstein before , seeing them in the context of the document was jarring .
Giuffre tells of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Copperfield , model Naomi Campbell , former Sony Records President Tommy Mottola and Alexandra Cousteau , granddaughter of the famed undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau .
Maxwell had been claiming to have never participated in the sex crimes Epstein committed .
This is a sworn deposition in a lawsuit contradicting that position , which still could be challenged when Giuffre testifies in court , but it ’ s devastating if it holds up .
The counterclaims in the paperwork claim that Giuffre has changed her story on occasion , and Dershowitz argued in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no credibility as a witness .
That might end up being a problem for the prosecution when it comes to Maxwell ’ s trial , but in the court of public opinion , it ’ s a huge problem for Maxwell and her team .
Interestingly , Donald Trump ’ s name comes up a few times in these depositions .
It seems pretty clear that the lawyers involved in the lawsuit wanted to come up with something juicy but came up empty .
Giuffre told the attorneys , “ Donald Trump never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while he seemed to be friends with Epstein , she never heard him say , “ You ’ ve got the life , ” which someone else had alleged .
That didn ’ t please the attorney attempting to drill down to Trump : Bear in mind that much of this release consists of depositions and arguments from the lawsuits that had been sealed until recently , rather than FBI investigations into Epstein and Maxwell .
This testimony will get tested vigorously in court when Maxwell ’ s trial begins .
Will it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know until the trial , assuming that the prosecution decides to use it all .
They might have other evidence and testimony by now that will corroborate this or even overshadow it .
However , it does give us a very good idea about why the Department of Justice indicted Maxwell on multiple counts of lying to investigators .
It ’ s also clear why Maxwell ’ s team wanted this to remain under seal for as long as possible .
But other than Maxwell and her other potential co-defendants , the one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this release is Alex Acosta .

Or did they just give up after Alex Acosta’s sweetheart deal with Jeffrey Epstein? The release of depositions from prior civil cases in Ghislaine Maxwell’s prosecution for sex trafficking raises a number of questions about the FBI, but even more about the men connected to Epstein, as various media outlets report today.
Most acutely, though, it raises the potential for a perjury charge against Maxwell. Remember when Maxwell tried to secure bail and claimed that she hadn’t been in contact with Epstein for over a decade? Lie:
In one email between Epstein and Maxwell in 2015, Epstein appears to be composing a draft statement for Maxwell to release publicly. The date in January 2015 is a few weeks after one of Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, first shared her story with a British newspaper. In another typo-filled email a few days later, dated Jan. 25, 2015, “jeffrey E.” writes: “You have done nothing wrong and i woudl urge you to start acting like it. go outside, head high, not as an esacping convict. go to parties. deal with it.” The emails refer to “Gmax” either in the recipient section or the email address. That’s the name the FBI and federal prosecutors say Maxwell used when trying to set up a cell phone this past year in another person’s name. Prosecutors have contended this was one of the ways Maxwell sought to avoid detection and possible arrest.
“Gmax”? That’s hardly the world’s most clever cover name if your true identity is Ghislaine Maxwell. If Maxwell intended to fool people with that pseudonym, it’s a wonder she remained free for as long as she did. In fact, as Techno Fog points out in his lengthy Twitter thread on the release, it looks like Maxwell and Epstein stayed free not out of cleverness, but out of a curious lack of action from the FBI (via Matt Vespa):
Heartbreaking – The minor victim was asking the FBI for the evidence (photos and videos) they seized from Epstein. Why? So she could prosecute her civil case. pic.twitter.com/WlISCmN6Ze — Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) July 31, 2020
The DOJ let free Epstein's co-conspirator's in the FL case. This included Maxwell and Sarah Kellen. Here the victim describes the abuse during flights from Epstein, Maxwell, and Kellen. pic.twitter.com/1zF2MELFDw — Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) July 31, 2020
At the time Epstein signed his plea deal… The FBI and DOJ knew it had not interviewed all his victims. pic.twitter.com/tyLdj56Hx5 — Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) July 31, 2020
This paints the FBI as disinterested to the point of obstinacy, but there is some important context to consider as well. The FBI actually did produce significant evidence, as did local law enforcement in Florida, of more serious crimes in the 2007 investigation. Then-US Attorney Alex Acosta is the one who surprisingly approved a plea deal which let Epstein off with a minor crime and an agreement never to prosecute anything else that had happened before, including against his associates. It wasn’t until the Miami Herald published its exposé of that plea deal in 2019 that the Department of Justice decided to test out that Acosta deal and prosecute Epstein in another jurisdiction. Until then, the FBI had probably thought that the plea deal precluded any further action.
Epstein and Maxwell clearly thought that, too. That’s almost certainly why Epstein was scolding Maxwell for acting like an “escaping convict” rather than mixing in public again, as he was already doing in a somewhat low-key manner. He thought the two of them had gotten away with it — and they had, until the Herald stoked outrage again a few years later.
Most of the documents released relate to the lawsuits involving Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Alan Dershowitz, and other figures. Maxwell’s defense team wanted those to remain under seal, arguing that the release of that testimony would taint Maxwell’s ability to get a fair jury. They tried so much to block the release that the judge ended up rebuking them for trying to “muddy the waters,” but it’s easy to see why they wanted the records to remain sealed:
In one document, the transcript of Giuffre’s deposition, she describes how Maxwell brought her and her father from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club — where they both worked — to the Epstein mansion, gaining their trust. Giuffre recounts that Maxwell even stripped naked with her the first time she was abused as a minor by Epstein. “So then Ghislaine told me that she wanted me to undress and began to take off my shirt and skirt, my white uniform from Mar-a-Lago, she also took off her shirt and got undressed, and so I was there with just my undies on, and she was completely bare,” Giuffre recounted. She detailed how Maxwell took nude photographs of her for Epstein, and described a secret room with the entire wall covered with photographs of nude underage girls who’d been through the Palm Beach mansion. And she alleged that within nine months Maxwell involved her in efforts to procure other underage girls for Epstein. That same transcript also names people who traveled with Epstein. While many of the names have been publicly linked to Epstein before, seeing them in the context of the document was jarring. Giuffre tells of celebrities traveling with Epstein like magician David Copperfield, model Naomi Campbell, former Sony Records President Tommy Mottola and Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of the famed undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau.
Maxwell had been claiming to have never participated in the sex crimes Epstein committed. This is a sworn deposition in a lawsuit contradicting that position, which still could be challenged when Giuffre testifies in court, but it’s devastating if it holds up. The counterclaims in the paperwork claim that Giuffre has changed her story on occasion, and Dershowitz argued in his defamation countersuit against her that she has no credibility as a witness. That might end up being a problem for the prosecution when it comes to Maxwell’s trial, but in the court of public opinion, it’s a huge problem for Maxwell and her team.
Interestingly, Donald Trump’s name comes up a few times in these depositions. It seems pretty clear that the lawyers involved in the lawsuit wanted to come up with something juicy but came up empty. Giuffre told the attorneys, “Donald Trump never flirted with me,” and that while he seemed to be friends with Epstein, she never heard him say, “You’ve got the life,” which someone else had alleged. That didn’t please the attorney attempting to drill down to Trump:
Bear in mind that much of this release consists of depositions and arguments from the lawsuits that had been sealed until recently, rather than FBI investigations into Epstein and Maxwell. This testimony will get tested vigorously in court when Maxwell’s trial begins. Will it stand up? We won’t know until the trial, assuming that the prosecution decides to use it all. They might have other evidence and testimony by now that will corroborate this or even overshadow it.
However, it does give us a very good idea about why the Department of Justice indicted Maxwell on multiple counts of lying to investigators. It’s also clear why Maxwell’s team wanted this to remain under seal for as long as possible. But other than Maxwell and her other potential co-defendants, the one person who should be most embarrassed by this release is Alex Acosta.


hotair--2020-08-01--Artist who painted thin blue line around police station ordered to remove it

Yet another so-called “ road mural ” story has surfaced in New York City , this time out on Staten Island in the town of New Dorp ( population 28,200 ) .
But this one doesn ’ t involve any Black Lives Matter sloganeering or even any words or letters at all .
In fact , one could reasonably argue that the “ mural ” really isn ’ t even a picture .
It was a line created in blue paint and it ran in front of the local police precinct station .
The artist in question , Scott LoBaido @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line to show “ love and respect for the people who protect this community.
” Seems like a nice gesture , right ?
Not according to the State Department of Transportation .
They ’ ve sent a Cease and Desist order to LoBaido , ordering him to remove the paint .
Anyone care to guess how they heard about it and why they made that decision ?
( CBS 2 New York ) A Staten Island artist has been ordered to remove a blue line he painted in support of the NYPD .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ blue line along a divider outside the 122nd Precinct stationhouse in New Dorp last week .
But the DOT sent him a cease-and-desist letter , saying the line has to go and that he had not been authorized to paint it .
This brief video report from CBS 2 News in New York shows the allegedly unauthorized paint job and introduces you to the artist .
LoBaido is making a couple of arguments against this order and there are obviously some other questions to tackle here .
His first point deals with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notes , Mayor Bill de Blasio didn ’ t bother getting a permit before helping to paint a gigantic Black Lives Matter mural down the middle of Fifth Avenue .
And that one arguably blurs the literal lines indicating lanes and traffic flow , so the DOT could have taken an interest in it .
Who alerted the Department of Transporation to investigate this alleged violation ?
Another question is whether or not the DOT even has jurisdiction over the matter .
The BLM mural was right in the middle of a major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so obviously they would have something to say about it .
But LoBaido ’ s blue line isn ’ t on the street .
It ’ s on the thin , paved median running down the center .
Not only isn ’ t that technically a street , but it ’ s also not even really useful as a sidewalk .
It ’ s barely two feet across and broken up with many traffic signs .
( The signs are not at all obscured by the blue line , which is only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we ignore all of those issues , there ’ s one other glaring problem with this story .
Who in the world would object to this line of blue paint on a median enough to bother the DOT about it ?
BLM remains a somewhat divisive issue as we ’ ve seen in poll after poll , so some people might object to those words being plastered on the road .
But this display doesn ’ t even have any words .
It ’ s a line .
There are already lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been no comment coming out of City Hall , I would argue that one potential suspect is Bill de Blasio himself .
He hasn ’ t exactly been popular with the NYPD over the course of his tenure in office .
He was also among the first to jump on the bandwagon for defunding the police and criticizing them .
It ’ s certainly not inconceivable that he could have gotten wind of this artist ’ s creation and picked up the phone to call either the Governor or the DOT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about that at his next press conference .
In any event , this is yet another bit of fallout from the decision to turn our streets ( and now walkways , apparently ) into forums for public speech .
But it ’ s not a truly equal forum for all if you have elected officials deciding which messages are acceptable and which aren ’ t , assuming the displays don ’ t violate public decency rules .
The government needs to decide whether or not everyone gets to paint their messages on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the answer is the latter , then all of these street murals need to be removed .

Yet another so-called “road mural” story has surfaced in New York City, this time out on Staten Island in the town of New Dorp (population 28,200). But this one doesn’t involve any Black Lives Matter sloganeering or even any words or letters at all. In fact, one could reasonably argue that the “mural” really isn’t even a picture. It was a line created in blue paint and it ran in front of the local police precinct station. The artist in question, Scott LoBaido, said he painted the thin blue line to show “love and respect for the people who protect this community.”
Seems like a nice gesture, right? Not according to the State Department of Transportation. They’ve sent a Cease and Desist order to LoBaido, ordering him to remove the paint. Anyone care to guess how they heard about it and why they made that decision? (CBS 2 New York)
A Staten Island artist has been ordered to remove a blue line he painted in support of the NYPD. Artist and activist Scott LoBaido painted the blue line along a divider outside the 122nd Precinct stationhouse in New Dorp last week. But the DOT sent him a cease-and-desist letter, saying the line has to go and that he had not been authorized to paint it.
This brief video report from CBS 2 News in New York shows the allegedly unauthorized paint job and introduces you to the artist.
LoBaido is making a couple of arguments against this order and there are obviously some other questions to tackle here. His first point deals with the question of selective enforcement. As he notes, Mayor Bill de Blasio didn’t bother getting a permit before helping to paint a gigantic Black Lives Matter mural down the middle of Fifth Avenue. And that one arguably blurs the literal lines indicating lanes and traffic flow, so the DOT could have taken an interest in it. Who alerted the Department of Transporation to investigate this alleged violation?
Another question is whether or not the DOT even has jurisdiction over the matter. The BLM mural was right in the middle of a major street in the center of the city, so obviously they would have something to say about it. But LoBaido’s blue line isn’t on the street. It’s on the thin, paved median running down the center. Not only isn’t that technically a street, but it’s also not even really useful as a sidewalk. It’s barely two feet across and broken up with many traffic signs. (The signs are not at all obscured by the blue line, which is only present on the pavement.)
Even if we ignore all of those issues, there’s one other glaring problem with this story. Who in the world would object to this line of blue paint on a median enough to bother the DOT about it? BLM remains a somewhat divisive issue as we’ve seen in poll after poll, so some people might object to those words being plastered on the road. But this display doesn’t even have any words. It’s a line. There are already lines on the actual road.
While there’s been no comment coming out of City Hall, I would argue that one potential suspect is Bill de Blasio himself. He hasn’t exactly been popular with the NYPD over the course of his tenure in office. He was also among the first to jump on the bandwagon for defunding the police and criticizing them. It’s certainly not inconceivable that he could have gotten wind of this artist’s creation and picked up the phone to call either the Governor or the DOT directly. Perhaps someone could ask him about that at his next press conference.
In any event, this is yet another bit of fallout from the decision to turn our streets (and now walkways, apparently) into forums for public speech. But it’s not a truly equal forum for all if you have elected officials deciding which messages are acceptable and which aren’t, assuming the displays don’t violate public decency rules. The government needs to decide whether or not everyone gets to paint their messages on the roads or nobody does. And if the answer is the latter, then all of these street murals need to be removed.


hotair--2020-08-01--Dr. Hotez: "We need a national pause", Targets October to reopen the country

You ’ ve likely seen Dr. Peter Hotez on cable news channels .
He ’ s a professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine .
He is also co-director of the Texas Children ’ s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development .
Hotez is based out of Houston .
He sounds the alarm on our inability as a country to deal with the coronavirus .
Dr. Hotez gave an interview published online in the Houston Chronicle on Friday afternoon .
He has a plan for Texas , and the rest of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to regular life by October .
Heck , there even may be football , too .
There ’ s a catch , though , as you knew there probably is .
The country is going to have to shut back down .
All the states , not just Texas , with some flexibility in states where outbreaks aren ’ t so bad .
He published a piece titled “ COVID-19 in America : An October Plan ” last week in the journal Microbes and Infection .
He sent a copy of his plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His point is that there has to be a national plan because “ leaving it to the governors has failed.
” The closest thing we have to a national plan right now is to say , we ’ re going to let the individual states take the lead .
They make the decisions on what needs to be done .
Then the U.S , government provides some of the backup support — for FEMA , supply-chain management , and making ventilators and healthcare professionals available on an emergency basis .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the states just don ’ t have the epidemiological horsepower .
They don ’ t know how to manage this epidemic .
No .
2 , the states need the political cover of the CDC .
They need the political cover of the federal government .
They ’ re being buffeted by all these forces that are telling them to just open up .
They need to be able to say , “ Look , I hear what you ’ re saying .
I know why you ’ re not happy with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we don ’ t do x , y and z , this many Texans are going to die.
” He mostly focuses on Texas but wants a national plan put in place because state lines don ’ t keep the virus out .
He recently criticized the Trump administration for delivering “ misinformation ” on CNN .
I don ’ t think it ’ s a leap to conclude that Hotez isn ’ t much of a supporter of the Trump administration .
And , I seriously doubt that a plan that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even for six to eight weeks , is going to go very far in the White House .
That ’ s the last thing Trump wants as he faces a November election date .
Hotez acknowledges that Texas looks to have hit a plateau but the plateau is at a high level .
Mitigation is preventing acceleration but it isn ’ t enough .
“ So we might have to do a full shutdown in Texas .
Maybe not for long — but at least to get it to the point where we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things that will prevent the resurgence.
” He says that Louisiana , Mississippi and Florida should also do the same , maybe even Arizona .
Other states , though may not have to take such an extreme step .
The thing is , Houston has pretty much gone back to the lockdown stage anyway .
The next step would have to be to completely shut everything down all the way as happened the first time around but that ’ s pretty hard to imagine .
Governor Abbott already shut down the bars and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Would Texans accept another complete shut down now ?
What about the other states ?
Maybe it is because I ’ ve continued to live as though the full shutdown is in effect and I probably suffer from pandemic brain but that doesn ’ t sound like a practical solution .
Hotez says if Texas ( and other states ) put a full shutdown in place for six to eight weeks , the state could reopen by October with everyone enjoying a much more normal life .
The big problem Hotez addresses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s against it , as you might imagine after reading he wants full shutdowns in place .
Kids over the age of 10 can “ transmit this virus very efficiently ” , even the younger ones do but just not as efficiently .
So , the teachers would become infected and going further , the kiddos would also infect bus drivers , all the adults coming in and out of schools , and even vendors .
He notes that if a couple of teachers get sick in a school , that school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first place ?
He also doesn ’ t think that waiting for a vaccine is a reasonable response .
My timeframe has been pretty consistent : sometime by the middle or third quarter of 2021 is when we might have some vaccines available .
Dr. Fauci said within the first “ few ” months of 2021 .
It ’ s hard to say what “ few ” means .
And even when the vaccines are available , if they ’ re only partially protective , we ’ ll still need masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve got to figure it out now .
Relying on the vaccine is not is not a viable strategy , and not one that will protect the public .
So , the interview with Hotez wasn ’ t anymore satisfying than anything else that is being suggested .
If we don ’ t shut it all down again , we ’ re doomed .
The problem is , while he flippantly says it would take a shutdown of “ only ” six to eight weeks , that is a lot of time for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be left to reopen at that point ?
Somehow we have to learn to live with this coronavirus , protect ourselves and our loved ones , and continue to make a living while doing it .

You’ve likely seen Dr. Peter Hotez on cable news channels. He’s a professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He is also co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. Hotez is based out of Houston. He sounds the alarm on our inability as a country to deal with the coronavirus.
Dr. Hotez gave an interview published online in the Houston Chronicle on Friday afternoon. He has a plan for Texas, and the rest of the country, to be open and mostly back to regular life by October. Heck, there even may be football, too. There’s a catch, though, as you knew there probably is. The country is going to have to shut back down. All the states, not just Texas, with some flexibility in states where outbreaks aren’t so bad. He published a piece titled “COVID-19 in America: An October Plan” last week in the journal Microbes and Infection. He sent a copy of his plan to some colleagues in the White House. His point is that there has to be a national plan because “leaving it to the governors has failed.”
The closest thing we have to a national plan right now is to say, we’re going to let the individual states take the lead. They make the decisions on what needs to be done. Then the U.S, government provides some of the backup support — for FEMA, supply-chain management, and making ventilators and healthcare professionals available on an emergency basis. That’s not working. No. 1, the states just don’t have the epidemiological horsepower. They don’t know how to manage this epidemic. No. 2, the states need the political cover of the CDC. They need the political cover of the federal government. They’re being buffeted by all these forces that are telling them to just open up. They need to be able to say, “Look, I hear what you’re saying. I know why you’re not happy with this. But the CDC is saying if we don’t do x, y and z, this many Texans are going to die.”
He mostly focuses on Texas but wants a national plan put in place because state lines don’t keep the virus out. He recently criticized the Trump administration for delivering “misinformation” on CNN. I don’t think it’s a leap to conclude that Hotez isn’t much of a supporter of the Trump administration. And, I seriously doubt that a plan that calls for states to shut down, even for six to eight weeks, is going to go very far in the White House. That’s the last thing Trump wants as he faces a November election date.
Hotez acknowledges that Texas looks to have hit a plateau but the plateau is at a high level. Mitigation is preventing acceleration but it isn’t enough. “So we might have to do a full shutdown in Texas. Maybe not for long — but at least to get it to the point where we can do contact tracing and all the things that will prevent the resurgence.” He says that Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida should also do the same, maybe even Arizona. Other states, though may not have to take such an extreme step.
The point is, you have to do it across the nation. Different states might take different measures, depending on how bad things are in each of them right now. But the point is to bring us all back down to the same level. Then you can safely start opening up the nation.
The thing is, Houston has pretty much gone back to the lockdown stage anyway. The next step would have to be to completely shut everything down all the way as happened the first time around but that’s pretty hard to imagine. Governor Abbott already shut down the bars and limited restaurants to 25% occupancy capacity. Would Texans accept another complete shut down now? What about the other states? Maybe it is because I’ve continued to live as though the full shutdown is in effect and I probably suffer from pandemic brain but that doesn’t sound like a practical solution. Hotez says if Texas (and other states) put a full shutdown in place for six to eight weeks, the state could reopen by October with everyone enjoying a much more normal life.
The big problem Hotez addresses are schools opening back up. He’s against it, as you might imagine after reading he wants full shutdowns in place.
School teachers and staff are in a panic about having to return under the current circumstances, and I think they’re absolutely right. They shouldn’t have be forced to return to work. They’re going to get sick. We’re setting up our teachers to fail. We’re setting up our healthcare professionals to fail. We just can’t do this anymore.
Kids over the age of 10 can “transmit this virus very efficiently”, even the younger ones do but just not as efficiently. So, the teachers would become infected and going further, the kiddos would also infect bus drivers, all the adults coming in and out of schools, and even vendors. He notes that if a couple of teachers get sick in a school, that school likely would close so why do it in the first place?
He also doesn’t think that waiting for a vaccine is a reasonable response.
My timeframe has been pretty consistent: sometime by the middle or third quarter of 2021 is when we might have some vaccines available. Dr. Fauci said within the first “few” months of 2021. It’s hard to say what “few” means. And even when the vaccines are available, if they’re only partially protective, we’ll still need masks and everything else. So we’ve got to figure it out now. Relying on the vaccine is not is not a viable strategy, and not one that will protect the public.
So, the interview with Hotez wasn’t anymore satisfying than anything else that is being suggested. If we don’t shut it all down again, we’re doomed. The problem is, while he flippantly says it would take a shutdown of “only” six to eight weeks, that is a lot of time for everyone barely holding on now. What will be left to reopen at that point? Somehow we have to learn to live with this coronavirus, protect ourselves and our loved ones, and continue to make a living while doing it.


hotair--2020-08-01--U.S. Marshals: Attacks on Portland courthouse organized by 'militant movements' like Antifa

NBC News published an interview with the U.S.
Marshal ’ s service about the nightly protests at the courthouse in Portland .
U.S .
Marshal for Oregon Russel E. Burger defended the actions of the Marshals and said there was a contingent of a few hundred “ violent opportunists ” in the city which he believes are connected to Antifa or the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front .
After that July 4th weekend , the courthouse was boarded up , a fence built around the perimeter for extra reinforcements .
Since then , the attacks from over the fence with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got a firsthand look at some of those weapons .
Bricks , batteries , frozen water bottles , sling shots with ball bearings , feces , urine , bleach and canned goods have been launched over the fence at deputies .
Professional fireworks and mortar rounds stuffed with nails are lit and fired at them , like IED ’ s in a war zone… Burger says the attacks are coordinated , rioters using portable radios and communicating with encrypted messaging on cellphones .
He says it usually begins around midnight with a hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunists as he describes them , who have stayed behind after the peaceful protestors have gone home .
According to Burger , militant movements and groups with a strong presence in the Northwest , like Antifa and the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front are behind the late night attacks .
Burger said that federal police will be leaving as soon as the violence in Portland stops and added , “ And trust me , they ’ re ready to go home.
” So how soon will that be ?
Last night was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refrained from getting violent .
They are clearly trying to make sure the feds go home : Demetria Hester leads a group of self-identified mothers who have become a fixture at the protests .
She led a march to the demonstrations Friday and remained there for hours , calling out people whose actions might provoke police .
At the start of the night , Hester reminded the crowd they had gathered in unity in the Black Lives Matter cause .
Hester called the crowd “ woke , ” and said , “ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” … By 11 p.m. , there were few signs , if any , of destruction or actions that have drawn police out in the past , such as blinking lights , lasers , fireworks and objects hurled over the fence .
Chants and drum beats filled the air .
Police kept away .
When three young people started hitting the fence with homemade shields , Hester walked by with a megaphone and told them their actions do not help the broader movement .
Some people dressed in black and holding Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fed it with , among other things , a bible ( just one , not a stack ) .
Not a very smart messaging strategy here .
However , a few minutes later other protesters doused a small fire that someone had set directly in front of the courthouse fence .
If the crowd had behaved this way last week , there wouldn ’ t have been any tear gas used or confrontations with federal police who only came out of the building when fires were set or people were trying to pull @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is how long the calm can last .
This has become an openly anti-police movement and as such it is one that thrives on conflict with police .
If the nightly protests lack that drama , fewer people will show up .
The violence may be attributable to a smaller contingent of anarchists but it ’ s clearly the show a substantial portion of the crowd comes to see .

NBC News published an interview with the U.S. Marshal’s service about the nightly protests at the courthouse in Portland. U.S. Marshal for Oregon Russel E. Burger defended the actions of the Marshals and said there was a contingent of a few hundred “violent opportunists” in the city which he believes are connected to Antifa or the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front.
After that July 4th weekend, the courthouse was boarded up, a fence built around the perimeter for extra reinforcements. Since then, the attacks from over the fence with projectiles have been relentless. NBC News got a firsthand look at some of those weapons. Bricks, batteries, frozen water bottles, sling shots with ball bearings, feces, urine, bleach and canned goods have been launched over the fence at deputies. Professional fireworks and mortar rounds stuffed with nails are lit and fired at them, like IED’s in a war zone… Burger says the attacks are coordinated, rioters using portable radios and communicating with encrypted messaging on cellphones. He says it usually begins around midnight with a hard corps group of 250 to 300 violent opportunists as he describes them, who have stayed behind after the peaceful protestors have gone home. According to Burger, militant movements and groups with a strong presence in the Northwest, like Antifa and the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front are behind the late night attacks.
Burger said that federal police will be leaving as soon as the violence in Portland stops and added, “And trust me, they’re ready to go home.” So how soon will that be?
Last night was the second night in a row that protesters refrained from getting violent. They are clearly trying to make sure the feds go home:
Demetria Hester leads a group of self-identified mothers who have become a fixture at the protests. She led a march to the demonstrations Friday and remained there for hours, calling out people whose actions might provoke police. At the start of the night, Hester reminded the crowd they had gathered in unity in the Black Lives Matter cause. Hester called the crowd “woke,” and said, “We won’t go back to sleep.”… By 11 p.m., there were few signs, if any, of destruction or actions that have drawn police out in the past, such as blinking lights, lasers, fireworks and objects hurled over the fence. Chants and drum beats filled the air. Police kept away. When three young people started hitting the fence with homemade shields, Hester walked by with a megaphone and told them their actions do not help the broader movement.
Some people dressed in black and holding Black Lives Matter signs started a small fire and fed it with, among other things, a bible (just one, not a stack). Not a very smart messaging strategy here.
Left-wing activists bring a stack of Bibles to burn in front of the federal courthouse in Portland. https://t.co/lYWY0x8n8P — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 1, 2020
However, a few minutes later other protesters doused a small fire that someone had set directly in front of the courthouse fence. If the crowd had behaved this way last week, there wouldn’t have been any tear gas used or confrontations with federal police who only came out of the building when fires were set or people were trying to pull down the fence.
Still the question is how long the calm can last. This has become an openly anti-police movement and as such it is one that thrives on conflict with police. If the nightly protests lack that drama, fewer people will show up. The violence may be attributable to a smaller contingent of anarchists but it’s clearly the show a substantial portion of the crowd comes to see.
Here’s the NBC News report:


hotair--2020-08-01--Pelosi randomly trashes Dr. Birx in private meeting

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi brought White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to her office Thursday night for a private meeting over the coronavirus aid package .
Deliberations were going nowhere fast .
The discussion took a turn when Pelosi randomly began to criticize Dr. Deborah Birx , the White House coronavirus task force coordinator .
Pelosi decided to choose a favorite between Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx .
For some reason , she went all mean girl on Birx and told Mark Meadows and Steven Mnuchin that Deborah is “ the worst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is labeled “ a hero ” .
Deborah Birx is the worst .
Wow , what horrible hands you ’ re in , ” Pelosi said to the pair , accusing the physician of spreading misinformation about the pandemic , the report said .
She went on to praise Dr. Anthony Fauci , the infectious disease expert on the coronavirus task force , who she said : “ Came to his senses , and is now a hero.
” What , now ?
What is happening to San Fran Gran lately ?
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure that her words make it into the press .
I mean , she ’ s always been snippy and aggressively partisan but these days she has gotten noticeably more so .
Ever since the House ’ s efforts to impeach President Trump cratered during the Senate impeachment trial , she is the Queen of the Mean Girls .
So much for women supporting women , amirite ?
Pelosi ’ s war on women is odd in this instance but it may be explained by a building resentment towards Birx as she sidesteps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
Perhaps Pelosi was put off by a piece in the New York Times about Birx .
The article described daily early morning meetings in Meadows ’ office with a small group of aides .
Dr. Birx attends these meetings and is the only medical person present .
The agenda of the meetings center around guiding the administration through the public health , economic , and political disasters facing the nation .
And , the meetings address the desire of the White House to put more responsibility on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lessening the reliance on the federal government .
Blame is put on Dr. Birx for providing her opinion back in April that the nation was in good shape – an optimistic opinion that the United States would resemble Italy in how coronavirus cases spike and then gradually ease back down .
The implication is that she was too positive in her assessment , only providing happy news , not the more dire reality on the ground .
For scientific affirmation , they turned to Dr. Deborah L. Birx , the sole public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highly regarded infectious diseases expert , she was a constant source of upbeat news for the president and his aides , walking the halls with charts emphasizing that outbreaks were gradually easing .
The country , she insisted , was likely to resemble Italy , where virus cases declined steadily from frightening heights .
On April 11 , she told the coronavirus task force in the Situation Room that the nation was in good shape .
Boston and Chicago are two weeks away from the peak , she cautioned , but the numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heading down .
A sharp pivot soon followed , with consequences that continue to plague the country today as the virus surges anew .
Even as a chorus of state officials and health experts warned that the pandemic was far from under control , Mr. Trump went , in a matter of days , from proclaiming that he alone had the authority to decide when the economy would reopen to pushing that responsibility onto the states .
The government issued detailed reopening guidelines , but almost immediately , Mr. Trump began criticizing Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their states .
In other words , Dr. Birx supported measures taken by the Trump administration as they encouraged businesses to re-open by following the guidelines put forth by the coronavirus task force .
Democrats want the country to remain on a widespread lockdown , at least until the presidential election in November , because they know that good news on the recovery front benefits President Trump and his administration .
Democrats and Trump opponents have consistently talked down the economy since Trump began experiencing such a high level of success with it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term .
Some have even openly wished for a recession in order to tank Trump ’ s chances of re-election .
Now that we are having an economic crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic , Democrats hope to ride it to election day .
Why would Pelosi call Dr. Fauci a “ hero ” ?
Maybe because he is willing to speak up and disagrees with Trump .
There have been some public disagreements and Fauci has become the darling of the left .
He has attained celebrity status and yet his track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stellar .
Like the rest of the public health officials in the country , Fauci has changed his advice on how to mitigate the pandemic and continues to admit that the experts still don ’ t know all they need to know about the virus .
But , hey , he has a baseball card now .
Pelosi swooned , “ They ’ ve sold more baseball cards of him than anyone in history.
” Meadows ’ response was priceless : “ That ’ s because he throws a wicked curveball .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catching anything.
” Fauci , you may have seen , did not score points for his pitching skills during the Nationals – Yankees MLB opener .
He threw a wild first pitch .
Most of all , Pelosi trashing Dr. Birx points to the fact that she is trying to distract from the fact that she is unable to reach a deal with the White House or the Senate on the coronavirus aid package .
The Senate , for example , has presented several offers and none have been accepted or even countered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , what is heard from Pelosi are partisan attacks – “ We don ’ t have shared values .
That ’ s just the way it is.
” Meanwhile , emergency talks are happening on Capitol Hill today because unemployment benefits expired Friday night and millions of Americans are in worse shape than they were , thanks to Pelosi .

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi brought White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to her office Thursday night for a private meeting over the coronavirus aid package. Deliberations were going nowhere fast. The discussion took a turn when Pelosi randomly began to criticize Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator.
Pelosi decided to choose a favorite between Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx. For some reason, she went all mean girl on Birx and told Mark Meadows and Steven Mnuchin that Deborah is “the worst”. Dr Fauci, however, is labeled “a hero”.
Deborah Birx is the worst. Wow, what horrible hands you’re in,” Pelosi said to the pair, accusing the physician of spreading misinformation about the pandemic, the report said. She went on to praise Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert on the coronavirus task force, who she said: “Came to his senses, and is now a hero.”
What, now? What is happening to San Fran Gran lately? She is really escalating her remarks and making sure that her words make it into the press. I mean, she’s always been snippy and aggressively partisan but these days she has gotten noticeably more so. Ever since the House’s efforts to impeach President Trump cratered during the Senate impeachment trial, she is the Queen of the Mean Girls. So much for women supporting women, amirite?
Pelosi’s war on women is odd in this instance but it may be explained by a building resentment towards Birx as she sidesteps publicly criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Perhaps Pelosi was put off by a piece in the New York Times about Birx. The article described daily early morning meetings in Meadows’ office with a small group of aides. Dr. Birx attends these meetings and is the only medical person present. The agenda of the meetings center around guiding the administration through the public health, economic, and political disasters facing the nation. And, the meetings address the desire of the White House to put more responsibility on states to handle the coronavirus response, lessening the reliance on the federal government. Blame is put on Dr. Birx for providing her opinion back in April that the nation was in good shape – an optimistic opinion that the United States would resemble Italy in how coronavirus cases spike and then gradually ease back down. The implication is that she was too positive in her assessment, only providing happy news, not the more dire reality on the ground.
For scientific affirmation, they turned to Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the sole public health professional in the Meadows group. A highly regarded infectious diseases expert, she was a constant source of upbeat news for the president and his aides, walking the halls with charts emphasizing that outbreaks were gradually easing. The country, she insisted, was likely to resemble Italy, where virus cases declined steadily from frightening heights. On April 11, she told the coronavirus task force in the Situation Room that the nation was in good shape. Boston and Chicago are two weeks away from the peak, she cautioned, but the numbers in Detroit and other hard-hit cities are heading down. A sharp pivot soon followed, with consequences that continue to plague the country today as the virus surges anew. Even as a chorus of state officials and health experts warned that the pandemic was far from under control, Mr. Trump went, in a matter of days, from proclaiming that he alone had the authority to decide when the economy would reopen to pushing that responsibility onto the states. The government issued detailed reopening guidelines, but almost immediately, Mr. Trump began criticizing Democratic governors who did not “liberate” their states.
In other words, Dr. Birx supported measures taken by the Trump administration as they encouraged businesses to re-open by following the guidelines put forth by the coronavirus task force. Democrats want the country to remain on a widespread lockdown, at least until the presidential election in November, because they know that good news on the recovery front benefits President Trump and his administration. Democrats and Trump opponents have consistently talked down the economy since Trump began experiencing such a high level of success with it in the first three years of his term. Some have even openly wished for a recession in order to tank Trump’s chances of re-election. Now that we are having an economic crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats hope to ride it to election day.
Why would Pelosi call Dr. Fauci a “hero”? Maybe because he is willing to speak up and disagrees with Trump. There have been some public disagreements and Fauci has become the darling of the left. He has attained celebrity status and yet his track record during the pandemic has not been stellar. Like the rest of the public health officials in the country, Fauci has changed his advice on how to mitigate the pandemic and continues to admit that the experts still don’t know all they need to know about the virus. But, hey, he has a baseball card now. Pelosi swooned, “They’ve sold more baseball cards of him than anyone in history.” Meadows’ response was priceless: “That’s because he throws a wicked curveball. He’s really dedicated to no one catching anything.” Fauci, you may have seen, did not score points for his pitching skills during the Nationals – Yankees MLB opener. He threw a wild first pitch.
Most of all, Pelosi trashing Dr. Birx points to the fact that she is trying to distract from the fact that she is unable to reach a deal with the White House or the Senate on the coronavirus aid package. The Senate, for example, has presented several offers and none have been accepted or even countered by Pelosi and the Democrats. Instead, what is heard from Pelosi are partisan attacks – “We don’t have shared values. That’s just the way it is.” Meanwhile, emergency talks are happening on Capitol Hill today because unemployment benefits expired Friday night and millions of Americans are in worse shape than they were, thanks to Pelosi.


hotair--2020-08-01--Report: TikTok's Chinese owner willing to completely divest U.S. operations to avert banning by Trum

Report: TikTok's Chinese owner willing to completely divest U.S. operations to avert banning by Trump

A follow-up to Jazz ’ s post this morning .
If your choice is between losing your share of the U.S. market by government edict and losing your share of the U.S. market by cashing out , your choice is a simple one .
China ’ s ByteDance has agreed to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok completely in a bid to save a deal with the White House , after President Donald Trump said on Friday he had decided to ban the popular short-video app , two people familiar with the matter said on Saturday… ByteDance was previously seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. business of TikTok , which the White House had rejected .
Under the new proposed deal , ByteDance would exit completely and Microsoft Corp would take over TikTok in the United States , the sources said… Under ByteDance ’ s new proposal , Microsoft will be in charge of protecting all U.S. user data , the sources said .
The plan allows for another U.S. company other than Microsoft to take over TikTok in the United States , the sources added .
It ’ ll be a relief to have TikTok users @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the extremely sinister Chinese Communist Party and in the hands of the somewhat less sinister U.S. tech industry .
Did Trump practice a little art o ’ the deal last night with his ban threat , squeezing ByteDance to drop their attempt to retain a minority stake in TikTok ?
The new proposal is reportedly on his desk , subject to his approval because of the national-security concerns raised by TikTok and the involvement of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S .
If you ’ re unfamiliar with the app and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some time with this Twitter thread compiled by a guy who ’ s been adding hair-raising new reports about TikTok ’ s spyware as he finds them online — and there are many .
The U.S. military warned personnel awhile back to stop using the app because of the security risk it poses .
Joe Biden ’ s campaign warned personnel to delete it earlier this week .
China is building the most ambitious surveillance state the world has ever seen , with global ambitions , and its cutesy little video app is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that .
And yet many millions of dopey Americans ( most of them young ) continue to use it without a care in the world .
As if there were a shortage of post-your-own-video platforms online .
I scoff at most claims of “ Trump Derangement Syndrome ” by MAGA types but there ’ s bona fide TDS happening in response to his threat to ban TikTok .
One conspiracy theory I saw on Twitter last night alleged that this was a case of Trump doing a favor for his buddy Mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launch a TikTok competitor soon .
By far the most popular theory , though , and one being pushed by a lot of people who should know better , is that the ban threat is nothing more than Trump throwing a tantrum because a comedian named Sarah Cooper has become famous doing snarky lip-sync videos to his soundbites on TikTok .
Vogue magazine published an entire story devoted to the idea this morning .
It reminds me of Trump critics squealing with glee when Kim Jong Un ’ s degenerate sister was caught @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winter Olympics a few years ago .
When your contempt for Trump leads you to side with the world ’ s sleaziest communist regimes , you have indeed crossed the line from healthy skepticism into derangement .
And what ’ s especially stupid about the Cooper theory is that she also posts her videos on Trump ’ s favorite platform , Twitter , and earns millions of views with them there .
She won ’ t disappear if TikTok does .
Nor will the millions of people who goof on him all day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the sun ; he ’ s the president , after all .
Anyone who thinks he ’ s following a personal vendetta in this case rather than expressing valid national-security concerns shared by seemingly everyone in the U.S. government who ’ s looked at the issue is either Very Online to a deeply unhealthy degree or is indeed suffering from TDS .
No other alternatives .
Well , maybe one alternative .
Many of TikTok ’ s teenaged users are old enough to vote .
It may be that anti-Trumpers are playing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motive behind the banning of their favorite app in hopes that that ’ ll encourage them to turn out in bigger numbers against Trump this fall .
Tell them that the president is legitimately worried about China harvesting data on Americans for nefarious ends and they might feel ambivalent about the ban .
Tell them that the president is being spiteful because Cooper ’ s videos gave him the sads and they ’ re apt to hate him .
Here ’ s TikTok ’ s U.S. general manager promising that they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether China retains control or not .
We ’ ll see .

A follow-up to Jazz’s post this morning. If your choice is between losing your share of the U.S. market by government edict and losing your share of the U.S. market by cashing out, your choice is a simple one.
China’s ByteDance has agreed to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok completely in a bid to save a deal with the White House, after President Donald Trump said on Friday he had decided to ban the popular short-video app, two people familiar with the matter said on Saturday… ByteDance was previously seeking to keep a minority stake in the U.S. business of TikTok, which the White House had rejected. Under the new proposed deal, ByteDance would exit completely and Microsoft Corp would take over TikTok in the United States, the sources said… Under ByteDance’s new proposal, Microsoft will be in charge of protecting all U.S. user data, the sources said. The plan allows for another U.S. company other than Microsoft to take over TikTok in the United States, the sources added.
It’ll be a relief to have TikTok users’ data out of the hands of the extremely sinister Chinese Communist Party and in the hands of the somewhat less sinister U.S. tech industry.
Did Trump practice a little art o’ the deal last night with his ban threat, squeezing ByteDance to drop their attempt to retain a minority stake in TikTok?
Sources tell @KurtWagner8 and me they believe Trump’s pledge to ban Tiktok is *negotiation tactic.* He’s pressuring TikTok owner into selling 100% to a US company/fully disentangling from Chinese—which they haven’t yet agreed to. Transfer details big issue for @stevenmnuchin1. — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 1, 2020
The new proposal is reportedly on his desk, subject to his approval because of the national-security concerns raised by TikTok and the involvement of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.
If you’re unfamiliar with the app and the natsec concerns around it, spend some time with this Twitter thread compiled by a guy who’s been adding hair-raising new reports about TikTok’s spyware as he finds them online — and there are many. The U.S. military warned personnel awhile back to stop using the app because of the security risk it poses. Joe Biden’s campaign warned personnel to delete it earlier this week. China is building the most ambitious surveillance state the world has ever seen, with global ambitions, and its cutesy little video app is widely understood to be a small part of that. And yet many millions of dopey Americans (most of them young) continue to use it without a care in the world. As if there were a shortage of post-your-own-video platforms online.
I scoff at most claims of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” by MAGA types but there’s bona fide TDS happening in response to his threat to ban TikTok. One conspiracy theory I saw on Twitter last night alleged that this was a case of Trump doing a favor for his buddy Mark Zuckerberg, whose company is set to launch a TikTok competitor soon. By far the most popular theory, though, and one being pushed by a lot of people who should know better, is that the ban threat is nothing more than Trump throwing a tantrum because a comedian named Sarah Cooper has become famous doing snarky lip-sync videos to his soundbites on TikTok. Vogue magazine published an entire story devoted to the idea this morning.
It reminds me of Trump critics squealing with glee when Kim Jong Un’s degenerate sister was caught giving Mike Pence the side-eye at the winter Olympics a few years ago. When your contempt for Trump leads you to side with the world’s sleaziest communist regimes, you have indeed crossed the line from healthy skepticism into derangement. And what’s especially stupid about the Cooper theory is that she also posts her videos on Trump’s favorite platform, Twitter, and earns millions of views with them there. She won’t disappear if TikTok does. Nor will the millions of people who goof on him all day long on every other social media platform under the sun; he’s the president, after all. Anyone who thinks he’s following a personal vendetta in this case rather than expressing valid national-security concerns shared by seemingly everyone in the U.S. government who’s looked at the issue is either Very Online to a deeply unhealthy degree or is indeed suffering from TDS. No other alternatives.
Well, maybe one alternative. Many of TikTok’s teenaged users are old enough to vote. It may be that anti-Trumpers are playing up the possibility of a petty ulterior motive behind the banning of their favorite app in hopes that that’ll encourage them to turn out in bigger numbers against Trump this fall. Tell them that the president is legitimately worried about China harvesting data on Americans for nefarious ends and they might feel ambivalent about the ban. Tell them that the president is being spiteful because Cooper’s videos gave him the sads and they’re apt to hate him.
Here’s TikTok’s U.S. general manager promising that they’re not going anywhere. That depends on whether China retains control or not. We’ll see.