hotair--2020-03-01--Scientist: Genetic analysis suggests coronavirus has been spreading in Washington state for weeks

Not a surprise given the news yesterday that one person there has died of the disease and two more , a teenager and a woman in her 50s , are presumptive positives .
A fourth man from Washington was diagnosed with COVID-19 in January after traveling in China near Wuhan ; he ’ s now completely recovered , but God only knows how many people he may have infected at the Seattle airport or elsewhere in the community before he was diagnosed .
Flu researchers in Seattle sequenced the genome of the strain of coronavirus in the man who died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the man who was diagnosed in January .
Were they distinct ?
Or were they related , which would be circumstantial evidence that the strain had spread through the community via patient one en route to patient two ?
His best guess is that there are “ a few hundred current infections ” locally .
Another researcher who models disease told the Times that he ’ d expect anywhere from 150 to 1,500 people to “ have either been infected and recovered or currently are infected now.
” One thing I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen in any of the reporting about this today is whether there ’ s been an uptick in hospitalizations lately in Seattle and/or Snohomish County for respiratory illness .
Are people coming in with COVID-19 and being mistakenly diagnosed with the flu or pneumonia ?
And if there *isn ’ t* an uptick ( yet ) , what conclusion should we draw from that ?
Note what the researcher said , that some Washingtonians may have been infected and recovered already , all on their own without medical assistance .
An ER doctor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yesterday that undetected community spread of coronavirus contains a major silver lining : It suggests that many cases of the disease just aren ’ t serious enough to warrant a doctor ’ s care , which means the death rate may be a lot lower than we think .
In China , the death rate has been reported as zero in children under 10 and very low , 0.2 percent , in healthy adults .
Unfortunately , the rate is far higher , as high as 14.8 percent , in the sick and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case in outbreaks like this , it is hard to know how many of these older and often chronically ill hospitalized patients died with COVID-19 , not of COVID-19 ) .
The reported overall death rate of 2 percent is essentially a weighted average of these numbers .
So what does the case of a young and otherwise healthy patient contracting the disease despite no obvious exposure to a contagious source patient imply ?
That there are likely many asymptomatic cases in our communities already .
Asymptomatic transmission has already been reported in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the source patient transmitted the infection to others but never became sick herself .
If this turns out to be common , it ’ s a good thing .
It implies that the case fatality rate—the number of deaths divided by the number of infections—of this novel coronavirus is likely to be far , far lower than the reported statistics .
If , hypothetically , 500 people in Washington have contracted the disease and only a handful have been sick enough to need care and only one has been sick enough to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be looking at a death rate of something like 0.2 % , in line with the good ol ’ flu .
That ’ s the “ good news.
” The bad news is that lots of asymptomatic carriers obviously means the virus can spread quickly , and anything that spreads far enough will earn a large body count even with a low death rate .
There may be many thousands of children in China who ’ ve contracted the disease and whose healthy young immune systems have successfully nuked it , but not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dad .
Or , worse , to grandma and grandpa , for whom the death rate is much higher .
Which brings us to the other ominous coronavirus news out of Washington state yesterday : An outbreak at a facility for senior citizens or the chronically ill would be the worst-case scenario for small-scale spread .
Stay tuned on that .
In the meantime , a professor of health policy offered a helpful reminder on Twitter this morning that we should expect to see a huge “ jump ” in U.S. coronavirus diagnoses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disease suddenly began spreading rapidly overnight .
Rather , it ’ s because we ’ re about to start ramping up more effective testing for it in patients and will no doubt detect many cases that have already been there for days or weeks .
No doubt coronavirus is spreading and will continue to do so short-term , but the thing that ’ s about to grow “ explosively ” isn ’ t the disease , it ’ s our ability to detect it .
Right now , thanks to the CDC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s as if we ’ re at the eye doctor ’ s office and can only read the giant “ E ” at the top of the chart .
We can ’ t decipher the smaller letters — but of course we know they ’ re there .
Headlines this week claiming that there ’ s been a huge “ jump ” in the number of U.S. cases will be akin to saying that there ’ s been a “ jump ” in the number of letters on the eye chart just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our new lenses .
Here ’ s former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb reiterating this morning on “ Face the Nation ” that there ’ s already an iceberg here of some as yet undetermined size and we ’ ve only seen the tip of it thus far .
Exit question : Is it a coincidence that reports of new cases in the U.S. this week were mostly clustered on the west coast ?
Washington had a couple , Oregon has a patient now , and there are a few in the northern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a simple function of ( relative ) geographic proximity to Asia , with travelers returning from China landing in airports on the west coast .
But I ’ m eager to see if there ’ s any genetic similarity between the cases in the three states .
If there is , that would mean much wider community spread than we suspect .

Not a surprise given the news yesterday that one person there has died of the disease and two more, a teenager and a woman in her 50s, are presumptive positives. A fourth man from Washington was diagnosed with COVID-19 in January after traveling in China near Wuhan; he’s now completely recovered, but God only knows how many people he may have infected at the Seattle airport or elsewhere in the community before he was diagnosed.
Flu researchers in Seattle sequenced the genome of the strain of coronavirus in the man who died and compared it to the strain in the man who was diagnosed in January. Were they distinct? Or were they related, which would be circumstantial evidence that the strain had spread through the community via patient one en route to patient two?
They’re related, per a local scientist:
This strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State for the past 6 weeks. 3/9 — Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) March 1, 2020
I'd assess the p-value for this coincidence at 2/59=0.03 and so is statistically significant. Additionally, these two cases are geographically proximal, both residing in Snohomish County. 5/9 — Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) March 1, 2020
His best guess is that there are “a few hundred current infections” locally. Another researcher who models disease told the Times that he’d expect anywhere from 150 to 1,500 people to “have either been infected and recovered or currently are infected now.” One thing I’m keen to know but haven’t seen in any of the reporting about this today is whether there’s been an uptick in hospitalizations lately in Seattle and/or Snohomish County for respiratory illness. Are people coming in with COVID-19 and being mistakenly diagnosed with the flu or pneumonia?
And if there *isn’t* an uptick (yet), what conclusion should we draw from that? Note what the researcher said, that some Washingtonians may have been infected and recovered already, all on their own without medical assistance. An ER doctor in Massachusetts made the case in Slate yesterday that undetected community spread of coronavirus contains a major silver lining: It suggests that many cases of the disease just aren’t serious enough to warrant a doctor’s care, which means the death rate may be a lot lower than we think.
In China, the death rate has been reported as zero in children under 10 and very low, 0.2 percent, in healthy adults. Unfortunately, the rate is far higher, as high as 14.8 percent, in the sick and elderly (though as is always the case in outbreaks like this, it is hard to know how many of these older and often chronically ill hospitalized patients died with COVID-19, not of COVID-19). The reported overall death rate of 2 percent is essentially a weighted average of these numbers. So what does the case of a young and otherwise healthy patient contracting the disease despite no obvious exposure to a contagious source patient imply? That there are likely many asymptomatic cases in our communities already. Asymptomatic transmission has already been reported in China. In the first reported case, the source patient transmitted the infection to others but never became sick herself. If this turns out to be common, it’s a good thing. It implies that the case fatality rate—the number of deaths divided by the number of infections—of this novel coronavirus is likely to be far, far lower than the reported statistics.
If, hypothetically, 500 people in Washington have contracted the disease and only a handful have been sick enough to need care and only one has been sick enough to die from it, then we may be looking at a death rate of something like 0.2%, in line with the good ol’ flu. That’s the “good news.” The bad news is that lots of asymptomatic carriers obviously means the virus can spread quickly, and anything that spreads far enough will earn a large body count even with a low death rate. There may be many thousands of children in China who’ve contracted the disease and whose healthy young immune systems have successfully nuked it, but not before passing it along to mom and dad. Or, worse, to grandma and grandpa, for whom the death rate is much higher.
Which brings us to the other ominous coronavirus news out of Washington state yesterday:
Washington state reported on Saturday the first death in the U.S. from the new coronavirus, the first health care worker to be infected with the disease, and most worrying, the first known outbreak in a long-term care facility. At a nursing facility in Kirkland, Wash, approximately 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff have some symptoms, health officials said during a teleconference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Authorities report that some among them have pneumonia.
An outbreak at a facility for senior citizens or the chronically ill would be the worst-case scenario for small-scale spread. Stay tuned on that. In the meantime, a professor of health policy offered a helpful reminder on Twitter this morning that we should expect to see a huge “jump” in U.S. coronavirus diagnoses soon. That’s not because the disease suddenly began spreading rapidly overnight. Rather, it’s because we’re about to start ramping up more effective testing for it in patients and will no doubt detect many cases that have already been there for days or weeks.
Thread: #COVID19 #Coronavirus updates & data. I will repeat this, but really important: cases coming out of the US WILL EXPLODE in the coming days. This is NOT a cause for panic. These EXISTING cases are finally being diagnosed, since testing is now more broadly available. 1/ — (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) March 1, 2020
"..Efficient detection" is incredibly important. If we err on the side of any inefficiency, it should be that we over-test until we learn more. We may find ourselves "overusing" Chest Computed Tomography as a critical adjunct. @radiology_rsna 7/ https://t.co/JfvaI9oTaU pic.twitter.com/iwlckOybln — (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) March 1, 2020
No doubt coronavirus is spreading and will continue to do so short-term, but the thing that’s about to grow “explosively” isn’t the disease, it’s our ability to detect it. Right now, thanks to the CDC’s screw-up in testing, it’s as if we’re at the eye doctor’s office and can only read the giant “E” at the top of the chart. We can’t decipher the smaller letters — but of course we know they’re there. Headlines this week claiming that there’s been a huge “jump” in the number of U.S. cases will be akin to saying that there’s been a “jump” in the number of letters on the eye chart just because they’re legible now thanks to our new lenses.
Here’s former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb reiterating this morning on “Face the Nation” that there’s already an iceberg here of some as yet undetermined size and we’ve only seen the tip of it thus far. Exit question: Is it a coincidence that reports of new cases in the U.S. this week were mostly clustered on the west coast? Washington had a couple, Oregon has a patient now, and there are a few in the northern half of California. Maybe that’s a simple function of (relative) geographic proximity to Asia, with travelers returning from China landing in airports on the west coast. But I’m eager to see if there’s any genetic similarity between the cases in the three states. If there is, that would mean much wider community spread than we suspect.


hotair--2020-03-01--Coronavirus context: You'll be fine, probably

Contrary to hysterical impressions in current media , most of us are not threatened by death from coronavirus .
Perhaps as soon as Thursday .
Buy masks or perish .
You can ’ t hide .
Say goodbye to loved ones while you still can .
The Internet can be a wondrous tool for communicating information .
Also for spreading fear , even panic .
Not always for positive motives .
Here ’ s a perhaps redundant but always useful reminder : The scarier something is online or TV , the more eyes and clicks it gets .
The more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is for media business .
The economic — and political — incentive is there for max drama .
Same goes for anger and outrage .
Perhaps you ’ ve noticed this during the current campaign season .
Fear , especially health fears , can be real enough to affect markets , the workforce and supply chains .
And even cause some folks to avoid a beer with a similar name .
People of all ages are naturally frightened by things they can ’ t see–sharks beneath the waves , monsters beneath the bed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dark closet , radiation in our air , invisible viruses that mutate and emerge in new forms every single year to thin the human herd .
Talk about reminders : Do you know how many Americans actually die from the seasonal flu every year , with hardly any notice ?
In 2018 , some 80,000 died in the United States , up from the usual range of 12,000 to 56,000 .
Do you know how many Americans have died from the latest Asian scourge that blankets the media ?
So far , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 1917-18 killed more than a half-million Americans .
The total toll estimations may be higher eventually because influenza is not always listed as cause of death , since it ignites subsequent problems like strokes , heart attacks and pneumonia , especially among elderly and young .
Any death from disease is regrettable .
But the fatality rate for coronavirus so far has been only about two percent , two people out of every 100 known to have been infected .
However , this strain is likely to spread wider since its incubation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be in unknowing contact with more people than those strains whose symptoms appear sooner .
The worst diseases like the 14th century Black Plague , the pneumonic kind , killed off its transmitters — and thus itself — quickly .
This flu ’ s severity seems to vary by individual .
One victim wrote : “ I have the coronavirus .
So far it isn ’ t that bad.
” Headlines that might scream that the coronavirus fatality rate is double the regular flu are technically accurate but misleading , perhaps accidentally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ) had a fatality rate of almost 10 percent .
The swine flu epidemic of 2009 is estimated to have infected more than a billion people , 61 million of them in the U.S.. More than 12,400 Americans died , but the fatality rate was much lower , 0.01 percent .
The 2018 flu toll was the worst in four decades for a variety of reasons .
Allowing for a vaccine ’ s production months , around this time of year medical researchers calculate the evolving strains of flu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That year the little buggers fooled everyone and evolved differently , reducing the vaccine ’ s effectiveness .
So , let ’ s all stay calm , drink plenty of fluids and send this link to every person you know for clicking .
It could mean the difference between life and their Death !

OK, folks, Let’s get a grip.
Contrary to hysterical impressions in current media, most of us are not threatened by death from coronavirus. Perhaps as soon as Thursday. Buy masks or perish. You can’t hide. Say goodbye to loved ones while you still can.
The Internet can be a wondrous tool for communicating information. Also for spreading fear, even panic. Not always for positive motives.
Here’s a perhaps redundant but always useful reminder: The scarier something is online or TV, the more eyes and clicks it gets. The more eyes it gets, the better it is for media business.
The economic — and political — incentive is there for max drama. Same goes for anger and outrage. Perhaps you’ve noticed this during the current campaign season.
Fear, especially health fears, can be real enough to affect markets, the workforce and supply chains. And even cause some folks to avoid a beer with a similar name.
People of all ages are naturally frightened by things they can’t see–sharks beneath the waves, monsters beneath the bed or, worse, over in the dark closet, radiation in our air, invisible viruses that mutate and emerge in new forms every single year to thin the human herd.
Talk about reminders: Do you know how many Americans actually die from the seasonal flu every year, with hardly any notice? In 2018, some 80,000 died in the United States, up from the usual range of 12,000 to 56,000.
Do you know how many Americans have died from the latest Asian scourge that blankets the media? So far, one, maybe two.
The flu pandemic of 1917-18 killed more than a half-million Americans.
The total toll estimations may be higher eventually because influenza is not always listed as cause of death, since it ignites subsequent problems like strokes, heart attacks and pneumonia, especially among elderly and young.
Any death from disease is regrettable. But the fatality rate for coronavirus so far has been only about two percent, two people out of every 100 known to have been infected.
However, this strain is likely to spread wider since its incubation period is 14 days, allowing carriers to be in unknowing contact with more people than those strains whose symptoms appear sooner.
The worst diseases like the 14th century Black Plague, the pneumonic kind, killed off its transmitters — and thus itself — quickly.
This flu’s severity seems to vary by individual. One victim wrote: “I have the coronavirus. So far it isn’t that bad.”
Headlines that might scream that the coronavirus fatality rate is double the regular flu are technically accurate but misleading, perhaps accidentally.
The SARS virus from 2003 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) had a fatality rate of almost 10 percent. The swine flu epidemic of 2009 is estimated to have infected more than a billion people, 61 million of them in the U.S.. More than 12,400 Americans died, but the fatality rate was much lower, 0.01 percent.
The 2018 flu toll was the worst in four decades for a variety of reasons. Allowing for a vaccine’s production months, around this time of year medical researchers calculate the evolving strains of flu most likely to dominate next winter. That year the little buggers fooled everyone and evolved differently, reducing the vaccine’s effectiveness.
So, let’s all stay calm, drink plenty of fluids and send this link to every person you know for clicking. It could mean the difference between life and their Death!


hotair--2020-03-01--Aunt Becky's court date is set, Operation Varsity Blues rolls on

It ’ s getting real for Lori Loughlin and her husband Massimo Giannulli .
A court date has been set for the couple ’ s trial in Boston for their participation in a college admissions fraud scheme .
A last-ditch effort was made by attorneys for Loughlin and Giannulli for a postponement due to newly acquired evidence that the legal team thinks may exonerate them .
The request for postponement was denied .
Their trial is set to begin on October 5 .
Jury selection will begin on September 28 .
The couple has been charged with three counts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud ; conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery ; and conspiracy to commit money laundering .
A spokesman for the US Attorney ’ s Office in Massachusetts said they will stand trial with six other parents .
They have pleaded not guilty .
They will stand trial alongside six other parents charged in the scam : Gamal Abdelaziz , Diane Blake , Todd Blake , John Wilson , Homayoun Zadeh and Robert Zangrillo , the spokesperson said .
The eight-defendant trial means Boston ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of defendants and their legal teams this fall , said Elie Honig , a CNN legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor .
“ A trial with eight defendants is going to take a long time .
There ’ s just no way around that , ” he said .
“ But ( it ’ ll be ) a heck of a lot shorter than eight one-defendant trials.
” Loughlin and Giannulli claim they were only making donations to USC , the school their two daughters wanted to attend , though they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the traditional way donations are made .
Typically , an interested person would go through the college ’ s development office instead of an outsider .
Prosecutors say the $ 500,000 — including $ 100,000 to former USC athletics official Donna Heinel and $ 400,000 to Singer ’ s fake charity — constituted illegal bribes .
Heinel has pleaded not guilty and repeatedly has declined to comment .
Singer has pleaded guilty to several charges and is cooperating with the prosecution in the case .
But attorneys for Loughlin and Giannulli have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legitimate practice in which universities “ regularly solicit donations from the families of prospective students ” that can impact the students ’ chances of admission .
They have also accused prosecutors of withholding evidence that they say exonerates their clients .
The couple may have been naive but there are emails that show Giannulli bragging about working the system to get his daughters accepted into the school .
This isn ’ t supposed to be the system .
Parents who donate to fund a building or a fellowship for a visiting professor or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parents paying someone not employed by the school ( Rick Singer ) who then cuts a deal with that school ’ s coaches to justify admittance for bogus athletic abilities is quite another thing .
I ’ m not a lawyer but it seems to me that this has been Loughlin and Giannulli ’ s biggest problem from the beginning .
Singer pitched his plan for their acceptance as a side door , not the normal front door into the school .
That should have been a red flag .
It probably was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The front door was for those with good grades and high test scores .
The side door scheme was pitched to parents as cheaper than donating a million dollars or more for a building .
The plan to use someone to take the entrance tests for their kids , or to alter scores should have been the most obvious red flag .
Singer cut a deal for himself and is cooperating with prosecutors .
In another development from this college admissions fraud scandal , the heiress to the Hot Pockets fortune , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months in prison .
That is the longest sentence to come down for any of the parents so far .
Michelle Janavs , former executive of Chef America and heiress to the Hot Pocket fortune , was sentenced to five months in prison for paying $ 100,000 to fix her daughters ’ college entrance exams and agreeing to pay twice that amount to sneak one girl into USC as a bogus beach volleyball player .
According to the LA Times , Janavs pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college admissions consultant to rig ACT exams for her daughters and bribe a USC administrator to misrepresent the older girl as an elite beach volleyball player .
In addition to serving five months behind bars Janavs must pay a fine of $ 250,000 and remain on supervised release for two years .
She is said to be worth $ 4 billion so a fine of $ 250,000 isn ’ t a concern for her – the prison time is the stiffest sentence passed down so far .
Seventeen parents have had their day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the four parents who reversed their pleas to ‘ not-guilty ’ in 2019 .
Prosecutors were seeking a two-year sentence for Janavs .
It turns out she ’ s a serial offender , having done this for all of her children .
Prosecutors had been seeking nearly two years in prison for Michelle Janavs for her role in helping buy her children ’ s way into elite universities across the country .
The government called her one of the “ most culpable parents ” they had charged in the case and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a corner .
Unlike some of the parents who had come before her and were sentenced , Janavs was also hit with a money laundering conspiracy charge — something prosecutors tacked on for parents who did not quickly plead guilty to their crimes .
“ I ’ m so very sorry I tried to create an unfair advantage for my children , ” she told the court Tuesday .
Janavs is scheduled to report to prison on April 7 .

It’s getting real for Lori Loughlin and her husband Massimo Giannulli. A court date has been set for the couple’s trial in Boston for their participation in a college admissions fraud scheme.
A last-ditch effort was made by attorneys for Loughlin and Giannulli for a postponement due to newly acquired evidence that the legal team thinks may exonerate them. The request for postponement was denied. Their trial is set to begin on October 5. Jury selection will begin on September 28.
The couple has been charged with three counts of conspiracy: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud; conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. A spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts said they will stand trial with six other parents. They have pleaded not guilty.
They will stand trial alongside six other parents charged in the scam: Gamal Abdelaziz, Diane Blake, Todd Blake, John Wilson, Homayoun Zadeh and Robert Zangrillo, the spokesperson said. The eight-defendant trial means Boston’s federal courtroom will have row after row of defendants and their legal teams this fall, said Elie Honig, a CNN legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor.
“A trial with eight defendants is going to take a long time. There’s just no way around that,” he said. “But (it’ll be) a heck of a lot shorter than eight one-defendant trials.”
Loughlin and Giannulli claim they were only making donations to USC, the school their two daughters wanted to attend, though they used a counselor to do so, not the traditional way donations are made. Typically, an interested person would go through the college’s development office instead of an outsider.
Prosecutors say the $500,000 — including $100,000 to former USC athletics official Donna Heinel and $400,000 to Singer’s fake charity — constituted illegal bribes. Heinel has pleaded not guilty and repeatedly has declined to comment. Singer has pleaded guilty to several charges and is cooperating with the prosecution in the case. But attorneys for Loughlin and Giannulli have argued the money was part of a legitimate practice in which universities “regularly solicit donations from the families of prospective students” that can impact the students’ chances of admission. They have also accused prosecutors of withholding evidence that they say exonerates their clients.
The couple may have been naive but there are emails that show Giannulli bragging about working the system to get his daughters accepted into the school. This isn’t supposed to be the system. Parents who donate to fund a building or a fellowship for a visiting professor or some such reason is one thing. Parents paying someone not employed by the school (Rick Singer) who then cuts a deal with that school’s coaches to justify admittance for bogus athletic abilities is quite another thing. I’m not a lawyer but it seems to me that this has been Loughlin and Giannulli’s biggest problem from the beginning. Singer pitched his plan for their acceptance as a side door, not the normal front door into the school. That should have been a red flag. It probably was but the parents chose to ignore it. The front door was for those with good grades and high test scores. The side door scheme was pitched to parents as cheaper than donating a million dollars or more for a building. The plan to use someone to take the entrance tests for their kids, or to alter scores should have been the most obvious red flag.
Singer cut a deal for himself and is cooperating with prosecutors.
In another development from this college admissions fraud scandal, the heiress to the Hot Pockets fortune, Michelle Janavs, was sentenced to five months in prison. That is the longest sentence to come down for any of the parents so far.
Michelle Janavs, former executive of Chef America and heiress to the Hot Pocket fortune, was sentenced to five months in prison for paying $100,000 to fix her daughters’ college entrance exams and agreeing to pay twice that amount to sneak one girl into USC as a bogus beach volleyball player. According to the LA Times, Janavs pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering, admitting that she paid a Newport Beach college admissions consultant to rig ACT exams for her daughters and bribe a USC administrator to misrepresent the older girl as an elite beach volleyball player. In addition to serving five months behind bars Janavs must pay a fine of $250,000 and remain on supervised release for two years.
She is said to be worth $4 billion so a fine of $250,000 isn’t a concern for her – the prison time is the stiffest sentence passed down so far. Seventeen parents have had their day in court to date. She is one of the four parents who reversed their pleas to ‘not-guilty’ in 2019. Prosecutors were seeking a two-year sentence for Janavs. It turns out she’s a serial offender, having done this for all of her children.
Prosecutors had been seeking nearly two years in prison for Michelle Janavs for her role in helping buy her children’s way into elite universities across the country. The government called her one of the “most culpable parents” they had charged in the case and said she only accepted responsibility when backed into a corner. Unlike some of the parents who had come before her and were sentenced, Janavs was also hit with a money laundering conspiracy charge — something prosecutors tacked on for parents who did not quickly plead guilty to their crimes. “I’m so very sorry I tried to create an unfair advantage for my children,” she told the court Tuesday.
Janavs is scheduled to report to prison on April 7.


hotair--2020-03-01--Concerns about the Taliban peace agreement do not outweigh its significance

The comprehensive peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban will hopefully , finally , end the long war in Afghanistan .
The agreement is far from perfect ( no treaty ever is , if we ’ re honest ) however it ’ s a good start at preventing further loss of American and Afghani lives .
Detractors to the agreement , specifically Stephen Hayes at The Dispatch , raise salient points regarding certain particulars of the treaty .
The nebulously phrased “ economic cooperation , ” is troublesome .
Hayes ’ concern is money ends up in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace agreement in Afghanistan likely includes the Taliban .
A Taliban leader will get richer , and the only way for the U.S. to avoid it is to not rebuild the country as it did under the post-World War II Marshall Plan .
The other worry brought up by Jazz is whether it ’ s worth trusting the Taliban .
This concern is also shared by Afghanistan Analysts Network whose co-director told The Guardian she did not believe the Taliban was planning for a new phase of their fight against the Afghanistan government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the group that harbored Osama bin Laden and refused past talks with a more amenable Afghanistan government .
Taliban soldiers kept attacking U.S. soldiers during ongoing negotiations between both sides .
It ’ s unwise , however , to put the blame simply on the Taliban .
U.S. Air Force activity in the region increased from 2017 to 2020 .
Afghani civilians have died due to action by both sides of the conflict .
War , as they say , is hell .
Yet , a mutual trust under certain conditions is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders are saying the right things at the moment .
Whether they will in the future is up for debate .
The bigger question centers on negotiations between the U.S. , the Taliban , and the Afghan government .
The latter is in chaos .
Foreign Policy reported a definite splinter following last year ’ s presidential election where populist candidate Abdullah Abdullah lost , again , to modernist candidate Ashraf Ghani .
The legitimacy problem is an abiding one ; this is the third presidential election in [ a ] row in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official results and accused his opponent of fraud .
In 2009 , Abdullah lost against former President Hamid Karzai .
In 2014 , it was Ghani who beat Abdullah after a runoff .
In the end , then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had to intervene several times personally to reconcile the opponents .
Until today , many government critics believe that it was not the vote of the Afghan people that made Ghani president but Kerry ’ s decision .
Abdullah is threatening to take the oath of office and declare himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. wants Ghani to hold off his inauguration due to the instability .
It appears the U.S. may end up playing president-maker again , in some way , shape , or form .
Especially since Ghani appeared with Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday .
The Taliban may be playing ‘ wait and see ’ on who ends up in power before committing to anything else .
The U.S. needs everyone at the negotiating table to reach a peace deal .
The agreement signed Saturday is a first step towards accomplishing this goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , it does not mean the current treaty between the U.S. and the Taliban is the impetus for more war .
My concern is two-fold .
The U.S. may spend more money we don ’ t have to rebuild the country , and the Trump Administration will refrain from sending the treaty to the Senate for a constitutionally-authorized vote .
It matters not the previous administration made similar moves regarding the Iran nuclear agreement and the Paris Agreement on climate change .
The Senate needs to vote on the peace deal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliban , and civilian casualties are likely to reduce and an almost 20-year-old war ends .
Let ’ s get the troops out .
It ’ s time to move on .

The comprehensive peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban will hopefully, finally, end the long war in Afghanistan. The agreement is far from perfect (no treaty ever is, if we’re honest) however it’s a good start at preventing further loss of American and Afghani lives.
Detractors to the agreement, specifically Stephen Hayes at The Dispatch, raise salient points regarding certain particulars of the treaty. The nebulously phrased “economic cooperation,” is troublesome. Hayes’ concern is money ends up in the hands of the Taliban. Any comprehensive peace agreement in Afghanistan likely includes the Taliban. A Taliban leader will get richer, and the only way for the U.S. to avoid it is to not rebuild the country as it did under the post-World War II Marshall Plan.
The other worry brought up by Jazz is whether it’s worth trusting the Taliban. This concern is also shared by Afghanistan Analysts Network whose co-director told The Guardian she did not believe the Taliban was planning for a new phase of their fight against the Afghanistan government.
The anxiety makes sense. This is the group that harbored Osama bin Laden and refused past talks with a more amenable Afghanistan government. Taliban soldiers kept attacking U.S. soldiers during ongoing negotiations between both sides. It’s unwise, however, to put the blame simply on the Taliban. U.S. Air Force activity in the region increased from 2017 to 2020. Afghani civilians have died due to action by both sides of the conflict. War, as they say, is hell.
Yet, a mutual trust under certain conditions is the point of peace agreements. Taliban leaders are saying the right things at the moment. Whether they will in the future is up for debate.
The bigger question centers on negotiations between the U.S., the Taliban, and the Afghan government. The latter is in chaos. Foreign Policy reported a definite splinter following last year’s presidential election where populist candidate Abdullah Abdullah lost, again, to modernist candidate Ashraf Ghani.
The legitimacy problem is an abiding one; this is the third presidential election in [a] row in which Abdullah has refused to accept the official results and accused his opponent of fraud. In 2009, Abdullah lost against former President Hamid Karzai. In 2014, it was Ghani who beat Abdullah after a runoff. In the end, then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had to intervene several times personally to reconcile the opponents. Until today, many government critics believe that it was not the vote of the Afghan people that made Ghani president but Kerry’s decision.
Abdullah is threatening to take the oath of office and declare himself president. Reuters reported last week the U.S. wants Ghani to hold off his inauguration due to the instability. It appears the U.S. may end up playing president-maker again, in some way, shape, or form. Especially since Ghani appeared with Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday. The Taliban may be playing ‘wait and see’ on who ends up in power before committing to anything else.
The U.S. needs everyone at the negotiating table to reach a peace deal. The agreement signed Saturday is a first step towards accomplishing this goal. The process will take time, however, it does not mean the current treaty between the U.S. and the Taliban is the impetus for more war.
My concern is two-fold. The U.S. may spend more money we don’t have to rebuild the country, and the Trump Administration will refrain from sending the treaty to the Senate for a constitutionally-authorized vote. It matters not the previous administration made similar moves regarding the Iran nuclear agreement and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Senate needs to vote on the peace deal.
The rest looks decent. American, Taliban, and civilian casualties are likely to reduce and an almost 20-year-old war ends. Let’s get the troops out. It’s time to move on.


hotair--2020-03-02--Washington state announces six dead from coronavirus. What does that mean for the number of total in

Washington state announces six dead from coronavirus. What does that mean for the number of total infections there?

Three of the deaths happened overnight , which is alarming for a disease whose death rate *may* be as low as the flu ’ s .
Combined with three previous fatalities in the state , there are now six people dead among a total of 18 who have tested positive in King County , Washington .
Six out of 18 ?
The death rate is … 33 percent ?
No , it isn ’ t .
You already know why if you read this post yesterday .
Clearly there are many cases of coronavirus in Washington state right now that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely began with a man who returned from China in January , got sick , and then made a full recovery .
Genetic testing of his strain of the disease and the strain that killed a different patient within the past few days strongly suggests that that strain has been circulating among the population for the past six weeks .
One model of the total number of infections given what we know about how contagious COVID-19 is estimated it at anywhere between 150 and 1,500 .
If China ’ s calculations about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % — are accurate , six deaths would lead us to expect 300 infections locally , right in the range scientists expect .
Which would still be … not great , since a 2 % death rate is ominous for a highly contagious illness .
If instead the disease ’ s death rate is more like the common flu ’ s — 0.2 % — then we ’ d expect 3,000 infections locally .
That would be a surprisingly large amount , well beyond the current estimate .
Which means either many more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) than we expect or that coronavirus really is more lethal than the regular ol ’ flu , with a death rate higher than 0.2 % .
But wait .
There are other factors to consider , starting with this one from former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb : It may be that the death rate is flu-like across a sample of the total population of infected people but obviously it ’ ll be much higher if the sample consists mainly of patients who are far gone .
If you try to calculate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the cases you find in the local ICU , the number you get will be much higher than 0.2 % , obviously .
There ’ s another important complicating factor in the latest Washington cases : A male in his 50s , hospitalized at Highline Hospital .
No known exposures .
He is in stable but critical condition .
He had no underlying health conditions .
A male in his 70s , a resident of LifeCare , hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland .
The man had underlying health conditions , and died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a resident of LifeCare , hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland .
The woman had underlying health conditions , and died 3/1/20 A female in her 80s , a resident of LifeCare , was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth .
She is in critical condition .
In addition , a woman in her 80s , who was already reported as in critical condition at Evergreen , died .
She died on 3/1/20 No patients younger than 50 , all three of the deceased 70 or older , two with underlying health problems .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the information from China , where the death rate for sick and elderly patients is something on the order of 15 percent per some estimates .
I actually flagged the outbreak at the LifeCare Center nursing home in yesterday ’ s post as an example of a worst-case scenario for a localized outbreak precisely because senior citizens are the people most at risk of being killed by coronavirus .
According to yesterday ’ s number , no fewer than 27 residents ( and 25 staff ) at the home were showing symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll be more deaths from that group this week .
But needless to say , an outbreak within a small population of the most vulnerable age group , many of whom had health complications to begin with , isn ’ t going to tell us a lot about the death rate across the general population .
When you factor in Gottlieb ’ s point that the patients closest to death are apt to be tested first , the numbers nationwide this week may not tell us much of anything at all .
Except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is already here in much greater numbers than we thought , which is already a very safe assumption .
Relatedly , New York City diagnosed its first case of COVID-19 last night but there are doubtless plenty of other hidden ones that have gone undetected so far due to the CDC ’ s colossal screw-up in testing .
That ’ s about to change : Is Alex Azar ’ s employment status about to change too ?
Politico claims that fingers are being pointed at him within the administration for not being proactive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing snafu more expeditiously : I don ’ t think Trump will fire him , if only because it might add to public anxiety to have him decapitate HHS in the middle of a crisis .
Besides , he ’ s already demoted Azar on the coronavirus response by placing Mike Pence at the head of the task force formed to contain the disease .
Exit question : What do we think of this advice from the surgeon general ?
“ You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provider , ” he told Fox & Friends on Monday morning , reasoning that having to adjust a mask gives you more reason to touch your face .
The masks apparently are useful not so much in protecting the wearer from contracting the disease but in preventing them from giving it to others ( e.g.
, by projecting droplets containing the disease outward via coughing ) , which is why authorities want to make sure front-line health-care workers who are screening people have a ready supply .
For most of the public I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blanket , something that doesn ’ t do much beyond provide a sense of comfort just in case someone comes up to you and , uh , sneezes in your face .

Three of the deaths happened overnight, which is alarming for a disease whose death rate *may* be as low as the flu’s. Combined with three previous fatalities in the state, there are now six people dead among a total of 18 who have tested positive in King County, Washington.
Six out of 18? The death rate is … 33 percent?
No, it isn’t. You already know why if you read this post yesterday. Clearly there are many cases of coronavirus in Washington state right now that remain momentarily undetected, a spread that likely began with a man who returned from China in January, got sick, and then made a full recovery. Genetic testing of his strain of the disease and the strain that killed a different patient within the past few days strongly suggests that that strain has been circulating among the population for the past six weeks. One model of the total number of infections given what we know about how contagious COVID-19 is estimated it at anywhere between 150 and 1,500. If China’s calculations about the disease’s death rate — 2% — are accurate, six deaths would lead us to expect 300 infections locally, right in the range scientists expect. Which would still be … not great, since a 2% death rate is ominous for a highly contagious illness.
If instead the disease’s death rate is more like the common flu’s — 0.2% — then we’d expect 3,000 infections locally. That would be a surprisingly large amount, well beyond the current estimate. Which means either many more people are sick (perhaps mildly sick) than we expect or that coronavirus really is more lethal than the regular ol’ flu, with a death rate higher than 0.2%.
But wait. There are other factors to consider, starting with this one from former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb:
1/n As the screening catches up to the #coronavirus spread that has been underway in the U.S. for many weeks, the first to be diagnosed are likely to be those who are most ill, including patients who are hospitalized or who have died of the virus. https://t.co/aM8LrpzUAS — Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) March 2, 2020
It may be that the death rate is flu-like across a sample of the total population of infected people but obviously it’ll be much higher if the sample consists mainly of patients who are far gone. If you try to calculate the death rate of the flu based only on the cases you find in the local ICU, the number you get will be much higher than 0.2%, obviously.
There’s another important complicating factor in the latest Washington cases:
A male in his 50s, hospitalized at Highline Hospital. No known exposures. He is in stable but critical condition. He had no underlying health conditions. A male in his 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20 A female in her 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20 A female in her 80s, a resident of LifeCare, was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. She is in critical condition. In addition, a woman in her 80s, who was already reported as in critical condition at Evergreen, died. She died on 3/1/20
No patients younger than 50, all three of the deceased 70 or older, two with underlying health problems. That’s exactly what we’d expect based on the information from China, where the death rate for sick and elderly patients is something on the order of 15 percent per some estimates. I actually flagged the outbreak at the LifeCare Center nursing home in yesterday’s post as an example of a worst-case scenario for a localized outbreak precisely because senior citizens are the people most at risk of being killed by coronavirus. According to yesterday’s number, no fewer than 27 residents (and 25 staff) at the home were showing symptoms. I can only assume there’ll be more deaths from that group this week.
But needless to say, an outbreak within a small population of the most vulnerable age group, many of whom had health complications to begin with, isn’t going to tell us a lot about the death rate across the general population. When you factor in Gottlieb’s point that the patients closest to death are apt to be tested first, the numbers nationwide this week may not tell us much of anything at all. Except, of course, that the disease is already here in much greater numbers than we thought, which is already a very safe assumption.
Relatedly, New York City diagnosed its first case of COVID-19 last night but there are doubtless plenty of other hidden ones that have gone undetected so far due to the CDC’s colossal screw-up in testing. That’s about to change:
We are also launching an early detection system with @NYCHealthy, so we can catch the first signs of the virus’ spread, and work to stop it. — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 2, 2020
Is Alex Azar’s employment status about to change too? Politico claims that fingers are being pointed at him within the administration for not being proactive enough in resolving the CDC’s testing snafu more expeditiously:
“This was a management failure,” said one administration official, charging that Azar didn’t adequately plan for a worst-case coronavirus scenario that’s grown more likely by the day — even though Azar touted his bona fides as a veteran of the George W. Bush administration, where he helped fight crises like SARS and an anthrax scare. “CDC and FDA should have been working hand-in-hand to get Plan B, Plan C and Plan D ready to go,” the official said. “The administration’s response has been reactive, not proactive,” added a former HHS official. “A lot of what has happened has been driven by outside pressure,” like public health labs sounding the alarm that they were unable to perform the CDC’s tests.
I don’t think Trump will fire him, if only because it might add to public anxiety to have him decapitate HHS in the middle of a crisis. Besides, he’s already demoted Azar on the coronavirus response by placing Mike Pence at the head of the task force formed to contain the disease.
Exit question: What do we think of this advice from the surgeon general?
“You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider,” he told Fox & Friends on Monday morning, reasoning that having to adjust a mask gives you more reason to touch your face. The masks apparently are useful not so much in protecting the wearer from contracting the disease but in preventing them from giving it to others (e.g., by projecting droplets containing the disease outward via coughing), which is why authorities want to make sure front-line health-care workers who are screening people have a ready supply. For most of the public I think they’re a psychological security blanket, something that doesn’t do much beyond provide a sense of comfort just in case someone comes up to you and, uh, sneezes in your face.


hotair--2020-03-02--New Yorker: Just how socialist is Bernie Sanders?

Last month , NY Times columnist Paul Krugman offered his opinion that Bernie Sanders isn ’ t really a socialist .
“ Bernie Sanders isn ’ t actually a socialist in any normal sense of the term , ” Krugman wrote .
As for why he has called himself a socialist for the past four decades , Krugman had an explanation for that : “ I ’ d say that it ’ s mainly about personal branding , with a dash of glee at shocking the bourgeoisie.
” Today the New Yorker interviewed Georgetown University professor Michael Kazin , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history of the Democratic Party .
Kazin said Sanders is not merely following the path of FDR but seems intent on going beyond that : On the one hand , he ’ s channelling F.D.R .
rather than Eugene Debs .
He ’ s saying he ’ s going to complete the New Deal , and he talks about the Four Freedoms , which F.D.R .
talked about in his State of the Union Address in 1941 .
So , in a sense , he ’ s going along with the social democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roosevelt would be supporting Medicare for All , free college , the Green New Deal , that F.D.R .
would be wanting to strengthen labor unions and tax the rich , and that he—Sanders—is not out of the mainstream of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party .
On the other hand , he calls himself a socialist , which F.D.R .
never did , because he wasn ’ t .
The fact is also that Sanders is running in some ways against the so-called Democratic establishment and has never really become a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy as utterly as he can .
That would make him the most left-wing candidate for President that any major party has ever nominated .
He ’ s sort of straddling a more legitimized politics—with more mainstream rhetoric within the mainstream Democratic Party—with ambitions which will clearly go beyond what any Democratic nominee has ever stood for .
He seems very shrewd about that , because on the one hand , clearly , a lot of his policies are popular .
On the other hand , as we know from polls , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea of socialism… Bernie ’ s background is pretty different from Roosevelt ’ s .
Roosevelt was a rich guy , had some rich family , and didn ’ t want to do away with all rich people , whereas Bernie pretty much does .
I mean , peacefully do away with them .
Just how far would Sanders go ?
Well , his plan to spend somewhere around $ 53 trillion in ten years to transform the U.S. into a vision of 1960s Scandinavia won ’ t nationalize the entire economy but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who know , maybe that ’ s what Sanders wants in his heart of hearts .
Sanders has a long history of praising communist regimes , but for some reason he can ’ t tell us when or how he changed his mind about places like the USSR , Cuba , and Nicaragua .
He ’ s willing to tone down the rhetoric a bit to get himself elected but a genuine change of heart ?
There ’ s not much evidence of that .
All of this places Democrats in a tough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can claim as Krugman has that Sanders isn ’ t really a socialist because he is only for nationalizing one major industry ( health care ) at the moment .
On the other hand , they can unapologetically proclaim themselves socialists and hope voters under 30 carry them to victory .
Regardless of what they say , the future of socialism in America will depend on a ) whether Sanders is the nominee and b ) how well he does in the general election .
If he loses the way George McGovern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what happened after those losses were centrists , moderates , those who call themselves New Democrats were emboldened .
And they were able to make the argument that this was a radical left turn and a big mistake , and that Americans didn ’ t want what the Democrats were selling and so they had to go different ways .
So it really depends on how badly he loses , if he loses .
There ’ s some evidence that Sanders really is setting his adopted party up for a big loss .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bit longer to see what the party is going to do with him .

Last month, NY Times columnist Paul Krugman offered his opinion that Bernie Sanders isn’t really a socialist. “Bernie Sanders isn’t actually a socialist in any normal sense of the term,” Krugman wrote. As for why he has called himself a socialist for the past four decades, Krugman had an explanation for that: “I’d say that it’s mainly about personal branding, with a dash of glee at shocking the bourgeoisie.”
Today the New Yorker interviewed Georgetown University professor Michael Kazin, who is currently writing a book about the history of the Democratic Party. Kazin said Sanders is not merely following the path of FDR but seems intent on going beyond that:
On the one hand, he’s channelling F.D.R. rather than Eugene Debs. He’s saying he’s going to complete the New Deal, and he talks about the Four Freedoms, which F.D.R. talked about in his State of the Union Address in 1941. So, in a sense, he’s going along with the social democratic tinge of the New Deal and arguing Roosevelt would be supporting Medicare for All, free college, the Green New Deal, that F.D.R. would be wanting to strengthen labor unions and tax the rich, and that he—Sanders—is not out of the mainstream of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. On the other hand, he calls himself a socialist, which F.D.R. never did, because he wasn’t. The fact is also that Sanders is running in some ways against the so-called Democratic establishment and has never really become a Democrat, and he wants to transform the economy as utterly as he can. That would make him the most left-wing candidate for President that any major party has ever nominated. He’s sort of straddling a more legitimized politics—with more mainstream rhetoric within the mainstream Democratic Party—with ambitions which will clearly go beyond what any Democratic nominee has ever stood for. He seems very shrewd about that, because on the one hand, clearly, a lot of his policies are popular. On the other hand, as we know from polls, most Americans don’t like the idea of socialism… Bernie’s background is pretty different from Roosevelt’s. Roosevelt was a rich guy, had some rich family, and didn’t want to do away with all rich people, whereas Bernie pretty much does. I mean, peacefully do away with them.
Just how far would Sanders go? Well, his plan to spend somewhere around $53 trillion in ten years to transform the U.S. into a vision of 1960s Scandinavia won’t nationalize the entire economy but it will certainly tank it. And who know, maybe that’s what Sanders wants in his heart of hearts. Sanders has a long history of praising communist regimes, but for some reason he can’t tell us when or how he changed his mind about places like the USSR, Cuba, and Nicaragua. He’s willing to tone down the rhetoric a bit to get himself elected but a genuine change of heart? There’s not much evidence of that.
All of this places Democrats in a tough spot. On the one hand, they can claim as Krugman has that Sanders isn’t really a socialist because he is only for nationalizing one major industry (health care) at the moment. On the other hand, they can unapologetically proclaim themselves socialists and hope voters under 30 carry them to victory. Regardless of what they say, the future of socialism in America will depend on a) whether Sanders is the nominee and b) how well he does in the general election.
If he loses the way George McGovern or Walter Mondale lost, well, what happened after those losses were centrists, moderates, those who call themselves New Democrats were emboldened. And they were able to make the argument that this was a radical left turn and a big mistake, and that Americans didn’t want what the Democrats were selling and so they had to go different ways. So it really depends on how badly he loses, if he loses.
There’s some evidence that Sanders really is setting his adopted party up for a big loss. We’ll have to wait just a bit longer to see what the party is going to do with him.


hotair--2020-03-02--The Black Lives Matter attack on Amy Klobuchar was so misguided

Despite the fact that Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is dropping out of the race , one recent event on the campaign trail is still worth examining .
It ties into one story we covered in January , when we looked at one of the oppo research attacks that was launched at Klobuchar when she started showing some viability in the primary polling .
It dealt with the 2002 murder of a young woman named Tyesha Edwards in Minnesota .
Klobuchar , then a county attorney , prosecuted the original case against sixteen-year-old Myon Burrell .
Following a second trial , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to life in prison .
Facts that emerged later suggested that Burrell may have been innocent , something he has consistently maintained .
Klobuchar is now being blamed for a possible miscarriage of justice .
That flared up again this week when the candidate was preparing for a rally in her home state .
Black Lives Matter protesters stormed the stage , leading the crowd in chants about freeing Burrell and how Klobuchar “ has to go.
” The situation became so tenuous that the event had to be canceled .
( WaPo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ canceled a campaign rally in her home state of Minnesota Sunday night after dozens of protesters occupied the stage for more than an hour , demanding that the Democratic presidential candidate drop out of the race over her past involvement in a controversial murder conviction of a black teenager .
The rally , scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. local time in St. Louis Park , Minn. , was derailed when protesters affiliated with Black Lives Matter , the Minneapolis NAACP and other civil rights organizations stormed into the event , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Toting signs and banners , the activists chanted , “ Klobuchar has got to go , ” and “ Free Myon , ” in reference to Myon Burrell , who was sentenced to life in prison following the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl .
Attendees posted video of the mayhem on the stage to social media .
First of all , as I have pointed out in the past , these are the efforts of misguided members of the public .
Some people clearly read a headline and don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outrage machine and taking it to the streets .
At the time Klobuchar was handling the case where Burrell first went to trial , none of the potentially exculpatory details had come to light .
On top of that , the conviction she obtained was thrown out .
It was only later when her replacement prosecuted Burrell that he was sent up the river for life .
Klobuchar was in the Senate by then .
So she wasn ’ t the one who put him away and the basis for his possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afterward .
Demanding she withdraw from the race ( which she wound up doing anyway ) based on that accusation is pointless and unfounded .
But even if the protesters had some sort of legitimate beef with her , that doesn ’ t answer the question of how things broke down so badly at the event .
Where was the security staff ?
The public is entitled to show up at public events and make their voices heard , even if it ’ s rude to shout down the speakers to the point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But once you rush the stage , everything is different .
That ’ s not your stage .
You didn ’ t pay for the facilities to put on the event .
Even worse , those were not just “ peaceful demonstrators.
” People were acting in a very aggressive manner in a spot where they shouldn ’ t have been .
The event was canceled because the staff perceived a genuine physical threat to the candidate .
If this had been a general election rally and Klobuchar had been there as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people would have been in handcuffs and on the way to jail until everything was sorted out .
The only thing left to learn is how liberals will figure out a way to blame all of this on conservatives , the Tea Party or something similar .
This was a liberal candidate for the Democratic nomination holding a rally for Democrats and being invaded by Black Lives Matter .
And yet I can assure you , this will all turn out to be Trump ’ s fault because it ’ s 2020 .

Despite the fact that Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is dropping out of the race, one recent event on the campaign trail is still worth examining. It ties into one story we covered in January, when we looked at one of the oppo research attacks that was launched at Klobuchar when she started showing some viability in the primary polling. It dealt with the 2002 murder of a young woman named Tyesha Edwards in Minnesota. Klobuchar, then a county attorney, prosecuted the original case against sixteen-year-old Myon Burrell. Following a second trial, Burrell was eventually found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Facts that emerged later suggested that Burrell may have been innocent, something he has consistently maintained. Klobuchar is now being blamed for a possible miscarriage of justice. That flared up again this week when the candidate was preparing for a rally in her home state. Black Lives Matter protesters stormed the stage, leading the crowd in chants about freeing Burrell and how Klobuchar “has to go.” The situation became so tenuous that the event had to be canceled. (WaPo)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) canceled a campaign rally in her home state of Minnesota Sunday night after dozens of protesters occupied the stage for more than an hour, demanding that the Democratic presidential candidate drop out of the race over her past involvement in a controversial murder conviction of a black teenager. The rally, scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. local time in St. Louis Park, Minn., was derailed when protesters affiliated with Black Lives Matter, the Minneapolis NAACP and other civil rights organizations stormed into the event, as seen in videos uploaded to social media. Toting signs and banners, the activists chanted, “Klobuchar has got to go,” and “Free Myon,” in reference to Myon Burrell, who was sentenced to life in prison following the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl.
Attendees posted video of the mayhem on the stage to social media.
ST. LOUIS PARK, MN — Protesters in Senator Klobuchar’s home state have stormed the stage at her campaign rally, with dozens chanting, “Free Myon!” and “Klobuchar has got to go!” pic.twitter.com/n0MLZK3mO7 — Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) March 2, 2020
First of all, as I have pointed out in the past, these are the efforts of misguided members of the public. Some people clearly read a headline and don’t dig any deeper before fueling up the outrage machine and taking it to the streets. At the time Klobuchar was handling the case where Burrell first went to trial, none of the potentially exculpatory details had come to light.
On top of that, the conviction she obtained was thrown out. It was only later when her replacement prosecuted Burrell that he was sent up the river for life. Klobuchar was in the Senate by then. So she wasn’t the one who put him away and the basis for his possible release wasn’t known for years afterward. Demanding she withdraw from the race (which she wound up doing anyway) based on that accusation is pointless and unfounded.
But even if the protesters had some sort of legitimate beef with her, that doesn’t answer the question of how things broke down so badly at the event. Where was the security staff? The public is entitled to show up at public events and make their voices heard, even if it’s rude to shout down the speakers to the point where you effectively end the rally. But once you rush the stage, everything is different. That’s not your stage. You didn’t pay for the facilities to put on the event.
Even worse, those were not just “peaceful demonstrators.” People were acting in a very aggressive manner in a spot where they shouldn’t have been. The event was canceled because the staff perceived a genuine physical threat to the candidate. If this had been a general election rally and Klobuchar had been there as the nominee with Secret Service protection, those people would have been in handcuffs and on the way to jail until everything was sorted out.
The only thing left to learn is how liberals will figure out a way to blame all of this on conservatives, the Tea Party or something similar. This was a liberal candidate for the Democratic nomination holding a rally for Democrats and being invaded by Black Lives Matter. And yet I can assure you, this will all turn out to be Trump’s fault because it’s 2020.


hotair--2020-03-02--AFT president goes rogue, endorses Warren ahead of Super Tuesday

Randi Weingarten , president of the American Federation of Teachers ( AFT ) introduced Elizabeth Warren at her rally in Houston Saturday .
Weingarten ’ s decision to go out on her own and endorse Warren made weekend headlines .
Is Weingarten coming to the rescue for the former teacher , Elizabeth Warren ?
Little more than a week ago , AFT union leaders made the decision to endorse three Democrats running for the party ’ s nomination for president instead of picking one candidate – at least for now .
They chose Elizabeth Warren , Bernie Sanders , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time that it was less than a courageous decision .
Clearly the union wanted to get on the record that they don ’ t support the Bloomberg campaign .
Bloomberg is an advocate for charter schools and school choice .
So , with Super Tuesday upon us , all three of the candidates are making appearances in Texas .
During a Warren rally Saturday , Weingarten introduced Warren and announced her personal endorsement .
She was careful to mention that it is her own endorsement , not that of the union .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my personal capacity , ” she said .
Ahead of the actual endorsement , she explained her decision to break away and do her own endorsement with a post on Medium .
Any of these three Democrats would be a transformational improvement over Donald Trump .
And the AFT is encouraging our members and our affiliates , including all our leaders , to support — actively and vocally — any of them .
But when I am asked which candidate I will vote for , I ’ ve personally concluded that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that brings an understanding of what families — all families — need today to have a better future , the bold agenda to achieve that better life , and the wherewithal to work with others to turn her ideas into reality .
And , of course , the toughness and persistence to take on Donald Trump .
That ’ s why today I am announcing my personal support for our champion , my friend , former teacher and professor — Sen. Elizabeth Warren .
I will vote for her in the New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a big deal that there ’ s a former special education teacher running for president .
Being a teacher means being fearless and flexible , loving and compassionate , hardworking and resilient , and dedicated and devoted to making life better for all kids and families .
Being a teacher means having an innate understanding of the value of public education and what is needed to help all children succeed and to support all educators .
Ironically , when Elizabeth Warren was a special education teacher , she was a Republican .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the AFT is supportive of the socialist far left – Weingarten touts Medicaid for All , throwing tons more taxpayer dollars at America ’ s failing public school system , and most importantly , defeating the bad Orange Man in November .
I will end where I started : We confront an existential crisis for our democracy and our very way of life .
And I will , like so many others , support the person the Democrats ultimately nominate .
I will work harder than I ever have , as I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direction of our country and defeat Donald Trump .
At the same time in this moment , we can and must ensure that hope wins over despair , compassion over cruelty , fairness over inequality , and that justice and freedom become a lived experience for all .
Elizabeth Warren is the candidate who can bring us together and bring out the best in America .
Warren is in fourth place in Texas , according to Real Clear Politics .
Bernie Sanders has the lead wrapped up if polls are to be believed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg is third .
Biden began the race with a strong double-digit lead – some had him up by 30 points in the very beginning , but that early lead seems to have worked against Biden .
Biden has little presence in Texas and is only now , on Monday , the day before Super Tuesday , making campaign stops in Houston .
He fundraises ( mostly in private settings ) in Texas but hasn ’ t been holding rallies .
Both Warren and Sanders put in a lot of resources – campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and once Bloomberg entered the race with his Super Tuesday strategy , he has been a regular visitor to Texas .
Julian Castro , a Warren surrogate , may help her with the Latino vote , though Bernie is popular with that demographic , especially the younger voters .
Biden has the older Hispanic vote .
I don ’ t see Warren breaking out and winning big in Texas on Super Tuesday and I ’ m not sure what her path forward will look like .
Sunday Team Warren posted the campaign ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her performance in Nevada and raises expectations for her on Super Tuesday .
They claim strong , enthusiastic grassroots support and fundraising success .
They are ramping up paid media “ investment ” and I will say that I saw the first television ads for her that I ’ ve seen over the last couple of days .
The campaign is counting on a brokered convention .
We believe that Super Tuesday will greatly winnow this field and it will become clear that only a few candidates will have a viable path to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be one of them .
Our internal projections continue to show Elizabeth winning delegates in nearly every state in play on Super Tuesday , and in a strong position to earn a sizable delegate haul coming out of the night .
But as the dust settles after March 3 , the reality of this race will be clear : no candidate will likely have a path to the majority of delegates needed to win an outright claim to the Democratic nomination .
Super Tuesday is the first test in March to amass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be competing in six states , and a week after that another four that represent over 500 delegates up for grabs .
By the time all of California ’ s votes from mail-in ballots are counted , likely in mid-March , we will still only be halfway to the overall number of pledged delegates up for grabs .
From there we will be competing in contests in the rest of March : Georgia , the Northern Mariana Islands , and Puerto Rico , and early April : Alaska , Hawaii , Louisiana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our 400 Super Tuesday organizing staffers will be re-deployed to states voting in March or April .
After Wisconsin nearly one-third of the pledged delegates will still be waiting to be elected , and there will be a three-week gap between electing delegates for the first time since voting began .
In the road to the nomination , the Wisconsin primary is halftime , and the convention in Milwaukee is the final play .
We ’ ll see how it all shakes out Tuesday night .
At this point , though , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut a deal with Bernie Sanders .
She could be his vice-presidential choice , since AOC is too young , and it ’ s been reported that he ’ s open to choosing her .
He ’ s even considered choosing her in a dual role as vice-president and treasury secretary .

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) introduced Elizabeth Warren at her rally in Houston Saturday. Weingarten’s decision to go out on her own and endorse Warren made weekend headlines. Is Weingarten coming to the rescue for the former teacher, Elizabeth Warren?
Little more than a week ago, AFT union leaders made the decision to endorse three Democrats running for the party’s nomination for president instead of picking one candidate – at least for now. They chose Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden. I wrote at the time that it was less than a courageous decision. Clearly the union wanted to get on the record that they don’t support the Bloomberg campaign. Bloomberg is an advocate for charter schools and school choice.
So, with Super Tuesday upon us, all three of the candidates are making appearances in Texas. During a Warren rally Saturday, Weingarten introduced Warren and announced her personal endorsement. She was careful to mention that it is her own endorsement, not that of the union. “That’s why I am here in my personal capacity,” she said. Ahead of the actual endorsement, she explained her decision to break away and do her own endorsement with a post on Medium.
Any of these three Democrats would be a transformational improvement over Donald Trump. And the AFT is encouraging our members and our affiliates, including all our leaders, to support — actively and vocally — any of them. But when I am asked which candidate I will vote for, I’ve personally concluded that there is one who has the life experience that brings an understanding of what families — all families — need today to have a better future, the bold agenda to achieve that better life, and the wherewithal to work with others to turn her ideas into reality. And, of course, the toughness and persistence to take on Donald Trump.
That’s why today I am announcing my personal support for our champion, my friend, former teacher and professor — Sen. Elizabeth Warren. I will vote for her in the New York primary on April 28. It’s a big deal that there’s a former special education teacher running for president. Being a teacher means being fearless and flexible, loving and compassionate, hardworking and resilient, and dedicated and devoted to making life better for all kids and families. Being a teacher means having an innate understanding of the value of public education and what is needed to help all children succeed and to support all educators.
Ironically, when Elizabeth Warren was a special education teacher, she was a Republican. The post on Medium makes clear that the AFT is supportive of the socialist far left – Weingarten touts Medicaid for All, throwing tons more taxpayer dollars at America’s failing public school system, and most importantly, defeating the bad Orange Man in November.
I will end where I started: We confront an existential crisis for our democracy and our very way of life. And I will, like so many others, support the person the Democrats ultimately nominate. I will work harder than I ever have, as I know our union will, to change the direction of our country and defeat Donald Trump. At the same time in this moment, we can and must ensure that hope wins over despair, compassion over cruelty, fairness over inequality, and that justice and freedom become a lived experience for all. Elizabeth Warren is the candidate who can bring us together and bring out the best in America.
Here's why I personally support @ewarren. Many @aftunion members & others have asked me who I personally support. Now building on the @AFTunion Reso encouraging our members to help Joe, Bernie and/ or Elizabeth, here's why I am with @ewarren. #AFTvotes https://t.co/5X1ViMvNak — Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) February 29, 2020
Warren is in fourth place in Texas, according to Real Clear Politics. Bernie Sanders has the lead wrapped up if polls are to be believed. Biden is in second place and Bloomberg is third. Biden began the race with a strong double-digit lead – some had him up by 30 points in the very beginning, but that early lead seems to have worked against Biden. Biden has little presence in Texas and is only now, on Monday, the day before Super Tuesday, making campaign stops in Houston. He fundraises (mostly in private settings) in Texas but hasn’t been holding rallies. Both Warren and Sanders put in a lot of resources – campaign staff and offices – early on, and once Bloomberg entered the race with his Super Tuesday strategy, he has been a regular visitor to Texas.
Julian Castro, a Warren surrogate, may help her with the Latino vote, though Bernie is popular with that demographic, especially the younger voters. Biden has the older Hispanic vote. I don’t see Warren breaking out and winning big in Texas on Super Tuesday and I’m not sure what her path forward will look like. Sunday Team Warren posted the campaign’s plan on Medium. It touts her performance in Nevada and raises expectations for her on Super Tuesday. They claim strong, enthusiastic grassroots support and fundraising success. They are ramping up paid media “investment” and I will say that I saw the first television ads for her that I’ve seen over the last couple of days. The campaign is counting on a brokered convention.
We believe that Super Tuesday will greatly winnow this field and it will become clear that only a few candidates will have a viable path to the Democratic nomination — and Elizabeth Warren will be one of them. Our internal projections continue to show Elizabeth winning delegates in nearly every state in play on Super Tuesday, and in a strong position to earn a sizable delegate haul coming out of the night. But as the dust settles after March 3, the reality of this race will be clear: no candidate will likely have a path to the majority of delegates needed to win an outright claim to the Democratic nomination. Super Tuesday is the first test in March to amass delegates, but a week later we will be competing in six states, and a week after that another four that represent over 500 delegates up for grabs. By the time all of California’s votes from mail-in ballots are counted, likely in mid-March, we will still only be halfway to the overall number of pledged delegates up for grabs. From there we will be competing in contests in the rest of March: Georgia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico, and early April: Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Wisconsin. All of our 400 Super Tuesday organizing staffers will be re-deployed to states voting in March or April. After Wisconsin nearly one-third of the pledged delegates will still be waiting to be elected, and there will be a three-week gap between electing delegates for the first time since voting began. In the road to the nomination, the Wisconsin primary is halftime, and the convention in Milwaukee is the final play.
We’ll see how it all shakes out Tuesday night. At this point, though, it seems her best hope is to cut a deal with Bernie Sanders. She could be his vice-presidential choice, since AOC is too young, and it’s been reported that he’s open to choosing her. He’s even considered choosing her in a dual role as vice-president and treasury secretary.


hotair--2020-03-02--Canadian rail update: Pipeline construction to resume, but some tracks still blocked

The Canadian government reached a deal with protesters Sunday which should allow construction crews to resume work on a natural gas pipeline today .
Work is expected to resume today on a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia that has been at the centre of protests that have disrupted both rail and road traffic in many parts of the country .
It follows a proposed arrangement that was reached Sunday during talks in Smithers , B.C .
involving Wet ’ suwet ’ en hereditary chiefs and senior ministers of the federal and B.C .
governments .
The agreement still needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ en people .
Details of the draft accord , which centres on Indigenous rights and land titles , were not disclosed , however , a joint statement by representatives of Wet ’ suwet ’ en Nation , the province and the federal government acknowledged they had not come to an agreement on the pipeline .
The refusal to allow construction crews access to Wet ’ suwet ’ en despite a court order resulted in the RCMP moving in and making a handful of arrests last month .
In response to that action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began a rail blockade demanding that the RCMP withdraw .
Those solidarity protests shut down much of the Canadian rail system for three weeks .
Last Monday , Ontario police moved in and arrested Mohawk protesters at one of the rail blockades .
Some protesters reacted by setting fires on the tracks , including near moving trains .
Now that the underlying issue which prompted the rail blockade appears to be resolved , the remaining protests should come to an end .
But as of Monday morning several blockades are still up .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ discuss taking down one particular barricade would be held Monday night : The rail barricade will remain in place for the time being until the community learns more about the details of the agreement , which still requires the approval of the Wet ’ suwet ’ en people .
Kenneth Deer , the secretary of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake , said there is a meeting scheduled for Monday night where residents are asked to gather and discuss their next steps .
“ It is a big decision whether or not to dismantle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday .
“ They want to make sure they have all the details of the deal before making this decision.
” The agreement still hasn ’ t been signed because the Wet ’ suwet ’ en people haven ’ t agreed to it yet .
Reuters reports that process could take about two weeks .
Will protesters attempt to keep the rail blockade up for that long ?
So far the protests have remained peaceful , but there was a lot of tension Sunday when an abandoned CN Rail building burned down .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ arson but , so far , say there ’ s no indication the arson was connected to the protests : The fire burned for hours after breaking out Sunday afternoon .
RCMP were called around 4 p.m. PT , and officers soon arrested a young man for suspected arson… Cpl .
Devon Gerrits said the incident isn ’ t believed to be related to recent protests at CN Rail sites across the country , some of which have involved small fires .
Here ’ s a Global News report on the situation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ second half of this report , the rail blockaders seem to be looking for an all clear sign from the Wet ’ suwet ’ en hereditary chiefs which they haven ’ t received yet .

The Canadian government reached a deal with protesters Sunday which should allow construction crews to resume work on a natural gas pipeline today.
Work is expected to resume today on a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia that has been at the centre of protests that have disrupted both rail and road traffic in many parts of the country. It follows a proposed arrangement that was reached Sunday during talks in Smithers, B.C. involving Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and senior ministers of the federal and B.C. governments. The agreement still needs the approval of the Wet’suwet’en people. Details of the draft accord, which centres on Indigenous rights and land titles, were not disclosed, however, a joint statement by representatives of Wet’suwet’en Nation, the province and the federal government acknowledged they had not come to an agreement on the pipeline.
The refusal to allow construction crews access to Wet’suwet’en despite a court order resulted in the RCMP moving in and making a handful of arrests last month. In response to that action, tribes in other parts of Canada began a rail blockade demanding that the RCMP withdraw. Those solidarity protests shut down much of the Canadian rail system for three weeks.
Last Monday, Ontario police moved in and arrested Mohawk protesters at one of the rail blockades. Some protesters reacted by setting fires on the tracks, including near moving trains.
Now that the underlying issue which prompted the rail blockade appears to be resolved, the remaining protests should come to an end. But as of Monday morning several blockades are still up. A Mohawk leaders said a meeting to discuss taking down one particular barricade would be held Monday night:
The rail barricade will remain in place for the time being until the community learns more about the details of the agreement, which still requires the approval of the Wet’suwet’en people. Kenneth Deer, the secretary of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake, said there is a meeting scheduled for Monday night where residents are asked to gather and discuss their next steps. “It is a big decision whether or not to dismantle a barricade,” he said on Sunday. “They want to make sure they have all the details of the deal before making this decision.”
The agreement still hasn’t been signed because the Wet’suwet’en people haven’t agreed to it yet. Reuters reports that process could take about two weeks. Will protesters attempt to keep the rail blockade up for that long?
So far the protests have remained peaceful, but there was a lot of tension Sunday when an abandoned CN Rail building burned down. Police have arrested one person for suspected arson but, so far, say there’s no indication the arson was connected to the protests:
The fire burned for hours after breaking out Sunday afternoon. RCMP were called around 4 p.m. PT, and officers soon arrested a young man for suspected arson… Cpl. Devon Gerrits said the incident isn’t believed to be related to recent protests at CN Rail sites across the country, some of which have involved small fires.
Here’s a Global News report on the situation. As you’ll see in the second half of this report, the rail blockaders seem to be looking for an all clear sign from the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs which they haven’t received yet.


hotair--2020-03-02--Fugitive child rapist given "French Oscars" best picture award

A couple of weeks ago , when I wrote about the upcoming Cesar Awards in Paris , I noted with dismay that the academy running the “ French Oscars ” had rewarded notorious , fugitive child rapist and pedophile Roman Polanski with a dozen nominations for his most recent film .
This led to some admirable pushback from members of the European film community , particularly among women .
Chief among those was Adèle Haenel , a woman who has found success in the film industry there as an actress but who has been quite vocal about the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been raped by a different director when she was barely past puberty .
Well , now the Ceasar Awards have come and gone .
And true to form for this crowd , they gave the Best Picture nod to Polanski , along with other awards .
As you will recall , Polanski has been on the run from American law enforcement for decades after being convicted of drugging , raping and sodomizing a 13-year-old child .
Efforts to extradite him back to the United States have continually failed .
The response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediate .
Haenel , along with other women in the audience , stood up and walked out in protest , shouting “ Shame ” to the assembled Academy members who had seen fit to vote for Polanski ’ s entry .
( Fox News ) Adèle Haenel , a French actress , walked out of the César awards ceremony in Paris on Friday after Roman Polanski won an award .
The actress left the ceremony after Polanski , 86 , won the award for best director .
The César awards are considered France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The awards have been marred with controversy since nominating Polanski , whose film “ An Officer and a Spy ” earned 12 nominations .
Polanski also won for best adapted screenplay .
Haenel ’ s walkout was seemingly in protest to the director ’ s win following allegations of sexual assault , including his 1977 conviction of statutory rape of a 13-year-old .
The protests continued outside , with smoke filling the streets and people chanting condemnations of the Academy , as seen in this video from Twitter .
The Europeans , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seem to shake this attitude of considering child rape as no big deal if it ’ s done by one of the “ special people.
” Of course , that ’ s not a strictly European attitude .
It ’ s long pervaded Hollywood as well .
You may recall that time when Whoopi Goldberg declared that what Polanski had done “ wasn ’ t rape rape.
” For his part , Polanski continues to blame all of this on the media , claiming that they ’ re trying to make him out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mr. Douchebag… nobody had to make you a monster .
You did that yourself .
Fortunately , attitudes in the United States toward such things have been changing , albeit slowly , particularly since # MeToo arrived on the scene .
And that ’ s as it should be .
For Pete ’ s sake , guys .
Charlie Manson was allegedly a rather talented songwriter by some accounts , but we at least had the good sense not to give him a Grammy .
On the other side of the pond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mess .
Adèle Haenel had to overcome a horror show of a childhood trying to break into the acting business and carries the scars with her to this day .
And yet those in charge of French cinema still see fit to treat Roman Polanski as if he ’ s somehow better than the monster that he actually is .
Perhaps it will take the current generation of producers , directors and movie mogul ’ s over there dying off before they come to their senses .

A couple of weeks ago, when I wrote about the upcoming Cesar Awards in Paris, I noted with dismay that the academy running the “French Oscars” had rewarded notorious, fugitive child rapist and pedophile Roman Polanski with a dozen nominations for his most recent film. This led to some admirable pushback from members of the European film community, particularly among women. Chief among those was Adèle Haenel, a woman who has found success in the film industry there as an actress but who has been quite vocal about the fact that she, as a child actress, had been raped by a different director when she was barely past puberty.
Well, now the Ceasar Awards have come and gone. And true to form for this crowd, they gave the Best Picture nod to Polanski, along with other awards. As you will recall, Polanski has been on the run from American law enforcement for decades after being convicted of drugging, raping and sodomizing a 13-year-old child. Efforts to extradite him back to the United States have continually failed.
The response to the announcement of this new honor was immediate. Haenel, along with other women in the audience, stood up and walked out in protest, shouting “Shame” to the assembled Academy members who had seen fit to vote for Polanski’s entry. (Fox News)
Adèle Haenel, a French actress, walked out of the César awards ceremony in Paris on Friday after Roman Polanski won an award. The actress left the ceremony after Polanski, 86, won the award for best director. The César awards are considered France’s equivalent of the Oscars. The awards have been marred with controversy since nominating Polanski, whose film “An Officer and a Spy” earned 12 nominations. Polanski also won for best adapted screenplay. Haenel’s walkout was seemingly in protest to the director’s win following allegations of sexual assault, including his 1977 conviction of statutory rape of a 13-year-old.
The protests continued outside, with smoke filling the streets and people chanting condemnations of the Academy, as seen in this video from Twitter.
The Europeans, and particularly the French, can’t seem to shake this attitude of considering child rape as no big deal if it’s done by one of the “special people.” Of course, that’s not a strictly European attitude. It’s long pervaded Hollywood as well. You may recall that time when Whoopi Goldberg declared that what Polanski had done “wasn’t rape rape.”
For his part, Polanski continues to blame all of this on the media, claiming that they’re trying to make him out to be a monster. Trust us, Mr. Douchebag… nobody had to make you a monster. You did that yourself.
Fortunately, attitudes in the United States toward such things have been changing, albeit slowly, particularly since #MeToo arrived on the scene. And that’s as it should be. For Pete’s sake, guys. Charlie Manson was allegedly a rather talented songwriter by some accounts, but we at least had the good sense not to give him a Grammy.
On the other side of the pond, however, things are still a mess. Adèle Haenel had to overcome a horror show of a childhood trying to break into the acting business and carries the scars with her to this day. And yet those in charge of French cinema still see fit to treat Roman Polanski as if he’s somehow better than the monster that he actually is. Perhaps it will take the current generation of producers, directors and movie mogul’s over there dying off before they come to their senses.