hotair--2020-09-22--Today is 'Battery Day' at Tesla and the company is expected to announce some impressive new tech (Up

Today is 'Battery Day' at Tesla and the company is expected to announce some impressive new tech (Update)

Back in June I wrote about Tesla ’ s plan for a “ Battery Day ” event at which they were expected to announce some significant improvements to the design of the batteries used in their cars and Powerwalls .
That event was initially scheduled for the spring but was pushed back because of the coronavirus .
Today is normally the day Tesla reports on its quarterly production number and that is still happening but it is now being overshadowed by Battery Day .
So what is the company going to announce today ?
No one outside the company knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reuters reported that the company had made improvements to battery design which made battery cells last longer before they degrade from repeated cycles of charging and discharging .
This “ million mile battery ” was so named because it could last long enough to take a car a million miles before the cells needed to be replace , much longer than most cars last .
The idea has been described as the promise of a “ lifetime car.
” But there are also some expectations that the announcement today could go beyond that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battery tech that hasn ’ t already leaked to the media .
In fact , Elon Musk promised “ exciting things.
” But just last night he seemed to be trying to dial back expectations a bit , noting that whatever gets announced won ’ t be mass produced for another couple of years .
Nevertheless , today could be a big deal in trying to solidify America ’ s lead in battery tech .
At present , it is actually Japan that has been filing the most patents .
The U.S. is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chart doesn ’ t tell the whole story : Tesla ’ s main goal is not only to make the batteries last longer but to make them cheaper to produce .
Until that happens the only way electric cars can compete with gasoline powered cars is with government subsidies .
Musk ’ s goal has been to get the cost of batteries under $ 100 per kilowatt hour .
If he can do that , electric cars become much more competitive in the marketplace .
One of the efforts Tesla has been pursuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to produce by limiting or possibly even removing the need for cobalt : Musk has been vocal about wanting to eliminate cobalt from Tesla ’ s batteries .
In 2018 , he tweeted that Tesla uses less than 3 percent of cobalt in its batteries and that the next-generation versions would have “ none.
” Battery Day could be an opportunity for the company ’ s CEO to outline exactly how he could achieve that .
Cobalt is a key component of batteries .
It ’ s also the most expensive material in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often violate human rights , leading it to be called the “ blood diamond of batteries.
” As a result , scientists and startups are rushing to create a cobalt-free battery .
Finally , Tesla now has some challengers in the electric car market including one which just released its first sedan this month with specs a bit better than the Model S. So today ’ s announcement could also help keep Tesla positioned at the front of the pack in the mind of potential buyers .
The livestream of the Battery Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the east coast , 1:30 here in the west .
You can watch it here .
I ’ ll be back later with a summary of the big announcements : Update : I did watch the full Battery Day presentation and it was a very detailed description of all of the changes Tesla is making to battery design , materials , etc .
to make these cells better and cheaper .
Forbes has a pretty good summary of the news : • A 56 % total reduction in cost per kwh of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulting 54 % increase in range for the same size pack .
• Significant reduction in footprint of factories and cost of scaling up production — 69 % less investment needed • New cobalt-free anodes , including very high capacity all nickel cathodes • Major improvements to the processing part of cathode manufacturing • New sources of immense supplies of Lithium • Making the structural rear of the car from a single casting • Making the battery pack a structural element in the car , effectively making it add no weight to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provided each one of those points could be a story in itself but one of the details about the new tabless battery design : Today , the company confirmed that the new cell is 46mm by 80mm , giving it its name : the Tesla 4680 battery cell .
The company faced the same problem as anyone who tries to increase capacity by making a bigger cell .
They have a thermal management program .
As previously reported , Tesla fixed this issue by creating the first tabless cylindrical cell design… Tesla claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cell results in a five-times increase in energy and six-times increase in power capacity .
Here ’ s what it looks like from the top down :

Back in June I wrote about Tesla’s plan for a “Battery Day” event at which they were expected to announce some significant improvements to the design of the batteries used in their cars and Powerwalls. That event was initially scheduled for the spring but was pushed back because of the coronavirus. Today is normally the day Tesla reports on its quarterly production number and that is still happening but it is now being overshadowed by Battery Day.
So what is the company going to announce today? No one outside the company knows exactly. Back in the spring, Reuters reported that the company had made improvements to battery design which made battery cells last longer before they degrade from repeated cycles of charging and discharging. This “million mile battery” was so named because it could last long enough to take a car a million miles before the cells needed to be replace, much longer than most cars last. The idea has been described as the promise of a “lifetime car.”
But there are also some expectations that the announcement today could go beyond that, possibly to some additional improvements in battery tech that hasn’t already leaked to the media. In fact, Elon Musk promised “exciting things.”
Many exciting things will be unveiled on Battery Day 9/22 ⚡ — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 11, 2020
But just last night he seemed to be trying to dial back expectations a bit, noting that whatever gets announced won’t be mass produced for another couple of years.
Important note about Tesla Battery Day unveil tomorrow. This affects long-term production, especially Semi, Cybertruck & Roadster, but what we announce will not reach serious high-volume production until 2022. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2020
The extreme difficulty of scaling production of new technology is not well understood. It’s 1000% to 10,000% harder than making a few prototypes. The machine that makes the machine is vastly harder than the machine itself. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 22, 2020
Nevertheless, today could be a big deal in trying to solidify America’s lead in battery tech. At present, it is actually Japan that has been filing the most patents. The U.S. is currently in 5th place:
Ahead of nothing in particular (cough), new study says U.S. in fifth place behind Japan, South Korea, Europe and China in terms of the number of international patents in battery technology. https://t.co/f3ujTQsXdc pic.twitter.com/eqz6fT87bS — Steve Goldstein (@MKTWgoldstein) September 22, 2020
But that chart doesn’t tell the whole story:
One area the U.S. is strong in is potential next-generation batteries, the study says. The U.S. is the leader with 36% of patents on lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminum-oxide chemistry for Li-ion batteries, which are already being used by Panasonic and Tesla.
Tesla’s main goal is not only to make the batteries last longer but to make them cheaper to produce. Until that happens the only way electric cars can compete with gasoline powered cars is with government subsidies. Musk’s goal has been to get the cost of batteries under $100 per kilowatt hour. If he can do that, electric cars become much more competitive in the marketplace. One of the efforts Tesla has been pursuing is to make the battery cells cheaper to produce by limiting or possibly even removing the need for cobalt:
Musk has been vocal about wanting to eliminate cobalt from Tesla’s batteries. In 2018, he tweeted that Tesla uses less than 3 percent of cobalt in its batteries and that the next-generation versions would have “none.” Battery Day could be an opportunity for the company’s CEO to outline exactly how he could achieve that. Cobalt is a key component of batteries. It’s also the most expensive material in the battery and mined under conditions that often violate human rights, leading it to be called the “blood diamond of batteries.” As a result, scientists and startups are rushing to create a cobalt-free battery.
Finally, Tesla now has some challengers in the electric car market including one which just released its first sedan this month with specs a bit better than the Model S. So today’s announcement could also help keep Tesla positioned at the front of the pack in the mind of potential buyers.
The livestream of the Battery Day event will began at 4:30 pm on the east coast, 1:30 here in the west. You can watch it here. I’ll be back later with a summary of the big announcements:
Update: I did watch the full Battery Day presentation and it was a very detailed description of all of the changes Tesla is making to battery design, materials, etc. to make these cells better and cheaper. Forbes has a pretty good summary of the news:
A 56% total reduction in cost per kwh of the battery pack — massive. A resulting 54% increase in range for the same size pack. Significant reduction in footprint of factories and cost of scaling up production — 69% less investment needed Silicon anodes with higher capacity New cobalt-free anodes, including very high capacity all nickel cathodes Major improvements to the processing part of cathode manufacturing New sources of immense supplies of Lithium Making the structural rear of the car from a single casting Making the battery pack a structural element in the car, effectively making it add no weight to the car A $25,000 quality EV in 3 years with autonomy capability
Because of the level of detail provided each one of those points could be a story in itself but one of the details about the new tabless battery design:
Today, the company confirmed that the new cell is 46mm by 80mm, giving it its name: the Tesla 4680 battery cell. The company faced the same problem as anyone who tries to increase capacity by making a bigger cell. They have a thermal management program. As previously reported, Tesla fixed this issue by creating the first tabless cylindrical cell design… Tesla claims that the new form factor of the cell results in a five-times increase in energy and six-times increase in power capacity.
Here’s what it looks like from the top down:


hotair--2020-09-22--"Cries for help" as Minneapolis residents wonder where the police went

Over the weekend , we looked at the deteriorating conditions in Minneapolis ’ s 3rd precinct and the Police Chief ’ s sad acknowledgment that reinforcements aren ’ t on the way .
But the troubles in that city are hardly limited to the 3rd precinct .
Nearby , in the 4th precinct , conditions are much the same and the area ’ s elected officials are getting an earful about it from residents and business owners .
Crime rates have been readily rising and far too often there are no police available to quickly answer a cry for help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precisely how the situation is being described by the local press and the frustration among those worried about becoming the next victim is palpable .
( CBS Minnesota ) Cries for help continue to come out from residents in the fourth precinct .
“ Help us , come and see what ’ s going on and we ’ re really not getting any responses from the Mayor or city council we feel kind of alone right now , ” Liz Cruz said .
“ This is something we have to treat urgently before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All the cries for help have one thing in common – all say they have not heard directly from city leaders about a plan to attack the uptick in violence .
One of the few responses that residents have received from the Police Chief there is that they are currently “ running the police we do have ragged ” and they “ need some kind of help from somewhere.
” But just as with the 3rd precinct , they have no plan in place to present to the city .
The cops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additionally slashed because of COVID-related revenue shortfalls and generally grown dispirited over the treatment they are receiving both from City Hall and the protesters in the streets .
The 4th precinct is also the location of the new CHOP/CHAZ zone that John wrote about yesterday .
Signs have gone up declaring it to be “ the free state of George Floyd.
” That ’ s an entire horror show of its own .
One business owner inside the zone has been raided and physically attacked at least three times now , with one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But every time he ’ s called the police , they ’ ve been unable to reach him in time to stop the invasion or make an arrest .
The police claim that the area is “ under control ” and the streets will be reopened this winter , but we ’ re certainly not seeing any signs of that yet .
Meanwhile , both property crime and violent crime continue to rise .
When you hollow out your police department , criminals notice and they tend to take advantage of the situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that rule , and both the residents and the business owners are paying the price for it .
Keep in mind that the President has already offered to send in additional federal agents or even military troops to help restore order , but both the Mayor and the Governor have rebuffed him .
They keep insisting that everyone needs to listen to the “ peaceful protesters ” and find ways to address their concerns .
But the people setting up autonomous zones and looting all of the stores don ’ t give a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or anything else that politicians may have to say .
Their business is crime and business is booming right now .
We should probably add Minneapolis to the list of cities where the best advice for the residents is simply to flee if you have the means to do so .
There ’ s no telling when things are going to return to “ normal ” there , assuming they ever do .

Over the weekend, we looked at the deteriorating conditions in Minneapolis’s 3rd precinct and the Police Chief’s sad acknowledgment that reinforcements aren’t on the way. But the troubles in that city are hardly limited to the 3rd precinct. Nearby, in the 4th precinct, conditions are much the same and the area’s elected officials are getting an earful about it from residents and business owners. Crime rates have been readily rising and far too often there are no police available to quickly answer a cry for help. “Cries for help” is precisely how the situation is being described by the local press and the frustration among those worried about becoming the next victim is palpable. (CBS Minnesota)
Cries for help continue to come out from residents in the fourth precinct. “Help us, come and see what’s going on and we’re really not getting any responses from the Mayor or city council we feel kind of alone right now,” Liz Cruz said. “This is something we have to treat urgently before more people die,” Taylor said. All the cries for help have one thing in common – all say they have not heard directly from city leaders about a plan to attack the uptick in violence.
One of the few responses that residents have received from the Police Chief there is that they are currently “running the police we do have ragged” and they “need some kind of help from somewhere.” But just as with the 3rd precinct, they have no plan in place to present to the city. The cops have been defunded, seen their budget additionally slashed because of COVID-related revenue shortfalls and generally grown dispirited over the treatment they are receiving both from City Hall and the protesters in the streets.
The 4th precinct is also the location of the new CHOP/CHAZ zone that John wrote about yesterday. Signs have gone up declaring it to be “the free state of George Floyd.” That’s an entire horror show of its own. One business owner inside the zone has been raided and physically attacked at least three times now, with one assault sending him to the hospital. But every time he’s called the police, they’ve been unable to reach him in time to stop the invasion or make an arrest.
The police claim that the area is “under control” and the streets will be reopened this winter, but we’re certainly not seeing any signs of that yet. Meanwhile, both property crime and violent crime continue to rise. When you hollow out your police department, criminals notice and they tend to take advantage of the situation. Minneapolis is clearly no exception to that rule, and both the residents and the business owners are paying the price for it.
Keep in mind that the President has already offered to send in additional federal agents or even military troops to help restore order, but both the Mayor and the Governor have rebuffed him. They keep insisting that everyone needs to listen to the “peaceful protesters” and find ways to address their concerns. But the people setting up autonomous zones and looting all of the stores don’t give a hoot about George Floyd, police reform, or anything else that politicians may have to say. Their business is crime and business is booming right now. We should probably add Minneapolis to the list of cities where the best advice for the residents is simply to flee if you have the means to do so. There’s no telling when things are going to return to “normal” there, assuming they ever do.


hotair--2020-09-22--Today's hot topics on #TEMS: NYT's 1619 deceit, SCOTUS drumbeat, debate retreat, philosophy feat, an

Today's hot topics on #TEMS: NYT's 1619 deceit, SCOTUS drumbeat, debate retreat, philosophy feat, anthem treat, and more!

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show ( 4 pm ET ) , we have another great lineup for the news of the day !
The show will be streamed on Hot Air ’ s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook .
Join us as we welcome : • Andrew Malcolm joins us for Tuesdays with Andrew !
The Prince of Twitter and I will discuss all of the hot political stories of the day .
Will Joe Biden actually show up for the debates ?
What happens if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ ll also talk about the NYT ’ s Orwellian use of the memory hole for its 1619 Project , and all the latest on the Supreme Court battle this week !
• How can we embrace philosophy as laymen ?
It ’ s not as difficult as you might think , especially if ( like me ) you ’ ve been cowed by Summa Theologica .
Fr .
Robert McTeigue discusses his new book Real Philosophy for Real People , and shows us how we can make practical use of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• What exactly is the history and meaning behind Lift Ev ’ ry Voice and Sing ?
After trying to educate some , our good friend Juliette “ Baldilocks ” Ochieng found herself attacked .
We ’ ll talk about the song called the “ Black National Anthem , ” why the NFL made a mistake in treating it as such , and why we all need to share our shared history .
Plus , we ’ ll take a trip down Memory Lane and recall the unconstitutional actions of the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is .
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page .
Be sure to join us , and don ’ t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page , too !
How can Republicans and conservatives keep the momentum going ?
Find out in GOING RED , published in April from Crown Forum !

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (4 pm ET), we have another great lineup for the news of the day! The show will be streamed on Hot Air’s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook.
Join us as we welcome:
Andrew Malcolm joins us for Tuesdays with Andrew! The Prince of Twitter and I will discuss all of the hot political stories of the day. Will Joe Biden actually show up for the debates? What happens if he does — or doesn’t? We’ll also talk about the NYT’s Orwellian use of the memory hole for its 1619 Project, and all the latest on the Supreme Court battle this week!
How can we embrace philosophy as laymen? It’s not as difficult as you might think, especially if (like me) you’ve been cowed by Summa Theologica. Fr. Robert McTeigue discusses his new book Real Philosophy for Real People, and shows us how we can make practical use of the wisdom of ages in our daily lives.
What exactly is the history and meaning behind Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing? After trying to educate some, our good friend Juliette “Baldilocks” Ochieng found herself attacked. We’ll talk about the song called the “Black National Anthem,” why the NFL made a mistake in treating it as such, and why we all need to share our shared history. Plus, we’ll take a trip down Memory Lane and recall the unconstitutional actions of the administration — Barack Obama’s administration, that is.
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page. Be sure to join us, and don’t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page, too!
How can Republicans and conservatives keep the momentum going? Find out in GOING RED, published in April from Crown Forum!


hotair--2020-09-22--Too good to check: Did Biden blow the Pledge of Allegiance in Wisconsin?

Alas , no , not really , but it ’ s easy to see why people jumped all over this clip .
What makes this claim so easy to believe is Joe Biden ’ s unerring manner of sticking his foot firmly into his mouth in any number of ways .
We didn ’ t call him The Old Gaffer for nothing in 2007-8 , after all , and he has delivered on a number of occasions in this cycle already .
It ’ s just that this isn ’ t really one of those occasions , although the brief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yes yes , that ’ s not the accurate text of the pledge of allegiance , as any schoolchild would know .
( Or used to know , anyway . )
However , Biden wasn ’ t actually reciting the pledge at his appearance in Wisconsin yesterday .
He was making another point altogether and quoting from the pledge to make it .
It takes place at the 27:10 mark , more or less : If you live in a state like Wisconsin , Michigan , Pennsylvania , states with Democratic governors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ] problem .
He has no obligation to you .
He ’ s not responsible for you as president , your family or your well-being .
I don ’ t see the presidency that way .
I don ’ t pledge allegiance to red states of America or blue states of America .
I pledge allegiance to the United States of America .
One nation , indivisible , under God , for real !
This is a somewhat risible argument , but not because Biden muffed the pledge .
After all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all but ignored those three states in 2016 .
It ’ s also not Republicans who dismiss these states and others as “ flyover country , ” either .
In 2020 , Trump has once again focused much of his attention on those three states along with Minnesota , also governed by Democrats .
Biden , meanwhile , has barely ventured out of his basement until just recently , and even then only briefly .
However , the full context of Biden ’ s remarks shows he didn ’ t gaffe on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make a point that ’ s easily refutable .
The moral of the story here is — beware of eight-second clips shorn of context .
Biden ’ s proclivity for gaffery certainly exists as a significant issue for Democrats , if not his proclivity for flat-out lying and plagiarizing .
Nowhere will that be a bigger risk than in the debates , which begin next Tuesday .
Andrew Malcolm remains unconvinced that Biden will actually show up for the debates because of these risks , and the crutches he ’ s needed just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ casual town hall with friendly Anderson Cooper is not what ’ s coming next week .
Biden and Trump will face the honestly tough , professional inquiries of Fox News ’ Chris Wallace .
Trump has already done a Sunday show with Wallace .
So , he knows what to expect .
Biden did some primary debates last winter .
He ’ s invited reporters to attend a reading of an announcement , but he ’ s often walked offstage without taking any questions .
And this cycle , he ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV interviews where he hasn ’ t faced bare-knuckle questions about his vast pie-in-the-sky spending plans , his $ 3 trillion-plus tax proposals or his son ’ s financial dealings in China .
Hillary Clinton made the same media mistake four years ago .
If Trump can use a hostile media to his advantage , you ’ d think an agile Biden could take advantage of his sympathizers in that field .
But can Biden handle the pressures of a fast-paced , two-hour national broadcast face-to-face with a hard-nosed host and a blustery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Biden withdraws from the debates in protest .
Not only will that rally progressives behind him , it will avoid a potential debacle on national TV .
Trump can switch to rallies instead , poking fun at Biden ’ s retreat .

Alas, no, not really, but it’s easy to see why people jumped all over this clip. What makes this claim so easy to believe is Joe Biden’s unerring manner of sticking his foot firmly into his mouth in any number of ways. We didn’t call him The Old Gaffer for nothing in 2007-8, after all, and he has delivered on a number of occasions in this cycle already.
It’s just that this isn’t really one of those occasions, although the brief clip certainly sounds like one:
Joe Biden completely botches the Pledge of Allegiance: "I pledge allegiance to the United States of America, one nation, indivisible, under God, for real." pic.twitter.com/Gct4AEVWog — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 21, 2020
Yes yes yes, that’s not the accurate text of the pledge of allegiance, as any schoolchild would know. (Or used to know, anyway.) However, Biden wasn’t actually reciting the pledge at his appearance in Wisconsin yesterday. He was making another point altogether and quoting from the pledge to make it. It takes place at the 27:10 mark, more or less:
If you live in a state like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, states with Democratic governors, you’re not his [Trump’s] problem. He has no obligation to you. He’s not responsible for you as president, your family or your well-being. I don’t see the presidency that way. I don’t pledge allegiance to red states of America or blue states of America. I pledge allegiance to the United States of America. One nation, indivisible, under God, for real!
This is a somewhat risible argument, but not because Biden muffed the pledge. After all, it wasn’t Trump who all but ignored those three states in 2016. It’s also not Republicans who dismiss these states and others as “flyover country,” either. In 2020, Trump has once again focused much of his attention on those three states along with Minnesota, also governed by Democrats. Biden, meanwhile, has barely ventured out of his basement until just recently, and even then only briefly.
However, the full context of Biden’s remarks shows he didn’t gaffe on the pledge, but quoted from it to make a point that’s easily refutable. The moral of the story here is — beware of eight-second clips shorn of context.
Biden’s proclivity for gaffery certainly exists as a significant issue for Democrats, if not his proclivity for flat-out lying and plagiarizing. Nowhere will that be a bigger risk than in the debates, which begin next Tuesday. Andrew Malcolm remains unconvinced that Biden will actually show up for the debates because of these risks, and the crutches he’s needed just to get this far:
But a casual town hall with friendly Anderson Cooper is not what’s coming next week. Biden and Trump will face the honestly tough, professional inquiries of Fox News’ Chris Wallace. Trump has already done a Sunday show with Wallace. So, he knows what to expect. Biden did some primary debates last winter. He’s invited reporters to attend a reading of an announcement, but he’s often walked offstage without taking any questions. And this cycle, he’s not done much media at all beyond local TV interviews where he hasn’t faced bare-knuckle questions about his vast pie-in-the-sky spending plans, his $3 trillion-plus tax proposals or his son’s financial dealings in China. Hillary Clinton made the same media mistake four years ago. If Trump can use a hostile media to his advantage, you’d think an agile Biden could take advantage of his sympathizers in that field. But can Biden handle the pressures of a fast-paced, two-hour national broadcast face-to-face with a hard-nosed host and a blustery opponent?
Prediction: After Trump announces his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Biden withdraws from the debates in protest. Not only will that rally progressives behind him, it will avoid a potential debacle on national TV. Trump can switch to rallies instead, poking fun at Biden’s retreat.


hotair--2020-09-22--NYPD officer charged with spying on Chinese citizens in New York and reporting to the PRC

The Department of Justice announced yesterday that it had brought charges against Baimadajie Angwang , a naturalized citizen and NYPD officer , for acting as an agent of the People ’ s Republic of China .
Since at least 2014 , Angwang allegedly acted at the direction and control of officials at the PRC Consulate in New York City .
Specifically , Angwang reported on the activities of Chinese citizens in the New York area , spotted and assessed potential intelligence sources within the Tibetan community in New York and elsewhere , and provided PRC officials with access to senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One of the PRC Consular officials at whose direction Angwang acted worked for the China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture , a division of the PRC ’ s United Front Work Department .
This Department is responsible for , among other things , neutralizing potential opponents of the PRC and co-opting ethnic Chinese individuals living outside the PRC .
NBC New York has additional details on what Angwang was doing for the PRC based on recorded conversations he had with his Chinese handler : Investigators believe Angwang received tasks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to that contact .
Between June 18 and March 2020 , he allegedly called or texted that contact ’ s phone at least 55 times .
He also called or texted the second consulate official at least 53 times between August 2014 and 2017… At one point , Angwang allegedly told his alleged “ handler ” about a new Tibetan community center in Queens .
He said they should visit it together .
When the official balked , Angwang said , according to court documents , “ If it ’ s good or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this for your work ’ s sake .
They are the biggest venue for activities right now .
If they are involved with politics , then in the future more than half of the meetings might take place there.
” In another conversation , the official congratulated Angwang on a looming NYPD promotional exam , to which Angwang allegedly said he was doing it , “ for the people back home.
” The officer said his police job was valuable to China because he could provide information on the NYPD to the consulate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-public information about internal NYPD operations .
Angwang also allegedly had talked about recruiting local Tibetans as Chinese agents ; there were conversations about rewarding potential recruits with 10-year U.S. visas .
There ’ s an additional wrinkle that has to do with how Angwang became a naturalized citizen in the first place .
He sought asylum on the grounds that he had been tortured in China : Angwang , who currently lives in Nassau County ’ s Williston Park , first came to the United States on a cultural exchange visa .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought asylum in the U.S. on the basis he had been tortured in China due in part to his Tibetan ethnicity , the complaint says .
Thousands of Tibetans are believed to have been killed by the People ’ s Republic of China since China occupied and took control of the region in 1951 .
Officials believe that asylum request was also predicated on a lie , given Angwang has traveled back to China several times since his application was granted and has significant ties to family members who still live in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family is connected to the PRC and to the People ’ s Liberation Army .
So it looks like our asylum system got abused by a Chinese spy : In addition to working for the NYPD , Angwang is a former Marine who also worked for the U.S. Army Reserve and had a SECRET-level security clearance for his work “ planning , training , advising and executing civil-military programs.
” He has now been charged with wire fraud for submitting a background investigation form on which he falsely claimed he had no connection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ William Sweeney said , “ This is the definition of an insider threat – as alleged , Mr. Angwang operated on behalf of a foreign government ; lied to gain his clearance , and used his position as an NYPD police officer to aid the Chinese government ’ s subversive and illegal attempts to recruit intelligence sources.
” In sum , he was ( allegedly ) a spy reporting to the Chinese consulate and helping to recruit other spies for China inside the United States .

The Department of Justice announced yesterday that it had brought charges against Baimadajie Angwang, a naturalized citizen and NYPD officer, for acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China.
Since at least 2014, Angwang allegedly acted at the direction and control of officials at the PRC Consulate in New York City. Specifically, Angwang reported on the activities of Chinese citizens in the New York area, spotted and assessed potential intelligence sources within the Tibetan community in New York and elsewhere, and provided PRC officials with access to senior NYPD officials through invitations to official events. One of the PRC Consular officials at whose direction Angwang acted worked for the China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture, a division of the PRC’s United Front Work Department. This Department is responsible for, among other things, neutralizing potential opponents of the PRC and co-opting ethnic Chinese individuals living outside the PRC.
NBC New York has additional details on what Angwang was doing for the PRC based on recorded conversations he had with his Chinese handler:
Investigators believe Angwang received tasks from that consulate contact and reported back to that contact. Between June 18 and March 2020, he allegedly called or texted that contact’s phone at least 55 times. He also called or texted the second consulate official at least 53 times between August 2014 and 2017… At one point, Angwang allegedly told his alleged “handler” about a new Tibetan community center in Queens. He said they should visit it together. When the official balked, Angwang said, according to court documents, “If it’s good or not, you need to know about this for your work’s sake. They are the biggest venue for activities right now. If they are involved with politics, then in the future more than half of the meetings might take place there.” In another conversation, the official congratulated Angwang on a looming NYPD promotional exam, to which Angwang allegedly said he was doing it, “for the people back home.” The officer said his police job was valuable to China because he could provide information on the NYPD to the consulate, court papers say. That included non-public information about internal NYPD operations. Angwang also allegedly had talked about recruiting local Tibetans as Chinese agents; there were conversations about rewarding potential recruits with 10-year U.S. visas.
There’s an additional wrinkle that has to do with how Angwang became a naturalized citizen in the first place. He sought asylum on the grounds that he had been tortured in China:
Angwang, who currently lives in Nassau County’s Williston Park, first came to the United States on a cultural exchange visa. He overstayed a second visa and eventually sought asylum in the U.S. on the basis he had been tortured in China due in part to his Tibetan ethnicity, the complaint says. Thousands of Tibetans are believed to have been killed by the People’s Republic of China since China occupied and took control of the region in 1951. Officials believe that asylum request was also predicated on a lie, given Angwang has traveled back to China several times since his application was granted and has significant ties to family members who still live in the People’s Republic.
His entire family is connected to the PRC and to the People’s Liberation Army. So it looks like our asylum system got abused by a Chinese spy:
Angwang’s ties to the People’s Republic of China transcend his alleged conversations with the consulate officials: His father is a retired member of the People’s Liberation Army and a People’s Republic of China communist party member. His brother is a reservist in the PLA and his mother a retired government officials and Chinese communist party member, the federal complaint says.
In addition to working for the NYPD, Angwang is a former Marine who also worked for the U.S. Army Reserve and had a SECRET-level security clearance for his work “planning, training, advising and executing civil-military programs.” He has now been charged with wire fraud for submitting a background investigation form on which he falsely claimed he had no connection to the PRC.
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said, “This is the definition of an insider threat – as alleged, Mr. Angwang operated on behalf of a foreign government; lied to gain his clearance, and used his position as an NYPD police officer to aid the Chinese government’s subversive and illegal attempts to recruit intelligence sources.” In sum, he was (allegedly) a spy reporting to the Chinese consulate and helping to recruit other spies for China inside the United States.
Here’s a report from CBS News:


hotair--2020-09-22--Biden done with campaigning for the day at 9:22 a.m.

A bad look , especially as Trump ’ s schedule becomes more active .
The president did two events yesterday in Ohio and has another today in Pennsylvania .
He ’ ll be in Florida on Thursday and back in Pennsylvania on Saturday night .
Joe calling it a day at 9 a.m. seems … what ’ s the word I ’ m looking for ?
Ah , right .
“ Low-energy.
” Also , does Biden really need to be hosting “ virtual ” fundraisers at this point ?
He crushed Trump in donations last month and the sudden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ triggered an unprecedented avalanche of cash .
It ’ s hard to believe this is a good use of his time with exactly six weeks to go until Election Day .
It ’ s true that he ’ s “ lost a step ” in the past five years but most of the attacks from the GOP along those lines have been overhyped .
( Self-defeating too , since they lower expectations for Biden ’ s public appearances . )
A 9 a.m. lid makes me wonder if there ’ s more to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Biden *does* have extra incentive to be off the trail this week , and I don ’ t mean wanting to duck reporters ’ uncomfortable questions about Court-packing , although that *is* an incentive .
Erick Erickson is mindful of the calendar : If he ’ s using the time for debate prep , which his opponent is not , then he ’ s probably doing the right thing .
The debates are a rare make-or-break moment for Biden during the campaign given suspicions about his health .
Much has been written @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that : If he has an obvious “ senior moment , ” does that reset the entire race ( to the extent the Ginsburg vacancy hasn ’ t done so already ) ?
But not enough has been written about the “ make ” potential .
If Biden goes out and nails the first debate against Trump , does that shake loose some of the few remaining undecideds or maybe even a few Trump-leaning independents and make his national lead effectively insurmountable ?
The bar for doing that isn ’ t high .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong command for relevant facts , especially if he ’ s not preparing much .
Maybe Biden ’ s spending this week brushing up on policy detail in anticipation of next Tuesday night .
The more he sounds like he really knows what he ’ s talking about — and Trump doesn ’ t — the easier it is for him to “ win.
” Still , Democrats are nervous .
One bad slip by Sleepy Joe and Trump ’ s chances of four more years as president could improve meaningfully : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoken with in the past few weeks remains petrified that Biden is going to bungle the debates in a way that costs him the election—perhaps by looking old or confused , confirming the worst paranoia and conspiracy theories about him being unfit for the job .
They see the debates as Biden ’ s best chance to blow an election that , based on the current polls , seems like his to lose… I asked Reines , with all the time he ’ s spent studying Trump , what he would do if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prep for Biden ] .
He told me he would go at Biden by saying early on that “ everyone can see Biden is losing the debate , ” and then push the idea that Biden wasn ’ t physically or mentally well .
Reines said he ’ d include lots of swings at Biden ’ s son Hunter , whose business dealings in Ukraine prompted the phone call that led to Trump ’ s impeachment .
“ It is possible to be a terrible debater and be very hard to debate at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later .
“ And Donald Trump has gotten harder to debate—it is harder to understand him , it is harder to follow him , because it ’ s just one big sequitur ; he ’ s telling so many lies , it ’ s impossible to think that you alone are going to fact-check him.
” Even if that ’ s what Biden ’ s doing today off the trail , how many hours per day can he possibly devote to it ?
Full-day debate cramming should logically happen this weekend , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him from doing , say , four hours of prep this morning and then a speech later this afternoon in Florida ?
Here ’ s Trump a few nights ago hallucinating about a “ shot in the ass ” Biden ’ s supposedly going to get before the debate on Tuesday to rouse him mentally , not the first time he ’ s tried to raise expectations for his opponent by accusing him of being on drugs .
( Interestingly , some longtime Trump-watchers believe the president is unusually prone to projection .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a drug to do the basics of campaigning and had that drug onhand , wouldn ’ t he be out on the trail in swing states today ?

A bad look, especially as Trump’s schedule becomes more active. The president did two events yesterday in Ohio and has another today in Pennsylvania. He’ll be in Florida on Thursday and back in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
Joe calling it a day at 9 a.m. seems … what’s the word I’m looking for? Ah, right. “Low-energy.”
Also, does Biden really need to be hosting “virtual” fundraisers at this point? He crushed Trump in donations last month and the sudden Ginsburg panic this weekend among Dems has triggered an unprecedented avalanche of cash. It’s hard to believe this is a good use of his time with exactly six weeks to go until Election Day.
It’s true that he’s “lost a step” in the past five years but most of the attacks from the GOP along those lines have been overhyped. (Self-defeating too, since they lower expectations for Biden’s public appearances.) A 9 a.m. lid makes me wonder if there’s more to it than we know.
Then again, Biden *does* have extra incentive to be off the trail this week, and I don’t mean wanting to duck reporters’ uncomfortable questions about Court-packing, although that *is* an incentive. Erick Erickson is mindful of the calendar:
https://twitter.com/EWErickson/status/1308418856642379783
If he’s using the time for debate prep, which his opponent is not, then he’s probably doing the right thing. The debates are a rare make-or-break moment for Biden during the campaign given suspicions about his health. Much has been written about the “break” side of that: If he has an obvious “senior moment,” does that reset the entire race (to the extent the Ginsburg vacancy hasn’t done so already)? But not enough has been written about the “make” potential. If Biden goes out and nails the first debate against Trump, does that shake loose some of the few remaining undecideds or maybe even a few Trump-leaning independents and make his national lead effectively insurmountable?
The bar for doing that isn’t high. Trump isn’t going to display a strong command for relevant facts, especially if he’s not preparing much. Maybe Biden’s spending this week brushing up on policy detail in anticipation of next Tuesday night. The more he sounds like he really knows what he’s talking about — and Trump doesn’t — the easier it is for him to “win.”
Still, Democrats are nervous. One bad slip by Sleepy Joe and Trump’s chances of four more years as president could improve meaningfully:
Almost every Democratic operative I’ve spoken with in the past few weeks remains petrified that Biden is going to bungle the debates in a way that costs him the election—perhaps by looking old or confused, confirming the worst paranoia and conspiracy theories about him being unfit for the job. They see the debates as Biden’s best chance to blow an election that, based on the current polls, seems like his to lose… I asked Reines, with all the time he’s spent studying Trump, what he would do if [he played Trump again in debate prep for Biden]. He told me he would go at Biden by saying early on that “everyone can see Biden is losing the debate,” and then push the idea that Biden wasn’t physically or mentally well. Reines said he’d include lots of swings at Biden’s son Hunter, whose business dealings in Ukraine prompted the phone call that led to Trump’s impeachment. “It is possible to be a terrible debater and be very hard to debate at the same time,” Reines added later. “And Donald Trump has gotten harder to debate—it is harder to understand him, it is harder to follow him, because it’s just one big sequitur; he’s telling so many lies, it’s impossible to think that you alone are going to fact-check him.”
Even if that’s what Biden’s doing today off the trail, how many hours per day can he possibly devote to it? Full-day debate cramming should logically happen this weekend, or on Monday. What’s keeping him from doing, say, four hours of prep this morning and then a speech later this afternoon in Florida?
Here’s Trump a few nights ago hallucinating about a “shot in the ass” Biden’s supposedly going to get before the debate on Tuesday to rouse him mentally, not the first time he’s tried to raise expectations for his opponent by accusing him of being on drugs. (Interestingly, some longtime Trump-watchers believe the president is unusually prone to projection.) Exit question: If Biden needed a drug to do the basics of campaigning and had that drug onhand, wouldn’t he be out on the trail in swing states today?


hotair--2020-09-22--Charlie Hebdo republished the Mohammed cartoons, now their head of HR has been forced to flee her ho

Charlie Hebdo republished the Mohammed cartoons, now their head of HR has been forced to flee her home

Back in January of 2015 two brothers attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris , murdering 12 people and injuring 11 more over cartoons of Mohammed that the satirical newspaper had published .
Two days later , on the same day the brothers responsible for the Hebdo attack were killed in a shootout with police , another Islamic extremist killed a policeman and then attacked a kosher supermarket killing four Jewish people and taking several more hostage .
He was also eventually killed by police .
More than five years later , a group of 14 people charged with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now taking place in France .
The trial prompted Charlie Hebdo to republish the cartoons that originally led to them being targeted .
They also published an explanation of their decision to republish these for the first time in five years : These drawings are now part of history , and you can ’ t rewrite history , any more than you can erase it .
This happened : it was the publication of these drawings , considered blasphemy by a number of Muslims , which was the motive for the January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as they shouted on leaving from the premises of Charlie Hebdo , “ avenge the Prophet ” … We have often been asked since January 2015 to produce other caricatures of Muhammad .
We have always refused to do so , not because it is forbidden , the law allows us to do so , but because there was a need for a good reason to do it , a reason which has meaning and which brings something to the debate .
Reproducing these caricatures this week of the opening of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us .
All the reasons that could be opposed to us relate only to political or journalistic cowardice .
Do we want to live in a country which prides itself on being a great free and modern democracy , and which , at the same time , gives up on asserting its deepest convictions ?
For our part , it is out of the question .
Except to live in another country , another regime , another world .
Unfortunately , the response to the republication of the cartoons has been more threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was forced to flee her home after specific , credible threats : Marika Bret said her guards , who have protected her for almost five years , received the threats on 14 September… Speaking to Le Point magazine , Ms Bret said : “ I had 10 minutes to do my business and leave my home , 10 minutes to give up part of my existence… I won ’ t be coming home.
” She added that the threats started again with the start of the trial and the republication of the cartoons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Since the start of the trial and with the republication of the cartoons , we have received all kinds of horrors , including threats from al-Qaeda and calls to finish the work of the [ gunmen from the 2015 attack ] , ” she said .
Of course we know now that the Charlie Hebdo attacks were just the start .
Just 11 months later attacks in Paris including at the Bataclan theater would result in the murder of 130 people .
These attacks have seemingly slid off the radar of many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic but the threats this month show this conflict isn ’ t over .
Here ’ s an interview with Bret about the incident on French television .
You can turn on the closed captioning and use the auto-translate feature to follow the conversation : Finally , this AP clip shows the reaction to the republication of the cartoons in Iran .
This is from earlier this month .
Unfortunately , auto-translate isn ’ t available .

Back in January of 2015 two brothers attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, murdering 12 people and injuring 11 more over cartoons of Mohammed that the satirical newspaper had published. Two days later, on the same day the brothers responsible for the Hebdo attack were killed in a shootout with police, another Islamic extremist killed a policeman and then attacked a kosher supermarket killing four Jewish people and taking several more hostage. He was also eventually killed by police.
More than five years later, a group of 14 people charged with providing aid and support to the killers is now taking place in France. The trial prompted Charlie Hebdo to republish the cartoons that originally led to them being targeted. They also published an explanation of their decision to republish these for the first time in five years:
These drawings are now part of history, and you can’t rewrite history, any more than you can erase it. This happened: it was the publication of these drawings, considered blasphemy by a number of Muslims, which was the motive for the January 7 massacre by assassins who wanted to, as they shouted on leaving from the premises of Charlie Hebdo , “avenge the Prophet”… We have often been asked since January 2015 to produce other caricatures of Muhammad. We have always refused to do so, not because it is forbidden, the law allows us to do so, but because there was a need for a good reason to do it, a reason which has meaning and which brings something to the debate. Reproducing these caricatures this week of the opening of the January 2015 terrorist attacks seemed essential to us. All the reasons that could be opposed to us relate only to political or journalistic cowardice. Do we want to live in a country which prides itself on being a great free and modern democracy, and which, at the same time, gives up on asserting its deepest convictions? For our part, it is out of the question. Except to live in another country, another regime, another world.
Unfortunately, the response to the republication of the cartoons has been more threats. The newspaper’s HR person was forced to flee her home after specific, credible threats:
Marika Bret said her guards, who have protected her for almost five years, received the threats on 14 September… Speaking to Le Point magazine, Ms Bret said: “I had 10 minutes to do my business and leave my home, 10 minutes to give up part of my existence… I won’t be coming home.” She added that the threats started again with the start of the trial and the republication of the cartoons of Prophet Mohammed earlier this month. “Since the start of the trial and with the republication of the cartoons, we have received all kinds of horrors, including threats from al-Qaeda and calls to finish the work of the [gunmen from the 2015 attack],” she said.
Of course we know now that the Charlie Hebdo attacks were just the start. Just 11 months later attacks in Paris including at the Bataclan theater would result in the murder of 130 people. These attacks have seemingly slid off the radar of many people in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic but the threats this month show this conflict isn’t over.
Here’s an interview with Bret about the incident on French television. You can turn on the closed captioning and use the auto-translate feature to follow the conversation:
Finally, this AP clip shows the reaction to the republication of the cartoons in Iran. This is from earlier this month. Unfortunately, auto-translate isn’t available.


hotair--2020-09-22--Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be first woman to lie in state at U.S. Capitol

Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Monday that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in state in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol .
She will be the first woman to ever do so .
She will also lie in repose at the Supreme Court , it was announced by the court .
Pelosi said the ceremony for Ginsburg will be held Friday , Sept. 25 .
It will be by invitation only , because of the coronavirus .
Rosa Parks lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol , a distinction extended to private citizens , as opposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also be the first Jewish person to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol .
For reference , thirty-three people have lain in state at the Captol , all men .
It is an honor typically extended to presidents , congressmen or military leaders .
The most recent to lie in state were Democrats – Rep. Elijah Cummings and John Lewis both civil rights leaders , in 2019 and 2020 respectively .
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being honored for breaking barriers for women throughout her career .
She will also lie in repose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday before going to the U.S. Capitol .
The last justice to lie in repose at the Supreme Court was Justice Antonin Scalia .
His death also occurred in a presidential election year , as we all remember now because of the furious battles going on over replacing Ginsburg on the court .
The casket will arrive in front of the Supreme Court just before 9:30 a.m .
ET Wednesday and a private ceremony with family , close friends and the justices will take place in the Great Hall at the court .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be moved under the portico at the top of the building ’ s front steps .
Former law clerks will serve as honorary pallbearers , lining the steps as the casket arrives .
Private interment will be held next week at Arlington National Cemetery .
Only four civilians have lain in honor at the Capitol .
Besides Rosa Parks , evangelist Rev .
Billy Graham and two U.S. Capitol police officers have also lain in honor .
The left , especially liberal women , turned Ruth Bader Ginsburg into a celebrity , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her celebrity status , too .
So , it is no surprise that Nancy Pelosi is now honoring her with placing her casket in the U.S. Capitol .
When she was in her 80s , she became a liberal icon , especially among young feminists .
She was the subject of a hit documentary , a biopic , books , an operetta , merchandise and regular Saturday Night Live sketches .
Ginsburg was crowned with her Notorious RBG moniker — a play on rapper Biggie Smalls ’ stage name of Notorious B.I.G .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ law student Shana Knizhnik created a Tumblr bearing the name to highlight Ginsburg ’ s dissent in the landmark Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder .
“ Throwing out pre-clearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet , ” she wrote in her dissent .
The name stuck and Ginsburg was such a fan that , in 2014 , she said had “ quite a large supply ” of Notorious RBG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do wonder if former Justice Sandra Day O ’ Connor , the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court , will be extended this special honor .
Pelosi has been quick to honor her favorites but will O ’ Connor be given the same treatment , as she , too , was a barrier-breaker for women ?
I ’ m skeptical .
O ’ Connor has not been turned into a celebrity , which I suspect is her preference .
There are no rules or laws in place about this , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate .
It is notable that some people get special treatment during the coronavirus pandemic .
Most families are unable to give their loved one ’ s a funeral or memorial service at this time because of lockdown requirements .
People are dying in hospitals , unable to have a family member or friend hold their hand and comfort them during their last hours on earth .
Contrast that reality with what we have seen play out , like the memorials and services held for George Floyd , for example , or Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praised , not shamed , during the pandemic .
Special treatment is given to the large crowds stopping by the steps of the Supreme Court to pay their respects to Ginsburg .
A makeshift memorial has been made there for her .
Public figures on the left have been particularly emotional over RBG ’ s passing .
Mrs. George Stephanopolous , a.k.a .
actress Ali Wentworth , told Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa on Monday that she , George , and their two daughters cried for 45 minutes upon hearing of her death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an emotional attachment to a Supreme Court justice .
RBG was one of them .

Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Monday that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in state in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. She will be the first woman to ever do so. She will also lie in repose at the Supreme Court, it was announced by the court.
Pelosi said the ceremony for Ginsburg will be held Friday, Sept. 25. It will be by invitation only, because of the coronavirus. Rosa Parks lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol, a distinction extended to private citizens, as opposed to government officials like Ginsburg. Ginsburg will also be the first Jewish person to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. For reference, thirty-three people have lain in state at the Captol, all men. It is an honor typically extended to presidents, congressmen or military leaders. The most recent to lie in state were Democrats – Rep. Elijah Cummings and John Lewis both civil rights leaders, in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being honored for breaking barriers for women throughout her career. She will also lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Wednesday and Thursday before going to the U.S. Capitol. The last justice to lie in repose at the Supreme Court was Justice Antonin Scalia. His death also occurred in a presidential election year, as we all remember now because of the furious battles going on over replacing Ginsburg on the court.
The casket will arrive in front of the Supreme Court just before 9:30 a.m. ET Wednesday and a private ceremony with family, close friends and the justices will take place in the Great Hall at the court. Following the ceremony, the casket will be moved under the portico at the top of the building’s front steps. Former law clerks will serve as honorary pallbearers, lining the steps as the casket arrives. Private interment will be held next week at Arlington National Cemetery.
Only four civilians have lain in honor at the Capitol. Besides Rosa Parks, evangelist Rev. Billy Graham and two U.S. Capitol police officers have also lain in honor.
The left, especially liberal women, turned Ruth Bader Ginsburg into a celebrity, especially in her later life. She embraced her celebrity status, too. So, it is no surprise that Nancy Pelosi is now honoring her with placing her casket in the U.S. Capitol.
When she was in her 80s, she became a liberal icon, especially among young feminists. She was the subject of a hit documentary, a biopic, books, an operetta, merchandise and regular Saturday Night Live sketches. Ginsburg was crowned with her Notorious RBG moniker — a play on rapper Biggie Smalls’ stage name of Notorious B.I.G. — in 2013 when New York University law student Shana Knizhnik created a Tumblr bearing the name to highlight Ginsburg’s dissent in the landmark Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder. “Throwing out pre-clearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet,” she wrote in her dissent. The name stuck and Ginsburg was such a fan that, in 2014, she said had “quite a large supply” of Notorious RBG t-shirts to give as gifts.
I do wonder if former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, will be extended this special honor. Pelosi has been quick to honor her favorites but will O’Connor be given the same treatment, as she, too, was a barrier-breaker for women? I’m skeptical. O’Connor has not been turned into a celebrity, which I suspect is her preference. There are no rules or laws in place about this, it is at the discretion of the House and Senate.
It is notable that some people get special treatment during the coronavirus pandemic. Most families are unable to give their loved one’s a funeral or memorial service at this time because of lockdown requirements. People are dying in hospitals, unable to have a family member or friend hold their hand and comfort them during their last hours on earth. Contrast that reality with what we have seen play out, like the memorials and services held for George Floyd, for example, or Rep. John Lewis. Those large gatherings are praised, not shamed, during the pandemic. Special treatment is given to the large crowds stopping by the steps of the Supreme Court to pay their respects to Ginsburg. A makeshift memorial has been made there for her.
Public figures on the left have been particularly emotional over RBG’s passing. Mrs. George Stephanopolous, a.k.a. actress Ali Wentworth, told Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa on Monday that she, George, and their two daughters cried for 45 minutes upon hearing of her death Friday night. That’s quite an emotional attachment to a Supreme Court justice. RBG was one of them.


hotair--2020-09-22--Rush to McConnell: Skip confirmation hearings and go right to SCOTUS vote

Now that it ’ s clear that Mitch McConnell can deliver a floor vote for the next Supreme Court nominee , what ’ s the next step ?
First , Donald Trump will announce his pick on Saturday , as he announced on Twitter this morning : Just in time for the Sunday shows , although those are usually booked solid by Saturday .
After that comes the Senate Judiciary Committee review of the nominee — and of course the Gladiatorial Combat Arena better known as a confirmation hearing in the Senate .
With the bitterness of the Brett Kavanaugh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it seems not just likely but entirely certain that Democrats and progressives will use that platform to launch personal attacks against the nominee in an effort to derail the confirmation .
That game has already begun , albeit very badly , at Newsweek .
They targeted top prospect Amy Coney Barrett for a hit piece , only to have it blow up in their faces : Note the headline in the tweet from yesterday .
It has since changed to a more ambiguous version : “ How Charismatic Catholic Groups Like Amy Coney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ The Handmaid ’ s Tale ’ .
” Why ?
As it turns out , Barrett and People of Praise had nothing to do with the inspiration for the book : They “ regret the error , ” but haven ’ t retracted the story .
Nor will they in the current media climate , where narrative matters more than fact .
Barrett may or may not be the nominee , but whoever gets the pick had better get ready for massive character-assassination campaigns for the next several weeks , culminating in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place in the televised confirmation hearings .
That ’ s why Rush Limbaugh offered McConnell some advice yesterday , which Trump himself retweeted this morning : Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh urged Senate Republicans to skip the confirmation hearing process for President Trump ’ s soon-to-be announced Supreme Court nominee and head straight to a floor vote .
“ I want the Judiciary Committee — that could be great if it were skipped , ” Limbaugh said Monday on his daily radio program .
“ We don ’ t need to open that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that whoever this nominee is can be Kavanaugh ’ d , or Borked , or Thomas ’ d .
Because that ’ s what it ’ s going to be , especially when it ’ s not even required.
” … Limbaugh was referring to Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas , who were confirmed in controversial hearings , and fellow conservative Robert Bork , who was not confirmed to the court .
Limbaugh also added in another segment that the Senate does not have an obligation to hold a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for as long as he or she is president has the power to nominate a person to fill a Supreme Court seat .
And that nominee ” — I ’ m quoting McCarthy here , not the Constitution — “ that nominee can fill the seat only with the advice and the consent of the Senate.
” And that ’ s it .
Everything else is political posturing .
Everything else is politics .
There ’ s only two rules .
President gets to nominate , Senate gets to advise and consent .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a vote .
You do not have to have the Judiciary Committee conduct hearings .
That ’ s only a tradition that evolved , and it ’ s something that ’ s taken place , but it is not required .
It ’ s not mandated .
It really isn ’ t , folks .
The Senate does not get to pick their own nominee , which is what Chuck Schumer and the rest of the Democrats want you to think .
They want you to think the president doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing , he doesn ’ t get a choice in the matter , only the Democrats get to choose , and they don ’ t .
All the rest of this is nothing more than political posturing .
The Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings are nothing but political posturing , even when without the character assassination .
No member of the panel goes into those hearings any more on appellate confirmations without their votes already decided .
Their questions aren ’ t designed to elicit any useful information in regard to political philosophy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominees have been smart enough to avoid saying much about that anyway .
They are combat arenas , with nominees sometimes ending up caught in the crossfire between the partisans but more recently being the primary targets .
The Kavanaugh hearings were an utter disgrace in that regard .
In this instance , the first impulse would be to keep the process as normal as possible , however .
That would give political cover to the more vulnerable ( or less committed ) members of the Senate Republican caucus , especially those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of normalcy .
On the other hand , one has to wonder just how many Senate Republicans on the committee really want to provide Democrats with another opportunity for nationally televised character assassination .
McConnell might do some of those a favor by getting Lindsey Graham to push for an immediate vote without a hearing .
At the very least , it would be one less circus in a year with more clowns than usual .
But one does also have to wonder whether it might benefit Republicans to allow Democrats to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days before an election .
That might be valuable in itself .

Now that it’s clear that Mitch McConnell can deliver a floor vote for the next Supreme Court nominee, what’s the next step? First, Donald Trump will announce his pick on Saturday, as he announced on Twitter this morning:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1308401190439456770
Just in time for the Sunday shows, although those are usually booked solid by Saturday. After that comes the Senate Judiciary Committee review of the nominee — and of course the Gladiatorial Combat Arena better known as a confirmation hearing in the Senate. With the bitterness of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings still lingering in the air, it seems not just likely but entirely certain that Democrats and progressives will use that platform to launch personal attacks against the nominee in an effort to derail the confirmation.
That game has already begun, albeit very badly, at Newsweek. They targeted top prospect Amy Coney Barrett for a hit piece, only to have it blow up in their faces:
How Amy Coney Barrett's People of Praise group inspired 'The Handmaid's Tale' https://t.co/OxxMXJaq8t — Newsweek (@Newsweek) September 21, 2020
Note the headline in the tweet from yesterday. It has since changed to a more ambiguous version: “How Charismatic Catholic Groups Like Amy Coney Barrett’s People of Praise Inspired ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.” Why? As it turns out, Barrett and People of Praise had nothing to do with the inspiration for the book:
Correction: This article’s headline originally stated that People of Praise inspired ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. The book’s author, Margaret Atwood, has never specifically mentioned the group as being the inspiration for her work. A New Yorker profile of the author from 2017 mentions a newspaper clipping as part of her research for the book of a different charismatic Catholic group, People of Hope. Newsweek regrets the error.
They “regret the error,” but haven’t retracted the story. Nor will they in the current media climate, where narrative matters more than fact. Barrett may or may not be the nominee, but whoever gets the pick had better get ready for massive character-assassination campaigns for the next several weeks, culminating in the high-profile shredding session that will take place in the televised confirmation hearings.
That’s why Rush Limbaugh offered McConnell some advice yesterday, which Trump himself retweeted this morning:
Rush Limbaugh calls for Trump's Supreme Court nomination to skip the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings and go straight to a floor vote pic.twitter.com/4jc33X3D0W — Media Matters (@mmfa) September 21, 2020
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh urged Senate Republicans to skip the confirmation hearing process for President Trump’s soon-to-be announced Supreme Court nominee and head straight to a floor vote. “I want the Judiciary Committee — that could be great if it were skipped,” Limbaugh said Monday on his daily radio program. “We don’t need to open that up for whatever length of time, so that whoever this nominee is can be Kavanaugh’d, or Borked, or Thomas’d. Because that’s what it’s going to be, especially when it’s not even required.” … Limbaugh was referring to Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, who were confirmed in controversial hearings, and fellow conservative Robert Bork, who was not confirmed to the court.
Limbaugh also added in another segment that the Senate does not have an obligation to hold a hearing:
Quote, “A president for as long as he or she is president has the power to nominate a person to fill a Supreme Court seat. And that nominee” — I’m quoting McCarthy here, not the Constitution — “that nominee can fill the seat only with the advice and the consent of the Senate.” And that’s it. Everything else is political posturing. Everything else is politics. There’s only two rules. President gets to nominate, Senate gets to advise and consent. And that can be something as simple as a vote. You do not have to have the Judiciary Committee conduct hearings. That’s only a tradition that evolved, and it’s something that’s taken place, but it is not required. It’s not mandated. It really isn’t, folks. The Senate does not get to pick their own nominee, which is what Chuck Schumer and the rest of the Democrats want you to think. They want you to think the president doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing, he doesn’t get a choice in the matter, only the Democrats get to choose, and they don’t. All the rest of this is nothing more than political posturing.
The Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings are nothing but political posturing, even when without the character assassination. No member of the panel goes into those hearings any more on appellate confirmations without their votes already decided. Their questions aren’t designed to elicit any useful information in regard to political philosophy, and since the Robert Bork hearings, nominees have been smart enough to avoid saying much about that anyway. They are combat arenas, with nominees sometimes ending up caught in the crossfire between the partisans but more recently being the primary targets. The Kavanaugh hearings were an utter disgrace in that regard.
In this instance, the first impulse would be to keep the process as normal as possible, however. That would give political cover to the more vulnerable (or less committed) members of the Senate Republican caucus, especially those who are throwing in now on the basis of normalcy. On the other hand, one has to wonder just how many Senate Republicans on the committee really want to provide Democrats with another opportunity for nationally televised character assassination. McConnell might do some of those a favor by getting Lindsey Graham to push for an immediate vote without a hearing.
At the very least, it would be one less circus in a year with more clowns than usual. But one does also have to wonder whether it might benefit Republicans to allow Democrats to get shown on television going full nutter just days before an election. That might be valuable in itself.


hotair--2020-09-22--Is Lindsey Graham seriously in trouble in his South Carolina Senate race?

I continue to think this race is fool ’ s gold for Democrats .
So does RealClearPolitics , which doesn ’ t include South Carolina in its list of Senate battlegrounds even though four polls taken there since early August have the race between Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison within a point or tied .
What ’ s the argument right now for treating the Colorado race between John Hickenlooper and Cory Gardner or the Arizona contest between Mark Kelly and Martha McSally as worth watching but not Graham versus Harrison ?
The reason I think it ’ s fool @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still reliably red , if not as blood red as it was 10 years ago , perhaps .
Susan Collins is in deep trouble in Maine because she ’ s fighting on blue terrain .
Not Graham , who ’ ll also benefit from having Trump at the top of the ticket this fall .
And Graham has another thing going for him , as this new survey from Morning Consult notes .
He ’ s the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at a moment when we ’ re about to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight since , well , 2018 .
That ’ ll give Graham many opportunities to impress otherwise wary South Carolina Republicans watching the hearings from home by seizing opportunities to grandstand .
And since confirmation of the nominee is all but assured , he ’ ll also get some credit from righties for shepherding her through the process .
In a race this tight — with Graham surprisingly having trouble consolidating his own base — that ’ ll probably get him over the top .
In the latest Morning Consult daily tracking , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carolina voters , the race was statistically tied , 46 percent to 45 percent , consistent with the state of the contest since daily tracking began in mid-July .
Harrison and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden both have 95 percent support among Democrats , while independents are split on the two races : Harrison and Graham are even at 39 percent , and Trump ’ s lead over Biden , 44 percent to 40 percent , in the presidential race is also within the sample ’ s margin of error .
Graham ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carolina polling has so far appeared to come mainly from Republican voters : While Trump has support from 93 percent of Republicans , Graham has support from 84 percent in the same poll — making him one of the worst-performing GOP incumbents up for re-election this cycle among voters from his own party… [ F ] or Harrison to be successful , strategists say , it ’ s not just about turning out moderates in the suburbs , but also depressing support for Graham among Trump voters , whether they vote for Harrison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check the third-party box for the little-known Constitution Party candidate , Bill Bledsoe , as several Democrats separately suggested .
The last Morning Consult poll of South Carolina taken in early August found the same weird quirk , with Graham pulling just 81 percent of the Republican vote at the time versus Trump pulling 92 percent .
That ’ s strange to me , as Graham ’ s political identity since 2017 has consisted of two things — reliable Trump sycophancy and ardent support for Brett Kavanaugh — that should have eased misgivings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the Republicans in SC who are preparing to turn out for the president but remain a little too squeamish about his loyal servant Lindsey ( for now ) to commit to him ?
Are they diehard border hawks who remember the pre-Trump “ Grahamnesty ” era ?
Do they resent Graham for not doing more with his Judiciary Committee power to investigate Trump ’ s enemies ?
I don ’ t get it .
The fact that it ’ s so hard to grasp suggests that it ’ s ephemeral .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reluctant Republican voters will hold their noses and vote for Graham , especially after a month of him being a good soldier on TV for the party ’ s newest SCOTUS nominee .
Having South Carolina opt for Trump on Election Day and Jaime Harrison for Senate would be one of the more bizarre cases of ticket-splitting in the last century of American politics .
And for what it ’ s worth , Jake Tapper ’ s sources are whispering to him that the public polling is wrong .
The Graham/Harrison race is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : So this is probably fool ’ s gold for Harrison and his party .
I can think of two X factors that might make the race a true toss-up .
One is the simply mind-bending amount of money Democrats have raised since Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s death on Friday .
For the moment they have a license to print their own currency .
How long that license will last is unclear , but if Harrison has a plan to move indies and soft Republicans towards him in South Carolina , money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six weeks in making it happen .
From Alaska to Maine to North and South Carolina , Democratic strategists working on Senate campaigns described a spontaneous outpouring of donations the likes of which they had never seen , allowing Democrats the financial freedom to broaden the map of pickup opportunities , or press their financial advantage in top battlegrounds already saturated with advertising .
By Monday , Democratic contributors had given more than $ 160 million online through ActBlue , the leading site for processing digital donations .
ActBlue broke one record after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years , its busiest day , its busiest weekend — after Justice Ginsburg ’ s death , with an estimated tens of millions of dollars going toward efforts to retake the Senate , where the acrimonious confirmation fight to replace Justice Ginsburg will occur .
To put that in perspective , Harrison has been considered one of the most successful fundraisers in this year ’ s crop of Senate challengers , hauling in a “ massive ” $ 10 million in the month of August .
But some Democrats have raised nearly that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Cal Cunningham of North Carolina has pulled in $ 6 million since the Ginsburg news broke , with the NYT claiming that Sara Gideon in Maine , Mark Kelly in Arizona , Amy McGrath in Kentucky , and , yes , Jaime Harrison in South Carolina were all believed to have raised even more .
( They haven ’ t released numbers . )
Graham went on Sean Hannity ’ s show last night to plead for donations , knowing that he ’ s about to be hit by a freakish tsunami @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I tend to think campaign spending , especially spending on ads , is overrated as a way to move votes ( see , e.g.
, Mike Bloomberg ) , but in a race that was already tight ?
I don ’ t know .
Graham better hope that his theatrics at the SCOTUS confirmation hearing produce a similar reaction from Republican donors .
GOPers are going to pony up once someone is named , but their urgency after decades of Republican control of the Court and two prior Trump appointments probably won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll see .
The other X factor created by the Ginsburg vacancy is an opportunity for Harrison to highlight Graham ’ s singular hypocrisy in vowing in 2018 that Republicans would hold open a SCOTUS seat this year if one came up just as they did when Scalia ’ s seat went vacant in 2016 .
I can ’ t think of another Republican offhand who promised more than once , on camera , that a 2020 vacancy wouldn ’ t be filled , with no caveats about divided government , etc .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Graham , as you ’ ll see below , with ads highlighting his flip-flopping surely soon to come to South Carolina TV .
Maybe it won ’ t matter .
Certainly most or all Republicans in South Carolina won ’ t fault Graham for his hypocrisy in deciding to confirm Trump ’ s nominee now .
But there might be a cohort of independents who were leaning red or progressives who weren ’ t motivated to turn out who ’ ll watch this and decide that Graham ’ s cynicism , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about how he ’ d proceed in 2020 , just doesn ’ t pass the puke test anymore .

I continue to think this race is fool’s gold for Democrats. So does RealClearPolitics, which doesn’t include South Carolina in its list of Senate battlegrounds even though four polls taken there since early August have the race between Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison within a point or tied. What’s the argument right now for treating the Colorado race between John Hickenlooper and Cory Gardner or the Arizona contest between Mark Kelly and Martha McSally as worth watching but not Graham versus Harrison?
The reason I think it’s fool’s gold is because South Carolina is still reliably red, if not as blood red as it was 10 years ago, perhaps. Susan Collins is in deep trouble in Maine because she’s fighting on blue terrain. Not Graham, who’ll also benefit from having Trump at the top of the ticket this fall.
And Graham has another thing going for him, as this new survey from Morning Consult notes. He’s the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at a moment when we’re about to embark on the nastiest Supreme Court confirmation fight since, well, 2018. That’ll give Graham many opportunities to impress otherwise wary South Carolina Republicans watching the hearings from home by seizing opportunities to grandstand. And since confirmation of the nominee is all but assured, he’ll also get some credit from righties for shepherding her through the process. In a race this tight — with Graham surprisingly having trouble consolidating his own base — that’ll probably get him over the top.
In the latest Morning Consult daily tracking, conducted Sept. 11-20 among 764 likely South Carolina voters, the race was statistically tied, 46 percent to 45 percent, consistent with the state of the contest since daily tracking began in mid-July. Harrison and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden both have 95 percent support among Democrats, while independents are split on the two races: Harrison and Graham are even at 39 percent, and Trump’s lead over Biden, 44 percent to 40 percent, in the presidential race is also within the sample’s margin of error. Graham’s weakness compared to Trump in South Carolina polling has so far appeared to come mainly from Republican voters: While Trump has support from 93 percent of Republicans, Graham has support from 84 percent in the same poll — making him one of the worst-performing GOP incumbents up for re-election this cycle among voters from his own party… [F]or Harrison to be successful, strategists say, it’s not just about turning out moderates in the suburbs, but also depressing support for Graham among Trump voters, whether they vote for Harrison, sit out the Senate contest or check the third-party box for the little-known Constitution Party candidate, Bill Bledsoe, as several Democrats separately suggested.
The last Morning Consult poll of South Carolina taken in early August found the same weird quirk, with Graham pulling just 81 percent of the Republican vote at the time versus Trump pulling 92 percent. That’s strange to me, as Graham’s political identity since 2017 has consisted of two things — reliable Trump sycophancy and ardent support for Brett Kavanaugh — that should have eased misgivings about him among Trump voters. Who are the Republicans in SC who are preparing to turn out for the president but remain a little too squeamish about his loyal servant Lindsey (for now) to commit to him? Are they diehard border hawks who remember the pre-Trump “Grahamnesty” era? Do they resent Graham for not doing more with his Judiciary Committee power to investigate Trump’s enemies? I don’t get it.
The fact that it’s so hard to grasp suggests that it’s ephemeral. In the end, most everyone believes those reluctant Republican voters will hold their noses and vote for Graham, especially after a month of him being a good soldier on TV for the party’s newest SCOTUS nominee. Having South Carolina opt for Trump on Election Day and Jaime Harrison for Senate would be one of the more bizarre cases of ticket-splitting in the last century of American politics. And for what it’s worth, Jake Tapper’s sources are whispering to him that the public polling is wrong. The Graham/Harrison race is close-ish, but Graham has a lead:
My understanding is Graham’s polling tracks closely with Trump’s in the state, which is lower than his 2016 margin but still not as close as public polling would suggest. FWIW — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 22, 2020
So this is probably fool’s gold for Harrison and his party.
But.
I can think of two X factors that might make the race a true toss-up. One is the simply mind-bending amount of money Democrats have raised since Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday. For the moment they have a license to print their own currency. How long that license will last is unclear, but if Harrison has a plan to move indies and soft Republicans towards him in South Carolina, money should be no object over the next six weeks in making it happen.
From Alaska to Maine to North and South Carolina, Democratic strategists working on Senate campaigns described a spontaneous outpouring of donations the likes of which they had never seen, allowing Democrats the financial freedom to broaden the map of pickup opportunities, or press their financial advantage in top battlegrounds already saturated with advertising. By Monday, Democratic contributors had given more than $160 million online through ActBlue, the leading site for processing digital donations. ActBlue broke one record after another — its biggest hour in 16 years, its busiest day, its busiest weekend — after Justice Ginsburg’s death, with an estimated tens of millions of dollars going toward efforts to retake the Senate, where the acrimonious confirmation fight to replace Justice Ginsburg will occur.
To put that in perspective, Harrison has been considered one of the most successful fundraisers in this year’s crop of Senate challengers, hauling in a “massive” $10 million in the month of August. But some Democrats have raised nearly that much in the last four days alone. Cal Cunningham of North Carolina has pulled in $6 million since the Ginsburg news broke, with the NYT claiming that Sara Gideon in Maine, Mark Kelly in Arizona, Amy McGrath in Kentucky, and, yes, Jaime Harrison in South Carolina were all believed to have raised even more. (They haven’t released numbers.) Graham went on Sean Hannity’s show last night to plead for donations, knowing that he’s about to be hit by a freakish tsunami of Democratic spending in his race. I tend to think campaign spending, especially spending on ads, is overrated as a way to move votes (see, e.g., Mike Bloomberg), but in a race that was already tight? I don’t know.
Graham better hope that his theatrics at the SCOTUS confirmation hearing produce a similar reaction from Republican donors. GOPers are going to pony up once someone is named, but their urgency after decades of Republican control of the Court and two prior Trump appointments probably won’t match Democrats’. We’ll see.
The other X factor created by the Ginsburg vacancy is an opportunity for Harrison to highlight Graham’s singular hypocrisy in vowing in 2018 that Republicans would hold open a SCOTUS seat this year if one came up just as they did when Scalia’s seat went vacant in 2016. I can’t think of another Republican offhand who promised more than once, on camera, that a 2020 vacancy wouldn’t be filled, with no caveats about divided government, etc. Harrison is already leveraging that in attacks against Graham, as you’ll see below, with ads highlighting his flip-flopping surely soon to come to South Carolina TV. Maybe it won’t matter. Certainly most or all Republicans in South Carolina won’t fault Graham for his hypocrisy in deciding to confirm Trump’s nominee now. But there might be a cohort of independents who were leaning red or progressives who weren’t motivated to turn out who’ll watch this and decide that Graham’s cynicism, in which he lied to their faces repeatedly about how he’d proceed in 2020, just doesn’t pass the puke test anymore.


hotair--2020-09-22--The coming crisis in Louisville

The coming crisis in Louisville

While it ’ s impossible to know exactly when , we ’ re being told to expect a decision from the Louisville , Kentucky grand juring considering the fate of the officers involved in Breonna Taylor ’ s death .
As Matt Vespa pointed out at Townhall , this has everyone in the city on edge .
Precautions are being taken , including having every available police officer on standby and boarding up the windows on government buildings .
The New York Post reports that a state of emergency has been declared across the city and the municipal government is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason to believe that things will probably go to you-know-where in a handbasket .
Louisville police have declared a state of emergency as the Kentucky city braces for a grand jury decision on the fate of three cops involved in the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor .
Acting Police Chief Robert Schroeder said Monday that days off and vacation requests for all Louisville Metro Police Department personnel are canceled until further notice pending state Attorney General Daniel Cameron ’ s announcement on whether the cops involved in the March shooting will face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the appropriate level of staffing to provide for public safety services and our policing functions , effective immediately the LMPD will operate under the emergency staffing and reporting guidelines as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures , Emergency Response Plan , and collective bargaining agreements until further notice , ” Schroeder said in a memo .
As mentioned above , all time-off has been canceled for the police in anticipation of the announcement .
Barriers are being staged around the downtown area and the city has already boarded up all the windows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ target if riots break out anew .
The problem here is that we don ’ t really have any idea of what the odds are that the grand jury is going to find sufficient evidence to charge any of the police involved , to say nothing of all of them .
The most likely candidate is obviously former police officer Brett Hankinson , since he was the one who fired the shots into Taylor ’ s apartment .
Sgt .
Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove have been on administrative leave since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little to nothing about anything that would set them up for more than some form of internal dress-down for not following normal protocols .
But even laying a serious charge on Hankinson doesn ’ t seem like a sure thing .
The lack of body camera footage is a major stumbling block for both the prosecution and the defense , but all accounts indicate that Hankinson didn ’ t open fire until a shot had already come out of the apartment , striking one of the other officers .
It was too dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any charge such as murder that requires intent seems to be out of the question .
What else do they tag him with ?
Reckless endangerment or perhaps some lower form of manslaughter , possibly , but I would say that a competent defense team could make a conviction on those counts far from a slam-dunk .
The real question is how the public will react .
Will charges against only one of the officers satisfy the mob and prevent widespread riots or will they demand the heads of all three of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ okay with Mattingly and Cosgrove walking , would some form of manslaughter charge against Hankinson be enough when many of the protesters in the streets have been demanding murder charges from day one ?
I rather doubt it .
When the decision of the grand jury is released , it would probably be a good time to not be in downtown Louisville .
Things could turn very ugly very quickly .
Business owners and residents may want to follow the example of the courthouse .
Board up the windows , lock the doors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can ’ t go stay with relatives for a little while .

While it’s impossible to know exactly when, we’re being told to expect a decision from the Louisville, Kentucky grand juring considering the fate of the officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s death. As Matt Vespa pointed out at Townhall, this has everyone in the city on edge. Precautions are being taken, including having every available police officer on standby and boarding up the windows on government buildings. The New York Post reports that a state of emergency has been declared across the city and the municipal government is preparing for the worst. They have reason to believe that things will probably go to you-know-where in a handbasket.
Louisville police have declared a state of emergency as the Kentucky city braces for a grand jury decision on the fate of three cops involved in the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor. Acting Police Chief Robert Schroeder said Monday that days off and vacation requests for all Louisville Metro Police Department personnel are canceled until further notice pending state Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s announcement on whether the cops involved in the March shooting will face criminal charges. “To ensure we have the appropriate level of staffing to provide for public safety services and our policing functions, effective immediately the LMPD will operate under the emergency staffing and reporting guidelines as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures, Emergency Response Plan, and collective bargaining agreements until further notice,” Schroeder said in a memo.
As mentioned above, all time-off has been canceled for the police in anticipation of the announcement. Barriers are being staged around the downtown area and the city has already boarded up all the windows at the federal courthouse, a likely target if riots break out anew.
The problem here is that we don’t really have any idea of what the odds are that the grand jury is going to find sufficient evidence to charge any of the police involved, to say nothing of all of them. The most likely candidate is obviously former police officer Brett Hankinson, since he was the one who fired the shots into Taylor’s apartment. Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove have been on administrative leave since the shooting, but we’ve heard little to nothing about anything that would set them up for more than some form of internal dress-down for not following normal protocols.
But even laying a serious charge on Hankinson doesn’t seem like a sure thing. The lack of body camera footage is a major stumbling block for both the prosecution and the defense, but all accounts indicate that Hankinson didn’t open fire until a shot had already come out of the apartment, striking one of the other officers. It was too dark to see inside very well, so any charge such as murder that requires intent seems to be out of the question. What else do they tag him with? Reckless endangerment or perhaps some lower form of manslaughter, possibly, but I would say that a competent defense team could make a conviction on those counts far from a slam-dunk.
The real question is how the public will react. Will charges against only one of the officers satisfy the mob and prevent widespread riots or will they demand the heads of all three of them? And even if they might be okay with Mattingly and Cosgrove walking, would some form of manslaughter charge against Hankinson be enough when many of the protesters in the streets have been demanding murder charges from day one? I rather doubt it.
When the decision of the grand jury is released, it would probably be a good time to not be in downtown Louisville. Things could turn very ugly very quickly. Business owners and residents may want to follow the example of the courthouse. Board up the windows, lock the doors as best you can and see if you can’t go stay with relatives for a little while.