hotair--2020-06-25--NASA renames headquarters in a very 2020 way

If you guessed that the new name for the NASA headquarters building in Washington , D.C. was chosen to honor an African-American woman you would be correct .
This is 2020 and even NASA is trying to prove how woke of an agency it is .
On Wednesday NASA Director Jim Bridenstine announced that its headquarters will be renamed in honor of Mary W. Jackson .
In 1958 , Ms. Jackson became the first African-American female engineer at NASA .
“ Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the status quo , she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology , ” said Bridenstine .
“ Today , we proudly announce the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building .
It appropriately sits on ‘ Hidden Figures Way , ’ a reminder that Mary is one of many incredible and talented professionals in NASA ’ s history who contributed to this agency ’ s success .
Hidden no more , we will continue to recognize the contributions of women , African @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have made NASA ’ s successful history of exploration possible.
” The Hidden Figures reference is a nod to the movie that was made from the book published in 2016 , “ Hidden Figures : The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.
” The portion of E Street SW in front of NASA Headquarters was renamed Hidden Figures Way in 2019 after Congress passed a bipartisan bill by Sens .
Ted Cruz , Ed Markey , John Thune , and Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a great story , especially if you are a NASA fan .
Ms. Jackson ’ s personal story is an inspiring one .
As the NASA press release stated , “ Jackson started her NASA career in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency ’ s Langley Research Center in Hampton , Virginia .
Jackson , a mathematician and aerospace engineer , went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA ’ s science , technology , engineering , and mathematics careers .
In 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medal.
” She was known as one of the human computers at the Langley facility due to her skills as a research mathematician .
It just seems so 2020 , though , to just now have decided to rename the headquarters after a black woman , given the current protests and chaos going on amid the Black Lives Matter marches .
NASA looks like it is jumping on the bandwagon to prove how woke it is , just like so many big corporations .
Mary and her colleagues have been honored in recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 .
In 2019 , President Donald J. Trump signed the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act that posthumously awarded the honor to Jackson , who passed away in 2005 , and her “ Hidden Figures ” colleagues Katherine Johnson , Dorothy Vaughan , and Christine Darden .
In 2017 , then 99-year-old Katherine Johnson was there to personally dedicate a new state-of-the-art computer research facility the bears her name at Langley .
Johnson , another original member of the West Area Computing Unit , also was honored as a trailblazer and given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In addition , Johnson was part of the group honored with the Congressional Gold Medal , and NASA ’ s Independent Verification and Validation facility in Fairmont , West Virginia , also bears Johnson ’ s name .
“ NASA facilities across the country are named after people who dedicated their lives to push the frontiers of the aerospace industry .
The nation is beginning to awaken to the greater need to honor the full diversity of people who helped pioneer our great nation .
Over the years NASA has worked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in various ways , including naming facilities , renaming streets and celebrating their legacy , ” added Bridenstine .
“ We know there are many other people of color and diverse backgrounds who have contributed to our success , which is why we ’ re continuing the conversations started about a year ago with the agency ’ s Unity Campaign .
NASA is dedicated to advancing diversity , and we will continue to take steps to do so.
” All of this feel-good language reminds me of President Obama ’ s vision of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided that Muslim outreach was the most important mission of NASA ?
That was under a different administrator , Charles Bolden , an African-American who served throughout both of Obama ’ s terms in the White House .
In a far-reaching restatement of goals for the nation ’ s space agency , NASA administrator Charles Bolden says President Obama has ordered him to pursue three new objectives : to “ re-inspire children ” to study science and math , to “ expand our international relationships , ” and to “ reach out to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goals , Bolden said in a recent interview with al-Jazeera , the mission to reach out to Muslims is “ perhaps foremost , ” because it will help Islamic nations “ feel good ” about their scientific accomplishments .
It ’ s still all about the “ feel good ” , I guess .
Don ’ t get me wrong , Ms. Jackson and her colleagues were pioneers and I have huge respect for their achievements .
NASA credits her with being influential in the hiring and promotion of the next generation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I just question the timing of this announcement , as daily protests and marches descend on the streets of Washington , D.C. Why didn ’ t they rename the building when they renamed the portion of the street in front of the building last year ?
It just looks like NASA is jumping on the bandwagon to appease the BLM protesters .

If you guessed that the new name for the NASA headquarters building in Washington, D.C. was chosen to honor an African-American woman you would be correct. This is 2020 and even NASA is trying to prove how woke of an agency it is.
On Wednesday NASA Director Jim Bridenstine announced that its headquarters will be renamed in honor of Mary W. Jackson. In 1958, Ms. Jackson became the first African-American female engineer at NASA.
“Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space. Mary never accepted the status quo, she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology,” said Bridenstine. “Today, we proudly announce the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building. It appropriately sits on ‘Hidden Figures Way,’ a reminder that Mary is one of many incredible and talented professionals in NASA’s history who contributed to this agency’s success. Hidden no more, we will continue to recognize the contributions of women, African Americans, and people of all backgrounds who have made NASA’s successful history of exploration possible.”
The Hidden Figures reference is a nod to the movie that was made from the book published in 2016, “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.” The portion of E Street SW in front of NASA Headquarters was renamed Hidden Figures Way in 2019 after Congress passed a bipartisan bill by Sens. Ted Cruz, Ed Markey, John Thune, and Bill Nelson.
The book and movie tell a great story, especially if you are a NASA fan. Ms. Jackson’s personal story is an inspiring one. As the NASA press release stated, “Jackson started her NASA career in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Jackson, a mathematician and aerospace engineer, went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. In 2019, she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.” She was known as one of the human computers at the Langley facility due to her skills as a research mathematician.
It just seems so 2020, though, to just now have decided to rename the headquarters after a black woman, given the current protests and chaos going on amid the Black Lives Matter marches. NASA looks like it is jumping on the bandwagon to prove how woke it is, just like so many big corporations. Mary and her colleagues have been honored in recent years, including by President Trump in 2019.
In 2019, President Donald J. Trump signed the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act that posthumously awarded the honor to Jackson, who passed away in 2005, and her “Hidden Figures” colleagues Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Christine Darden. In 2017, then 99-year-old Katherine Johnson was there to personally dedicate a new state-of-the-art computer research facility the bears her name at Langley. Johnson, another original member of the West Area Computing Unit, also was honored as a trailblazer and given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. In addition, Johnson was part of the group honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, and NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation facility in Fairmont, West Virginia, also bears Johnson’s name. “NASA facilities across the country are named after people who dedicated their lives to push the frontiers of the aerospace industry. The nation is beginning to awaken to the greater need to honor the full diversity of people who helped pioneer our great nation. Over the years NASA has worked to honor the work of these Hidden Figures in various ways, including naming facilities, renaming streets and celebrating their legacy,” added Bridenstine. “We know there are many other people of color and diverse backgrounds who have contributed to our success, which is why we’re continuing the conversations started about a year ago with the agency’s Unity Campaign. NASA is dedicated to advancing diversity, and we will continue to take steps to do so.”
All of this feel-good language reminds me of President Obama’s vision of NASA. Remember in 2010 when Obama decided that Muslim outreach was the most important mission of NASA? That was under a different administrator, Charles Bolden, an African-American who served throughout both of Obama’s terms in the White House.
In a far-reaching restatement of goals for the nation’s space agency, NASA administrator Charles Bolden says President Obama has ordered him to pursue three new objectives: to “re-inspire children” to study science and math, to “expand our international relationships,” and to “reach out to the Muslim world.” Of those three goals, Bolden said in a recent interview with al-Jazeera, the mission to reach out to Muslims is “perhaps foremost,” because it will help Islamic nations “feel good” about their scientific accomplishments.
It’s still all about the “feel good”, I guess. Don’t get me wrong, Ms. Jackson and her colleagues were pioneers and I have huge respect for their achievements. NASA credits her with being influential in the hiring and promotion of the next generation of women in STEM at the agency. I just question the timing of this announcement, as daily protests and marches descend on the streets of Washington, D.C. Why didn’t they rename the building when they renamed the portion of the street in front of the building last year? It just looks like NASA is jumping on the bandwagon to appease the BLM protesters.


hotair--2020-06-25--Uh oh: Osundairo brothers balking at testifying against Smollett?

What happens if prosecutors can ’ t call Abel and Ola Osundairo in the hoax trial of Jussie Smollett ?
That possibility arose yesterday , but not because the two brothers who helped stage the fake hate crime have changed their story .
They are tired of getting treated like suspects , they claim , and they want their property back too .
Right now , Chicago police can ’ t — or won ’ t — even tell them specifically where the items that got seized are being stored , the brothers say .
Police say they know where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retain them as evidence : Abel Osundario and his brother , Ola , will no longer testify willingly against Jussie Smollett , according to their attorney , Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez – in part because the brothers say they ’ re still bring treated like suspects despite being cleared by police .
“ I would understand if we were defendants in the case , which we are not , ” Abel Osundiaro said .
… The brothers and their attorney say they are in an administrative dispute with the CPD over the items seized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whereabouts of the 9mm gun and ammo inside the safe .
“ Of course I ’ m skeptical , because you are saying one thing one day and another thing another day , ” Abel Osundairo said .
“ It ’ s just another thing we have to go through.
” Chicago Police say the gun in question is accounted for and is being preserved as evidence .
The CPD provided documentation to De Mar to corroborate the whereabouts of the gun .
Just how “ cleared ” are the Osundairos , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the attack when it turned out to be faked , but they participated in hoax itself , according to their own admissions .
It ’ s not as if they popped up immediately after Smollett ’ s public claims about being attacked to say that the whole thing was a goof , after all .
Police spent a good deal of time and effort tracing Smollett ’ s steps and then identifying the Osundairos as his accomplices first .
That makes their sudden lack of enthusiasm for further cooperation look a little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face charges themselves as Smollett ’ s accomplices .
Unless the prosecutors in the original case were completely incompetent — and that ’ s still a non-zero probability — any immunity the pair received was likely contingent on total cooperation all the way through to testimony at trial .
The Chicago PD won ’ t release the evidence seized until the matter is settled because it ’ s their leverage to ensure the Osundairos ’ cooperation .
If they have to charge the Osundairos , they ’ ll need the evidence to show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Osundairos want their seized property back to make sure they can ’ t be prosecuted later , or at least to make it more difficult .
If nothing else , prosecutors can subpoena them and force them to testify anyway .
They have the earlier sworn statements and an apparent immunity agreement , the latter of which means the Osundairos can ’ t take the Fifth on the stand without being found in contempt and landing in jail .
If they lie , they can not only get charged in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Prosecutors would undoubtedly prefer to have them cooperate , but they can play hardball if need be — and the Osundairos will discover that they ’ re once again playing out of their league .

What happens if prosecutors can’t call Abel and Ola Osundairo in the hoax trial of Jussie Smollett? That possibility arose yesterday, but not because the two brothers who helped stage the fake hate crime have changed their story. They are tired of getting treated like suspects, they claim, and they want their property back too.
Right now, Chicago police can’t — or won’t — even tell them specifically where the items that got seized are being stored, the brothers say. Police say they know where the items are, but have to retain them as evidence:
Abel Osundario and his brother, Ola, will no longer testify willingly against Jussie Smollett, according to their attorney, Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez – in part because the brothers say they’re still bring treated like suspects despite being cleared by police. “I would understand if we were defendants in the case, which we are not,” Abel Osundiaro said. … On Wednesday, Abel Osundairo filed a police report. The brothers and their attorney say they are in an administrative dispute with the CPD over the items seized in that 2019 raid — specifically the whereabouts of the 9mm gun and ammo inside the safe. “Of course I’m skeptical, because you are saying one thing one day and another thing another day,” Abel Osundairo said. “It’s just another thing we have to go through.” Chicago Police say the gun in question is accounted for and is being preserved as evidence. The CPD provided documentation to De Mar to corroborate the whereabouts of the gun.
Just how “cleared” are the Osundairos, though? They didn’t get charged in the attack when it turned out to be faked, but they participated in hoax itself, according to their own admissions. It’s not as if they popped up immediately after Smollett’s public claims about being attacked to say that the whole thing was a goof, after all. Police spent a good deal of time and effort tracing Smollett’s steps and then identifying the Osundairos as his accomplices first.
That makes their sudden lack of enthusiasm for further cooperation look a little less than genuine. They could still face charges themselves as Smollett’s accomplices. Unless the prosecutors in the original case were completely incompetent — and that’s still a non-zero probability — any immunity the pair received was likely contingent on total cooperation all the way through to testimony at trial. The Chicago PD won’t release the evidence seized until the matter is settled because it’s their leverage to ensure the Osundairos’ cooperation. If they have to charge the Osundairos, they’ll need the evidence to show how they abetted Smollett in his crime. The Osundairos want their seized property back to make sure they can’t be prosecuted later, or at least to make it more difficult.
If nothing else, prosecutors can subpoena them and force them to testify anyway. They have the earlier sworn statements and an apparent immunity agreement, the latter of which means the Osundairos can’t take the Fifth on the stand without being found in contempt and landing in jail. If they lie, they can not only get charged in this case but also get tried for perjury. Prosecutors would undoubtedly prefer to have them cooperate, but they can play hardball if need be — and the Osundairos will discover that they’re once again playing out of their league.


hotair--2020-06-25--"De facto stamp of approval": CHAZ-trapped businesses file federal class-action lawsuit against Seat

"De facto stamp of approval": CHAZ-trapped businesses file federal class-action lawsuit against Seattle

Remember the nineteen 911 calls from Car Tender that went unanswered after an arson attempt ?
That business owner and more than a dozen others want to hold Seattle accountable for abandoning them to the anarchists .
Late yesterday , they filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court seeking damages and punitive awards , claiming that Seattle not only didn ’ t fight back , they actively cooperated in their surrender to mob rule and left them to be extorted and terrorized : A collection of Seattle businesses , property owners and residents sued the city Wednesday over its tolerance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying officials have been complicit in depriving them of their rights to their property .
The plaintiffs — including a tattoo parlor , auto repair shop and property management firm — emphasized in the lawsuit that they were not trying to undermine the anti-police-brutality or Black Lives Matter messaging of the “ Capitol Hill Occupied Protest.
” “ Rather , this lawsuit is about the constitutional and other legal rights of plaintiffs — businesses , employees , and residents in and around CHOP — which have been overrun by the city of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and close off an entire city neighborhood , leaving it unchecked by the police , unserved by fire and emergency health services , and inaccessible to the public at large , ” the lawsuit said .
Part of the 56-page complaint can be read here : The lawsuit claims that businesses and residents have been extorted into demonstrating support for the group and threatened if they try to clean up CHAZ/CHOP graffiti .
The lawsuit alleges that the city has not only failed to respond to restore order and enforce the law , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and supported the ongoing occupation of the CHOP area and the destruction of property that accompanies it.
” They single out Mayor Jenny Durkan in particular for her attempts at self-promotion with the CHAZians .
Not only did she give them a “ de facto stamp of approval , ” the plaintiffs note that she then promoted CHAZ as “ something akin to a perpetual block party ” : Actually , Durkan called it a “ summer of love ” festival rather than an anarchic seizure of city property and hostaging of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different experience in CHAZ than the people the anarchists trapped there .
The lawsuit will no doubt seek large amounts for damages and punitive awards at some point , but the first order of business is to dismantle CHAZ and re-establish order .
The plaintiffs ’ attorney wants Durkan to commit to a timeline for that purpose rather than just keep offering airy “ goals ” on television for its end .
If Durkan refuses to act , they want a federal court to order the immediate dismantling of CHAZ and a return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s easy to cheer this lawsuit and hope Durkan gets humiliated through it , one has to wonder whether this is really an issue for the courts .
As bad as this is , it ’ s the result of Seattle ’ s voters electing pusillanimous leadership at best , and proto-anarchist officeholders at worst .
Seattle was “ dying ” long before CHAZ started seizing city and private party to declare its autonomy .
This is a political issue created by Seattle ’ s voters , and its ultimate solution is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electing gutless progressive poseurs to office , or businesses should make plans to exit immediately and look for cities where they are more valued than nihilists with spray paint .
Still , I do wish I could qualify for that jury pool …

Remember the nineteen 911 calls from Car Tender that went unanswered after an arson attempt? That business owner and more than a dozen others want to hold Seattle accountable for abandoning them to the anarchists. Late yesterday, they filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court seeking damages and punitive awards, claiming that Seattle not only didn’t fight back, they actively cooperated in their surrender to mob rule and left them to be extorted and terrorized:
A collection of Seattle businesses, property owners and residents sued the city Wednesday over its tolerance of an “occupied” protest zone, saying officials have been complicit in depriving them of their rights to their property. The plaintiffs — including a tattoo parlor, auto repair shop and property management firm — emphasized in the lawsuit that they were not trying to undermine the anti-police-brutality or Black Lives Matter messaging of the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest.” “Rather, this lawsuit is about the constitutional and other legal rights of plaintiffs — businesses, employees, and residents in and around CHOP — which have been overrun by the city of Seattle’s unprecedented decision to abandon and close off an entire city neighborhood, leaving it unchecked by the police, unserved by fire and emergency health services, and inaccessible to the public at large,” the lawsuit said.
Part of the 56-page complaint can be read here:
DEVELOPING: More than a dozen businesses inside CHOP zone, on Seattle's Capitol Hill, file 56-page class action lawsuit against the City of Seattle. They're seeking unspecified damages, to be determined at trial. pic.twitter.com/RPlsW3DuNv — Preston Phillips (@PrestonTVNews) June 25, 2020
The lawsuit claims that businesses and residents have been extorted into demonstrating support for the group and threatened if they try to clean up CHAZ/CHOP graffiti. The lawsuit alleges that the city has not only failed to respond to restore order and enforce the law, but that Seattle “has actively endorsed and supported the ongoing occupation of the CHOP area and the destruction of property that accompanies it.”
They single out Mayor Jenny Durkan in particular for her attempts at self-promotion with the CHAZians. Not only did she give them a “de facto stamp of approval,” the plaintiffs note that she then promoted CHAZ as “something akin to a perpetual block party”:
Actually, Durkan called it a “summer of love” festival rather than an anarchic seizure of city property and hostaging of its residents. She clearly had a much different experience in CHAZ than the people the anarchists trapped there.
The lawsuit will no doubt seek large amounts for damages and punitive awards at some point, but the first order of business is to dismantle CHAZ and re-establish order. The plaintiffs’ attorney wants Durkan to commit to a timeline for that purpose rather than just keep offering airy “goals” on television for its end. If Durkan refuses to act, they want a federal court to order the immediate dismantling of CHAZ and a return to law and order.
While it’s easy to cheer this lawsuit and hope Durkan gets humiliated through it, one has to wonder whether this is really an issue for the courts. As bad as this is, it’s the result of Seattle’s voters electing pusillanimous leadership at best, and proto-anarchist officeholders at worst. Seattle was “dying” long before CHAZ started seizing city and private party to declare its autonomy. This is a political issue created by Seattle’s voters, and its ultimate solution is political as well. Either Seattle stops electing gutless progressive poseurs to office, or businesses should make plans to exit immediately and look for cities where they are more valued than nihilists with spray paint.
Still, I do wish I could qualify for that jury pool …


hotair--2020-06-26--To the barricades: Portland Antifa tries setting up *two* "autonomous zones" overnight?

One week ago , Portland mayor Ted Wheeler ordered the demolition of a nascent “ autonomous zone , ” and castigated Seattle for allowing anarchists to take over its city .
Last night , the anarchists tried again — twice .
Simultaneous demonstrations at two police precincts turned ugly quickly as “ Antifa militants ” started putting up barricades at the North Portland precinct .
Police immediately called it an unlawful assembly , which the anarchists didn ’ t much like , as Andy Ngo briefly captured earlier this morning : The national media hasn ’ t taken much notice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ KOIN certainly did — as well as a second attempt to set up barricades shortly after police broke up the first : Shortly after midnight , police declared the gathering outside of the North Precinct an unlawful assembly and used what appeared to be flash-bangs after protesters created barricades on the streets surrounding the precinct , including Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard .
Police warned they would arrest demonstrators .
Protesters responded with loud noises , explicit chanting and strobe lights .
Eventually , protesters would set up another barricade at the intersection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ setting a dumpster and debris on fire .
The protesters had marched from Fern Hill Park in Northeast Portland to the Portland Police Bureau ’ s North Precinct earlier Thursday evening .
Many of them stayed at the precinct to chant and listen to speakers .
However , KOIN 6 News observed many in the group vandalizing the police building by spray-painting graffiti along the outer walls , blacking out security cameras and rolling dumpsters into the street to form a barricade as a line of uniformed officers looked on from a distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Center , another group formed on Thursday evening for a vigil for George Floyd and others killed by police .
Later , the group dismantled the fence near the building and vandalized the structure .
Notably missing from the KOIN report are the words “ mostly peaceful.
” If the national media ever get around to covering the violence in Portland overnight , expect that mantra to get full use in its reports .
The day actually did start off with relatively peaceful protests , starting in the evening at a march @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peace & Nature School , ” called “ pre-school age appropriate , ” at 6 pm PT .
They marched out of the park toward the North Portland precinct and stuck around a while to “ occupy space , ” but then a group called Revolution Rising took over with a George Floyd “ vigil.
” When the sun went down , the violence began .
Wheeler and the Portland police were perhaps a bit passive in dealing with it at first , but still seem very firm about not allowing anarchists to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tough to see why ; one look at Seattle ’ s meltdown is all one needs to understand what happens when cities abandon their responsibilities to keep order .
The activities earlier in the day show that Portland has plenty of ways to protest and demonstrate without resorting to violence and vandalism , but that violence might end up doing what police largely can ’ t — sapping the enthusiasm and participation in legit political demonstrations and the demand for change in policing .
All this does is remind Portland voters of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and maybe in even larger numbers .

One week ago, Portland mayor Ted Wheeler ordered the demolition of a nascent “autonomous zone,” and castigated Seattle for allowing anarchists to take over its city. Last night, the anarchists tried again — twice. Simultaneous demonstrations at two police precincts turned ugly quickly as “Antifa militants” started putting up barricades at the North Portland precinct.
Police immediately called it an unlawful assembly, which the anarchists didn’t much like, as Andy Ngo briefly captured earlier this morning:
North Portland looks like a war zone right now. Antifa militants tried to establish an autonomous zone outside the @PortlandPolice North Precinct. They then started fires in the street. pic.twitter.com/dDar43Lvl7 — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 26, 2020
The national media hasn’t taken much notice of this, but local TV station KOIN certainly did — as well as a second attempt to set up barricades shortly after police broke up the first:
Shortly after midnight, police declared the gathering outside of the North Precinct an unlawful assembly and used what appeared to be flash-bangs after protesters created barricades on the streets surrounding the precinct, including Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Police warned they would arrest demonstrators. Protesters responded with loud noises, explicit chanting and strobe lights. Eventually, protesters would set up another barricade at the intersection of MLK and NE Killingsworth St., setting a dumpster and debris on fire. The protesters had marched from Fern Hill Park in Northeast Portland to the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct earlier Thursday evening. Many of them stayed at the precinct to chant and listen to speakers. However, KOIN 6 News observed many in the group vandalizing the police building by spray-painting graffiti along the outer walls, blacking out security cameras and rolling dumpsters into the street to form a barricade as a line of uniformed officers looked on from a distance. Across the Willamette River at the Justice Center, another group formed on Thursday evening for a vigil for George Floyd and others killed by police. Later, the group dismantled the fence near the building and vandalized the structure.
Notably missing from the KOIN report are the words “mostly peaceful.” If the national media ever get around to covering the violence in Portland overnight, expect that mantra to get full use in its reports. The day actually did start off with relatively peaceful protests, starting in the evening at a march and demonstration “hosted by Green Tulip Peace & Nature School,” called “pre-school age appropriate,” at 6 pm PT. They marched out of the park toward the North Portland precinct and stuck around a while to “occupy space,” but then a group called Revolution Rising took over with a George Floyd “vigil.” When the sun went down, the violence began.
Wheeler and the Portland police were perhaps a bit passive in dealing with it at first, but still seem very firm about not allowing anarchists to seize territory. It’s not tough to see why; one look at Seattle’s meltdown is all one needs to understand what happens when cities abandon their responsibilities to keep order. The activities earlier in the day show that Portland has plenty of ways to protest and demonstrate without resorting to violence and vandalism, but that violence might end up doing what police largely can’t — sapping the enthusiasm and participation in legit political demonstrations and the demand for change in policing. All this does is remind Portland voters of the necessity of having police on the street, and maybe in even larger numbers.


hotair--2020-06-25--Fox News's pollster is just messing with Trump now

Fox News polls have become an “ event ” on social media because everyone understands that the president expects his favorite network to propagandize for him , and yet … Fox ’ s polling is routinely terrible for him and discouraging .
A collective thrill runs through the media each time they release one : Wait until he sees this .
I ’ m half-convinced that FNC ’ s polling bureau dropped this latest round on him purely as payback for him complaining about them all the time .
“ Remember how he whined about the last national poll ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ states he thinks are in the bag for him this fall .
See how he likes those apples.
” He won ’ t like them : Note that Biden doesn ’ t need to win a single one of those states to win the presidency .
Holding Hillary ’ s states and winning the Rust Belt would do it , or winning two of three there plus Arizona would do it .
Everything on this list is must-win for POTUS and gravy for Biden .
If Florida alone turned blue , basically any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hand him the White House .
Texas is the cruelest cut here , though , just because it ’ s so closely identified with the GOP .
The one-point margin for Biden there and the nine-point lead for him in Florida are further evidence of a general nine-point shift towards the Democratic nominee across the map since 2016 .
We saw that yesterday in Wisconsin and Ohio too .
Take whatever the margin in a battleground state was four years ago , swing eight or nine points towards the Democrat this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be in the ballpark of where the current polling is for Biden .
Trump won Texas by eight over Hillary ; Biden leads by one here .
Trump won Florida by a point over Hillary ; Biden leads by nine here .
Trump won Georgia by five over Hillary ; Biden leads by two here .
North Carolina is a slight exception to that rule , as Trump won there by a shade less than four points whereas Biden leads by only two now .
But again , all of these states are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s important to note : Except for Georgia , these results are *not* outliers .
Other recent polls have Biden leading in Florida by six to 11 points , trailing in Texas by just one point , and ahead in North Carolina from anywhere between two and nine ( ! )
.
Even Georgia may not be an outlier .
Trump leads by four there in the RCP average , but the last time the state was polled before today was early March , before America went through four months of relentless upheaval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also reflect the true state of the race .
The most noteworthy thing about their Texas results is how Trump underperforms other Texas Republicans .
John Cornyn is leading both of his potential Democratic Senate opponents by double digits and Gov .
Greg Abbott is polling above 60 percent in job approval .
They didn ’ t get a “ Democratic sample ” or whatever .
It ’ s a battle of the bases between Trump , who wins men , whites , and senior citizens ( a good sign for him there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women , nonwhites , and millennials .
The difference for Biden is independents , who break 40/22 for him , as well as a small but significant number of voters who approve of Trump ’ s job performance but prefer Biden .
We ’ ve seen that phenomenon in multiple polls lately and it ’ s true here too : Eight percent of people who approve of Trump ’ s performance are backing Biden .
The president actually reaches a respectable 50 percent job approval overall in the state , which should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason he ’ s trailing is because he ’ s losing that eight percent that rates him well enough but are backing the Democrat anyway .
Interestingly , nearly a quarter of self-identified conservatives in Texas ( 23 percent ) also prefer Biden to Trump .
By comparison , just 12 percent of liberals there prefer Trump to Biden .
What about Florida ?
The same base groups show up strong for Biden there but Trump ’ s winning men by just two points and senior citizens by just one .
If he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he ’ s sunk .
Independents again favor Biden by 20 points or so ( 40/18 ) , and again eight percent of those who approve of Trump ’ s job performance prefer Biden anyway .
And yes , there ’ s a sizable share of self-identified conservatives crossing the aisle in Florida as well .
Here ’ s it ’ s 22 percent who support the Democrat versus 11 percent of liberals who support Trump .
There may be a Never Trump vote — or a “ Yes Trump Against Hillary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s meaningfully affecting these races .
This is noteworthy too : For Trump fans , this is a race about Trump .
A heavy majority of his supporters are voting for him because they ’ re enthusiastic about him .
For Biden fans , this is … also a race about Trump .
A majority of his voters are voting for him because they fear another term for the president .
That is , the election for the moment is a pure presidential referendum , which is a bad thing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over a pandemic , economic collapse , and civil unrest — and a truly terrible thing to have when your candidate couldn ’ t consistently score above 44-45 percent job approval even before COVID .
This is why Biden hides in his basement and would go on hiding there until Election Day if he could .
Trump needs a “ lesser of two evils ” strategy to win .
If Biden ’ s AWOL , there ’ s no other “ evil ” for voters to consider .
It ’ s all about @ @

Fox News polls have become an “event” on social media because everyone understands that the president expects his favorite network to propagandize for him, and yet … Fox’s polling is routinely terrible for him and discouraging.
A collective thrill runs through the media each time they release one: Wait until he sees this.
I’m half-convinced that FNC’s polling bureau dropped this latest round on him purely as payback for him complaining about them all the time. “Remember how he whined about the last national poll? Let’s poll the reddish swing states he thinks are in the bag for him this fall. See how he likes those apples.”
He won’t like them:
New @foxnewspoll out this evening ahead of the November election— @JoeBiden ahead kf @realDonaldTrump in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and by a small percentage in Texas. #foxnews #politics pic.twitter.com/wV3bedmiVC — Bret Baier (@BretBaier) June 25, 2020
Note that Biden doesn’t need to win a single one of those states to win the presidency. Holding Hillary’s states and winning the Rust Belt would do it, or winning two of three there plus Arizona would do it. Everything on this list is must-win for POTUS and gravy for Biden. If Florida alone turned blue, basically any other single swing state would be enough to hand him the White House.
Texas is the cruelest cut here, though, just because it’s so closely identified with the GOP. The one-point margin for Biden there and the nine-point lead for him in Florida are further evidence of a general nine-point shift towards the Democratic nominee across the map since 2016. We saw that yesterday in Wisconsin and Ohio too. Take whatever the margin in a battleground state was four years ago, swing eight or nine points towards the Democrat this time, and chances are you’ll be in the ballpark of where the current polling is for Biden. Trump won Texas by eight over Hillary; Biden leads by one here. Trump won Florida by a point over Hillary; Biden leads by nine here. Trump won Georgia by five over Hillary; Biden leads by two here.
North Carolina is a slight exception to that rule, as Trump won there by a shade less than four points whereas Biden leads by only two now. But again, all of these states are gravy for him. And it’s important to note: Except for Georgia, these results are *not* outliers. Other recent polls have Biden leading in Florida by six to 11 points, trailing in Texas by just one point, and ahead in North Carolina from anywhere between two and nine(!). Even Georgia may not be an outlier. Trump leads by four there in the RCP average, but the last time the state was polled before today was early March, before America went through four months of relentless upheaval. Fox’s data there may also reflect the true state of the race.
The most noteworthy thing about their Texas results is how Trump underperforms other Texas Republicans. John Cornyn is leading both of his potential Democratic Senate opponents by double digits and Gov. Greg Abbott is polling above 60 percent in job approval. They didn’t get a “Democratic sample” or whatever. It’s a battle of the bases between Trump, who wins men, whites, and senior citizens (a good sign for him there), and Biden, who wins women, nonwhites, and millennials. The difference for Biden is independents, who break 40/22 for him, as well as a small but significant number of voters who approve of Trump’s job performance but prefer Biden. We’ve seen that phenomenon in multiple polls lately and it’s true here too: Eight percent of people who approve of Trump’s performance are backing Biden. The president actually reaches a respectable 50 percent job approval overall in the state, which should be enough for him to win. The reason he’s trailing is because he’s losing that eight percent that rates him well enough but are backing the Democrat anyway.
Interestingly, nearly a quarter of self-identified conservatives in Texas (23 percent) also prefer Biden to Trump. By comparison, just 12 percent of liberals there prefer Trump to Biden.
What about Florida? The same base groups show up strong for Biden there but Trump’s winning men by just two points and senior citizens by just one. If he can’t claw those demographics back, he’s sunk. Independents again favor Biden by 20 points or so (40/18), and again eight percent of those who approve of Trump’s job performance prefer Biden anyway. And yes, there’s a sizable share of self-identified conservatives crossing the aisle in Florida as well. Here’s it’s 22 percent who support the Democrat versus 11 percent of liberals who support Trump. There may be a Never Trump vote — or a “Yes Trump Against Hillary But Not Against Biden” vote — that’s meaningfully affecting these races.
This is noteworthy too:
For Trump fans, this is a race about Trump. A heavy majority of his supporters are voting for him because they’re enthusiastic about him. For Biden fans, this is … also a race about Trump. A majority of his voters are voting for him because they fear another term for the president. That is, the election for the moment is a pure presidential referendum, which is a bad thing to have when your party’s presiding over a pandemic, economic collapse, and civil unrest — and a truly terrible thing to have when your candidate couldn’t consistently score above 44-45 percent job approval even before COVID. This is why Biden hides in his basement and would go on hiding there until Election Day if he could. Trump needs a “lesser of two evils” strategy to win. If Biden’s AWOL, there’s no other “evil” for voters to consider. It’s all about Trump.


hotair--2020-06-25--Re-opening schools this fall: Texas Education Agency is off to a bumpy start

The release of the official guidelines for re-opening schools in Texas hasn ’ t gone as smoothly as expected .
On Tuesday , the Texas Education Agency ( TEA ) decided to hold off in releasing its guidelines on navigating the upcoming school year , expected for that day .
The hold up was due to the news of a spike in coronavirus cases .
Instead of the formal document , the TEA accidentally released draft guidelines online .
The draft was taken down after a brief period of time .
The one big takeaway from the guidelines is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decisions on carrying out health and safety decisions to local school officials .
They do expect to re-open public schools for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year in August with in-person classes .
The draft guidelines listed recommendations , but not requirements on health and safety protocols , yet there were some mandates .
In it , TEA officials recommend — but do not require — that local school leaders implement several health and safety protocols to fight the spread of the coronavirus .
They include placing desks at least six feet apart , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks , taking the temperature of teachers and other staff members at the start of each day and setting aside times for hand washing , among others .
The guidance does outline several mandates : people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 must remain home while sick and meet three conditions before returning to school ; school leaders must notify local health officials and school community members of individuals who were on-campus and tested positive ; educators must provide instruction on hygiene practices on the first day of school .
“ While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk of furthering the spread of COVID-19 , the current science suggests there are many steps schools can take to reduce the risk to students , teachers , staff and their families significantly , ” the draft states .
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath held a conference call Tuesday afternoon in which he laid out plans for how schools will receive funding .
He noted that because of the “ rapidly changing public health situation ” , the agency was unable to deliver its formal guidelines .
School funding is based on attendance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students on campus and those who choose to stick with the kind of online instruction and distance learning that went into place when the public schools were closed in March .
The school year begins in August , with some districts scheduled to return early in the month and others waiting until the fourth week .
No districts are holding in-person summer school classes .
The reactions to the draft document were mixed .
Texas State Teachers Association wants a mask mandate for all people on campus .
The Texas Classroom Teachers Association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , enforceable parameters ” for reopening schools that are set by state health care professionals .
Others want teachers to have more flexibility – one size doesn ’ t fit all in Texas .
Shannon Holmes , executive director of the Association of Texas Professional Educators , said his organization wants to see more flexibility for teachers concerned about returning to in-person classes .
“ We would simply urge the state and school districts to listen to their employees and the recommendation of medical experts as they start developing these plans , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to be any one-size-fits-all plan for every district in the state — and even if they did , it probably wouldn ’ t work for every pocket of Texas.
” Though the safety guidelines were delayed , Morath released an 11-page outline on plans for allocating money to schools .
He said schools will receive the same amount of funding for each student , whether that child is learning virtually at home or in a classroom , as long as they “ capture attendance in virtual learning spaces.
” To count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live instructional videos each day or show progress on their school work without real-time instruction from a teacher .
Districts also will be given two grace periods .
During the first 12 weeks of school , they will be funded no lower than the same level as the first 12 weeks of 2019-2020 , even if enrollments drop .
There will be an attendance grace period for funding students engaged in online learning for up to 18 weeks .
Later Tuesday , after 3:00 p.m. , the formal guidelines were released .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommendation that staff and students wear masks , use hand sanitizer regularly , and social distancing still isn ’ t mandatory , though some teachers voiced criticism of that decision .
The TEA will distribute PPE to school districts but it will be up to local officials to get it to the school .
Final documents show the TEA will be giving out personal equipment for in-school learning this fall .
They also give guidance on two different types of virtual learning .
The TEA won ’ t require districts to make educators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checks , but the agency will provide equipment .
The TEA plans to distribute more than 50 million disposable masks , 600,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and more than 40,0000 thermometers to Texas school districts .
In the document , the TEA states : “ This PPE is being distributed to schools as a resource , but usage is not required.
” The equipment will be distributed depending on school district size .
An important part of the guidelines is the recognition that it is the child ’ s parents ’ choice if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains at home and continues learning online .
As the state ’ s outbreak of the coronavirus is monitored , parents can make an informed decision on what is best for their family .
It seems unrealistic to expect a student , especially the younger ones , to wear a mask all day or to stay six feet away from classmates .
The handwashing is probably more manageable , but still not a small task with the younger ones .

The release of the official guidelines for re-opening schools in Texas hasn’t gone as smoothly as expected. On Tuesday, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) decided to hold off in releasing its guidelines on navigating the upcoming school year, expected for that day. The hold up was due to the news of a spike in coronavirus cases.
Instead of the formal document, the TEA accidentally released draft guidelines online. The draft was taken down after a brief period of time. The one big takeaway from the guidelines is that state officials are leaving most of the decisions on carrying out health and safety decisions to local school officials. They do expect to re-open public schools for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year in August with in-person classes. The draft guidelines listed recommendations, but not requirements on health and safety protocols, yet there were some mandates.
In it, TEA officials recommend — but do not require — that local school leaders implement several health and safety protocols to fight the spread of the coronavirus. They include placing desks at least six feet apart, requiring students and staff to wear face masks, taking the temperature of teachers and other staff members at the start of each day and setting aside times for hand washing, among others. The guidance does outline several mandates: people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 must remain home while sick and meet three conditions before returning to school; school leaders must notify local health officials and school community members of individuals who were on-campus and tested positive; educators must provide instruction on hygiene practices on the first day of school. “While it is not possible to eliminate all risk of furthering the spread of COVID-19, the current science suggests there are many steps schools can take to reduce the risk to students, teachers, staff and their families significantly,” the draft states.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath held a conference call Tuesday afternoon in which he laid out plans for how schools will receive funding. He noted that because of the “rapidly changing public health situation”, the agency was unable to deliver its formal guidelines. School funding is based on attendance. The attendance numbers will include both students on campus and those who choose to stick with the kind of online instruction and distance learning that went into place when the public schools were closed in March. The school year begins in August, with some districts scheduled to return early in the month and others waiting until the fourth week. No districts are holding in-person summer school classes.
The reactions to the draft document were mixed. Texas State Teachers Association wants a mask mandate for all people on campus. The Texas Classroom Teachers Association said that TEA “must provide clear, enforceable parameters” for reopening schools that are set by state health care professionals. Others want teachers to have more flexibility – one size doesn’t fit all in Texas.
Shannon Holmes, executive director of the Association of Texas Professional Educators, said his organization wants to see more flexibility for teachers concerned about returning to in-person classes. “We would simply urge the state and school districts to listen to their employees and the recommendation of medical experts as they start developing these plans,” Holmes said. “There’s not going to be any one-size-fits-all plan for every district in the state — and even if they did, it probably wouldn’t work for every pocket of Texas.”
Though the safety guidelines were delayed, Morath released an 11-page outline on plans for allocating money to schools. He said schools will receive the same amount of funding for each student, whether that child is learning virtually at home or in a classroom, as long as they “capture attendance in virtual learning spaces.”
To count at-home attendance, students must log onto live instructional videos each day or show progress on their school work without real-time instruction from a teacher. Districts also will be given two grace periods. During the first 12 weeks of school, they will be funded no lower than the same level as the first 12 weeks of 2019-2020, even if enrollments drop. There will be an attendance grace period for funding students engaged in online learning for up to 18 weeks.
Later Tuesday, after 3:00 p.m., the formal guidelines were released. So, you see the confusion. The recommendation that staff and students wear masks, use hand sanitizer regularly, and social distancing still isn’t mandatory, though some teachers voiced criticism of that decision. The TEA will distribute PPE to school districts but it will be up to local officials to get it to the school.
Final documents show the TEA will be giving out personal equipment for in-school learning this fall. They also give guidance on two different types of virtual learning. The TEA won’t require districts to make educators or students wear masks or do temperature checks, but the agency will provide equipment. The TEA plans to distribute more than 50 million disposable masks, 600,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and more than 40,0000 thermometers to Texas school districts. In the document, the TEA states: “This PPE is being distributed to schools as a resource, but usage is not required.” The equipment will be distributed depending on school district size.
An important part of the guidelines is the recognition that it is the child’s parents’ choice if that student returns to in-class learning or remains at home and continues learning online. As the state’s outbreak of the coronavirus is monitored, parents can make an informed decision on what is best for their family. It seems unrealistic to expect a student, especially the younger ones, to wear a mask all day or to stay six feet away from classmates. The handwashing is probably more manageable, but still not a small task with the younger ones.


hotair--2020-06-26--Scarborough: I think there's a chance Trump drops out in August

James Carville floated this theory last night on the same network .
“ I think there is a better chance Donald Trump does not run for re-election , than he is reelected , ” Carville told MSNBC ’ s “ The 11th Hour , ” hosted by Brian Williams… “ Zero chance he ’ s gon na be reelected , ” Carville said again , suggesting that perhaps someone close to Trump should break the bad news to the president .
“ Jared , or somebody , is gon na have to sit down and have a real , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a come-to-Jesus as people used to say , I don ’ t know what is it , ” Carville said .
“ That is , that which can ’ t continue will not.
” That thought has occurred to me too in sillier moments for a simple reason .
Losing a national popularity contest would be intolerable to someone like Trump , who ’ s narcissistic even by the standards of politicians .
Getting blown out by a margin that he couldn ’ t somewhat plausibly blame on cheating would be a fate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are coming from the same place , believing that POTUS would do anything to avert that outcome once he believed it was assured , up to and including declaring the political equivalent of bankruptcy and walking away in the home stretch of the campaign .
No presidential nominee wants to play out the string and take their lumps on election night when it looks like they ’ re headed for sure defeat but all other modern nominees have been conventional figures who ’ d feel duty-bound to their parties to follow through .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ partisan loyalty .
He owns the GOP ; it owes him loyalty , not vice versa .
If he were to conclude circa Labor Day that the only way to avoid a humiliation is to toss McConnell the keys and walk away , why wouldn ’ t he ?
Or so the theory goes .
But that theory doesn ’ t mesh with the facts .
He could have done the same thing in mid-October 2016 after the “ Access Hollywood ” tape dropped and women began sharing stories with newspapers about sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fallout from all of that got so bad at the time that some Republican politicians withdrew their endorsements and called on him to drop out .
Hillary ’ s polling briefly climbed .
A blowout seemed possible , if not likely .
If he was unwilling to endure the possibility of a drubbing , that would have been his moment to quit .
Instead he fought on .
Why wouldn ’ t he do that in the current circumstances too ?
Another thing .
Although he has bad polling news coming at him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his internal polling , it ’ s quite possible that he just doesn ’ t believe the numbers .
Any of them .
Tell him in August that he ’ s down 12 points and he might very well reply that it ’ s because his voters aren ’ t answering the phone when pollsters call and that they ’ ll be there for him en masse on Election Day .
Some forecasters claimed in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign that Clinton had a 99 percent chance of victory and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s heard the “ you can ’ t win ” song before .
He ’ ll never believe it this time .
…even if his own allies suddenly sound pretty grim about the state of things .
Here ’ s Ed Rollins , chairman of a pro-Trump Super PAC : “ The message is weak or nonexistent .
The rambling on about Biden and Pelosi or Clinton and Obama is old and tired .
This needs to be about the future , not the past , ” Rollins said .
“ He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hasn ’ t , and project strength by doing what Reagan , Thatcher and Churchill did with strong speeches .
Not macho bullshit , but thoughtful solutions to serious problems .
This is about the future , not what the Democrats did in the past .
Make people be concerned with what [ Democrats ] can do with total control of the government , House , Senate and the White House.
” … Rollins described the campaign as “ adrift ” and argued that it needs to be more nimble in ad-making , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials to act as prominent surrogates for the president in battleground states .
“ Let ’ s be honest about it : The president is behind today , ” said Karl Rove today on Fox , stressing that it ’ s important for Trump to start talking about what he ’ d do with another four years in office .
News broke this afternoon that the campaign just bought its first TV ad in Georgia , evidence that they ’ re playing defense in states that Trump won four years ago and which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incumbent were running strong .
These latest polls from YouGov are a bit better for him than some of the other garish polling this week in that they show tight races in several swing states… …but there are major footnotes .
If Biden held all the Hillary states from 2016 and won only the Wisconsin , Michigan , and Georgia this time — the three states where he leads by six or better in YouGov ’ s survey — that alone would be enough for him to win the presidency .
If he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too , where he ’ s barely ahead , he ’ d be over 330 electoral votes .
The probability model at the bottom of Morris ’ s tweet gives Trump something like a three or four percent chance of winning right now ; FiveThirtyEight ’ s final forecast in 2016 gave him a 29 percent chance of winning .
He really is in a hole at the moment .
But I don ’ t think he ’ ll stay there .
He ’ ll find an unlikely ally in the media in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate his guts and badly want Biden to win , but they ’ re also suckers for “ comeback ” storylines .
Reporters are writers first and foremost , and writers would much rather write a suspense story ( that ends with their guy winning , of course ) than a boring slog whose conclusion is foregone .
Trump ’ s also sure to get some good news from time to time between now and the election that ’ ll boost his polling , with economic growth the likeliest source .
And on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that the modern American electorate can produce a landslide , at least not one that ’ s stable for months in advance .
( Obama ’ s 2008 landslide only materialized in the final weeks thanks to the financial crisis . )
Trump will still be the underdog down the stretch this year but I think he ’ ll be grappling with a five-point deficit instead of a 10-point one .

James Carville floated this theory last night on the same network.
“I think there is a better chance Donald Trump does not run for re-election, than he is reelected,” Carville told MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour,” hosted by Brian Williams… “Zero chance he’s gonna be reelected,” Carville said again, suggesting that perhaps someone close to Trump should break the bad news to the president. “Jared, or somebody, is gonna have to sit down and have a real, like, talk, a real man-to-man, a come-to-Jesus as people used to say, I don’t know what is it,” Carville said. “That is, that which can’t continue will not.”
That thought has occurred to me too in sillier moments for a simple reason. Losing a national popularity contest would be intolerable to someone like Trump, who’s narcissistic even by the standards of politicians. Getting blown out by a margin that he couldn’t somewhat plausibly blame on cheating would be a fate worse than death. Carville and Scarborough are coming from the same place, believing that POTUS would do anything to avert that outcome once he believed it was assured, up to and including declaring the political equivalent of bankruptcy and walking away in the home stretch of the campaign.
No presidential nominee wants to play out the string and take their lumps on election night when it looks like they’re headed for sure defeat but all other modern nominees have been conventional figures who’d feel duty-bound to their parties to follow through. I don’t think Trump feels partisan loyalty. He owns the GOP; it owes him loyalty, not vice versa. If he were to conclude circa Labor Day that the only way to avoid a humiliation is to toss McConnell the keys and walk away, why wouldn’t he?
Or so the theory goes.
But that theory doesn’t mesh with the facts. He could have done the same thing in mid-October 2016 after the “Access Hollywood” tape dropped and women began sharing stories with newspapers about sexual misconduct he allegedly engaged in. The fallout from all of that got so bad at the time that some Republican politicians withdrew their endorsements and called on him to drop out. Hillary’s polling briefly climbed. A blowout seemed possible, if not likely. If he was unwilling to endure the possibility of a drubbing, that would have been his moment to quit.
Instead he fought on. Why wouldn’t he do that in the current circumstances too?
Another thing. Although he has bad polling news coming at him from all sides right now, including his internal polling, it’s quite possible that he just doesn’t believe the numbers. Any of them. Tell him in August that he’s down 12 points and he might very well reply that it’s because his voters aren’t answering the phone when pollsters call and that they’ll be there for him en masse on Election Day. Some forecasters claimed in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign that Clinton had a 99 percent chance of victory and we know how that turned out. Trump’s heard the “you can’t win” song before. He’ll never believe it this time.
…even if his own allies suddenly sound pretty grim about the state of things. Here’s Ed Rollins, chairman of a pro-Trump Super PAC:
“The message is weak or nonexistent. The rambling on about Biden and Pelosi or Clinton and Obama is old and tired. This needs to be about the future, not the past,” Rollins said. “He needs to show empathy, which he hasn’t, and project strength by doing what Reagan, Thatcher and Churchill did with strong speeches. Not macho bullshit, but thoughtful solutions to serious problems. This is about the future, not what the Democrats did in the past. Make people be concerned with what [Democrats] can do with total control of the government, House, Senate and the White House.”… Rollins described the campaign as “adrift” and argued that it needs to be more nimble in ad-making, resource allocation and in recruiting senior GOP officials to act as prominent surrogates for the president in battleground states.
“Let’s be honest about it: The president is behind today,” said Karl Rove today on Fox, stressing that it’s important for Trump to start talking about what he’d do with another four years in office. News broke this afternoon that the campaign just bought its first TV ad in Georgia, evidence that they’re playing defense in states that Trump won four years ago and which shouldn’t be competitive if the incumbent were running strong. These latest polls from YouGov are a bit better for him than some of the other garish polling this week in that they show tight races in several swing states…
Here's what our YouGov polls currently say about the horse-race in the closest states: OH: Biden -5
NC: -4
TX: -3
IA: -2
FL: 1
AZ: 2
PA: 2
GA: 6
WI: 8
MI: 9 National: +7 MOEs range from 5-10 points. Among likely voters. Expected EVs IF THE ELECTION WERE HELD TODAY: pic.twitter.com/E2Djf9Ifib — G. Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris) June 26, 2020
…but there are major footnotes. If Biden held all the Hillary states from 2016 and won only the Wisconsin, Michigan, and Georgia this time — the three states where he leads by six or better in YouGov’s survey — that alone would be enough for him to win the presidency. If he won Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Florida too, where he’s barely ahead, he’d be over 330 electoral votes. The probability model at the bottom of Morris’s tweet gives Trump something like a three or four percent chance of winning right now; FiveThirtyEight’s final forecast in 2016 gave him a 29 percent chance of winning. He really is in a hole at the moment.
But I don’t think he’ll stay there. He’ll find an unlikely ally in the media in the months ahead. True, they hate his guts and badly want Biden to win, but they’re also suckers for “comeback” storylines. Reporters are writers first and foremost, and writers would much rather write a suspense story (that ends with their guy winning, of course) than a boring slog whose conclusion is foregone. Trump’s also sure to get some good news from time to time between now and the election that’ll boost his polling, with economic growth the likeliest source. And on some level I just don’t believe that the modern American electorate can produce a landslide, at least not one that’s stable for months in advance. (Obama’s 2008 landslide only materialized in the final weeks thanks to the financial crisis.) Trump will still be the underdog down the stretch this year but I think he’ll be grappling with a five-point deficit instead of a 10-point one.


hotair--2020-06-26--Russian GRU unit paid bounties to Afghan militants for killing U.S. troops

A Russian GRU unit connected to assassinations around the world , including the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK , also offered bounties to Afghan militants for killing U.S. troops .
The NY Times reports that the information was gathered from captured Afghan soldiers and was presented to the White House a few months ago : Islamist militants , or armed criminal elements closely associated with them , are believed to have collected some bounty money , the officials said .
Twenty Americans were killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2019 , but it was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The intelligence finding was briefed to President Trump , and the White House ’ s National Security Council discussed the problem at an interagency meeting in late March , the officials said .
Officials developed a menu of potential options — starting with making a diplomatic complaint to Moscow and a demand that it stop , along with an escalating series of sanctions and other possible responses , but the White House has yet to authorize any step , the officials said… The officials briefed on the matter said the government had assessed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unit 29155 , an arm of Russia ’ s military intelligence agency , known widely as the G.R.U .
The unit is linked to the March 2018 nerve agent poisoning in Salisbury , England , of Sergei Skripal , a former G.R.U .
officer who had worked for British intelligence and then defected , and his daughter .
There ’ s a paragraph in the Times ’ story suggesting that our intelligence agencies are uncertain how high the decision-making behind this bounty program goes .
In other words , maybe Putin didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll just point out that a previous Business Insider story about Unit 29155 labeled it “ Putin ’ s assassination squad.
” Members of Unit 29155 have been accused in attempted or successful assassinations in the UK , Germany , and Bulgaria .
They are also suspected of politically destabilizing activities in Montenegro , Spain and Moldova .
The unit is believed to be the home of an elite unit of former Russain special forces members tasked with eliminating Russia ’ s enemies abroad and was specifically implicated in two poisonings — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal , a former GRU officer who defected to the UK , in Salisbury .
The idea that Putin didn ’ t order these bounties on U.S. soldiers doesn ’ t seem to match with the fact that Putin personally proclaimed the innocence of the two GRU goons who attempted to murder Sergei Skripal .
After that assassination attempt , President Trump ordered 60 Russian “ diplomats ” out of the U.S. A subsequent report from CNN indicated that some of those individuals had been stalking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were possibly planning to carry out similar assassinations attempts here .
Last December , France ’ s Le Monde newspaper reported that the two men responsible for the Skripal assassination attempt had been “ operating out of picturesque villages in the French Alps.
” In 2017 , Buzzfeed reported the GRU had carried out more than a dozen assassinations on British soil .
The idea that Putin didn ’ t know about all of this activity is absurd .
If Unit 29155 was offering bounties to Afghan militants to kill U.S. soldiers they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permission .
It remains unclear how many U.S. deaths in Afghanistan are connected to this , but our intelligence has concluded at least some bounty money was paid out by Russian agents .

A Russian GRU unit connected to assassinations around the world, including the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK, also offered bounties to Afghan militants for killing U.S. troops. The NY Times reports that the information was gathered from captured Afghan soldiers and was presented to the White House a few months ago:
Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the officials said. Twenty Americans were killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2019, but it was not clear which killings were under suspicion. The intelligence finding was briefed to President Trump, and the White House’s National Security Council discussed the problem at an interagency meeting in late March, the officials said. Officials developed a menu of potential options — starting with making a diplomatic complaint to Moscow and a demand that it stop, along with an escalating series of sanctions and other possible responses, but the White House has yet to authorize any step, the officials said… The officials briefed on the matter said the government had assessed the operation to be the handiwork of Unit 29155, an arm of Russia’s military intelligence agency, known widely as the G.R.U. The unit is linked to the March 2018 nerve agent poisoning in Salisbury, England, of Sergei Skripal, a former G.R.U. officer who had worked for British intelligence and then defected, and his daughter.
There’s a paragraph in the Times’ story suggesting that our intelligence agencies are uncertain how high the decision-making behind this bounty program goes. In other words, maybe Putin didn’t know this was happening. I’ll just point out that a previous Business Insider story about Unit 29155 labeled it “Putin’s assassination squad.”
Members of Unit 29155 have been accused in attempted or successful assassinations in the UK, Germany, and Bulgaria. They are also suspected of politically destabilizing activities in Montenegro, Spain and Moldova. The unit is believed to be the home of an elite unit of former Russain special forces members tasked with eliminating Russia’s enemies abroad and was specifically implicated in two poisonings — of a Bulgarian arms dealer in 2015 and in the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former GRU officer who defected to the UK, in Salisbury.
The idea that Putin didn’t order these bounties on U.S. soldiers doesn’t seem to match with the fact that Putin personally proclaimed the innocence of the two GRU goons who attempted to murder Sergei Skripal. After that assassination attempt, President Trump ordered 60 Russian “diplomats” out of the U.S. A subsequent report from CNN indicated that some of those individuals had been stalking Russian defectors here in the U.S. and were possibly planning to carry out similar assassinations attempts here.
Last December, France’s Le Monde newspaper reported that the two men responsible for the Skripal assassination attempt had been “operating out of picturesque villages in the French Alps.”
In 2017, Buzzfeed reported the GRU had carried out more than a dozen assassinations on British soil. The idea that Putin didn’t know about all of this activity is absurd. If Unit 29155 was offering bounties to Afghan militants to kill U.S. soldiers they were doing it with Putin’s permission.
It remains unclear how many U.S. deaths in Afghanistan are connected to this, but our intelligence has concluded at least some bounty money was paid out by Russian agents.


hotair--2020-06-26--Super PAC aims to defeat Trump... using his own tweets

I had just finished reading about conservatives leaving Twitter for another platform because of Twitter ’ s favoritism toward the left when I came across a new Democrat Super PAC that will use President Trump ’ s own tweets against him .
The Super PAC , known as Defeat By Tweet , launches today .
The left hates that President Trump has such a huge platform on social media , with 82.4 million followers on Twitter alone , every time he posts a tweet millions of people see it .
There have been efforts to get Trump kicked off Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people trying to deny the president his First Amendment rights have been able to accomplish is Twitter ’ s new warning tag on some of his tweets .
Clearly , the warning tag was created specifically to ding Trump .
The Defeat By Tweet PAC will allow supporters to give recurring contributions to the organization every time the president tweets .
The effort is being led by a Silicon Valley tech executive .
Xander Schultz founded Complete Labs Inc , an app that allows people to organize and share their daily to-do lists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a partner at NextGen Venture Partners , a start-up investment fund .
Now he is looking to get millions of micro-donors to raise money for organizations that work against the re-election of President Trump .
The goal specifically is to finance get out the vote campaigns and to influence down-ballot races .
The irony is that while the left is trying to pin all of the racial tensions and violence on President Trump and/or Republicans , the inconvenient fact is that the cities with the most problems making the news headlines are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice warriors telling voters to vote out the Democrats in charge of those cities ?
Of course , they aren ’ t because this isn ’ t really a battle about racial equality or a protest against police brutality .
This is a movement to fundamentally change America .
The leftists among us are taking this time in history to try to usher in not just their socialist fever dreams but also a new era of Marxism .
All you have to do is do a little reading on the Black Lives Matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that lives within the founders of the organization .
They are proud to call themselves Marxists .
In an interview with CNBC , Novogratz , CEO of Galaxy Investment Partners , pointed to Schultz as the architect of the PAC , particularly as it pertains to the retail and grassroots approach of encouraging new donors to start giving anywhere between 1 and 10 cents per tweet .
“ It ’ s all about funding these groups that help finance and organize for those down-ballot races .
The single best thing to help criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these races , ” Novogratz said .
“ That ’ s how people get to the ballot box and more than likely those people will also vote against Trump.
” Beyond his commitment of $ 1 million to this endeavor , Novogratz told CNBC , he made another major financial commitment of writing a six-figure check to the Biden Victory Fund , a joint fundraising committee between Joe Biden ’ s campaign and the Democratic National Committee .
Schultz says he hopes the PAC raises over $ 100 million by Election Day in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these groups that are fighting for change in Black and Latino communities .
Many of them vocally oppose Trump and are calling on voters to support Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee .
Allegedly , the death of George Floyd is what inspired the creation of the PAC .
Never let a crisis go to waste .
The bad Orange Man tweets about law and order and holding people accountable for the destruction of public property , like monuments , and it offends them .
So , a “ tax ” on Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is hate speech , will be used to work for Biden ’ s election in November .
The tax is the micro-donations from the PAC ’ s supporters .
And the PAC hopes to get lots of celebrities and influencers on board to use their large followings on social media .
From the website : “ Your donation is going to the Justice Fund , a portfolio of 32 excellent black-led and centered grassroots political organizations working at the intersection of electoral politics and justice reform in the swing states.
” The emergence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same day that conservatives are hoping to promote an exodus from Twitter by other conservatives in response to Twitter ’ s continued liberal bias .
Margot Cleveland , a free speech advocate at The Federalist , realistically cautions conservatives about jumping to Parler in hopes of doing real damage to Twitter .
It will take a “ critical mass of people engaging on the platform ” , she says , or it will never compete with Twitter .
She ’ s right .
Conservative actions to switch social media platforms usually fail because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media and conservatives aren ’ t natural followers , as a rule .
Nonetheless , she is advocating Free Speech Friday today .
She points to the warning tags on Trump ’ s tweets and the suspension of conservative accounts like that of Carpe Donktum as reasons for the move to Parler .
These incidents came on the heels of Google threatening to ban The Federalist from Google ad revenue based on offensive comments to articles left by third parties .
The specter of a left-leaning big tech company deplatforming a conservative outlet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican politicians and raised the urgency for lawmakers to narrow the immunity granted social media platforms in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act .
There is a consensus in conservative circles that Google , Twitter , and Facebook hold a bias against the right and as a result silence ( or quiet ) conservative voices .
The right , however , disagrees on the solution .
Amending Section 230 is one option , but exerting market forces is another , and a more , conservative solution .
But will it work ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
There ’ s only one way to find out : exert those market forces .
It makes for an interesting end of the week .

I had just finished reading about conservatives leaving Twitter for another platform because of Twitter’s favoritism toward the left when I came across a new Democrat Super PAC that will use President Trump’s own tweets against him. The Super PAC, known as Defeat By Tweet, launches today.
The left hates that President Trump has such a huge platform on social media, with 82.4 million followers on Twitter alone, every time he posts a tweet millions of people see it. There have been efforts to get Trump kicked off Twitter but so far the best that the people trying to deny the president his First Amendment rights have been able to accomplish is Twitter’s new warning tag on some of his tweets. Clearly, the warning tag was created specifically to ding Trump. The Defeat By Tweet PAC will allow supporters to give recurring contributions to the organization every time the president tweets.
The effort is being led by a Silicon Valley tech executive. Xander Schultz founded Complete Labs Inc, an app that allows people to organize and share their daily to-do lists. He is involved in venture capital as a partner at NextGen Venture Partners, a start-up investment fund. Now he is looking to get millions of micro-donors to raise money for organizations that work against the re-election of President Trump.
Those funds will then be used to finance get-out-the-vote organizations, along with criminal and social justice reform groups, such as the Color of Change and the Black Voters Matter Fund. The PAC also intends to reply to Trump on Twitter with a receipt of how much each tweet raised for the group.
The goal specifically is to finance get out the vote campaigns and to influence down-ballot races. The irony is that while the left is trying to pin all of the racial tensions and violence on President Trump and/or Republicans, the inconvenient fact is that the cities with the most problems making the news headlines are run by Democrats. Are the social justice warriors telling voters to vote out the Democrats in charge of those cities? Of course, they aren’t because this isn’t really a battle about racial equality or a protest against police brutality. This is a movement to fundamentally change America. The leftists among us are taking this time in history to try to usher in not just their socialist fever dreams but also a new era of Marxism. All you have to do is do a little reading on the Black Lives Matter movement to see the strong Marxist philosophy that lives within the founders of the organization. They are proud to call themselves Marxists.
In an interview with CNBC, Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Investment Partners, pointed to Schultz as the architect of the PAC, particularly as it pertains to the retail and grassroots approach of encouraging new donors to start giving anywhere between 1 and 10 cents per tweet. “It’s all about funding these groups that help finance and organize for those down-ballot races. The single best thing to help criminal justice reform is to actually invest in these races,” Novogratz said. “That’s how people get to the ballot box and more than likely those people will also vote against Trump.” Beyond his commitment of $1 million to this endeavor, Novogratz told CNBC, he made another major financial commitment of writing a six-figure check to the Biden Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee between Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Schultz says he hopes the PAC raises over $100 million by Election Day in November, with the goal of helping these groups that are fighting for change in Black and Latino communities. Many of them vocally oppose Trump and are calling on voters to support Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Allegedly, the death of George Floyd is what inspired the creation of the PAC. Never let a crisis go to waste. The bad Orange Man tweets about law and order and holding people accountable for the destruction of public property, like monuments, and it offends them. So, a “tax” on Trump’s tweets, which they say is hate speech, will be used to work for Biden’s election in November. The tax is the micro-donations from the PAC’s supporters. And the PAC hopes to get lots of celebrities and influencers on board to use their large followings on social media. From the website: “Your donation is going to the Justice Fund, a portfolio of 32 excellent black-led and centered grassroots political organizations working at the intersection of electoral politics and justice reform in the swing states.”
Schultz said the PAC’s primary partner is the Movement Voter Project, which says it supports “hundreds of incredible organizations that both turn out unlikely voters and organize communities to grow their power and create transformation, from policy to the streets.” They also connect donors “to the most effective grassroots voter organizations in the country that are mobilizing their communities in critical battleground states and districts where we must win in 2020.”
The emergence of this Super PAC falls on the same day that conservatives are hoping to promote an exodus from Twitter by other conservatives in response to Twitter’s continued liberal bias. Margot Cleveland, a free speech advocate at The Federalist, realistically cautions conservatives about jumping to Parler in hopes of doing real damage to Twitter. It will take a “critical mass of people engaging on the platform”, she says, or it will never compete with Twitter. She’s right. Conservative actions to switch social media platforms usually fail because there are simply more liberals on social media and conservatives aren’t natural followers, as a rule. Nonetheless, she is advocating Free Speech Friday today. She points to the warning tags on Trump’s tweets and the suspension of conservative accounts like that of Carpe Donktum as reasons for the move to Parler.
These incidents came on the heels of Google threatening to ban The Federalist from Google ad revenue based on offensive comments to articles left by third parties. The specter of a left-leaning big tech company deplatforming a conservative outlet in an election year prompted outrage from Republican politicians and raised the urgency for lawmakers to narrow the immunity granted social media platforms in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. There is a consensus in conservative circles that Google, Twitter, and Facebook hold a bias against the right and as a result silence (or quiet) conservative voices. The right, however, disagrees on the solution. Amending Section 230 is one option, but exerting market forces is another, and a more, conservative solution. But will it work? Or is Twitter too big to flay? There’s only one way to find out: exert those market forces.
It makes for an interesting end of the week.


hotair--2020-06-26--Federal judge: Cuomo and de Blasio can't limit the size of outdoor religious services if they didn't

Federal judge: Cuomo and de Blasio can't limit the size of outdoor religious services if they didn't care about limiting the size of protests

A gratifying victory .
The subtext of the ruling , wrote Peter Spiliakos , is that “ the NY state and city governments were treating left-wing protest as a de facto state religion and were discriminating against other faiths.
” Got ta treat all creeds equally under the law .
No special privileges for devotional wokery .
There were two separate issues here united by a common question : Did New York apply a double standard to religious gatherings in setting social distancing rules ?
Religious institutions don ’ t get special exemptions from laws of general applicability , i.e @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire public .
But if there ’ s reason to believe that the state is placing some special burden on religious institutions , that ’ s presumptively unconstitutional .
You have the right to free exercise of your faith and you have the right not to be discriminated against in your exercise of that right .
The state needs an exceedingly good justification to single out religion .
Cuomo and de Blasio began from a position of strength .
In a vacuum , state and city orders mandating social distancing during a pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applicability .
We need the whole public to work together to tamp down this virus , right ?
Well , that means you too , religious believers .
Social-distancing rules are neutral — in theory .
In practice , the story is different .
The court picked through the thicket of regulations issued by Cuomo over the past few months and discovered that indoor religious gatherings are permitted no more than 25 percent capacity during Phase 2 of New York ’ s reopening whereas secular spaces like retail shops and restaurants are permitted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Cuomo was asked about it at press briefings , he barely even tried to explain it : “ ’ We are going to accelerate the opening of temples , mosques , [ and ] churches .
.
.
.
25 percent occupancy is not as easy as 100 percent occupancy but 100 percent occupancy is a mass gathering and you really can ’ t do social distancing.
’ … He further advised New Yorkers to ‘ [ b ] e smart .
It does not mean you go to a temple or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a person .
You have to socially distance.
’ ” What does that mess of verbiage have to do with two separate capacity standards for indoor spaces depending on whether they ’ re religious or secular in nature ?
Nothing , the court concluded .
And so that double standard is now nuked , i.e .
enjoined .
On its face , the 25 % indoor capacity limitation applies only to houses of worship .
See N.Y. Executive Order No .
202.38 .
Indeed , that limitation is the only one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders and the Guidance Document that have been issued in response to the pandemic ; in other words , no other secular entity , save for those that remain closed in their entirety until Phase 4 or beyond , are limited to only 25 % capacity .
The “ nonessential businesses , ” dubbed “ Phase 2 industries ” by executive order , that enjoy a 50 % capacity limitation are , however , not justifiably different than houses of worship… All of this is to demonstrate that these secular businesses/activities threaten defendants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 to a similar or greater degree than those of plaintiffs ’ , and demonstrate that the 25 % indoor capacity limitation on houses of worship is underinclusive and triggers strict scrutiny review .
If you ’ re going to target houses of worship for less preferential treatment , you need a way better justification than Cuomo ’ s word salad to get it past a court .
So much for discrimination aimed at indoor religious gatherings .
What about outdoor religious gatherings , though ?
New York ’ s social distancing rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the NYPD occasionally interrupting Jewish religious services like funerals .
That rule may be generally applicable and neutral on its face , the court noted — but the enforcement of it certainly wasn ’ t .
If it was , how can we possibly explain Cuomo ’ s and de Blasio ’ s cheerleading for the George Floyd protests ?
Note the bit about encouragement .
If Cuomo and de Blasio had so much as said an unkind word about mass gatherings amid the protests , the court might have let them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hypocrisy , echoed by countless public-health experts who ’ ve defended the protests over the past month , is too great to be ignored .
Banning certain outdoor mass gatherings while actively promoting much larger ones is indefensible scientifically and thus indefensible as a rule of “ general applicability ” and “ neutrality.
” These two morons made it easy for the court , and he took care to thank them by noting their hypocrisy at length .
First Cuomo… There ’ s not even a pretense of consistency in their virtue-signaling .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Woodstock in the streets of New York with no complaints from authorities then Group B gets to have 20 people at an outdoor religious service .
It would have been painfully easy for Cuomo to reconcile all of these glaring hypocrisies with a new executive order quietly expanding the capacity rules for non-political outdoor gatherings .
And , as the court says , it would have been even easier for him and de Blasio to just clam up and not egg on massive mass gatherings while riding herd on much smaller ones that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ignite a new outbreak .
The fact that they wouldn ’ t do either is solid evidence that bona fide religious discrimination was at work here .
Well done by the court for calling them on it .

A gratifying victory. The subtext of the ruling, wrote Peter Spiliakos, is that “the NY state and city governments were treating left-wing protest as a de facto state religion and were discriminating against other faiths.”
Gotta treat all creeds equally under the law. No special privileges for devotional wokery.
There were two separate issues here united by a common question: Did New York apply a double standard to religious gatherings in setting social distancing rules? Religious institutions don’t get special exemptions from laws of general applicability, i.e. laws that apply neutrally to the entire public. But if there’s reason to believe that the state is placing some special burden on religious institutions, that’s presumptively unconstitutional. You have the right to free exercise of your faith and you have the right not to be discriminated against in your exercise of that right. The state needs an exceedingly good justification to single out religion.
Cuomo and de Blasio began from a position of strength. In a vacuum, state and city orders mandating social distancing during a pandemic are classic examples of laws of general applicability. We need the whole public to work together to tamp down this virus, right? Well, that means you too, religious believers. Social-distancing rules are neutral — in theory. In practice, the story is different. The court picked through the thicket of regulations issued by Cuomo over the past few months and discovered that indoor religious gatherings are permitted no more than 25 percent capacity during Phase 2 of New York’s reopening whereas secular spaces like retail shops and restaurants are permitted 50 percent capacity. How come?
When Cuomo was asked about it at press briefings, he barely even tried to explain it: “’We are going to accelerate the opening of temples, mosques, [and] churches. . . . 25 percent occupancy is not as easy as 100 percent occupancy but 100 percent occupancy is a mass gathering and you really can’t do social distancing.’… He further advised New Yorkers to ‘[b]e smart. It does not mean you go to a temple or a mosque and you sit right next to a person. You have to socially distance.’” What does that mess of verbiage have to do with two separate capacity standards for indoor spaces depending on whether they’re religious or secular in nature?
Nothing, the court concluded. And so that double standard is now nuked, i.e. enjoined.
On its face, the 25% indoor capacity limitation applies only to houses of worship. See N.Y. Executive Order No. 202.38. Indeed, that limitation is the only one of its kind in the tangle of executive orders and the Guidance Document that have been issued in response to the pandemic; in other words, no other secular entity, save for those that remain closed in their entirety until Phase 4 or beyond, are limited to only 25% capacity. The “nonessential businesses,” dubbed “Phase 2 industries” by executive order, that enjoy a 50% capacity limitation are, however, not justifiably different than houses of worship… All of this is to demonstrate that these secular businesses/activities threaten defendants’ interest in slowing the spread of COVID-19 to a similar or greater degree than those of plaintiffs’, and demonstrate that the 25% indoor capacity limitation on houses of worship is underinclusive and triggers strict scrutiny review.
If you’re going to target houses of worship for less preferential treatment, you need a way better justification than Cuomo’s word salad to get it past a court.
So much for discrimination aimed at indoor religious gatherings. What about outdoor religious gatherings, though? New York’s social distancing rules limit outdoor gatherings too, which led to the NYPD occasionally interrupting Jewish religious services like funerals. That rule may be generally applicable and neutral on its face, the court noted — but the enforcement of it certainly wasn’t. If it was, how can we possibly explain Cuomo’s and de Blasio’s cheerleading for the George Floyd protests?
Note the bit about encouragement. If Cuomo and de Blasio had so much as said an unkind word about mass gatherings amid the protests, the court might have let them slide on their regulations. But the hypocrisy, echoed by countless public-health experts who’ve defended the protests over the past month, is too great to be ignored. Banning certain outdoor mass gatherings while actively promoting much larger ones is indefensible scientifically and thus indefensible as a rule of “general applicability” and “neutrality.” These two morons made it easy for the court, and he took care to thank them by noting their hypocrisy at length. First Cuomo…
…then de Blasio, even more starkly:
There’s not even a pretense of consistency in their virtue-signaling. If Group A gets to have Woke Woodstock in the streets of New York with no complaints from authorities then Group B gets to have 20 people at an outdoor religious service.
It would have been painfully easy for Cuomo to reconcile all of these glaring hypocrisies with a new executive order quietly expanding the capacity rules for non-political outdoor gatherings. And, as the court says, it would have been even easier for him and de Blasio to just clam up and not egg on massive mass gatherings while riding herd on much smaller ones that are far less of a risk to ignite a new outbreak. The fact that they wouldn’t do either is solid evidence that bona fide religious discrimination was at work here. Well done by the court for calling them on it.