hotair--2020-11-13--Trump talks: We're gonna win all these states in "two weeks, three weeks"

Or so Donald Trump told Byron York yesterday .
In his Washington Examiner newsletter this morning , York reports on the conversation with the president about the prospects for victory in his election challenges .
At best , one can say that Trump has a fairly accurate grasp of the gaps he needs to overcome .
At worst , this is only missing a “ yeargh !
” from Howard Dean : “ We ’ re going to win Wisconsin , ” he began.
” Arizona — it ’ ll be down to 8,000 votes , and if we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes , we ’ ll find 8,000 votes easy .
If we can do an audit , we ’ ll be in good shape there.
” “ Georgia , we ’ re going to win , ” he continued , “ because now we ’ re down to about 10,000 , 11,000 votes , and we have hand counting ” — a reference to the coming recount .
“ Hand counting is the best .
To do a spin of the machine doesn ’ t mean anything .
You pick up ten votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think we ’ re going to win Georgia.
” He ’ ll also win North Carolina , Trump joked , “ unless they happen to find a lot of votes .
I said , ‘ When are they going to put in the new votes in North Carolina ?
When are they going to find a batch from Charlotte ? '
” Then there are two more — Michigan and Pennsylvania .
“ The two big states , ” Trump said , before allowing , “ They ’ re all sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is pinning his strategy on protesting the exclusion of his campaign ’ s observers during critical periods of vote counting .
“ They wouldn ’ t let our poll watchers and observers watch or observe , ” Trump said .
“ That ’ s a big thing .
They should throw those votes out that went through during those periods of time when [ Trump observers ] weren ’ t there .
We went to court and the judge ordered [ the observers ] back , but that was after two days , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through .
Millions .
And we ’ re down 50,000.
” That ’ s actually not what happened in Pennsylvania .
That claim about observers being excluded from the ballot count has been repeated ad nauseam , but Trump ’ s own attorney was forced to admit in court that Republican observers were present during these counts .
Note the date on this tweet : That ’ s a week ago , and Trump ’ s still passing along false allegations about what happened .
In that lawsuit , the judge did fix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from each party during ballot counts , but established that the idea that Republicans got locked out in Pennsylvania is pretty much a myth .
This is one reason why any claims of irregularities coming from Trump and his allies have to be taken with a grain of salt until they are made in court and under requirements of good-faith representation .
If Trump and his legal team aren ’ t making such claims in court , there ’ s really no need to take them seriously .
That includes all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notably did not include in his conversation with York .
On the rest , Trump ’ s talking about fairly normal election challenges and contests .
As much as people gripe about it , those are part of the electoral process .
Recounts , audits , and recanvassing provide checks on errors , although only recanvassing holds much promise on errors of large scale .
Candidates are within their rights to hold off on concessions until exhausting the process , and everyone else should respect that , wrote Fordham Law professor Jed Shugerman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York also linked today .
That shoe may well be on the other foot in the future , Shugerman argues : The lawsuits may prove to be the best way to legitimize President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory and draw to a close years of bogus complaints about voter fraud .
The lack of merit in the legal complaints means they will be dead on arrival in the courts , and while the resounding rejection of Trump ’ s fantasies by judges will not persuade his fiercest loyalists , it will prevent conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bad idea , as a general matter , to object to election law litigation : In two years , or four years — and possibly in two months in Georgia — the shoe may be on the other foot .
It would look hypocritical to condemn the very idea of challenging an election result now , only to turn around and do so in different ( albeit more legitimate ) circumstances .
Ahem .
We already have seen the shoe on the other foot — in Florida ’ s 2000 presidential election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate election .
The media didn ’ t lose its mind over recounts and election challenges in those examples , although it ’ s fair to note that the gaps were much more liable to changing the outcome through those processes in both cases .
( Minnesota ’ s challenges went on for months , in fact . )
Still , the process is exactly the same and just as legitimate , even when the circumstances now make this more futile .
And futile this is .
Georgia ’ s hand recount might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s highly unlikely to produce any meaningful change in the outcome .
“ Two or three weeks ” is a common Trump mantra for putting off accountability , as Allahpundit reminded me this morning , but in this case it ’ s also reality .
States will have to certify their results in roughly that time frame in order to meet the Electoral College ’ s “ safe harbor ” deadline of December 8 .
At that point the election is over , and Donald Trump has to start planning his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s playing the string all the way out , even if he ’ s not playing fully in reality on his chances .
Yeeeeeeeaaaaargh .

Or so Donald Trump told Byron York yesterday. In his Washington Examiner newsletter this morning, York reports on the conversation with the president about the prospects for victory in his election challenges. At best, one can say that Trump has a fairly accurate grasp of the gaps he needs to overcome.
At worst, this is only missing a “yeargh!” from Howard Dean:
“We’re going to win Wisconsin,” he began.”Arizona — it’ll be down to 8,000 votes, and if we can do an audit of the millions of votes, we’ll find 8,000 votes easy. If we can do an audit, we’ll be in good shape there.” “Georgia, we’re going to win,” he continued, “because now we’re down to about 10,000, 11,000 votes, and we have hand counting” — a reference to the coming recount. “Hand counting is the best. To do a spin of the machine doesn’t mean anything. You pick up ten votes. But when you hand count — I think we’re going to win Georgia.” He’ll also win North Carolina, Trump joked, “unless they happen to find a lot of votes. I said, ‘When are they going to put in the new votes in North Carolina? When are they going to find a batch from Charlotte?'” Then there are two more — Michigan and Pennsylvania. “The two big states,” Trump said, before allowing, “They’re all sort of big.” In those two, Trump is pinning his strategy on protesting the exclusion of his campaign’s observers during critical periods of vote counting. “They wouldn’t let our poll watchers and observers watch or observe,” Trump said. “That’s a big thing. They should throw those votes out that went through during those periods of time when [Trump observers] weren’t there. We went to court and the judge ordered [the observers] back, but that was after two days, and millions of votes could have gone through. Millions. And we’re down 50,000.”
That’s actually not what happened in Pennsylvania. That claim about observers being excluded from the ballot count has been repeated ad nauseam, but Trump’s own attorney was forced to admit in court that Republican observers were present during these counts. Note the date on this tweet:
The transcript from one of Trump’s legal challenges is fascinating. The judge trying to get to the bottom of whether they WERE allowed to have observers: Judge : “Are your observers in the counting room?” Trump lawyer: "There's a non-zero number of people in the room.” pic.twitter.com/CU4VbqIfj4 — Man vs Baby (@mattcoyney) November 6, 2020
That’s a week ago, and Trump’s still passing along false allegations about what happened. In that lawsuit, the judge did fix the number of observers to be present from each party during ballot counts, but established that the idea that Republicans got locked out in Pennsylvania is pretty much a myth. This is one reason why any claims of irregularities coming from Trump and his allies have to be taken with a grain of salt until they are made in court and under requirements of good-faith representation. If Trump and his legal team aren’t making such claims in court, there’s really no need to take them seriously. That includes all of the conspiracy theorizing around Dominion, which Trump notably did not include in his conversation with York.
On the rest, Trump’s talking about fairly normal election challenges and contests. As much as people gripe about it, those are part of the electoral process. Recounts, audits, and recanvassing provide checks on errors, although only recanvassing holds much promise on errors of large scale. Candidates are within their rights to hold off on concessions until exhausting the process, and everyone else should respect that, wrote Fordham Law professor Jed Shugerman yesterday at the Washington Post, which York also linked today. That shoe may well be on the other foot in the future, Shugerman argues:
The lawsuits may prove to be the best way to legitimize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and draw to a close years of bogus complaints about voter fraud. The lack of merit in the legal complaints means they will be dead on arrival in the courts, and while the resounding rejection of Trump’s fantasies by judges will not persuade his fiercest loyalists, it will prevent conspiracy theories from spreading. It is also a bad idea, as a general matter, to object to election law litigation: In two years, or four years — and possibly in two months in Georgia — the shoe may be on the other foot. It would look hypocritical to condemn the very idea of challenging an election result now, only to turn around and do so in different (albeit more legitimate) circumstances.
Ahem. We already have seen the shoe on the other foot — in Florida’s 2000 presidential election, and in Minnesota’s 2008 Senate election. The media didn’t lose its mind over recounts and election challenges in those examples, although it’s fair to note that the gaps were much more liable to changing the outcome through those processes in both cases. (Minnesota’s challenges went on for months, in fact.) Still, the process is exactly the same and just as legitimate, even when the circumstances now make this more futile.
And futile this is. Georgia’s hand recount might be the only suspense left, but it’s highly unlikely to produce any meaningful change in the outcome. “Two or three weeks” is a common Trump mantra for putting off accountability, as Allahpundit reminded me this morning, but in this case it’s also reality. States will have to certify their results in roughly that time frame in order to meet the Electoral College’s “safe harbor” deadline of December 8. At that point the election is over, and Donald Trump has to start planning his post-presidential life. For right now, he’s playing the string all the way out, even if he’s not playing fully in reality on his chances. Yeeeeeeeaaaaargh.


hotair--2020-11-13--Study: Temperature checks, screening questions ineffective in preventing virus spread

We may as well kick off Friday the 13th with some less than stellar news .
Another of the countermeasures being mandated by governments around the nation to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus may not be doing much to “ flatten the curve ” after all .
Many places , including New York City and Chicago , have declared that stores , restaurants and bars must “ screen ” customers by taking their temperature and asking them some questions about their recent contacts and travels before allowing them entrance .
I ’ ve been through that process at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or two myself .
Right off the bat , I had questions about the efficacy of having government-mandated medical procedures performed by people whose educational background led them to be bartenders and waiters .
( That ’ s not a knock against either profession , by the way . )
I ’ m just saying that if you want your sink repaired , you call a plumber .
But even if the screening is being performed flawlessly , it turns out that we could be wasting our time anyway .
A new study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Medicine strongly suggests that this method of screening is virtually ineffective in far too many cases .
They tracked the testing of almost 2,000 Marine Corps recruits who were entering basic training .
All were given temperature checks and grilled about whether or not they may have come in contact with any infected individuals .
All but a handful of the recruits who went on to test positive after a nasal swab were unaware of having been exposed and had normal body temperatures .
In other words , nearly all of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthy and the screening methods being used only identified a small percentage of them .
( CBS New York ) The discouraging news comes from a just-published study in the New England Journal of Medicine .
Researchers from the Navy and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai tested , followed and quarantined under close supervision nearly 2,000 new Marine Corps recruits before and at the start of basic training .
Few infected recruits had symptoms before a nasal swab test diagnosed them with coronavirus , despite daily temperature and symptom screening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptom screening and temperature checks alone , it ’ s not very effective in finding infected individuals .
All of the infected individuals were found by scheduled tests that were done independent of the presence of symptoms or elevated temperature , ” said Dr. Stuart Sealfon of the Icahn School of Medicine .
These results appear to demonstrate that one of the “ blessings ” of the novel coronavirus is actually something of a curse .
We ’ ve seen repeatedly that the mortality rate for COVID-19 is very low , perhaps less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be dropping .
And among the other 99 % of those who become infected , many are virtually unaffected by the virus , with some shaking it off without even being aware that they had it .
But that appears to be the “ curse ” portion of the situation .
People who experience zero symptoms don ’ t know that they have it so they don ’ t report anything when questioned .
And if the person who exposed them was similarly asymptomatic , they wouldn ’ t know if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was ill .
When you add to that the likelihood that asymptomatic patients probably aren ’ t running a temperature , this entire screening method sort of goes out the window , doesn ’ t it ?
It ’ s starting to feel as if many of these new rituals we ’ re being forced to adopt in response to the pandemic are actually little more than feel-good measures intended to bolster people ’ s confidence without really delivering much in the way of effectively combatting the disease .
The same can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC admits that cloth facemasks are of limited use and will only prevent transmission in a relatively low number of instances .
Sure , it ’ s easy enough for some of you to say , ‘ but these policies will at least catch some of the people who are infected , so that ’ s better than nothing , right ?
’ I ’ m not so sure about that .
The temperature checks and screening questions are generally being used at places where larger numbers of people are gathering or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re only catching half of the infected people ?
It really only takes one person in a crowded environment to kick off a sizable spike .
I ’ m not saying that people shouldn ’ t be free to wear masks and go through screening if they believe it ’ s beneficial .
It ’ s just that I worry about government mandates for all of these changes if they ’ re just going to wind up being essentially window-dressing and nothing more .

We may as well kick off Friday the 13th with some less than stellar news. Another of the countermeasures being mandated by governments around the nation to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus may not be doing much to “flatten the curve” after all. Many places, including New York City and Chicago, have declared that stores, restaurants and bars must “screen” customers by taking their temperature and asking them some questions about their recent contacts and travels before allowing them entrance.
I’ve been through that process at least three times in the past month or two myself. Right off the bat, I had questions about the efficacy of having government-mandated medical procedures performed by people whose educational background led them to be bartenders and waiters. (That’s not a knock against either profession, by the way.) I’m just saying that if you want your sink repaired, you call a plumber. But even if the screening is being performed flawlessly, it turns out that we could be wasting our time anyway.
A new study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine strongly suggests that this method of screening is virtually ineffective in far too many cases. They tracked the testing of almost 2,000 Marine Corps recruits who were entering basic training. All were given temperature checks and grilled about whether or not they may have come in contact with any infected individuals. All but a handful of the recruits who went on to test positive after a nasal swab were unaware of having been exposed and had normal body temperatures. In other words, nearly all of them were asymptomatic carriers who appeared otherwise quite healthy and the screening methods being used only identified a small percentage of them. (CBS New York)
The discouraging news comes from a just-published study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers from the Navy and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai tested, followed and quarantined under close supervision nearly 2,000 new Marine Corps recruits before and at the start of basic training. Few infected recruits had symptoms before a nasal swab test diagnosed them with coronavirus, despite daily temperature and symptom screening. “This suggests that relying on symptom screening and temperature checks alone, it’s not very effective in finding infected individuals. All of the infected individuals were found by scheduled tests that were done independent of the presence of symptoms or elevated temperature,” said Dr. Stuart Sealfon of the Icahn School of Medicine.
These results appear to demonstrate that one of the “blessings” of the novel coronavirus is actually something of a curse. We’ve seen repeatedly that the mortality rate for COVID-19 is very low, perhaps less than one percent. And it appears to be dropping. And among the other 99% of those who become infected, many are virtually unaffected by the virus, with some shaking it off without even being aware that they had it.
But that appears to be the “curse” portion of the situation. People who experience zero symptoms don’t know that they have it so they don’t report anything when questioned. And if the person who exposed them was similarly asymptomatic, they wouldn’t know if they’d come in contact with anyone who was ill. When you add to that the likelihood that asymptomatic patients probably aren’t running a temperature, this entire screening method sort of goes out the window, doesn’t it?
It’s starting to feel as if many of these new rituals we’re being forced to adopt in response to the pandemic are actually little more than feel-good measures intended to bolster people’s confidence without really delivering much in the way of effectively combatting the disease. The same can probably be said about facemasks. Even the CDC admits that cloth facemasks are of limited use and will only prevent transmission in a relatively low number of instances.
Sure, it’s easy enough for some of you to say, ‘but these policies will at least catch some of the people who are infected, so that’s better than nothing, right?’ I’m not so sure about that. The temperature checks and screening questions are generally being used at places where larger numbers of people are gathering or going in and out. What if you’re only catching half of the infected people? It really only takes one person in a crowded environment to kick off a sizable spike. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t be free to wear masks and go through screening if they believe it’s beneficial. It’s just that I worry about government mandates for all of these changes if they’re just going to wind up being essentially window-dressing and nothing more.


hotair--2020-11-12--Alton Brown revealed he is a Republican voter, then a weird implosion happened

Food Network star Alton Brown is a long-time Republican voter .
Brown admitted he is a Republican voter and many of his fans on social media reacted the way you would expect – they went nuts .
Then , as the vitriol swirled around the internet , Brown went further .
He made a strange reference to the Holocaust for which he has now apologized .
For reasons unknown , Alton Brown decided to tell the world that he is a Republican on Monday via a tweet .
The presidential election and the continuing vote counting seems to have broken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has abided by his own personal mantra – shut up and cook .
He rightly says that Americans don ’ t want to hear about politics from entertainers and that includes cooking channel stars .
Then he went and stepped all over himself .
He is angry that Republicans are falling in line to support all the votes to be counted before declaring a presidential election winner .
While he was silent on politics in the past , he did dip a toe into the pool in 2012 when he tweeted , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When asked by fans for whom he cast his vote , he refused to say .
On November 9 , Brown posted a tweet that sparked outrage from the woke mob on Twitter .
He must now be canceled .
I would show you the tweet but it , along with others , has now been deleted from Brown ’ s Twitter account .
Apparently Alton Brown is a conservative and a Republican voter but he ’ s not much of a Trump fan .
He hasn ’ t publicly been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now coming out with some political tweets , but that appears to be the center of his frustration .
The blowback for immediate .
How dare he out himself as a Republican .
Clearly , that is the devil ’ s party , certainly the bad Orange Man ’ s party .
You get the picture .
Republicans are bad and ignorant .
Brown also tweeted his frustration with the two Republicans in run-off elections now in Georgia , where he lives .
Alton Brown didn ’ t just let it go , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next night and expressed his worries about the direction America is going because of the level of divisiveness toward people of different political parties , or something .
In a moment of very bad judgment , Alton Brown compared the Twitter mob ’ s intolerance for conservatives , even those who don ’ t particularly like Trump , to concentration camps and the Holocaust .
He was trying to sound an alarm that this is the kind of extreme behavior that can lead to extreme consequences , I think , but no reference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acceptable .
Why do people keep having to learn this lesson ?
Though Brown stepped in it again the next evening by tweeting out “ flippant ” remarks about the holocaust .
Apparently seeing the backlash and vitriol launched by the left against conservatives , the culinary expert quipped about the uniforms he might be wearing when put into a camp .
He asked his followers , “ Do you think the camp uniforms will be striped , like the ones at Auschwitz , or will plaid be in vogue ?
” https @ @ @ @ @ @ @ user played along , telling him that the quality of his uniform will be dependent on his worth going into the camp , to which Brown responded , “ I have no gold fillings.
” Uh oh .
Another Holocaust quip ?
Into the gulag you go .
More annoyed users lashed out at Brown ’ s Holocaust-exploitative , gallows humor , prompting him to delete his tweet about uniforms , though the “ gold fillings ” tweet is still up .
And , just like that , the apology from Brown was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flippant ” about a historical ethnic cleansing of Jews .
The whole episode is just very odd .
Was it an alcohol-fused implosion ?
Some tweets that remain on his Twitter feed refer to his being drunk and an Election Night steak dinner .
You be the judge : We ’ ll see how long if at all , this fury against him lasts .
It isn ’ t a complete surprise that he is a conservative , though .
In 2016 , when it was not clear if he voted for Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about him in the New York Times .
He was promoting his eighth book , a personal kind of book , as opposed to one of his regular cookbooks .
Brown has a reputation as a private person .
He isn ’ t like the late Anthony Bourdain , for example , who just let it rip about his personal history for television viewers and those who read his books .
The book , “ EveryDayCook : This Time It ’ s Personal , ” is his eighth , but the first in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peek behind his curtain , at the ways he cooks and eats at home .
Peeks don ’ t come easy for Mr. Brown , who has always been more of a controlled showman than a freewheeling chef .
Alton Brown is an outlier among food celebrities .
He is a private , politically conservative Southerner who sometimes carries a Bible and a firearm .
He is a pilot and a devoted student of film .
He is the opposite of cuddly .
And he is probably much smarter than you .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be one of those bitter clingers that Obama talked about .

Food Network star Alton Brown is a long-time Republican voter. Brown admitted he is a Republican voter and many of his fans on social media reacted the way you would expect – they went nuts. Then, as the vitriol swirled around the internet, Brown went further. He made a strange reference to the Holocaust for which he has now apologized.
For reasons unknown, Alton Brown decided to tell the world that he is a Republican on Monday via a tweet. The presidential election and the continuing vote counting seems to have broken him. Up until now, Brown has abided by his own personal mantra – shut up and cook. He rightly says that Americans don’t want to hear about politics from entertainers and that includes cooking channel stars. Then he went and stepped all over himself. He is angry that Republicans are falling in line to support all the votes to be counted before declaring a presidential election winner.
While he was silent on politics in the past, he did dip a toe into the pool in 2012 when he tweeted, “Vote cast.” That was the tweet. When asked by fans for whom he cast his vote, he refused to say.
On November 9, Brown posted a tweet that sparked outrage from the woke mob on Twitter. He must now be canceled.
“I have voted Republican most of my life,” Brown tweeted. “I consider myself a conservative. I want to believe there are still ‘very fine’ people on both sides of the aisle but…if #GOP leaders don’t get their collective noses out of that man’s a**, we’re gonna have words.”
I would show you the tweet but it, along with others, has now been deleted from Brown’s Twitter account. Apparently Alton Brown is a conservative and a Republican voter but he’s not much of a Trump fan. He hasn’t publicly been a Never Trumper, as he is only now coming out with some political tweets, but that appears to be the center of his frustration. The blowback for immediate. How dare he out himself as a Republican. Clearly, that is the devil’s party, certainly the bad Orange Man’s party.
There are no good Republicans, only greedy shits and the people they lie to — jon rosenberg🕺🌯 (@jonrosenberg) November 10, 2020
but, but…they don't believe in science. how can you vote R? — Adrianna Adarme (@acozykitchen) November 10, 2020
You get the picture. Republicans are bad and ignorant.
Brown also tweeted his frustration with the two Republicans in run-off elections now in Georgia, where he lives.
My family has been in Georgia for at least 5 generations. I own multiple businesses in Ga. I employ Georgians. My home is Georgia. And my senators are embarrassing me and the state they are supposed to represent. @sendavidperdue and @SenatorLoeffler I am talking g to you.
Alton Brown didn’t just let it go, though. He decided to continue the next night and expressed his worries about the direction America is going because of the level of divisiveness toward people of different political parties, or something. In a moment of very bad judgment, Alton Brown compared the Twitter mob’s intolerance for conservatives, even those who don’t particularly like Trump, to concentration camps and the Holocaust. He was trying to sound an alarm that this is the kind of extreme behavior that can lead to extreme consequences, I think, but no reference lightly made about the Holocaust is ever acceptable. Why do people keep having to learn this lesson?
Though Brown stepped in it again the next evening by tweeting out “flippant” remarks about the holocaust. Apparently seeing the backlash and vitriol launched by the left against conservatives, the culinary expert quipped about the uniforms he might be wearing when put into a camp. He asked his followers, “Do you think the camp uniforms will be striped, like the ones at Auschwitz, or will plaid be in vogue?”
https://hotair.com/wp/wp-admin/admin.php?page=jetpack#/apps
One user played along, telling him that the quality of his uniform will be dependent on his worth going into the camp, to which Brown responded, “I have no gold fillings.” Uh oh. Another Holocaust quip? Into the gulag you go. More annoyed users lashed out at Brown’s Holocaust-exploitative, gallows humor, prompting him to delete his tweet about uniforms, though the “gold fillings” tweet is still up.
And, just like that, the apology from Brown was posted. He apologized for being “flippant” about a historical ethnic cleansing of Jews.
I apologize for the flippant reference I made to the Holocaust in my tweet last night. It was not a reference I made for humorous effect but rather to reflect how deeply frightened I am for our country. It was a very poor use of judgement and in poor taste. — Alton Brown (@altonbrown) November 11, 2020
The whole episode is just very odd. Was it an alcohol-fused implosion? Some tweets that remain on his Twitter feed refer to his being drunk and an Election Night steak dinner. You be the judge:
#QuarantineQuitchen: Election Night Edition, brought to you by steak, smoke, and…what else…liquor. Check out the highlights below or catch the full show here: https://t.co/KIBEEtNJk7 pic.twitter.com/6XekBWH3Fj — Alton Brown (@altonbrown) November 5, 2020
We’ll see how long if at all, this fury against him lasts. It isn’t a complete surprise that he is a conservative, though. In 2016, when it was not clear if he voted for Trump or not, an article was published about him in the New York Times. He was promoting his eighth book, a personal kind of book, as opposed to one of his regular cookbooks. Brown has a reputation as a private person. He isn’t like the late Anthony Bourdain, for example, who just let it rip about his personal history for television viewers and those who read his books.
The book, “EveryDayCook: This Time It’s Personal,” is his eighth, but the first in which he offers at least a small peek behind his curtain, at the ways he cooks and eats at home. Peeks don’t come easy for Mr. Brown, who has always been more of a controlled showman than a freewheeling chef. Alton Brown is an outlier among food celebrities. He is a private, politically conservative Southerner who sometimes carries a Bible and a firearm. He is a pilot and a devoted student of film. He is the opposite of cuddly. And he is probably much smarter than you.
A Bible and a firearm. He must be one of those bitter clingers that Obama talked about.


hotair--2020-11-13--Trump almost refers to "the Biden administration" in Rose Garden vaccine remarks

The good news is that he was on message this afternoon , properly keeping the focus on the amazing vaccine breakthrough from Pfizer earlier this week .
And he ’ s fully entitled to take a bow for the role of Operation Warp Speed in accelerating vaccine production .
Although that program didn ’ t provide research money to Pfizer , it did pledge nearly $ 2 billion to purchase 100 million doses of the company ’ s product .
And of course it also provided research money to other biotech firms working on vaccines right now , any one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pfizer ’ s and could potentially be easier to distribute .
( Pfizer ’ s product requires two doses and needs to remain in a deep freeze before being administered . )
Without question , Operation Warp Speed is Trump ’ s biggest pandemic-related success .
He deserves a victory lap for it .
And for once he didn ’ t foolishly step on his point by ranting about Dominion software or the “ medical deep state ” or whatever .
The part of his remarks that ’ s getting the most buzz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he seemed to come shockingly close to acknowledging Biden ’ s victory .
My administration won ’ t order another lockdown , he says , and hopefully the , uhhhhh… … ” Biden administration won ’ t order one either ” ?
I think that ’ s where he was headed .
But he steered away from a crash just in time .
The Biden administration will not , in fact , be ordering a lockdown either .
That ’ s mainly because they lack the legal authority to do so ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ police powers ” related to public health .
But Team Joe also seems to grasp that a sustained lockdown would be both widely unpopular and economically ruinous , which is why they ’ re running away today from what Biden science advisor Michael Osterholm said recently about needing to lock down for four to six weeks .
Even Osterholm is backing off of that , in fact .
While speaking to NBC News on Thursday , he clarified his comments saying “ it was not a recommendation .
I have never made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ ve never talked about it.
” … Two fellow members of Biden ’ s COVID-19 advisory board , Dr. Celine Gounder and Dr. Vivek Murthy expressed opposing views to Osterholm ’ s comments on Friday .
While speaking with CNBC ’ s Squawk Box , Gounder said , “ As a group , really the consensus is that we need a more nuanced approach , ” while noting that a nationwide lockdown is “ not the opinion ” of the advisory board… Murthy , who previously served as a U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Good Morning America on Friday and made similar comments , saying , “ We ’ re not in a place where we ’ re saying , shut the whole country down.
” Murthy added , “ The way we should be thinking about this is more like a series of restrictions that we dial up or down depending on how bad the spread is taking place in a specific region.
” Here ’ s the real news from today ’ s presser from the head of Warp Speed .
Twenty million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : God willing that ’ ll happen , and if it does it would cover every doctor and nurse in the U.S. with plenty left over for front-line workers and other vulnerable people .
A lot of chains of transmission that would otherwise kill people in January and February will start breaking if that vaccine rolls out in December .
But we shouldn ’ t get our hopes up too high .
Distribution will take time , especially given the complications presented by the cold storage needed for Pfizer ’ s vaccine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ required , that means very few people will have been fully immunized by New Year ’ s .
And for what it ’ s worth , Pfizer announced on Monday that “ Based on current projections we expect to produce globally up to 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.
” If they ’ ll have 50 million doses by year ’ s end , that ’ ll mean 25 million people in all can be fully vaccinated ; and if that ’ s their target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them will be Americans .
I think the claim of vaccinating 20 million Americans depends on Pfizer *and* Moderna having their vaccines approved soon , with some people getting the first company ’ s product and some getting the second ’ s .
Here ’ s hoping .

The good news is that he was on message this afternoon, properly keeping the focus on the amazing vaccine breakthrough from Pfizer earlier this week. And he’s fully entitled to take a bow for the role of Operation Warp Speed in accelerating vaccine production. Although that program didn’t provide research money to Pfizer, it did pledge nearly $2 billion to purchase 100 million doses of the company’s product. And of course it also provided research money to other biotech firms working on vaccines right now, any one of which might prove more effective than Pfizer’s and could potentially be easier to distribute. (Pfizer’s product requires two doses and needs to remain in a deep freeze before being administered.)
Without question, Operation Warp Speed is Trump’s biggest pandemic-related success. He deserves a victory lap for it. And for once he didn’t foolishly step on his point by ranting about Dominion software or the “medical deep state” or whatever.
The part of his remarks that’s getting the most buzz, though, is this short bit when he seemed to come shockingly close to acknowledging Biden’s victory. My administration won’t order another lockdown, he says, and hopefully the, uhhhhh…
…”Biden administration won’t order one either”? I think that’s where he was headed. But he steered away from a crash just in time.
Trump: This Administration will not be going to a lockdown. Hopefully the uhh whatever happens in the future who knows which Administration will be, time will tell pic.twitter.com/q2GwwHHAYO — Acyn (@Acyn) November 13, 2020
The Biden administration will not, in fact, be ordering a lockdown either. That’s mainly because they lack the legal authority to do so; governors, not the president, exercise “police powers” related to public health. But Team Joe also seems to grasp that a sustained lockdown would be both widely unpopular and economically ruinous, which is why they’re running away today from what Biden science advisor Michael Osterholm said recently about needing to lock down for four to six weeks. Even Osterholm is backing off of that, in fact.
While speaking to NBC News on Thursday, he clarified his comments saying “it was not a recommendation. I have never made this recommendation to Biden’s group. We’ve never talked about it.”… Two fellow members of Biden’s COVID-19 advisory board, Dr. Celine Gounder and Dr. Vivek Murthy expressed opposing views to Osterholm’s comments on Friday. While speaking with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Gounder said, “As a group, really the consensus is that we need a more nuanced approach,” while noting that a nationwide lockdown is “not the opinion” of the advisory board… Murthy, who previously served as a U.S. Surgeon General, spoke to ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday and made similar comments, saying, “We’re not in a place where we’re saying, shut the whole country down.” Murthy added, “The way we should be thinking about this is more like a series of restrictions that we dial up or down depending on how bad the spread is taking place in a specific region.”
Here’s the real news from today’s presser from the head of Warp Speed. Twenty million Americans vaccinated — next month? Hopefully:
Moncef Slaoui, the head of Operation Warp Speed, said today that Covid-19 vaccinations are likely to start in December with 20 million doses pic.twitter.com/NcgJpX9516 — POLITICO (@politico) November 13, 2020
God willing that’ll happen, and if it does it would cover every doctor and nurse in the U.S. with plenty left over for front-line workers and other vulnerable people. A lot of chains of transmission that would otherwise kill people in January and February will start breaking if that vaccine rolls out in December. But we shouldn’t get our hopes up too high. Distribution will take time, especially given the complications presented by the cold storage needed for Pfizer’s vaccine. If two doses a month apart are required, that means very few people will have been fully immunized by New Year’s. And for what it’s worth, Pfizer announced on Monday that “Based on current projections we expect to produce globally up to 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.” If they’ll have 50 million doses by year’s end, that’ll mean 25 million people in all can be fully vaccinated; and if that’s their target *globally* then it means not all of them will be Americans. I think the claim of vaccinating 20 million Americans depends on Pfizer *and* Moderna having their vaccines approved soon, with some people getting the first company’s product and some getting the second’s. Here’s hoping.


hotair--2020-11-13--Marquise Love gets 20 months for assault and rioting

You probably remember Marquise Love even if you don ’ t remember his name .
Back in August he was filmed kicking Adam Haner in the face from behind so hard that Haner was knocked unconscious in the street .
This happened in Portland in the context of nightly BLM protests : Love eventually turned himself in and wound up pleading guilty to assault .
Earlier this week he was sentenced : A 26-year-old man was sentenced to prison Monday after pleading guilty to third-degree assault and felony riot , according to the Multnomah County District Attorney ’ s Office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 months in prison after “ months of pretrial negotiations and a judicial settlement conference , ” according to the district attorney ’ s office .
Love admitted that he was helped by another person to cause physical injury to the victim , identified as Adam Haner , and “ that he and others engaged in tumultuous and violent conduct and created a grave risk of causing public alarm.
” Once he has served his time , Love will also have three years of probation , violation of which could send him back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In case you ’ ve forgotten some of the details of this case , Love was part of a small group of people who came directly from a BLM protest that was taking place that night .
Speakers at the protest had endorsed violence .
Love and others began harassing people on the street including a trans homeless person who was robbed .
Adam Haner happened to be getting a drink at 7-11 when this was happening .
He did his best to intervene between the homeless person and Love .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
Haner would later say , “ Their whole chaos came right at me instead of the person they were trying to aim it at.
” Haner got in his truck and left but Love ’ s group was still angry and accused him of trying to run over people with his truck ( which wasn ’ t true ) .
They chased him through the streets and suddenly Haner ’ s power steering went out and he crashed into a tree when trying to make a turn .
Love and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the truck and began beating him in the street .
After the assault , Haner received stiches in the hospital .
His girlfriend expressed anger over what happened but Haner did not , saying he hoped Love would learn something : “ I ’ m not seeking vengeance .
I hope he learns something from what happened .
I wasn ’ t the enemy , I ’ ll tell you that .
I was just the guy standing there and I was white , evidently.
” Here ’ s video of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Love and his group turned on Haner .
Lots of NSFW languange here .
All of this took place just two weeks before an Anitfa supporter who attended multiple protests/riots murdered a man on the street in Portland .

You probably remember Marquise Love even if you don’t remember his name. Back in August he was filmed kicking Adam Haner in the face from behind so hard that Haner was knocked unconscious in the street. This happened in Portland in the context of nightly BLM protests:
The man was kicked and knocked unconscious in the street. #antifa medics arrive to help. pic.twitter.com/JuBmSShAyC — Kalen From Scriberr (@FromKalen) August 17, 2020
Love eventually turned himself in and wound up pleading guilty to assault. Earlier this week he was sentenced:
A 26-year-old man was sentenced to prison Monday after pleading guilty to third-degree assault and felony riot, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. Marquise Lee Love was sentenced to 20 months in prison after “months of pretrial negotiations and a judicial settlement conference,” according to the district attorney’s office. Love admitted that he was helped by another person to cause physical injury to the victim, identified as Adam Haner, and “that he and others engaged in tumultuous and violent conduct and created a grave risk of causing public alarm.”
Once he has served his time, Love will also have three years of probation, violation of which could send him back to prison for another 20 months.
In case you’ve forgotten some of the details of this case, Love was part of a small group of people who came directly from a BLM protest that was taking place that night. Speakers at the protest had endorsed violence. Love and others began harassing people on the street including a trans homeless person who was robbed.
Adam Haner happened to be getting a drink at 7-11 when this was happening. He did his best to intervene between the homeless person and Love. That’s when the violent group turned on him. Haner would later say, “Their whole chaos came right at me instead of the person they were trying to aim it at.”
Haner got in his truck and left but Love’s group was still angry and accused him of trying to run over people with his truck (which wasn’t true). They chased him through the streets and suddenly Haner’s power steering went out and he crashed into a tree when trying to make a turn. Love and others caught up to him, pulled him out of the truck and began beating him in the street.
After the assault, Haner received stiches in the hospital. His girlfriend expressed anger over what happened but Haner did not, saying he hoped Love would learn something: “I’m not seeking vengeance. I hope he learns something from what happened. I wasn’t the enemy, I’ll tell you that. I was just the guy standing there and I was white, evidently.”
Here’s video of what led up to the moment when Love and his group turned on Haner. Lots of NSFW languange here. All of this took place just two weeks before an Anitfa supporter who attended multiple protests/riots murdered a man on the street in Portland.


hotair--2020-11-13--Obama slams Republicans "who know better" than to support Trump's voter fraud accusations

Barack Obama has a new book coming out .
Obama is promoting “ A Promised Land ” described as Obama ’ s first volume of his presidential memoirs in an interview taped for 60 Minutes .
The interview is set to air on CBS during its Sunday night broadcast .
He will also be interviewed for CBS Sunday Morning .
To the surprise of no one , he is only too happy to slam President Trump and his supporters in the GOP .
Gayle King , Oprah ’ s bff and CBS This Morning co-host , interviews him for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 60 Minutes .
During the interview with King , Obama slams Republicans for listening to talk radio and Fox News .
He says because of those outlets , Trump voters believe the president ’ s claims of voter fraud .
Then he said that Republican lawmakers who support Trump ’ s claims are disingenuous as they didn ’ t make these claims immediately after Election Day .
“ They obviously didn ’ t think there was any fraud going on because they didn ’ t say anything about it for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ King for “ CBS Sunday Morning.
” “ But there ’ s damage to this because what happens is that the peaceful transfer of power , the notion that any of us who attain an elected office , whether it ’ s dogcatcher or president , are servants of the people .
It ’ s a temporary job.
” Speaking to King , the former world leader said presidents are “ not above the rules.
” “ We ’ re not above the law , that ’ s the essence of our democracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preview for “ CBS This Morning , ” Mr. Obama reflected on the start of his own administration and how his experience was different from the circumstances the current presidential transition .
“ When Donald Trump won , I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning and I then called Donald Trump to congratulate him .
His margin of victory over Hillary Clinton wasn ’ t greater than Joe Biden ’ s margin over him , ” he said .
He continued : “ But if you are listening to some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to , if you ’ re watching Fox News , if you ’ re getting these tweets , those allegations are presented as facts .
So you ’ ve got millions of people out there who think , ‘ Oh yeah , there must be cheating because the president said so . '
” While Obama is saying how great he is to have congratulated Trump in the wee morning hours after the 2016 election results were called , he also takes the opportunity in his response to trash conservatives over Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to boycott while president , at least for a while .
He was so partisan against Fox that he kicked one of its reporters off Air Force One .
The rest of the White House beat reporters objected and he finally allowed Fox back on the presidential jet .
Actions like this make Obama ’ s grousing about Trump ’ s behavior when he goes outside of the norms a bit much to accept .
Obama frequently exhibited petty behavior ( “ I won , John.
” ) and is so lacking of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his behavior helped pave the way for a Trump administration .
I do think he understands , by the way , I think he just doesn ’ t care .
His narcissism rivals Trump ’ s .
President Trump is entitled to pursue his options on vote counting .
There may not be voting fraud in big enough numbers to change the election results but to deny widespread voter fraud , in general , is just a lie .
There is always voter fraud in elections , however small it may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump isn ’ t totally off base in saying so .
The 2020 election has a whole new layer of problems because of the massive use of mail-in ballots .
There sure looks like some serious ballot harvesting was going on in some locations .
I would argue that it strengthens our constitutional republic to let the process play out instead of pointing a finger at Trump and accusing him of having “ no legal basis ” to question the results .
In the 60 Minutes interview Obama says he is troubled by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with ” President Donald Trump ’ s “ baseless ” accusations of widespread voter fraud .
He accuses Trump of going “ one more step in delegitimizing not just the incoming Biden administration , but democracy generally.
” He says it puts the U.S. on a “ dangerous path.
” My , my .
That is quite a charge .
I thought the election of Joe Biden saved democracy , and the world in general , for that matter .
Democrats have repeatedly accused President Trump of destroying democracy for the past four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans for the entire Trump term in office .
Barack Obama likes to talk about Trump as a president who acts unpresidential .
Obama , and his wife , however , violate the traditional behavior of past presidents over and over .
Both have remained on the stage and vocally criticized the current president .
Past presidents usually go off and pursue personal interests while saying we have one president at a time .
Spare us the lectures on civility and decorum .
Just a few days ago , Michelle Obama congratulated Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received 75 million votes , the most of any presidential candidate .
President Trump , though , received the second-highest number with more than 70 million votes .
The country is divided along party lines .
The Obama administration had a role in the evolution of that divisiveness .
He promised hope and change but the change he delivered was on a partisan basis .
Obamacare , his signature legacy item , was rammed through on a solely partisan vote .
Obama doesn ’ t get to be the wise elder who bloviates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Obama even hit the campaign trail to get out the black vote for Biden , though past presidents refrain from becoming involved in presidential campaigns .
The new book from Obama is more than 700 pages .
It is part one of his presidential memoirs .
Obama would do well to try to show a bit more restraint in interviews and public statements instead of slamming Republicans .
If he wants to complain about presidential behavior , he should listen to his own remarks .
Obama should lead by example .
Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Voter fraud does exist .
Trump is entitled to pursue his options and his supporters , whether in elected office or not , are entitled to show that support without disparaging words from a former president who should know better .
Be Best , Barack .

Barack Obama has a new book coming out. Obama is promoting “A Promised Land” described as Obama’s first volume of his presidential memoirs in an interview taped for 60 Minutes. The interview is set to air on CBS during its Sunday night broadcast. He will also be interviewed for CBS Sunday Morning. To the surprise of no one, he is only too happy to slam President Trump and his supporters in the GOP.
Gayle King, Oprah’s bff and CBS This Morning co-host, interviews him for the morning show and Scott Pelley interviews him for 60 Minutes. During the interview with King, Obama slams Republicans for listening to talk radio and Fox News. He says because of those outlets, Trump voters believe the president’s claims of voter fraud. Then he said that Republican lawmakers who support Trump’s claims are disingenuous as they didn’t make these claims immediately after Election Day.
“They obviously didn’t think there was any fraud going on because they didn’t say anything about it for the first two days,” he told Gayle King for “CBS Sunday Morning.” “But there’s damage to this because what happens is that the peaceful transfer of power, the notion that any of us who attain an elected office, whether it’s dogcatcher or president, are servants of the people. It’s a temporary job.” Speaking to King, the former world leader said presidents are “not above the rules.” “We’re not above the law, that’s the essence of our democracy,” he said. In a preview for “CBS This Morning,” Mr. Obama reflected on the start of his own administration and how his experience was different from the circumstances the current presidential transition. “When Donald Trump won, I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning and I then called Donald Trump to congratulate him. His margin of victory over Hillary Clinton wasn’t greater than Joe Biden’s margin over him,” he said. He continued: “But if you are listening to some of the talk radio that Trump voters are listening to, if you’re watching Fox News, if you’re getting these tweets, those allegations are presented as facts. So you’ve got millions of people out there who think, ‘Oh yeah, there must be cheating because the president said so.'”
While Obama is saying how great he is to have congratulated Trump in the wee morning hours after the 2016 election results were called, he also takes the opportunity in his response to trash conservatives over Fox News, the network he told his staff to boycott while president, at least for a while. He was so partisan against Fox that he kicked one of its reporters off Air Force One. The rest of the White House beat reporters objected and he finally allowed Fox back on the presidential jet. Actions like this make Obama’s grousing about Trump’s behavior when he goes outside of the norms a bit much to accept. Obama frequently exhibited petty behavior (“I won, John.”) and is so lacking of self-awareness that he doesn’t understand that his behavior helped pave the way for a Trump administration. I do think he understands, by the way, I think he just doesn’t care. His narcissism rivals Trump’s.
President Trump is entitled to pursue his options on vote counting. There may not be voting fraud in big enough numbers to change the election results but to deny widespread voter fraud, in general, is just a lie. There is always voter fraud in elections, however small it may be, but it’s there. Trump isn’t totally off base in saying so. The 2020 election has a whole new layer of problems because of the massive use of mail-in ballots. There sure looks like some serious ballot harvesting was going on in some locations. I would argue that it strengthens our constitutional republic to let the process play out instead of pointing a finger at Trump and accusing him of having “no legal basis” to question the results.
In the 60 Minutes interview Obama says he is troubled by Republican officials who are “going along with” President Donald Trump’s “baseless” accusations of widespread voter fraud. He accuses Trump of going “one more step in delegitimizing not just the incoming Biden administration, but democracy generally.” He says it puts the U.S. on a “dangerous path.” My, my. That is quite a charge. I thought the election of Joe Biden saved democracy, and the world in general, for that matter. Democrats have repeatedly accused President Trump of destroying democracy for the past four years. Democrats have engaged in gaslighting Americans for the entire Trump term in office.
Barack Obama likes to talk about Trump as a president who acts unpresidential. Obama, and his wife, however, violate the traditional behavior of past presidents over and over. Both have remained on the stage and vocally criticized the current president. Past presidents usually go off and pursue personal interests while saying we have one president at a time. Spare us the lectures on civility and decorum. Just a few days ago, Michelle Obama congratulated Biden by trashing GOP voters.
Joe Biden received 75 million votes, the most of any presidential candidate. President Trump, though, received the second-highest number with more than 70 million votes. The country is divided along party lines. The Obama administration had a role in the evolution of that divisiveness. He promised hope and change but the change he delivered was on a partisan basis. Obamacare, his signature legacy item, was rammed through on a solely partisan vote. Obama doesn’t get to be the wise elder who bloviates about unity and seeking our better angels. Obama even hit the campaign trail to get out the black vote for Biden, though past presidents refrain from becoming involved in presidential campaigns.
The new book from Obama is more than 700 pages. It is part one of his presidential memoirs. Obama would do well to try to show a bit more restraint in interviews and public statements instead of slamming Republicans. If he wants to complain about presidential behavior, he should listen to his own remarks. Obama should lead by example. Our election process isn’t perfect. Voter fraud does exist. Trump is entitled to pursue his options and his supporters, whether in elected office or not, are entitled to show that support without disparaging words from a former president who should know better. Be Best, Barack.


hotair--2020-11-13--Disgrace: House holding dinner for new members -- indoors -- while urging public to sacrifice Thanks

Disgrace: House holding dinner for new members -- indoors -- while urging public to sacrifice Thanksgiving; Update: Event "modified"

I thought nothing would top Gavin Newsom flouting his own COVID protocols to go clink wine glasses with his buddies at the French Laundry .
But it ’ s 2020 , and you know the rule : Things can always get worse .
And will .
The outrage being expressed at the photo below on Twitter this afternoon is deeply bitter and bipartisan .
It ’ s a bona fide “ let them eat cake ” moment , revealing that our leaders believe the sacrifices to be made in the name of defeating COVID should be made by the dirty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t miss the forest for the trees , though .
The most disgraceful thing about this photo isn ’ t the health risk this dinner will create .
Looks like the sort of barely “ distanced ” wedding reception that might get you fined or arrested in a lot of American states right now for violating indoor capacity limits .
Again , the proper target of the outrage isn ’ t that they ’ re flouting safety protocols , although of course that ’ s plenty outrageous .
The proper target is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feting each other on a day when American businesses are collapsing because our leaders don ’ t care enough about them to make a stimulus deal .
The situation is grim .
Local news outlets are filled with stories of beloved institutions going under for good as they face a raging winter coronavirus outbreak , the specter of new health restrictions and no sign of federal aid to help carry them over into brighter times when a vaccine may be available .
From a famed New York City barbershop to an influential music @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NBC News audience has shared the names of nearly 200 favorite businesses they ’ ve said goodbye to in recent months .
It ’ s a list that undoubtedly will grow .
But the government isn ’ t moving .
While there ’ s little dispute in Washington that aid is needed , the White House and Democratic and Republican leaders are far from an agreement .
Even though key parts of the last financial stimulus package expired more than three months ago , each side is still holding out for what it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I just sort of saw the writing on the wall , that we weren ’ t going to get any money in the near future , ” [ one owner who recently closed his business ] said .
“ They care more about their election , and they don ’ t realize what ’ s happening in America.
” Our leaders are toilet mold .
Here ’ s one explaining that she felt good about celebrating Biden ’ s win in a crowd last week because , after all , that crowd was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joined in or not .
We could say the same about spending the evening crowded around a bar , no ?
If the bar ’ s open and people are there , they ’ re going to be there whether you show up to drink with them or not .
So why not go ?
“ There are times when we actually do need to have relief and come together , and I felt like that was one of those times , ” says Lightfoot .
Times like … Thanksgiving ?
I wonder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to die in the next few weeks from chains of transmission started by her and her idiot audience because their urge to cut loose was too important to stifle .
Lightfoot , Newsom , Pelosi , Congress : This is the leadership class .
The people who set the policy and *should* have a duty to set an example .
Many of whom fancy themselves devotees of science .
Seriously , though : Don ’ t let the fact that we ’ re led by human garbage lead you to behave as badly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your household , not your extended family .
It ’ s a sacrifice , but right now it ’ s possible given the acceleration in cases that we ’ ll reach 3,000 deaths per day at some point this winter .
9/11 , every single day .
That ’ s not necessarily the upper bound either ; if hospitals are forced to turn people away because they ’ re overcrowded , all bets are off on where this goes .
The situation is already sufficiently dire that Doctors Without Borders is sending people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other western doctors who are deployed abroad to handle crises .
Don ’ t be a Pelosi on Thanksgiving .
Who would want to be so wretched ?
Update : Mediaite has a long round-up of tweets from liberals chiming in on how repulsive this congressional dinner is .
Update : The word “ allow ” is doing a lot of work here .
Does this mean the dinner was canceled and members *had* to get their food to go , or were they permitted to attend the dinner as scheduled if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like it was indeed canceled :

I thought nothing would top Gavin Newsom flouting his own COVID protocols to go clink wine glasses with his buddies at the French Laundry.
But it’s 2020, and you know the rule: Things can always get worse. And will.
The outrage being expressed at the photo below on Twitter this afternoon is deeply bitter and bipartisan. It’s a bona fide “let them eat cake” moment, revealing that our leaders believe the sacrifices to be made in the name of defeating COVID should be made by the dirty rabble, not by Congress.
Don’t miss the forest for the trees, though. The most disgraceful thing about this photo isn’t the health risk this dinner will create.
House Dem and GOP leaders are holding respective dinners for new members. .@SpeakerPelosi told me it’s safe. “It’s very spaced,” she said and there is enhanced ventilation and the Capitol physician signed off. pic.twitter.com/ZXjf72lnrP — Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) November 13, 2020
Looks like the sort of barely “distanced” wedding reception that might get you fined or arrested in a lot of American states right now for violating indoor capacity limits.
Again, the proper target of the outrage isn’t that they’re flouting safety protocols, although of course that’s plenty outrageous. The proper target is the fact that these gutter psychopaths are feting each other on a day when American businesses are collapsing because our leaders don’t care enough about them to make a stimulus deal.
The situation is grim. Local news outlets are filled with stories of beloved institutions going under for good as they face a raging winter coronavirus outbreak, the specter of new health restrictions and no sign of federal aid to help carry them over into brighter times when a vaccine may be available. From a famed New York City barbershop to an influential music venue in Athens, Georgia, the NBC News audience has shared the names of nearly 200 favorite businesses they’ve said goodbye to in recent months. It’s a list that undoubtedly will grow. But the government isn’t moving. While there’s little dispute in Washington that aid is needed, the White House and Democratic and Republican leaders are far from an agreement. Even though key parts of the last financial stimulus package expired more than three months ago, each side is still holding out for what it hopes will be a better deal… “I just sort of saw the writing on the wall, that we weren’t going to get any money in the near future,” [one owner who recently closed his business] said. “They care more about their election, and they don’t realize what’s happening in America.”
Our leaders are toilet mold. Here’s one explaining that she felt good about celebrating Biden’s win in a crowd last week because, after all, that crowd was going to be there celebrating whether she joined in or not. We could say the same about spending the evening crowded around a bar, no? If the bar’s open and people are there, they’re going to be there whether you show up to drink with them or not. So why not go?
.@chicagosmayor Lightfoot defends celebrating Biden’s Election Day in the streets despite her own rules against mass gatherings: "That crowd was gathered whether I was there or not." pic.twitter.com/MR81LnHfa7 — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 13, 2020
“There are times when we actually do need to have relief and come together, and I felt like that was one of those times,” says Lightfoot. Times like … Thanksgiving?
I wonder how many people in Chicago are going to die in the next few weeks from chains of transmission started by her and her idiot audience because their urge to cut loose was too important to stifle.
Lightfoot, Newsom, Pelosi, Congress: This is the leadership class. The people who set the policy and *should* have a duty to set an example. Many of whom fancy themselves devotees of science.
Toilet mold.
Seriously, though: Don’t let the fact that we’re led by human garbage lead you to behave as badly as they do. Have Thanksgiving with your household, not your extended family. It’s a sacrifice, but right now it’s possible given the acceleration in cases that we’ll reach 3,000 deaths per day at some point this winter. 9/11, every single day. That’s not necessarily the upper bound either; if hospitals are forced to turn people away because they’re overcrowded, all bets are off on where this goes. The situation is already sufficiently dire that Doctors Without Borders is sending people here when normally it’s American and other western doctors who are deployed abroad to handle crises. Don’t be a Pelosi on Thanksgiving. Who would want to be so wretched?
CNN's @drsanjaygupta on how bad COVID is in USA rn: "Doctors Without Borders have come to the United States to do their work. They go to the hottest spots in the world, they look at the Earth and say where are we needed? Well, they're needed here in the United States right now." pic.twitter.com/joma1DFOPi — The Recount (@therecount) November 12, 2020
Update: Mediaite has a long round-up of tweets from liberals chiming in on how repulsive this congressional dinner is.
Update: The word “allow” is doing a lot of work here. Does this mean the dinner was canceled and members *had* to get their food to go, or were they permitted to attend the dinner as scheduled if they so chose?
Our office strictly follows the guidance of the Office of Attending Physician, including for this dinner. To be a further model for the nation, this event has been modified to allow Members-elect to pick up their meals to go in a socially-distanced manner. https://t.co/s2pSyUOCbm — Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) November 13, 2020
Update: Sounds like it was indeed canceled:


hotair--2020-11-13--Nearly 9 out of 10 LAPD officers not happy with Police Chief Moore's response to BLM protests

The LA Times reported this week that a survey of LAPD officers found nearly 9 out of 10 of them are not happy with their police chief and 40 % were thinking of leaving .
The reason ?
They feel unsupported and are not happy with the Chief ’ s response to the Black Lives Matter protests : Nearly 9 out of 10 Los Angeles Police Department officers did not feel supported by Chief Michel Moore and did not believe he or other commanders provided strong leadership during recent protests and unrest , according to a summer survey conducted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Moore should resign , accusing him in comments they submitted with the survey of “ cowering ” to Black Lives Matter protesters , “ pandering ” to city politicians and “ not having an organized plan ” during the unrest , the union said .
Nearly 70 % of respondents said the department was unprepared for the protests , which followed the May police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis , and close to 40 % said they were thinking of leaving the force .
One thing in particular that bothered respondents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a knee for protesters .
At the time , Moore was apologizing for comments he had made that looters were as responsible for the death of George Floyd as police officers .
That comment became big news and he was trying to walk it back when he came out and briefly kneeled with protesters .
Still , the rank and file saw it as a case of literally not standing up for police officers who were verbally and sometimes physically under attack .
The dissatisfaction that LAPD officers are feeling appears to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week that more NYPD officers had resigned or retired through the start of October than in all of last year : More than 2,400 police officers have filed paperwork to take their pensions through the first week of October , a new report by the Independent Budget Office found .
Those figures for the first nine months of the year amount to a 25 percent jump over the roughly 2,000 retirements reported for the entirety of 2019 .
Similar jumps in retirement are happening around the country for similar reasons : A survey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 50 largest cities , at least 23 have seen chiefs or line officers resign , retire , or take disability this year .
Nearly 3,700 beat cops have left , a large proportion from the NYPD ( down 7 percent of its officers ) but with big drops in Chicago , Minneapolis , Milwaukee , Atlanta , and elsewhere , too .
The Major Cities Chiefs Association told the Wall Street Journal that 18 of its 69 member executives had retired , resigned , or been fired over the past year… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cite a hostile climate , including the rioting that recently left 30 officers injured in Philadelphia .
In Seattle , those who left ( over 100 this year ) cited fears for their personal safety and the agenda of the “ socialist ” city council as their reason for quitting .
In San Francisco , nearly 30 officers have left because of the attitudes of everyone from homeowners to the homeless : “ It ’ s .
.
.
nice working at a place where everyone isn ’ t mad at you , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Texas , said .
For his part , Chief Moore sent an email to his officers over the weekend promising he would do better .
That might help a little but I get the impression what officers around the country really want is not for their chiefs to apologize in private but to stand up for them in public .
Unless and until that happens , the attrition rate will continue to be high .

The LA Times reported this week that a survey of LAPD officers found nearly 9 out of 10 of them are not happy with their police chief and 40% were thinking of leaving. The reason? They feel unsupported and are not happy with the Chief’s response to the Black Lives Matter protests:
Nearly 9 out of 10 Los Angeles Police Department officers did not feel supported by Chief Michel Moore and did not believe he or other commanders provided strong leadership during recent protests and unrest, according to a summer survey conducted by the officers’ union. Many officers said Moore should resign, accusing him in comments they submitted with the survey of “cowering” to Black Lives Matter protesters, “pandering” to city politicians and “not having an organized plan” during the unrest, the union said. Nearly 70% of respondents said the department was unprepared for the protests, which followed the May police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and close to 40% said they were thinking of leaving the force.
One thing in particular that bothered respondents was Moore’s decision to take a knee for protesters.
However, officers panned the chief for kneeling with protesters — a sign, to them, that he was capitulating to a violent crowd. Many questioned why he did not highlight more of the positives about officers as protests spawned more and more questions about LAPD behavior, the union said.
At the time, Moore was apologizing for comments he had made that looters were as responsible for the death of George Floyd as police officers. That comment became big news and he was trying to walk it back when he came out and briefly kneeled with protesters. Still, the rank and file saw it as a case of literally not standing up for police officers who were verbally and sometimes physically under attack.
The dissatisfaction that LAPD officers are feeling appears to be widespread. The NY Post reported this week that more NYPD officers had resigned or retired through the start of October than in all of last year:
More than 2,400 police officers have filed paperwork to take their pensions through the first week of October, a new report by the Independent Budget Office found. Those figures for the first nine months of the year amount to a 25 percent jump over the roughly 2,000 retirements reported for the entirety of 2019.
Similar jumps in retirement are happening around the country for similar reasons:
A survey of news stories indicates that across America’s 50 largest cities, at least 23 have seen chiefs or line officers resign, retire, or take disability this year. Nearly 3,700 beat cops have left, a large proportion from the NYPD (down 7 percent of its officers) but with big drops in Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and elsewhere, too. The Major Cities Chiefs Association told the Wall Street Journal that 18 of its 69 member executives had retired, resigned, or been fired over the past year… In city after city, departing officers cite a hostile climate, including the rioting that recently left 30 officers injured in Philadelphia. In Seattle, those who left (over 100 this year) cited fears for their personal safety and the agenda of the “socialist” city council as their reason for quitting. In San Francisco, nearly 30 officers have left because of the attitudes of everyone from homeowners to the homeless: “It’s . . . nice working at a place where everyone isn’t mad at you,” one former SFPD officer, now in Texas, said.
For his part, Chief Moore sent an email to his officers over the weekend promising he would do better. That might help a little but I get the impression what officers around the country really want is not for their chiefs to apologize in private but to stand up for them in public. Unless and until that happens, the attrition rate will continue to be high.
Here’s CBS LA’s report on the survey:


hotair--2020-11-13--306-232: News outlets finally call Georgia for Biden, North Carolina for Trump

The networks seem to have waited until the last possible moment before making a projection in GA , when Biden ’ s lead finally exceeded the number of outstanding ballots .
In the end , he flipped five states Trump won in 2016 : Georgia , Arizona , and the “ blue wall ” in the Rust Belt of Pennsylvania , Michigan , and Wisconsin .
And weirdly , that left him with precisely the same margin that Trump finished with against Hillary Clinton , albeit with a different coalition of states .
People on Twitter this afternoon are dredging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his staffers after the 2016 election marveling at what an impressive , decisive victory a 306-232 outcome is .
306 isn ’ t and never was a “ landslide ” but it ’ s a solid , convincing number — especially with a lead of several million in the popular vote , which Trump didn ’ t have in 2016 .
The president may be asked about that when he speaks today at 4 p.m. today in the Rose Garden about Operation Warp Speed and the timeline for a vaccine , which *could* @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he sticks to the topic at hand .
In reality , he ’ s probably going to end up ranting about how the “ medical deep state ” delayed the news about Pfizer ’ s vaccine to hurt his election chances and then claim that Biden ’ s 306 electoral votes isn ’ t impressive at all due to the massive , unprecedented fraud that happened … but which he somehow can ’ t prove in court .
Speaking of which , news from Arizona today : Attorneys for the Trump campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking a court ’ s intervention into the presidential race in Arizona… At a daylong hearing Thursday , Kory Langhofer , an attorney for the Trump campaign , made clear the campaign wasn ’ t alleging any voter fraud but instead claimed some poll workers submitted ballots that had errors that voters weren ’ t given the opportunity to fix .
The number of votes at issue was less than 200 , and Mr. Langhofer said at the close of the hearing that they wouldn ’ t ask election officials to recount those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affect the outcome of the race .
In a filing Friday morning , Mr. Langhofer told the Arizona state court that “ Since the close of yesterday ’ s hearing , the tabulation of votes statewide has rendered unnecessary a judicial ruling as to the presidential electors.
” Martha McSally also finally conceded to Mark Kelly this afternoon , as there just aren ’ t enough outstanding ballots to make up the deficit she ’ s facing .
If I ’ m not mistaken , the Dominion software/ ” Hammer and Scorecard ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-in on over the last few days doesn ’ t implicate AZ ; it ’ s focused mainly on Michigan and Georgia .
That being so , if the campaign isn ’ t alleging voter fraud in Arizona , presumably they ’ re giving up on challenging the result in that state .
Which means , if Trump is still planning to overturn the election somehow , Georgia and Pennsylvania won ’ t be enough to get it done for him .
Turning those two states red would knock Biden down to 270 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority .
Trump would need to put Michigan or Wisconsin back on the board as well if Arizona is lost .
Certain well-known Arizonans took to dunking on him last night after news outlets finally called the state for Biden : There ’ s also news today out of Pennsylvania : I have mixed feelings about that .
When there ’ s a widespread public *perception* that fraud may have occurred , a recount seems like the logical thing to do .
Double-check the ballots in order to boost public confidence in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they could hold 10 recounts and Trump and MAGA Nation still won ’ t accept that he lost the state .
Ordering a recount when he ’ s not within one half of one percent would also amount to creating special rules for Trump just because he was willing to whine disingenuously about cheating louder than most defeated candidates are , which would incentivize others to do so .
And a recount would also buy time for Trump to drag out the transition even longer , which is bad for the country both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing naysayers to remain in denial about the fact that Trump lost .
If the fraud claims are in bad faith such that Pennsylvania will be accused whether it does a recount or not , why do one ?
Especially when Biden ’ s lead is north of 50,000 votes and recounts typically produce shifts of just a few hundred either way .
Trump — and Pennsylvania voters — can still challenge the results in court .
Although that doesn ’ t look promising today either .
Here ’ s the president ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once again doubles down on Dominion : Interestingly , the host of his very favorite show pushed back on the Dominion conspiracy theory on the air this morning , which caught me by surprise .
Maybe this is a little burst of mortar fire in the developing war between Trump and Fox News , with Steve Doocy signaling to the president on behalf of management that if he keeps trying to tear down the network he ’ s going to find that even the most loyal hosts won ’ t show as much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have in the past .
Update : Ah , now he ’ s claiming that the great Dominion conspiracy also includes Arizona — and Nevada .
Might as well toss Wisconsin in too .
Why not all 50 states , in fact ?
Maybe he won California after all .

The networks seem to have waited until the last possible moment before making a projection in GA, when Biden’s lead finally exceeded the number of outstanding ballots. In the end, he flipped five states Trump won in 2016: Georgia, Arizona, and the “blue wall” in the Rust Belt of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
And weirdly, that left him with precisely the same margin that Trump finished with against Hillary Clinton, albeit with a different coalition of states.
People on Twitter this afternoon are dredging up old statements made by Trump or his staffers after the 2016 election marveling at what an impressive, decisive victory a 306-232 outcome is.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1179422987684077568
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1038604758582484993
306 isn’t and never was a “landslide” but it’s a solid, convincing number — especially with a lead of several million in the popular vote, which Trump didn’t have in 2016. The president may be asked about that when he speaks today at 4 p.m. today in the Rose Garden about Operation Warp Speed and the timeline for a vaccine, which *could* be a good photo op for him if he sticks to the topic at hand.
In reality, he’s probably going to end up ranting about how the “medical deep state” delayed the news about Pfizer’s vaccine to hurt his election chances and then claim that Biden’s 306 electoral votes isn’t impressive at all due to the massive, unprecedented fraud that happened … but which he somehow can’t prove in court.
Speaking of which, news from Arizona today:
Attorneys for the Trump campaign said Friday they’re no longer seeking a court’s intervention into the presidential race in Arizona… At a daylong hearing Thursday, Kory Langhofer, an attorney for the Trump campaign, made clear the campaign wasn’t alleging any voter fraud but instead claimed some poll workers submitted ballots that had errors that voters weren’t given the opportunity to fix. The number of votes at issue was less than 200, and Mr. Langhofer said at the close of the hearing that they wouldn’t ask election officials to recount those ballots if they had no ability to affect the outcome of the race. In a filing Friday morning, Mr. Langhofer told the Arizona state court that “Since the close of yesterday’s hearing, the tabulation of votes statewide has rendered unnecessary a judicial ruling as to the presidential electors.”
Martha McSally also finally conceded to Mark Kelly this afternoon, as there just aren’t enough outstanding ballots to make up the deficit she’s facing. If I’m not mistaken, the Dominion software/”Hammer and Scorecard” conspiracy theory that Trump’s gone all-in on over the last few days doesn’t implicate AZ; it’s focused mainly on Michigan and Georgia. That being so, if the campaign isn’t alleging voter fraud in Arizona, presumably they’re giving up on challenging the result in that state. Which means, if Trump is still planning to overturn the election somehow, Georgia and Pennsylvania won’t be enough to get it done for him. Turning those two states red would knock Biden down to 270, a bare majority but still a majority. Trump would need to put Michigan or Wisconsin back on the board as well if Arizona is lost.
Certain well-known Arizonans took to dunking on him last night after news outlets finally called the state for Biden:
In light of tonight’s news…. *sorry I had to, the meme is too funny. pic.twitter.com/lo6xHqCbk0 — Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) November 13, 2020
There’s also news today out of Pennsylvania:
INBOX: Pennsylvania Secretary of State Boockvar "has determined that she will not be ordering a recount and recanvass of the election returns in the counties, as no statewide candidate was defeated by one-half of one percent or less of the votes cast." pic.twitter.com/t6S0GuH2Pu — Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) November 13, 2020
I have mixed feelings about that. When there’s a widespread public *perception* that fraud may have occurred, a recount seems like the logical thing to do. Double-check the ballots in order to boost public confidence in the result. On the other hand, they could hold 10 recounts and Trump and MAGA Nation still won’t accept that he lost the state. Ordering a recount when he’s not within one half of one percent would also amount to creating special rules for Trump just because he was willing to whine disingenuously about cheating louder than most defeated candidates are, which would incentivize others to do so. And a recount would also buy time for Trump to drag out the transition even longer, which is bad for the country both in terms of national security and in allowing naysayers to remain in denial about the fact that Trump lost.
If the fraud claims are in bad faith such that Pennsylvania will be accused whether it does a recount or not, why do one? Especially when Biden’s lead is north of 50,000 votes and recounts typically produce shifts of just a few hundred either way. Trump — and Pennsylvania voters — can still challenge the results in court. Although that doesn’t look promising today either.
Here’s the president’s latest tweet, in which he once again doubles down on Dominion:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1327319294057848832
Interestingly, the host of his very favorite show pushed back on the Dominion conspiracy theory on the air this morning, which caught me by surprise. Maybe this is a little burst of mortar fire in the developing war between Trump and Fox News, with Steve Doocy signaling to the president on behalf of management that if he keeps trying to tear down the network he’s going to find that even the most loyal hosts won’t show as much credulity about the things he says as they have in the past.
Update: Ah, now he’s claiming that the great Dominion conspiracy also includes Arizona — and Nevada. Might as well toss Wisconsin in too. Why not all 50 states, in fact? Maybe he won California after all.


hotair--2020-11-13--In Philadelphia, shootings are up and fewer cases are solved

NBC 10 in Philadelphia published a story yesterday on the rise in violent crime and the decline in solved cases in 2020 .
The reasons for the shift aren ’ t completely clear and probably involve multiple factors including COVID-19 and street protests , but what is clear are the results .
The piece opens with a description of an unsolved , apparently random murder of an 18-year-old that took place on a night of protests at the end of May .
Mouhamed Cisse ’ s murder is one of more than 230 gun homicides this year that remains unsolved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of gun homicides in 2020 .
The clearance rate is even worse when looking at non-fatal shootings , or those in which the victim survives .
Only 16 % of the 1,300 non-fatal shootings this year have been cleared .
Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Ben Naish overseeing investigations , including gun crimes , said police are overwhelmed with the surge in shootings .
He blames COVID-19 and the summer ’ s civil unrest .
“ I think it ’ s fair to say there became this sense of lawlessness , ” Naish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , non-fatal shootings are even less likely to be solved .
That makes no sense given that surviving victims ought to be better able to point police in the direction of suspects .
But the Deputy Commissioner points out that the norms about “ snitching ” mean police often can ’ t solve these crimes unless they have video : “ If we don ’ t have video to show how it happened , we are having a hard time in clearing that.
” Even if police do catch and arrest a suspect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person will get convicted .
Short of having the entire crime on video , convictions usually require testimony , but if no one will talk the cases have to be dropped .
Since District Attorney Larry Krasner took office in 2018 , the percentage of gun crime cases that are either withdrawn or dismissed have gone up from 30 % in 2018 to 40 % in 2020 .
And those numbers are a far drop from 2015 when the dismissal and withdrawal rate was 18 % .
Krasner said shooting cases are tough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reluctant to testify .
Some witnesses simply don ’ t trust the system , he said… Krasner deflected when asked if the low clearance and conviction rate is contributing to the increased gun violence by emboldening shooters .
“ I think our police commissioner is doing the best she can , ” Krasner said .
“ I don ’ t want to say they are emboldened .
But I do want to say that we are ready to shoulder the burden with the police department to solve these cases more quickly.
” You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duck that question but it makes sense that if violent offenders remain on the streets crime is likely to go up .
You ’ re gradually sending a message that there is no accountability for violence .
Just look at these numbers .
If less than a 1/3 of murders result in arrest , charge or prosecution , you ’ re not creating much of a disincentive .

NBC 10 in Philadelphia published a story yesterday on the rise in violent crime and the decline in solved cases in 2020. The reasons for the shift aren’t completely clear and probably involve multiple factors including COVID-19 and street protests, but what is clear are the results. The piece opens with a description of an unsolved, apparently random murder of an 18-year-old that took place on a night of protests at the end of May.
Mouhamed Cisse’s murder is one of more than 230 gun homicides this year that remains unsolved. Police have solved fewer than 30% of gun homicides in 2020. The clearance rate is even worse when looking at non-fatal shootings, or those in which the victim survives. Only 16% of the 1,300 non-fatal shootings this year have been cleared. Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Ben Naish overseeing investigations, including gun crimes, said police are overwhelmed with the surge in shootings. He blames COVID-19 and the summer’s civil unrest. “I think it’s fair to say there became this sense of lawlessness,” Naish said.
As the piece points out, non-fatal shootings are even less likely to be solved. That makes no sense given that surviving victims ought to be better able to point police in the direction of suspects. But the Deputy Commissioner points out that the norms about “snitching” mean police often can’t solve these crimes unless they have video: “If we don’t have video to show how it happened, we are having a hard time in clearing that.”
Even if police do catch and arrest a suspect, that doesn’t mean the person will get convicted. Short of having the entire crime on video, convictions usually require testimony, but if no one will talk the cases have to be dropped.
Since District Attorney Larry Krasner took office in 2018, the percentage of gun crime cases that are either withdrawn or dismissed have gone up from 30% in 2018 to 40% in 2020. And those numbers are a far drop from 2015 when the dismissal and withdrawal rate was 18%. Krasner said shooting cases are tough to prove in court if witnesses are reluctant to testify. Some witnesses simply don’t trust the system, he said… Krasner deflected when asked if the low clearance and conviction rate is contributing to the increased gun violence by emboldening shooters. “I think our police commissioner is doing the best she can,” Krasner said. “I don’t want to say they are emboldened. But I do want to say that we are ready to shoulder the burden with the police department to solve these cases more quickly.”
You can see why he would want to duck that question but it makes sense that if violent offenders remain on the streets crime is likely to go up. You’re gradually sending a message that there is no accountability for violence. Just look at these numbers. If less than a 1/3 of murders result in arrest, charge or prosecution, you’re not creating much of a disincentive.
Here’s NBC 10s report: