hotair--2020-07-24--Lightfoot caves, pulls down Columbus statues to appease protest crowd at her doorstep

Profiles in Courage it ain ’ t .
After word got out that Lori Lightfoot had talked with Donald Trump and agreed to have two hundred federal officers deployed to Chicago , hundreds of protesters gathered in front of her home last night .
Faced with a potential angry mob , Lightfoot reversed her previous position on statues and ordered the removal of Christopher Columbus monuments from city parks : Not all Italian American leaders in Chicago are on board with the decision , but it has received the blessing of some groups , sources said .
By taking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from those who believe she caved to activist demands .
Later Friday morning , the mayor ’ s office released a statement saying that she had both statues “ temporarily removed … until further notice.
” “ This step is about an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our city ’ s symbols , ” the statement said .
“ In addition , our public safety resources must be concentrated where they are most needed throughout the city , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities.
” Lightfoot ’ s abrupt move in the dark of night was an about-face for the mayor , who has opposed taking down statues of the Italian explorer on the grounds that it would be erasing history .
The mayor ’ s office statement Friday morning said that the city would soon announce “ a formal process to assess each of the monuments , memorials , and murals across Chicago ’ s communities , and develop a framework for creating a public dialogue to determine how we elevate our city ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Lightfoot caved — and some alderman are angry about it , Fox ’ s Mike Tobin reported on Fox this morning .
But did it work in appeasing the crowd in front of Lightfoot ’ s house ?
Yes it did , Tobin says … for a few minutes .
After that the crowd went right back to angrily chanting for the city to defund its police department : One alderman told the Chicago Sun-Times that Lightfoot never consulted with alderman on the decision .
A police union representative called Lightfoot a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the middle of the night ” : Ald .
Brian Hopkins ( 2nd ) told the Chicago Sun-Times late Thursday that Lightfoot made “ a unilateral decision ” to remove the statues .
… [ President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 John ] Catanzara showed up at the park after hearing the statue was set to be removed .
Catanzara has recently feuded with Lightfoot after he wrote a letter to President Donald Trump pleading for federal help to address the city ’ s surging gun violence .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinking she can do whatever she wants to do , ” said Catanzara , who is of Italian descent .
“ She ’ s not a dictator .
She ’ s a coward that she wanted to do this in the middle of the night when nobody was paying attention after she said she wasn ’ t going to take the statue down.
” Let ’ s not lose sight of the fact that the protest in front of Lightfoot ’ s mayoral residence wasn ’ t about the statues in the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the statues in the parks where they stood , with violence part of those demonstrations as well .
Lightfoot had refused to take them down at that point .
This demonstration demanded defunding the police , not the removal of the statues , as well as anger over Lightfoot ’ s agreement with Trump on the federal deployment .
In fact , it was almost certainly primarily motivated by the latter .
Rather than stand her ground , Lightfoot threw the Columbus statues and history under the bus .
This decision and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing more than craven appeasement to protect her own position .
“ Coward ” is the correct word for that kind of leader .

Profiles in Courage it ain’t. After word got out that Lori Lightfoot had talked with Donald Trump and agreed to have two hundred federal officers deployed to Chicago, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of her home last night. Faced with a potential angry mob, Lightfoot reversed her previous position on statues and ordered the removal of Christopher Columbus monuments from city parks:
Not all Italian American leaders in Chicago are on board with the decision, but it has received the blessing of some groups, sources said. By taking the statues down, Lightfoot may draw criticism from those who believe she caved to activist demands. Later Friday morning, the mayor’s office released a statement saying that she had both statues “temporarily removed … until further notice.” “This step is about an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our city’s symbols,” the statement said. “In addition, our public safety resources must be concentrated where they are most needed throughout the city, and particularly in our South and West Side communities.” Lightfoot’s abrupt move in the dark of night was an about-face for the mayor, who has opposed taking down statues of the Italian explorer on the grounds that it would be erasing history. The mayor’s office statement Friday morning said that the city would soon announce “a formal process to assess each of the monuments, memorials, and murals across Chicago’s communities, and develop a framework for creating a public dialogue to determine how we elevate our city’s history and diversity.”
In other words, Lightfoot caved — and some alderman are angry about it, Fox’s Mike Tobin reported on Fox this morning. But did it work in appeasing the crowd in front of Lightfoot’s house? Yes it did, Tobin says … for a few minutes. After that the crowd went right back to angrily chanting for the city to defund its police department:
One alderman told the Chicago Sun-Times that Lightfoot never consulted with alderman on the decision. A police union representative called Lightfoot a “coward” for taking action in “the middle of the night”:
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) told the Chicago Sun-Times late Thursday that Lightfoot made “a unilateral decision” to remove the statues. … [President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 John] Catanzara showed up at the park after hearing the statue was set to be removed. Catanzara has recently feuded with Lightfoot after he wrote a letter to President Donald Trump pleading for federal help to address the city’s surging gun violence. “I’m sick of the mayor thinking she can do whatever she wants to do,” said Catanzara, who is of Italian descent. “She’s not a dictator. She’s a coward that she wanted to do this in the middle of the night when nobody was paying attention after she said she wasn’t going to take the statue down.”
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that the protest in front of Lightfoot’s mayoral residence wasn’t about the statues in the first place. There had already been protests over the statues in the parks where they stood, with violence part of those demonstrations as well. Lightfoot had refused to take them down at that point. This demonstration demanded defunding the police, not the removal of the statues, as well as anger over Lightfoot’s agreement with Trump on the federal deployment. In fact, it was almost certainly primarily motivated by the latter.
Rather than stand her ground, Lightfoot threw the Columbus statues and history under the bus. This decision and its implementation under cover of darkness was nothing more than craven appeasement to protect her own position. “Coward” is the correct word for that kind of leader.


hotair--2020-07-24--Fauci caught at Nats game with mask off, not social distancing; <span class='red'>Update: Fauci resp

Fauci caught at Nats game with mask off, not social distancing; Update: Fauci responds

He threw out the first pitch of the baseball season yesterday — not very well , alas — and then stuck around in the nearly empty stadium to take in the Nats/Yankees game .
Nearly empty , as I say .
But not quite fully empty .
I ’ m almost positive that the woman on his left is his wife .
There ’ s no problem ignoring social distancing rules in that case ; they live in the same household so they ’ re in a quarantine “ bubble ” together anyway .
But who ’ s the guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Faucis too ?
If not , why aren ’ t they a good 10 feet away from him ?
Or 50 feet , since space was no issue yesterday ?
At first I thought maybe the photographer had snapped this pic while he was eating , which wouldn ’ t be an excuse for not social distancing but would raise the possibility that he only had his mask off for a second .
But no , you can see him casually watching the game with the mask down in the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One is that he egregiously flouted good pandemic practices even though he knew photographers were around and even though , at age 79 , he ’ s at dire risk of a bad outcome if he contracts the virus .
The other is that the guy on his right doesn ’ t live with the Faucis but may be part of some extended multi-household quarantine “ bubble.
” Families across the country have been doing that to extend their social circles a bit , and may be doing it more frequently lately in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children .
My guess is that Fauci ’ s top advisors at the NIAID have had some sort of extended quarantine “ bubble ” in place for awhile in order to make it easier for them to work together .
Without the bubble they ’ d have to wear masks around each other at the office , stay six feet apart , yadda yadda .
With the bubble in place , they can treat each other as though they ’ re part of the same household .
And they ’ re presumably diligent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of work .
If you can ’ t trust the country ’ s elderly infectious disease specialists to be sticklers for social distancing , there ’ s no hope for any of us .
The dude on the right probably works at NIAID too and has been in the bubble with Fauci for awhile now .
We ’ ll know more about that soon , I ’ m sure .
But even so — you would think Fauci would be mindful of appearances , knowing the risk that Americans will see these images @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may conclude that he ’ s a hypocrite about mask-wearing in unsafe situations .
Others may decide that this must mean the virus isn ’ t so dangerous after all .
He ’ s gotten lots of hype from the press for how media savvy he ’ s been in preaching the gospel on pandemic safety , but that ’ s glaringly not true in this case .
There ’ ll be fewer Americans willing to take his advice after this episode , fairly or not .
Here ’ s his first pitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed by Stephen “ redsteeze ” Miller ’ s meme-ification .
If he won ’ t set a very strict example on how to behave during the age of COVID when he makes public appearances , he shouldn ’ t make them .
Update : I didn ’ t see the segment but a Bloomberg reporter caught his appearance this morning on Fox News , where he was asked about this .
The fact that he had the mask off for a spell is a secondary issue .
The primary issue is whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the same quarantine bubble or not .
Whether he ’ s a friend , work colleague , whatever is of no consequence .
If he didn ’ t have reason to believe the guy was uninfected then he took an irresponsible risk .
Anti-maskers , Fauci-haters , and floomers are going absolutely ballistic over the photos on Twitter as I write this .
I don ’ t think he realizes what a big deal this is .
Update : I ’ m sure Trump and the Scavinos around him are dying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci but doing so would be self-defeating , as it would encourage the idea that mask-wearing isn ’ t important .
Trump just made a very belated pivot within the last week or so by encouraging people to wear masks .
He ’ ll undermine his own pandemic-control effort if he succumbs to the temptation to dunk on Fauci by posting the images .
Although , again , the ultimate fault lies with Fauci himself for not realizing how his behavior would be perceived .

He threw out the first pitch of the baseball season yesterday — not very well, alas — and then stuck around in the nearly empty stadium to take in the Nats/Yankees game.
Nearly empty, as I say. But not quite fully empty.
What happened here?
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1286666490637193217
I’m almost positive that the woman on his left is his wife. There’s no problem ignoring social distancing rules in that case; they live in the same household so they’re in a quarantine “bubble” together anyway. But who’s the guy on his right? Does he live with the Faucis too?
If not, why aren’t they a good 10 feet away from him? Or 50 feet, since space was no issue yesterday?
At first I thought maybe the photographer had snapped this pic while he was eating, which wouldn’t be an excuse for not social distancing but would raise the possibility that he only had his mask off for a second. But no, you can see him casually watching the game with the mask down in the second photo here too.
Two possibilities. One is that he egregiously flouted good pandemic practices even though he knew photographers were around and even though, at age 79, he’s at dire risk of a bad outcome if he contracts the virus. The other is that the guy on his right doesn’t live with the Faucis but may be part of some extended multi-household quarantine “bubble.” Families across the country have been doing that to extend their social circles a bit, and may be doing it more frequently lately in creating “learning pods” for out-of-school children. My guess is that Fauci’s top advisors at the NIAID have had some sort of extended quarantine “bubble” in place for awhile in order to make it easier for them to work together. Without the bubble they’d have to wear masks around each other at the office, stay six feet apart, yadda yadda. With the bubble in place, they can treat each other as though they’re part of the same household.
And they’re presumably diligent about not straying beyond that bubble outside of work. If you can’t trust the country’s elderly infectious disease specialists to be sticklers for social distancing, there’s no hope for any of us.
The dude on the right probably works at NIAID too and has been in the bubble with Fauci for awhile now. We’ll know more about that soon, I’m sure. But even so — you would think Fauci would be mindful of appearances, knowing the risk that Americans will see these images and feel angry and confused. Some may conclude that he’s a hypocrite about mask-wearing in unsafe situations. Others may decide that this must mean the virus isn’t so dangerous after all. He’s gotten lots of hype from the press for how media savvy he’s been in preaching the gospel on pandemic safety, but that’s glaringly not true in this case. There’ll be fewer Americans willing to take his advice after this episode, fairly or not.
Here’s his first pitch at last night’s game, followed by Stephen “redsteeze” Miller’s meme-ification. If he won’t set a very strict example on how to behave during the age of COVID when he makes public appearances, he shouldn’t make them.
Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch before the Nationals-Yankees game. pic.twitter.com/04Tbkh7Voa — ESPN (@espn) July 23, 2020
Update: I didn’t see the segment but a Bloomberg reporter caught his appearance this morning on Fox News, where he was asked about this.
Also Fauci said he tested negative yesterday and the man sitting next to him is a good friend. — Jeannie Baumann (@MedResJourno) July 24, 2020
The fact that he had the mask off for a spell is a secondary issue. The primary issue is whether the man next to him was part of the same quarantine bubble or not. Whether he’s a friend, work colleague, whatever is of no consequence. If he didn’t have reason to believe the guy was uninfected then he took an irresponsible risk.
Anti-maskers, Fauci-haters, and floomers are going absolutely ballistic over the photos on Twitter as I write this. I don’t think he realizes what a big deal this is.
Update: I’m sure Trump and the Scavinos around him are dying to promote the photos as a knock on Fauci but doing so would be self-defeating, as it would encourage the idea that mask-wearing isn’t important. Trump just made a very belated pivot within the last week or so by encouraging people to wear masks. He’ll undermine his own pandemic-control effort if he succumbs to the temptation to dunk on Fauci by posting the images. Although, again, the ultimate fault lies with Fauci himself for not realizing how his behavior would be perceived.


hotair--2020-07-24--Movie night canceled: Disney throws in the towel on theater reopenings "indefinitely"

Summer blockbusters won ’ t come back after all — at least not in the venues where they make their money .
Disney all but canceled the tentpole season late yesterday , announcing that it would “ indefinitely ” postpone its theatrical releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
The live-action version of Mulan won ’ t be rescheduled immediately , and two other long-awaited episodes of big-ticket series will get pushed back at least a year : Disney will indefinitely postpone the premiere of “ Mulan ” and push back the release of new installments in the “ Avatar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ franchises , the studio announced Thursday , dealing another blow to pandemic-shuttered theaters .
The company , one of the pillars of the global entertainment business , said the decisions were made in response to theater closures and production shutdowns amid the coronavirus crisis .
… “ Mulan ” and “ Tenet ” were widely seen as bellwethers for Hollywood ’ s attempts to begin a financial rebound .
The leading studios rely on robust box-office grosses to turn a profit on big-budget projects .
“ Mulan ” and “ Tenet ” each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to widely reported estimates .
Disney said Thursday that the pandemic has forced the company to make “ additional adjustments to our longer-term slate plans , ” including pushing future entries in the “ Avatar ” and “ Star Wars ” sagas back one year each .
Warner Brothers made the same call earlier this week with two of its own summer releases .
Christopher Nolan ’ s new film Tenet won ’ t get an American release , anyway , and the dozens of fans looking forward to The Conjuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Warner Bros. announced Monday that it will not release its much-anticipated Christopher Nolan movie “ Tenet ” in the United States on Aug. 12 as planned , delaying the film until at least September as the coronavirus continues ravaging much of the country .
The announcement , however , suggested that the film might open earlier overseas — a development that would be a major break with recent practice .
The move marks a hoisting of a white flag for a studio that had hoped to charge ahead after many others had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has thrown in the towel , there just isn ’ t much left to release .
That ’ s not just a function of COVID-19 — it ’ s also a function of consolidation in the studio industry .
Disney ’ s now the filmmaking powerhouse in Hollywood , and Warner Brothers one of its few legitimate remaining competitors .
Without their product , movie theaters and distributors don ’ t have a whole lot of other options for profitable content .
This is one reason why the US government should have taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws in the entertainment industry , even on so-called vertical mergers and acquisitions .
Not that it would make much difference in this case , however .
The problem here isn ’ t an exercise of monopoly power .
It ’ s a lack of interest from consumers , as today ’ s ABC/Ipsos poll showed : Go figure that people don ’ t want to sit elbow-to-elbow with popcorn-munching strangers for two-plus hours to see a movie in the middle of a pandemic .
Note too that consumer confidence in that option @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 22/78 ) , but slightly below bowling ( 31/69 ) and airplanes ( 33/66 ) .
One has to wonder whether Hollywood and sports leagues have other problems than COVID-19 on their hands , too .
This prompts the question as to whether we might truly see the end of movie theaters as a major entertainment destination .
Home theater technology and broadband internet has become so good that the experience now rivals that of theaters .
Two tickets at the cineplex these days costs more than buying a digital copy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rentals , even without the cost of the food and drinks .
That has its own implications for summer blockbusters , as I discussed with Christian Toto on Relevant Radio ’ s® Drew Mariani Show Wednesday .
The $ 300 million budgets rely on big-time box office receipts .
Without them , Marvel and DC Universes and the Star Wars platform simply won ’ t work .
Bad news for theaters might end up being good news for home theaters .
KCEN highlights new releases that viewers can access from their recliners .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these would have otherwise gotten much notice in cineplexes crowded with summer tentpoles .

Summer blockbusters won’t come back after all — at least not in the venues where they make their money. Disney all but canceled the tentpole season late yesterday, announcing that it would “indefinitely” postpone its theatrical releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The live-action version of Mulan won’t be rescheduled immediately, and two other long-awaited episodes of big-ticket series will get pushed back at least a year:
Disney will indefinitely postpone the premiere of “Mulan” and push back the release of new installments in the “Avatar” and “Star Wars” film franchises, the studio announced Thursday, dealing another blow to pandemic-shuttered theaters. The company, one of the pillars of the global entertainment business, said the decisions were made in response to theater closures and production shutdowns amid the coronavirus crisis. … “Mulan” and “Tenet” were widely seen as bellwethers for Hollywood’s attempts to begin a financial rebound. The leading studios rely on robust box-office grosses to turn a profit on big-budget projects. “Mulan” and “Tenet” each cost roughly $200 million to produce, according to widely reported estimates. Disney said Thursday that the pandemic has forced the company to make “additional adjustments to our longer-term slate plans,” including pushing future entries in the “Avatar” and “Star Wars” sagas back one year each.
Warner Brothers made the same call earlier this week with two of its own summer releases. Christopher Nolan’s new film Tenet won’t get an American release, anyway, and the dozens of fans looking forward to The Conjuring 3 will have to wait another year:
Warner Bros. announced Monday that it will not release its much-anticipated Christopher Nolan movie “Tenet” in the United States on Aug. 12 as planned, delaying the film until at least September as the coronavirus continues ravaging much of the country. The announcement, however, suggested that the film might open earlier overseas — a development that would be a major break with recent practice. The move marks a hoisting of a white flag for a studio that had hoped to charge ahead after many others had long since surrendered.
Now that Disney has thrown in the towel, there just isn’t much left to release. That’s not just a function of COVID-19 — it’s also a function of consolidation in the studio industry. Disney’s now the filmmaking powerhouse in Hollywood, and Warner Brothers one of its few legitimate remaining competitors. Without their product, movie theaters and distributors don’t have a whole lot of other options for profitable content. This is one reason why the US government should have taken a much greater interest in enforcing anti-trust laws in the entertainment industry, even on so-called vertical mergers and acquisitions.
Not that it would make much difference in this case, however. The problem here isn’t an exercise of monopoly power. It’s a lack of interest from consumers, as today’s ABC/Ipsos poll showed:
Go figure that people don’t want to sit elbow-to-elbow with popcorn-munching strangers for two-plus hours to see a movie in the middle of a pandemic. Note too that consumer confidence in that option is slightly higher than with sporting events (22/78), but slightly below bowling (31/69) and airplanes (33/66). One has to wonder whether Hollywood and sports leagues have other problems than COVID-19 on their hands, too.
This prompts the question as to whether we might truly see the end of movie theaters as a major entertainment destination. Home theater technology and broadband internet has become so good that the experience now rivals that of theaters. Two tickets at the cineplex these days costs more than buying a digital copy of a new release, and far surpasses rentals, even without the cost of the food and drinks. That has its own implications for summer blockbusters, as I discussed with Christian Toto on Relevant Radio’s® Drew Mariani Show Wednesday. The $300 million budgets rely on big-time box office receipts. Without them, Marvel and DC Universes and the Star Wars platform simply won’t work.
Bad news for theaters might end up being good news for home theaters. KCEN highlights new releases that viewers can access from their recliners. Note well, though, that none of these would have otherwise gotten much notice in cineplexes crowded with summer tentpoles.


hotair--2020-07-24--Judge to feds: You can't arrest journalists or "legal observers" in Portland riots

Er … how can the federal law enforcement personnel distinguish between rioters and “ legal observers ” ?
Even Portland ’ s mayor wore a mask and goggles to the riots .
A judge issued a two-week restraining order prohibiting federal officers from detaining or arresting journalists or legal observers , but this report from KGW shows just how difficult those distinctions will be when rioters are busy setting fires to federal buildings : A federal judge specifically blocked U.S. agents from arresting or using physical force against journalists and legal observers at the ongoing Portland , Oregon , protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and President Trump over the limits of federal power .
U.S. Judge Michael Simon made his ruling late Thursday , a day after Portland ’ s mayor was tear-gassed by federal agents as he made an appearance outside a federal courthouse during raucous demonstrations .
Protesters have gathered in Oregon ’ s largest city for nearly two months straight since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis .
This actually got its first real-world test last night , after the media dropped the by-now-familiar “ mostly peaceful ” description of the demonstration : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops used tear gas and flash bangs several times against them as some launched fireworks and started a few fires outside the courthouse , reports CBS Portland affiliate KOIN-TV .
Until then , it had been a mostly peaceful demonstration attended by what was estimated to be more than 2,000 people .
Just as an aside , “ mostly peaceful ” is the equivalent of “ slightly pregnant ” in media-ese .
If violence is present , then it is not “ peaceful.
” “ Peace ” is the absence of violence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of response didn ’ t come up until the demonstration went from “ mostly peaceful ” to a riot where arsonists attempted to burn out the feds .
One reporter got slightly injured by the teargas projectiles , and claimed that the feds were ignoring the injunction : That ’ s not what the TRO enjoins — or if it is , it ’ s utterly unworkable .
The judge prohibited the feds from knowingly using force on legal observers or journalists .
That doesn ’ t mean that they can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that journalists within the crowd won ’ t feel the effects of those countermeasures .
Otherwise , the rioters would use reporters as human shields ( as one of Ellis ’ commenters points out ) , and the officers guarding the courthouse would be defenseless .
This sounds like an unworkable order for those very reasons .
Unless the “ legal observers ” and journalists present credentials to the officials and stay located in a specific area , they can ’ t be known to officials unless and until force gets applied in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this order in place , everyone present will claim that status , too .
How do federal officials distinguish between them and rioters without credentialing this protected class up front and ensuring that their location is known ?

Er … how can the federal law enforcement personnel distinguish between rioters and “legal observers”? Even Portland’s mayor wore a mask and goggles to the riots. A judge issued a two-week restraining order prohibiting federal officers from detaining or arresting journalists or legal observers, but this report from KGW shows just how difficult those distinctions will be when rioters are busy setting fires to federal buildings:
A federal judge specifically blocked U.S. agents from arresting or using physical force against journalists and legal observers at the ongoing Portland, Oregon, protests that have sparked confrontations between local officials and President Trump over the limits of federal power. U.S. Judge Michael Simon made his ruling late Thursday, a day after Portland’s mayor was tear-gassed by federal agents as he made an appearance outside a federal courthouse during raucous demonstrations. Protesters have gathered in Oregon’s largest city for nearly two months straight since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis.
This actually got its first real-world test last night, after the media dropped the by-now-familiar “mostly peaceful” description of the demonstration:
The protesters stuck together and chanted after federal troops used tear gas and flash bangs several times against them as some launched fireworks and started a few fires outside the courthouse, reports CBS Portland affiliate KOIN-TV. Until then, it had been a mostly peaceful demonstration attended by what was estimated to be more than 2,000 people.
Just as an aside, “mostly peaceful” is the equivalent of “slightly pregnant” in media-ese. If violence is present, then it is not “peaceful.” “Peace” is the absence of violence. And at any rate, the issue of response didn’t come up until the demonstration went from “mostly peaceful” to a riot where arsonists attempted to burn out the feds.
One reporter got slightly injured by the teargas projectiles, and claimed that the feds were ignoring the injunction:
Feds approaching and just got shot in hand trying to film. Don’t think that TRO worked pic.twitter.com/L2kIEZPDWw — Rebecca Ellis (@Rjaellis) July 24, 2020
That’s not what the TRO enjoins — or if it is, it’s utterly unworkable. The judge prohibited the feds from knowingly using force on legal observers or journalists. That doesn’t mean that they can’t act to defend federal property, or that journalists within the crowd won’t feel the effects of those countermeasures. Otherwise, the rioters would use reporters as human shields (as one of Ellis’ commenters points out), and the officers guarding the courthouse would be defenseless.
This sounds like an unworkable order for those very reasons. Unless the “legal observers” and journalists present credentials to the officials and stay located in a specific area, they can’t be known to officials unless and until force gets applied in one way or the other. With this order in place, everyone present will claim that status, too. How do federal officials distinguish between them and rioters without credentialing this protected class up front and ensuring that their location is known?


hotair--2020-07-24--China consulate to State Dept: You can't make us leave

What happens when a consulate refuses to close after it loses its diplomatic status ?
Likely nothing good , but China ’ s Houston consul apparently wants to find out .
Cai Wei told Politico last night that the State Department order to close the consulate violated international protocol , and he has no intention of closing the facility : In a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO , Cai Wei , the Chinese Consul General in Houston , said China is protesting the closure order and his office will remain open “ until further notice.
” “ Today we are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what will happen tomorrow , ” he said , declining to elaborate further .
Cai said Beijing has asked the U.S. to rescind its Tuesday order to close the consulate , which China argues runs afoul of international agreements governing diplomatic relations .
“ We think that the demand from the U.S. side … is not according to the Vienna convention on consular affairs and also is not according to international practice or [ diplomatic ] norms , and it violates the China-U.S. consular treaty , ” Cai said .
“ We prepared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve also launched a strong protest … so we urge the U.S. to abandon and revoke that wrong decision.
” They have a funny way of making this argument .
At the same time Cai told Politico that the order to close the consulate was somehow illegitimate , Beijing did the same thing to the US consulate in Chengdu .
China made it clear that it was a retaliatory measure , albeit entirely expected : “ The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foreign Ministry said in a statement .
“ The current situation in Chinese-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see .
The United States is responsible for all this , ” the ministry said .
“ We once again urge the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.
” Chengdu , in Sichuan Province , is one of the biggest cities in western China .
The U.S. consulate — opened in 1983 — covers the provinces of Sichuan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Tibet Autonomous Region .
What do people assume will happen if the US refuses to leave the Chengdu consulate ?
It won ’ t be pleasant once American personnel lose their diplomatic privilege .
It might not be pleasant for China ’ s personnel in Houston either , but at the very least the property will revert back to the sovereignty of the US whether China ’ s consular officials recognize it or not : But if China does try to keep its consulate open , the experts said the U.S. could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , allowing federal agents to arrest and potentially deport them .
It was unclear whether the closure demand included expulsion of Cai and his staff , but he told POLITICO that he had no immediate plans to leave the country .
Somehow , it seems doubtful that Cai ’ s plans matter much at the moment .
Host countries have the authority to revoke diplomatic status , for both personnel and facilities , and they aren ’ t required to give a lot of notice , either .
Once that status is revoked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or they become subject to the laws of the country they ’ re in , just like everyone else .
Diplomatic immunity no longer applies to persona non grata .
These days , that ’ s not a comfortable situation for China ’ s personnel .
The FBI has lots of questions to ask about espionage , and not just connected to the indictment that dropped last week .
If Cai ’ s not out by today , he might end up sitting in an interrogation room at some point , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DC for assistance .
That will be mild compared to what will happen to American personnel in Chengdu , who we trust are well on their way to getting out of China .

What happens when a consulate refuses to close after it loses its diplomatic status? Likely nothing good, but China’s Houston consul apparently wants to find out. Cai Wei told Politico last night that the State Department order to close the consulate violated international protocol, and he has no intention of closing the facility:
In a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO, Cai Wei, the Chinese Consul General in Houston, said China is protesting the closure order and his office will remain open “until further notice.” “Today we are still operating normally, so we will see what will happen tomorrow,” he said, declining to elaborate further. Cai said Beijing has asked the U.S. to rescind its Tuesday order to close the consulate, which China argues runs afoul of international agreements governing diplomatic relations. “We think that the demand from the U.S. side … is not according to the Vienna convention on consular affairs and also is not according to international practice or [diplomatic] norms, and it violates the China-U.S. consular treaty,” Cai said. “We prepared for the worst scenario but we’ve also launched a strong protest … so we urge the U.S. to abandon and revoke that wrong decision.”
They have a funny way of making this argument. At the same time Cai told Politico that the order to close the consulate was somehow illegitimate, Beijing did the same thing to the US consulate in Chengdu. China made it clear that it was a retaliatory measure, albeit entirely expected:
“The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The current situation in Chinese-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see. The United States is responsible for all this,” the ministry said. “We once again urge the United States to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.” Chengdu, in Sichuan Province, is one of the biggest cities in western China. The U.S. consulate — opened in 1983 — covers the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, as well as the Tibet Autonomous Region.
What do people assume will happen if the US refuses to leave the Chengdu consulate? It won’t be pleasant once American personnel lose their diplomatic privilege. It might not be pleasant for China’s personnel in Houston either, but at the very least the property will revert back to the sovereignty of the US whether China’s consular officials recognize it or not:
But if China does try to keep its consulate open, the experts said the U.S. could revoke visas for Cai and his staff, allowing federal agents to arrest and potentially deport them. It was unclear whether the closure demand included expulsion of Cai and his staff, but he told POLITICO that he had no immediate plans to leave the country.
Somehow, it seems doubtful that Cai’s plans matter much at the moment. Host countries have the authority to revoke diplomatic status, for both personnel and facilities, and they aren’t required to give a lot of notice, either. Once that status is revoked, either the personnel have to leave, or they become subject to the laws of the country they’re in, just like everyone else. Diplomatic immunity no longer applies to persona non grata.
These days, that’s not a comfortable situation for China’s personnel. The FBI has lots of questions to ask about espionage, and not just connected to the indictment that dropped last week. If Cai’s not out by today, he might end up sitting in an interrogation room at some point, and having to contact the embassy in Washington DC for assistance. That will be mild compared to what will happen to American personnel in Chengdu, who we trust are well on their way to getting out of China.


hotair--2020-07-27--Reverse pivot: Governors should be opening up states that aren't opened yet, says Trump

The new message as of last week , I thought , was safety first .
That ’ s why he canceled the convention in Jacksonville .
That ’ s why he started tweeting about how masks are patriotic .
That ’ s why he resumed the daily coronavirus briefings , and took to saying unusually sober things like , “ It will probably , unfortunately , get worse before it gets better.
” The Journal published a story on Friday titled “ Facing Declining Polls , Staff Anxieties , Trump Changes Course on Coronavirus ” that included quotes like this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the White House said there was agreement among White House and campaign aides that the president ’ s insistence that the economy should reopen was out of step with the concerns of many Americans , who wanted a focus on health and safety.
” Last Wednesday , Kellyanne Conway went as far as to suggest that some states had reopened a bit too early and that the blame for that surely lay with those states ’ governors rather than our very pro-reopening president : The message was clear .
The White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rewrite history and present Trump as having been a voice of ( relative ) caution about relaxing social distancing from the start .
Safety first .
So … here he is today reminding everyone that it ’ s time for states that are still “ closed ” to reopen : I suppose there ’ s only so much one can do to get him to stick to a message he doesn ’ t agree with , even if it ’ s in his political interest to do so .
Clearly he doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important than the economy .
If he did , it wouldn ’ t have taken him four months to shift from “ we should have a monster party at the convention ” to “ we shouldn ’ t have a convention.
” His advisors have reportedly done everything they can think of to sell him on a more cautious , safety-minded approach , including stressing to him that Trump voters — the only people he really cares about — are now suffering from the virus too : People close to Trump , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impressions , say the president ’ s inability to wholly address the crisis is due to his almost pathological unwillingness to admit error ; a positive feedback loop of overly rosy assessments and data from advisers and Fox News ; and a penchant for magical thinking that prevented him from fully engaging with the pandemic… In the past couple of weeks , senior advisers began presenting Trump with maps and data showing spikes in coronavirus cases among “ our people ” in Republican states , a senior administration official said .
They also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon hit politically important states in the Midwest — including Michigan , Minnesota and Wisconsin , the official said .
The point about the “ feedback loop of overly rosy assessments ” is well taken but let me gently interject to remind WaPo that it ’ s not just “ Fox & Friends ” that ’ s guilty of that .
It ’ s Deborah Birx .
His own science advisors have helped steer him into this political box canyon , not just the floomers in the populist media he consumes .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front of photographers this afternoon .
Republicans are coming around on mask-wearing , with 68 percent telling pollsters that people should wear masks in public when they ’ re around others .
( Among Democrats , it ’ s 92 percent . )
Interestingly , when Dems are asked how many Republicans they think would say that most people should wear masks in public around others , they guess 30 percent — less than half the actual share .
Even Republicans slightly underestimate how many of their fellow partisans are pro-mask , guessing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” feels like a bad brand for the GOP this fall , but what do I know .
Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini made an interesting point this afternoon about Major League Baseball ’ s sudden season-jeopardizing crisis : I don ’ t agree but I wouldn ’ t wager heavily that he ’ s wrong .
If baseball throws in the towel and the downward trends in cases in Texas , Arizona , and eventually California and Florida continue through August and into September , I think Trump will benefit from that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ back the pandemic by Election Day gives him a fighting chance .
( Trump himself touts therapeutic drugs in the clip as one way that might happen . )
But Ruffini ’ s right that MLB having to shut down — especially so soon into the season — will be hugely demoralizing , proof that even a pro sports league with enormous resources and precautions in place was no match for SARS-CoV-2 .
It would be stark confirmation that nothing like normalcy will return this year .
And it would be an omen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like schools and businesses , will find it impossible to resume business as usual until there ’ s a vaccine .
It won ’ t decide the election but certainly it ’ ll be a psychological blow , a glaring reminder that America ’ s first four months of trying ( sort of trying ? )
to contain COVID were a dispiriting failure .

The new message as of last week, I thought, was safety first.
That’s why he canceled the convention in Jacksonville. That’s why he started tweeting about how masks are patriotic. That’s why he resumed the daily coronavirus briefings, and took to saying unusually sober things like, “It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better.” The Journal published a story on Friday titled “Facing Declining Polls, Staff Anxieties, Trump Changes Course on Coronavirus” that included quotes like this: “A person in close contact with the White House said there was agreement among White House and campaign aides that the president’s insistence that the economy should reopen was out of step with the concerns of many Americans, who wanted a focus on health and safety.”
Last Wednesday, Kellyanne Conway went as far as to suggest that some states had reopened a bit too early and that the blame for that surely lay with those states’ governors rather than our very pro-reopening president:
Kellyanne Conway: "Some of these states… blew through our phases and they opened up some of the industries a little too quickly." pic.twitter.com/rRmWZTyVoX — The Hill (@thehill) July 22, 2020
The message was clear. The White House was going to do what it could to rewrite history and present Trump as having been a voice of (relative) caution about relaxing social distancing from the start. Safety first.
So … here he is today reminding everyone that it’s time for states that are still “closed” to reopen:
President Trump: "A lot of the governors should be opening up states that they're not opening." pic.twitter.com/rJjdlDb6R6 — The Hill (@thehill) July 27, 2020
I suppose there’s only so much one can do to get him to stick to a message he doesn’t agree with, even if it’s in his political interest to do so. Clearly he doesn’t really believe safety is more important than the economy. If he did, it wouldn’t have taken him four months to shift from “we should have a monster party at the convention” to “we shouldn’t have a convention.” His advisors have reportedly done everything they can think of to sell him on a more cautious, safety-minded approach, including stressing to him that Trump voters — the only people he really cares about — are now suffering from the virus too:
People close to Trump, many speaking anonymously to share candid discussions and impressions, say the president’s inability to wholly address the crisis is due to his almost pathological unwillingness to admit error; a positive feedback loop of overly rosy assessments and data from advisers and Fox News; and a penchant for magical thinking that prevented him from fully engaging with the pandemic… In the past couple of weeks, senior advisers began presenting Trump with maps and data showing spikes in coronavirus cases among “our people” in Republican states, a senior administration official said. They also shared projections predicting that virus surges could soon hit politically important states in the Midwest — including Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, the official said.
The point about the “feedback loop of overly rosy assessments” is well taken but let me gently interject to remind WaPo that it’s not just “Fox & Friends” that’s guilty of that. It’s Deborah Birx. His own science advisors have helped steer him into this political box canyon, not just the floomers in the populist media he consumes.
He did at least wear a mask in front of photographers this afternoon. Republicans are coming around on mask-wearing, with 68 percent telling pollsters that people should wear masks in public when they’re around others. (Among Democrats, it’s 92 percent.) Interestingly, when Dems are asked how many Republicans they think would say that most people should wear masks in public around others, they guess 30 percent — less than half the actual share. Even Republicans slightly underestimate how many of their fellow partisans are pro-mask, guessing 65 percent.
“The anti-mask party” feels like a bad brand for the GOP this fall, but what do I know.
Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini made an interesting point this afternoon about Major League Baseball’s sudden season-jeopardizing crisis:
If baseball shuts down again, that's going to do more to (further) hurt the president's re-election chances than whatever happens with cases in the next month. Psychology matters more than objective reality. — Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) July 27, 2020
I don’t agree but I wouldn’t wager heavily that he’s wrong. If baseball throws in the towel and the downward trends in cases in Texas, Arizona, and eventually California and Florida continue through August and into September, I think Trump will benefit from that. Any evidence of durable progress in beating back the pandemic by Election Day gives him a fighting chance. (Trump himself touts therapeutic drugs in the clip as one way that might happen.) But Ruffini’s right that MLB having to shut down — especially so soon into the season — will be hugely demoralizing, proof that even a pro sports league with enormous resources and precautions in place was no match for SARS-CoV-2. It would be stark confirmation that nothing like normalcy will return this year. And it would be an omen that institutions with fewer resources than baseball, like schools and businesses, will find it impossible to resume business as usual until there’s a vaccine. It won’t decide the election but certainly it’ll be a psychological blow, a glaring reminder that America’s first four months of trying (sort of trying?) to contain COVID were a dispiriting failure.


hotair--2020-07-27--Turley wonders: Why are media outlets uninterested in a modern Watergate?

Over forty years ago , the press took a decided interest in a government using its investigative and intelligence authority to intervene in an election .
The Watergate scandal unlocked a whole series of abuses of power , which might not have been viewed as anything other than business as usual if not for the crusading journalists that made it a front-page story .
Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward got lionized in print and on the silver screen , and to this day the media insists that its main function is to speak truth to power .
That depends on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turley argued over the weekend .
When it comes to a Democratic administration abusing its authority to spy on an opposing campaign and undermining its incoming president , Turley wonders why we ’ re not seeing All the Presidents Men II : Russia Boogaloo : The Washington press corps seems engaged in a collective demonstration of the legal concept of willful blindness , or deliberately ignoring the facts , following the release of yet another declassified document which directly refutes prior statements about the investigation into Russia collusion .
The document shows that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of then candidate Donald Trump and his top aides to gather possible evidence for Crossfire Hurricane , its code name for the Russia investigation .
It is astonishing that the media refuses to see what is one of the biggest stories in decades .
The Obama administration targeted the campaign of the opposing party based on false evidence .
The media covered Obama administration officials ridiculing the suggestions of spying on the Trump campaign and of improper conduct with the Russia investigation .
When Attorney General William Barr told the Senate last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was lambasted in the media , including by James Comey and others involved in that investigation .
The mocking “ wow ” response of the fired FBI director received extensive coverage .
The new document shows that , in summer 2016 , FBI agent Joe Pientka briefed Trump campaign advisers Michael Flynn and Chris Christie over national security issues , standard practice ahead of the election .
It had a discussion of Russian interference .
But this was different .
The document detailing the questions asked by Trump and his aides and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that meeting under Crossfire Hurricane and Crossfire Razor , the FBI investigation of Flynn .
The two FBI officials listed who approved the report are Kevin Clinesmith and Peter Strzok .
We ’ ve already unraveled a lot of this story based on reporting from outlets like Fox News and the source documents from relevant congressional committees .
It ’ s not that the information isn ’ t out in the open now ; it ’ s just that we don ’ t have the bastions of mainstream media to thank for it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times scolded Lindsey Graham and the Department of Justice for allowing one of the architects of the Steele dossier to be known , which seems like a strange way of speaking truth to power , considering the dossier provided the poisonous core to the scandal of Operation Crossfire Hurricane .
Turley , not exactly a conservative voice in the media , also points out that this disinterest in transparency isn ’ t just different from Watergate .
It ’ s also much different than their original coverage of the Steele dossier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blindness has its advantages .
The media covered the original leak and the collusion narrative , despite mounting evidence that it was false .
They filled hours of cable news shows and pages of print with a collusion story discredited by the FBI .
Virtually none of these journalists or experts have acknowledged that the collusion leaks were proven false , let alone pursue the troubling implications of national security powers being used to target the political opponents of an administration .
But in Washington , success often depends not on what you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The answer to this conundrum was that the mainstream media is interested in speaking truth to Republican power .
Watergate ?
That demonstrated Richard Nixon ’ s corruption .
Russia-collusion ?
Donald Trump would be proven to have stolen an election .
When it comes to investigating how China funded the Bill Clinton-Al Gore campaign in 1996 or the Obama administration ’ s abuse of power in Crossfire Hurricane , though , these same media outlets are not interested in speaking truth to the power they prefer .
In fact , they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest in any corruption taking place on their watch .
The answer to Turley ’ s question is that the media itself has been corrupted .
And despite all of their self-congratulation over Watergate , the ugly truth is that the mainstream media itself is corrupt — corrupted by political activism masquerading as reporting , and “ narrative journalism ” that ignores everything that might stand in opposition to its own agenda .

Over forty years ago, the press took a decided interest in a government using its investigative and intelligence authority to intervene in an election. The Watergate scandal unlocked a whole series of abuses of power, which might not have been viewed as anything other than business as usual if not for the crusading journalists that made it a front-page story. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward got lionized in print and on the silver screen, and to this day the media insists that its main function is to speak truth to power.
That depends on which power is in question, Jonathan Turley argued over the weekend. When it comes to a Democratic administration abusing its authority to spy on an opposing campaign and undermining its incoming president, Turley wonders why we’re not seeing All the Presidents Men II: Russia Boogaloo:
The Washington press corps seems engaged in a collective demonstration of the legal concept of willful blindness, or deliberately ignoring the facts, following the release of yet another declassified document which directly refutes prior statements about the investigation into Russia collusion. The document shows that FBI officials used a national security briefing of then candidate Donald Trump and his top aides to gather possible evidence for Crossfire Hurricane, its code name for the Russia investigation. It is astonishing that the media refuses to see what is one of the biggest stories in decades. The Obama administration targeted the campaign of the opposing party based on false evidence. The media covered Obama administration officials ridiculing the suggestions of spying on the Trump campaign and of improper conduct with the Russia investigation. When Attorney General William Barr told the Senate last year that he believed spying did occur, he was lambasted in the media, including by James Comey and others involved in that investigation. The mocking “wow” response of the fired FBI director received extensive coverage. The new document shows that, in summer 2016, FBI agent Joe Pientka briefed Trump campaign advisers Michael Flynn and Chris Christie over national security issues, standard practice ahead of the election. It had a discussion of Russian interference. But this was different. The document detailing the questions asked by Trump and his aides and their reactions was filed several days after that meeting under Crossfire Hurricane and Crossfire Razor, the FBI investigation of Flynn. The two FBI officials listed who approved the report are Kevin Clinesmith and Peter Strzok.
We’ve already unraveled a lot of this story based on reporting from outlets like Fox News and the source documents from relevant congressional committees. It’s not that the information isn’t out in the open now; it’s just that we don’t have the bastions of mainstream media to thank for it. In fact, this weekend the New York Times scolded Lindsey Graham and the Department of Justice for allowing one of the architects of the Steele dossier to be known, which seems like a strange way of speaking truth to power, considering the dossier provided the poisonous core to the scandal of Operation Crossfire Hurricane.
Turley, not exactly a conservative voice in the media, also points out that this disinterest in transparency isn’t just different from Watergate. It’s also much different than their original coverage of the Steele dossier and Crossfire Hurricane, too:
Willful blindness has its advantages. The media covered the original leak and the collusion narrative, despite mounting evidence that it was false. They filled hours of cable news shows and pages of print with a collusion story discredited by the FBI. Virtually none of these journalists or experts have acknowledged that the collusion leaks were proven false, let alone pursue the troubling implications of national security powers being used to target the political opponents of an administration. But in Washington, success often depends not on what you see but what you can unsee.
The answer to this conundrum was that the mainstream media is interested in speaking truth to Republican power. Watergate? That demonstrated Richard Nixon’s corruption. Russia-collusion? Donald Trump would be proven to have stolen an election. When it comes to investigating how China funded the Bill Clinton-Al Gore campaign in 1996 or the Obama administration’s abuse of power in Crossfire Hurricane, though, these same media outlets are not interested in speaking truth to the power they prefer. In fact, they’d rather protect Democrats than take an interest in any corruption taking place on their watch.
The answer to Turley’s question is that the media itself has been corrupted. And despite all of their self-congratulation over Watergate, the ugly truth is that the mainstream media itself is corrupt — corrupted by political activism masquerading as reporting, and “narrative journalism” that ignores everything that might stand in opposition to its own agenda.


hotair--2020-07-27--MLB commissioner: The plan right now is for the Marlins to resume play on Wednesday

We all know how this story ends , we just don ’ t know the granular details yet .
Do another 15 Marlins test positive overnight , forcing cancellation of the season ?
Does the league play on a few more days until players on another team begin testing positive — possibly the Phillies , who were on the field with Miami this past weekend — and then cancel the season ?
If we know how the story ends , why not end it now before anyone else gets sick ?
I think of this guy as the Bill de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supreme insult in a universe in which Roger Goodell is also a pro sports commissioner .
The question right now isn ’ t when the Marlins will play again .
It ’ s why they were allowed to play yesterday after several players had already tested positive .
The operations manual says that after a player tests positive for COVID-19 , the club must conduct contact tracing to identify the individuals who had close contact with the infected individual .
The Marlins flew together to Philadelphia from Atlanta , traveled by bus to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bus to the ballpark , dressed in the clubhouse , and sat in the dugout .
It could be easily argued that every Marlins player and staff member came in close contact over the weekend with the infected players .
If so , the operations manual says those individuals should be quarantined or isolated pending the results of an Expedited Diagnostic Test , which the Marlins received Sunday morning .
Instead of quarantining and thus postponing Sunday ’ s game , the Marlins played a 3-hour , 44-minute game against the Phillies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ players had tested positive .
The easy response is to say , “ They ’ re young , they ’ re athletes , they ’ ll be fine.
” Probably , although whether they ’ ll suffer career-threatening damage in the process is an open question .
The threat isn ’ t to the players as much as it is to the older people around them .
Nationals manager Dave Martinez is 55 and was taken to the hospital last year after experiencing chest pain during a game ; he ended up having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ’ s not even pretending to be calm about what ’ s happening with the Marlins : “ I ’ m going to be honest with you , I ’ m scared… My level of concern went from an eight to a 12.
” Doctors interviewed by WaPo and the New York Post were aghast that the Marlins were allowed to play yesterday after four members of the team initially tested positive : “ This is off-the-charts bad , ” said Zachary Binney , an epidemiologist and assistant professor at Oxford College @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was always my concern .
I anticipated an outbreak on a team , especially on a team from a city with a high incidence of the virus .
Unfortunately , I ’ m not surprised to see it happened to a team from Miami.
” … [ B ] ecause of the lag time before test results can be learned [ every 24-48 hours ] and the incubation period of the virus , one fear expressed by epidemiologists was that an infected but asymptomatic player could spread the virus to his teammates before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those 10 positive cases , in other words , was a potential vector for the virus .
“ I can ’ t believe they played that game [ Sunday ] , ” said Binney .
“ Four cases should have been enough to cancel it.
” Binney thinks the Marlins should be shut down for two weeks and their last opponent , the Phillies , for five days .
What happens to all the holes in the schedule that would create , with no time to play make-up games before the playoffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think there ’ s a safe way of doing these kinds of group team sports , I would say , at least for the rest of 2020 and most likely until there ’ s a vaccine , ” said Dr. [ Anthony ] Santella to the Post .
“ I personally think you ’ re compromising people ’ s health and well-being for a short-term gain.
” Dodgers pitcher David Price opted out before the season , at a moment when MLB was having trouble delivering test results in a timely way .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maybe the league ’ s decided to leave the ball in the players ’ court .
It ’ s their health that ’ s at risk , after all .
If the players conclude that that risk has now risen to an unacceptable degree , they ’ ll just opt out en masse like Price and that ’ s the end of the season .
Until then , MLB will continue to host games .
Arguably it ’ s the head of the players ’ union who should be pressed for a way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Is MLB ’ s loss the NFL ’ s gain ?
One thing we ’ ve learned from this unfortunate experiment is that you can ’ t just ask players to isolate while they ’ re away from the park and trust that no one will get infected .
To have any chance at sustaining the season , you need 24/7 protocols like the NBA is trying in Orlando .
Maybe that ’ s impossible with huge NFL rosters , but at least Goodell knows now that putting everyone on the honor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or less as usual outside the stadium is a nonstarter .
Time for Plan B .

We all know how this story ends, we just don’t know the granular details yet. Do another 15 Marlins test positive overnight, forcing cancellation of the season? Does the league play on a few more days until players on another team begin testing positive — possibly the Phillies, who were on the field with Miami this past weekend — and then cancel the season?
If we know how the story ends, why not end it now before anyone else gets sick?
I think of this guy as the Bill de Blasio of pro sports commissioners, a supreme insult in a universe in which Roger Goodell is also a pro sports commissioner.
Commissioner Manfred sits down with Tom Verducci in Studio 21. Tune in to MLB Tonight after the game for the full interview. pic.twitter.com/WnZx8q5U8q — MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 27, 2020
The question right now isn’t when the Marlins will play again. It’s why they were allowed to play yesterday after several players had already tested positive.
The operations manual says that after a player tests positive for COVID-19, the club must conduct contact tracing to identify the individuals who had close contact with the infected individual. The Marlins flew together to Philadelphia from Atlanta, traveled by bus to a Center City hotel, traveled by bus to the ballpark, dressed in the clubhouse, and sat in the dugout. It could be easily argued that every Marlins player and staff member came in close contact over the weekend with the infected players. If so, the operations manual says those individuals should be quarantined or isolated pending the results of an Expedited Diagnostic Test, which the Marlins received Sunday morning. Instead of quarantining and thus postponing Sunday’s game, the Marlins played a 3-hour, 44-minute game against the Phillies and then learned Monday morning that eight additional players had tested positive.
The easy response is to say, “They’re young, they’re athletes, they’ll be fine.” Probably, although whether they’ll suffer career-threatening damage in the process is an open question. The threat isn’t to the players as much as it is to the older people around them. Nationals manager Dave Martinez is 55 and was taken to the hospital last year after experiencing chest pain during a game; he ended up having a catheter inserted into his heart. He’s not even pretending to be calm about what’s happening with the Marlins: “I’m going to be honest with you, I’m scared… My level of concern went from an eight to a 12.” Doctors interviewed by WaPo and the New York Post were aghast that the Marlins were allowed to play yesterday after four members of the team initially tested positive:
“This is off-the-charts bad,” said Zachary Binney, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at Oxford College of Emory University. “ … This was always my concern. I anticipated an outbreak on a team, especially on a team from a city with a high incidence of the virus. Unfortunately, I’m not surprised to see it happened to a team from Miami.”… [B]ecause of the lag time before test results can be learned [every 24-48 hours] and the incubation period of the virus, one fear expressed by epidemiologists was that an infected but asymptomatic player could spread the virus to his teammates before realizing he was a carrier. Each of those 10 positive cases, in other words, was a potential vector for the virus. “I can’t believe they played that game [Sunday],” said Binney. “Four cases should have been enough to cancel it.”
Binney thinks the Marlins should be shut down for two weeks and their last opponent, the Phillies, for five days. What happens to all the holes in the schedule that would create, with no time to play make-up games before the playoffs? *Shrug* “I don’t think there’s a safe way of doing these kinds of group team sports, I would say, at least for the rest of 2020 and most likely until there’s a vaccine,” said Dr. [Anthony] Santella to the Post. “I personally think you’re compromising people’s health and well-being for a short-term gain.”
Dodgers pitcher David Price opted out before the season, at a moment when MLB was having trouble delivering test results in a timely way. Today he’s pointing fingers:
Now we REALLY get to see if MLB is going to put players health first. Remember when Manfred said players health was PARAMOUNT?! Part of the reason I’m at home right now is because players health wasn’t being put first. I can see that hasn’t changed. — David Price (@DAVIDprice24) July 27, 2020
Maybe the league’s decided to leave the ball in the players’ court. It’s their health that’s at risk, after all. If the players conclude that that risk has now risen to an unacceptable degree, they’ll just opt out en masse like Price and that’s the end of the season. Until then, MLB will continue to host games. Arguably it’s the head of the players’ union who should be pressed for a way forward instead of Manfred.
Exit question: Is MLB’s loss the NFL’s gain? One thing we’ve learned from this unfortunate experiment is that you can’t just ask players to isolate while they’re away from the park and trust that no one will get infected. To have any chance at sustaining the season, you need 24/7 protocols like the NBA is trying in Orlando. Maybe that’s impossible with huge NFL rosters, but at least Goodell knows now that putting everyone on the honor system and letting them carry on more or less as usual outside the stadium is a nonstarter. Time for Plan B.


hotair--2020-07-27--Sen. Rand Paul's neighbor gets an additional 13 months for assault

Back in 2017 , Sen. Rand Paul ’ s neighbor , Rene Boucher , attacked the Senator on his own property , allegedly over a dispute about lawn clippings .
The attack left Sen. Paul with several broken ribs .
Last August , Paul had a portion of his lung surgically removed because of damage caused by the attack .
Boucher was eventually charged with one count of assaulting a member of Congress .
Boucher was initially given a light sentence of just 30 days in jail plus a $ 10,000 fine and community service .
But the case was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overturned the sentence saying it was too light given the extent of Sen. Paul ’ s injuries .
A review of similar cases involving suspects with no criminal history found the average sentence was more than two years : Today , Boucher was handed a new sentence which will see him spending a few additional months in prison , though the U.S. attorney said it was still not enough : The man who tackled Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in 2017 in anger over Paul piling yard waste near their shared property line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind bars or on home detention… U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman imposed the additional punishment in a hearing Monday .
He sentenced Boucher to another eight months in prison but took off 30 days for the time he already served , and six months on home confinement .
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Shepard had sought at least 21 months for Boucher .
He objected to the lower sentence and indicated the government may appeal .
Sen. Paul testified remotely during today ’ s sentencing saying he had hernia surgery because of coughing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack : During the virtual hearing , Paul , who suffered broken ribs in the November 2017 attack , said he flew 10 feet in the air from the force of the attack and was left with a “ significant injury that I have lifelong symptoms from.
” “ I don ’ t know what a night without pain is like or what a day without pain is like , so I do suffer from this , ” Paul said .
“ This was no routine altercation .
This was no sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he suffered several bouts of pneumonia following the attack and eventually had to have hernia surgery because of all of his chronic coughing .
Eight months still seems pretty light for a violent assault which resulted in hospitalization and surgery .
On the plus side , Boucher lost in civil court last year and a jury awarded Sen. Paul a $ 580,000 judgment .

Back in 2017, Sen. Rand Paul’s neighbor, Rene Boucher, attacked the Senator on his own property, allegedly over a dispute about lawn clippings. The attack left Sen. Paul with several broken ribs. Last August, Paul had a portion of his lung surgically removed because of damage caused by the attack. Boucher was eventually charged with one count of assaulting a member of Congress.
Boucher was initially given a light sentence of just 30 days in jail plus a $10,000 fine and community service. But the case was appealed and last September the appeals court overturned the sentence saying it was too light given the extent of Sen. Paul’s injuries. A review of similar cases involving suspects with no criminal history found the average sentence was more than two years:
The appeals court reviewed the criminal case and compared it to other federal assault cases involving defendants with little or no criminal history, relying on national statistics showing defendants with the lowest criminal history category under federal sentencing guidelines received an average sentence of 26 months for an assault conviction.
Today, Boucher was handed a new sentence which will see him spending a few additional months in prison, though the U.S. attorney said it was still not enough:
The man who tackled Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in 2017 in anger over Paul piling yard waste near their shared property line has been sentenced to another 13 months behind bars or on home detention… U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman imposed the additional punishment in a hearing Monday. He sentenced Boucher to another eight months in prison but took off 30 days for the time he already served, and six months on home confinement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Shepard had sought at least 21 months for Boucher. He objected to the lower sentence and indicated the government may appeal.
Sen. Paul testified remotely during today’s sentencing saying he had hernia surgery because of coughing resulting from the injuries sustained in the attack:
During the virtual hearing, Paul, who suffered broken ribs in the November 2017 attack, said he flew 10 feet in the air from the force of the attack and was left with a “significant injury that I have lifelong symptoms from.” “I don’t know what a night without pain is like or what a day without pain is like, so I do suffer from this,” Paul said. “This was no routine altercation. This was no sort of face-to-face, man-to-man thing.” Paul testified that he suffered several bouts of pneumonia following the attack and eventually had to have hernia surgery because of all of his chronic coughing.
Eight months still seems pretty light for a violent assault which resulted in hospitalization and surgery. On the plus side, Boucher lost in civil court last year and a jury awarded Sen. Paul a $580,000 judgment.


hotair--2020-07-27--Poll: 77% concerned that crime is rising in major cities

As grim as this is , it ’ s one of the more encouraging polls for Trump ’ s reelection chances that we ’ ve seen in awhile .
Barring an increasingly unlikely roaring economic recovery over the next three months , it may represent his one chance realistically at a second term .
The only way to take Americans ’ minds off the COVID crisis may be with a bigger crisis , one that favors Trump ’ s skill set , such as it is , more than virus containment does .
A breakdown in law and order in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And amazingly , some lefty droogs seem willing to help him out with it .
If you ’ ve read the front page of our site today you know the situation .
Shootings in Chicago .
Riots in Seattle .
And an ongoing debacle at the courthouse in Portland , with an AP reporter describing in harrowing terms what federal agents are up against , from mortars to arson to lasers being shined in their eyes and damaging their vision .
Our list isn ’ t exhaustive either .
On Saturday night in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a courthouse , vandalized a police station and shot fireworks at officers , ” per ABC .
All of which should favor Trump .
He ’ s the “ law and order ” candidate , the strongman , a figure who ’ s not broadly aligned politically with the left ’ s most violent radicals and the “ defund the police ” crowd , as Democrats are .
If crime starts to surge , it would stand to reason that undecided voters will give him a second look .
According to The Hill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime is surging : Seventy-seven percent of respondents say they are concerned that crime is rising in the nation ’ s cities , while 46 percent of respondents said they were concerned about rising crime in their own communities .
“ At the same time they see an increase of violence and crime and are concerned that prosecutors are not prosecuting the crimes — they blame the protests and the high unemployment when asked what is responsible for the spike in violence , ” said Harvard CAPS/Harris polling director Mark Penn .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being used to coordinate violence and in their view not doing much to curb it.
” Strangely , although murder is up in America ’ s major cities this year relative to last year , violent crime generally is down .
( Lockdowns likely had something to do with that . )
Also strangely , while it ’ s reasonable to believe that a breakdown in law and order would favor an authoritarian right-winger for president , the polling lately suggests otherwise .
A recent ABC/WaPo survey found Biden leading Trump by seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trust more to handle crime and safety .
That could be a function of Trump ’ s overall decline in polling amid the COVID crisis , with voters reflexively giving him poor marks no matter what issue they ’ re asked about .
Or it could be a reaction to the fact that this violence is , after all , happening on Trump ’ s watch .
Violence under Biden might conceivably be worse but it ’ s clear enough that the Trump administration has no panacea for it .
But it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive response in Portland has convinced voters that he ’ s making the situation worse , not better .
( Pelosi ’ s awkward new nickname for him makes me suspect Dems have data that supports that . )
The White House is barely trying to conceal his enthusiasm in generating scenes for the cameras of anarchist riffraff clashing with federal agents : The momentum of the protests was fading in many U.S. cities , and confrontations between federal authorities and civilians were becoming less frequent .
Then Trump found Portland , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the polls over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic , Trump seized a chance to appear as a field general in a wider American cultural conflict over racial justice , police misconduct and the reexamination of American history and monuments .
In Portland , he found a theater for his fight… When the fog of tear gas is thickest here in the wee hours of the morning , the president is sometimes up early on the other side of the country , calling Wolf for real-time updates from the front… One of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to amplify strife in cities , encouraging DHS officials to talk about arrests of violent criminals in sanctuary cities and repeatedly urging ICE to disclose more details of raids than some in the agency were comfortable doing .
“ It was about getting viral online content , ” one of the officials said .
The idea that the president might want violence between the state and its most radical elements is one of the more depressing possibilities in a year that ’ s overflowing with them .
It ’ s not clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities over the weekend despite a relatively peaceful June and July but maybe the televised spectacle in Portland is feeding the destructive impulse elsewhere .
“ Inanity Abounds on Both Sides in the ‘ Law and Order ’ Road Show , ” wrote David French recently of Trump ’ s willingness to get rough and the Antifa brigades ’ willingness to accommodate him .
The chief inanity is that , because the standoff at the courthouse has become a de facto test of wills between him and the rioters , neither side wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sending more feds there today to reinforce the Border Patrol units defending the courthouse .
If he pulls out , Antifa will have “ won.
” If the protesters quit , Trump will have “ won.
” Each side despises the other and doesn ’ t want to hand them that victory , so neither side will let the other “ win.
” The most obvious way to deescalate would be for Portland PD to take over defense of the courthouse and let the feds depart .
That would give each side a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could say that he finally forced Portland ’ s garbage mayor to do his job and defend the city , the rioters could say that they finally chased the feds out of Portland .
The mayor himself could say that he got Trump to leave .
But Portland PD may not have the manpower to replace the feds , and even if they did they surely don ’ t want to be on the receiving end of lasers , bricks , molotov cocktails , and so on .
So the mayor is content @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not doing anything to facilitate an end to it .
For a Democratic pol it ’ s better to be nominally aligned with the Resistance against Trump than to be pitted against them on the other side of the fence around the courthouse .
Here ’ s a Times video on how the violence has escalated in Portland since the feds arrived .
Needless to say , as local civil rights leaders have noticed , none of this has anything to do at this point with George Floyd or Black Lives Matter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wild ” and the feds occasionally getting a little wild in return .

As grim as this is, it’s one of the more encouraging polls for Trump’s reelection chances that we’ve seen in awhile. Barring an increasingly unlikely roaring economic recovery over the next three months, it may represent his one chance realistically at a second term. The only way to take Americans’ minds off the COVID crisis may be with a bigger crisis, one that favors Trump’s skill set, such as it is, more than virus containment does. A breakdown in law and order in American cities could be that crisis.
And amazingly, some lefty droogs seem willing to help him out with it. If you’ve read the front page of our site today you know the situation. Shootings in Chicago. Riots in Seattle. And an ongoing debacle at the courthouse in Portland, with an AP reporter describing in harrowing terms what federal agents are up against, from mortars to arson to lasers being shined in their eyes and damaging their vision. Our list isn’t exhaustive either. On Saturday night in Oakland, “demonstrators set fire to a courthouse, vandalized a police station and shot fireworks at officers,” per ABC.
All of which should favor Trump. He’s the “law and order” candidate, the strongman, a figure who’s not broadly aligned politically with the left’s most violent radicals and the “defund the police” crowd, as Democrats are. If crime starts to surge, it would stand to reason that undecided voters will give him a second look. According to The Hill, the public is indeed worried that crime is surging:
Seventy-seven percent of respondents say they are concerned that crime is rising in the nation’s cities, while 46 percent of respondents said they were concerned about rising crime in their own communities. “At the same time they see an increase of violence and crime and are concerned that prosecutors are not prosecuting the crimes — they blame the protests and the high unemployment when asked what is responsible for the spike in violence,” said Harvard CAPS/Harris polling director Mark Penn. “They also single out social media for being used to coordinate violence and in their view not doing much to curb it.”
Strangely, although murder is up in America’s major cities this year relative to last year, violent crime generally is down. (Lockdowns likely had something to do with that.) Also strangely, while it’s reasonable to believe that a breakdown in law and order would favor an authoritarian right-winger for president, the polling lately suggests otherwise. A recent ABC/WaPo survey found Biden leading Trump by seven points when voters are asked whom they trust more to handle crime and safety. That could be a function of Trump’s overall decline in polling amid the COVID crisis, with voters reflexively giving him poor marks no matter what issue they’re asked about. Or it could be a reaction to the fact that this violence is, after all, happening on Trump’s watch. Violence under Biden might conceivably be worse but it’s clear enough that the Trump administration has no panacea for it.
But it’s also possible that Trump’s aggressive response in Portland has convinced voters that he’s making the situation worse, not better. (Pelosi’s awkward new nickname for him makes me suspect Dems have data that supports that.) The White House is barely trying to conceal his enthusiasm in generating scenes for the cameras of anarchist riffraff clashing with federal agents:
The momentum of the protests was fading in many U.S. cities, and confrontations between federal authorities and civilians were becoming less frequent. Then Trump found Portland, according to administration and campaign officials… Sinking in the polls over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump seized a chance to appear as a field general in a wider American cultural conflict over racial justice, police misconduct and the reexamination of American history and monuments. In Portland, he found a theater for his fight… When the fog of tear gas is thickest here in the wee hours of the morning, the president is sometimes up early on the other side of the country, calling Wolf for real-time updates from the front… One of the officials said the White House had long wanted to amplify strife in cities, encouraging DHS officials to talk about arrests of violent criminals in sanctuary cities and repeatedly urging ICE to disclose more details of raids than some in the agency were comfortable doing. “It was about getting viral online content,” one of the officials said.
The idea that the president might want violence between the state and its most radical elements is one of the more depressing possibilities in a year that’s overflowing with them. It’s not clear why violence surged in so many other cities over the weekend despite a relatively peaceful June and July but maybe the televised spectacle in Portland is feeding the destructive impulse elsewhere. “Inanity Abounds on Both Sides in the ‘Law and Order’ Road Show,” wrote David French recently of Trump’s willingness to get rough and the Antifa brigades’ willingness to accommodate him. The chief inanity is that, because the standoff at the courthouse has become a de facto test of wills between him and the rioters, neither side wants to back off. Trump is actually sending more feds there today to reinforce the Border Patrol units defending the courthouse. If he pulls out, Antifa will have “won.” If the protesters quit, Trump will have “won.” Each side despises the other and doesn’t want to hand them that victory, so neither side will let the other “win.”
The most obvious way to deescalate would be for Portland PD to take over defense of the courthouse and let the feds depart. That would give each side a qualified victory to boast of: Trump could say that he finally forced Portland’s garbage mayor to do his job and defend the city, the rioters could say that they finally chased the feds out of Portland. The mayor himself could say that he got Trump to leave. But Portland PD may not have the manpower to replace the feds, and even if they did they surely don’t want to be on the receiving end of lasers, bricks, molotov cocktails, and so on. So the mayor is content to whine about the federal presence while not doing anything to facilitate an end to it. For a Democratic pol it’s better to be nominally aligned with the Resistance against Trump than to be pitted against them on the other side of the fence around the courthouse.
Here’s a Times video on how the violence has escalated in Portland since the feds arrived. Needless to say, as local civil rights leaders have noticed, none of this has anything to do at this point with George Floyd or Black Lives Matter. It’s just “anarchists gone wild” and the feds occasionally getting a little wild in return.


hotair--2020-07-27--A protester in Colorado fired at a car and wound up shooting two protesters (Update)

A BLM protest march in Aurora , Colorado ended up on the freeway Saturday .
There was some screaming and a Jeep drove down the freeway as people scattered out of the way .
Several shots were fired and two protesters were hit .
Some people initially claimed that someone inside the Jeep had fired at the protesters : In fact , it was one of the protesters who had attempted to fire on the Jeep who shot two people in the crowd : As it passed , a protester pulled a gun and started shooting at the vehicle , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , causing panic .
Two protesters were shot or grazed , and another fell or jumped from the highway , breaking her leg .
“ I just heard people screaming ‘ Medic !
’ from everywhere , ” said protester Heather Benton , an Emergency Medical Technician .
“ I didn ’ t realize I ’ d entered a war zone.
” Yesterday police released two images of a person of interest in the case : This is not the first time a protester has shot at a vehicle driving through traffic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to flee a group of protesters in Provo , Utah .
A protester fired two shots , one of which hit the driver .
He drove himself to a nearby hospital .
No protesters were injured in that incident .
Also this weekend , a driver moving toward a crowd of protesters in Austin was surrounded .
When one man with a rifle approached his car , he fired at him several times killing the man .
Austin ’ s police chief , Brian Manley , told reporters on Sunday that as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protesters surrounded the vehicle , and some struck the car .
The driver , whose name has not been released , then opened fire from inside the car as Mr. Foster approached .
Another person in the crowd pulled out a handgun and shot at the vehicle as it sped away .
Minutes after the shooting , the driver called 911 and said he had been involved in a shooting and had driven away from the scene , Chief Manley said .
The caller told dispatchers he had shot someone who had approached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rifle at him .
“ His account is that Mr. Foster pointed the weapon directly at him and he fired his handgun at Mr. Foster , ” the chief said of the driver .
There is a debate taking place online about whether over whether the shooting victim , Garrett Foster , actually raised his weapon toward the driver or merely had it slung in front of him .
The shooting and the aftermath were caught on video .
Update : There was another incident this weekend where protesters tried to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DC .
Anti-police protesters were outraged that the woman who ’ d moved her car a few feet with protesters riding on her hood wasn ’ t arrested by the police .
Surrounding drivers and then expecting them to react calmly while people pound on their cars from all sides does not seem like a smart game to be playing in the streets of our cities .

A BLM protest march in Aurora, Colorado ended up on the freeway Saturday. There was some screaming and a Jeep drove down the freeway as people scattered out of the way. Several shots were fired and two protesters were hit. Some people initially claimed that someone inside the Jeep had fired at the protesters:
https://twitter.com/Joshuajered/status/1287237898224513024
In fact, it was one of the protesters who had attempted to fire on the Jeep who shot two people in the crowd:
As it passed, a protester pulled a gun and started shooting at the vehicle, witnesses said. Six shots rang out, causing panic. Two protesters were shot or grazed, and another fell or jumped from the highway, breaking her leg. “I just heard people screaming ‘Medic!’ from everywhere,” said protester Heather Benton, an Emergency Medical Technician. “I didn’t realize I’d entered a war zone.”
Yesterday police released two images of a person of interest in the case:
UPDATE: DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS MALE? This male is a person of interest that shot 2 people yesterday on I-225. Please reach out to @CrimeStoppersCO with tips. You can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000. https://t.co/hSD2ac6gCp pic.twitter.com/iviXgdfCR9 — Aurora Police Dept 🇺🇸 (@AuroraPD) July 27, 2020
This is not the first time a protester has shot at a vehicle driving through traffic. Last month a driver in a pickup tried to flee a group of protesters in Provo, Utah. A protester fired two shots, one of which hit the driver. He drove himself to a nearby hospital. No protesters were injured in that incident.
Also this weekend, a driver moving toward a crowd of protesters in Austin was surrounded. When one man with a rifle approached his car, he fired at him several times killing the man.
Austin’s police chief, Brian Manley, told reporters on Sunday that as the motorist turned, a crowd of protesters surrounded the vehicle, and some struck the car. The driver, whose name has not been released, then opened fire from inside the car as Mr. Foster approached. Another person in the crowd pulled out a handgun and shot at the vehicle as it sped away. Minutes after the shooting, the driver called 911 and said he had been involved in a shooting and had driven away from the scene, Chief Manley said. The caller told dispatchers he had shot someone who had approached the driver’s window and pointed a rifle at him. “His account is that Mr. Foster pointed the weapon directly at him and he fired his handgun at Mr. Foster,” the chief said of the driver.
There is a debate taking place online about whether over whether the shooting victim, Garrett Foster, actually raised his weapon toward the driver or merely had it slung in front of him. The shooting and the aftermath were caught on video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6ll7WHh2VA
Update: There was another incident this weekend where protesters tried to stop a car in Georgetown in Washington, DC. Anti-police protesters were outraged that the woman who’d moved her car a few feet with protesters riding on her hood wasn’t arrested by the police.
Tonight @concernedofdc led a siren/noise pollution protest where we blocked off streets in Georgetown. The police presence was heavy. As we blocked off streets we demanded that people turn around. This was a minor inconvenience for this affluent white neighborhood. — Julia Clark🇧🇷 (@jc_1303) July 26, 2020
In the video above, she had already attempted to run us over multiple times and I had moved from the front of the car to the side and was banging on her window screaming at her to stop. Throughout this whole thing, the cops are doing nothing. — Julia Clark🇧🇷 (@jc_1303) July 26, 2020
Police continue to REFUSE to arrest this white woman, citing that since she stayed on the scene (only because we blocked her from leaving) she did not have “intent” and could not be charged nor arrested. pic.twitter.com/hH0Lqc33Xp — Julia Clark🇧🇷 (@jc_1303) July 26, 2020
After all this time of pushing protestors and protecting this violent white woman, the MPD LET HER DRIVE HOME. Shoving and grabbing protestors who tried to stop her. Police treated us like threats, when she was clearly dangerous. — Julia Clark🇧🇷 (@jc_1303) July 26, 2020
Police didn’t do shit. They have never done shit. Will never do shit. And will never BE shit. Fuck the police. This is a hate crime. Find this woman. — Julia Clark🇧🇷 (@jc_1303) July 26, 2020
This is exactly why we need to defund MPD. MPD does not protect citizens utilizing their right to protest, they protect a woman who tried to run over protestors. Police DON’T keep us safe. The only thing police are good at is brutalizing Black people. DEFUND MPD. — Julia Clark🇧🇷 (@jc_1303) July 26, 2020
Surrounding drivers and then expecting them to react calmly while people pound on their cars from all sides does not seem like a smart game to be playing in the streets of our cities.