hotair--2020-07-02--<span class='red'>Breaking: Ghislaine Maxwell arrested, faces DoJ indictment today; Update: Six coun

Breaking: Ghislaine Maxwell arrested, faces DoJ indictment today; Update: Six counts, including "sexual abuse of minor victims"

Has the time come for Jeffrey Epstein ’ s enablers to answer for his crimes , and theirs ?
Today ’ s the day for the once-elusive Ghislaine Maxwell , the girlfriend and alleged chief pimp for the billionaire pedophile .
NBC New York reported this morning that the FBI has arrested Maxwell , and that she will get arraigned today in federal court : Ghislaine Maxwell , the British socialite and heiress who became a confidante of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and was later accused of involvement in his alleged sexual crimes , has been arrested by the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News 4 New York .
She was arrested on the East Coast on Epstein-related charges and is expected to appear in a federal court later today , the sources say .
Spokespeople for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney ’ s Office in Manhattan declined to comment .
No word as yet on the specific charges , but the FBI and Department of Justice didn ’ t go to this trouble for a misdemeanor case .
The New York Times reports from one source that the case is most definitely linked to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before his suicide , but it ’ s been a long time coming for Maxwell .
Since Epstein ’ s death in a New York jail , his victims and their advocates have demanded justice from Epstein ’ s cohort of alleged abetters , and Maxwell tops that list .
Practically every victim who has gone public has put Maxwell not only in the loop of trafficking them to Epstein as underaged victims , some have put her in the room during the assaults .
A few have named Maxwell as a participant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and FBI have played it very cool during this time , however , almost as cool as Maxwell herself .
While she hid from public view and was rumored to be hiding out in nearly every corner of the world , prosecutors kept mum about their plans for Maxwell .
( The arrest took place in New Hampshire , Fox News reports , where there are no In-N-Outs . )
The release of documentaries about Epstein and his depravities hiked the pressure to charge Maxwell , but the DoJ still took its time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll know today when we see the indictment , but one has to figure that the FBI has had more than enough time now to sort through all of the evidence they seized from Epstein and to take depositions from the victims .
While we wait for the indictment , one of Epstein ’ s victims had a setback yesterday in a lawsuit against Alan Dershowitz .
But Dershowitz didn ’ t do so well , either : Attorneys for alleged Jeffrey Epstein “ sex slave ” Virginia Roberts Giuffre were ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Ghislaine Maxwell — as lawyer Alan Dershowitz was also denied access to the potentially explosive information .
Manhattan federal Judge Loretta Preska said she was “ troubled ” to learn during oral arguments last week that Giuffre ’ s lawyers , from the firm of Cooper & Kirk , had been given sealed records from her since-settled suit against Maxwell , who Giuffre claims recruited her to have sex with Epstein and his pals while she was underage .
The other men allegedly include Dershowitz , whom Giuffre is suing for defamation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including calling her a “ certified , complete , total liar , ” and who is counter-suing Giuffre for causing “ serious harm … to his reputation , his business and his health.
” “ As a practical matter , the Court would be surprised — shocked , even — if Cooper & Kirk was not in some sense ‘ using ’ the Maxwell discovery in its representation of Ms. Giuffre in her action against Mr. Dershowitz , ” the judge wrote .
This brings up one more point to watch with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pinned to the mat , does she start cutting deals with prosecutors about other Epstein associates ?
One thing ’ s for sure — federal prison officials had better put Maxwell under better observation than what they used for Epstein .
Update : The SDNY will hold a press conference on the arrest at noon ET , but NY Mag Intelligencer has this much on the charges : The allegations include a conspiracy for sexual trafficking going back to 1994 , according to NBC New York .
Update : The indictment is apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over twenty years ago , at least in this opening explanation :

Has the time come for Jeffrey Epstein’s enablers to answer for his crimes, and theirs? Today’s the day for the once-elusive Ghislaine Maxwell, the girlfriend and alleged chief pimp for the billionaire pedophile. NBC New York reported this morning that the FBI has arrested Maxwell, and that she will get arraigned today in federal court:
Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and heiress who became a confidante of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and was later accused of involvement in his alleged sexual crimes, has been arrested by the FBI, two senior law enforcement sources tell News 4 New York. She was arrested on the East Coast on Epstein-related charges and is expected to appear in a federal court later today, the sources say. Spokespeople for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan declined to comment.
No word as yet on the specific charges, but the FBI and Department of Justice didn’t go to this trouble for a misdemeanor case. The New York Times reports from one source that the case is most definitely linked to the sex trafficking with which Epstein was charged before his suicide, but it’s been a long time coming for Maxwell. Since Epstein’s death in a New York jail, his victims and their advocates have demanded justice from Epstein’s cohort of alleged abetters, and Maxwell tops that list. Practically every victim who has gone public has put Maxwell not only in the loop of trafficking them to Epstein as underaged victims, some have put her in the room during the assaults. A few have named Maxwell as a participant in those, too.
The DoJ and FBI have played it very cool during this time, however, almost as cool as Maxwell herself. While she hid from public view and was rumored to be hiding out in nearly every corner of the world, prosecutors kept mum about their plans for Maxwell. (The arrest took place in New Hampshire, Fox News reports, where there are no In-N-Outs.) The release of documentaries about Epstein and his depravities hiked the pressure to charge Maxwell, but the DoJ still took its time. Did that pay off? We’ll know today when we see the indictment, but one has to figure that the FBI has had more than enough time now to sort through all of the evidence they seized from Epstein and to take depositions from the victims.
While we wait for the indictment, one of Epstein’s victims had a setback yesterday in a lawsuit against Alan Dershowitz. But Dershowitz didn’t do so well, either:
Attorneys for alleged Jeffrey Epstein “sex slave” Virginia Roberts Giuffre were ordered Wednesday to destroy evidence from her case against Ghislaine Maxwell — as lawyer Alan Dershowitz was also denied access to the potentially explosive information. Manhattan federal Judge Loretta Preska said she was “troubled” to learn during oral arguments last week that Giuffre’s lawyers, from the firm of Cooper & Kirk, had been given sealed records from her since-settled suit against Maxwell, who Giuffre claims recruited her to have sex with Epstein and his pals while she was underage. The other men allegedly include Dershowitz, whom Giuffre is suing for defamation over his public denials of her accusations, including calling her a “certified, complete, total liar,” and who is counter-suing Giuffre for causing “serious harm … to his reputation, his business and his health.” “As a practical matter, the Court would be surprised — shocked, even — if Cooper & Kirk was not in some sense ‘using’ the Maxwell discovery in its representation of Ms. Giuffre in her action against Mr. Dershowitz,” the judge wrote.
This brings up one more point to watch with Maxwell. If the DoJ has her pinned to the mat, does she start cutting deals with prosecutors about other Epstein associates? One thing’s for sure — federal prison officials had better put Maxwell under better observation than what they used for Epstein.
Update: The SDNY will hold a press conference on the arrest at noon ET, but NY Mag Intelligencer has this much on the charges:
Nearly 11 months after Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell, his ex-girlfriend and alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, was arrested by the FBI in New Hampshire Thursday. “In some instances, Maxwell was present for and participated in the sexual abuse of minor victims,” the six-count indictment says.
The allegations include a conspiracy for sexual trafficking going back to 1994, according to NBC New York.
Update: The indictment is apparently limited to Maxwell’s activities from over twenty years ago, at least in this opening explanation:


hotair--2020-07-02--Judicial Watch sues DC mayor to paint their own message on city streets and I can't stop laughing

Back at the beginning of June , District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser took it upon herself to rename a public street “ Black Lives Matter Plaza ” and ordered those three words to be painted in huge yellow letters spanning two blocks of 16th Street NW .
This was an obvious sop to the protesters and rioters who have been filling the streets of most major cities for quite some time now , as well as an opportunity to score a few quick headlines in her ongoing PR battle with Donald Trump .
But in doing so , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public streets in the nation ’ s capital that are maintained using taxpayer funds were now apparently legitimate fora for the expression of political opinions .
Taking that signal to heart , Judicial Watch decided to get in on the action themselves .
They sent in a request to paint another street in the same area with their own slogan .
Strangely , despite multiple attempts to prompt a response from the Mayor , they were unable to obtain permission to do the same thing she had done .
Seeing no other recourse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mayor to court to ensure their own right to free expression under the First Amendment .
Let ’ s all break out the popcorn and see how this one plays out .
Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a civil rights lawsuit against DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials for First Amendment violations over their refusal to allow Judicial Watch to paint the message “ Because No One Is Above the Law !
” on a DC street .
( Judicial Watch .
v. Muriel Bowser , et al .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 5 , 2020 , after days of protests and riots in Washington , DC , led by the Black Lives Matter organization , Mayor Bowser authorized the painting of “ Black Lives Matter ” on 16th Street NW , and later authorized or allowed “ Defund the Police ” to be painted alongside it .
The group sent a letter requesting permission to paint “ Because No One is Above the Law !
” in the identical size and coloring of the “ Black Lives Matter ” painting on another DC street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judicial Watch offered to pay for the cost of the painting and , citing the timely nature of the issue , asked for a response in three days .
Three days seems like a reasonable amount of time for such a simple request .
But apparently it wasn ’ t , at least in the view of the Mayor ’ s office .
In fact , more than three weeks went by and Judicial Watch still hadn ’ t received either authorization or a denial of their request .
The reasons for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fairly basic .
The group is pointing out that the Mayor has obviously determined that the painting of expressive messages on city streets is a method of expression protected under the First Amendment .
Bowser has failed to provide a persuasive answer ( or any answer , really ) as to why the group can ’ t paint a corresponding message on a different street .
She ’ s also demonstrating obvious government favoritism of one message over another .
This process isn ’ t going to be confined to the District of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to jump on the liberal bandwagon , New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio similarly announced this week that huge “ Black Lives Matter ” statements would be painted on streets in all five boroughs of Gotham .
In response , Judicial Watch has already sent a letter to Hizzoner requesting permission to paint their motto on Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets .
There ’ s been no word yet as to whether or not the Mayor will comply .
It ’ s tough to see how either city ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an objection to the group ’ s motto based on the substance .
They obviously feel that “ Black Lives Matter ” is a valid point of view .
With that in mind , how could they oppose the phrase , “ Because No One Is Above The Law ?
” It ’ s one of the most fundamental principles found in our Constitution .
As I mentioned at the top , both Bowser and de Blasio have painted themselves into this corner , if you ’ ll pardon the pun .
Both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fiat rather than the normal legislative process .
If either City Council had voted to make a special exception , renaming a street and granting authority for a specific message to be painted on that stretch of pavement , they wouldn ’ t have opened the door to this sort of activity .
But they chose to do it via the phone and the pen , so now all of the asphalt in each city should be open game for nearly any message people want to put there .
Of course , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way .
Let ’ s find out if a judge will .

Back at the beginning of June, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser took it upon herself to rename a public street “Black Lives Matter Plaza” and ordered those three words to be painted in huge yellow letters spanning two blocks of 16th Street NW. This was an obvious sop to the protesters and rioters who have been filling the streets of most major cities for quite some time now, as well as an opportunity to score a few quick headlines in her ongoing PR battle with Donald Trump. But in doing so, she also established a precedent of sorts. Public streets in the nation’s capital that are maintained using taxpayer funds were now apparently legitimate fora for the expression of political opinions.
Taking that signal to heart, Judicial Watch decided to get in on the action themselves. They sent in a request to paint another street in the same area with their own slogan. Strangely, despite multiple attempts to prompt a response from the Mayor, they were unable to obtain permission to do the same thing she had done. Seeing no other recourse, the group is now taking the Mayor to court to ensure their own right to free expression under the First Amendment. Let’s all break out the popcorn and see how this one plays out.
Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a civil rights lawsuit against DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials for First Amendment violations over their refusal to allow Judicial Watch to paint the message “Because No One Is Above the Law!” on a DC street. (Judicial Watch. v. Muriel Bowser, et al. (No. 1:20-cv-01789)). On June 5, 2020, after days of protests and riots in Washington, DC, led by the Black Lives Matter organization, Mayor Bowser authorized the painting of “Black Lives Matter” on 16th Street NW, and later authorized or allowed “Defund the Police” to be painted alongside it. The group sent a letter requesting permission to paint “Because No One is Above the Law!” in the identical size and coloring of the “Black Lives Matter” painting on another DC street near its headquarters near Capitol Hill. Judicial Watch offered to pay for the cost of the painting and, citing the timely nature of the issue, asked for a response in three days.
Three days seems like a reasonable amount of time for such a simple request. But apparently it wasn’t, at least in the view of the Mayor’s office. In fact, more than three weeks went by and Judicial Watch still hadn’t received either authorization or a denial of their request. The reasons for the suit are clearly spelled out and seem fairly basic. The group is pointing out that the Mayor has obviously determined that the painting of expressive messages on city streets is a method of expression protected under the First Amendment. Bowser has failed to provide a persuasive answer (or any answer, really) as to why the group can’t paint a corresponding message on a different street. She’s also demonstrating obvious government favoritism of one message over another.
This process isn’t going to be confined to the District of Columbia. Never one to miss an opportunity to jump on the liberal bandwagon, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio similarly announced this week that huge “Black Lives Matter” statements would be painted on streets in all five boroughs of Gotham. In response, Judicial Watch has already sent a letter to Hizzoner requesting permission to paint their motto on Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. There’s been no word yet as to whether or not the Mayor will comply.
It’s tough to see how either city’s mayor would be able to raise an objection to the group’s motto based on the substance. They obviously feel that “Black Lives Matter” is a valid point of view. With that in mind, how could they oppose the phrase, “Because No One Is Above The Law?” It’s one of the most fundamental principles found in our Constitution.
As I mentioned at the top, both Bowser and de Blasio have painted themselves into this corner, if you’ll pardon the pun. Both of these actions were done via executive fiat rather than the normal legislative process. If either City Council had voted to make a special exception, renaming a street and granting authority for a specific message to be painted on that stretch of pavement, they wouldn’t have opened the door to this sort of activity. But they chose to do it via the phone and the pen, so now all of the asphalt in each city should be open game for nearly any message people want to put there. Of course, the mayors won’t see it that way. Let’s find out if a judge will.


hotair--2020-07-02--Boom, in more ways than one: Firearms sales rocket upward nationwide in response to #DefundthePolice

Boom, in more ways than one: Firearms sales rocket upward nationwide in response to #DefundthePolice, riots

It ’ s not just Minneapolis .
As police retreat across the US , people have decided to exercise their self-defense preparation rights in record numbers .
Background checks for firearms sales went up 70 % last month year-on-year , the government reported , and gun stores are having difficulty keeping up with demand : Background checks for gun sales spiked again in June , setting a new record for the highest number of checks in one month as nationwide protests , riots and the coronavirus pandemic continued to increase safety concerns for many .
The National Instant Criminal Background @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June , an increase of 70 percent over June 2019 .
Last month ’ s numbers broke the previous record of 2.7 million checks set in March .
Already this year , the FBI has recorded 19 million background checks in the system , more than were recorded during first 14 years of the system , which has been operating since 1998 .
Only six months into 2020 , the surge in checks is already nearing last year ’ s record of 28 million background checks .
That ’ s not a direct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this case it might underestimate the surge .
Background checks do not capture the purchases of multiple firearms , for instance , although sometimes the sales do not get completed for other reasons either .
This time , it looks as though consumers might be doubling up on average : Gun stores told Secrets that there is a backlog on weapons , ammunition , and even parts .
The trade group Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting told Secrets that gun sales actually skyrocketed 145 % , based on their data .
They estimated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t include person-to-person sales which in many states do not require background checks .
… As before , we asked Justin Anderson , the marketing director for Hyatt Guns of Charlotte , North Carolina , one of the biggest sellers in the nation , for what he ’ s seeing in his store .
He told us this morning : “ I ’ ve been in this business going on 14 years , and I have never seen this much demand .
There are shortages of nearly every single defensive firearm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tactical rifles , and especially ammunition are in short supply everywhere .
Our buyer is working seven days a week trying to keep our store stocked .
Large shipments are arriving in the morning and are selling out the same day .
Our concealed carry classes are filling up so fast that we are adding dates to try to keep up with demand.
” Sales and background checks have been above average all year , and spiked upward in March when the COVID-19 shutdowns began .
Background checks then dropped sharply in April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now hit a new record last month .
That does not seem to be related to the pandemic or shutdowns , which had begun to ease , but to riots — and demands to defund and scale down or eliminate policing .
The ramifications will eventually prove out the laws of unintended consequences .
That has already started to happen , with the St. Louis incident involving the McCloskeys being one example .
If police are not available , then people will take self-defense measures themselves instead , and it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professional law-enforcement agencies in order to depersonalize and hopefully de-escalate conflict and to provide consistent and trained responses to crime and threats .
Remove that from the equation and that vacuum gets filled with mob rule — and mob rule will generate reactions and resistance , too .
No one will put up with mobocracy for very long , and it looks like Americans are preparing for the day when they have to make that choice .
Cities should be looking at this verrry closely when it comes to their policy choices regarding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure — gun control is a dead issue in 2020 .
Want to bet that this surge is primarily from urban liberals who have begun to realize the implications of what they have unleashed by cheering on # DefundthePolice ?

It’s not just Minneapolis. As police retreat across the US, people have decided to exercise their self-defense preparation rights in record numbers. Background checks for firearms sales went up 70% last month year-on-year, the government reported, and gun stores are having difficulty keeping up with demand:
Background checks for gun sales spiked again in June, setting a new record for the highest number of checks in one month as nationwide protests, riots and the coronavirus pandemic continued to increase safety concerns for many. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System conducted 3.9 million checks in June, an increase of 70 percent over June 2019. Last month’s numbers broke the previous record of 2.7 million checks set in March. Already this year, the FBI has recorded 19 million background checks in the system, more than were recorded during first 14 years of the system, which has been operating since 1998. Only six months into 2020, the surge in checks is already nearing last year’s record of 28 million background checks.
That’s not a direct measure of gun sales, and in this case it might underestimate the surge. Background checks do not capture the purchases of multiple firearms, for instance, although sometimes the sales do not get completed for other reasons either. This time, it looks as though consumers might be doubling up on average:
Gun stores told Secrets that there is a backlog on weapons, ammunition, and even parts. The trade group Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting told Secrets that gun sales actually skyrocketed 145%, based on their data. They estimated sales at 2.4 million, though that doesn’t include person-to-person sales which in many states do not require background checks. … As before, we asked Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns of Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the biggest sellers in the nation, for what he’s seeing in his store. He told us this morning: “I’ve been in this business going on 14 years, and I have never seen this much demand. There are shortages of nearly every single defensive firearm currently manufactured. Shotguns, handguns, tactical rifles, and especially ammunition are in short supply everywhere. Our buyer is working seven days a week trying to keep our store stocked. Large shipments are arriving in the morning and are selling out the same day. Our concealed carry classes are filling up so fast that we are adding dates to try to keep up with demand.”
Sales and background checks have been above average all year, and spiked upward in March when the COVID-19 shutdowns began. Background checks then dropped sharply in April but rose again in May, and now hit a new record last month. That does not seem to be related to the pandemic or shutdowns, which had begun to ease, but to riots — and demands to defund and scale down or eliminate policing.
The ramifications will eventually prove out the laws of unintended consequences. That has already started to happen, with the St. Louis incident involving the McCloskeys being one example. If police are not available, then people will take self-defense measures themselves instead, and it’s not going to look pretty. Governments establish professional law-enforcement agencies in order to depersonalize and hopefully de-escalate conflict and to provide consistent and trained responses to crime and threats. Remove that from the equation and that vacuum gets filled with mob rule — and mob rule will generate reactions and resistance, too.
No one will put up with mobocracy for very long, and it looks like Americans are preparing for the day when they have to make that choice. Cities should be looking at this verrry closely when it comes to their policy choices regarding policing.
One thing’s for sure — gun control is a dead issue in 2020. Want to bet that this surge is primarily from urban liberals who have begun to realize the implications of what they have unleashed by cheering on #DefundthePolice?


hotair--2020-07-03--Movie preview: The Outpost

Movie preview: The Outpost

Today is the day that a new movie about key events in the Afghanistan war is being released .
What makes this film of potential interest to our audience is the intersection between history , politics , current events , and the media .
The Outpost covers a significant span of our nation ’ s efforts in Afghanistan but focuses in particular on Combat Outpost Keating .
The movie was based on the book of the same title , The Outpost : An Untold Story of American Valor by CNN host Jake Tapper , who is also an executive producer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloom , Scott Eastwood , and Caleb Landry Jones , among others .
I conducted a fascinating interview with Tapper about the film that you should have been watching this morning , but which was unfortunately eaten by Skype without producing a usable recording .
Still , he provided some good background on the road that led to the production of the movie .
Jake reports that the film follows the events in his book as well as could be expected when attempting to crunch a 400-page tome into a couple of hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are moved out of their actual sequence to fully tell the story , but the tale is accurate .
The outpost in question was surrounded by mountains , giving the Taliban the literal and figurative higher ground .
They eventually took advantage of that fact in one of the bloodiest days for the United States in the entire war .
It also explores the task assigned to our soldiers , that of winning the “ hearts and minds ” of the locals while fending off the Taliban fighters who were not interested in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out at a time when the nation is facing the possibility of finally pulling out of that country , though Tapper reminded me that his book wasn ’ t about politics .
It was about the reality on the ground , an aspect reflected well in the film .
We also discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected both the production schedules and release dates of film and television projects .
In the case of The Outpost , those decisions were made several degrees of separation from Jake Tapper , but it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the film is being released in select theaters at the same time as it ’ s being made available on various cable on-demand services , as well as Amazon Prime and direct streaming outlets .
By the time you read this report , it should already be available .
We also discussed Jake ’ s second book , The Hellfire Club .
While this project is still over the horizon , that book is also currently being developed as a screenplay for eventual release as a multi-part series on HBO Max .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time , but it was another great book .
It ’ s a work of fiction but set in a very real and fascinating era of Washington history and the events consuming the nation in the 1950s .

Today is the day that a new movie about key events in the Afghanistan war is being released. What makes this film of potential interest to our audience is the intersection between history, politics, current events, and the media. The Outpost covers a significant span of our nation’s efforts in Afghanistan but focuses in particular on Combat Outpost Keating. The movie was based on the book of the same title, The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by CNN host Jake Tapper, who is also an executive producer on the film. It stars Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood, and Caleb Landry Jones, among others.
I conducted a fascinating interview with Tapper about the film that you should have been watching this morning, but which was unfortunately eaten by Skype without producing a usable recording. Still, he provided some good background on the road that led to the production of the movie. Jake reports that the film follows the events in his book as well as could be expected when attempting to crunch a 400-page tome into a couple of hours of film. A few specific events are moved out of their actual sequence to fully tell the story, but the tale is accurate.
The outpost in question was surrounded by mountains, giving the Taliban the literal and figurative higher ground. They eventually took advantage of that fact in one of the bloodiest days for the United States in the entire war. It also explores the task assigned to our soldiers, that of winning the “hearts and minds” of the locals while fending off the Taliban fighters who were not interested in a debate. The movie is coming out at a time when the nation is facing the possibility of finally pulling out of that country, though Tapper reminded me that his book wasn’t about politics. It was about the reality on the ground, an aspect reflected well in the film.
We also discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected both the production schedules and release dates of film and television projects. In the case of The Outpost, those decisions were made several degrees of separation from Jake Tapper, but it was definitely a consideration. In the end, the film is being released in select theaters at the same time as it’s being made available on various cable on-demand services, as well as Amazon Prime and direct streaming outlets. By the time you read this report, it should already be available.
We also discussed Jake’s second book, The Hellfire Club. While this project is still over the horizon, that book is also currently being developed as a screenplay for eventual release as a multi-part series on HBO Max. No date of release is available at this time, but it was another great book. It’s a work of fiction but set in a very real and fascinating era of Washington history and the events consuming the nation in the 1950s.


hotair--2020-07-02--Coronavirus casualty: This popular item is no longer available at Costco

What is at the top of the to-do list of every party planner ?
Refreshments , right ?
The most popular party treat is the cake .
It doesn ’ t matter if it is a casual family birthday party or a formal wedding , the cake takes the spotlight .
Costco is throwing cold water on all that , though , thanks to the coronavirus pandemic .
With the coronavirus mitigation guidelines in place , everyone is staying home as much as possible .
Non-essential activities have fallen by the wayside and that includes social gatherings which we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adjusting to the new normal and is no longer selling half-sheet cakes in its bakeries .
This may not sound like a big deal , but it is .
There is not a half-sheet cake to be found in any Costco location in the United States .
And , there are no plans to bring them back .
Costco has made many adjustments during the coronavirus pandemic , as have all companies .
The halt to selling the half-sheet cakes seems to be a part of their mitigation process .
The cakes are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and tasty , too .
The company is offering its 10-inch cake as a substitute .
Costco half-sheet cakes cost under $ 20 and serve up to 48 people , though I ’ d say that was a generous estimate .
The 10-inch cakes serve 8 to 10 people , which is in line with current restrictions on social gatherings .
Normally , this time of year would be a very busy time for the larger cakes .
Graduation parties and weddings are popular activities during the summer months .
The demand for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even as social gatherings came to a halt .
People still want to buy them for small celebrations or special family celebrations .
Extra cake ( is there really such a thing ? )
can be frozen and eaten later , or taken over to friends and neighbors .
People like cake .
During the pandemic , though , Costco bakeries are at reduced service in order to make sure social distancing space is available in stores .
The news first broke back in May when Costco posted a somewhat hidden statement to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dessert .
“ Big achievements deserve a celebration !
Share the love with your grad by picking up a round 10 ” cake at the bakery .
Please note : Half-sheet cakes are currently not available to order or customize , ” the chain wrote , alone with a video showcasing white and chocolate versions of the cake .
The store also confirmed the news to TODAY Food Tuesday in an emailed statement : “ We are currently not selling our 1/2 sheet cakes at any US locations and as of right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring them back .
We are focusing on our smaller 10″ White & 10″ Chocolate Cakes that seem to be resonating with our members.
” As customers continue to ask the company to bring back the wildly popular cakes on its Facebook page , the company released a brief response – “ To help limit personal contact and create more space for social distancing , Costco has reduced service in some departments.
” Something Costco has brought back is offering free samples of products .
The free smorgasbord is a thing of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as pre-packaged items and kept behind plexiglass shields .
Gone are the open samples that customers could just pick up with their hands , which from a sanitary perspective is probably a good thing .
CFO Richard Galanti said the decision was made to bring the samples back during the month of June .
The retailer suspended its popular samples in its wholesale clubs in early March amid the spread of the coronavirus .
It was one of the first programs to be cut as the threat of COVID-19 grew .
Club Demonstration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sampling for Costco for years , says on its website that clubs in 16 states are in the first phase of the return , noting a limited number of demos are being scheduled for participating clubs each day .
“ Starting slowly will allow Costco and us to make sure we are taking the right steps to engage members safely , while maintaining the proper controls around the demo cart , ” Don Dohanyos , the company ’ s president , said in a June 4 post .
“ We will take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improve our overall processes while we prepare for future rollouts.
” Let ’ s face it , these are difficult times and it is often difficult to find joy .
Cakes are happy treats .
Perhaps the company will reconsider and make the half-sheet cakes available again after the coronavirus pandemic eases up .

What is at the top of the to-do list of every party planner? Refreshments, right? The most popular party treat is the cake. It doesn’t matter if it is a casual family birthday party or a formal wedding, the cake takes the spotlight. Costco is throwing cold water on all that, though, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the coronavirus mitigation guidelines in place, everyone is staying home as much as possible. Non-essential activities have fallen by the wayside and that includes social gatherings which we are told to avoid now. Costco is adjusting to the new normal and is no longer selling half-sheet cakes in its bakeries. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is. There is not a half-sheet cake to be found in any Costco location in the United States. And, there are no plans to bring them back.
Costco has made many adjustments during the coronavirus pandemic, as have all companies. The halt to selling the half-sheet cakes seems to be a part of their mitigation process. The cakes are very popular because they are economically priced and tasty, too. The company is offering its 10-inch cake as a substitute. Costco half-sheet cakes cost under $20 and serve up to 48 people, though I’d say that was a generous estimate. The 10-inch cakes serve 8 to 10 people, which is in line with current restrictions on social gatherings.
Normally, this time of year would be a very busy time for the larger cakes. Graduation parties and weddings are popular activities during the summer months. The demand for the half-sheet cakes didn’t decrease even as social gatherings came to a halt. People still want to buy them for small celebrations or special family celebrations. Extra cake (is there really such a thing?) can be frozen and eaten later, or taken over to friends and neighbors. People like cake.
During the pandemic, though, Costco bakeries are at reduced service in order to make sure social distancing space is available in stores.
The news first broke back in May when Costco posted a somewhat hidden statement to its Facebook page announcing the new 10-inch dessert. “Big achievements deserve a celebration! Share the love with your grad by picking up a round 10” cake at the bakery. Please note: Half-sheet cakes are currently not available to order or customize,” the chain wrote, alone with a video showcasing white and chocolate versions of the cake. The store also confirmed the news to TODAY Food Tuesday in an emailed statement: “We are currently not selling our 1/2 sheet cakes at any US locations and as of right now, we have no immediate plans to bring them back. We are focusing on our smaller 10″ White & 10″ Chocolate Cakes that seem to be resonating with our members.”
As customers continue to ask the company to bring back the wildly popular cakes on its Facebook page, the company released a brief response – “To help limit personal contact and create more space for social distancing, Costco has reduced service in some departments.”
Something Costco has brought back is offering free samples of products. The free smorgasbord is a thing of the past now but samples are given out as pre-packaged items and kept behind plexiglass shields. Gone are the open samples that customers could just pick up with their hands, which from a sanitary perspective is probably a good thing. CFO Richard Galanti said the decision was made to bring the samples back during the month of June.
The retailer suspended its popular samples in its wholesale clubs in early March amid the spread of the coronavirus. It was one of the first programs to be cut as the threat of COVID-19 grew. Club Demonstration Services, a vendor that has handled sampling for Costco for years, says on its website that clubs in 16 states are in the first phase of the return, noting a limited number of demos are being scheduled for participating clubs each day. “Starting slowly will allow Costco and us to make sure we are taking the right steps to engage members safely, while maintaining the proper controls around the demo cart,” Don Dohanyos, the company’s president, said in a June 4 post. “We will take the lessons learned in our early demos to improve our overall processes while we prepare for future rollouts.”
Let’s face it, these are difficult times and it is often difficult to find joy. Cakes are happy treats. Perhaps the company will reconsider and make the half-sheet cakes available again after the coronavirus pandemic eases up.


hotair--2020-07-02--Mike Lee: Why are Democrats objecting to a resolution that says "mob violence is bad"?

Something fun from this afternoon in which Lee dared them to block a denunciation of woke riots and … darned if they didn ’ t do it .
Or rather , Bob Menendez did it for them so that the rest of the caucus wouldn ’ t have to get their hands dirty .
You can read Lee ’ s resolution here .
He had the idea for it , it seems , after the attack on the driver in Provo , Utah , that John ’ s written about this week .
It makes a point of distinguishing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful , constitutionally protected demonstrations against instances of police brutality and racial inequality , serious problems meriting investigation and reform , ” which should have made it easier for Dems to support .
Not good enough for Menendez , though , who killed it off by objecting to it .
What was his problem with it ?
He complains at one point in the clip below that it fails to mention slavery when it praises the “ principles of freedom , justice , and human equality ” that the country was founded on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is some boilerplate in the following paragraph about “ falling short ” of those values as “ imperfect human beings ” are wont to do .
Another dispute between him and Lee has to do with singling out Trump for criticism .
Apparently Menendez wanted to add a line accusing the president of inciting violence , an attempt to make this vote as painful for the GOP among parts of their base as it would have been for Dems among the pro-riot parts of theirs .
Lee didn ’ t go for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to criticize “ public officials ” generally .
I wonder , though , if this isn ’ t the part of the text that made Menendez and Dems choke : Most lefties probably would have indulged them a basic condemnation of mob violence , if only for appearances ’ sake .
Biden ’ s already done that generically , remember , and paid no price .
But agreeing with a GOP-written resolution that “ most cops are good ” under the present circumstances might have made Schumer nervous .
At a moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they don ’ t want to hear any broad character testimonials for cops from their own leadership .
Another choice line from the resolution declares that “ the rising tide of vandalism , mob violence , and the mob mentality that feeds it—including its cruel and intolerant ‘ cancel culture ’ —should be condemned by all Americans.
” Senate Dems don ’ t want any part of a war on “ cancel culture.
” If they start that , leftists will be in their faces in two seconds .
“ Which ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specifically ?
Harvey Weinstein ?
Racist corporate mascots ?
Please , enlighten us.
” Anyway , very exciting that the woke party had to harrumph its way out of taking a position on whether rioting is bad .
Look out here for a cameo by Ted Cruz , who happened to be presiding over the Senate today during this back and forth between Lee and Menendez .
Menendez wanted a reprimand of Lee by the chair for disparaging Democrats ’ motives .
Good luck with that , bro .

Something fun from this afternoon in which Lee dared them to block a denunciation of woke riots and … darned if they didn’t do it.
Or rather, Bob Menendez did it for them so that the rest of the caucus wouldn’t have to get their hands dirty.
You can read Lee’s resolution here. He had the idea for it, it seems, after the attack on the driver in Provo, Utah, that John’s written about this week. It makes a point of distinguishing the looting and rioting from “legitimate, peaceful, constitutionally protected demonstrations against instances of police brutality and racial inequality, serious problems meriting investigation and reform,” which should have made it easier for Dems to support. Not good enough for Menendez, though, who killed it off by objecting to it. What was his problem with it?
He complains at one point in the clip below that it fails to mention slavery when it praises the “principles of freedom, justice, and human equality” that the country was founded on. That’s true, although there is some boilerplate in the following paragraph about “falling short” of those values as “imperfect human beings” are wont to do. Another dispute between him and Lee has to do with singling out Trump for criticism. Apparently Menendez wanted to add a line accusing the president of inciting violence, an attempt to make this vote as painful for the GOP among parts of their base as it would have been for Dems among the pro-riot parts of theirs. Lee didn’t go for it, arguing that it’s enough to criticize “public officials” generally.
I wonder, though, if this isn’t the part of the text that made Menendez and Dems choke:
Whereas America’s law enforcement officers do an extremely difficult job extremely well, and despite the inexcusable misconduct of some, the overwhelming majority of such officers are honest, courageous, patriotic, and rightfully honored public servants
Most lefties probably would have indulged them a basic condemnation of mob violence, if only for appearances’ sake. Biden’s already done that generically, remember, and paid no price. But agreeing with a GOP-written resolution that “most cops are good” under the present circumstances might have made Schumer nervous. At a moment when progressives are pushing to defund PDs, they don’t want to hear any broad character testimonials for cops from their own leadership.
Another choice line from the resolution declares that “the rising tide of vandalism, mob violence, and the mob mentality that feeds it—including its cruel and intolerant ‘cancel culture’—should be condemned by all Americans.” Senate Dems don’t want any part of a war on “cancel culture.” If they start that, leftists will be in their faces in two seconds. “Which ‘cancellation’ did you disapprove of, specifically? Harvey Weinstein? Racist corporate mascots? Please, enlighten us.”
Anyway, very exciting that the woke party had to harrumph its way out of taking a position on whether rioting is bad. Look out here for a cameo by Ted Cruz, who happened to be presiding over the Senate today during this back and forth between Lee and Menendez. Menendez wanted a reprimand of Lee by the chair for disparaging Democrats’ motives. Good luck with that, bro.


hotair--2020-07-03--U.S. prosecutors move to seize cargo from Iranian tankers headed for Venezuela

Back in May Iran sent a convoy of five tankers carrying gasoline to Venezuela , helping the Maduro regime deal with a major gas shortage .
At the time , the Trump administration was said to be debating how aggressively to respond .
No direct confrontation of the convoy happened then but the situation changed dramatically this week when U.S. prosecutors moved to seize the cargo onboard four tankers headed for Venezuela .
The action comes weeks after Iran sent five tankers and 1.5 million barrels of gasoline in a symbolic gesture of support to embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A U.S. judge in Washington signed a seizure warrant Thursday for Venezuela-bound shipments aboard four other tankers — the Bella , Bering , Pandi and Luna — whose deliveries were disrupted .
Prosecutors estimated their cargo included 1.2 million barrels of gasoline worth nearly $ 50 million — the seizure of which would be a blow the U.S. government aimed at Iran ’ s use of third-party shippers to avert economic penalties… Prosecutors claimed the movements were arranged by Mahmoud Madanipour , an Iran-based man affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard .
The Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ details about Madanipour ’ s involvement : A confidential reliable source stated that Mahmoud Madanipour was the Iran-based individual who arranged the shipments of the Defendant Properties on behalf of Mobin International Ltd. ( “ Mobin International ” ) .
According to a confidential reliable source , Mahmoud Madanipour is affiliated with the IRGC… A confidential reliable source has also stated that , during planning discussions regarding sanctions evasion , Madanipour said that any business conducted by foreign entities would require IRGC consent .
Madanipour also said that in order to conceal IRGC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officially retired numerous IRGC leaders and then placed them at the heads of companies in key Iranian industrial sectors… A text message between Madanipour and a co-conspirator noted difficulties in the voyage for both the Bella and the Bering .
The co-conspirator texted , “ the ship owner doesn ’ t want to go because of the American threat , but we want him to go , and we even agreed We will also buy the ship.
” And because the IRGC is a designated terrorist group , the U.S. is claiming the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But Iran says any attempt to take the gasoline would be “ piracy.
” “ Any attempt on the high seas to prevent Iran from engaging in lawful trade with any country it chooses will be an act of piracy , pure and simple , ” said Alireza Miryousefi , a spokesman for Tehran ’ s office in New York .
“ This is a direct threat to international peace and security and in contravention of international law including the U.N. Charter.
” Iran has other problems including those mysterious fires at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they seems to be in a fighting mood .
Earlier this week Iran issued an arrest warrant for President Trump over the killing of Qasem Soleimani .
It seems this conflict is going to continue to escalate .

Back in May Iran sent a convoy of five tankers carrying gasoline to Venezuela, helping the Maduro regime deal with a major gas shortage. At the time, the Trump administration was said to be debating how aggressively to respond. No direct confrontation of the convoy happened then but the situation changed dramatically this week when U.S. prosecutors moved to seize the cargo onboard four tankers headed for Venezuela.
The action comes weeks after Iran sent five tankers and 1.5 million barrels of gasoline in a symbolic gesture of support to embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in defiance of the Trump administration. A U.S. judge in Washington signed a seizure warrant Thursday for Venezuela-bound shipments aboard four other tankers — the Bella, Bering, Pandi and Luna — whose deliveries were disrupted. Prosecutors estimated their cargo included 1.2 million barrels of gasoline worth nearly $50 million — the seizure of which would be a blow the U.S. government aimed at Iran’s use of third-party shippers to avert economic penalties… Prosecutors claimed the movements were arranged by Mahmoud Madanipour, an Iran-based man affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard.
The Post published the civil forfeiture lawsuit which includes details about Madanipour’s involvement:
A confidential reliable source stated that Mahmoud Madanipour was the Iran-based individual who arranged the shipments of the Defendant Properties on behalf of Mobin International Ltd. (“Mobin International”). According to a confidential reliable source, Mahmoud Madanipour is affiliated with the IRGC… A confidential reliable source has also stated that, during planning discussions regarding sanctions evasion, Madanipour said that any business conducted by foreign entities would require IRGC consent. Madanipour also said that in order to conceal IRGC involvement, the government of Iran had officially retired numerous IRGC leaders and then placed them at the heads of companies in key Iranian industrial sectors… A text message between Madanipour and a co-conspirator noted difficulties in the voyage for both the Bella and the Bering. The co-conspirator texted, “the ship owner doesn’t want to go because of the American threat, but we want him to go, and we even agreed We will also buy the ship.”
And because the IRGC is a designated terrorist group, the U.S. is claiming the gasoline onboard those ships should be forfeit. But Iran says any attempt to take the gasoline would be “piracy.”
“Any attempt on the high seas to prevent Iran from engaging in lawful trade with any country it chooses will be an act of piracy, pure and simple,” said Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for Tehran’s office in New York. “This is a direct threat to international peace and security and in contravention of international law including the U.N. Charter.”
Iran has other problems including those mysterious fires at their nuclear enrichment facilities. Still, they seems to be in a fighting mood. Earlier this week Iran issued an arrest warrant for President Trump over the killing of Qasem Soleimani. It seems this conflict is going to continue to escalate.


hotair--2020-07-03--South Dakota gov on Trump's Mt. Rushmore event: "We won't be social distancing"

The clip below is a few days old but still timely , as the Mt .
Rushmore Independence Day festivities are set to begin around the time this post goes live .
Kristi Noem ’ s disinterest in following social-distancing rules is the important bit but it ’ s Ingraham ’ s sneering air quotes around the words “ health concerns ” that tell us everything we need to know about how aggressively stupid and destructive populist culture in America 2020 can be .
Why would the governor of a state , charged with protecting the welfare of her constituents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no effort to take the most basic precaution against an outbreak ?
South Dakota isn ’ t a hot spot ( at the moment ) , but the transmission rate there is above 1.0 and the positivity rate has more than doubled since early June .
If the answer is , “ The BLM protesters didn ’ t social-distance during their rallies , ” that amounts to saying , “ If they were entitled to make people sick , we should be able to go out and make people sick too.
” One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ m not even saying that Noem should do something heavy-handed to try to enforce social distancing .
We have to be realistic about what governors can plausibly achieve in getting crowds to spread out .
But at least requesting it would be helpful , and possibly persuasive to some attendees at the margins .
It ’ s like Trump tweeting this earlier today .
How can he not understand that this doesn ’ t help ?
Case counts aren ’ t going up because we ’ re doing more testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re going up .
His own “ testing czar , ” Brett Giroir , admitted that in testimony a few days ago , saying , “ There is no question that the more testing you get the more you will uncover , but we do believe this is a real increase in cases because the percent positivities are going up.
” There ’ s no two ways about it : Yesterday ’ s positivity rate was 8.3 percent , which has been typical lately , when we were averaging rates between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago .
That means new infections are outpacing increases in testing capacity .
When Trump tries to chalk up the current spike to testing — or , worse , when he says that the virus will “ disappear ” in time — he ’ s encouraging the sort of complacency that will lead people to take risks that produce even more infections .
The same Times story I wrote about this morning that had the alarming internal polling for him in Georgia and Kansas included this notable line : “ The disconnect between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s dismissive stance toward the pandemic has been particularly pronounced , mystifying Democrats and Republicans alike.
” It ’ s genuinely baffling .
Does he think the governor of Texas , of all places , would have ordered a mask mandate in cowboy country if there were any chance that the explosive increase in cases there was an artifact of more testing ?
According to “ a Republican working on the convention ” who spoke to Vanity Fair , Florida ’ s ballooning outbreak might even lead to the cancellation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for that reason , laying aside all other humanitarian and economic incentives , you would think Trump would be hooting at the public to practice maximum pandemic hygiene for the rest of the summer .
No mass gatherings of any kind , the whole country masked up from now through August .
“ If we don ’ t crush the curve , I won ’ t be able to give my speech to MAGA patriots.
” So why isn ’ t he hooting ?
This poll caught my eye yesterday because it touches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasingly and which I ’ ve begun to see bubbling up in op-eds this week .
It ’ s a YouGov survey that asked Americans whether they currently view their country , in Reagan ’ s famous metaphor , as a “ shining city on the hill.
” One woman interviewed about the poll responded , “ We are banned from Europe right now .
How could we be shining ?
” Exactly .
The feeling that ’ s bugging me and others lately is humiliation .
America ’ s epidemic is foremost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catastrophe , but overlaying all of that misery is a national humiliation of a sort I don ’ t think I ’ ve experienced in my lifetime .
There have been many U.S. policy failures and fiascos over the last 30 years but even one the magnitude of the Iraq war could be understood as an undertaking no other country could even hope to attempt .
It wasn ’ t a “ Russia or China would have done better ” failure , it was an “ if we can ’ t liberalize the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be done ” failure .
We learned hard lessons about hubris and the limits of our power internationally but we didn ’ t come away doubting our capabilities relative to other nations .
After COVID , we should .
A piece at the Atlantic dubs this “ the week America lost control of the pandemic , ” which captures the anxiety nicely — America has lost control of a problem other western nations are managing quite effectively , as the now famous side-by-side graph of the U.S. and European epidemics demonstrates .
Thomas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about returning to the U.S. from France , where life is normal-ish as infections drop precipitously , to discover cases erupting across the south and west coast while we engage in sub-moronic debates about whether face masks are a tool of oppression .
“ So much for the myth that the American political system and way of life are a model for the world , ” he laments .
I don ’ t often quote David Brooks but his sense of “ national humiliation ” on a day when we topped 50,000 confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the July 4 weekend of 2020 humiliated as almost never before .
We had one collective project this year and that was to crush Covid-19 , and we failed… This failure will lead to other failures .
A third of Americans show signs of clinical anxiety or depression , according to the Census Bureau .
Suspected drug overdose deaths surged by 42 percent in May .
Small businesses , colleges and community hubs will close… If you don ’ t breathe the spirit of the nation , if you don ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other , you ’ re not going to sacrifice for the common good .
We ’ re confronted with a succession of wicked problems and it turns out we ’ re not even capable of putting on a friggin ’ mask… I had hopes that the crisis would bring us together , but it ’ s made everything harder and worse .
And now I worry less about populism or radical wokeness than about a pervasive loss of national faith .
This isn ’ t an “ if we can ’ t liberalize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t be done ” failure , this is an “ it can be done , and others are doing it , and we can ’ t ” national rout .
American prestige will never fully recover .
Brooks goes on to say , correctly , that by no means is this all Trump ’ s fault : “ It wasn ’ t Trump who went out to bars in Tempe , Austin and Los Angeles in June .
It wasn ’ t Trump who put on hospital gowns and told the American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause was just.
” It ’ s a comforting lie to believe that ousting Trump in November will undo the humiliation .
The failure here is due to bureaucratic sclerosis and profound cultural decadence , with many adults seemingly unable to care enough about the people around them to modestly adjust how , and how often , they socialize .
Internationally , we ’ ll never live it down .
Any residual faith held abroad that America is able to rise to the occasion of meeting grand challenges is dying .
They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to lead the international order .
It ’ s not all Trump ’ s fault , and certainly not all Kristi Noem ’ s .
But the fact that our leaders can ’ t be bothered to so much as encourage the most basic precautions to limit the spread is a symptom of desperate cultural and political sickness .
COVID won ’ t kill us but that might .

The clip below is a few days old but still timely, as the Mt. Rushmore Independence Day festivities are set to begin around the time this post goes live. Kristi Noem’s disinterest in following social-distancing rules is the important bit but it’s Ingraham’s sneering air quotes around the words “health concerns” that tell us everything we need to know about how aggressively stupid and destructive populist culture in America 2020 can be.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) told Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Monday that attendees "won't be social distancing," at a large July 3 event at Mount Rushmore where President Trump is expected to deliver remarks. pic.twitter.com/dzqCNRzZ34 — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) June 30, 2020
Why would the governor of a state, charged with protecting the welfare of her constituents as COVID-19 cases soar nationally, make no effort to take the most basic precaution against an outbreak? South Dakota isn’t a hot spot (at the moment), but the transmission rate there is above 1.0 and the positivity rate has more than doubled since early June. If the answer is, “The BLM protesters didn’t social-distance during their rallies,” that amounts to saying, “If they were entitled to make people sick, we should be able to go out and make people sick too.” One idiotic act doesn’t require another.
I’m not even saying that Noem should do something heavy-handed to try to enforce social distancing. We have to be realistic about what governors can plausibly achieve in getting crowds to spread out. But at least requesting it would be helpful, and possibly persuasive to some attendees at the margins.
It’s like Trump tweeting this earlier today. How can he not understand that this doesn’t help?
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1278897430378041344
Case counts aren’t going up because we’re doing more testing, they’re going up because they’re going up. His own “testing czar,” Brett Giroir, admitted that in testimony a few days ago, saying, “There is no question that the more testing you get the more you will uncover, but we do believe this is a real increase in cases because the percent positivities are going up.” There’s no two ways about it: Yesterday’s positivity rate was 8.3 percent, which has been typical lately, when we were averaging rates between four and five percent a few weeks ago. That means new infections are outpacing increases in testing capacity. When Trump tries to chalk up the current spike to testing — or, worse, when he says that the virus will “disappear” in time — he’s encouraging the sort of complacency that will lead people to take risks that produce even more infections.
The same Times story I wrote about this morning that had the alarming internal polling for him in Georgia and Kansas included this notable line: “The disconnect between the surge in coronavirus cases and Mr. Trump’s dismissive stance toward the pandemic has been particularly pronounced, mystifying Democrats and Republicans alike.” It’s genuinely baffling. Does he think the governor of Texas, of all places, would have ordered a mask mandate in cowboy country if there were any chance that the explosive increase in cases there was an artifact of more testing? According to “a Republican working on the convention” who spoke to Vanity Fair, Florida’s ballooning outbreak might even lead to the cancellation of the convention in Jacksonville.
If only for that reason, laying aside all other humanitarian and economic incentives, you would think Trump would be hooting at the public to practice maximum pandemic hygiene for the rest of the summer. No mass gatherings of any kind, the whole country masked up from now through August. “If we don’t crush the curve, I won’t be able to give my speech to MAGA patriots.” So why isn’t he hooting?
This poll caught my eye yesterday because it touches on something that’s bugging me increasingly and which I’ve begun to see bubbling up in op-eds this week. It’s a YouGov survey that asked Americans whether they currently view their country, in Reagan’s famous metaphor, as a “shining city on the hill.”
One woman interviewed about the poll responded, “We are banned from Europe right now. How could we be shining?” Exactly. The feeling that’s bugging me and others lately is humiliation. America’s epidemic is foremost a human tragedy, then an economic catastrophe, but overlaying all of that misery is a national humiliation of a sort I don’t think I’ve experienced in my lifetime. There have been many U.S. policy failures and fiascos over the last 30 years but even one the magnitude of the Iraq war could be understood as an undertaking no other country could even hope to attempt. It wasn’t a “Russia or China would have done better” failure, it was an “if we can’t liberalize the Middle East, it can’t be done” failure. We learned hard lessons about hubris and the limits of our power internationally but we didn’t come away doubting our capabilities relative to other nations.
After COVID, we should. A piece at the Atlantic dubs this “the week America lost control of the pandemic,” which captures the anxiety nicely — America has lost control of a problem other western nations are managing quite effectively, as the now famous side-by-side graph of the U.S. and European epidemics demonstrates. Thomas Chatterton Williams wrote a few days ago about returning to the U.S. from France, where life is normal-ish as infections drop precipitously, to discover cases erupting across the south and west coast while we engage in sub-moronic debates about whether face masks are a tool of oppression. “So much for the myth that the American political system and way of life are a model for the world,” he laments.
I don’t often quote David Brooks but his sense of “national humiliation” on a day when we topped 50,000 confirmed cases is justified:
We Americans enter the July 4 weekend of 2020 humiliated as almost never before. We had one collective project this year and that was to crush Covid-19, and we failed… This failure will lead to other failures. A third of Americans show signs of clinical anxiety or depression, according to the Census Bureau. Suspected drug overdose deaths surged by 42 percent in May. Small businesses, colleges and community hubs will close… If you don’t breathe the spirit of the nation, if you don’t have a fierce sense of belonging to each other, you’re not going to sacrifice for the common good. We’re confronted with a succession of wicked problems and it turns out we’re not even capable of putting on a friggin’ mask… I had hopes that the crisis would bring us together, but it’s made everything harder and worse. And now I worry less about populism or radical wokeness than about a pervasive loss of national faith.
This isn’t an “if we can’t liberalize the Middle East, it can’t be done” failure, this is an “it can be done, and others are doing it, and we can’t” national rout. American prestige will never fully recover. Brooks goes on to say, correctly, that by no means is this all Trump’s fault: “It wasn’t Trump who went out to bars in Tempe, Austin and Los Angeles in June. It wasn’t Trump who put on hospital gowns and told the American people you could suspend the lockdown if your cause was just.” It’s a comforting lie to believe that ousting Trump in November will undo the humiliation. The failure here is due to bureaucratic sclerosis and profound cultural decadence, with many adults seemingly unable to care enough about the people around them to modestly adjust how, and how often, they socialize. Internationally, we’ll never live it down. Any residual faith held abroad that America is able to rise to the occasion of meeting grand challenges is dying. They’ll have to find someone more capable to lead the international order.
It’s not all Trump’s fault, and certainly not all Kristi Noem’s. But the fact that our leaders can’t be bothered to so much as encourage the most basic precautions to limit the spread is a symptom of desperate cultural and political sickness. COVID won’t kill us but that might.


hotair--2020-07-03--'Jane Doe' claims Ghislaine Maxwell raped her multiple times when she was a teen

A woman only identified as “ Jane Doe ” has come forward to claim that she was raped dozens of times between the ages of 14 and 16 by Ghislaine Maxwell .
In an exclusive interview with Fox News , Jane Doe , who wishes to protect her identity , said Maxwell sexually abused her beginning in 1991 in Florida .
She said the abuse continued until she was 16… “ She did rape me .
I would say it ’ s more than 20 or 30 times , ” she said .
“ She is just as evil as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” … As Doe describes , it the abuse by Maxwell wasn ’ t done for her own enjoyment so much as it was “ coaching ” to prepare her for abuse by Epstein : “ It was her more or less , coaching , ” Doe said .
“ Do it this way and do it that way , because once you become a model , this is what they ’ re going to expect from you.
” … “ She is an evil person .
I don ’ t believe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of victims that he had had it not been for her , ” Doe said .
“ She destroyed what was supposed to be the best years of my life , being a teenager and being a cheerleader.
” The abuse ended when Doe became pregnant at age 16 .
She had an abortion and claims that as a final warning to her not to talk about what had happened she was drugged and gang-raped by Epstein , Maxwell and others .
After the rape , Doe said , a driver with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I was dumped off in my grandparents yard naked , and was told that I wouldn ’ t come back alive the next time , ” Doe said .
Fearful for her life , Doe said , her grandfather put her into hiding .
She dropped out of high school .
“ I basically kind of vanished , ” she said .
“ Ms .
Maxwell was a participant , and she made it very clear that I was to keep my mouth shut or harm would come to my family and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Doe is now hoping that Maxwell won ’ t escape justice the way that Epstein did .
She is represented by an attorney who also represents seven other Epstein accusers and is willing to testify against her .
In May , Netflix released a documentary series about Jeffrey Epstein titled Filthy Rich .
One of the bits of news included in that documentary ( as opposed to stories which have been around for several years ) was a claim that Bill Clinton was seen on Epstein ’ s private island by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has denied every visiting the island so maybe we ’ ll now get to see what Ghislaine Maxwell has to say about that .
In addition to the docu-series , Netflix also released this 10-minute segment titled “ Who is Ghislaine Maxwell ” which tries to explain how she became Epstein ’ s madam , fixer and enforcer .
This clip , which was released in May , long before Maxwell ’ s arrest , also explains some of the many hurdles people like Jane Doe will face in court including the absurdly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2008 .

A woman only identified as “Jane Doe” has come forward to claim that she was raped dozens of times between the ages of 14 and 16 by Ghislaine Maxwell.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Jane Doe, who wishes to protect her identity, said Maxwell sexually abused her beginning in 1991 in Florida. She said the abuse continued until she was 16… “She did rape me. I would say it’s more than 20 or 30 times,” she said. “She is just as evil as Jeffrey Epstein … She is a rapist.”…
As Doe describes, it the abuse by Maxwell wasn’t done for her own enjoyment so much as it was “coaching” to prepare her for abuse by Epstein:
“It was her more or less, coaching,” Doe said. “Do it this way and do it that way, because once you become a model, this is what they’re going to expect from you.”… “She is an evil person. I don’t believe that Jeffrey Epstein could have obtained the magnitude of victims that he had had it not been for her,” Doe said. “She destroyed what was supposed to be the best years of my life, being a teenager and being a cheerleader.”
The abuse ended when Doe became pregnant at age 16. She had an abortion and claims that as a final warning to her not to talk about what had happened she was drugged and gang-raped by Epstein, Maxwell and others.
After the rape, Doe said, a driver with a gun drove her to her home. “I was dumped off in my grandparents yard naked, and was told that I wouldn’t come back alive the next time,” Doe said. Fearful for her life, Doe said, her grandfather put her into hiding. She dropped out of high school. “I basically kind of vanished,” she said. “Ms. Maxwell was a participant, and she made it very clear that I was to keep my mouth shut or harm would come to my family and myself and harm did come to me.”
Doe is now hoping that Maxwell won’t escape justice the way that Epstein did. She is represented by an attorney who also represents seven other Epstein accusers and is willing to testify against her.
In May, Netflix released a documentary series about Jeffrey Epstein titled Filthy Rich. One of the bits of news included in that documentary (as opposed to stories which have been around for several years) was a claim that Bill Clinton was seen on Epstein’s private island by a communications contractor who worked there. Clinton has denied every visiting the island so maybe we’ll now get to see what Ghislaine Maxwell has to say about that.
In addition to the docu-series, Netflix also released this 10-minute segment titled “Who is Ghislaine Maxwell” which tries to explain how she became Epstein’s madam, fixer and enforcer. This clip, which was released in May, long before Maxwell’s arrest, also explains some of the many hurdles people like Jane Doe will face in court including the absurdly broad plea agreement Epstein reached with prosecutors in 2008.


hotair--2020-07-03--Texas GOP defies medical association: The in-person state convention is on

Texans are stubborn people .
Add some party politics to the mix and well , anything can happen .
In this case , despite pleas against it from medical experts , the Republican Party of Texas voted Thursday to move forward with an in-person state convention in Houston this month .
This debate and vote by the State Republican Executive Committee ( SREC ) lasted about three hours .
The SREC meeting was held virtually .
The convention is scheduled for July 16 to 18 in Houston .
About 6,000 attendees are expected to attend , down from the normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The SREC vote was 40-20 in favor of holding the in-person convention .
The Texas Medical Association ( TMA ) has strongly voiced objections to holding an in-person convention during the coronavirus pandemic .
In particular , the TMA is concerned about the convention-goers adhering to mitigation measures like wearing facial masks , social distancing , and personal hygiene like hand washing .
At the time the convention was announced , facial masks were not going to be required of attendees .
Meanwhile , Governor Abbott has now mandated that all Texans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the county has more than 20 COVID-19 cases .
Houston is in the midst of battling a spike in virus , with the percentage of positivity rising , though hospitalizations are decreasing .
The death rate is falling , too , so that is good news .
However , the virus is still very much with us and that can not be brushed aside as fake news .
The reasons that the members of the SREC voted in favor of the in-person convention show a strong sense of responsibility and loyalty to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is counting on Texas – the nation ’ s largest red state – to show the example that a political convention can be held during a pandemic .
Since Trump plans to accept the party ’ s nomination in Jacksonville , Florida in August during a scaled-down in-person convention , the nation ’ s eyes will be on what happens after the Texas GOP ’ s convention .
The message is Do it for President Trump .
The Texas GOP issued a statement after the SREC vote .
The message was one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taken for the safety of the attendees and speakers .
There is nothing in the governor ’ s most recent orders that would eliminate the option of the state GOP holding its in-person convention .
He has the ability to shut it down if he chooses to do so but that is highly unlikely to happen .
Governor Abbott will be expected to speak at the convention .
If the governor did shut it down , the party base would be furious with him .
As gingerly as Abbott has tried to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic and trying to keep businesses open , it is hard to believe he would do anything at this point to do away with the support of the party base now .
And , some Republicans just don ’ t believe media reports on the severity of the coronavirus .
“ First I would underscore that while this is a very serious pandemic , it is not Ebola , ” said Mark Ramsey , representing Senate District 7 in Harris County .
“ And it ’ s not as bad as everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it would be .
There ’ s indications it ’ s even weakening as it goes forward as almost all viruses do , nature being a little bit unstable.
” He said his delegates were 89.8 % in favor of going ahead with a convention in their midst .
“ The people that see it firsthand want to go to convention , ” Ramsey said .
“ We have the firsthand knowledge that the media is exaggerating this .
And those of you that are not here in Harris County don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of actually having the data on the ground .
It ’ s wreaking serious economic damage.
” Some SREC members are concerned that a virtual convention would not have the same outcome as an in-person one as far as having the ability of delegates speaking with others and working on specific issues .
And some point to the technical difficulties of a virtual convention , especially for those who live in rural areas with limited broadband service .
Even the Zoom meeting held for the SREC debate and vote Thursday was criticized as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For those who voted against it , the reasons were personal .
Most either point to existing health concerns or that the convention is an unnecessary risk which sends the wrong message .
My thoughts on an in-person convention won ’ t endear me to the majority of SREC members .
I think of all the GOP conventions and meetings I have attended and I know one thing to be true – most attendees are older people .
The loyal party members who participate in these large gatherings are predominately AARP-aged folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age of 60 particularly hard .
And , there is a new focus on the 50 and under crowd as they get out more and contract the virus in Houston .
So , essentially , in Houston right now , everyone is considered at increased risk for the coronavirus .
I ’ m a more cautious person , as I ’ ve written many times , and if I were an SREC member – which I am not – I would have voted no to an in-person meeting , especially since it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There is no sign of a let-up in the spike of new cases of the virus in Houston .
The truth is no one can accurately predict when that will come .
Strict mitigation measures are still in place and necessary .
I wish my Republican friends and acquaintances well with the convention but I sure wish they were doing it virtually .

Texans are stubborn people. Add some party politics to the mix and well, anything can happen. In this case, despite pleas against it from medical experts, the Republican Party of Texas voted Thursday to move forward with an in-person state convention in Houston this month.
This debate and vote by the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) lasted about three hours. The SREC meeting was held virtually. The convention is scheduled for July 16 to 18 in Houston. About 6,000 attendees are expected to attend, down from the normal amount of attendees which is about 15,000. The SREC vote was 40-20 in favor of holding the in-person convention.
The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has strongly voiced objections to holding an in-person convention during the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, the TMA is concerned about the convention-goers adhering to mitigation measures like wearing facial masks, social distancing, and personal hygiene like hand washing. At the time the convention was announced, facial masks were not going to be required of attendees.
Meanwhile, Governor Abbott has now mandated that all Texans wear a facial mask in public places if the county has more than 20 COVID-19 cases. Houston is in the midst of battling a spike in virus, with the percentage of positivity rising, though hospitalizations are decreasing. The death rate is falling, too, so that is good news. However, the virus is still very much with us and that cannot be brushed aside as fake news.
The reasons that the members of the SREC voted in favor of the in-person convention show a strong sense of responsibility and loyalty to President Trump. Some said that President Trump is counting on Texas – the nation’s largest red state – to show the example that a political convention can be held during a pandemic. Since Trump plans to accept the party’s nomination in Jacksonville, Florida in August during a scaled-down in-person convention, the nation’s eyes will be on what happens after the Texas GOP’s convention. The message is Do it for President Trump.
SREC member Leslie Thomas: "This is a convention that Trump wants. Like it or not, Texas is the Republican State. we bear that. So, we need to stand our ground. Our forefathers were called on to do much more than wear a mask and go to Houston, and take some votes… pic.twitter.com/XLE3ZtcQFl — jonathantilove (@JTiloveTX) July 3, 2020
Dr. Robin Armstrong, Republican National Committeeman from Texas. "This convention is either going to be a model of how to do it or it's going to be a model for how not to do it. And the entire world is going to be watching this convention and literally the entire world… pic.twitter.com/iXO4KE97Y3 — jonathantilove (@JTiloveTX) July 3, 2020
The Texas GOP issued a statement after the SREC vote. The message was one of reassurance that all precautions possible will be taken for the safety of the attendees and speakers.
According the party’s statement: “The convention is prepared with multiple precautions and safety measures for attendees. Thermal scanners will be present at entryways. Expanded seating will be in place for social distancing in caucus and general session meetings. Meeting areas will be deep-cleaned thoroughly after each gathering to prepare for the next meeting. Hand sanitizer stations will be found throughout the convention center. Sponsors have donated masks which will be readily available for delegates’ and attendees’ use in compliance with Governor Greg Abbott’s most recent order.”
There is nothing in the governor’s most recent orders that would eliminate the option of the state GOP holding its in-person convention. He has the ability to shut it down if he chooses to do so but that is highly unlikely to happen. Governor Abbott will be expected to speak at the convention. If the governor did shut it down, the party base would be furious with him. As gingerly as Abbott has tried to find a balance between public safety in a pandemic and trying to keep businesses open, it is hard to believe he would do anything at this point to do away with the support of the party base now.
And, some Republicans just don’t believe media reports on the severity of the coronavirus.
“First I would underscore that while this is a very serious pandemic, it is not Ebola,” said Mark Ramsey, representing Senate District 7 in Harris County. “And it’s not as bad as everybody was fearful three or four months ago that it would be. There’s indications it’s even weakening as it goes forward as almost all viruses do, nature being a little bit unstable.” He said his delegates were 89.8% in favor of going ahead with a convention in their midst. “The people that see it firsthand want to go to convention,” Ramsey said. “We have the firsthand knowledge that the media is exaggerating this. And those of you that are not here in Harris County don’t have that benefit we do have of actually having the data on the ground. It’s wreaking serious economic damage.”
Some SREC members are concerned that a virtual convention would not have the same outcome as an in-person one as far as having the ability of delegates speaking with others and working on specific issues.
David Covey/SD 3 in favor of sticking with in-person convention. "There is a special energy and cooperation that occurs when Republicans are together in person, the kind of collaboration that fuels the grassroots and pushes our party toward victory in Nov. and keeping Texas red." pic.twitter.com/1k510Pobsz — jonathantilove (@JTiloveTX) July 3, 2020
And some point to the technical difficulties of a virtual convention, especially for those who live in rural areas with limited broadband service. Even the Zoom meeting held for the SREC debate and vote Thursday was criticized as a poor substitute for an in-person meeting.
For those who voted against it, the reasons were personal. Most either point to existing health concerns or that the convention is an unnecessary risk which sends the wrong message.
"I myself just got over having a respiratory infection w/ pneumonia & if I got it it would plant me…it's a real disease & a lot of of people would be put at risk by holding this convention. we need to plan right now to have as effective a virtual convention as we possibly can." pic.twitter.com/ps2ivkCzA8 — jonathantilove (@JTiloveTX) July 3, 2020
Some had close-to-home experience with the coronavirus. “I get all the arguments for liberty,” said Senate District 10′s Susan Wright. But, she said, she would prefer a virtual convention, “with as many voices as possible than as few voices as dare to go.”
My thoughts on an in-person convention won’t endear me to the majority of SREC members. I think of all the GOP conventions and meetings I have attended and I know one thing to be true – most attendees are older people. The loyal party members who participate in these large gatherings are predominately AARP-aged folks. The coronavirus hits people above the age of 60 particularly hard. And, there is a new focus on the 50 and under crowd as they get out more and contract the virus in Houston. So, essentially, in Houston right now, everyone is considered at increased risk for the coronavirus.
I’m a more cautious person, as I’ve written many times, and if I were an SREC member – which I am not – I would have voted no to an in-person meeting, especially since it is scheduled less than two weeks from now. There is no sign of a let-up in the spike of new cases of the virus in Houston. The truth is no one can accurately predict when that will come. Strict mitigation measures are still in place and necessary. I wish my Republican friends and acquaintances well with the convention but I sure wish they were doing it virtually.


hotair--2020-07-03--Redskins owner Dan Snyder: We're undergoing a "thorough review" of our team name

Nothing would be funnier than if he came back a week from now and said , “ We reviewed it and we ’ re still cool with it.
” He might even gain a few new fans for a masterful troll like that for his woeful team , the second most embarrassing franchise in the NFL after my Jets .
An even better troll would be , “ We ’ ve decided to change our name — to the San Antonio Redskins .
We ’ re moving the team next week.
” Anyway , Adam Schefter ’ s obviously right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ review ” like this unless you already know the outcome .
“ The letter in which they explain why the name change was rational and normal and a logical evolution , as opposed to buckling to a pressure campaign , is going to be one for the history books , ” sniffs Charles Fain Lehman .
How representative is that pressure campaign , you ask ?
Well , when the Washington Post asked Native Americans in 2016 about whether the team ’ s nickname offended them , they got this result : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ methodology of that poll since its results were so unhelpful to The Cause .
Anyway , the polling notwithstanding , Snyder had tremendous pressure on him right now to finally take the plunge on a name change .
There was corporate pressure : FedEx , which sponsors the Redskins ’ home stadium , requested yesterday that they change the name and Nike suddenly disappeared Redskins merchandise from its online store yesterday .
There was general culture pressure too , as the recent spate of “ problematic ” mascot cancellations gave Snyder less of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was also league pressure .
The NFL is going to be very , very woke this year and having the Redskins stubbornly cling to their name would have distracted from that .
It ’ s not just that the league is now encouraging pre-game protests .
It ’ s not just that they ’ re greenlighting the signing of Colin Kaepernick to try to make amends for his being blackballed for kneeling during the national anthem .
They ’ re actually going to play the “ black national anthem ” before all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how progressive they ’ ve become amid the George Floyd protests : Starting with the nationally televised regular-season opener between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 10 , “ Lift Every Voice and Sing , ” also known as the Black national anthem , will be performed before every Week 1 kickoff , before “ The Star-Spangled Banner , ” according to a person familiar with ongoing discussions .
The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because plans have not yet been finalized and announced by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with numerous players and the NFL Players Association , NFL officials also plan to honor victims of police brutality through elements such as helmet decals or jerseys .
It ’ s also expected that the Week 1 broadcasts will feature a number of educational PSAs about victims and their families .
Mainstreaming racial “ national anthems ” strikes me as an exceedingly terrible idea in America 2020 , but I think the NFL ’ s calculating that the more official gestures it makes to show that it believes black lives matter , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inclined to freelance .
There might be less activism on balance in and around games ( at least after the first few weeks of the season ) if the energy for it is being channeled through the league itself .
Anyway , all of that made things awkward for Snyder .
The league ’ s about to conduct its own version of a mass protest in support of greater racial sensitivity — while trotting the “ Redskins ” out there to play ?
Unlikely .
And so on we go to the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s new nickname be ?
There aren ’ t many options left on the table that reflect their hometown ’ s political culture .
“ Nationals ” is taken , as is “ Capitals.
” They could revive the old baseball nickname “ Senators , ” although I ’ d prefer something slyer , like “ Bureaucrats.
” ( The Dallas/Washington rivalry won ’ t be the same once it ’ s “ Cowboys vs.
Bureaucrats.
” ) Or , of course , they could go the route of D.C. ’ s basketball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unconnected to the city itself .
Weird but true fact : There ’ s no team nicknamed the “ Tigers ” in pro football despite the popularity of that name among college football and basketball teams .
We have the Lions of Detroit and the Jaguars of Jacksonville , but no Tigers .
Maybe soon ?
“ Eagles ” would have been a perfect nickname for a team from America ’ s capital city , but , uh , taken .
Oh well .
I ’ ll leave you with this viral clip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unfavorably on the trend towards maximum wokery in another sport this fall .
Exit quotation from Dan Snyder , speaking to the press in 2013 : “ We ’ ll never change the name .
It ’ s that simple .
NEVER — you can use caps .
”

Nothing would be funnier than if he came back a week from now and said, “We reviewed it and we’re still cool with it.”
He might even gain a few new fans for a masterful troll like that for his woeful team, the second most embarrassing franchise in the NFL after my Jets.
An even better troll would be, “We’ve decided to change our name — to the San Antonio Redskins. We’re moving the team next week.”
Anyway, Adam Schefter’s obviously right. You don’t undertake a “review” like this unless you already know the outcome.
“The letter in which they explain why the name change was rational and normal and a logical evolution, as opposed to buckling to a pressure campaign, is going to be one for the history books,” sniffs Charles Fain Lehman. How representative is that pressure campaign, you ask? Well, when the Washington Post asked Native Americans in 2016 about whether the team’s nickname offended them, they got this result:
Lefties have complained ever since about the methodology of that poll since its results were so unhelpful to The Cause.
Anyway, the polling notwithstanding, Snyder had tremendous pressure on him right now to finally take the plunge on a name change. There was corporate pressure: FedEx, which sponsors the Redskins’ home stadium, requested yesterday that they change the name and Nike suddenly disappeared Redskins merchandise from its online store yesterday. There was general culture pressure too, as the recent spate of “problematic” mascot cancellations gave Snyder less of a crowd to hide in.
But there was also league pressure. The NFL is going to be very, very woke this year and having the Redskins stubbornly cling to their name would have distracted from that. It’s not just that the league is now encouraging pre-game protests. It’s not just that they’re greenlighting the signing of Colin Kaepernick to try to make amends for his being blackballed for kneeling during the national anthem. They’re actually going to play the “black national anthem” before all Week One games this fall to show how progressive they’ve become amid the George Floyd protests:
Starting with the nationally televised regular-season opener between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 10, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem, will be performed before every Week 1 kickoff, before “The Star-Spangled Banner,” according to a person familiar with ongoing discussions. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because plans have not yet been finalized and announced by NFL officials… The person said after brainstorming with numerous players and the NFL Players Association, NFL officials also plan to honor victims of police brutality through elements such as helmet decals or jerseys. It’s also expected that the Week 1 broadcasts will feature a number of educational PSAs about victims and their families.
Mainstreaming racial “national anthems” strikes me as an exceedingly terrible idea in America 2020, but I think the NFL’s calculating that the more official gestures it makes to show that it believes black lives matter, the fewer gestures the players themselves will be inclined to freelance. There might be less activism on balance in and around games (at least after the first few weeks of the season) if the energy for it is being channeled through the league itself.
Anyway, all of that made things awkward for Snyder. The league’s about to conduct its own version of a mass protest in support of greater racial sensitivity — while trotting the “Redskins” out there to play? Unlikely.
And so on we go to the next controversy: What will the team’s new nickname be? There aren’t many options left on the table that reflect their hometown’s political culture. “Nationals” is taken, as is “Capitals.” They could revive the old baseball nickname “Senators,” although I’d prefer something slyer, like “Bureaucrats.” (The Dallas/Washington rivalry won’t be the same once it’s “Cowboys vs. Bureaucrats.”) Or, of course, they could go the route of D.C.’s basketball team and choose a more generic nickname unconnected to the city itself. Weird but true fact: There’s no team nicknamed the “Tigers” in pro football despite the popularity of that name among college football and basketball teams. We have the Lions of Detroit and the Jaguars of Jacksonville, but no Tigers. Maybe soon?
“Eagles” would have been a perfect nickname for a team from America’s capital city, but, uh, taken. Oh well.
I’ll leave you with this viral clip of Marcellus Wiley of Fox Sports commenting unfavorably on the trend towards maximum wokery in another sport this fall. Exit quotation from Dan Snyder, speaking to the press in 2013: “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”