hotair--2020-10-02--<span class='red'>Breaking: VP, wife test negative for COVID-19; Update: Trump physician says presid

Breaking: VP, wife test negative for COVID-19; Update: Trump physician says president, FLOTUS "both well"; Update: "Mild symptoms"

“ This is positive news , ” John Harwood comments , “ but it ’ s not dispositive.
” It ’ s good news on its face that Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have tested negative for COVID-19 , but the infection in the White House is recent enough that the Pences could still be in the gestational stage of the disease .
Pence and Donald Trump had campaigned together recently , but it ’ s not clear when Trump first got exposed .
Harwood does take the time to editorialize in this report , which we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during Trump ’ s quarantine .
That was the bet the White House and Trump campaign made with their aggressive campaign strategy , and the dealer finally won the hand .
The bigger issue , however , is that CNN hears that Trump was actually symptomatic before his test , which has not yet been confirmed and which Trump denied last night : With the Trumps sidelined for at least a week and probably two after their positive test , Pence will face pressure in both directions .
The campaign will want him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to replace Trump .
However , continuity-of-government risks will likely keep Pence close to home in case Trump ’ s case gets more serious .
Pence will likely err on the side of caution , in part because Pence doesn ’ t generate the same kind of interest for rally-event attendance .
He ’ d be better off fundraising at the residence over Skype at this point , especially since the White House now has to show it ’ s taking this seriously .
Speaking of which , it might have been better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before now : The White House has insisted that daily tests made it unnecessary to use masks , but that misses the point of the disease ’ s gestation before symptoms appear .
It ’ s possible to test negative and yet still have been exposed .
A daily test on one ’ s self and anyone entering one ’ s bubble does reduce the risk significantly , but as we are seeing now , it doesn ’ t eliminate it .
It ’ s been long enough that Christie ’ s first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hopefully this has been isolated for now .
Update : Just after this post went live , the president ’ s physician released a statement : No mention of being symptomatic or asymptomatic , but the phrase “ both well ” strongly hints at the latter .
Update : The AP reports that Trump and the First Lady have “ mild symptoms , ” a term that they put into quotes : President Donald Trump is experiencing “ mild symptoms ” of COVID-19 after revealing Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a stunning announcement that plunges the country deeper into uncertainty just a month before the presidential election .
Trump , who has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of a virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans , said he and Mrs. Trump were quarantining .
The White House physician said the president is expected to continue carrying out his duties “ without disruption ” while recovering .
A White House official said Friday morning that the president was experiencing mild symptoms but was working from the White House residence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Let ’ s hope it doesn ’ t develop into worse news .

“This is positive news,” John Harwood comments, “but it’s not dispositive.” It’s good news on its face that Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have tested negative for COVID-19, but the infection in the White House is recent enough that the Pences could still be in the gestational stage of the disease. Pence and Donald Trump had campaigned together recently, but it’s not clear when Trump first got exposed.
Harwood does take the time to editorialize in this report, which we’d better get used to hearing during Trump’s quarantine. That was the bet the White House and Trump campaign made with their aggressive campaign strategy, and the dealer finally won the hand. The bigger issue, however, is that CNN hears that Trump was actually symptomatic before his test, which has not yet been confirmed and which Trump denied last night:
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence tested negative for coronavirus Friday morning, according to a spokesman. @JohnJHarwood reports. https://t.co/iaFTwyK24s pic.twitter.com/Mym6hOKXD7 — CNN (@CNN) October 2, 2020
As has been routine for months, Vice President Pence is tested for COVID-19 every day. This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19. Vice President Pence remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery. — Devin O’Malley 45 Archived (@VPPressSec45) October 2, 2020
With the Trumps sidelined for at least a week and probably two after their positive test, Pence will face pressure in both directions. The campaign will want him to pick up the slack on events to replace Trump. However, continuity-of-government risks will likely keep Pence close to home in case Trump’s case gets more serious. Pence will likely err on the side of caution, in part because Pence doesn’t generate the same kind of interest for rally-event attendance. He’d be better off fundraising at the residence over Skype at this point, especially since the White House now has to show it’s taking this seriously.
Speaking of which, it might have been better to take it a bit more seriously before now:
Chris Christie, who helped the President with debate prep, says "no one was wearing masks" as "5 or 6 people" helped Trump get ready for the contest. The former New Jersey governor says he will be tested this morning. https://t.co/chAMBz8mpX pic.twitter.com/dDrheasj8P — CNN International (@cnni) October 2, 2020
The White House has insisted that daily tests made it unnecessary to use masks, but that misses the point of the disease’s gestation before symptoms appear. It’s possible to test negative and yet still have been exposed. A daily test on one’s self and anyone entering one’s bubble does reduce the risk significantly, but as we are seeing now, it doesn’t eliminate it. It’s been long enough that Christie’s first test will likely be more dispositive. Hopefully this has been isolated for now.
Update: Just after this post went live, the president’s physician released a statement:
Trump's physician, Sean Conley, said in a memo that the president and first lady were “both well“ and that Trump would continue to carry out his duties as president. Conley did not mention whether Trump was exhibiting any symptoms. https://t.co/3Zf384bUcl pic.twitter.com/61Mb7UtLy9 — POLITICO (@politico) October 2, 2020
No mention of being symptomatic or asymptomatic, but the phrase “both well” strongly hints at the latter.
Update: The AP reports that Trump and the First Lady have “mild symptoms,” a term that they put into quotes:
President Donald Trump is experiencing “mild symptoms” of COVID-19 after revealing Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, a stunning announcement that plunges the country deeper into uncertainty just a month before the presidential election. Trump, who has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of a virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans, said he and Mrs. Trump were quarantining. The White House physician said the president is expected to continue carrying out his duties “without disruption” while recovering. A White House official said Friday morning that the president was experiencing mild symptoms but was working from the White House residence.
That’s not great news. Let’s hope it doesn’t develop into worse news.


hotair--2020-10-03--A conservative went undercover with the black bloc in Portland: 'They're trying to create propaganda

A conservative went undercover with the black bloc in Portland: 'They're trying to create propaganda'

Reason published an interview yesterday with Erin Smith , a trans woman who is also a Trump supporter who worked in Republican politics .
After encountering Antifa in at a 2016 protest in San Francisco , Smith became interested in the group and spent time going to rallies and livestreaming them .
She spoke with many people at these events and got used to talking with them .
Then last weekend she decided to dress in black and show up at a black bloc event in Portland , essentially going undercover in the midst of a group of people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them for a bit , watching videos and stuff .
I wrote a piece on antifa tactics for a monograph that ’ s coming out next month , for the Center for Security Policy .
And I have an advantage , having gone to the rallies .
But they know who I am .
When antifa hates you and know who you are , the best way to hide is right in the middle of their black bloc .
That ’ s the last place they think to look .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black and wearing your mask .
Reason reporter Nancy Rommelmann knew in advance what Smith was doing and was there to observe .
On the night that they showed up , Antifa arranged a meeting spot and then marched to the Portland Police Associate building and set it on fire .
Smith describes the strategy behind that action : Strategically what they ’ re doing is , they ’ re forcing a dilemma action .
A dilemma action is when you put your opponent in a no-win situation .
Your enemy has to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ react , they look weak ; if they do react , they have to react in a certain way where it looks like it ’ s an overreaction .
When the feds were in Portland , they were presented as overreacting , a presentation helped by innumerable people with PRESS written across their clothing flooding the internet with images that presented protesters wholly as victims of an authoritarian regime .
That ’ s their [ antifa ’ s ] objective .
It ’ s not a tactical thing .
That ’ s why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the sympathetic press .
They ’ re trying to create propaganda .
They know how the police are going to react , so they carefully calibrate what they do to try to provoke the police into reacting and then filming it .
They want to try to push public opinion in favor of removing the police .
The police aren ’ t perfect , but what a police force is , it ’ s putting force under an objective third party , under government control .
Antifa wants to separate the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guerilla warfare .
They ’ re trying to undermine legitimacy of the state .
The police right now , I think some of them are catching up .
There ’ s a playbook for how police respond to riots and they ’ re not actually doing it ; it ’ s not an actual riot .
I mean , it is a riot , but at the same time , it ’ s a specific type of riot that ’ s trying to make the police respond in a certain way .
Smith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Antifa ’ s goal is to maintain a constant , low-level of violence , i.e .
violent enough to be intimidating and to silence people who fear being subject to it , but not violent enough to leave a body count .
Smith compared to it to a constant , irritating push .
If you just go in public and pick someone and start pushing them , if you keep pushing them , they ’ re going to slug you ; it ’ s just how it ’ s going to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the group level too .
I ’ m also speaking metaphorically , in a sense .
Of course if you hit them , they ’ re going to fall down and go , “ Oh , God , you ’ re violent .
You ’ re a Nazi !
” Of course Portland ’ s Antifa hasn ’ t been able to keep their violence from crossing the line .
Michael Forest Reinoehl , who described himself as “ 100 % Antifa ” murdered Aaron Danielson in the street last month .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s violence will continue to spiral out of control ?
Smith says because Antifa genuinely see themselves as the good guys , they are highly motivated not to create a body count .
According to Smith , becoming too violent would hinder their ultimate goal which is to control the city in place of the police .
She ’ s not talking about going out in uniforms with guns and walking a beat , she means having effective control through fear and intimidation : It ’ s not so much a matter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the sense that antifa [ moves ] the Overton window .
“ If this person is advocating for something we don ’ t agree with , we can go punish them and we can punish their friends and family.
” It ’ s a self-censorship .
If the cops are a token force now , and they can ’ t stop anyone , and antifa can destroy your life , then people are going to know that .
In other words , they don ’ t need to threaten or harass or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to be clear anyone could be next on their list and the police won ’ t be able to stop them .
At that point , most people will choose to silence themselves .
It ’ s a really excellent piece at Reason .
There ’ s more to it so if you have time the whole thing is worth reading .

Reason published an interview yesterday with Erin Smith, a trans woman who is also a Trump supporter who worked in Republican politics. After encountering Antifa in at a 2016 protest in San Francisco, Smith became interested in the group and spent time going to rallies and livestreaming them. She spoke with many people at these events and got used to talking with them. Then last weekend she decided to dress in black and show up at a black bloc event in Portland, essentially going undercover in the midst of a group of people who hate her.
I’ve studied them for a bit, watching videos and stuff. I wrote a piece on antifa tactics for a monograph that’s coming out next month, for the Center for Security Policy. And I have an advantage, having gone to the rallies. But they know who I am. When antifa hates you and know who you are, the best way to hide is right in the middle of their black bloc. That’s the last place they think to look. It’s one of the advantages of dressing in black and wearing your mask.
Reason reporter Nancy Rommelmann knew in advance what Smith was doing and was there to observe. On the night that they showed up, Antifa arranged a meeting spot and then marched to the Portland Police Associate building and set it on fire. Smith describes the strategy behind that action:
Strategically what they’re doing is, they’re forcing a dilemma action. A dilemma action is when you put your opponent in a no-win situation. Your enemy has to react. If they don’t react, they look weak; if they do react, they have to react in a certain way where it looks like it’s an overreaction. When the feds were in Portland, they were presented as overreacting, a presentation helped by innumerable people with PRESS written across their clothing flooding the internet with images that presented protesters wholly as victims of an authoritarian regime. That’s their [antifa’s] objective. It’s not a tactical thing. That’s why all the “press” is there, the sympathetic press. They’re trying to create propaganda. They know how the police are going to react, so they carefully calibrate what they do to try to provoke the police into reacting and then filming it. They want to try to push public opinion in favor of removing the police. The police aren’t perfect, but what a police force is, it’s putting force under an objective third party, under government control. Antifa wants to separate the police from the populace. This is basically guerilla warfare. They’re trying to undermine legitimacy of the state. The police right now, I think some of them are catching up. There’s a playbook for how police respond to riots and they’re not actually doing it; it’s not an actual riot. I mean, it is a riot, but at the same time, it’s a specific type of riot that’s trying to make the police respond in a certain way.
Smith expanded on the riot/not a riot idea. Antifa’s goal is to maintain a constant, low-level of violence, i.e. violent enough to be intimidating and to silence people who fear being subject to it, but not violent enough to leave a body count. Smith compared to it to a constant, irritating push.
If you just go in public and pick someone and start pushing them, if you keep pushing them, they’re going to slug you; it’s just how it’s going to work, at the individual level but also at the group level too. I’m also speaking metaphorically, in a sense. Of course if you hit them, they’re going to fall down and go, “Oh, God, you’re violent. You’re a Nazi!”
Of course Portland’s Antifa hasn’t been able to keep their violence from crossing the line. Michael Forest Reinoehl, who described himself as “100% Antifa” murdered Aaron Danielson in the street last month. Is that a sign that Antifa’s violence will continue to spiral out of control?
Smith says because Antifa genuinely see themselves as the good guys, they are highly motivated not to create a body count. According to Smith, becoming too violent would hinder their ultimate goal which is to control the city in place of the police. She’s not talking about going out in uniforms with guns and walking a beat, she means having effective control through fear and intimidation:
It’s not so much a matter of ruling the whole city, it’s the sense that antifa [moves] the Overton window. “If this person is advocating for something we don’t agree with, we can go punish them and we can punish their friends and family.” It’s a self-censorship. If the cops are a token force now, and they can’t stop anyone, and antifa can destroy your life, then people are going to know that.
In other words, they don’t need to threaten or harass or beat up everyone, they just need it to be clear anyone could be next on their list and the police won’t be able to stop them. At that point, most people will choose to silence themselves.
It’s a really excellent piece at Reason. There’s more to it so if you have time the whole thing is worth reading.


hotair--2020-10-03--Democrat Senator Chris Murphy: Putin will be Trump's campaign surrogate while he's "incapacitated"

Senator Chris Murphy ( D-CT ) frequently goes on the record as an elected official willing to accuse President Trump and Republicans of nefarious behavior .
He has a very bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome .
Murphy has laid the blame of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States at the feet of President Trump , not the Communist Chinese government .
Just a few days ago , he had a particularly ugly meltdown over Trump ’ s campaign events and accused him of “ deliberately killing people.
” During an interview on CNN with Jim Sciutto Friday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ s bringing back the Russia , Russia , Russia narrative as the president is at Walter Reed Medical Center being treated for the coronavirus .
When Murphy went off about the president ’ s absence from the campaign trail and surrogates taking up the slack , the senator declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be his surrogate .
That ’ s right – a sitting U.S. senator said that the president will have the communist Russian president as a surrogate for his campaign while he is unable to campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It should be noted that Sciutto , a former member of the Obama-Biden administration , just sat there and didn ’ t even blink when Murphy said it .
Sciutto asks about adversaries “ sensing vulnerability ” in Trump ’ s diagnosis – “ North Korea , Russia , China , Iran and others ” – and Murphy was happy to oblige Sciutto ’ s assertion that outside influences will take advantage of the situation .
Murphy knocked the White House ’ s transparency on the president ’ s health and referred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying he was not .
Sciutto volunteered that the White House has not been transparent in the past about the president ’ s health .
This is all to stoke up doubt over the president ’ s health .
It plays well for the wackos who actually say they think Trump ’ s diagnosis is all a hoax .
First Murphy talked about Iran and then Sciutto asked about Russia because of course , he did .
What Murphy is talking about in that interview , the Russian interference in the 2020 election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day before .
Jim Sciutto re-tweeted the thread so it isn ’ t surprising that the two are on the same page here .
It ’ s all a bit too coordinated with these two men , if you ask me .
It is amusing to hear Murphy accuse the U.S. intelligence community of working to do the president ’ s bidding during the campaign when we all know now how utterly corrupted the intelligence community became during the Obama-Biden administration .
Many members of that community even coordinated to throw the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went along with her story blaming Russia and coordination with the Trump campaign for her defeat .
All of this is not lost on the fact that Senator Murphy is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee .
Hoo boy .
It would be good for his Democrat colleagues to call him out on his conspiracy theory but they are all suffering from their own versions of Trump Derangement Syndrome .
This is 2020 .
“ If President Trump can ’ t be out there on the campaign trail for the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rely on his surrogates and unfortunately , one of his surrogates is Vladimir Putin , ” Murphy said during an appearance on CNN .
“ So , unfortunately , you are likely going to see this campaign ramped up by Russia over the next few weeks to try to substitute for the president ’ s absence on the campaign trail.
” Murphy , a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , noted that Russia ’ s operation was “ much bigger and bolder and smarter than it was in 2016 ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to elect President Trump to a second term.
” He expressed concern that U.S. intelligence agencies “ are not being clear ” about the threat Russia poses to the upcoming election .
Murphy ’ s description of Trump as incapacitated is hyperbole .
Trump is hospitalized , true , but he is conscious and working from there .
He is walking and breathing on his own and according to his doctor , responding well to treatment .
The 25th Amendment has not been enacted .
Trump is still in charge .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Perhaps former Trump administration national security adviser H.R .
McMaster is in on the games being played by Scuitto and Murphy .
He has a book out now and is pointing a finger at Trump for not calling out Putin or something .
He delivered his hot take on Trump and Putin by saying Trump is “ aiding and abetting ” Putin ’ s efforts in the election .
That is quite a limb McMaster went out on .
He sounds like his cohorts on the left .
He has a book @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was not for President Trump bringing him into his administration , no one outside the military would know him at all .
Perhaps he ’ s looking for a cable news gig as a contributor .
“ I agree that he is aiding and abetting Putin ’ s efforts by not being direct about this , by not just calling out Putin for what he ’ s doing , ” McMaster said on MSNBC .
“ This sustained campaign of disruption , disinformation and denial is aided by any leader who doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued .
“ This is why I think the president needs to be much stronger in condemning this effort to really reduce our confidence in who we are as a county.
” Speaking of his new book “ Battlegrounds , ” the former Trump administration official said that the president is hesitant to address Russian interference because it could potentially raise doubts about his victory in the 2016 election .
“ We ’ ll never know that , but I think the president gets concerned with that question because he thinks that if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll inadvertently draw his own election into question , ” McMaster said .
As I finish this , I ’ m listening to the president ’ s health update from the White House physician .
It ’ s very upbeat .
The president was never on oxygen supplements , hasn ’ t suffered from a loss of breath , and has been fever-free for 24 hours .
That is all good news for those with the coronavirus .
He is being encouraged to walk around and continue working in his hospital suite .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ears .
He told the doc , “ I feel like I could walk out of here today.
” That ’ s good news for the country .

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) frequently goes on the record as an elected official willing to accuse President Trump and Republicans of nefarious behavior. He has a very bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Murphy has laid the blame of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States at the feet of President Trump, not the Communist Chinese government. Just a few days ago, he had a particularly ugly meltdown over Trump’s campaign events and accused him of “deliberately killing people.”
During an interview on CNN with Jim Sciutto Friday, Murphy revived a favorite Democrat talking point. He’s bringing back the Russia, Russia, Russia narrative as the president is at Walter Reed Medical Center being treated for the coronavirus. When Murphy went off about the president’s absence from the campaign trail and surrogates taking up the slack, the senator declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be his surrogate. That’s right – a sitting U.S. senator said that the president will have the communist Russian president as a surrogate for his campaign while he is unable to campaign as he did before receiving his diagnosis. It should be noted that Sciutto, a former member of the Obama-Biden administration, just sat there and didn’t even blink when Murphy said it.
Sciutto asks about adversaries “sensing vulnerability” in Trump’s diagnosis – “North Korea, Russia, China, Iran and others” – and Murphy was happy to oblige Sciutto’s assertion that outside influences will take advantage of the situation. Murphy knocked the White House’s transparency on the president’s health and referred to him as “incapacitated” before saying he was not. Sciutto volunteered that the White House has not been transparent in the past about the president’s health. This is all to stoke up doubt over the president’s health. It plays well for the wackos who actually say they think Trump’s diagnosis is all a hoax. First Murphy talked about Iran and then Sciutto asked about Russia because of course, he did.
“I think it's important for this White House to be fully transparent about the President's condition,” Sen. @ChrisMurphyCT tells @jimsciutto when asked about possible national security concerns after Trump tested positive for Covid-19. https://t.co/p9DeK5nGK7 pic.twitter.com/UvQG8iwyyE — CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) October 2, 2020
What Murphy is talking about in that interview, the Russian interference in the 2020 election, is something he tweeted about the day before. Jim Sciutto re-tweeted the thread so it isn’t surprising that the two are on the same page here. It’s all a bit too coordinated with these two men, if you ask me. It is amusing to hear Murphy accuse the U.S. intelligence community of working to do the president’s bidding during the campaign when we all know now how utterly corrupted the intelligence community became during the Obama-Biden administration. Many members of that community even coordinated to throw the election for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and willingly went along with her story blaming Russia and coordination with the Trump campaign for her defeat.
This hasn't gotten enough attention, but you need to know. Everybody needs to know. 1/ It's about the massive coverup campaign underway to disguise the octopus-like Russian election interference operation being run on Trump's behalf. Please read this whole thing. — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) October 1, 2020
All of this is not lost on the fact that Senator Murphy is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Hoo boy. It would be good for his Democrat colleagues to call him out on his conspiracy theory but they are all suffering from their own versions of Trump Derangement Syndrome. This is 2020.
“If President Trump can’t be out there on the campaign trail for the next two weeks, then he is going to rely on his surrogates and unfortunately, one of his surrogates is Vladimir Putin,” Murphy said during an appearance on CNN. “So, unfortunately, you are likely going to see this campaign ramped up by Russia over the next few weeks to try to substitute for the president’s absence on the campaign trail.” Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted that Russia’s operation was “much bigger and bolder and smarter than it was in 2016” and has a “clear desire to try to elect President Trump to a second term.” He expressed concern that U.S. intelligence agencies “are not being clear” about the threat Russia poses to the upcoming election.
Murphy’s description of Trump as incapacitated is hyperbole. Trump is hospitalized, true, but he is conscious and working from there. He is walking and breathing on his own and according to his doctor, responding well to treatment. The 25th Amendment has not been enacted. Trump is still in charge. He is not incapacitated. He is engaged.
Perhaps former Trump administration national security adviser H.R. McMaster is in on the games being played by Scuitto and Murphy. He has a book out now and is pointing a finger at Trump for not calling out Putin or something. He delivered his hot take on Trump and Putin by saying Trump is “aiding and abetting” Putin’s efforts in the election. That is quite a limb McMaster went out on. He sounds like his cohorts on the left. He has a book to sell, you know. If it was not for President Trump bringing him into his administration, no one outside the military would know him at all. Perhaps he’s looking for a cable news gig as a contributor.
“I agree that he is aiding and abetting Putin’s efforts by not being direct about this, by not just calling out Putin for what he’s doing,” McMaster said on MSNBC. “This sustained campaign of disruption, disinformation and denial is aided by any leader who doesn’t acknowledge it,” he continued. “This is why I think the president needs to be much stronger in condemning this effort to really reduce our confidence in who we are as a county.” Speaking of his new book “Battlegrounds,” the former Trump administration official said that the president is hesitant to address Russian interference because it could potentially raise doubts about his victory in the 2016 election. “We’ll never know that, but I think the president gets concerned with that question because he thinks that if he confronts Putin directly, he’ll inadvertently draw his own election into question,” McMaster said.
As I finish this, I’m listening to the president’s health update from the White House physician. It’s very upbeat. The president was never on oxygen supplements, hasn’t suffered from a loss of breath, and has been fever-free for 24 hours. That is all good news for those with the coronavirus. He is being encouraged to walk around and continue working in his hospital suite. That’s music to a workaholic’s ears. He told the doc, “I feel like I could walk out of here today.” That’s good news for the country.


hotair--2020-10-03--Minnesota newspaper pulls story mocking Trump family COVID diagnosis

When they go low , we go high ?
Not always , it seems .
Or at least not at one weekly newspaper in Minnesota .
Following the announcement that both the President and the First Lady had tested positive for the novel coronavirus , a Minnesota newspaper covering Minneapolis and St. Paul published an editorial going about as low as you could imagine .
The editor-in-chief of City Pages , an “ alternative weekly ” publication , decided to celebrate the news with an editorial titled “ Let ’ s laugh at all these very good ‘ Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure you won ’ t need to stretch your imaginations very far to guess what sort of content the piece contained .
But it turned out that this sort of “ humor ” was a bit too much for the paper ’ s publisher , who pulled the article and issued an apology for having “ gone too far.
” Gee… ya think ?
( Fox News ) A Minnesota newspaper has removed a piece from its website that mocked President Trump and first lady Melania Trump over their positive tests for coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covering Minneapolis and St. Paul , published an article Friday headlined , “ Let ’ s laugh at all these very good ‘ Trump has COVID ’ tweets.
” Editor-in-chief Emily Cassel led the piece by writing , “ So President Trump and the First Lady have COVID .
Man , anyone else just in a really , inexplicably good mood this morning ?
” Publisher Mary Erickson described the article as “ insensitive and in bad taste.
” The original article is indeed gone from the site , but you can find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you take a look at City Pages , you quickly get the impression that it ’ s not a terribly serious “ news ” outlet to begin with.The first couple of articles I skimmed through on their site had some fairly obvious and prominent typos and several of the articles had expletives in the titles .
It ’ s also an unabashedly left-wing publication , featuring commentary laughing about the GoFundMe account for a Project Veritas whistleblower being frozen and all manner of climate change news .
So coming out and celebrating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States had contracted a potentially deadly disease probably shouldn ’ t be much of a shock .
And their top editor was indeed celebrating .
She began with a not-very-subtle question , asking if anyone else was “ just in a really , inexplicably good mood this morning.
” She then goes on to feature and salute a number of tweets , including one which quite literally says , “ it would be insanely funny if he died of the coronavirus.
” When it comes to the editor , Emily Cassel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ s still the editor if the publisher realized what an outrageous mistake this was and had to spike the editorial .
I suppose Mary Erickson gets some credit for taking action , but how do you leave someone in charge at the top of your organization after something like this ?
I understand that she ’ s saying a “ weekly alternative ” paper is supposed to be edgy and “ push the envelope ” a bit .
( That ’ s an exact quote from her , by the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taken seriously , even on an actual satire site there has to be a line somewhere .
Doesn ’ t wishing death by disease on not only the President but his wife as well land you on the far side of that line ?
I suppose I should be disappointed in myself for even being briefly surprised at this news .
Some of the hate and venom I saw surging through my social media timeline yesterday morning was even worse than the City Pages editorial .
But those are trolls on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any outfit having the gall to call themselves a “ newspaper ” would exercise at least a small amount of restraint .

When they go low, we go high? Not always, it seems. Or at least not at one weekly newspaper in Minnesota. Following the announcement that both the President and the First Lady had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a Minnesota newspaper covering Minneapolis and St. Paul published an editorial going about as low as you could imagine. The editor-in-chief of City Pages, an “alternative weekly” publication, decided to celebrate the news with an editorial titled “Let’s laugh at all these very good ‘Trump has COVID’ tweets.” I’m sure you won’t need to stretch your imaginations very far to guess what sort of content the piece contained. But it turned out that this sort of “humor” was a bit too much for the paper’s publisher, who pulled the article and issued an apology for having “gone too far.” Gee… ya think? (Fox News)
A Minnesota newspaper has removed a piece from its website that mocked President Trump and first lady Melania Trump over their positive tests for coronavirus. City Pages, an alternative weekly covering Minneapolis and St. Paul, published an article Friday headlined, “Let’s laugh at all these very good ‘Trump has COVID’ tweets.” Editor-in-chief Emily Cassel led the piece by writing, “So President Trump and the First Lady have COVID. Man, anyone else just in a really, inexplicably good mood this morning?” Publisher Mary Erickson described the article as “insensitive and in bad taste.”
The original article is indeed gone from the site, but you can find an archived copy of it here.
If you take a look at City Pages, you quickly get the impression that it’s not a terribly serious “news” outlet to begin with.The first couple of articles I skimmed through on their site had some fairly obvious and prominent typos and several of the articles had expletives in the titles. It’s also an unabashedly left-wing publication, featuring commentary laughing about the GoFundMe account for a Project Veritas whistleblower being frozen and all manner of climate change news. So coming out and celebrating the announcement that the President of the United States had contracted a potentially deadly disease probably shouldn’t be much of a shock.
And their top editor was indeed celebrating. She began with a not-very-subtle question, asking if anyone else was “just in a really, inexplicably good mood this morning.” She then goes on to feature and salute a number of tweets, including one which quite literally says, “it would be insanely funny if he died of the coronavirus.”
When it comes to the editor, Emily Cassel, I suppose the real question is why she’s still the editor if the publisher realized what an outrageous mistake this was and had to spike the editorial. I suppose Mary Erickson gets some credit for taking action, but how do you leave someone in charge at the top of your organization after something like this? I understand that she’s saying a “weekly alternative” paper is supposed to be edgy and “push the envelope” a bit. (That’s an exact quote from her, by the way.) But if you want to be taken seriously, even on an actual satire site there has to be a line somewhere. Doesn’t wishing death by disease on not only the President but his wife as well land you on the far side of that line?
I suppose I should be disappointed in myself for even being briefly surprised at this news. Some of the hate and venom I saw surging through my social media timeline yesterday morning was even worse than the City Pages editorial. But those are trolls on Twitter. I guess I just assumed that any outfit having the gall to call themselves a “newspaper” would exercise at least a small amount of restraint.


hotair--2020-10-03--"Historically sexy": Will extramarital sexting scandal derail Dem challenger to Tillis in NC Senate

"Historically sexy": Will extramarital sexting scandal derail Dem challenger to Tillis in NC Senate race?

More like historically stupid , and on a monumental scale .
Democrat Cal Cunningham has run a tough campaign against incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis and has featured his military experience as a major platform of his campaign .
At the same time , as National File reported late yesterday and Cunningham admitted not long after , the married candidate conducted a covert sexting relationship with the wife of an Army combat veteran : Cal Cunningham , who is a married father of two , has focused his U.S. Senate campaign against Republican Thom Tillis on Cunningham ’ s service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But Cunningham is evidently engaged in extramarital activity with the wife of a fellow veteran .
Cunningham refers to Guzman Todd in the text messages below as “ historically sexy , ” imagines kissing her , says he has been dreaming “ of our time together , ” and the two plan for Cunningham to make up an excuse for his family and ditch a staffer so the two can meet and , in Guzman Todd ’ s words , “ kiss a lot.
” Guzman Todd says she wants “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he wants that too .
Guzman Todd says that “ the only thing I want on my to do list is you ” and Cunningham says that “ Sounds so hot and so fun !
” Cunningham ’ s paramour Arlene Guzman Todd has been recently listed as media director of a marijuana public relations company and has been a California State University lecturer .
Arlene Guzman Todd ’ s husband Jeremy Todd has been an active duty servicemember .
Jeremy Todd was an Army Sergeant First Class who served 15 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deployments including in Iraq and Afghanistan , then studied at the University of Southern California in a determined bid to support his young family .
Cunningham ’ s Democratic Party handlers in North Carolina must be tearing their hair out right now , and for good reason .
How does someone run for high public office , with all of the scrutiny that entails , while engaging in an extramarital sexting relationship ?
How does that same person base that campaign on his concern for the military while wooing a combat veteran ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the campaign ?
One text message reads — in between the “ historically sexy ” and “ I want to roll over and kiss you ” comments — that Cunningham was “ nervous about the next 100 days.
” That would put the exchange somewhere around the end of July .
Thirty years ago , this kind of thing might have remained a secret .
In this era , though , electronic records last forever .
Forget the character issue .
This suggests a mental capacity issue .
Thus far , though , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the race : Cunningham , who has been leading in polling in his pivotal U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent Thom Tillis , said Friday night that he is not dropping out of the race .
“ I have hurt my family , disappointed my friends , and am deeply sorry .
The first step in repairing those relationships is taking complete responsibility , which I do .
I ask that my family ’ s privacy be respected in this personal matter , ” Cunningham said in a statement sent to The News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and humbled by the ongoing support that North Carolinians have extended in this campaign , and in the remaining weeks before this election I will continue to work to earn the opportunity to fight for the people of our state.
” Maybe he should have thought about his family ’ s privacy before conducting this affair and also running for public office .
That ’ s about as selfish , thoughtless , and self-destructive as a politician can get .
Imagine what Cunningham would be like if he won .
This reminds us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too .
How many people who had already cast their ballots for Cunningham will regret that decision this morning ?
Voters should wait for all of the data to come in before filling out their ballots , preferably in person on Election Day using paper ballots .
If nothing else , Cunningham at least serves as a role model in that sense .

More like historically stupid, and on a monumental scale. Democrat Cal Cunningham has run a tough campaign against incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis and has featured his military experience as a major platform of his campaign. At the same time, as National File reported late yesterday and Cunningham admitted not long after, the married candidate conducted a covert sexting relationship with the wife of an Army combat veteran:
Cal Cunningham, who is a married father of two, has focused his U.S. Senate campaign against Republican Thom Tillis on Cunningham’s service as a veteran in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Cunningham is evidently engaged in extramarital activity with the wife of a fellow veteran. Cunningham refers to Guzman Todd in the text messages below as “historically sexy,” imagines kissing her, says he has been dreaming “of our time together,” and the two plan for Cunningham to make up an excuse for his family and ditch a staffer so the two can meet and, in Guzman Todd’s words, “kiss a lot.” Guzman Todd says she wants “a night with you” and Cunningham agrees that he wants that too. Guzman Todd says that “the only thing I want on my to do list is you” and Cunningham says that “Sounds so hot and so fun!” Cunningham’s paramour Arlene Guzman Todd has been recently listed as media director of a marijuana public relations company and has been a California State University lecturer. Arlene Guzman Todd’s husband Jeremy Todd has been an active duty servicemember. Jeremy Todd was an Army Sergeant First Class who served 15 years in the U.S. Army with five combat deployments including in Iraq and Afghanistan, then studied at the University of Southern California in a determined bid to support his young family.
Cunningham’s Democratic Party handlers in North Carolina must be tearing their hair out right now, and for good reason. How does someone run for high public office, with all of the scrutiny that entails, while engaging in an extramarital sexting relationship? How does that same person base that campaign on his concern for the military while wooing a combat veteran’s wife? In the middle of the campaign? One text message reads — in between the “historically sexy” and “I want to roll over and kiss you” comments — that Cunningham was “nervous about the next 100 days.” That would put the exchange somewhere around the end of July.
Thirty years ago, this kind of thing might have remained a secret. In this era, though, electronic records last forever. Forget the character issue. This suggests a mental capacity issue.
Thus far, though, Cunningham insists he’s staying in the race:
Cunningham, who has been leading in polling in his pivotal U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent Thom Tillis, said Friday night that he is not dropping out of the race. “I have hurt my family, disappointed my friends, and am deeply sorry. The first step in repairing those relationships is taking complete responsibility, which I do. I ask that my family’s privacy be respected in this personal matter,” Cunningham said in a statement sent to The News & Observer. “I remain grateful and humbled by the ongoing support that North Carolinians have extended in this campaign, and in the remaining weeks before this election I will continue to work to earn the opportunity to fight for the people of our state.”
Maybe he should have thought about his family’s privacy before conducting this affair and also running for public office. That’s about as selfish, thoughtless, and self-destructive as a politician can get. Imagine what Cunningham would be like if he won.
This reminds us again about the problem with early voting, too. How many people who had already cast their ballots for Cunningham will regret that decision this morning? Voters should wait for all of the data to come in before filling out their ballots, preferably in person on Election Day using paper ballots. If nothing else, Cunningham at least serves as a role model in that sense.


hotair--2020-10-03--Did Trump know that he had COVID on Thursday? Or even Wednesday? <span class='red'>Update: Doctor "c

Did Trump know that he had COVID on Thursday? Or even Wednesday? Update: Doctor "clarifies"

The timeline given by his doctors outside Walter Reed this morning was that we ’ re 72 hours past his diagnosis and 48 hours past the point that he received Regeneron ’ s experimental antibody drug .
But that would mean he was diagnosed early Wednesday and that he was given the drug early Thursday .
He held a fundraiser and a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday and another fundraiser in New Jersey on Thursday .
He didn ’ t tell the world he ’ d tested positive until very late Thursday night , after the news about Hope Hicks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to try to cover up the fact that he had COVID , knowing that asymptomatic carriers are capable of spreading it to people around them ?
Was he even going to tell his immediate aides that they were in danger ?
The clean-up attempt is under way : No one outside the MAGA base is going to believe that two different doctors were so sloppy about something as sensitive as the timeline of when the president was infected and treated that they said “ 72 hours ” and “ 48 hours ” when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ day two.
” Trump ’ s announcement that he had COVID was made very late on Thursday night ; essentially *today* is day two .
It looks like they blurted out the truth about the timeline without realizing that that would mean the president had deliberately run the risk of infecting others on Wednesday and Thursday , which would be arguably criminal .
Four years ago he famously said that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a single vote .
Would he lose a single vote if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House staff and aging GOP donors , to a killer virus ?
I feel like he would .
Here ’ s what the timeline looks like if Trump ’ s doctors were speaking accurately : The White House had better clean this up convincingly , not with “ both doctors misspoke on a matter of utmost medical and political sensitivity in delivering a statement which they had many hours to prepare.
” This might not be the only thing they ’ re covering up .
Trump ’ s doctor , Sean Conley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this morning — no fever , no *current* supplemental oxygen ( he was evasive about whether Trump had ever had oxygen ) , breathing fine .
But this suggests otherwise : Jonah Goldberg ’ s right .
Whoever gave that statement to reporters so soon after Conley ’ s presser — was it Mark Meadows ?
— is clearly trying to counter Conley ’ s message .
To all appearances , the president ’ s doctor isn ’ t leveling with the public and someone on the inside is trying to get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conley put out a statement saying Trump didn ’ t require supplemental oxygen .
Why the discrepancy ?
As I write this , three Republican senators ( Mike Lee , Thom Tillis , and Ron Johnson ) have been newly diagnosed with COVID , as have Kellyanne Conway and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien .
Not all of those people were at the apparent “ superspreader ” event last Saturday , Trump ’ s announcement in the Rose Garden of Amy Coney Barrett ’ s Supreme Court nomination — Johnson wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m not sure about Stepien .
But Conway , Tillis , Lee , Melania Trump , and of course the president were there , all seated in proximity to each other .
The president of Notre Dame , who ’ s also now infected , was close by too : Chris Christie is also infected .
He , Conway , and Hope Hicks were all in debate prep with Trump earlier this week .
That would have been before the president knew he had COVID even under Conley ’ s “ 72 hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely that either someone got infected at the Barrett event and brought it into debate prep or vice versa .
Or maybe even earlier than that ?
WaPo reports that RNC chair Ronna McDaniel was at a fundraiser with Trump at his hotel in D.C. the night before the Barrett announcement .
She “ then spent two days with the president before beginning to show symptoms earlier this week , ” but she wasn ’ t at the Rose Garden ceremony , I don ’ t believe .
If McDaniel picked up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picked it up then too .
Or maybe he had it and gave it to her or she to him , and then he gave it to a bunch more people in the following days .
Either way , if you ’ re skeptical that so much transmission could have happened outdoors on Saturday , know that I am too .
But here ’ s the thing : Not all of the festivities celebrating Barrett ’ s nomination happened outdoors that day .
If the partisan IDs in that photo were different , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the hypocrisy , incompetence , and selfishness of America ’ s political ruling class .
I ’ ve seen people on Twitter today tagging that photo and noting that they had to cancel a wedding because of COVID restrictions and yet here ’ s the White House throwing a big party for all of its friends , indoors , without masks or social distancing , knowing full well that COVID tests can and do produce false negatives all the time .
Others have looked at that photo and pointed out that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nasty outbreak of coronavirus , hardly any have seen their governments hobbled by it .
Iran saw a bunch of officials get infected but that was in February , before anyone knew much about the virus .
Only in America are our leaders so stupid and thoughtless that they could maneuver themselves into seeding an outbreak seven months into this nightmare .
It ’ s a national humiliation on top of a tragedy , an endless disgrace .
And then there ’ s this : WaPo reports that Secret Service agents have taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put them at risk repeatedly by not taking proper precautions .
“ This administration doesn ’ t care about the Secret Service , ” said one in a discussion group .
“ It ’ s so obvious.
” White House political aides are reportedly complaining too , although of course not on the record .
The twist at the end of all this is that it may have put Barrett ’ s confirmation in danger .
Mitch McConnell announced today that all Senate floor activity has been postponed until October 19 as Lee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee work to advance Barrett will continue , but obviously no one knows how bad this might get at this point .
If several more senators suddenly test positive and need weeks to recover , the GOP may not be able to muster 50 votes for confirmation before the election .
CNN reports that Lee , Johnson , and Tillis all attended caucus lunches this week , where they might well have spread the virus to colleagues .
Stay tuned .
Update : Read the statement below .
It would be easier to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been caught being deceptive about when Trump received oxygen and if his rosy account of Trump ’ s condition hadn ’ t been immediately contradicted by a White House official speaking to reporters this morning .
More importantly , it wasn ’ t just Conley who supposedly misstated the timeline .
Conley said “ 72 hours ” when he allegedly meant “ day three ” but a second doctor , Garibaldi , used the term “ 48 hours ” to describe when Trump received the antibody treatment instead of saying “ on day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sloppy mistake in exactly the same way on a matter as sensitive as when , precisely , Trump ’ s battle with COVID began ?
Not likely .
He also misspelled the name of the drug ’ s manufacturer .
It ’ s “ Regeneron , ” not “ Regeron.
” Either Conley ’ s sloppy or some non-doctor wrote this statement for him in order to do political damage control .
Update : The most charitable interpretation of all this for the White House is that the most powerful man in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The less charitable interpretation is that Conley and Garibaldi unwittingly exposed a cover-up of the fact that Trump was out campaigning around people despite knowing he was positive for coronavirus and now everyone ’ s desperately trying to cover it up again .
Update : Good question .
When was Trump ’ s last *negative* test ?
Before the debate with Biden ?
After ?
If Hope Hicks was having symptoms on Wednesday , the president should have been tested that day ( and every day , really ) .
What were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test ?
Update : The AP is now confirming that it was Trump ’ s own chief of staff , Mark Meadows , who told reporters after Conley finished speaking that Trump ’ s condition yesterday was “ very concerning ” and that the next 48 hours are critical .
Update : An executive from Regeneron tells CBS that Conley got something else wrong in his memo .
Their drug doesn ’ t involve “ polyclonal ” antibodies .

The timeline given by his doctors outside Walter Reed this morning was that we’re 72 hours past his diagnosis and 48 hours past the point that he received Regeneron’s experimental antibody drug.
But that would mean he was diagnosed early Wednesday and that he was given the drug early Thursday. He held a fundraiser and a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday and another fundraiser in New Jersey on Thursday. He didn’t tell the world he’d tested positive until very late Thursday night, after the news about Hope Hicks had leaked.
Was he actually going to try to cover up the fact that he had COVID, knowing that asymptomatic carriers are capable of spreading it to people around them? Was he even going to tell his immediate aides that they were in danger?
Trump’s physician Dr. Sean Conley says Trump is “72 hours into the diagnosis” which would mean he was diagnosed on Wednesday — before his rally and fundraiser. pic.twitter.com/zuk4RYw8Sr — The Recount (@therecount) October 3, 2020
whoa — here’s Dr. Brian Garibaldi saying, “About 48 hours ago the President received a special antibody directed against the virus.” 48 hours ago is ~12p Thursday; Trump left for his NJ fundraiser at 1:04pm, and tweeted his diagnosis 12 hours after that. pic.twitter.com/sQCiNFClGy — j.d. durkin (@jiveDurkey) October 3, 2020
The clean-up attempt is under way:
A White House official clarifies Dr. Conley’s timeline. He says Conley meant to say it’s Day 3, not 72 hours in—the diagnosis was made Thursday night—and that Garibaldi meant to say it’s been two days, not 48 hours, since the Regeneron was administered on Thursday night. — Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) October 3, 2020
No one outside the MAGA base is going to believe that two different doctors were so sloppy about something as sensitive as the timeline of when the president was infected and treated that they said “72 hours” and “48 hours” when they meant “day three” and “day two.” Trump’s announcement that he had COVID was made very late on Thursday night; essentially *today* is day two. It looks like they blurted out the truth about the timeline without realizing that that would mean the president had deliberately run the risk of infecting others on Wednesday and Thursday, which would be arguably criminal.
Four years ago he famously said that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a single vote. Would he lose a single vote if he knowingly exposed hundreds of people, including White House staff and aging GOP donors, to a killer virus? I feel like he would.
Here’s what the timeline looks like if Trump’s doctors were speaking accurately:
The White House had better clean this up convincingly, not with “both doctors misspoke on a matter of utmost medical and political sensitivity in delivering a statement which they had many hours to prepare.”
This might not be the only thing they’re covering up. Trump’s doctor, Sean Conley, was very encouraging about his condition this morning — no fever, no *current* supplemental oxygen (he was evasive about whether Trump had ever had oxygen), breathing fine. But this suggests otherwise:
BREAKING: “The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.” –A source familiar with the President's health, to pool reporters — Sara Cook (@saraecook) October 3, 2020
Jonah Goldberg’s right. Whoever gave that statement to reporters so soon after Conley’s presser — was it Mark Meadows? — is clearly trying to counter Conley’s message. To all appearances, the president’s doctor isn’t leveling with the public and someone on the inside is trying to get the truth out. Here too:
An AP source is contradicting Dr. Conley, who said an hour ago: “Yesterday and today, [the president] was not on oxygen.” https://t.co/GCcDrm0xOt — The Recount (@therecount) October 3, 2020
Yesterday Conley put out a statement saying Trump didn’t require supplemental oxygen. Why the discrepancy?
As I write this, three Republican senators (Mike Lee, Thom Tillis, and Ron Johnson) have been newly diagnosed with COVID, as have Kellyanne Conway and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien. Not all of those people were at the apparent “superspreader” event last Saturday, Trump’s announcement in the Rose Garden of Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination — Johnson wasn’t, I believe, and I’m not sure about Stepien. But Conway, Tillis, Lee, Melania Trump, and of course the president were there, all seated in proximity to each other. The president of Notre Dame, who’s also now infected, was close by too:
Kellyanne was seated almost at the exact center of the triangle formed by Sen. Mike Lee, Melania Trump and Rev. Jenkins — all of whom tested positive earlier today. https://t.co/m3u88qDyPQ https://t.co/wm2SesZ4if pic.twitter.com/RLOfrIhGj0 — Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 3, 2020
Chris Christie is also infected. He, Conway, and Hope Hicks were all in debate prep with Trump earlier this week. That would have been before the president knew he had COVID even under Conley’s “72 hours” timeline, but it seems increasingly likely that either someone got infected at the Barrett event and brought it into debate prep or vice versa.
Or maybe even earlier than that? WaPo reports that RNC chair Ronna McDaniel was at a fundraiser with Trump at his hotel in D.C. the night before the Barrett announcement. She “then spent two days with the president before beginning to show symptoms earlier this week,” but she wasn’t at the Rose Garden ceremony, I don’t believe. If McDaniel picked up the virus on Friday night, maybe Trump picked it up then too. Or maybe he had it and gave it to her or she to him, and then he gave it to a bunch more people in the following days.
Either way, if you’re skeptical that so much transmission could have happened outdoors on Saturday, know that I am too. But here’s the thing: Not all of the festivities celebrating Barrett’s nomination happened outdoors that day.
From tomorrow’s NYT A1, a reminder that the Amy Coney Barrett WH event was not entirely outdoors pic.twitter.com/wSJvKOY4JD — Rebecca Buck (@RebeccaBuck) October 3, 2020
If the partisan IDs in that photo were different, it would launch a thousand populist takes about the hypocrisy, incompetence, and selfishness of America’s political ruling class. I’ve seen people on Twitter today tagging that photo and noting that they had to cancel a wedding because of COVID restrictions and yet here’s the White House throwing a big party for all of its friends, indoors, without masks or social distancing, knowing full well that COVID tests can and do produce false negatives all the time. Others have looked at that photo and pointed out that, although every major country has had a nasty outbreak of coronavirus, hardly any have seen their governments hobbled by it. Iran saw a bunch of officials get infected but that was in February, before anyone knew much about the virus. Only in America are our leaders so stupid and thoughtless that they could maneuver themselves into seeding an outbreak seven months into this nightmare.
It’s a national humiliation on top of a tragedy, an endless disgrace. And then there’s this:
For every famous political figure exposed at these events, there’s going to be a non-famous staffer who never makes the news, who doesn’t have the same access to rapid testing and treatment, and who had no say in the choice to eschew basic safety measures for symbolic reasons. — Julian Sanchez (@normative) October 3, 2020
WaPo reports that Secret Service agents have taken to complaining to friends that Trump has put them at risk repeatedly by not taking proper precautions. “This administration doesn’t care about the Secret Service,” said one in a discussion group. “It’s so obvious.” White House political aides are reportedly complaining too, although of course not on the record.
The twist at the end of all this is that it may have put Barrett’s confirmation in danger. Mitch McConnell announced today that all Senate floor activity has been postponed until October 19 as Lee, Johnson, and Tillis recuperate. Committee work to advance Barrett will continue, but obviously no one knows how bad this might get at this point. If several more senators suddenly test positive and need weeks to recover, the GOP may not be able to muster 50 votes for confirmation before the election. CNN reports that Lee, Johnson, and Tillis all attended caucus lunches this week, where they might well have spread the virus to colleagues. Stay tuned.
Update: Read the statement below. It would be easier to believe if Conley hadn’t already been caught being deceptive about when Trump received oxygen and if his rosy account of Trump’s condition hadn’t been immediately contradicted by a White House official speaking to reporters this morning. More importantly, it wasn’t just Conley who supposedly misstated the timeline. Conley said “72 hours” when he allegedly meant “day three” but a second doctor, Garibaldi, used the term “48 hours” to describe when Trump received the antibody treatment instead of saying “on day two.” Two different doctors made a sloppy mistake in exactly the same way on a matter as sensitive as when, precisely, Trump’s battle with COVID began? Not likely.
He also misspelled the name of the drug’s manufacturer. It’s “Regeneron,” not “Regeron.” Either Conley’s sloppy or some non-doctor wrote this statement for him in order to do political damage control.
Memorandum from the President's Physician pic.twitter.com/s2YOty3TVZ — CSPAN (@cspan) October 3, 2020
Update: The most charitable interpretation of all this for the White House is that the most powerful man in the world is being treated by sloppy doctors. The less charitable interpretation is that Conley and Garibaldi unwittingly exposed a cover-up of the fact that Trump was out campaigning around people despite knowing he was positive for coronavirus and now everyone’s desperately trying to cover it up again.
From a physician: "We are incredibly precise when it comes to dates and times…especially with dosing of novel therapy. We generally don’t use the term 'yesterday' to avoid confusion in communication/documentation. And we use 2400 military time and day 0/1/2/3." https://t.co/U70eF4lGcP — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 3, 2020
Update: Good question. When was Trump’s last *negative* test? Before the debate with Biden? After? If Hope Hicks was having symptoms on Wednesday, the president should have been tested that day (and every day, really). What were the results of that day’s test?
Update: The AP is now confirming that it was Trump’s own chief of staff, Mark Meadows, who told reporters after Conley finished speaking that Trump’s condition yesterday was “very concerning” and that the next 48 hours are critical.
Update: An executive from Regeneron tells CBS that Conley got something else wrong in his memo. Their drug doesn’t involve “polyclonal” antibodies.


hotair--2020-10-03--Trump campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway test positive for coronavirus

On Friday night , two more people disclosed that they have tested positive for the coronavirus .
Trump campaign manager , Bill Stepien , and former adviser Kellyanne Conway are the latest people in President Trump ’ s world added to a list of those being diagnosed with the virus .
President Trump ’ s diagnosis and his admittance to Walter Reed Medical Center Friday evening put the country on edge , as well as moving his re-election campaign into unknown territory .
The good news is that overnight , the White House physician gave more details of the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The president ’ s physician said in a memo that Trump received a dose of an experimental antibody combination by Regeneron that is in clinical trials .
Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley said Trump “ remains fatigued but in good spirits ” and that a team of experts was evaluating both the president and first lady in regard to next steps .
Late Friday , Conley issued an update that said Trump is “ doing very well ” and is “ not requiring any supplemental oxygen , ” But he said that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy , ” an antiviral medication .
“ He has completed his first dose and is resting comfortably , ” the doctor wrote .
It ’ s good news that the president isn ’ t in need of additional oxygen .
Dr. Conley also reported that First Lady Melania is doing well .
She is experiencing a “ mild cough and headache.
” The rest of the First Family has tested negative for the virus .
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien will quarantine at home until he recovers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mild flu-like symptoms .
Deputy Campaign Manager Justin Clark will run the campaign ’ s headquarters in Arlington , Virginia but Stepien will maintain control of the campaign , working remotely from home .
Earlier Friday , RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel disclosed that she tested positive for the coronavirus so that is two key figures in Trump ’ s re-election bid that are quarantined at home .
From a political point of view , the timing of all of this is precarious for the campaign .
We are truly in new territory here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election .
Kellyanne no longer works in the White House but she did attend the event last weekend when President Trump formally announced the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court .
Two others at that ceremony have tested positive , Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis .
Unrelated to the White House event , another senator announced his positive diagnosis Saturday morning .
Senator Ron Johnson was tested after learning he had been exposed to someone who tested positive and he , too , received a positive diagnosis from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making adjustments and we can expect Vice-President Pence to act as Trump ’ s chief surrogate on the campaign trail , such as it is this cycle .
Trump ’ s diagnosis has thrust his management of the coronavirus to the forefront of the campaign , which he has strenuously tried to avoid .
And it has rippled through his political operation : Earlier Friday , Stepien sent a memo to staff saying that anyone “ who has had exposure to someone testing positive should immediately begin self-quarantine.
” “ While we do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-quarantine at this time , it is on all of us to continue to exercise the smart judgment and practices the campaign has long encouraged , ” he added , including mask-wearing and handwashing .
Stepien on Saturday is slated to hold separate conference calls with campaign staff and grass-roots leaders .
Pence is expected to participate in one of the calls .
President Trump is signaling an upbeat and hopeful attitude .
Since announcing his diagnosis , and that of the First Lady , he has only tweeted twice as I write @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a video he made at the White House just before he boarded Marine One to go to Walter Reed .
Then he posted a short tweet later Friday night .
All we can do at this point is to follow updates on the president ’ s treatment and wish him a speedy recovery .
He ’ s a fighter .
Let ’ s hope he and Melania get this behind them soon .

On Friday night, two more people disclosed that they have tested positive for the coronavirus. Trump campaign manager, Bill Stepien, and former adviser Kellyanne Conway are the latest people in President Trump’s world added to a list of those being diagnosed with the virus.
President Trump’s diagnosis and his admittance to Walter Reed Medical Center Friday evening put the country on edge, as well as moving his re-election campaign into unknown territory. The good news is that overnight, the White House physician gave more details of the president’s treatment at Walter Reed.
The president’s physician said in a memo that Trump received a dose of an experimental antibody combination by Regeneron that is in clinical trials. Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley said Trump “remains fatigued but in good spirits” and that a team of experts was evaluating both the president and first lady in regard to next steps. Late Friday, Conley issued an update that said Trump is “doing very well” and is “not requiring any supplemental oxygen,” But he said that, “in consultation with specialists we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy,” an antiviral medication. “He has completed his first dose and is resting comfortably,” the doctor wrote.
It’s good news that the president isn’t in need of additional oxygen. Dr. Conley also reported that First Lady Melania is doing well. She is experiencing a “mild cough and headache.” The rest of the First Family has tested negative for the virus.
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien will quarantine at home until he recovers. He is reported to be suffering with mild flu-like symptoms. Deputy Campaign Manager Justin Clark will run the campaign’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia but Stepien will maintain control of the campaign, working remotely from home. Earlier Friday, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel disclosed that she tested positive for the coronavirus so that is two key figures in Trump’s re-election bid that are quarantined at home. From a political point of view, the timing of all of this is precarious for the campaign. We are truly in new territory here, with just 30 days until the election.
Kellyanne Conway tweeted out her diagnosis Friday night.
Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians. As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic. ❤ — Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) October 3, 2020
Kellyanne no longer works in the White House but she did attend the event last weekend when President Trump formally announced the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Two others at that ceremony have tested positive, Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis. Unrelated to the White House event, another senator announced his positive diagnosis Saturday morning. Senator Ron Johnson was tested after learning he had been exposed to someone who tested positive and he, too, received a positive diagnosis from his test Friday.
The campaign is making adjustments and we can expect Vice-President Pence to act as Trump’s chief surrogate on the campaign trail, such as it is this cycle.
Trump’s diagnosis has thrust his management of the coronavirus to the forefront of the campaign, which he has strenuously tried to avoid. And it has rippled through his political operation: Earlier Friday, Stepien sent a memo to staff saying that anyone “who has had exposure to someone testing positive should immediately begin self-quarantine.” “While we do not believe anyone without symptoms needs to self-quarantine at this time, it is on all of us to continue to exercise the smart judgment and practices the campaign has long encouraged,” he added, including mask-wearing and handwashing. Stepien on Saturday is slated to hold separate conference calls with campaign staff and grass-roots leaders. Pence is expected to participate in one of the calls.
President Trump is signaling an upbeat and hopeful attitude. Since announcing his diagnosis, and that of the First Lady, he has only tweeted twice as I write this Saturday morning. The first tweet was a video he made at the White House just before he boarded Marine One to go to Walter Reed.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1312158400352972800
Then he posted a short tweet later Friday night.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1312233807991496704
All we can do at this point is to follow updates on the president’s treatment and wish him a speedy recovery. He’s a fighter. Let’s hope he and Melania get this behind them soon.


hotair--2020-10-03--Weinstein hit with even more rape and sexual assault charges

Disgraced filmmaker and rapist Harvey Weinstein has been cooling his heels in a state prison in New York since March of this year , ( He was actually transferred there on his birthday . )
But there are some people on the opposite coast who would still like to have a word with him .
Quite a few people , actually , and they are all either prosecutors or more women who have brought forward credible rape and sexual assault claims against him .
You can add two more names to that list this week , as six new charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over alleged assaults on a couple more female victims .
Something tells me that this wasn ’ t the sort of popularity and attention Weinstein was looking for .
( NPR ) The Los Angeles County District Attorney announced six new felony sex crime charges Friday against former movie producer and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein .
DA Jackie Lacey ’ s office accused Weinstein of an additional three counts each of felony forcible rape and forcible oral copulation involving two alleged victims .
That brings the total number of criminal counts in Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include an incident between September 2004 and September 2005 where Weinstein allegedly raped a woman at a hotel in Beverly Hills , and another incident in which Weinstein allegedly raped another woman at a Beverly Hills hotel on two separate occasions in November 2009 and November 2010 .
“ I am thankful to the first women who reported these crimes and whose courage have given strength to others to come forward , ” Lacey said in a statement .
Weinstein was already facing additional charges in California before these new indictments were announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transferred to Los Angeles to stand trial back in May , but that move was delayed because of the COVID outbreak .
With the plague situation not having reached a final resolution yet , the next hearing to determine if he can be sent out west won ’ t take place until December .
His attorneys are obviously hoping to delay that as long as possible .
It really hasn ’ t been a good summer for Harvey Weinstein at all .
In addition to his convictions on multiple counts of rape and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his business fortunes , his two ex-wifes went to court in July and had six million dollars of his remaining assets frozen .
According to people familiar with his situation , that move has further complicated his attempts at appealing his convictions in New York and his preparations for trial in California .
All of his money is currently tied up in bankruptcy proceedings or under the control of his ex-wives , so he can ’ t even afford to pay his legal team .
Harvey Weinstein is now 68 years old .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ best of health and he ’ s already facing 23 years behind bars .
It will be more than a decade before he can even be considered for parole , assuming his appeals fail , and if he ’ s convicted on all of the counts currently stacking up in California he could have quite a bit more time added to his sentence .
In other words , it ’ s looking increasingly likely that Weinstein will end up dying in prison , getting the equivalent of the death penalty .
I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will bring to his many victims , but at least the system was able to finally bring him to justice , even if that justice was massively delayed .
Then again , perhaps he ’ ll fool us all .
Keep in mind that the guy tested positive for the novel coronavirus back in March while he was in jail and he managed to shake that off .
He might be tougher than he looks .

Disgraced filmmaker and rapist Harvey Weinstein has been cooling his heels in a state prison in New York since March of this year, (He was actually transferred there on his birthday.) But there are some people on the opposite coast who would still like to have a word with him. Quite a few people, actually, and they are all either prosecutors or more women who have brought forward credible rape and sexual assault claims against him. You can add two more names to that list this week, as six new charges were filed against him in Los Angeles over alleged assaults on a couple more female victims. Something tells me that this wasn’t the sort of popularity and attention Weinstein was looking for. (NPR)
The Los Angeles County District Attorney announced six new felony sex crime charges Friday against former movie producer and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein. DA Jackie Lacey’s office accused Weinstein of an additional three counts each of felony forcible rape and forcible oral copulation involving two alleged victims. That brings the total number of criminal counts in Los Angeles to 11. The new charges include an incident between September 2004 and September 2005 where Weinstein allegedly raped a woman at a hotel in Beverly Hills, and another incident in which Weinstein allegedly raped another woman at a Beverly Hills hotel on two separate occasions in November 2009 and November 2010. “I am thankful to the first women who reported these crimes and whose courage have given strength to others to come forward,” Lacey said in a statement.
Weinstein was already facing additional charges in California before these new indictments were announced. He had been scheduled to be transferred to Los Angeles to stand trial back in May, but that move was delayed because of the COVID outbreak. With the plague situation not having reached a final resolution yet, the next hearing to determine if he can be sent out west won’t take place until December. His attorneys are obviously hoping to delay that as long as possible.
It really hasn’t been a good summer for Harvey Weinstein at all. In addition to his convictions on multiple counts of rape and sexual assault and the complete collapse of his business fortunes, his two ex-wifes went to court in July and had six million dollars of his remaining assets frozen. According to people familiar with his situation, that move has further complicated his attempts at appealing his convictions in New York and his preparations for trial in California. All of his money is currently tied up in bankruptcy proceedings or under the control of his ex-wives, so he can’t even afford to pay his legal team.
Harvey Weinstein is now 68 years old. He’s supposedly not in the best of health and he’s already facing 23 years behind bars. It will be more than a decade before he can even be considered for parole, assuming his appeals fail, and if he’s convicted on all of the counts currently stacking up in California he could have quite a bit more time added to his sentence. In other words, it’s looking increasingly likely that Weinstein will end up dying in prison, getting the equivalent of the death penalty. I don’t know how much comfort that will bring to his many victims, but at least the system was able to finally bring him to justice, even if that justice was massively delayed.
Then again, perhaps he’ll fool us all. Keep in mind that the guy tested positive for the novel coronavirus back in March while he was in jail and he managed to shake that off. He might be tougher than he looks.
.


hotair--2020-10-03--Some additional clues come from the Breonna Taylor grand jury recordings

As was announced earlier this week , Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron turned over 15 hours of recordings yesterday from the grand jury hearing the Breonna Taylor shooting case .
I didn ’ t have time to sit through the whole thing , so I ’ m grateful for the work of reporters from the Associated Press and other outlets who slogged through all of it looking for relevant information .
Much of it was apparently the typical , pro forma questions and answers you would expect from such an investigation confirming a lot of what we ’ d already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nuggets in there suggesting that the accounts offered by the police involved in the raid were mostly accurate .
The police officer who fatally shot Breonna Taylor described seeing only “ shadowy mass ” and said he didn ’ t recall firing the 16 bullets later matched to his gun .
As she lay bleeding , Taylor ’ s boyfriend called his mother before dialing 911 .
And neighbors roused by the gunfire at Taylor ’ s apartment after midnight on March 13 only added to conflicting testimony about whether police serving a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battering ram to break down her door .
Details of the chaos and confusion during the raid that resulted in the 26-year-old Black woman ’ s death were revealed in 15 hours of audio recordings released Friday .
They contained testimony and recorded interviews presented last month to the Kentucky grand jury that decided not to charge any Louisville police officers for killing Taylor .
As mentioned above , there were some conflicting bits of testimony given during the investigation so we likely won ’ t have a 100 % definitive answer that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate , but a couple of details stand out .
The testimony of Taylor ’ s boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , along with a few of their neighbors are of particular interest and seem to support the official account of what happened .
The issue with the greatest significance is precisely what happened in the moments leading up to the police battering the door open and the seconds that followed when the shooting took place .
The police say that despite having a no-knock warrant , they decided to knock anyway , announcing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somewhere between 45 seconds and two minutes to answer prior to breaking in the door .
Walker asserts that he never heard them identify themselves as police officers , leading to his belief that criminal intruders were breaking into the apartment and his decision to fire his legally-owned handgun , striking detective Jonathan Mattingly in the leg .
While testifying to the grand jury , Walker revealed that he and Taylor were in bed when the police arrived , not in the living room .
This fact seems critical for a couple of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that he didn ’ t hear the police announce their arrival , Walker admits that it might have been because he was “ too far away.
” ( In the bedroom . )
But while he may not have heard the announcement , he clearly heard the knocking because he and Taylor had enough time to get out of bed , with Walker grabbing his handgun before they came out of the bedroom into the hallway .
That ’ s where they were standing when the door was broken open .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police agree on that point .
This eliminates the idea that the police simply smashed the door open unannounced .
They had to have been knocking for a fair bit of time for all those actions to transpire .
Further , at least one neighbor on the next floor testified that the knocking was loud enough to cause him to come outside to see what the commotion was before the door was broken in .
Unfortunately , the testimony of several neighbors seemed to be in conflict when it comes to the question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Two said they never even heard the knocking .
One claimed to have heard the knocking , but not the announcement of the identity of the police .
Yet another gave three differing accounts , twice saying he heard the police announce themselves , and once saying he did not .
It ’ s worth noting that the raid took place late in the evening in the middle of March .
The weather was cool and most of the residents probably had their windows closed .
Hearing anything said out on the balcony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have to ask ourselves how likely it is that multiple trained law enforcement officers would stand there knocking on a door for a minute or more without informing the residents that the police had arrived .
All of this paints a picture supporting the police officers ’ testimony as to how this played out .
No one disputes what happened after the door opened .
Walker fired first , striking detective Mattingly and the police returned fire at what one described as “ a shadowy mass ” in the hallway , missing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also confirm that Attorney General Cameron never asked the jury to consider murder or homicide charges in the death of Breonna Taylor .
This seems to be a sticking point for many protesters and activists .
But given all of the testimony describing what actually happened , why would anyone offer the jury that option ?
It remains a case that the prosecutors seemed destined to lose if they attempted to charge the cops in Taylor ’ s death .
Barring any further , startling evidence turning up , this sounds like it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not to say that it will satisfy all of the protesters and rioters around the country who continue to insist that Taylor was “ murdered ” by the police , but it really seems as if the courts have done all they could do .

As was announced earlier this week, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron turned over 15 hours of recordings yesterday from the grand jury hearing the Breonna Taylor shooting case. I didn’t have time to sit through the whole thing, so I’m grateful for the work of reporters from the Associated Press and other outlets who slogged through all of it looking for relevant information. Much of it was apparently the typical, pro forma questions and answers you would expect from such an investigation confirming a lot of what we’d already heard, but there were a few nuggets in there suggesting that the accounts offered by the police involved in the raid were mostly accurate.
The police officer who fatally shot Breonna Taylor described seeing only “shadowy mass” and said he didn’t recall firing the 16 bullets later matched to his gun. As she lay bleeding, Taylor’s boyfriend called his mother before dialing 911. And neighbors roused by the gunfire at Taylor’s apartment after midnight on March 13 only added to conflicting testimony about whether police serving a narcotics warrant announced themselves before using a battering ram to break down her door. Details of the chaos and confusion during the raid that resulted in the 26-year-old Black woman’s death were revealed in 15 hours of audio recordings released Friday. They contained testimony and recorded interviews presented last month to the Kentucky grand jury that decided not to charge any Louisville police officers for killing Taylor.
As mentioned above, there were some conflicting bits of testimony given during the investigation so we likely won’t have a 100% definitive answer that will fully satisfy either side in this debate, but a couple of details stand out. The testimony of Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, along with a few of their neighbors are of particular interest and seem to support the official account of what happened.
The issue with the greatest significance is precisely what happened in the moments leading up to the police battering the door open and the seconds that followed when the shooting took place. The police say that despite having a no-knock warrant, they decided to knock anyway, announcing who they were and giving the occupants somewhere between 45 seconds and two minutes to answer prior to breaking in the door. Walker asserts that he never heard them identify themselves as police officers, leading to his belief that criminal intruders were breaking into the apartment and his decision to fire his legally-owned handgun, striking detective Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.
While testifying to the grand jury, Walker revealed that he and Taylor were in bed when the police arrived, not in the living room. This fact seems critical for a couple of reasons. First of all, when saying that he didn’t hear the police announce their arrival, Walker admits that it might have been because he was “too far away.” (In the bedroom.) But while he may not have heard the announcement, he clearly heard the knocking because he and Taylor had enough time to get out of bed, with Walker grabbing his handgun before they came out of the bedroom into the hallway. That’s where they were standing when the door was broken open. The accounts given by both Walker and the police agree on that point.
This eliminates the idea that the police simply smashed the door open unannounced. They had to have been knocking for a fair bit of time for all those actions to transpire. Further, at least one neighbor on the next floor testified that the knocking was loud enough to cause him to come outside to see what the commotion was before the door was broken in.
Unfortunately, the testimony of several neighbors seemed to be in conflict when it comes to the question of whether the police announced themselves. Two said they never even heard the knocking. One claimed to have heard the knocking, but not the announcement of the identity of the police. Yet another gave three differing accounts, twice saying he heard the police announce themselves, and once saying he did not. It’s worth noting that the raid took place late in the evening in the middle of March. The weather was cool and most of the residents probably had their windows closed. Hearing anything said out on the balcony might have been problematic.
I suppose we have to ask ourselves how likely it is that multiple trained law enforcement officers would stand there knocking on a door for a minute or more without informing the residents that the police had arrived. All of this paints a picture supporting the police officers’ testimony as to how this played out. No one disputes what happened after the door opened. Walker fired first, striking detective Mattingly and the police returned fire at what one described as “a shadowy mass” in the hallway, missing Walker but killing Taylor.
The recordings also confirm that Attorney General Cameron never asked the jury to consider murder or homicide charges in the death of Breonna Taylor. This seems to be a sticking point for many protesters and activists. But given all of the testimony describing what actually happened, why would anyone offer the jury that option? It remains a case that the prosecutors seemed destined to lose if they attempted to charge the cops in Taylor’s death.
Barring any further, startling evidence turning up, this sounds like it wraps up the case. That’s not to say that it will satisfy all of the protesters and rioters around the country who continue to insist that Taylor was “murdered” by the police, but it really seems as if the courts have done all they could do.


hotair--2020-10-04--Sunday morning talking heads

Sunday morning talking heads

This must be the third or fourth weekend in a row where I ’ ve led off this post with a variation of “ we were supposed to be talking about X this morning but then mega-story Y happened and completely blew up the news cycle.
” I mean , really : As I write this on Saturday morning , there ’ s a 99 percent chance that the lead story on Sunday morning will be the leader of the free world being hospitalized with COVID .
But don ’ t rule out the possibility of an alien invasion on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ Meet the Press ” don ’ t even have guests set yet .
Trump ’ s diagnosis and the outbreak among Republican senators is a story so fast-moving that they ’ ve probably opted to clear the decks , take stock of where things stand on Saturday afternoon , and then start lining up medical experts to comment on the president ’ s prognosis .
As for the remaining Sunday shows , the star guest is probably Gretchen Whitmer , whose emergency coronavirus powers were just nuked by Michigan ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on “ Face the Nation ” and “ State of the Union ” to comment on that and to try to thread the needle between expressing sympathy for Trump and scolding him for not taking precautions against infection , especially for the sake of the people around him .
Elsewhere , Nancy Pelosi will appear on “ Face the Nation ” to discuss the state of stimulus negotiations .
With Trump needing something to try to jolt the presidential race , a last-minute deal to keep money flowing to Americans seems likelier than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders will be on “ State of the Union ” to discuss the state of the campaign , the prospects of debates two and three happening , and how you run against a man who ’ s in the hospital without seeming like you ’ re exploiting an unfair advantage .
The full line-up is at the AP .

This must be the third or fourth weekend in a row where I’ve led off this post with a variation of “we were supposed to be talking about X this morning but then mega-story Y happened and completely blew up the news cycle.” I mean, really:
Two weeks ago: RBG dies
One week ago: Ginsburg lies in state at the Capitol
Last Saturday: Amy Coney Barrett nominated
Sunday: Trump taxes
Tuesday: Presidential debate
Thursday: Hope Hicks tests positive
Friday: Helicopter carries POTUS to Walter Reed. — Steve Inskeep (@NPRinskeep) October 3, 2020
As I write this on Saturday morning, there’s a 99 percent chance that the lead story on Sunday morning will be the leader of the free world being hospitalized with COVID. But don’t rule out the possibility of an alien invasion on Saturday night.
“This Week” and “Meet the Press” don’t even have guests set yet. Trump’s diagnosis and the outbreak among Republican senators is a story so fast-moving that they’ve probably opted to clear the decks, take stock of where things stand on Saturday afternoon, and then start lining up medical experts to comment on the president’s prognosis. As for the remaining Sunday shows, the star guest is probably Gretchen Whitmer, whose emergency coronavirus powers were just nuked by Michigan’s Supreme Court. She’ll be on “Face the Nation” and “State of the Union” to comment on that and to try to thread the needle between expressing sympathy for Trump and scolding him for not taking precautions against infection, especially for the sake of the people around him.
Elsewhere, Nancy Pelosi will appear on “Face the Nation” to discuss the state of stimulus negotiations. With Trump needing something to try to jolt the presidential race, a last-minute deal to keep money flowing to Americans seems likelier than ever. And top Biden aide Symone Sanders will be on “State of the Union” to discuss the state of the campaign, the prospects of debates two and three happening, and how you run against a man who’s in the hospital without seeming like you’re exploiting an unfair advantage. The full line-up is at the AP.