theblaze--2020-08-27--Leftists fatally shot, wounded in Kenosha are canonized as peaceful, loving — but videos, photos see

Leftists fatally shot, wounded in Kenosha are canonized as peaceful, loving — but videos, photos seem to tell different stories

Leftists fatally shot , wounded in Kenosha are canonized as peaceful , loving — but videos , photos seem to @ @ @ @ @ n't go out looking to beat people up ' — except , you know , @ @ @ @ @ beat up the wrong person

Like clockwork, the media has canonized the trio of men fatally shot and wounded in Kenosha, Wisconsin, earlier this week as peaceful, loving guys. Wouldn't hurt a fly. Patriotic. Compassionate.
But numerous videos and photographs taken Tuesday night would appear to tell a much different story about these three leftists who ended up experiencing pushback in a way that doesn't get a do-over.
Joseph Rosenbaum — goofy prankster, compassionate dad
Joseph "Jojo" Rosenbaum, 36, was one of the fatally shot individuals, the Chicago Sun-Times said.
His sister told the paper that despite being from Waco, Texas, Rosenbaum — a compassionate father — stayed in Wisconsin to be close to his 2-year-old daughter.
"He loved his daughter very much," his sister added to the Sun-Times.
The paper also said Rosenbaum's sister wants him "to be remembered as the man he was. He loved to draw, she said; he was goofy and crazy; he loved playing jokes on everybody."
But what Rosenbaum allegedly was up to Tuesday night was anything but fun loving.
Video allegedly caught Rosenbaum antagonizing the gun-carrying group who showed up to protect property in Kenosha after two previous nights of vicious rioting, glaring at them and daring them to "shoot me!"
Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Julio_Rosas11
He even uttered the N-word as black people were feet away. One guesses that being a leftist apparently buys some racial slur passes. (Content warning: Language, racial slurs):
What's more, video allegedly shows Rosenbaum — who by this point apparently had removed his red T-shirt to use as a head covering — chasing after a male armed with a rifle. Rosenbaum then allegedly throws a bag of tools at the guy with the gun and then lunges at him. The guy carrying the gun not surprisingly opens fire.
And that spells the end for Rosenbaum, who is seen in a graphic clip of the shooting aftermath dying in the street and wearing the same capri-length jeans, white sneakers with white socks, and tan belt as he's wearing in the video of him confronting militia members.
Anthony Huber — peaceful American patriot
Anthony Huber, 26, also was fatally shot Tuesday night, the Sun-Times said.
"Anthony is an American patriot, and we should all be so lucky to have folks like him to defend this country from White Supremacists," according to a comment on the GoFundMe page set up for Huber's girlfriend and stepdaughter, the paper said. The crowdfunding has raised nearly $100,000 in just a couple of days.
"You're a Hero Huber," read a chalked message at a Kenosha skatepark, the Sun-Times reported.
"He is a peaceful person," a friend of Huber's told WDJT-TV. "He didn't go out looking to beat people up. He's more of a defender. And he put his life on the line for others. That's what he did."
Calling him "one of the most amazing people," Huber's girlfriend Hannah Gittings told protesters Wednesday near the spot where he died that Huber "took down an armed gunman with nothing but his f***ing skateboard, and he took that f***ing bullet," the paper said.
Indeed, Huber was in the mob that chased after the male who allegedly shot Rosenbaum. Without using his name, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Huber bashed his skateboard over the apparent shooter's head.
Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The paper added that he also tried to take away his gun — and at that moment, the attacked male pulled the trigger. Huber — who appeared to be hit in the chest — crumpled to the street.
Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Gaige Grosskreutz — just wanted to provide medical services to protesters
The Sun-Times identified the third shooting victim as 26-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz. He sustained a badly shot right arm but is expected to survive.
A member of social justice group the People's Revolution Movement of Milwaukee, Grosskreutz's "whole reason for being out here was to provide medical services to protesters in Kenosha, and when Gaige tried to detain [the active shooter], he got shot in the arm," a friend of his told the paper.
True enough. But Grosskreutz — who was also in the mob giving chase down the street — also pointed a handgun at the shooter:
Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @bgonthescene
And after part of his right arm was blown off, video demonstrated that the handgun was indeed loaded.
Here's the clip showing the second and third shootings. (Content warning: Language):
Now what?
In the end, suspected shooter 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse faces a homicide charge. As you might already know, he's already been prejudged as a murderer and white supremacist.
But as TheBlaze Managing Editor Leon Wolf points out in his Thursday op-ed, besides the lack of existence of any fact that would rightly brand the teenager as a racist, "there appears to be no evidence at all that Rittenhouse is guilty of murder, much less first-degree murder," and charging him with such a crime is "absurd."
Not that leftists were ever interested in facts that poke holes in their proclamations — including lauding the leftists shot up in Kenosha as peaceful and loving when all visual evidence paints them as the aggressors and acting as judge, jury, and executioner.


theblaze--2020-08-27--Rapper 50 Cent says cancel culture's biggest target is straight men: 'There's no organization' to ba

Rapper 50 Cent says cancel culture's biggest target is straight men: 'There's no organization' to back up heterosexual males

Rapper 50 Cent says cancel culture 's biggest target is straight men : 'There 's no organization ' to back @ @ @ @ @ that going to go over ?

Rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson made waves this week, telling Variety that not only is cancel culture unfair, but it's targeting straight men who don't have any organizations to back them up.
What did he say?
In a video interview with Variety's Andrew Wallenstein on Wednesday, Jackson lamented the impact cancel culture has had on the lives of so many people who have worked hard to get where they are.
Wallenstein asked Jackson if he ever fears saying the wrong thing, getting serious backlash, and becoming a victim of cancel culture that ultimately destroys his business and brand.
Jackson replied that he doesn't believe he can be canceled because "hip-hop culture loves things that are damaged. It loves people who are already broken from experience." He said that a rapper won't get canceled unless he does "something extremely bad," like "go to jail" or "shoot a girl."
And then he launched into a statement about the unfairness of cancel culture and how the biggest target is straight men.
"I think it's so unfair, too, to the people that are canceled. Some of them have worked all their lives to position themselves the way they are, and you're saying that one thing you said that someone didn't like [results in being canceled]," Jackson said.
"We're talking about people who have organizations and — whatever their preferences are," he continued.
"You a heterosexual male? Traditional choices? You like women?" the rapper asked. "If you say something about someone who chooses something different, there's organizations set up that start sending things around to get signatures and stuff," which lead to the targets getting canceled.
Jackson then wanted to know, "As a heterosexual male, who's going to send things around to tap signatures based on your feelings? There's no one. There's no organization."
"There's certain demographics that have been conditioned, because they've been taken advantage of in the earlier stages," he said. "They were once inferior, now they're superior, because we have no organization.
"The biggest target is just heterosexual males in general," the rapper continued.
Watch the full interview below (relevant portion begins at the 21:10 mark).


theblaze--2020-08-27--DC mayor tells diners to call cops on abusive protesters, condemns 'highly inappropriate' behavior o

DC mayor tells diners to call cops on abusive protesters, condemns 'highly inappropriate' behavior of BLM demonstrators

DC mayor tells diners to call cops on abusive protesters , condemns 'highly inappropriate ' behavior of BLM demonstrators Mayor @ @ @ @ @ videos of diners being harassed by Black Lives Matter protesters

A video of Black Lives Matter protesters harassing diners in Washington, D.C., went viral this week. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) condemned the behavior seen in the videos and instructed people to call the cops if they are being harassed by abusive protesters.
"What I saw in those videos was highly inappropriate, it was likely against the law if they were on private property but more importantly, I don't think it had anything to do with demands for social justice," Bowser said Wednesday, according to Washington Post reporter Fenit Nirappil.
"We would encourage any diner or restaurant to call the police immediately," Bowser advised.
"I would venture to say that the vast majority of those experiences have been 100 percent positive," Bowser said of dining experiences in Washington, D.C. "I also don't think that D.C. residents would be bullied out of living their everyday lives."
Bowser was reacting to a viral video of a mob of protesters harassing diners in the Adams Morgan neighborhood that was shared by Washington Post writer Frederick Kunkle on Tuesday. Video shows the demonstrators demanding that all of the diners at a restaurant raise their fists in solidarity of the Black Lives Matter movement.
"In a scene that played out several times Monday, a Black Lives Matter protest that began in Columbia Heights confronted White diners outside D.C. restaurants, chanting 'White silence is violence!' and demanding White diners show their solidarity," Kunkle wrote on Twitter.
"In Adams Morgan, protesters screamed at Lauren B. Victor for several minutes for refusing to raise her fist with them. 'Are you a Christian?' a female protester demanded," Kunkle said.
"I felt I was under attack," Victor said, according to Kunkle. "In the moment, it didn't feel right."
"I wasn't actually frightened. I didn't think they'd do anything to me," Victor reportedly said. "I'm very much with them. I've been marching with them for weeks and weeks and weeks."
Another video of restaurant patrons being harassed went viral this week. The leftist mob demands that everyone at the restaurant raise their hands in solidarity. When two diners don't comply, they are shamed and have profanities screamed at them.
Earlier this month, Black Lives Matter protesters harassed people eating dinner in the D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown. The demonstrators also shouted and banged pots in an effort to wake up a residents late at night.
Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality have escalated this week following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake is paralyzed from the waist down, according to his father.


theblaze--2020-08-27--Three dead from fallen trees, including 14-year-old girl, after Hurricane Laura rocks Louisiana coas

Three dead from fallen trees, including 14-year-old girl, after Hurricane Laura rocks Louisiana coast

Three dead from fallen trees , including 14-year-old girl , after Hurricane Laura rocks Louisiana coast

Hurricane Laura has claimed the lives of at least three individuals, including a teenage girl in Louisiana, officials reported Thursday morning.
The first reported fatality was a 14-year-old girl who died after a wind-swept tree fell on her home in Leesburg, Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced during a news conference Thursday.
That news was followed by reports of two more deaths that occurred under similar circumstances.
"One man died in Acadia Parish and another in Jackson Parish after trees fell on their homes," the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness said, according to NBC News.
Edwards and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), whose state was also hit hard by the hurricane, said Thursday that search and rescue teams are continuing to look for people who may have been trapped or injured by the storm.
Both governors added that no widespread casualties have been reported so far and that it appears, at least initially, that the storm surge was not as bad as they feared.
The National Hurricane Center had warned Wednesday that Laura's landfall would be "unsurvivable" and "catastrophic" for the Louisiana-Texas coast.
Sure enough, the Category 4 hurricane was one of the most powerful to ever hit the continental United States, rocking the coast with winds up to 150 mph. The coast caught a break regarding the storm surge, however, which was projected to be as high as 20 feet but ended up coming in at 11 feet.
Abbott credited the low casualty count to the thousands of residents who listened to advice from officials and evacuated the coast.
Wreckage from the storm is expected to be significant, however. On Thursday morning, several harrowing images of the storm and its aftermath emerged on social media.
Of course, it will be days and possibly weeks until the full extent of the damage is assessed.


theblaze--2020-08-27--Nancy Pelosi says Joe Biden should not debate President Trump

Nancy Pelosi says Joe Biden should not debate President Trump Wonder why she really does n't want there to be @ @

If fans of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden who are concerned about whether or not their candidate, who has faced a multitude of questions about his mental and cognitive health, were looking for someone in power to back up their desire that the presidential debates of 2020 be canceled, they got their wish Thursday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced at a morning news conference that she does not believe it is worth it for Biden to debate President Donald Trump during the 2020 campaign.
The first of three debates between Trump and Biden is currently scheduled for Sept. 29 at Case Western University in Cleveland.
Why does she not want debates?
Naturally, Pelosi never mentions the obvious concern that perhaps the gaffe-prone Biden will struggle to counter Trump's likely barrage of attacks and accusations.
Instead, for the far-left California lawmaker, it is allegedly more about not legitimizing the president's claims in a rational conversation.
"I don't think that there should be any debates," Pelosi said. "I do not think that the president of the United States has comported himself in a way that has any association with truth evidence, data, and facts. I wouldn't legitimize a conversation with him nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States."
She went on to remind reporters of Trump's infamous " stalking" of Hillary Clinton during the Oct. 9, 2016, debate during which Trump critics claimed he was "prowling" around the debate stage as Clinton attempted to answer questions.
"I thought what [Trump] did in 2016 was disgraceful, stalking Hillary Clinton like that. I was disappointed that the press didn't say, 'Go back to your station. You don't own this stage. You have your own podium. She has hers,'" Pelosi said, appearing to attempt to guilt the media into siding with her viewpoint on debates.
Naturally, Trump's debate style is "beneath the dignity of the presidency" in Pelosi's mind.
"I think that he'll probably act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency — he does that every day," she said. "But I think he will also belittle what the debates are supposed to be about. They're not to be about skullduggery on the part of somebody who has no respect for the office he holds, much less the democratic process. Why else would he try to undermine the elections in the manner in which he is doing?
"If Joe Biden asks you what I thought about it, I don't think that he should dignify that conversion with Donald Trump," the speaker added.
Instead of a debate, Pelosi has another option
So how should the American people learn what the two candidates believe and compare their stances?
Pelosi has an idea: She wants the media to ask them questions but the two men can answer separately on their own time and in a manner in which they choose.
"You ask them any questions — both of them just take their own stage for any number of conversation about any subjects," she said. "Hold them accountable. What are they proposing? What is their vision? What is their knowledge? How are they going to get it done? How do they connect with the American people?
"Let that be a conversation with the American people, not an exercise in skullduggery," Pelosi concluded.
Both candidates could apparently answer from their preferred venues — the president from a rally with his base and Biden from his basement in Delaware.
This post had been updated.


theblaze--2020-08-27--Black Lives Matter protesters exchange gunfire with property owners amid march to DC

The group was fired upon the next night in a hotel parking lot

Black Lives Matter protesters on a march from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., for the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech exchanged gunfire with Pennsylvania property owners Monday night — and one of the protesters was treated and released from a hospital after being hit by shotgun fire.
State police didn't say who fired first in the incident, which took place in Juniata Township, Bedford County, WTAE-TV reported, but no charges have been filed.
What are the details?
State police said a property owner contacted authorities just after 11 p.m. about a group of people in a private business parking lot, and troopers later learned about 30 activists had been traveling on foot and in vehicles from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., the station said.
About 11:35 p.m. at the same location — and prior to police arrival — the property owners confronted the activists, police added, according to WTAE. One police official told reporters that "he had asked them to leave, and they wouldn't leave."
Police said things escalated, and gunshots were exchanged between the property owners and the activists, the station said, adding that one of the activists was hit by birdshot from a shotgun, after which he was treated and released from a Johnstown hospital.
A shotgun, shotgun shells, a semi-automatic pistol, and 9mm casings were recovered at the scene, police added, according to WTAE.
Marcher Tory Lowe said the group had parked to organize before they walked up an incline when a man emerged from a house and started shooting at them with a rifle, firing at least seven shots, the station said, citing a Facebook video posted early Tuesday morning.
"He was like three feet away from us shooting, and I told him there was a minister here," Lowe said in the video, WTAE reported.
The group began marching Aug. 4 and planned to arrive in Washington by Friday, the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, the station said, citing a report in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
A WTAJ-TV broadcast referred to the group as affiliated with Black Lives Matter.
Activist group member shot while marching through Bedford County 6pm youtu.be
Another shooting
In a separate incident a day later, a man was charged with discharging a firearm in the parking lot of a Bedford County hotel where the protesters were staying, authorities told the Cumberland Times-News.
Counter-protesters arrived at the Hampton Inn around 8:30 p.m., and an argument followed, the paper said, adding that a hotel official heard the argument and asked counter-protesters to leave. As they drove away, gunshots were heard, the Times-News said, citing a criminal complaint.
Since one of the activists reportedly livestreamed the incident on Facebook, troopers were able to identify vehicles — and troopers said they later stopped a 1988 Ford truck, in which Jeremy William Decker was the passenger, the paper said.
State police in Bedford charged Decker, 43, with reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, and firearms violations, the Times-News said, adding that authorities seized multiple firearms, including a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, and that six 9mm shell casings were found at the shooting scene.
One member of the group headed to D.C. reported seeing Decker "fire several rounds in the air" through the open window of a truck before leaving the scene, the paper said, adding that Decker is a convicted felon whose online criminal records show felony assault and burglar — and that he's prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Hours before the hotel shooting, a group showed up at the Bedford County Courthouse, reportedly in response to the Milwaukee activists being in the area, the Times-News said, adding that troopers didn't say if Decker was part of that group.
Decker was arraigned by District Judge Kathy Calhoun, of Everett, and lodged in the Bedford County Jail, the paper said.
Shots Fired Outside Hotel In Bedford County youtu.be
Blocking highway traffic
Three members of the same group were arrested last week after "intentionally obstructing vehicular traffic" on US 30, WTAJ-TV said in a separate report, citing Indiana State Police, adding that US 30 is a divided four-lane highway with a 60 mph speed limit.
Police said they received calls last Wednesday about traffic backed up for several miles in the eastbound lanes of US 30, and arriving troopers saw protesters walking along the highway with eight support vehicles traveling at walking speed in the right lane, the station said. At times pedestrians walked in the car lane instead of the shoulder, WTAJ said.
Police said they told the group they could continue marching as long as both pedestrians and vehicles traveled in the highway shoulder — but the group failed to comply, the station said, adding that traffic became backed up for about seven miles.
Frank David Sensabaugh, 30, Eric Ajala, 20, and Tory Lowe, 44 — all from Milwaukee — were arrested for misdemeanor disorderly conduct and obstruction of traffic charges, WTAJ said, adding that Lowe also was charged for misdemeanor resisting law enforcement. All three were taken to the Kosciusko County Jail, the station said, and later released.
Lowe — cited in the WTAE shooting story — livestreamed the incident on Facebook, WTAJ said.


theblaze--2020-08-27--Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's strategy to quell rioting in the city: Let it 'burn itself out'

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler 's strategy to quell rioting in the city : Let it 'burn itself out '

Portland Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler has an innovative new strategy to quell riots in the Oregon city that have continued to rage on every night for more than three months. That is, do nothing in particular.
"I believe [the nightly violence] will ultimately burn itself out," Wheeler said during a recent interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting reporter Rebecca Ellis.
The message of inaction from the mayor is likely a disappointing one for many residents as well as law enforcement in the city who continue to face assaults from violent protesters on a nightly basis — not to mention the businesses forced to flee the destruction.
Federal agents had previously been deployed to the city to protect a federal courthouse there and help bring law and order, but that didn't exactly fit Wheeler's hands-off strategy.
Now the mayor, who has failed time and again to offer clear direction to law enforcement on how to handle the violence, has apparently left police to their own devices only to critique actions after the fact.
According to Ellis, Wheeler receives a report every morning on the protests that took place the night before and sometimes will follow-up with why specific tactics were used, but essentially leaves decisions on how to handle the riots up to police.
"They've tried everything from not showing up to preemptively dispersing crowds, and some of those strategies, in my opinion, have worked well. Others have not worked well," Wheeler told Ellis. "My expectation is the police bureau will evolve, and as they see a need for change, they'll change."
At one point last week, the report noted, Wheeler even considered the "high risk" plan of ordering police to stand down from the demonstrations, but balked ultimately before implementing it.
Now he says he is "considering all options" under the "core objective ... to create a free and safe space to those people who want to express their First Amendment rights," but that he hasn't identified how best to do that yet.
In the meantime, he's urging residents to stay patient. After all, he argued, these types of civil rights movements take time.
"I want to remind people when they say, 'when is this all going to end?' the nonviolent part of this probably won't end for quite some time," Wheeler said. "And I'm reminded regularly by people in this community who were engaged in the struggle for civil rights: The civil rights movement lasted a lot longer than two and a half months."


theblaze--2020-08-27--Report: Keeping kids out of school could cost the US economy $700 billion ... or more

Report : Keeping kids out of school could cost the US economy $ 700 billion ... or more

As debate over whether to reopen schools has raged on, most people have focused on the wisdom of sending kids back to school as the nation continues to work to get the coronavirus pandemic under control.
Folks worried about reopening are concerned about the health of students, teachers, and staff — as well as all those people's families — and want to make sure that reopening will not exacerbate the COVID crisis.
Advocates for reopening say that remote learning isn't enough: Kids need to be back in school, they say, because they learn better with in-person instruction. Those advocates also note children need the social aspect of schools and that many kids need the services and protections many schools provide.
But what about the economic impact of keeping schools closed? How much damage will closed schools have on the U.S. economy.
A report this month from Barron's examined those questions and came up with a troubling answer: Keeping schools closed may well cost the U.S. economy more than $700 billion.
What's this, now?
The Barron's report started with an ominous note: "The only thing standing between a recovery and a double-dip recession might be the back-to-school season."
As the new school year starts, Barron's noted, 56 million students from kindergarten to 12th grade are facing all sorts of new challenges — most are going to have to use distance learning, which presents unique academic challenges, while others will face the challenge of dealing with COVID regulations within their schools.
But those challenges might just pale in comparison to the economic challenge of not returning to in-class instruction.
"The risks to reopening schools are clear — they could become a new epicenter for Covid-19," Barron's said, "but the costs of keeping schools closed could be even higher."
Just how much higher?
Barron's says the U.S. would be looking at $700 billion in lost revenue and productivity, which would be 3.5% of GDP, Axios said.
The impact closed schools will have on the economy is connected to our nation's decision to have schools act as child care so that parents can go to work. With kids at home, parents are being forced to give up work hours or quit their jobs altogether.
According to the Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago, working parents account for about one-third of the nation's workforce, Axios noted.
The outlet added that child-care needs in the wake of the nation's response to COVID last March, which closed schools across the country, meant that 13% of those working parents lost their jobs or cut back their hours. And those who did not have to give up work have found themselves considerably less productive: The average working parent has lost eight hours a week of productivity with kids at home during the pandemic.
Misty Heggeness, a visiting scholar at the Minneapolis Fed, told Axios, "Even if you're lucky enough to have a teleworking situation, it's really hard to work at full capacity when you're essentially acting as a teaching assistant."


theblaze--2020-08-27--Charging Kyle Rittenhouse with first-degree murder is facially absurd

The facts of the case simply do n't fit that charge

Kyle Rittenhouse should not have been patrolling the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Tuesday night. Whatever failures might have existed on the part of state and local government (and there appear to have been many), the idea of a 17-year-old with a loaded rifle being dropped into that powder keg can only happen when some horribly bad judgment has occurred.
I say this as a gun owner and Second Amendment supporter who took his son to the shooting range at that same age and taught him how to properly handle a firearm: I don't know what Kyle Rittenhouse's family or home situation is like, or how exactly he came to be where he was on that fateful night, but it's disappointing (to say the least) that no one in his life prevented him from being there. I'm sure, at this point, that Rittenhouse himself would agree.
However, two narratives about the situation are emerging, neither of which appears to be supported by even a sliver of evidence: First, that Rittenhouse is a white supremacist, and second, that he is a murderer.
To the first point, the media began to paint Rittenhouse as a white supremacist almost immediately based on no evidence at all, and continued slandering him as one throughout the day.
Just for the record, Rittenhouse's social media is NOT full of misogyny and white supremacy. The New York Times searched it exhaustively and found that "multiple posts on his social media accounts proclaim support for pro-police causes like the Blue Lives Matter movement and Humanize the Badge, a nonprofit that he ran a Facebook fund-raiser for on his 16th birthday."
This does not count as support for white supremacy to anyone with a functioning cerebral cortex. I suppose that more evidence might emerge on that score, but the evidence that Rittenhouse was involved with real white supremacy, as opposed to fake white supremacy that has been invented by the professional victim class of liberal American politics does not yet exist.
More importantly, there appears to be no evidence at all that Rittenhouse is guilty of murder, much less first-degree murder. I spent a substantial portion of Wednesday viewing numerous upsetting videos of Rittenhouse's deadly encounters with Kenosha rioters, and in every single one of those videos, Rittenhouse is clearly trying to extricate himself from danger brought on by a mob that appeared hell bent on doing him harm.
The New York Times, which is hardly sympathetic to what Rittenhouse was unwisely attempting to do, put an extraordinary amount of work into tracking Rittenhouse's movements on that Tuesday night, and the resulting breakdown is damning to the prosecutors and media figures who have branded this teenager as a racist murderer.
The Times notes, among other things, that Rittenhouse was seen on social media video throughout the night mostly staying in the area of a Kenosha car dealership — but not the same one where the first shooting occurred. The Times also noted that he was captured in multiple videos offering medical assistance to protesters who were affected by pepper spray that police used in the area. He was then seen passing out water bottles to police and talking to officers in the area. He left that dealership, and police prevented him from returning.
According to the Times, "Six minutes later footage shows Mr. Rittenhouse being chased by an unknown group of people into the parking lot of another dealership several bocks away."
One of those people, we know from video, was the first person who was shot by Rittenhouse. That person has been identified by police as Joseph Rosenbaum, a white registered sex offender who was convicted of a sex crime with a minor and who was seen on video using the N-word near black militia members and taunting them to "shoot me, n***a." At this point, Rosenbaum is the only person involved in this story who is confirmed to have done anything that might get a person justifiably branded as a white supremacist.
As the Times notes, while Rittenhouse was being pursued by the visibly hostile and aggressive Rosenbaum, "an unknown gunman fires into the air, though it's unclear why. The weapon's muzzle flash appears in footage filmed at the scene. Mr. Rittenhouse turns toward the sound of the gunfire as another pursuer [Rosenbaum] lunges toward him from the same direction. Mr. Rittenhouse then fires four times, and appears to shoot the man in the head."
Not mentioned by the Times: Video also shows Rosenbaum throwing a bag filled with unknown objects as he chases Rittenhouse into the parking lot.
Get it? Rittenhouse was being chased by a group of angry adults who were throwing things at him, and he hears a nearby gunshot. For all he knows, the shot might have been intended for him. As Rittenhouse was looking around attempting to locate the source of the sound, Rosenbaum charged him.
If you, as a prosecuting attorney, are aware of these facts and come away with the conclusion that a first-degree murder charge is warranted, then you need to turn in your law license. Putting aside Rittenhouse's clearly viable claim to self-defense, the facts of the case simply don't fit that charge.
The Times notes that after Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum, he "seems to make a phone call and then flees the scene." We don't know this yet but I would bet a significant amount of money that if Rittenhouse did, in fact, make a phone call, it was to 911 to report the shooting. And he fled the scene because, as noted by the Times and seen in multiple videos, the mob began to chase him further after the shooting. The Times notes that as he was trying to escape, Rittenhouse tripped and fell to the ground.
According to the Times, Rittenhouse then "fir[ed] four shots as three people rush[ed] toward him. One person appear[ed] to be hit in the chest[.]" Not mentioned by the Times is the perhaps relevant fact that the person in question was caught on photo trying to use Rittenhouse's head as a softball, with his skateboard as a bat. The omission is bizarre because even a Getty photographer happened to catch this attack literally as it happened.
Protests in Wisconsin aftermath of Kenosha shooting Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Additionally, the Times notes that the other individual who was shot by Rittenhouse was "carrying a handgun," but omits the detail, carried in several videos, that the gun was also loaded.
So, to review, Rittenhouse was chased by an angry mob that was throwing unidentified objects at him into an abandoned car parking lot at night, and then was charged by a clearly hostile adult right after he heard a nearby gunshot. When he tried to leave the situation, he was chased again by an even larger mob, one of whom had a loaded handgun, and was hit in the face by a large adult with a skateboard.
As the Times notes, Rittenhouse then noted the presence of police nearby, and began walking toward them with his hands up in a clear attempt to surrender to the police (and likely avail himself of some safety from the mob that was chasing him). The police, however, drove past him without stopping, so Rittenhouse fled. I would submit that these are not the actions of either a first-degree murderer or someone who intended to flee the scene of a shooting, but rather someone who was in legitimate and reasonable fear for their life and trying to survive in a chaotic situation.
In spite of the plethora of videos and photographs featuring Rittenhouse and his activities on that night, there are still some details we don't know. And I wouldn't necessarily rule out all criminal charges until all the facts are in. But first-degree murder is a facially preposterous charge based on what we know already, and the district attorneys who brought those charges should be ashamed.


theblaze--2020-08-27--PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor lambasted for criticizing Madison Cawthorn for standing during th

PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor lambasted for criticizing Madison Cawthorn for standing during the RNC This did not go the way @ @ @

North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn delivered a powerful speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night. However, PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor asserted that Cawthorn's moving monologue was a "direct rebuke" to those protesting social injustice, including NBA players.
Cawthorn is a 25-year-old vying to become the youngest member in Congress, a title currently held by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 30. Cawthorn, who owns a real estate investment company, defeated Lynda Bennett for the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional District seat, which was vacated by Mark Meadows when he became President Donald Trump's chief of staff.
"This is a time of great adversity for our country, and I know something about adversity," Cawthorn began his speech.
Cawthorn is paralyzed from the waist down because he was involved in a car accident when he was 18 years old. Despite his disability, Cawthorn punctuated his speech by rising from his wheelchair to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
"You can kneel before God, but stand for our flag," Cawthorn said before standing up.
"The American idea my ancestors fought for during the Revolutionary War, is just as exciting and revolutionary today as it was 250 years ago," Cawthorn said. "I say to Americans who love our country, young and old, be a radical for freedom. Be a radical for liberty. And be a radical for our republic, for which I stand. One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, and may God bless America."
"PBS NewsHour" reporter Yamiche Alcindor criticized Cawthorn's speech on Twitter.
"Madison Cawthorn made it a point to stand, suggesting that all Americans to [sic] should stand during the pledge of allegiance & national anthem," Alcindor, who is an NBC News and MSNBC contributor, said. "It was a direct rebuke of actions by ppl -- including black athletes who are currently sitting out games -- protesting police brutality."
The tweet, which has more than 5,000 Likes, spurred backlash online. At the time of publication, there were more than 10,000 responses to the polarizing critique, and many of the replies lambasted Alcindor.
"How on earth could you possibly turn the rather moving act of a FREAKIN' PARAPLEGIC rising for the national anthem into some weird BLM trip?" National Review contributor Jeff Blehar tweeted. "When someone holds the door open for you, is that a rebuke of BLM too? My patience for takes like this has reached its limit."
"If you thought, 'certainly nobody could attack this man in a wheelchair for standing up at the end of his speech,' you haven't met our completely insane White House press corps, currently viciously attacking a paralyzed man for not sharing their far-left political views," the Federalist senior editor Mollie Hemingway said.
"The activist below found a way to turn a paraplegic standing up in his wheelchair an act of white supremacy," Daily Caller reporter Chuck Ross wrote.
"Nowhere did Cawthorn state his standing was a direct rebuke of actions by ppl — including black athletes who are currently sitting out games — protesting police brutality. And Yamiche Alcindor is not a journalist," conservative commentator Stephen Miller said.
"Madison Cawthorn may be paralyzed, but @Yamiche is the one who is a completely broken person," Sean Davis, co-founder of the Federalist, said. "Only a deranged lunatic who worships at the altar of politics could get angry at the sight of a paralyzed person standing up. What a sad, pathetic way to go through life."
Davis also tagged Alcindor with an image of disabled veterans from Soldier Strong, a group that serves injured veterans, standing up for the national anthem during the 2020 RNC.
Cawthorn will face off against Democratic candidate Moe Davis, a retired Air Force colonel and former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, in the November election. An internal Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee poll conducted in July had Cawthorn leading Davis by five points (46-41).


theblaze--2020-08-27--POLL: Who had the best speech at Night 3 of the RNC?

POLL : Who had the best speech at Night 3 of the RNC ?
Cast your vote and do n't @ @ @ @

POLL: Who had the best speech at Night 3 of the RNC?
Cast your vote and don't forget to share!


theblaze--2020-08-27--Frightening images emerge on social media of Hurricane Laura's landfall and aftermath

Frightening images emerge on social media of Hurricane Laura 's landfall and aftermath A first glimpse of the wreckage in @

Hurricane Laura, one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the continental United States, made landfall early Thursday morning near Lake Charles, Louisiana, bringing winds of over 150 mph and up to 9 feet of storm surge, according to the Weather Channel.
On Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center called the storm "unsurvivable" and "catastrophic" and now we are getting a first glimpse of the wreckage it caused, including tearing buildings to pieces and leaving more than half a million without power.
Self-described storm chaser Reed Timmer posted a video on Twitter showing a building being battered by strong winds causing glass shards from windows to fly everywhere.
Hours later, he would post another video from the eye of the storm, warning that the damage toll on the Gulf Coast would be grave.
The strong winds can be seen bending trees back in a video posted by "Hurricane Man" Josh Morgerman.
Then, as the sun rose in Lake Charles, the extent of the damage could be seen.
8-27-2020 Lake Charles, La Hurricane Laura Homes destroyed, flooded, trees down drone www.youtube.com
Aside from the damage to buildings, there is obviously a fear that, despite mandatory evacuation orders, not all residents were able to escape from the storm's path in time.
"There are some people still in town and people are calling ... but there ain't no way to get to them," Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, told the Associated Press early Thursday morning on the phone.
For those who remained on the coast during the storm surge, chances of survival were severely diminished.
"We know anyone that stayed that close to the coast, we've got to pray for them, because looking at the storm surge, there would be little chance of survival," Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser added on ABC's "Good Morning America."
But so far, no deaths have been reported as a result of the storm.


theblaze--2020-08-27--VIDEO: Rioters in Kenosha spray-paint 'Free Palestine' at Jewish temple, deface Christian church sig

VIDEO: Rioters in Kenosha spray-paint 'Free Palestine' at Jewish temple, deface Christian church sign (UPDATED)

No place is sacred to these people

Rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, using the police shooting of Jacob Blake as an excuse to riot, destroy and deface property, and disrupt the lives and livelihoods of local residents showed Wednesday night that not even houses of worship are immune from their mayhem and chaos.
Protesters graffitied property at a Jewish temple and a Christian church, tagging the synagogue with "Free Palestine" and the church with "BLM."
What happened?
During the fourth night of protests in Kenosha following the Blake shooting and one night after authorities charged Kyle Rittenhouse with homicide for allegedly shooting and killing two people and wounding a third as rioters and "militia" members faced off late Tuesday, things continued to spiral out of control.
At least two houses of worship were tagged by protesters.
Townhall's Julio Rosas caught video of someone in the Black Lives Matter crowd spray-painting "Free Palestine" in the driveway of Kenosha's Beth Hillel Temple.
The synagogue, which sits about a block from where Rittenhouse reportedly shot and killed two people Tuesday night, had escaped damage until Wednesday night, the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle reported.
Rabbi Dean Feingold told the Chronicle on Tuesday, "All around us, damage has happened. Fires have been started. Windows have been broken. Things have been written on walls. We've been spared so far, except for our power has been out."
The synagogue has not been in use during the coronavirus pandemic. The one person who had been in the building, a retiree and former caretaker who lived there, had already been moved out for safety reasons.
The rabbi also told the outlet that she was far more worried about the loss of life and the causes the protesters are marching for than any damage that could happen to the facility.
"I'm a lot more concerned about the loss of life that the Black community experiences on a regular basis because of systemic racism, because of the violence directed at them, than I am about whatever damage or costs are incurred for us because of it," Feingold told the Chronicle.
The other religious location that was graffitied by rioters was Christ the King Church.
Rosas captured a photo of "BLM" spray-painted on the church sign after protesters passed by.
In a statement to the Jewish News Syndicate, Rabbi Feingold made it clear that she did not believe the act was representative of the larger movement.
"We are advocates for justice for all oppressed people. We support the movement for Black lives, and we know that one person with a can of spray paint does not speak for an entire cause," Feingold told JNS. "We pray for Jacob Blake and decry the vigilante murders that took place a block from our synagogue two nights ago. Our call is for justice and peace in our community and around the world."
This piece has been updated with comments from Rabbi Dena Feingold.


theblaze--2020-08-27--CNN faces brutal ridicule over 'mostly peaceful' chyron message as city burns in background

CNN faces brutal ridicule over 'mostly peaceful ' chyron message as city burns in background The news network is roasted @ @

The CNN cable news network faced ridicule and mockery after social media users shared a scene from its coverage of riots with an incongruous chyron description.
The news chyron read, "Fiery but mostly peaceful protests after police shooting," as a CNN reporter stood in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in front of a conflagration set off by the rioting over the police shooting of a black man.
Screenshots and a video of the ironic scene were widely circulated on social media:
In the video, CNN national correspondent Omar Jimenez noted that earlier in the day the protests were "largely peaceful" but that they "became a little more contentious" after night fell.
Jimenez then recounted the measures police took to disperse the protesters, implying that police aggression was the cause for the rioting.
"And then what you are seeing, the common theme that ties all of this together," Jimenez continued, "is an expression of anger and frustration over what people feel like has become an all-too familiar story playing out in places all across the country, not just here, in Kenosha, Wisconsin."
The response
Twitter users roasted the news network over the bizarre juxtaposition of imagery and chyron.
"It's impossible to dunk on CNN harder than it dunks on itself," noted Buck Sexton.
"CNN has gone full Baghdad Bob," replied Allum Bokhari.
"Y'all.... I have just confirmed... this is real. THIS IS F***ING REAL. This is CNN," responded Jason Howerton.
"This is what a Biden Presidency will bring to your city. Hats off to CNN for having the stamina to continue to carry water for democrats," said California state Sen. Melissa Melendez (R).
The protests and rioting raged on in Kenosha, where an altercation between rioters and counterprotesters led to the shooting deaths of two protesters and another being injured on Tuesday.
Here's a video of the segment:


theblaze--2020-08-27--Pence: 'We're not going to defund the police — not now, not ever.'

Pence : 'We 're not going to defund the police — not now , not ever . '
The vice @ @ @ @ @ is on the ballot ' in November

Vice President Mike Pence reiterated President Donald Trump's call for law and order in his speech to the Republican National Committee on Wednesday night, promising the American people, "We're not going to defund the police — not now, now ever."
What are the details?
Speaking from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, the vice president painted a stark comparison between the Trump administration and what a Biden administration might look like.
"When you consider their agenda, it's clear: Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for a radical left," Pence said, according to RealClearPolitics. "The choice in this election has never been clearer and the stakes have never been higher. Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot, but the truth is ... our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order is on the ballot. But so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country."
Protests over racial injustices often descending into violence, looting, rioting and arson have gripped the country for months since the death of George Floyd in late May, and further chaos has overtaken the town of Kenosha, Wisconsin, since another black man, Jacob Blake, was shot on Sunday by police.
"Last week, Joe Biden didn't say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country," Pence noted, referring to Biden's speech at the Democratic National Convention.
But Pence addressed the issue head-on. "Let me be clear," he said, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "The violence must stop – whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down."
Hitting out at the Democratic challenger to Trump once again, Pence added, "The hard truth is, you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America. Under President Trump, we will stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and we're not going to defund the police — not now, not ever."


theblaze--2020-08-27--GOP congressional candidate lifts himself up from his wheelchair to stand 'for our Republic' in RNC

GOP congressional candidate lifts himself up from his wheelchair to stand 'for our Republic' in RNC speech

GOP congressional candidate lifts himself up from his wheelchair to stand 'for our Republic ' in RNC speech

North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn delivered a speech with a powerful ending to the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, raising himself up from his wheelchair to stand "for our Republic."
What are the details?
"This is a time of great adversity for our country, and I know something about adversity," Cawthorn began, explaining that a car accident when he was 18 years old left him paralyzed from the waist down.
The 25-year-old went on to detail his first experience going out in public in a wheelchair to a professional baseball game, recalling that he "felt invisible" from his new perspective after previously standing at 6-foot-3.
He revealed that at the age of 20, he "thought about giving up," but he persevered knowing that he could still make an impact.
"My accident has given me new eyes to see and new ears to hear," Cawthorn said. "So, I say to people who feel forgotten, ignored and invisible: I see you. I hear you."
The Hill noted that:
Cawthorn, if elected in North Carolina's largely Republican 11th district, will be the youngest-ever member of Congress, something he noted in his remarks, saying 'if you don't think young people can change the world than you just don't know American history.'
He pointed to the accomplishments of figures like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and James Madison in their twenties, adding 'In times of peril young people have stepped up and saved this country abroad and at home. We held the line, scaled the cliffs, crossed oceans, liberated camps and cracked codes.'
'You can kneel before God, but stand for our flag'
As he started to wrap up his speech, Cawthorn told viewers, "You can kneel before God, but stand for our flag."
Two other men walked up to Cawthorn from either side of him at that point, as the candidate continued, "The American idea my ancestors fought for during The Revolutionary War is just as exciting and revolutionary today as it was 250 years ago. I say to Americans who love our country — young and old — be a radical for freedom. Be a radical for liberty."
Cawthorn grabbed the bars of a walker stabilized by the men assisting him as he said, "Be a radical for our republic. For which I stand."


theblaze--2020-08-27--Rioting erupts after Minneapolis police accused of shooting and killing suspect — they say video sho

Rioting erupts after Minneapolis police accused of shooting and killing suspect — they say video shows he killed himself The @ @ @ @ @ a homicide earlier in the day

Looting and rioting broke out in Minneapolis again after the police were accused of shooting and killing another black man, but they say video shows that he committed suicide.
The aftermath of the incident was captured on cellphone video by residents who angrily denounced the police and accused them of shooting and killing the black man.
Social media erupted with scenes of looting and rioting in the wake of the accusations against the officers.
But police claim that the suspect turned a gun on himself and committed suicide when they cornered him. According to reporter Kent Erdahl of KARE11 News, Minneapolis police showed them the video of the suspect caught on surveillance video killing himself.
Erdahl posted a freeze frame from the video on social media:
Despite the video, looting and rioting continued in Minneapolis.
"Looting in downtown Minneapolis. Haskell's liquor store and Medical Arts building included," reported Courtney Godfrey of KMSP-TV.
"This is all linked to alleged suicide of suspect in earlier homicide. Crowds down here were convinced he was shot by police," she added.
Godfrey indicated that she also saw the video produced by police of the suspect killing himself.
"Immediately after the suspect goes down, you can see officers rush over and start CPR," she said.
Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder said in a media briefing that the suspect was being sought in an investigation of a homicide committed earlier on Wednesday. He added that the police involved in the incident were wearing body cameras, but that the video could not be released without a formal process.
Here's a local news report about the incident:


theblaze--2020-08-27--ESPN hockey reporter blasts the NHL for not canceling play out of protest for 'social change'

ESPN hockey reporter blasts the NHL for not canceling play out of protest for 'social change' Players and teams of @ @ @ @ @ to play Wednesday over the police shooting of Jacob Blake

An ESPN hockey reporter issued a public condemnation of the National Hockey League on Wednesday, expressing her disappointment that the league did not cancel its games for the evening as some other sports teams and players did out of protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
What are the details?
"Disappointed, but not surprised the NHL is the only pro sport continuing to play tonight," ESPN's Emily Kaplan tweeted. "Hockey has a chance to join a statement for social change. Instead, once again, the NHL is just looking the other way."
She added, "I understand there are some MLB and MLS games going on. But I know hockey and I don't think there was any serious consideration about postponing games tonight. By the players or the league."
Kaplan posted her opinion online after NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly addressed the topic, saying, "I don't expect the League to initiate a game stoppage. Obviously, our Players are free to express themselves in any manner they feel is appropriate."
Earlier that day, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play their scheduled playoff game with the Orlando Magic over the shooting of Blake, a black man who was shot in the back at least seven times by a police officer on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The incident is still under investigation by authorities, but the shooting sparked rioting, looting, and the torching of businesses four consecutive nights in a city roughly 40 minutes from Milwaukee.
After the Bucks' protest strike, the NBA canceled its remaining games for the evening with the promise of rescheduling, and several Major League Baseball teams and individual MLB players also decided to sit out their Wednesday games. Major League Soccer postponed five out of its six games for the night.
Anything else?
It wasn't just players who refused to work on Wednesday over the Blake shooting. Kenny Smith, an analyst for TNT's "Inside the NBA," walked off the job in an act of solidarity with players.
"This is tough. I mean, right now my head is ready to explode," Smith told his colleagues while on air at the anchor desk. "Like just in the thoughts of what's going on. I don't even know if I am even appropriate enough to say it, what the players are feeling and how they are feeling. Coming in and driving here, getting into the studio, hearing calls and people talking.
"For me," he continued, "I think the biggest thing now as a black man, as a former player, I think it's best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight."
With that, he unplugged his microphone and strolled off set.


theblaze--2020-08-27--WATCH: BRAINWASHED: How Black Lives Matter hijacked our schools

The Left is turning our schools into brainwashing centers for radical Marxists

Leaked documents reveal exactly how the Left is turning our children's schools into massive brainwashing centers for radical Marxists.
With many classes now going virtual, Glenn Beck highlights how teacher-activists have become concerned that parents will learn the truth about their disturbing lesson plans and arms parents with the tools to fight back.
Plus, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks to parents who are frustrated with public schools and unions that care more about pushing progressive agendas than educating America's children.
Watch TONIGHT at 9:30 p.m. ET:
If you like what you see, join BlazeTV today to get a 30-day free trial, and $10 off a one-year subscription with code GLENN. With a BlazeTV subscription, you're not just paying to watch great pro-America TV. Your subscription funds the intensive investigations that let BlazeTV tell the stories the left wants to keep in the dark, giving you the unvarnished truth, and showing you what the liberal media doesn't want you to see.


theblaze--2020-08-28--Commentary: We've witnessed the death of our Constitution because we couldn't be bothered to stand u

Commentary: We've witnessed the death of our Constitution because we couldn't be bothered to stand up for it

Commentary : We 've witnessed the death of our Constitution because we could n't be bothered to stand up for @

The Constitution, for now, is pretty much dead.
Swish that around in your mouth a little bit. Taste it before you simply spit it out as too bitter to be possible. Because if we're being honest, our governing document simply doesn't govern anymore. It is ignored. It is manipulated. It is mocked.
Yeah, it's more than possible. In fact, it simply is what it is. And like Dr. Strange once said, “I'm here to protect your reality, d-bag."
When Ben Franklin warned he and the rest of those hetero-normative fascists once known as the Founding Fathers were giving us a "republic if we can keep it" they weren't kidding. It turns out, we couldn't keep it.
We grew complacent, and just a little cowardly if we're being honest. Content to think that just voting for a bunch of Republicans who hate us at least as much as the Democrats do (albeit for different reasons) was the stuff of Lexington and Concord. As a result, our civic bedrock has been blown asunder.
Sure, we could blame other things for our looming dystopia — where now not even Kenosha, Wisconsin, is safe from the Hunger Games -- and keep proudly whistling the National Anthem. The courts. The crooked politicians. The anarchists. The virus. All played a role in pointing us toward the ash heap of history, for sure. But they also had a formidable ally.
Us.
See, we couldn't be bothered to get our hands dirty, think outside the box, and challenge a paradigm purposefully created to stifle us. In other words, we cucked ourselves.
However, nature still abhors a vacuum. So if we won't do what must be done legitimately, illegitimate means of doing so will emerge. Like a cherub-faced 17-year-old, who is now charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing two BLM insurgents in Kenosha.
When you create a vacuum of justice and leadership month after month, year after year, you don't get to complain when somebody else steps in and plays wannabe cowboy. Someone else could have been the man who did so, and more prudently. Instead, we chose to be the cuck who watched. Hate the player, not the game.
The Constitution is dead in the streets and the wild west is here, live and in color, because we let it happen. Not the kid from Illinois. It was us, Mr. and Mrs. “severely conservative," “compassionately conservative" and “big tent conservative." We were great at conferences and conventions, but we plain sucked on main street and in the trenches. We chanted "MAGA" but really meant "AWOL."
Sure, I too would prefer someone a bit more polished and thoughtful and less trigger happy to tend to the refreshing of the tree of liberty, than the young gun hopped up on Mountain Dew, but here we are. To quote President Trump's favorite song: "You can't always get what you want."
Don't think for a second all of this couldn't have been otherwise. You know, if any number of people on the “Right" actually believed what they claimed to stand for and were willing to sacrifice even a fraction of the lives, fortunes and sacred honors that their forefathers did to bring this once great country to life. Instead, more than 100 of that swampy sort gathered during the week of the Republican National Convention to endorse Joe Biden's progressive-fueled and ethically bankrupt dementia in loving memory of their time working for George W Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.
So with the Constitution currently dead, America is now left to the feral mobs running both pseudo-science and the streets. And instead of the Dark Knight, our vigilante is the dude wearing hockey pants.
Thankfully, the God from whom our rights come from has a thing for resurrections. Here's hoping there's some wiser grown men willing to answer His call with a "here I am Lord, send me." It's too late to answer the call to save the Constitution we ignored before, but we're right on time to answer this one now.


theblaze--2020-08-28--Alice Marie Johnson praises President Trump for granting her 'a second chance' in powerful RNC speec

Alice Marie Johnson praises President Trump for granting her 'a second chance' in powerful RNC speech

Alice Marie Johnson praises President Trump for granting her ' a second chance ' in powerful RNC speech ' I @ @ @ @ @ my name even in my darkest hour , but I never thought a president would @

Alice Marie Johnson — a nonviolent offender who was granted clemency by President Donald Trump in 2018 after serving 21 years in prison — expressed her gratitude to the president for giving her "a second chance" in a moving speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention.
What are the details?
"I was once told that the only way I would ever be reunited with my family would be as a corpse," Johnson began after introducing herself. "But by the grace of God, and the compassion of President Donald John Trump, I stand before you — and I assure you, I am not a ghost."
She continued, "I am alive, I am well, and most importantly, I am free."
Johnson went on to express how she felt after being released from her life sentence after it was commuted by President Trump, when she was able to hug her grandchildren for the first time. But she said her time in prison was not wasted, pointing to her "extraordinary" transformation and faith in God's plan for her life.
"When President Trump heard about me — about the injustice of my story — he saw me as a person," Johnson said. "He had compassion, and he acted.
"Free in body thanks to President Trump, but free in mind thanks to the Almighty God," she told the audience. "I couldn't believe it. I always remembered that God knew my name even in my darkest hour, but I never thought a president would."
Alice Johnson Full Speech at RNC 2020 www.youtube.com
Johnson's story was brought to President Trump's attention by reality star and criminal justice reform activist Kim Kardashian West, after President Barack Obama rejected Johnson's request for clemency three times.
Six months after Johnson's release, President Trump signed the bipartisan First Step Act. Fox News reported that the "law gives federal judges more leeway when sentencing some drug offenders and boosts prisoner rehabilitation efforts. It also reduces life sentences for some drug offenders with three convictions, or 'three strikes,' to 25 years."
Anything else?
According to the New York Post, "Johnson would never have been sentenced to life in prison if not for a 1986 drug abuse act written by then-Sen. Joe Biden that stiffened penalties for drug offenses and disproportionately targeted black people."
The outlet noted that Johnson "has previously recounted how she took to drug dealing as a way to provide for her children after losing her job and has described the move as 'the worst decision of my life.'"
Fox News noted that she is now a criminal justice reform advocate and a senior fellow with the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Right on Crime initiative.


theblaze--2020-08-28--South Carolina college student and stepfather fatally shot in head following car accident

Charles Nicholas Wall, 45, and his stepdaughter Laura Ashley Anderson, 21, were shot and killed following a car accident on Monday in Georgetown, South Carolina. A third shooting victim, Paul McConnell, survived the road rage attack, according to WPDE-TV.
The Georgetown County Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as Ty Sheem Ha Sheem Walters III, 23, from Moncks Corner.
The shooting happened around 5 p.m. on Aug. 24 when the stepfather went to deliver keys to Anderson after she accidentally locked herself out of her newly purchased home. She had just moved in and was selling an old set of bunk beds to someone online, who was coming over to pick up the items.
Wall's car was allegedly rear-ended as he turned into the driveway of Anderson's home. Walters reportedly got out of his vehicle and shot Wall, Anderson, and McConnell.
"It actually happened in her yard, waiting for the keys to get to her," Lynn Lambert, a close friend of the family, told WPDE-TV.
According to WB-TV, when law enforcement arrived at the scene, one of the victims had already been taken to the hospital, and a second was being given CPR by an emergency medical technician. McConnell was walking around with a gunshot wound to his left wrist. Wall was shot at least twice in the head and torso, Fox News reported. Anderson was shot at least once in the head.
Walters allegedly fled the scene by foot and ran into the woods. Police immediately established a perimeter and apprehended Walters around 6:30 p.m., according to the Georgetown Times' Post and Courier.
Walters was charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and the illegal possession of a firearm. He was denied bail by the judge.
"I don't understand how a simple fender bender they called it could turn into double murder and an attempted murder," Lambert said. "Why? I honestly didn't think it was real. Who does this?"
"She was so sweet, always smiling, would do anything for anybody," she said of Anderson.
"She wanted to be a teacher like her mama. She was getting ready to start school. She was getting everything in order," Lambert said of Anderson, who was getting ready to start college next week. "Everything was starting to fall in place for her."
"She won't get to get to get married, she won't get to have children," she said.
"They both meant so much to so many people," Jenna Johnson, Anderson's aunt and Wall's sister-in-law, told WCBD-TV.
"Anyone who's ever met or known Laura or Nick, they knew two of the most wonderful people," said Johnson. "My niece was simply a gorgeous person inside and out. She had a very positive bubbly personality. She was starting school next week to become a teacher just like her mom.
"She had a very close relationship with her mom, Kimberly, who's my sister-in-law; and she absolutely adored her siblings, especially her little sister Jenna, who has Down's syndrome," Johnson said.
"She's an amazing sister-in-law, amazing daughter, amazing mother, and a wife and I just can't imagine what she's going through right now. My brother-in-law Nick absolutely loved my sister-in-law with his whole heart. He absolutely loved God and loved his family. They both meant so much to so many people. Entire communities feel shattered today."
Kimberly Wall, Laura's mother and wife of Charles, told WMBF-TV, "I'm having to bury one of my children and my husband. It's such a freak thing. I don't know why this would happen. I just don't understand. It's just devastating. I don't know how we're going to go forward."
Kimberly Wall remembered how her daughter always said, "I love you." "She said, 'You should always say I love you when you leave because something might happen.' She would say, 'I love you, mom,' and if I did not immediately say it she'd say, 'I love you, mom,' just to make sure I said it back and I'd say, 'I love you too Laura,'" Kimberly recalled.
"My husband Nick loved everybody. He would do anything for anybody," Kimberly Wall said of her husband. "He was loving and had a heart of gold."
"Every morning, Nick Wall would wait on me to wake up so he could put his arm around me or grab my hand. We'd chat a bit before getting ready for work," Kimberly Wall wrote on Facebook. "This is the 3rd morning without him. Without his arm around me. Without him holding my hand. Without his hug and kiss before leaving or when arriving home. I am so lost."
"Most mornings, Laura would call or text to see if we had made coffee. She'd ask me to bring her some on my way to town but usually would follow up with, 'Never mind, I'll come down there,'" she continued. "The flavored creamer she bought on Sunday is in my fridge waiting for her to come make her cup of coffee. I miss that morning phone call or text. I miss my baby. My beautiful girl. It is not an exaggeration or bias to say that two of the most genuine, loving, compassionate people in the world were taken from me on Monday. Were taken from their families and friends. I am broken-hearted."


theblaze--2020-08-28--BRILLIANT: Crowder and his crew re-enact police encounters

If you only watch one video today , let it be this one .
You will not be disappointed .
@ @ @ @ @ Convention stream on Thursday , he and his crew re-enacted police encounters , followed by @ @ @ @ @ martyrs .
Brilliant .
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If you only watch one video today, let it be this one. You will not be disappointed. Preceding Steven Crowder's 2020 RNC Convention livestream on Thursday, he and his crew re-enacted police encounters, followed by an epic rant on criminal martyrs. Brilliant.
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theblaze--2020-08-28--'Insurgency is as insurgency does': Steve Deace DESTROYS BLM rioters

'Insurgency is as insurgency does ' : Steve Deace DESTROYS BLM rioters

Thursday, Steve Deace tore into the argument that the president must have an invitation from a governor to restore order in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and other cities set on fire by Black Lives Matter rioters. According to Deace, if what happened in Kenosha happened to an American embassy abroad, we would already have acted. Watch the clip for more details.
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theblaze--2020-08-28--VIDEO: Protesters harass and assault attendees leaving White House RNC event

One man was knocked down by angry protesters

Protesters were caught on video assaulting and harassing the attendees who were leaving the White House in Washington, D.C., the last event of the Republican National Convention on Thursday evening.
In one video caught by Tim Carney of the American Enterprise Institute, protesters loudly scream profanities at the attendees as they went through a chain-link gate. At one point, a protester aggressively gestures to an elderly white woman.
The video was widely circulated on social media and quickly garnered more than 600K views.
Hundreds of protesters assembled outside the White House to advocate for the goals and aims of the Black Lives Matter movement.
"We are here to liberate black lives because historically, they have been shut down!" explained one protester.
Another video from Carney shows police protecting a couple who are being confronted by protesters:
Another video shows masked protesters aggressively harassing a couple and threatening to assault them.
"How do you feel about the killing of black individuals in America?! Put your hands on me again and I'll f*** you up!" she screamed in the man's face.
Another alarming video shows an older man being mobbed by protesters, with an aggressive one shoving a bullhorn in his face and threatening him. He attempts to walk away but he's struck several times from behind.
Later in the video, he appears to be knocked down by one of the protesters. Some of the other protesters can be heard defending the man and telling the aggressor to let him walk away.
President Donald Trump made the funding of the police and stamping out rioting by protesters a cornerstone of his convention speech. He argued that a re-election of his administration would mean less rioting in contrast to that of his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden.
Here's more about the protesters at the RNC:


theblaze--2020-08-28--Former GOP congressman says the message of the RNC to white people is that 'Black people are coming

Former GOP congressman says the message of the RNC to white people is that 'Black people are coming for you' @ @ @ @ @ RNC to the Kenosha shooting

Former Republican Congressman David Jolly said that President Trump's message to white people at the Republican National Convention is "Black people are coming for you."
Jolly was speaking to Joy Reid on MSNBC Thursday on the fourth and last night of the GOP convention when he made the derisive comments.
"We cannot extract the element of race from all of these narratives that the Republicans are putting out," said Jolly.
"Donald Trump is telling white people that Black people are coming for you. That is the message of the RNC," he added.
"It is damning he should be criticized and he should be damned for it but the heartbreaking part of all this, Joy, is while the issues around race, and the conversations around race can be complex and very hard, leadership in this moment is not," Jolly continued.
"All it takes for a leader is to listen, and to understand, and to show empathy, and to acknowledge these are tough complex issues," he concluded.
Reid focused on the inclusion into the RNC of the St. Louis couple who protected their property with guns from Black Lives Matter protesters, and implied that this led to the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where two protesters were killed.
"This shooter in Kenosha walked around with a gun and police didn't even stop him," said Reid.
"He was arrested peacefully. And yet, Black people can't even be pulled over without being in terror of being shot for no reason. Can't get into a car. Can't stand up, can't sit down. You walk to the left, you get shot, you walk to the right, you get shot! No matter what you do!"
The president received the nomination for re-election from the Republican Party on Thursday and ended the convention with a fiery speech from in front of the White House before a select audience.
Here's the video of Jolly's comments:


theblaze--2020-08-28--Widow of David Dorn, the retired cop murdered in St. Louis riot, condemns violent protests at RNC

'They do not safeguard black lives .
They only destroy them . '
In this screenshot from the RNC 's @ @ @ @ @ National Convention , Ann Dorn , widow of retired St. Louis Police captain David Dorn @ @ @ @ @ St. Louis looting earlier in June , addresses the virtual convention on August 27 , @ @ @ @ @ of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images )

Ann Dorn, widow of David Dorn, a retired St. Louis Police Department officer who was killed in June while responding to a break-in at a pawn shop during the riots that followed George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis, condemned violent protests like the one that resulted in her husband's death during a Republican National Convention speech.
David Dorn, who was 77, served as a volunteer police chief in Moline Acres, Missouri, after a 38-year career with St. Louis PD. Whenever the alarm went off at Lee's Pawn & Jewelry, Dorn would go to the store to check it out, because of his longtime friendship with the owner.
On June 2, while violent and fiery riots were taking place in the city, the alarm went off.
"Most of the time they were false alarms, triggered by a storm or animals," Ann Dorn said. "But I never rested easily until I heard Dave's key turn the door, knowing he was home safe. The alarm that went off the morning of June 2 was for real."
Ann Dorn said her husband usually woke her up when he responded to an alarm at Lee's to let her know where he was going. On June 2, Ann Dorn said, David didn't wake her up.
"He probably knew I would've tried to stop him or insist on going with him," Ann Dorn said, holding back tears.
Capt. Dorn interrupted an in-progress looting and was fatally shot by one of the looters. He died on the sidewalk, and his death was streamed on Facebook by a bystander. His grandson was watching the livestream, not immediately realizing he was watching his grandfather die.
"I relive that horror in my mind every single day," Ann said, remembering an officer coming to her door around 4 a.m. to tell her that her husband was dead. "My hope is that having you relive it with me now will help shake this country from this nightmare we are witnessing in our cities and bring about positive, peaceful change.
"This isn't a video game, where you can commit mayhem and then just hit reset and bring all the characters back to life," Ann Dorn said. "David is never, never coming back to me. He was murdered by people who didn't know and just didn't care. He would've done anything to help them."
Dorn closed her speech with a plea for violent protests to end, saying they don't protect black lives or advance the cause of justice. This week, after Kenosha, Wisconsin, police shot 29-year-old black man Jacob Blake seven times in the back during an attempted arrest, more riots have broken out across the country.
"Violence and destruction are not legitimate forms of protest," Ann said. "They do not safeguard black lives, they only destroy them."


theblaze--2020-08-28--Trump casts optimistic vision for next four years during RNC speech: 'America is not a land cloaked

Trump casts optimistic vision for next four years during RNC speech: 'America is not a land cloaked in darkness'

Trump casts optimistic vision for next four years during RNC speech : 'America is not a land cloaked in darkness' @ @ @ @ @ acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the South Lawn of the White House @ @ @ @ @ , in Washington , D.C. ( Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images )

President Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president "with a heart full of gratitude and boundless optimism" and issued a rebuttal to the Democratic view of America as a deeply corrupt and unequal nation in need of revolutionary reform while hammering Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his party as socialist radicals.
"America is not a land cloaked in darkness," Trump said. "America is the torch that enlightens the entire world."
The president questioned how Democrats could lead the United States while being so focused on criticizing the country and characterizing it as a place of deep racial and economic inequality.
"They see a wicked nation that must be punished for its sins," Trump said. "Our opponents say redemption for you can only be gained through giving power to them."
Instead of relying on government, the president said, "We put our faith in almighty God."
President Trump highlighted Biden's long career in politics and portrayed him as a betrayer of America's blue-collar workers.
"For 47 years, Joe Biden took the donations of blue-collar workers, gave them hugs, and even kisses," Trump said, letting the line hang in the air for comedic effect, "and told them he felt their pain — and then he flew back to Washington and voted to ship our jobs to China."
Trump attacked Biden on trade policy toward China, on abortion, and on his approach to COVID-19. He criticized Biden for advocating for COVID-19 lockdowns, although the president himself was supportive of the lockdowns that began in March and has claimed they saved millions of lives.
The overall theme of the speech, which at times devolved into a somewhat dry recitation of the president's accomplishments, was that this is "the most important election in the history of our country" because Biden is a "Trojan horse" for a far-left socialist agenda that will jeopardize the safety and economic well-being of Americans.
"At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies, or two agendas," Trump said. "We have spent the last four years reversing the damage Joe Biden inflicted over the last 47 years. At the Democrat convention, you barely heard a word about their agenda. But that's not because they don't have one. It's because their agenda is the most extreme set of proposals ever put forward by a major party nominee."
Between 1,000 and 1,500 people attended the speech on the South Lawn of the White House, causing some observers to decry the lack of social distancing and masks. Outside the White House, hundreds of protesters also gathered and attempted to make enough noise to disrupt the speech — also neglecting any social distancing guidelines.
Others criticized Trump's use of the White House for a campaign event. Trump acknowledged that criticism, unapologetically.
"What's the name of that building?" Trump said as he turned around to look at the White House. "The fact is, we're here, and they're not. And that's because of you."


theblaze--2020-08-28--#CrowderRNCStream: Special guests include Donald Trump Jr. and Ted Cruz

Watch the final night of the RNC live with Crowder and company !
Later , Donald Trump Jr. and Ted @ @ @ @ @ guests .
Crowder goes live at 8 PM ET .
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Watch the final night of the RNC live with Crowder and company! Later, Donald Trump Jr. and Ted Cruz join the stream as guests. Crowder goes live at 8 PM ET.
youtu.be
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theblaze--2020-08-27--Multiple felony charges filed against Kyle Rittenhouse in shooting deaths of two people at Kenosha p

Multiple felony charges filed against Kyle Rittenhouse in shooting deaths of two people at Kenosha protests

Prosecutors announced multiple felony charges against 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse in the shooting deaths of two protesters caught on video during the Kenosha, Wisconsin, riots.
Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Joseph Rosenbaum and first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Anthony Huber.
He faces one charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide for shooting a third man who survived his injury, and charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and possession of dangerous weapon.
The charges carry a mandatory life sentence if he is convicted.
The altercation happened as protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake turned to rioting and looting. Many supporters of the protests have used the shooting in order to push a narrative of a white supremacist threat to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Others have pointed to video circulated on social media that appears to show Rittenhouse being attacked by protesters and possibly acting out of self-defense.
Self-defense?
Lin Wood, the attorney for Rittenhouse, said that the teen was acting in self-defense and released a statement to the Associated Press.
"From my standpoint, it's important that the message be clear to other Americans who are attacked that there will be legal resources available in the event false charges are brought against them," he said. "Americans should never be deterred from exercising their right of self-defense."
Rittenhouse, who is from Illinois, was captured on another video from the protests prior to the shooting, including one where he tells an interviewer that he came to Kenosha to help protect businesses from looting and rioting.
"Our job is protect this business. And part of my job is to also help people," he added in the video.
"If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way and that's why I have my rifle," he added, "to protect myself obviously."
The teenager also appeared to participate in the cleaning efforts in the city and was captured in photographs scrubbing graffiti from a schoolhouse.
Here's a local news video about the tragedy:
Friends ID 2 men killed in Kenosha protest shootings www.youtube.com
[Ed. Note: This story has been updated with additional information.]


theblaze--2020-08-29--President Trump blames Washington DC mayor for 'thugs' attacking RNC guests after his White House sp

President Trump blames Washington DC mayor for 'thugs' attacking RNC guests after his White House speech

President Trump blames Washington DC mayor for 'thugs ' attacking RNC guests after his White House speech '' That was @ @ @ @ @ were thugs ! ''

President Donald Trump said that the mayor of Washington, D.C., was to blame for the numerous attacks by Black Lives Matter protesters on his supporters after his speech Thursday night at the White House on the final night of the Republican National Convention.
Numerous videos posted on social media showed supporters of the president being harassed and assaulted by aggressive and angry protesters.
The president called the aggressors "thugs" during his outdoor campaign rally Friday in Manchester, New Hampshire.
"What I didn't like, you saw, this right, when it was over? The thugs outside!" he yelled to great applause.
"The Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C., it's another Democrat that's not believing in law and order, and you know we give Washington, D.C., a lot of money to run it, but they don't do a good job of running it, the mayor, she doesn't run anything, and these incredible people from all over the country, all over the world last night, they walked out to a bunch of thugs," the president continued.
"And that wasn't, remember this, that wasn't friendly protesters, they were thugs, they were thugs!" he yelled to great applause.
"And the mayor should be ashamed of herself, for that kind of display of incompetence," he continued later in his speech.
"Because that's what's happening in Portland, and that's what's happening all over, where you have Democrat-run cities!" he added.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was one of the Republican politicians who faced the mob along with his wife. In harrowing video from the evening, they can be seen hurrying along as protesters scream and yell at them. At one point, they knock over a police officer offering security for the couple.
Paul tweeted that the police "literally" saved his life from what he said was a "crazed mob." Many on social media noted that Paul had distinguished himself among Republicans in his record for criminal justice reform.
Also on Friday, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, rejected the president's offer of aid to stop rioting in his city, despite business leaders and residents demanding action.
Here's the video of the president's comments:


theblaze--2020-08-29--Don Lemon: 'I don't really understand how people will say CNN is biased'

Don Lemon : ' I do n't really understand how people will say CNN is biased' The news anchor says @ @ @ @ @ the truth with its anti-Trump rhetoric .

CNN's Don Lemon says he cannot "understand how people can say CNN is biased," arguing that the left-leaning network's negative coverage of President Donald Trump is simply delivering the truth.
What are the details?
Lemon — who is billed as a news anchor rather than an opinion host — and CNN in its entirety have built reputations for being openly anti-Trump since the president took office, leading Mediaite's Aidan McLaughlin to sit down with Lemon and allow him to respond to critics.
McLaughlin noted that "Lemon has faced criticism for his strident commentary on inequality in America, as well as his labeling of President Donald Trump as a bigot and a racist."
When asked to response to those who accuse him of being biased for his rhetoric against President Trump, Lemon responded:
No. How is being factual bias? How is taking someone, how is taking evidence and someone's own words and their own actions and their own policies, and just presenting it back to the public on television or whatever medium, whatever journalistic medium you happen to be in, how is that bias? By calling out the fact that the president calls certain countries shithole countries? Or the way he speaks to African-Americans. What happened with him and the Central Park Five. What happened with him and his father being sued for discrimination. How is that bias? That's just the truth. Now, if the truth isn't on your side, then what this administration will do is say that you're biased and say that everything is negative because they don't have the truth on their side.
According to Fox News, Lemon also "went on to defend CNN's anti-Trump reputation."
"This man is the president of the United States and I think it's very easy to say that CNN is negative or is anti-Trump, because the truth is not on Trump's side, so he attacks us and we are here to tell people the truth," Lemon said. "I don't really understand how people will say CNN is biased and focuses on the negative of Trump."
Lemon's defense of CNN echoes that of notoriously anti-Trump CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who has also argued that the news outlet is simply doing a public service with its coverage.
During an interview on Lemon's show last year, the host asked Acosta for his response to "all those people who say 'oh,' that CNN, the press hates Trump, and that CNN loves the Democrats," as Lemon asserted that "A Democrat, a Republican, regardless of who it is, if you hold a position of power, we, the journalists at CNN, are going to question you about it whether you like it or not."
"That's right," Acosta answered. "We're here to hold their feet to the fire, and just because we are pro-truth doesn't mean that we are anti-Trump." Acosta went on to plug his anti-Trump book.


theblaze--2020-08-28--Portland mayor tells President Trump to 'stay away' after offer to send federal officers, even as re

Portland mayor tells President Trump to 'stay away' after offer to send federal officers, even as residents demand action

Portland mayor tells President Trump to 'stay away ' after offer to send federal officers , even as residents demand @ @ @ @ @ president of politicizing the riots

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, sent a strongly worded letter to President Donald Trump denying his offer to send federal officers to help quell the rioting stemming from racial protests.
Wheeler posted the letter to his official social media account on Friday.
"Yet again, you said you offered to aid Portland by sending in federal law enforcement to our city," wrote Wheeler.
"On behalf of the City of Portland: No thanks," he added.
"We don't need your politics of division and demagoguery. Portlanders are onto you. We have already seen your reckless disregard for human life in your bumbling response to the COVID pandemic. And we know you've reached the conclusion that images of violence or vandalism are your only ticket to reelection," Wheeler continued.
Wheeler accused the president of trying to take advantage of the rioting for political gain.
"When you sent the Feds to Portland last month, you made the situation far worse. Your offer to repeat that disaster is a cynical attempt to stoke fear and distract us from the real work of our city," said the mayor.
"In Portland, we are focused on coming together as a community to solve the serious challenges we face due to systemic racism, a global pandemic and an economic recession," he added. "Stay away, please."
Business owners are angry at the protests
The mayor's message might be at odds with residents and business owners who are demanding action against the destructive looting and rioting the city has seen in the past three months.
KOIN-TV reported that business leaders told the mayor in a videoconference that the downtown was in a crisis over the crime and nightly violence.
"We are having a very very hard time keeping people employed at the very time when we need to have fewer people in the unemployment line. People don't want to work downtown," said Stacey Dodson, a business owner, during the conference.
"And as they're facing these difficult decisions, they're choosing to not stay employed, they'd rather be unemployed, than employed downtown, and that's a reality," she added.
Here's a local news report about protests in Portland:


theblaze--2020-08-28--Kamala Harris touts plan for nationwide mask mandate — but says it won't be enforced

Kamala Harris touts plan for nationwide mask mandate — but says it wo n't be enforced

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) reiterated this week that if elected, she and running mate Joe Biden would enact a nationwide federal mask mandate as one of their first initiatives in the White House. However, she said the action wouldn't have any teeth, promising that "nobody's going to be punished."
What are the details?
During an interview with NBC's "Today" show, the California Democrat confirmed that federal action ordering Americans to wear facial coverings would be a top priority. But when she was asked how it would be enforced, she answered, "It's really a standard. C'mon, nobody's going to be punished."
"Nobody likes to wear a mask," she continued. "This is a universal feeling, right? So that's not the point, 'hey let's enjoy wearing masks.' No, the point is, this is what we — as responsible people who love our neighbor — we have to just do that right now. God willing, it won't be forever. But this is a sacrifice we have to make."
Kamala Harris Backs Off National Mask Mandate www.youtube.com
Harris' claim that violators of her and Biden's mask order would not be punished left folks with questions on social media. One user wrote, "Then it's not a mandate, it's a suggestion. We already have that suggestion, so what's the difference?"
Media outlets reported that Harris had scaled back her ticket's "mandate" promise, with The New York Times reporting that "Harris framed the mask requirement she and Joe Biden have called for as more of a 'standard' than a mandate."
Biden called for a full mandate two weeks ago during a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, the New York Post reported. He told his audience, "Let's just institute a mask mandate nationwide starting immediately." He reiterated his call for a nationwide mandate in his address to the Democratic National Convention last week.
President Donald Trump has criticized Biden's calls for a federal mask mandate, calling out the Democrat for failing to explain how such an order would be enforced by federal law enforcement and asking why he would make such a call over the heads of state governors.
WFMY-TV reported that the the Congressional Research Service says there is "no law enforcement apparatus to independently enforce such orders" even if such a mandate held up in court.
Earlier this month, President Trump suggested that Biden's push for a federal mask mandate would trample on people's rights.
"All Americans must have their freedoms," he said, according to Fox News. "I trust the American people very much. Joe doesn't know too much."