theblaze--2020-07-24--VIDEO: President Trump admits he 'often' regrets the things he tweets. But don't expect him to stop

VIDEO: President Trump admits he 'often' regrets the things he tweets. But don't expect him to stop any time soon.

VIDEO : President Trump admits he 'often ' regrets the things he tweets .
But do n't expect him to @ @ @ @ @

For his entire first term, President Donald Trump has maintained a controversial presence on Twitter.
It has been a source of joy and celebration for his fans, and a source of ire for his opponents and critics.
His supporters love seeing him hit back at the liberal media and Democrats who have long infuriated Republicans.
People on the left despise his Twitter feed, because he's bold, brash, and very ... Trumpish. They — and never-Trumpers on the right — hate everything about him, and his feed represents all of that.
Many others on the right criticize what they see as boorish behavior, lamenting that, though they like many of his policies and his willingness to stand up to the media, his tweets drive them away.
Regardless of political stances, though, everyone can agree that his tweets can often stand in the way of achieving his policy goals and any hopes for curbing gridlock and fighting in D.C.
So does he ever regret his tweets?
Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy asked him that very question, and the president admitted that, indeed, he "often" wishes he hadn't tweeted or re-tweeted messages.
What did he say?
In part two of a three-part interview with Portnoy posted Friday, the pair got into a discussion about Twitter and the president's social media habits.
Portnoy started by asking, "Do you love doing Twitter?"
To which Trump replied, unsurprisingly, "There are times when I love it. Too much sometimes, right?"
However, the president said he wasn't sure he would ever use it again once he's out of office. But he's thankful for having had the tool to fight against "fake news."
"It certainly was good," he said of the @realDonaldTrump account. "Look, we have fake news. You don't know about that. We have fake news out there—"
"I very much know about that. That exists in my world as well," Portnoy interjected.
"We have a voice. We have a very big voice," the president continued. "When you have the kind of numbers that we have, you're able to get the word out, and an honest word, and it's important. So it's been very important for me."
And then Trump made the admission that likely surprised many people.
"Do you ever tweet out and wake up and go, 'Oh man, I wish I didn't send that one out'?" Portnoy asked.
"Often," Trump admitted. "Too often."
Then he reflected on the wisdom of letting cooler heads prevail and maybe not shooting off every missive that comes to your mind.
"You know, it used to be in the old days before this, you'd write a letter, and you'd say, 'This letter's really big,'" the president mused. "You'd put it in your desk and then you'd go back tomorrow and you'd say, 'Oh, I'm glad I didn't send it.'
"But we don't do that with Twitter," Trump noted. "We put it out instantaneously, we feel great, and then you start getting phone calls — 'Did you really say this?'"
The president, who has been repeatedly ripped for sharing controversial images, GIFs, and videos on Twitter, then noted, "You know what I find? It's not the tweets, it's the re-tweets that get you in trouble."
Portnoy agreed, noting that more than once Trump has been nailed for his re-tweets.
"You've been caught with re-tweeting people. People will be like, 'Oh, he just re-tweeted this crazy person,'" Portnoy said.
President Trump admitted, "You see something that looks good, and you don't investigate it," adding, "I have found, almost always, it's the re-tweets that get you in trouble."


theblaze--2020-07-24--A&E viewership tanks after network axes 'Live PD' amid nationwide police brutality protests

A & E Network ratings have dropped nearly 50 % following the network 's announcement it would be canceling its much-loved police reality show , `` Live PD . ''
The network opted to cancel the show in June amid the ongoing police brutality protests in the U.S. , which were spurred on by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May .
At the time of the cancellation , the network said , `` This is a critical time in our nation 's history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them . ''
What are the details ?
A & E 's decision to cancel the show has had a significantly negative impact on the network .
A Friday report from The Wall Street Journal notes that the show , before its cancellation , averaged 1.9 million viewers on Friday and Saturday nights .
Now , however , during the period immediately following the network 's cancellation — June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday and Saturday nights was 498,000 in the key demographic of adults ages 25 to 54 years .
Just before the network announced the cancellation of the hit show , A & E 's primetime viewership was up 4 % , the outlet reports , citing relevant Nielsen data .
Following the cancellation , however , A & E saw its daily viewership drop 36 % when compared to the same time in 2019 .
A report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the network had run 298 episodes since its 2016 premiere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to air .
The outlet reported that on the days leading up to the cancellation , network and production executives `` decided that for a variety of reasons , ranging from the current political moment to keeping crew members safe in the field amid clashes between police and protesters , '' that the show would no longer air .

A&E Network ratings have dropped nearly 50% following the network's announcement it would be canceling its much-loved police reality show, "Live PD."
What's a brief history?
The network opted to cancel the show in June amid the ongoing police brutality protests in the U.S., which were spurred on by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May.
At the time of the cancellation, the network said, "This is a critical time in our nation's history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD. Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them."
What are the details?
A&E's decision to cancel the show has had a significantly negative impact on the network.
A Friday report from The Wall Street Journal notes that the show, before its cancellation, averaged 1.9 million viewers on Friday and Saturday nights.
Now, however, during the period immediately following the network's cancellation — June 11 through July 19 — viewership on Friday and Saturday nights was 498,000 in the key demographic of adults ages 25 to 54 years.
Just before the network announced the cancellation of the hit show, A&E's primetime viewership was up 4%, the outlet reports, citing relevant Nielsen data.
Following the cancellation, however, A&E saw its daily viewership drop 36% when compared to the same time in 2019.
A report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the network had run 298 episodes since its 2016 premiere, and had 160 more episodes contracted to air.
The outlet reported that on the days leading up to the cancellation, network and production executives "decided that for a variety of reasons, ranging from the current political moment to keeping crew members safe in the field amid clashes between police and protesters," that the show would no longer air.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Republicans want schools open, Democrats want them closed, poll shows

Hamilton High School in Los Angeles has 2,623 students who live in 94 different zip codes , some of whom @ @ @ @ @ to school on 24 different school bus routes .
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent @ @ @ @ @ that schools will be closed due to the coronavirus .
( Gary Coronado / Los @ @ @ @ @ )

The question of whether to reopen schools for in-person instruction is split sharply down party lines, with Republicans mostly in favor of reopening, and Democrats mostly wanting them to remain closed for the foreseeable future, an ABC News/Ipsos poll showed.
The country is deeply divided over how to proceed with schools, with 55% of respondents opposed to reopening in the fall. At the same time, 59% of parents say they're concerned about their children falling behind because of school closures.
Most Republicans, 79%, support schools reopening in the fall, while most Democrats, 78% want schools to operate remotely during the fall semester. Most schools across the country closed in the second half of March or early April in the spring.
CDC Director Robert Redfield has said it is "critically important for our public health" for schools to open, and that he would be comfortable sending his own grandchildren back to school under the current circumstances.
The CDC released new guidelines on Thursday that gives schools advice on how to reopen with students in-person in a safe manner.
Redfield has sought to change the conversation around reopening by highlighting the public health concerns that arise if schools are closed for too long.
"It's not public health versus opening the school versus reopening schools and the economy. It's public health versus public health," Redfield said, according to The Hill.
From the CDC website:
Parents are understandably concerned about the safety of their children at school in the wake of COVID-19. The best available evidence indicates if children become infected, they are far less likely to suffer severe symptoms.[1],[2],[3] Death rates among school-aged children are much lower than among adults. At the same time, the harms attributed to closed schools on the social, emotional, and behavioral health, economic well-being, and academic achievement of children, in both the short- and long-term, are well-known and significant. Further, the lack of in-person educational options disproportionately harms low-income and minority children and those living with disabilities. These students are far less likely to have access to private instruction and care and far more likely to rely on key school-supported resources like food programs, special education services, counseling, and after-school programs to meet basic developmental needs
According to the CDC, people under the age of 18 account for nearly 7% of cases and less than 0.1% of COVID-19 deaths in the United States.
"So far in this pandemic, deaths of children are less than in each of the last five flu seasons, with only 64," the CDC information reads.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Cheese brand is getting a new name to help 'eliminate racism in all its forms'

Cheese brand is getting a new name to help 'eliminate racism in all its forms' 'We performed a careful and @ @ @ @ @ situation '

A cheese brand will undergo a name change in order to help "eliminate racism in all its forms," Australian station 9News reported.
The brand's name is Coon, the station said.
The company behind the brand was originally Australian-owned, 9News said, and the cheese is said to be named after American Edward William Coon, who patented a process of making cheese in Philadelphia.
"Coon" was historically used as a racial slur against people with dark skin, particularly of African American, Australian Aboriginal, or Pacific island heritage, the station said.
What are the details?
Canadian parent company Saputo now owns the brand and made the name change announcement Friday, 9News reported, saying the company wanted to align with "current attitudes and perspectives."
"At Saputo, one of our basic principles as an organization is to treat people with respect and without discrimination, and we will not condone behavior that goes against this," a statement read, according to the station.
Here's the rest of the statement, 9News noted:
"As such, we performed a careful and diligent review of a sensitive situation involving one of our brands. We wanted to ensure we listened to all the concerns surrounding the Coon brand name, while also considering comments from consumers who cherish the brand and recognize the origin of its founder Edward William Coon, which they feel connected to. After thorough consideration, Saputo has decided to retire the Coon brand name. We are working to develop a new brand name that will honor the brand-affinity felt by our valued consumers while aligning with current attitudes and perspectives. We believe we all share in the responsibility to eliminate racism in all its forms and we feel this is an important step we must take to uphold this commitment."
The change comes after more than two decades of campaigning by Indigenous activist Stephen Hagan, the station said.
Anything else?
Similar name changes have been taking place over the last two months amid furious worldwide pushes against racism following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May.
Most prominently, the Washington Redskins of the National Football League dropped their name — which many believe is offensive to Native Americans — after intense corporate and social pressure. The team announced Thursday that it will be called the Washington Football Team in 2020.
A similar campaign convinced Quaker Oats to retire the "Aunt Jemima" moniker and logo from its products.


theblaze--2020-07-24--'We're kind of f***ed': Ben Shapiro has had enough of liberal attacks on 'whiteness'

'We 're kind of f***ed ' : Ben Shapiro has had enough of liberal attacks on 'whiteness' This is how @ @ @ @ @ country apart

In this episode of "The Rubin Report," BlazeTV host Dave Rubin talked with The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro about systemic racism, the flawed thinking of anti-racism, cancel culture, and forgotten American history.
Ben couldn't help but break from his usual polite protocol when asked to describe the current state of woke politics and how racism is tearing us apart in this country.
"We're kind of f***ed," Ben said. "I mean, it really does feel as though any common bonds that we once shared are basically disintegrating, and that we're being pressured into mimicking the belief that all those bonds are gone. So, even if you believe that bonds aren't really frayed and we really should have some things in common, if you say that out loud, you're part of the system, the white supremacist system. It's such dangerous stuff."
He discussed a disturbing graphic recently published by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a tax-payer funded Smithsonian Institution, which links traditional American values to systemic racism and a culture of white supremacy.
"Among these evils of whiteness, things we've all integrated into our lives because of the prevailing system of white supremacy, are things like hard work, individualism, justice, time management, delayed gratification, [and] science," Ben asserted. "I'm not kidding. These are all things that are listed as elements of white supremacy, that must be rejected in order to move into a better, more progressive world."
Ben pointed out the dangers that have resulted from progressives' "absolutely despicable redefinition of the term racism" to mean "any system that results in racial inequality."
"If you are not seeking the destruction of that system, you are complicit in racism. And in order to be anti-racism, you have to seek to destroy that system. Well, every system in human history has resulted in inequality of some sort or another, because human beings have different capacities. We make different choices," he said.
"So anything and everything that is part of that system is tainted by racism and must be ripped down completely. And if you are complicit in the system, by doing things like hard work and individualism, you are an assimilationist," Ben added. "So, you're saying to yourself, 'Aren't they closing an awful lot of doors to black Americans and minority Americans?' [...] It's insane! I mean, David Duke could write this s**t. He really could write the idea that whiteness is about hard work, and individual initiative and religious adherence and family structure. That's crap!"
Watch the video below to catch more of the conversation:
(Warning: Strong language)
Want more from Dave Rubin?
To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Nashville fire captain placed on leave after criticizing rioters, posting about race and politics on

Nashville fire captain placed on leave after criticizing rioters, posting about race and politics on Facebook

Nashville fire captain placed on leave after criticizing rioters , posting about race and politics on Facebook

A Nashville Fire Department captain is awaiting possible disciplinary action after a series of posts on his Facebook page about race, politics, and the Black Lives Matter movement drew ire from some constituents.
What are the details?
Capt. Tracy Turner of Station 18 in East Nashville was placed on paid administrative leave this week for referring to rioters as the "stupidest people on the planet" and younger liberals as "a generation of morons," according to WKRN-TV.
One of the controversial posts read, in part:
"What have we done? We have raised a generation of morons that think ... police are evil, especially the white ones ... [that think] destroying, burning, and looting people's businesses is part of a protest ... that all white people are racist and privileged ... what have we done?"
Another one said:
"I'm really tired of the bulls**t. If all white people can be guilty for slavery because of a few plantation owners ... then black people get to share the same guilt. There were Black plantation owners as well. So if all whites are guilty so are blacks."
In another post, Turner took aim at Black Lives Matter protesters and Antifa, specifically:
"These Protesters are the stupidest people on the planet, other than the arsonist and looters that hang out with them ... it's not that the Anti-Fa [sic] and BLM thugs are so strong that they are able to take over part of a city...It's that the Democrat Mayors are so weak as to let it happen. Shameful."
Finally, in still another post, Turner said that "if you have been mistreated by someone of a different race" it's probably because one of the involved persons was "a jerk," not because of "your skin color."
What else?
In response to the posts, Democratic state Rep. Vincent Dixie, who represents the district where Turner serves, said that the posts don't give him confidence that Turner can serve in a professional manner.
"Honestly, I don't think he should be a fireman and a first responder in a predominantly African American community," Dixie told WZTV-TV. "I just don't believe that because I don't believe that he's giving us 100% effort every time he goes out on a call and, when he sees a black person that's in need, that he's giving a 100% effort in order to save this person."
Dixie told WKRN-TV that following news of the posts constituents were expressing a lack of confidence in Turner, saying things like, "How do I know that he's going to take care of me? That he's going to come and give me the best aid that I need in order to survive?"
The state representative said that the decision on whether to remove Turner from his post will ultimately be up to the Nashville Fire Department.
In a statement, the department said: "When Captain Turner reported for duty Thursday for his scheduled shift NFD leadership met with him to discuss the posts. They placed him on paid administrative leave pending a disciplinary panel. He will not be allowed to return to work until after that process is completed. The hearing typically happens within 10 days."
Turner has since apologized on Facebook for his posts, explaining that he did not mean to lump peaceful protesters into his critical remarks about rioters.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Special ed. teacher resigns after alleged comment telling Black Lives Matter supporter with knee on

Special ed. teacher resigns after alleged comment telling Black Lives Matter supporter with knee on crying toddler's neck how to kill child

Special ed .
teacher resigns after alleged comment telling Black Lives Matter supporter with knee on crying toddler 's neck @ @ @ @ @ saw the video !
Get it right or stop F*****G around . '

A special education teacher at a Georgia public high school resigned after allegedly posting a Facebook comment instructing a Black Lives Matter supporter in a viral photo with his knee on a crying toddler's neck how to kill the child.
What's the background?
The viral social media photo shows a shirtless, tattooed man kneeling on the neck of a 2-year-old — who appears to be white and in a diaper — along with the caption, "BLM now." Another individual holds the child's arms behind the child's back.
The image apparently is in reference to George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer put a knee on his neck in late May. Video of the incident led to Black Lives Matter protests all across the country, some of which turned into rioting and looting.
According to the Champion, the Facebook account of Brian Papin — a special education teacher at Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood — posted a comment on the photo, which read: "Again! You're doing it wrong! One knee on center of the back one on the neck and lean into it until death! You saw the video! Get it right or stop F*****G around."
The Champion said the comment led to outrage across social media, including a push to report Papin to the DeKalb County School District.
District officials on Thursday said they're aware of "the disturbing social media post associated with a district teacher" and are "investigating" the matter, the outlet reported, adding that "DCSD is committed to the safety and well-being of our children, and there is no place for racism in our school district."
By Friday the district said "the teacher has resigned and is no longer employed with DCSD. Again, there is no place for racism and abuse in our school district," the Champion added.
It remains unknown what relationship Papin has, if any, with the man in the photo with his knee on the toddler's neck, WGCL-TV reported.
Anything else?
The Clark County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that it had a suspect in connection with the photo of the man with his knee on the toddler's neck, WHIO-TV reported.
Isaiah Jackson, 20, was booked into the Clark County Jail on a probation violation, the station said. The sheriff's office said the prosecutor's office will "provide a determination on the scope and breadth of the felony charges" but didn't indicate what charges might come Jackson's way, WHIO noted.
Isaiah Jackson Image source: Clark County Sheriff's Office
Investigators said they contacted the mother of the child and had the toddler transported to a hospital for examination. They said the child did not sustain any injuries from the incident.
"Subsequent interview with the mother revealed that she was unaware of the photo having been taken, or its contents, until she had been informed by other parties," Clark County Sheriff's Office Lt. Kristopher Shultz said in a release to the media.
(H/T: The Police Tribune)


theblaze--2020-07-24--Baptist pastor fired after coming out as transgender: 'Not just supposed to be a pastor – I'm suppos

Baptist pastor fired after coming out as transgender: 'Not just supposed to be a pastor – I'm supposed to be a woman.'

Baptist pastor fired after coming out as transgender : 'Not just supposed to be a pastor – I 'm supposed @ @ @ @ @ ' She 's not very happy about it , either

Rev. Junia Joplin told her Ontario, Canada, congregation in June that she is a transgender woman.
But on Monday, 111 parishioners of her church — Lorne Park Baptist Church in Mississauga — voted 58 to 53 to fire her, according to The New York Times.
Joplin was pastor of the church for six years.
What do we know?
Joplin, 41, delivered the news to her congregation in a Zoom sermon in June, telling congregants that she had a "big, risky truth" to share with them.
Joplin — who previously lived as a male — said that she knew she was destined to be a preacher from a young age.
"I'm not just supposed to be a pastor," she said. "I'm supposed to be a woman."
Elsewhere during the announcement, Joplin said, "I want you to hear me when I tell you that I'm not just supposed to be a pastor. I'm supposed to be a woman. My friends, my family, my name is Junia. You can call me June. I'm a transgender woman and my pronouns are 'she' and 'her.'"
Joplin said she was not immediately certain of the reaction her announcement would garner, but she was confident in her decision to announce her truth.
"If I never work another day in the church again for the rest of my life, I'll know that I've done what I was called to do," she told CBC News after the sermon went live.
In a statement to CBC News, the church in a Wednesday statement said, "The Church has journeyed for the past month through a process of attempting to discern God's will resulting from June's announcement of June 14, 2020 that she is a transgender woman.
"After a month of prayerful discernment and discussions between June and the congregation, it was determined, for theological reasons, that it is not in God's will that June remain as our pastor," the statement concluded.
Joplin groused about the firing Friday on her Twitter page, writing, "When you're not the first out LGBTQ+ staff member at your church, but you're the first one to get fired..."
'A preacher preaches like a fish swims'
According to NOLA.com, Joplin is bound for New Orleans, where she will reportedly preach to the congregation at St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church.
Joplin will fill in for Pastor Elizabeth Lott, who is taking a vacation. Joplin and Lott have been friends for decades, Joplin says.
"A preacher preaches like a fish swims," she says. "On those rare occasions when I'm between churches and not part of a church family, I feel a pain. It (the New Orleans sermon) makes me feel like I'm where I supposed to be."
The outlet reports that Joplin is taking her ouster in stride, but can't deny that she is hurt over the move.
"It was tough," Joplin said. "I've tried to be as gracious as I can. But honestly, it really hurts what has happened."
You can watch Joplin's original June 14 video announcement below.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Medical experts urge political leaders to shut the country down and start over on COVID-19 response

Medical experts urge political leaders to shut the country down and start over on COVID-19 response The Double Decker , @ @ @ @ @ is seen closed in the Ybor City neighborhood on June 26 in Tampa , Florida @ @ @ @ @ Jones/Getty Images )

A group of medical experts believes state and national leaders should take the country back into lockdown and start from square one in trying to contain COVID-19, CNN reported.
Some states are just now starting to return to some level of normal activity, but as the total number of cases increase, some experts believe that's a sign that more lockdowns are needed, including the widespread closure of businesses that decimated the economy from March through May.
"Non-essential businesses should be closed. Restaurant service should be limited to take-out. People should stay home, going out only to get food and medicine or to exercise and get fresh air," the letter states. "Masks should be mandatory in all situations, indoors and outdoors, where we interact with others. We need that protocol in place until case numbers recede to a level at which we have the capacity to effectively test and trace. Then, and only then, we can try a little more opening, one small step at a time."
The letter accuses politicians of not making good use of the time during the first lockdowns by increasing testing capacity and contact tracing capability to higher levels, even though U.S. testing has increased significantly over the past few months, and the U.S. is fourth in the world in per capita testing.
"In March, people went home and stayed there for weeks, to keep themselves and their neighbors safe," the letter reads. "You didn't use the time to set us up to defeat the virus. And then you started to reopen anyway, and too quickly."
The letter calls for the U.S. to have the testing capacity to test every person with flu-like symptoms, as well as at least 10 people for every symptomatic person to account for those they may have been in close contact with before reopening. The letter claims the U.S. is only at 35% of that capacity right now, citing a New York Times analysis.
They also want hundreds of thousands more contact tracers to track the spread of the virus.
The medical experts who have signed the letter include University of Pennsylvania's Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, William Hanage with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Northwestern University's Dr. Seth Trueger, and Yale School of Medicine's Dr. Reshma Ramachandran.
Following this proposal could lead to weeks or months more of lockdown, and it is unclear how the economy could withstand that level of inactivity. Also, there is evidence that lockdowns are not the answer to controlling COVID-19, as states like California that had extremely strict lockdowns are still seeing spikes in case numbers now.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Pro-life Democrats warn their party as convention nears: Cut the radical pro-abortion platform, or i

Pro-life Democrats warn their party as convention nears: Cut the radical pro-abortion platform, or it will cost us in November

Pro-life Democrats warn their party as convention nears : Cut the radical pro-abortion platform , or it will cost us @ @

As the Democratic National Committee prepares for its 2020 national convention scheduled for Aug. 17-20, they're being warned by the pro-life members in their ranks: Temper the radical abortion language in the party's platform — or it will cost us come November.
What's the history?
In July 2016, with Hillary Clinton as its nominee, the Democratic Party adopted its most extreme position on abortion to date. For the first time ever, the DNC officially called for federal taxpayer funding of abortions — and it upset a lot of the then 32% of Democrats who considered themselves pro-life.
In 1996, the party — under Bill Clinton, who twice vetoed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban — at least called for making abortion "less necessary" and "more rare."
They even declared that pro-life Democrats were welcome: "The Democratic Party is a party of inclusion. We respect the individual conscience of each American on this difficult issue, and we welcome all our members to participate at every level of our party."
What's the warning?
Now pro-life Democrats are warning their party to take a more temperate stance on abortion or the party will alienate religious voters, the Associated Press first reported.
A letter from the Christian group Democrats for Life sent to the DNC on Friday called on the party to jettison the call for taxpayer funding for abortions. It stated, in part:
Inspired by the Christian faith, we note that the Bible calls on us to speak up in favor of those who do not have a voice (Proverbs 31:8-9; Matthew 25:45). We also note that life begins at fertilization (Psalm 22:10- 11; Galatians 1:15; Luke 1:41; Psalm 139:13-15; Jeremiah 1:5). Finally, we note that abortion takes the life of the innocent, which is against Scripture (Exodus 20:13; 2 Kings 17:17; Deuteronomy 5:17; Revelation 22:15; Psalm 106:38; Proverbs 6:17).
Informed by human reason, we recall that 95% of biologists affirm the biological view that life begins at fertilization. Likewise, we recall the opinion of leading scholars, who have rejected Roe v. Wade as "bad constitutional law."
We recall that denying personhood to the pre-born child has disturbing parallels to Dred Scott vs. Sandford. Sadly, the US is just one of seven countries, alongside North Korea, to allow the horrific practice of elective late-term abortion after 20 weeks.
The letter also asked the party to stop having a pro-abortion litmus test for Democratic politicians.
"We call upon you to recognize the inviolable human dignity of the child, before and after birth," Democrats for Life wrote. "We urge you to reject a litmus test on pro-life people of faith seeking office in the Democratic Party."
"Crucially, we urge you to end the explicit support in your platform for abortion extremism, such as taxpayer-funded abortion in America and overseas, opposed by 60% and 76% of voters," they added.
The letter cited a Marist Poll from January that found 60% of voters oppose using taxes to pay for Americans' abortions, and 76% of voters oppose using tax dollars to fund abortions in other countries. The poll also revealed that only 21% of Americans are OK with allowing elective abortion on demand at any time during an entire pregnancy.
"79% of voters oppose elective abortion on demand, including, but not limited to, many people of faith," the letter concluded. "They deserve a home in the Democratic Party."
The AP noted that the signatories included longtime Tennessee state Rep. John DeBerry, who in April was scratched from the Democratic primary ballot in part because of his votes against the DNC's position on abortion, and the Rev. Gabriel Salguero, who heads the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and served on former President Barack Obama's faith-based advisory council.
Democrats for Life Executive Director Kristen Day told the AP that the group's work this year will be "a much bigger effort" than their failed attempts to sway party leadership in 2016. More from the AP:
Day also warned that the addition of another position [presumptive Democratic nominee Joe] Biden has backed -- codification of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling -- would alienate anti-abortion religious voters.
Biden is “a little bit ahead" of where Hillary Clinton was in 2016 in terms of faith-based voter outreach, Day said, but the prospect that the Democratic platform would back codification of Roe “would just massively damage relationships with religious voters who don't necessarily want to see that."
Day said that "it's hugely important for the campaign and Vice President Biden to understand" just how important the upcoming DNC vote on the abortion language for the platform truly is for religious pro-life Democrats.
"It shouldn't be taken for granted," she warned.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Yale professor says hydroxychloroquine is now a political drug, NOT a medical drug

Yale professor says hydroxychloroquine is now a political drug , NOT a medical drug

On Friday's episode of " Pat Gray Unleashed," Pat highlighted what Yale Professor Dr. Harvey Risch said about the use of hyroxychloroquine in outpatient uses to treat COVID-19. According to Dr. Risch, the drug could save 100,000 lives but became too politicized as a result of President Donald Trump showing support for the outpatient treatment.
In this clip, Pat got fired up by the reality of what Dr. Risch had observed, that we are "fighting a propaganda war over medical facts." Watch the Fox News Interview to hear more from Dr. Risch.
Pat explained how the Democratic Party is demonstrating how their hatred for President Trump appears to take priority over saving the lives of Americans diagnosed with COVID-19.
"Democrats are playing politics with people's lives," Pat said.
Watch the clip for more details.
A Yale Professor Is Coming Out About Hydroxychloroquine A Yale Professor is coming out about Hydroxychloroquine. Why are we still arguing about this?
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theblaze--2020-07-24--Washington Post settles $250 million lawsuit with Covington teen Nick Sandmann

Despite the settlement , the Post has 'admitted no wrongdoing '

Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann, the Kentucky high school student at the center of a confrontation at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., in January 2019, announced Friday that he had settled his lawsuit with the Washington Post.
"On 2/19/19, I filed $250M defamation lawsuit against Washington Post. Today, I turned 18 & WaPo settled my lawsuit. Thanks to @ToddMcMurtry & @LLinWood for their advocacy," Sandmann wrote on Twitter. "Thanks to my family & millions of you who have stood your ground by supporting me. I still have more to do."
"We have settled with WAPO and CNN. The fight isn't over. 2 down. 6 to go. Don't hold your breath @jack," Sandmann tweeted, referring to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Sandmann's lawsuit sought $250 million in damages, which was noted by Sandmann's attorneys as the same amount that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos paid in 2013 to purchase the Post. The settlement amount was not disclosed.
CNN settled a $275 million defamation lawsuit with Sandmann in January. The settlement amount was also not released.
Sandmann's attorney, Todd McMurtry, told Fox News in March 2019: "CNN's tagline is 'Facts First,' and what we believe their reporting was in this circumstance was lies first, coverup second, and facts not yet determined."
McMurtry alleged that CNN "published four videos, nine online articles, that it tweeted out. So, that's millions and millions of repetitions of the lies and falsehoods that CNN spread."
In January, Sandmann's lead attorney Lin Wood said they are moving forward with lawsuits against NBC Universal. In March 2020, Sandmann's attorneys filed complaints against the New York Times, CBS News, ABC News, Rolling Stone, and Gannett over their reporting on the Covington Catholic high school student.
The lawsuits were brought on because media outlets claimed that Sandmann and other Covington High School students provoked an encounter with Native American activist Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C., near the Lincoln Memorial. However, video showed that the students had not taunted Phillips or prevented his movement.
"All of the future defendants listed above have published or republished statements made by Nathan Phillips and others that Nicholas blocked or otherwise restricted Phillips' free movement and would not allow Phillips to retreat at the National Mall on January 18, 2019," Sandmann's lawyers wrote in a report filed with U.S. District Court in Covington, Kentucky. "Nicholas reserves his right to file complaints in this is Court or any other court against any other potential defendant not listed above, subject to the applicable statute of limitations."
In February 2019, President Donald Trump voiced support for Sandmann, who was wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat at the time of the incident. President Trump tweeted: "Go get them Nick. Fake News!"
The Post published an article about Friday's settlement with Sandmann in its "Lifestyle" section, which covers topics such as "food," "home & garden," "travel," "parenting," and "wellness."
"The Washington Post has settled a lawsuit brought by the parents of a teenager who alleged that news coverage of the teen's encounter with a Native American activist on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial last year was defamatory," the article stated.
"The Post admitted no wrongdoing in settling with the family of Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington, Ky., high school student who was involved in the episode during a school trip to Washington in January 2019," the article continued. "The Post has maintained that its reporting was accurate and fair."
More than a month after the original incident involving the Covington boys and Phillips, the Post issued an editor's note "about updates to its initial coverage."
"Subsequent reporting, a student's statement and additional video allow for a more complete assessment of what occurred, either contradicting or failing to confirm accounts provided in that story," the editor's note read.
In Friday's article, Post stated that Sandmann's parents "alleged The Post had 'targeted and bullied' their son to embarrass Trump — a statement The Post disputed."
"The Post ignored basic journalist standards because it wanted to advance its well-known and easily documented, biased agenda against President Donald J. Trump by impugning individuals perceived to be supporters of the President," Sandmann's lawsuit alleged, according to the Post. "It claimed The Post went after Sandmann 'because he was the white, Catholic student wearing a red Make America Great Again souvenir cap.'"
"But later videos gave a fuller picture of what happened," the newspaper admitted. "They showed that several men, part of a group called the Black Hebrew Israelites, had been shouting racial epithets and homophobic slurs at the waiting Covington students."
"We are pleased that we have been able to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of the remaining claims of the lawsuit," Post spokeswoman Kris Coratti said.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Bodycam footage captures wild moment woman opens fire on police officers. They fire back and take he

Bodycam footage captures wild moment woman opens fire on police officers. They fire back and take her down — and then into custody.

Bodycam footage captures wild moment woman opens fire on police officers .
They fire back and take her down — @ @ @ @ @

Bodycam footage captured the moment a nonchalant female suspect whipped out a handgun and began firing at police during a July 8 incident in Arizona.
Police released bodycam footage of the incident on Wednesday, according to The Arizona Republic.
What are the details?
Phoenix police arrived to question 24-year-old Jovana Kelsey McCreary after she reportedly engaged in a dispute with her roommate.
McCreary's unnamed roommate told authorities that he had kicked her out of their shared apartment because she was acting "crazy" and had a gun in her possession.
Police arrived on the scene to find McCreary near her former apartment and began questioning her as to whether she is armed with a gun.
She denied having a weapon and instead said that her roommate was threatening her.
During questioning, McCreary seemed to keep her cool, spending her time casually answering officers' questions and using her cellphone. She even consented to officers searching her belongings, where they reportedly recovered unspecified drugs and ammunition.
Around this time, responding officers discovered that McCreary has an outstanding warrant for her arrest, and attempted to begin the process of taking her into custody.
What happened next?
Out of nowhere, however, she pulled a gun hidden in her waistband and fired shots at responding officers, narrowly missing them.
The officers immediately returned McCreary's fire, striking her twice.
Bodycam footage of the incident shows McCreary tumbling to the ground, from where she can be heard screaming.
First responders arrived on the scene and took her to a hospital for treatment. She is expected to survive, according to reports.
No officers were injured in the incident.
According to the Republic, internal and criminal investigations into the incident are underway.
The Maricopa County District Attorney's Office will review the case upon the investigation's completion.
Content warning: Video might be disturbing to some viewers


theblaze--2020-07-24--Nancy Pelosi calls federal officers 'stormtroopers'; Chuck Schumer says Trump order is un-American

Democrats angry that the president sent officers to stop the riots

Democratic leaders used very strong terms when they decried the order by President Donald Trump to send federal troops to various U.S. cities to help quell violence from protests and rioting.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took turns condemning the action in a media briefing on Thursday.
"Police officers, any federal officers, have to have ID [stating] where they're from and what their name is, and more importantly if they go off federal property itself and patrol streets or anything else, they have to get the permission of the executive in charge, mayor or governor," Schumer said.
"President Trump always likes diversions," he continued. "He's miserable failing at testing. He's miserable failing at contract tracing. He's miserable failing at getting the economy going. He's miserable failing on the greatest crisis that America has and the American people know it, so he tries a diversion."
Pelosi used a term referring to the political militia of the Nazi regime when describing U.S. federal officers.
"It's very very important. The use of stormtroopers under the guise of law and order that is a tactic that is not appropriate to our country in any way," Pelosi said.
"It's so un-American what is happening," interrupted Schumer.
"It's so in keeping with Third-World countries and dictatorships, you haul someone off the streets, don't tell them who you are, why you're doing it, et cetera," he added.
"It's also unconstitutional," he concluded.
Schumer was referring to unmarked masked federal agents arresting people in the streets of Portland, Oregon, on the order of the president. One such incident was captured on video and spurred critics of the regime to compare the act to dictatorships where dissidents "disappeared" from the streets.
Others questioned the constitutional issues surrounding the order after some mayors and governors made public declarations against receiving aid from federal officers.
Pelosi faced criticism on social media when she used the same term on Friday to describe the federal officers.
"Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti," tweeted Pelosi.
"These are not the actions of a democratic republic," she tweeted.
Not all local authorities refused the help. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she would coordinate local efforts with the federal officers after the president spoke to her personally on the phone.
Here's the video of the comments from Schumer and Pelosi:


theblaze--2020-07-24--Lone player who refused to take knee before national anthem stands firm: 'I can't kneel before anyth

Lone player who refused to take knee before national anthem stands firm: 'I can't kneel before anything besides God — Jesus Christ'

Lone player who refused to take knee before national anthem stands firm : ' I ca n't kneel before anything @ @ @ @ @ '

Prior to Thursday night's season opener between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, NBC Sports reported that many Giants chose to take a knee during the national anthem as they did at an exhibition game the night before.
But what made bigger headlines is what happened before the anthem Thursday. Every player and coach from both teams took a knee and held a long piece of black fabric in a moment of unity, NBC Sports said.
Except one player, the network noted: Giants' second-year relief pitcher Sam Coonrod.
Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
Why did Coonrod refuse to take a knee?
After the Giants' 8-1 loss, Coonrod told NBC Sports that he's a Christian and "can't kneel before anything besides God" — and that he disagrees with some Black Lives Matter principles.
"I'm a Christian, like I said, and I just can't get on board with a couple of things that I have read about Black Lives Matter," Coonrod added to the network. "How they lean toward Marxism, and they've said some negative things about the nuclear family. I just can't get on board with that."
More from NBC Sports:
Coonrod said he did not have a chance to talk to teammates, including African-American outfielder Jaylin Davis, a leading voice in recent weeks, before the game because he did not know about the display until very late in the day, when a teammate informed him of what was going to happen. Coonrod said he decided he could not kneel, and "it was too late" at that point to talk to anyone about the decision.
The Yankees and Nationals all took a knee before the anthem in Washington, D.C., earlier in the night as part of a player-led movement that had the full support of Major League Baseball. The idea reportedly came from former Giant Andrew McCutchen, who told ESPN that the black fabric was a socially distanced way to link arms and show unity. Players also wore patches and Black Lives Matter T-shirts during batting practice.
McCutchen said the moment was meant to illustrate that MLB can be a force for change when it comes to addressing injustice.
Coonrod noted that he's not trying to cause any trouble.
"I meant no ill will by it. I don't think I'm better than anyone," he added to the network after the game. "I'm a Christian. I just believe I can't kneel before anything besides God — Jesus Christ. I chose not to kneel. I feel that if I did kneel, I would be being a hypocrite. I didn't want to be a hypocrite. Like I said, I didn't mean any ill will toward anyone."
Here's Coonrod sharing a bit of his faith:
2019 San Francisco Giants Fellowship Day Sam Coonrod youtu.be
Giants' manager Gabe Kapler made it clear to players that they're free to do what they want regarding kneeling or standing, and he'll respect their positions no matter what, NBC Sports said. Coonrod told the network he appreciates his skipper's stance.
"He's not going to get mad if I disagree with him," Coonrod added to NBC Sports. "I think that's part of the problem nowadays. People get mad whenever someone disagrees. I'm not mad at someone that decided to kneel. I think it's not too much to ask that I just get the same respect, you know?"


theblaze--2020-07-24--A 60-year-old man died from a gunshot wound to his head. He was listed as a COVID-19 death in Florid

A 60-year-old man died from a gunshot wound to his head. He was listed as a COVID-19 death in Florida — and there are several more

A 60-year-old man died from a gunshot wound to his head .
He was listed as a COVID-19 death in @ @ @ @ @ several more

A local news outlet in Palm Beach County, Florida, is saying that several deaths reported in the county were incorrectly attributed to COVID-19 — including a 60-year-old man who died from a gunshot wound to his head.
The investigative team at WPEC-TV reported Thursday that at least eight of the 581 deaths listed on a spreadsheet tallying COVID-19 deaths provided by the county medical examiner's office are incorrectly attributed to the virus.
Here's the upshot: These eight cases are mystifyingly counted as a coronavirus death yet without COVID-19 recorded as the cause or even a contributing cause in the death.
According to the outlet, included on the list is a "90-year-old man who fell and died from complications of a hip fracture" and "a 77-year-old woman who died of Parkinson's disease."
Upon presenting their findings to the medical examiner's office, Operations Manager Paul Petrino acknowledged that the eight cases were errors and said they would be removed.
Those are just the clear-cut inaccuracies: Palm Beach County resident Rachel Eade, who reportedly also obtained the spreadsheet to fact-check it, added that of the 581 deaths listed, only 169 are listed without any other contributing causes.
When other causes of death are listed in addition to COVID-19 on a medical examiner's report, it indicates that virus was not the sole reason for the person's death, though it may have been the primary reason. Some would argue that given the blatantly inaccurate reporting of some deaths, it becomes harder to trust the reporting as a whole.
"I think it is completely misleading," said Eade, who is suing the county over its recent mandate that everyone in the county wear masks in public. "We need to remove those cases that are not COVID exclusive, and we need to be giving people that information."
The news comes after it was revealed last week that man in his 20s in Orange County, Florida, was recorded as a COVID-19 death despite the county's health officer saying he died in a motorcycle crash.
Speaking with Fox News this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said that he is aware of some inaccurate COVID-19 death reporting.
"I think the public, when they see the fatality figures, they want to know who died because they caught COVID," DeSantis said.
"If you're just in a car accident — and we have had other instances where there is no real relationship and it's been counted, we want to look at that and see how pervasive that issue is as well," he added.


theblaze--2020-07-24--CDC emphasizes reopening schools is 'critically important for our public health' in new guidelines

CDC emphasizes reopening schools is 'critically important for our public health ' in new guidelines 'The best available evidence from @ @ @ @ @ indicates that COVID-19 poses low risk to school-aged children '

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines on schools reopening during the coronavirus pandemic. In the new guidance unveiled Thursday, the CDC emphasized that sending students back to school was "critically important."
"It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall," CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said.
The CDC released "new science-based resources and tools for school administrators, teachers, parents, guardians, and caregivers when schools open this fall." The resources, which include advice and checklists, are available on the CDC website.
"The CDC resources released today will help parents, teachers and administrators make practical, safety-focused decisions as this school year begins," Redfield added. "I know this has been a difficult time for our Nation's families. School closures have disrupted normal ways of life for children and parents, and they have had negative health consequences on our youth. CDC is prepared to work with K-12 schools to safely reopen while protecting the most vulnerable."
"Schools are an important part of the infrastructure of communities and play a critical role in supporting the whole child, not just their academic achievement," the U.S. national public health agency stated.
"The harms attributed to closed schools on the social, emotional, and behavioral health, economic well-being, and academic achievement of children, in both the short- and long-term, are well-known and significant," the CDC website read. "Aside from a child's home, no other setting has more influence on a child's health and well-being than their school."
"The best available evidence from countries that have opened schools indicates that COVID-19 poses low risk to school-aged children," the CDC said on its website. "Reopening schools creates an opportunity to invest in the education, well-being, and future of one of America's greatest assets – our children – while taking every precaution to protect students, teachers, staff and all their families."
"With states, cities, and communities around the United States experiencing different levels of coronavirus transmission, jurisdictions should ensure appropriate public health strategies are in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 as the first step in creating a safer school environment," the CDC stated.
"Children appear to be at lower risk for contracting COVID-19 compared to adults," the agency said. "While some children have been sick with COVID-19, adults make up nearly 95% of reported COVID-19 cases."
"Early reports suggest children are less likely to get COVID-19 than adults, and when they do get COVID-19, they generally have a less serious illness," the CDC continued. "As of July 21, 2020, 6.6% of reported COVID-19 cases and less than 0.1% of COVID-19-related deaths are among children and adolescents less than 18 years of age in the United States."
The CDC advised education officials to "consider community transmission risk" before reopening classrooms.
"Evidence from schools internationally suggests that school re-openings are safe in communities with low SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates," the CDC stated. "Computer simulations from Europe have suggested that school re-openings may further increase transmission risk in communities where transmission is already high."
The CDC also admitted that "there is mixed evidence about whether returning to school results in increased transmission or outbreaks." The guidance referenced steady declines in coronavirus cases in Denmark schools, but there was a "surge of new cases and outbreaks in schools after reopening and relaxing social distancing measures" in Israel.
"Then, working in collaboration with their state and local health departments, school administrators can employ strategies that best match the local conditions and actions that are practical and feasible in their schools to help protect the health and safety of everyone – including students, teachers, and other staff," the updated guidelines stated.
"Implement multiple SARS-CoV-2 mitigation strategies (e.g., social distancing, cloth face coverings, hand hygiene, and use of cohorting)," the CDC site stated. "Maintain healthy environments (e.g., cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces)."
"Plans for virtual learning should be in place in the event of a school closure," the CDC recommended.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump said that all schools should be "actively making preparations to open." However, he warned that some schools in areas with a high COVID-19 positivity rates "may need to delay reopening for a few weeks."
"If schools do not reopen, the funding should go to parents to send their children to the public, private, charter, religious or home school," President Trump said. "All families should be empowered to make the decision that is right for their circumstance."
The Los Angeles Unified School District and the San Diego Unified School District, California's two largest school districts, will not reopen for in-person instruction when the academic year starts in August, and instead will offer virtual classes.
Atlanta public schools' first nine weeks of the school year will be carried out remotely.
New York City, the largest school district in the country, may use a staggered in-person model for reopening classrooms where students attend school one to three days a week to enable social distancing. However, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said he wouldn't make a decision on reopening schools until days before the school year is scheduled to begin, which is on Sept. 10.
"The final decisions will be made as we get right up to it based on the data we have in front of us," de Blasio said during a Thursday news conference.
The United States surpassed 4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases this week and now has over 144,000 coronavirus deaths.
On Wednesday, Redfield appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" and said that he would "absolutely" be comfortable with his school-age grandchildren attending school this fall.
"The only one that there may be some reservation is my grandson with cystic fibrosis, depending on how he can be accommodated in the school that he's in," Redfield said. "My other 10 grandchildren, of those, eight of them are school-aged, I'm 100% that they can get back to school."
Redfield also commented on the ongoing face mask debate.
"If all Americans would embrace that [masks] as part of their personal responsibility to confront this outbreak, we could actually have a very significant impact on the outbreak that we're seeing across the country in the next four, six, eight, 10, 12 weeks," Redfield explained.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Black welfare-to-millionaire woman goes viral for condemning removal of Confederate monument: Stop t

Black welfare-to-millionaire woman goes viral for condemning removal of Confederate monument: Stop trying to 'please these terrorist young folks' in BLM

Black welfare-to-millionaire woman goes viral for condemning removal of Confederate monument : Stop trying to 'please these terrorist young folks @ @ @

A woman at a Wichita Falls (Texas) City Council meeting has gone viral for speaking out against the removal of Confederate statues and monuments.
What are the details?
Cathy Dodson, a black woman from Wichita Falls, stood up during a recent hearing over the potential for removing a Confederate monument at city hall.
According to a report from the Wichita Falls Times Record News, Dodson was one of many who spoke at the meeting, but it was clear that her remarks could be considered the most impactful of them all.
Dodson, a resident of the area for 41 years, insisted that the monument is irrelevant to her and shouldn't pose any concern to Wichita Falls citizens.
Dodson recalled a time where she was a working single mother in the 1980s and was forced to apply for food stamps in order to support herself and her son.
"Speaking as a black person living in the city, I can honestly tell you the black folks in Wichita Falls don't care one way or another about that monument," she said. "That's why they're not here. They don't care."
Dodson went on to recall her own personal story in Wichita Falls.
"One of my proudest moments was when I walked into that welfare office and told them, 'I don't need these food stamps anymore. I can feed myself and my son,'" she said.
"Fast-forward 38 years," she continued. "I own 17 homes right here in Wichita Falls. ... and run a bed and breakfast. I have made a success out of my life out of hard work and perseverance."
Dodson — now a millionaire — credited her success to hard work and perseverance, and said the "rock," or the Confederate monument, did not prevent her from overcoming obstacles and standing on her own two feet.
"My success came in and happened in spite of that rock sitting in the front yard of Memorial Auditorium," she continued. "It's just a rock, it's not good, not bad. It don't have the ability to be racist. And it don't have control over anybody. It's just a rock."
What else?
Dodson insisted that the city would be foolish to remove the statue, because it will help perpetuate an example of outrage culture and a distraction to the real issues the city — and others like it across the U.S. — is facing.
"The issue of removing the statue is a distraction and an excuse to dismantle this city," she insisted. "If it comes down, there will be something else and something else and something else and something else to please these terrorist young folks."
Dodson suggested that people would be better served by taking care of their fellow man.
"If BLM wanted to help black people in the area, they could help with their needs, like paying the rent, putting food on the table," she added about Black Lives Matter. "That would be more beneficial."
This week, the council determined it would take no action removing on the Sons of Our Southland Confederate monument, which some believe honors the Confederate soldiers. Instead, citizens will make the final decision: The council made a motion to have the council place the item on the November ballot.
Video of Dodson's remarks went viral on Facebook.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Horowitz: Exposing the maskerade: The questions every American should be asking about indefinite mas

Horowitz: Exposing the maskerade: The questions every American should be asking about indefinite mask mandates

Horowitz : Exposing the maskerade : The questions every American should be asking about indefinite mask mandates '' Just shut @ @ @ @ @ '' is not science , ordered liberty , or constitutional governance

The trope of "just shut up and wear a mask" is not science, ordered liberty, or constitutional governance. It's what they do in North Korea. We need real debate on the effectiveness of masks, the type of masks, the situations in which they are worn, the duration of time, the benchmarks that need to be met to measure effectiveness, and the process for promulgating these rules. We are no longer 24 hours into an emergency. We are four months into this virus, and it's time to function like the representative republic that we are.
There are numerous political and scientific questions any thinking person should be asking at this point:
Why did the CDC, World Health Organization, and such luminaries as Fauci and Surgeon General Jerome Adams so emphatically dismiss the effectiveness of masks, then flip 180 degrees to the point where they shame people who don't wear them, without ever explaining what changed? While we learn more about the virus every day, the micro-biology of the particles hasn't changed, and the premise that non-professional masks worn by non-trained professionals run the risk of counterproductive cross-contamination did not change.
The suggestion that this is needed to protect others raises the obvious question: If me not wearing a mask transmits the virus to others who are wearing a mask, then is that not an admission that masks do not work to stop a respiratory virus that is microscopic and gets through the mask? Garbage in, garbage out. It makes no sense to suggest it doesn't penetrate the transmitter's mask from inside-out, especially with the air pressure of a cough or sneeze, but can penetrate the mask of the receiver through suspended molecules that are stagnant without pressure pushing those molecules outside-in to the receiver. If anything, the opposite should be true – it should be more effective for protection of yourself.
How can mask-wearing work when everyone just stores them in their pockets to collect bacteria, as our government officials predicted from day one?
How could kids ever keep it clean and not collect more bacteria, and where is the evidence that children are even a vector for viral transmission? My home county is mandating that even two-year-olds wear masks. How can anyone suggest that children can keep them clean, and where is the evidence that young children are a vector for transmitting the virus, when numerous studies from other countries have shown the opposite?
Mask-wearing in all of the major cities – from Los Angeles to Miami – has been in place and followed by pressure and community shaming for months. Compliance in most of these places has been off the charts, according to the NYT. Yet the virus is still spreading more than before the mandate. The virus is now spreading in Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, which have near universal mask-wearing. At what point does the mask cult have to provide evidence of the effectiveness of these unconstitutional mandates, and at what point do benchmarks have to be met to maintain such a draconian and life-altering requirement?
Do masks that are continuously reused, cross-contaminated, and not properly disposed of become a trap to further transmit the virus or become retainers for other pathogens – or at the very least for bacteria, which are larger than viruses – that can harm the mask-wearer and others alike?
What are the known side effects to one's health after wearing these masks for hours on end in the heat, especially for children in school? Does long-term mask-wearing lower oxygen levels and compromise our immune systems?
Do masks cause people to touch their faces more often, the exact opposite of what was originally the desired result?
To suggest that individuals be forced into something so personal as covering their own faces indefinitely under the guise of protecting other people is a huge, dramatic change in the relationship between the government and the citizen. We should at minimum get clarity on these questions before allowing any executive authority to unilaterally decree it. Doesn't the near-universal opposition to widespread mask-wearing from these very same "experts" before the issue became political hold any weight? Doesn't their reversal demand explanation?
To this day, there has never been a clinical study with randomized controlled trials in non-health-care settings that vouch for the effectiveness of universal mask-wearing in public. All we have so far are anecdotes and laboratory filtration studies, not real human-to-human studies. When asked about conducting one, Dr. Fauci said there is no intention to do so. In fact, he went from resolutely dismissing the idea of wearing masks in March to now telling a group of Georgetown University students that he couldn't even conduct a study because he was so scared of having even a study group go without masks!
Thus, we are told we are not allowed to breathe free air without a mask – no studies allowed. Fauci's view? No votes, no hearings, no debate, no studies, no time limits, no performance benchmarks. Shut up and cover your mouth indefinitely and don't you dare express the view he used to espouse … or else.
Until now, the only time mask use has ever been a studied in a non-health-care setting showed the opposite of what the political class is saying. As Dr. Andrew Bostom of Brown University wrote earlier this month:
Moreover, a subsequent pooled (so-called "meta-") analysis of ten controlled trials assessing extended, real-world, non-health-care-setting mask usage revealed that masking did not reduce the rate of laboratory-proven infections with the respiratory virus influenza. The findings from this unique report — published May 2020 by the CDC's own "house journal" "Emerging Infectious Diseases" — are directly germane to the question of masking to prevent COVID-19 infection and merit some elaboration.
One study evaluated mask usage by Hajj pilgrims to Mecca, two university-setting studies assessed the efficacy of face masks for prevention of confirmed influenza among student campus residents over five months of surveillance, and seven household studies examined the impact of masking infected persons only (one), household contacts of infected persons only (one), or both groups (five). None of these studies, individually, or their aggregated, pooled analysis, which enhanced the overall "statistical power" to detect smaller effects, demonstrated a significant benefit of masking for the reduction of confirmed influenza infection (also see tabulation). The authors further concluded with a caution that using face masks improperly might "increase the risk for (viral) transmission."
As doctors from the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, Australia, concluded in arguing against even health care workers wearing surgical masks when treating low‐risk patients, "There is no good evidence that facemasks protect the public against infection with respiratory viruses, including COVID‐19."
They explain how the way most people use masks could actually become counterproductive:
One danger of doing this is the illusion of protection. Surgical facemasks are designed to be discarded after single use. As they become moist they become porous and no longer protect. Indeed, experiments have shown that surgical and cotton masks do not trap the SARS‐CoV‐2 (COVID‐19) virus, which can be detected on the outer surface of the masks for up to 7 days. Thus, a pre‐symptomatic or mildly infected person wearing a facemask for hours without changing it and without washing hands every time they touched the mask could paradoxically increase the risk of infecting others.
They cite a "desperate situation" in the U.S. as the impetus for the CDC's reversal on masks and note that it is based on "scant" evidence. Which is why, "In contrast, the World Health Organization currently recommends against the public routinely wearing facemasks."
Even N95s, which certainly cause people to get headaches by stifling fresh air, don't necessarily show conclusively positive outcomes. A 2019 study of 2,862 randomized participants (Radonovich, L.J. et al. (2019)) published in JAMA found, "Among outpatient health care personnel, N95 respirators vs medical masks as worn by participants in this trial resulted in no significant difference in the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza."
There's a reason why as late as May, the CDC was citing the 10 randomized controlled trials that showed "no significant reduction in influenza transmission with the use of face masks." Containing the virions that are emitted from the aerosols in a mask, much less a cloth that so many wear, is like locking up a bee in a jail cell. As the CDC notes, masks were not designed to protect against microbiological particles 0.1 micron in size — or one hundred-thousandth of a centimeter — but from visible contamination.
Disposable medical masks (also known as surgical masks) are loose-fitting devices that were designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect accidental contamination of patient wounds, and to protect the wearer against splashes or sprays of bodily fluids (36). There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
How does such a grounded observation built on 10 unrefuted clinical studies change in just a matter of weeks if not for politics? If anything, COVID-19 is more of a dry cough than the flu, which would likely produce more atomized particles that are certainly not larger than the wetter flu emissions. Yet the CDC has gone from vehemently opposing masks to promoting even cloth coverings, which everyone agrees do not filter out most particles.
And these people have the nerve to call conservatives anti-science?
The question we must ask ourselves is this: if our government can now mandate such a personal and disruptive lifestyle change to our bodies with assertions that contradict their own long-standing evidence from just weeks ago and with so many unanswered questions, what else can they do to us without presenting evidence or a transparent and democratic debate? It appears that "my body, my choice" only applies to murdering babies.
We deserve hearings and we deserve answers. We are citizens, not subjects. Just because this virus came from China doesn't mean the politicians can use it as a pretext to turn us into China.


theblaze--2020-07-24--Dr. Anthony Fauci has security protection after 'serious threats' to him and his family

Dr. Anthony Fauci has security protection after 'serious threats ' to him and his family ' I 'm not a @ @ @ @ @ doing my job '

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he has security detail after reportedly receiving "serious threats" to the well-being of his family.
What are the details?
In a Friday interview with David Axelrod on CNN's "The Axe Files" that he and his family — thrust into a very public spotlight amid the COVID-19 pandemic — have been the subject of harassment.
"Serious threats agains me, against my family," he recalled. "My daughters, my life. I mean, really? Is this the United States of America?"
Such threats required him to receive security detail for his protection.
Fauci says he believes the threats stem from the perception that he is "pushing a public health agenda."
"There are people who get really angry at thinking I'm interfering with their life," he admitted. "I'm not a hero — I'm just doing my job."
Fauci explained that he's received a fair amount of criticisms over the years while working in public health — including during the 1980s HIV epidemic — but nothing stacks up to what he's reportedly enduring now.
"I've seen a side of society that I guess is understandable, but it's a little bit disturbing," he admitted. "Back in the days of HIV when I was being criticized with some hate mail, it was ... people calling me a gay lover and 'What the hell are you doing wasting a lot of time on that?'"
Fauci said that he'd often just dismiss the remarks as a difference of opinion and move on.
What changed in 2020?
In 2020, however, the tenor has apparently changed.
"[It's] really a magnitude different now, because of the anger," he insisted.
This time it's not just hate mail, he says — it's "serious threats."
"It's not good," he said. "I suppose what this reflects is the divisiveness of our society at a political level. I mean, this is a public-health issue, the fundamental principles of public health, and I don't see how people can have animosity to that.
"[T]he hostility to public health issues is difficult not only to understand, but difficult to process," Fauci added.


theblaze--2020-07-24--'I’m concerned. I’m just not petrified': Mike Rowe offers commonsense counterpoint to the media's CO

'I’m concerned. I’m just not petrified': Mike Rowe offers commonsense counterpoint to the media's COVID-19 hysteria

' I ’ m concerned .
I ’ m just not petrified ' : Mike Rowe offers commonsense counterpoint to @ @ @ @ @

"Dirty Jobs" star Mike Rowe is countering what he suggests is media-driven hysteria about the coronavirus pandemic, saying he is "concerned" but not "petrified" nor living in constant fear of something he cannot necessarily control.
In a lengthy exchange posted to his Facebook Wednesday, Rowe responded to a fan who asked: "Is it really so important to film a television show in the midst of pandemic? ... Don't you watch the news? More and more cases every day — aren't you concerned?"
In response, Rowe said, "Of course, I'm concerned ... I'm just not petrified" before explaining that the coronavirus case and death numbers need to be put in context.
Rowe pointed to an interview Joe Rogan conducted in March with Dr. Michael Osterholm in which Osterholm, an international recognized expert in infectious diseases, estimated that there would be 100 million coronavirus cases and 480,000 deaths in the U.S. in three to seven months even if the country successfully "flattened the curve."
Rowe said that after working through the four stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, and depression — he came to accept the possibility of those numbers.
"I've accepted those numbers," he said. "Unfortunately, millions of others have not. Many people have no sense of where this is headed, and I understand why. They've been betrayed by a hysterical media that insists on covering each new reported case as if it were the first case. Every headline today drips with dread, as the next doomed hotspot approaches the next 'grim milestone.'"
By removing the shock factor from every reported new case and accepting the reality of the situation, Rowe says, he is now able to "evaluate the risk and make [his] own decisions," within the law, of course.
He compares this type of risk analysis with how millions of Americans are able to get into cars and drive them places every day despite the inherent and well-documented dangers of doing so.
"Again, don't misunderstand. I'm not ignoring COVID, or downplaying COVID, or pretending the risks at hand aren't real. Nor am I comparing COVID cases to car accidents," Rowe said. "I'm simply comparing the fear of each to the other, and the fear that always accompanies uncertainty.
"I don't want to get this disease or give it to someone else, any more than I want to be in a car wreck that injures someone else," he continued. "But I've accepted certain things about the pandemic, and now, I've gotten used to the risk as I understand it. I take precautions. I get tested as often as I can, and if I can't physically distance, I wear a mask — especially around higher risk people. Likewise, I wear a seatbelt, obey the speed limits, and check my mirrors before changing lanes. Yes — I'm aware that we'd all be a lot safer if we kept our cars in the garage. I'm also aware we'd be a lot safer if we all kept ourselves in the house. But that's not why cars, or people, exist."


theblaze--2020-07-24--Dr. Fauci ditches mask at MLB game while not social distancing, as mask mandates spread across US

Dr. Fauci ditches mask at MLB game while not social distancing , as mask mandates spread across US Dr. Anthony @ @ @ @ @ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , throws out the ceremonial first pitch before @ @ @ @ @ York Yankees and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Thursday in Washington , D.C. @ @ @ @ @ Images )

Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the most influential voices guiding the U.S. response to COVID-19, was seen sitting and talking very close to other people while not wearing a face mask at a Major League Baseball game Thursday evening in Washington, D.C.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees. That pitch, not unlike some of the advice that has come from government experts regarding the coronavirus, was just a bit off the mark.
Dr. Anthony Fauci throws 1st pitch before Yankees-Nationals Opening Day 2020 youtu.be
Baseball skills aside, Fauci stuck around to watch the game, as one of the few people in the stands since fans are not allowed to attend due to COVID-19.
While enjoying the game, Fauci was seen sitting between two people, in seats right next to each other, talking to them without his mask covering his face. The other two people had masks on.
The guidance (or mandate, depending on where you live) being given by the government on face masks is that they should be worn in public and in any situation in which social distancing is not possible. This is, of course, the most recent version of mask guidance, which follows Fauci's previous assertion that "people should not be walking around in masks" and Surgeon General Jerome Adams' insistence that masks aren't effective in stopping the virus among the general public.
Last week, Fauci emphasized that masks should be worn by everyone, even outside.
This isn't the first time Fauci has seemed to disregard the strict rules on masks in public.
Anthony Fauci Removes Mask When The Cameras Are Off youtu.be
Some places are requiring everyone above the age of 2 years old to wear a mask in public, and many students will likely be required to wear masks when they are eventually allowed to return to school, despite the fact that daycares have been open across the nation throughout the entire U.S. epidemic, with no apparent issues or serious outbreaks.
When asked how effective masks are in preventing transmission of COVID-19, Fauci told MarketWatch "Your guess is as good as any — 50% to 75% or 80% is probably correct."


theblaze--2020-07-24--Elite college bans student from campus over AR-15 photo marking Tiananmen Square anniversary, demand

Elite college bans student from campus over AR-15 photo marking Tiananmen Square anniversary, demands apology — but he isn't backing down

Elite college bans student from campus over AR-15 photo marking Tiananmen Square anniversary , demands apology — but he is @ @ @ @ @ will not apologize , whatever consequence there may be '

Last month, on the anniversary of 1989's Tiananmen Square massacre in communist China, Austin Tong posted an Instagram photo of him holding his AR-15 with the accompanying phrase "don't tread on me."
Image source: YouTube screenshot
It seemed a more than fitting gesture. After all, Tong was born in China and moved to the United States with his family 15 years ago to experience freedom and democracy — the same freedom and democracy that students in his home country tried to attain before its totalitarian regime cracked down on them.
But we're living in 2020 — the Year of Cancel Culture. And America is not the same country it was when Tong moved here.
And while Tong is now a college student himself, neither his fellow students nor his school — Fordham University — appreciated his exercise of free speech.
What happened?
Tong told the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action that he received big-time backlash from fellow students over his post displaying his legally purchased firearm and got calls for expulsion and even death threats.
Then Fordham Safety officers actually showed up at his house a few hours after his post hit Instagram.
"[I] received a call from the officers saying they were a few minutes away and wanted to talk," Tong told the NRA. "I looked out my door and saw them standing outside my home. One came in and one stayed with the car. It was basically about 20 minutes of questions about the firearm, why I posted the pictures, and what I was trying to say."
Then Fordham's administration threw the book at Tong for his post, charging him with "Bias and/or Hate Crimes" and "threats/intimidation," according to a disciplinary letter from the school.
His penalties? First off, disciplinary probation through remainder of his college career — which Tong is scheduled to finish next May. He's also banned from campus and must complete his degree online. If Tong needs to venture on campus, he has to get permission beforehand.
Furthermore, by Aug. 10 he must complete activities related to learning about "implicit bias" which involve "required reading" as well as a meeting with Office for Multicultural Affairs.
Oh, and Tong also is supposed to pen an apology letter. That was due Thursday.
But Tong isn't playing Fordham's game.
How is Tong responding?
"I will not apologize," he told the Washington Free Beacon. "I did nothing wrong, and they did everything wrong. [Fordham is] a total disgrace. I will not apologize, whatever consequence there may be."
Tong added to the NRA that he "was shocked, appalled, and disappointed. But I didn't do anything wrong, and that's why, if they carry through with their threats, we're going to sue."
Tong's lawyer Brett Josphe is preparing a suit against Fordham that may be filed in the coming weeks, the paper said.
"For a mere $50,000 a year in tuition, Fordham has smeared our client's reputation and permanently damaged his career prospects," Josphe added to the Free Beacon. "This behavior by the school and its officials shocks the conscience, and there should be a heavy price to pay."
The NRA also came to Tong's defense, releasing a video describing his plight.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
Amy Hunter, spokeswoman for the gun-rights group, told the paper that Tong is a "victim of intolerance."
"Under no circumstances should he be attacked by gutless keyboard troopers or penalized by his university because of his support of the Second Amendment," she added to the Free Beacon. "It's absolutely shameful that anyone would condemn him for supporting the Bill of Rights. Fordham University owes Mr. Tong a full apology."
More from the paper:
Tong said the university's actions appear hypocritical in light of recent violent protests in New York City. He said Fordham has not condemned or taken any action against students who've harassed and harmed police officers. The university has remained silent about alum Urooj Rahman, who faces federal charges after being caught on camera torching a police vehicle.
"[Fordham] is very hypocritical, and they don't denounce anything that [leftist] students do," Tong added to the Free Beacon. "One [Fordham graduate] threw a molotov cocktail out of a car. You have students supporting hurting police and hurting businesses, and Fordham turned a blind eye."
But Tong also told the paper that "thousands of people across the world ... have reached out to me, and they have all sorts of backgrounds and stories about how they were silenced, how they were bullied, how their university silenced them. When I saw that, I felt something within me."


theblaze--2020-07-28--Nick Sandmann's lawyer warns Brian Stelter that his tweet about the CNN lawsuit may cost him his job

Nick Sandmann 's lawyer warns Brian Stelter that his tweet about the CNN lawsuit may cost him his job He @ @ @ @ @ , too

The attorney representing Nick Sandmann warned Brian Stelter of CNN that a retweet from his social media account might cost him his job because it violates a confidentiality agreement about their lawsuit.
Lin Wood, Sandmann's lead attorney, tweeted a screenshot of the offending missive from CNN's media correspondent from his own account on Monday.
"This retweet by @brianstelter may have cost him his job at @CNN. It is called breach of confidentiality agreement," Wood said.
"Brian Stelter is a liar. I know how to deal with liars," he added.
The retweet was of an exhortation by attorney Mark S. Zaid against speculation about the settlement of a lawsuit by Nick Sandmann, the Covington Catholic High School student from Kentucky.
"Those with zero legal experience (as far as I can tell) should not be conjecturing on lawsuits they know nothing about. What kind of journalism is that?" asked Zaid.
"I've litigated defamation cases. Sandman [sic] was undoubtedly paid nuisance value settlement & nothing more," he conjectured.
Wood implied that Stelter was breaking the confidentiality agreement by retweeting an opinion about the probable outcome of the lawsuit against CNN.
He went on to accuse others at CNN of committing the same error, including CNN analyst Asha Rangappa who speculated that Sandmann received "$25K to go away."
Sandmann also weighed in on the tweet and chastised Stelter.
"I can't decide if it's worse to be Brian Stelter or believe Brian Stelter," tweeted Sandmann.
"He was never in any court hearing or meeting I was," he added. "So why does he act like he knows anything?"
Sandmann sued over the unfair coverage of a viral video of his confrontation with Native American elder and activist Nathan Phillips during the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. in January 2019. He settled a $275 million lawsuit against CNN a year later, and settled his $250 million lawsuit against the Washington Post on Friday.
Wood also said in a previous tweet that he had agreed to represent former Trump campaign aide Carter Page against Yahoo News and the Huffington Post for falsely accusing him of being a traitor and trying to "ruin" him.
Here's an interview with Wood about the lawsuit:


theblaze--2020-07-28--Trump administration sending more federal officers to protect Portland courthouse from rioters

Trump administration sending more federal officers to protect Portland courthouse from rioters Violent protests continue to rage in the city

The Trump administration has taken action to send more federal agents to Portland, Oregon, to protect a federal courthouse targeted by rioters as violent protests continue to rock the city.
What are the details?
The Washington Post reported Monday that internal emails from the U.S. Marshals Service last week revealed plans for an additional 100 deputy U.S. Marshals being deployed to Portland to assist and relieve existing federal agents guarding the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, which has been the target of the nightly attacks.
Drew Wade, a spokesman for the Marshals Service told the outlet in a statement, "The agency took steps to identify up to 100 personnel to send to the District of Oregon in case they were needed to relieve or supplement deputies permanently stationed in the district."
Wade added, "They may also be used to rotate with personnel already sent there to support district operations during the civil unrest mission to insure the function and safety of judicial proceedings."
The Post also reported that the Department of Homeland Security is also considering sending another 50 U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to Portland to assist, but no final plans have been solidified.
News of the reinforcement comes after an Associated Press reporter gave his account of what it was like being barricaded inside the federal courthouse as it fell under attack by protesters, among reports that numerous U.S. Marshals standing guard have been injured in attacks from rioters.
The Oregonian reported that Sunday marked the 60th night of protests in Portland in reaction to the death of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police officers in late May.
What about the lawsuit?
Also on Monday, members of three groups representing protesters sued the Trump administration "over its use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other aggressive means in response to protests in Portland," The Hill reported.
Black Lives Matter joined groups Wall of Moms and Don't Shoot Portland in filing a nine-count complaint in federal court in Washington, D.C., accusing the Trump administration of violating protesters' First Amendment rights by sending federal agents to intervene in the ongoing demonstrations.
The lawsuit was filed by left-leaning group Protect Democracy, who wrote on Twitter that it was seeking to "stop the @realDonaldTrump administration's unlawful invasion of Portland."
What did the president say?
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday, "Anarchists, Agitators or Protestors who vandalize or damage our Federal Courthouse in Portland, or any Federal Buildings in any of our Cities or States, will be prosecuted under our recently re-enacted Statues and Monuments Acts. MINIMUM TEN YEARS IN PRISON. Don't do it!"


theblaze--2020-07-28--BOMBSHELL: Leaked documents reveal Seattle City Council's plan to abolish FAR MORE than the police

BOMBSHELL : Leaked documents reveal Seattle City Council 's plan to abolish FAR MORE than the police The 'white supremacist @ @ @ @ @

On the heels of the Seattle City Council's vehement support for cutting the police department by 50%, the council's next plan is to abolish prisons, municipal courts, and ultimately the entire criminal justice system, according to several documents leaked from the King County Executive's Office in Seattle.
The documents, which read like a critical race theory paper or a far-left diversity training pamphlet, detail a plan that has apparently been years in the making. They argue America's criminal justice system is a "white supremacist institution" that must be dismantled entirely.
Christopher Rufo, editor for City Journal and director of the Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, joined Glenn Beck on the radio program Monday to reveal exactly how and why city leaders plan to abolish the foundational institutions responsible for catching and prosecuting crime, including police departments, jails, prisons, and court systems.
"This is a document that comes from the King County's executive office, and it really provides the theoretical basis for the executive's plan to completely and permanently shut down the largest jail, with no plans to replace it," Rufo said of the first document. "It has a kind of chart and a pyramid that says that ... the things that are foundational to the justice system in Seattle, and in the United States, is white racism, white supremacy, white fragility, and a whole lot of other theories with the kind of the buzzwords that have been circulating lately."
The documents go on to claim that crimes committed by "People of Color" are not the fault of the criminal, but the fault of society — specifically white society.
"The logic is, well, if you have a racist society, that in essence forces people, especially people of color, to commit crimes. If you abolish the institutions of the carceral system, if you abolish the jails, if you abolish the police, and the municipal courts, those people will stop offending because their oppression has been lifted," Rufo explained.
"I mean, it's absurd! It doesn't work in practice at all. And it gets the causality so skewed it's hard to even understand on logical grounds. But this is the kind of pseudo-scientific, pseudo-academic nonsense that is driving the decision making at the highest levels of government in Seattle, in Portland, in New York, and elsewhere. It's really shocking because they're really boiling down a very complex social problem, crime, to just, 'white people are evil and they set up these evil institutions that force people to do wrong.' And their solution is not reform at this point. For many years, it was about criminal justice reform. They've moved well beyond that, in very rapid succession, to do criminal justice abolition."
View the source documents here and here.
Watch the video below for more details:
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theblaze--2020-07-28--Liberals lash out at Joe Biden after VP search committee member raises complaint against favorite Ka

Liberals lash out at Joe Biden after VP search committee member raises complaint against favorite Kamala Harris The report of @ @ @ @ @ hopes in doubt

Liberals and other critics of President Donald Trump lashed out at the presumptive Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, and his campaign after a report claimed that a member of his vice presidential search committee issued a complaint against Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).
Former Sen. Chris Dodd complained that Harris was too dismissive when she was questioned about the attacks she made on Biden during the Democratic presidential debates, according to a Politico report.
"She laughed and said, 'that's politics.' She had no remorse," Dodd reportedly said to a Biden donor who spoke to Politico.
"Dodd felt it was a gimmick, that it was cheap," the donor added.
A derailed campaign for VP
Harris, 55, has been widely considered a favorite among the pool of Democrat politicians who are being vetted as a potential vice presidential choice. Dodd's comments cast a shadow of doubt over Harris, and swings the focus onto Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.).
Numerous liberals and other critics of Trump pounced on the report to strike at the Biden campaign. Some accused the vice presidential search committee of misogyny and racism.
"Hey @SenChrisDodd. This is the kind of crappy behavior this process doesnt need. Shut up," responded Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen.
"Who's repeatedly leaking the idea that it can't be Kamala Harris because she's so strong and came for Biden in a debate. Clue: All of the VP contenders are strong," tweeted activist Sarah Reese Jones.
"This is exactly what Biden should be looking for, point woman to attack Trump," she added.
"Sen. Kamala Harris is an elected official. Her responsibility is to those she serves. If you have no problem with men in positions of power asserting themselves and standing tall but somehow find fault in that for women, it sounds like you got some growing up to do," tweeted transgender activist Charlotte Clymer.
"Why the hell would @JoeBiden put Chris Dodd - a 76 year-old lobbyist and embodiment of white establishment, who while in Congress had quite the scandalous reputation- in charge of vetting and leaking about a group of incredibly talented women???" demanded Trump critic Ana Navarro.
Others turned their ire toward the Politico article itself and implied the entire premise of the report was based on racism.
"Extraordinary to string together anonymous quotes, with a framing condemnation by a discredited white man to basically pit one black woman against another. This is trash," responded Patrick Gaspard, the president of the George Soros funded Open Society Foundation.
Here's more about Harris' campaign for VP: