The Commentariat -- June 9, 2020
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
** Simone Pathe & Alex Rogers of CNN: "Five states vote on Tuesday -- Georgia, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina and West Virginia. Georgia and West Virginia moved their primaries from earlier this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic." ~~~
~~~ Astead Herndon & Stephanie Saul of the New York Times: "Georgia election officials, poll workers and voters reported major trouble with voting in Atlanta and elsewhere on Tuesday as the state's primaries got underway, most critically a series of problems with new voting machines that forced many people across the state to wait in long lines and cast provisional ballots. [Atlanta] Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said on Twitter that voting machines were not working in many parts of the city. Poll workers in several locations were having difficulty operating the machines, which were new models. 'If you are in line, PLEASE do not allow your vote to be suppressed,' Ms. Bottoms wrote. 'PLEASE stay in line.'... Voting is a deeply felt and politically intense issue in Georgia because of its long history of disenfranchising black voters. The [2018] governor's race was marred by accusations of voter suppression, particularly of African-American and other minority voters, which [then-secretary of state in charge of elections, now governor (surprise!) Brian] Kemp [R] denied. This year's elections are bringing a new spotlight to Georgia, which has two competitive Senate races and for the first time in a generation is expected to be a presidential battleground."
The Washington Post's live updates of protest developments Tuesday are here. @9:30 am ET:"The National Park Service will remove most of the tall metal fencing surrounding Lafayette Square by Wednesday, the agency said.... Protesters have converted the fencing to a crowdsourced memorial wall, filled with posters, names and paintings of black men and women who died during encounters with police. A National Park Service spokeswoman did not immediately respond Tuesday to a question about what would happen to the artwork when the fence comes down." Mrs. McC: Say, maybe the Park Service could put a display of the posters in the Trump "Presidential* Library" so there will be some written material there besides the Articles of Impeachment.
** Donald Trump, Russian Troll. Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday shared an unfounded conspiracy theory that an incident in which an elderly man was pushed to the ground by police in Buffalo, N.Y., during a protest ... could be a 'set up.' The president cited right-wing One America News Network (OANN) in making the incendiary claim, which comes amid a national debate over police brutality. 'Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment,' Trump tweeted, appearing to refer to a report on OANN. 'I watched, he fell harder than was pushed,' the president added. 'Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?'" Mrs. McC: According to John Harwood, speaking on CNN, the "reporter" on the OANN story is a former "reporter" for Sputnik, a Russian propaganda outlet. It should go without saying that it is outrageous that any president, even this one*, would make an unfounded accusation against an ordinary citizen -- especially an eldely person hospitalized because of police brutality. ~~~
~~~ Ben Collins of NBC News: "Trump's claims appeared to have been ripped from a conspiracy theory that aired Tuesday morning on One America News Network, a far-right cable news channel. The theory was originally posted to an anonymous conservative blog.... [Kristian] Rouz claimed [on OANN] that 'newly released video' showed [victim Martin] Gugino 'using a police tracker on his phone.' The video is not newly released, but merely slowed down and does not show Gugino using a 'police tracker.' Rouz calls it an 'old trick used by antifa,' without providing evidence or other examples. Trump and many of his supporters have claimed with little evidence that antifa has been executing plans to cause unrest and spark violence during recent protests.... Rouz, who previously worked for the Russian state media organization Sputnik, has a record of pushing baseless conspiracy theories on OANN." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Gugino has an attorney. I hope he sues the Buffalo police department for his injuries AND Donald Trump personally for defamation of character. Trump should have to pay hard, cold cash for at least a little of his abusive behavior.
New York. That's Why They Wear Badges, Bill Barr. Ashley Southall of the New York Times: "A New York City police officer surrendered to face criminal charges on Tuesday, 11 days after he was recorded on video shoving a woman to the ground and cursing at her during a protest against police brutality, law enforcement officials said. The Brooklyn distric attorney's office charged the officer, Vincent D'Andraia, in a criminal complaint with misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, harassment and menacing over the May 29 incident, according to a statement."
Virginia. Laura Vozzella & Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "A Richmond judge on Monday temporarily blocked Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam from removing a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the Monument Avenue traffic circle where it has stood for 130 years. Richmond Circuit Court Judge Bradley B. Cavedo granted a 10-day injunction sought by William C. Gregory, who contends in a lawsuit that the state promised to 'affectionately protect' the statue when it annexed the land it stands on from Henrico County. The suit identifies Gregory as a great-grandson of a couple who were signatories to the deed. Northam (D) announced plans to remove the monument and put it in storage last week amid protests in Richmond and across the country...." Mrs. McC: Seems to me packing that statue away in a dark place is a fine way to "affectionately protect" it.
Trump's Slaughterhouse Alaska. Darryl Fears of the Washington Post: "Hunters will soon be allowed to venture into national preserves in Alaska and engage in practices that conservation groups say are reprehensible: baiting hibernating bears from their dens with doughnuts to kill them and using artificial light such as headlamps to scurry into wolf dens to slaughter mothers and their pups. With a final rule published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the Trump administration is ending a five-year-old ban on the practices, which also include shooting swimming caribou from a boat and targeting animals from airplanes and snowmobiles. It will take effect in 30 days." ~~~
~~~ Junior Bagged an Endangered Sheep & I Didn't Even Get a Lamb Chop. Mary Papenfuss of the Huffington Post: "Donald Trump Jr.'s trip last summer to Mongolia to kill an endangered sheep cost American taxpayers nearly $77,000 in Secret Service costs alone, watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported Monday. The Secret Service provided documents in March revealing that the agency's cost for Trump's trip to bag a rare argali sheep was more than $17,000. But after additional Freedom of Information Act requests, officials turned over other documents that disclosed an additional $60,000 in spending. Trump Jr.'s eight-day trip was highly controversial, not only for the killing of the sheep, but because of his secretive meeting with Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga. Trump appeared to have hunted with a major Republican donor...."
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The New York Times' live updates of protest developments Monday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Heather Caygle, et al., of Politico: "Top Democrats unveiled a major police reform bill Monday morning in an effort to galvanize public pressure into legislative action as protesters nationwide demand racial justice after the killing of George Floyd. The bill would make dramatic changes to police policy across the country and undo decades-old laws that Democrats and activists say has led to the deaths of black men and women at the hands of police officers.... House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he plans to call the House back as soon as the bill is ready for a vote, likely before the end of June. But, Hoyer added, he's not as confident the Senate will pass the legislation given how the chamber has struggled in recent days to pass a bipartisan bill making lynching a federal crime." (Also linked yesterday.) A Washington Post story is here.
Sarah Ferris, et al., of Politico: "Top Democrats are carefully -- but forcefully -- speaking out against growing calls from activists to defund police departments, an idea backed by prominent progressives to dismantle the system that has perpetuated the type of brutality seen in Floyd's death in Minneapolis.... With the GOP eagerly drawing up its attack ads, senior Democrats are hoping to stifle momentum for the idea before it overshadows their broader reform effort."
Bart Jansen of USA Today: "Joe Biden ... met privately Monday for more than an hour with the family of George Floyd, whose death in police custody led to nationwide protests. Biden met with Floyd's uncle, Roger Floyd; the family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump; Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., and others, according to Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist who led a memorial last week in Minneapolis. Crump said Biden spent more than an hour with Floyd's family, listening to their concerns. 'Listening to one another is what will begin to heal America,' Crump said in a tweet. 'He listened, heard their pain, and shared in their woe. That compassion meant the world to this grieving family.'"
Christy Lopez in a Washington Post opinion piece:"'Defunding the police' is not as scary (or even as radical) as it sounds.... To fix policing, we must first recognize how much we have come to over-rely on law enforcement.... It is clear that we must reimagine the role they play in public safety.... For most proponents, 'defunding the police' ... means shrinking the scope of police responsibilities and shifting most of what government does to keep us safe to entities that are better equipped to meet that need." ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Martin, et al., of the New York Times: "... Joseph R. Biden Jr. staked out a careful position on Monday in support of a law enforcement overhaul but not defunding police departments, rebutting a new Republican attack line as he tries to harness growing activism against systemic racism while not alienating protesters or more moderate voters. In the face of continuing protest marches calling to 'defund the police' nationwide in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing, Mr. Biden's campaign said in a statement that he 'hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change' and that he 'supports the urgent need for reform.' But a campaign spokesman, Andrew Bates, said flatly that Mr. Biden was opposed to cutting police funding and believed more spending was necessary to help improve law enforcement and community policing." ~~~
~~~ Michael Kranish of the Washington Post reviews Joe Biden's long history of working alongside police organizations and reps to write bills related to policing, including the landmark 1994 crime bill that put 100,000 more cops on the streets & an untold number of minorities in jail. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Silly me. I was wrong to predict yesterday that Trump would tell us there were very fine people on both sides. Turns out, all the very fine people are on one side, and they're heavily armed: ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump on Monday flatly denied that systemic problems existed in American police departments, declaring that as many as 99.9 percent of the nation's officers are 'great, great people' as he rebuffed mass street protests denouncing racist behavior in law enforcement. Mr. Trump, who has adopted an uncompromising law-and-order posture and scorned demonstrations that have broken out in cities nationwide, surrounded himself with law enforcement officials at the White House and tried to link liberals' calls to defund the police to ... Joseph R. Biden Jr. -- even though Mr. Biden came out earlier against defunding the police."
Man in a Chain-link Cage. Jordyn Phelps & Ben Gittleson of ABC News: "One week after federal law enforcement forcibly pushed back peaceful protesters so ... Donald Trump could hold a photo op at a church near the White House, a fence erected to put greater distance between the president and Americans demonstrating in support of racial justice was transformed into a makeshift memorial for black people killed by police officers. Banners, messages of protest, and street art cover the fence, largely obstructing the view of the White House beyond. Inside the heavily-fortified White House, now surrounded by more than a mile of extra fencing, is an increasingly isolated president.... He has made no effort to empathize with the protesters and has instead sought to emphasize the instances of violence and destruction with angry tweets blasting 'arsonists, looters, criminals, and anarchists.'"
~~~ Dalton Bennett, et al., of the Washington Post: "At about 6:30 p.m. [on June 1], just north of the White House, federal police in riot gear fired gas canisters and used grenades containing rubber pellets to scatter largely peaceful demonstrators. Their actions cleared the way for the president, surrounded by the nation's top law enforcement and military leaders, to walk to the historic St. John's Church for a three-minute photo op.Drawing on footage captured from dozens of cameras, as well as police radio communications and other records, The Washington Post reconstructed the events of this latest remarkable hour of Trump' presidency, including of the roles of the agencies involved and the tactics and weaponry they used." ~~~
~~~ Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story goes to Twitter to collect suggested names for Trump's new cage: Tinyman Square, the Assholamo, Alcatrash, Fort Bone Spurs, Inferiority Complex, Chicken Coup, Shitmo.
Oh, Noes! Bill Barr Didn't Get the Official Bunker-Boy Tweet. Maegan Vazquez of CNN: "Attorney General William Barr said Monday that the US Secret Service recommended moving ... Donald Trump to the underground White House bunker during late May protests, contradicting the President's earlier assertion that his visit to the bunker was for 'inspection.' Barr told Fox News that the June 1 action to expand the perimeter around the White House and Lafayette Square was a reaction 'to three days of extremely violent demonstrations right across from the White House -- a lot of injuries to police officers, arson.... Things were so bad that the Secret Service recommended that the President go down to the bunker,' Barr said, referencing protests on May 29. 'We can't have that in our country....'"
Lara Seligman of Politico: "Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy is now 'open' to renaming the service's 10 bases and facilities that are named after Confederate leaders, an Army spokesperson told Politico, in a reversal of the service's previous position. Defense Secretary Mark Esper also supports the discussion, the spokesperson said.... The events of the past two weeks 'made us start looking more at ourselves and the things that we do and how that is communicated to the force as well as the American public,' the official said. As recently as February, the Army said the service had no plans to rename the facilities, following the Marine Corps' announcement that it would ban images of Confederate flags from its installations."
The Cops Keep Killing People. Mark Berman, et al., of the Washington Post: "Protests against the use of deadly force by police swept across the country in 2015.... That year, The Washington Post began tallying how many people were shot and killed by police. By the end of 2015, officers had fatally shot nearly 1,000 people, twice as many as ever documented in one year by the federal government.... Since 2015, police have shot and killed 5,400 people.... The number killed has remained steady despite fluctuating crime rates, changeovers in big-city police leadership and a nationwide push for criminal justice reform.... Even amid the coronavirus pandemic and orders that kept millions at home for weeks, police shot and killed 463 people through the first week of June -- 49 more than the same period in 2019. In May, police shot and killed 110 people, the most in any one month since The Post began tracking it.The year over year consistency has confounded those who have spent decades studying the issue." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: A young advocate just pointed out on CNN that the federal government keeps records of the number of people killed annually by jellyfish -- but not by police.
Minnesota. Erin Donaghue of CBS News: "Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, had his first court appearance Monday. A judge set an unconditional bail at $1.25 million or $1 million with conditions.... Chauvin, 44, appeared in Hennepin County court via a video feed Monday afternoon from the state's maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights, wearing an orange jumpsuit and a face mask, with his hands cuffed." ~~~
~~~ Paul Walsh of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Two law enforcement agencies acknowledged Monday that officers patrolling Minneapolis during the height of recent protests knifed the tires of numerous vehicles parked and unoccupied in at least two locations in the midst of the unrest. Video and photo images posted on the news outlet Mother Jones show officers in military-style uniforms puncturing tires in the Kmart parking lot at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue on May 30. Images from S. Washington Avenue at Interstate 35W, also showed officers with knives deflating the tires of two unoccupied cars with repeated jabs on May 31. Department of Public Safety spokesman Bruce Gordon confirmed that tires were cut in 'a few locations.' 'State Patrol troopers strategically deflated tires ... in order to stop behaviors such as vehicles driving dangerously and at high speeds in and around protesters and law enforcement,' Gordon said.... Deputies from Anoka County followed state orders and joined the patrol and also cut the tires on vehicles on Washington Avenue, said Anoka County Sheriff's Lt. Andy Knotz." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Right. Because a car parked in a K-Mart is so likely to begin "driving dangerously at high speeds," especially if it's owned by an L.A. TV producer, as was one of the vehicles. And, please, don't just "deflate" the tires, as you-all claimed to do. Slash 'em. ~~~
~~~ Mike Bunge of KIMT Rochester, Minnesota: "A federal charge has been filed against a St. Paul man for the burning down of the Third Police Precinct in Minneapolis. United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald says Branden Michael Wolfe, 23, is accused of aiding and abetting arson. He is scheduled to make his initial appears in U.S. District Court Tuesday. The Third Precinct was overrun during protests on May 28 and heavily damaged due to vandalism and arson, with investigators identifying multiple fires being started in the building. On June 3, St. Paul police officers were called to a home improvement store in St. Paul about an individual, later identified as Wolfe, wearing body armor and a law enforcement duty belt and carrying a baton was trying to get into the store. Store employees said Wolfe had been working as a security guard at the store but was fired earlier that day over social media posts about stealing items from the Third Precinct. Police arrested Wolfe and say they found him wearing multiple items stolen from the Third Precinct.... Law enforcement says it recovered items belonging to the Minneapolis Police Department, including a riot helmet, 9mm pistol magazine, police radio, and police issue overdose kit, from Wolfe's apartment."
New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní, et al., of the New York Times: "... New York legislative leaders on Monday vowed to approve an expansive package of bills targeting police misconduct, defying longstanding opposition from law enforcement groups, including police unions. The measures range from a ban on the use of chokeholds to the repeal of an obscure decades-old statute that has effectively hidden the disciplinary records of police officers from public view, making it virtually impossible for victims to know whether a particular officer has a history of abuse. The legislation would mark one of the most substantial policy changes to result from the nearly two weeks of national unrest that followed George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, including in New York City, where tens of thousands of protesters participated in mostly peaceful marches to demand more police accountability.... Many of the policy changes being voted on this week languished for years because of opposition from influential police and corrections unions that contribute generously to the campaigns of elected officials -- a tactic that had great effect in the State Senate, which has traditionally been under Republican control."
Virginia. Gabrielle Harmon of WTVR Richmond: "The Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney said a hate crime investigation was underway against the self-proclaimed president of the Virginia KKK. Harry Rogers appeared in Henrico Court Monday morning where he agreed to receive a court-appointed attorney. Rogers, 36, of Hanover, was formally charged with attempted malicious wounding (felony), destruction of property (felony), and assault and battery (misdemeanor) after police said he drove his pickup truck into a group of protesters Sunday in Lakeside.... No one was seriously injured physically." (Also linked yesterday.) A Guardian story is here.
Washington State. Linda Givetash of NBC News: "A man drove into a Seattle crowd protesting the death in police custody of George Floyd before shooting one of the demonstrators on Sunday, police said. The suspect was detained and the 27-year-old man who was shot in the arm was taken to hospital by firefighters, police said in a tweet. Officials did not name the shooter or the victim.... Video shared on Twitter by a bystander at the incident showed a man emerging from a vehicle that appeared to have struck a barricade at an intersection. The driver appeared to be carrying a gun in one hand as he ran into the crowd. The sound of what appeared to be gunshots could be heard on video of the incident from the scene." (Also linked yesterday.)
France. AFP: "France will ban the controversial chokehold used to detain suspects after the death in custody of George Floyd in the US intensified anger at the conduct of French police. Floyd's fatal arrest magnified attention on the 2016 death in French police custody of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black man, and renewed controversy over claims of racism and brutality within the force.... Media outlets last week published the contents of a private Facebook group on which French police members repeatedly used racist and sexist terms and mocked victims of police brutality." --s
Kim Bellware & Jacqueline Dupree of the Washington Post: "Since the start of June, 14 states and Puerto Rico have recorded their highest-ever seven-day average of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, according to data tracked by The Washington Post: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.... The increase of coronavirus cases in counties with fewer than 60,000 people is part of the trend of new infections surging across the rural United States. Health experts worry those areas, already short of resources before the pandemic, will struggle to track new cases with the infrastructure that remains. Adding to the disparity in health-care support, residents in states such as Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina are living under only minor-to-moderate restrictions -- even as their average daily infection rate is rising. The past two weeks of protests against police brutality will be yet another variable in how the virus spreads in the country." Free to nonsubscribers.
Elections 2020
Trump to Hold Coronavirus Rallies. Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "Donald Trump is planning to restart rallies in the next two weeks in a major turning point for the president since the coronavirus shut down traditional campaigning. Trump's advisers are still determining where the rallies will take place and what safety measures will be implemented.... While Trump is likely to face blowback for resuming in-person events while the coronavirus pandemic is still ravaging the country, his advisers contend that the recent massive protests in metropolitan areas will make it harder for liberals to criticize him. Trump hasn't held a rally since March, though in recent weeks he has used ostensibly official events to visit swing states."
Polls don't mean too much at this point, BUT this is ~~~
~~~ Bad News for Bozo. Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump's overall job approval rating dropped 7 percentage points over the past month, according to a survey released Monday that also shows him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden by 14 points ahead of the general election in November. The CNN poll showed that 38 percent of respondents said they approve of the 'way Donald Trump is handling his job as president,' and a majority -- 57 percent -- indicated that they disapprove." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ What's the Matter with Men? Chuck Todd, et al., of NBC News: "Overall, our poll shows ... Joe Biden leading Trump by 7 points among registered voters, 49 percent to 42 percent, which is unchanged from April.... Biden is ahead of Trump by 21 points (!!!) among women, 56 percent to 35 percent. That's compared with Hillary Clinton's 13-point advantage with women, per the 2016 exit poll. And Trump is up among men by 8 points, 50 percent to 42 percent -- it was 11 points in the 2016 exit poll." (Also linked yesterday.)
Lachlan Markay & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: The Trump campaign is running Trump-for-prez ads in the Democrat-heavy Washington, D.C., market on channels Trump watches, not to persuade voters, but to appease Trump. "In recent weeks, Trump has grown visibly distraught at his prospects for re-election...."
Courting Disaster. Aaron Holmes of Business Insider: "Researchers at the University of Michigan and MIT found that an online voting platform already being used in some states has serious vulnerabilities, which could be exploited to alter votes without voters or elections officials noticing. The platform is OmniBallot, created by Seattle-based Democracy Live. It was used for statewide primaries in Delaware and West Virginia, and has also been used by various localities in New Jersey, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, and Ohio, according to The New York Times.... Bad actors could compromise OmniBallot's vote tallies by gaining access to Democracy Live's servers or one of its third-party web service providers, including Amazon or Google, the researchers found. Such an attack could also be carried out by an insider working for Democracy Live.... 'At worst, attackers could change election outcomes without detection, and even if there was no attack, officials would have no way to prove that the results were accurate,' wrote the two researchers[.]" --s Business Insider is now firewalled but allows limited nonsubscriber access.
AND Man of God (well, some god) Jerry Falwell, Jr., is surprised to find out some stu
dents & staff at Liberty University were offended by his racist tweet (Washington Post link) depicting a man in a Ku Klux Klan outfit & another in blackface. After two weeks & a few staff resignations, Falwell defeated the tweet. Falwell said he meant only to diss Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam for requiring masks to limit the spread of Covid-19.(Northam seems to have been one of the men in the photo.) The New York Times has a story here.
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