The Commentariat -- June 15, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

** Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a landmark civil rights law protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination, handing the movement for L.G.B.T. equality a stunning victory. The vote was 6 to 3, with Justice Neil M. Gorsuch writing the majority opinion. He was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. The case concerned Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and sex. The question for the justices was whether that last prohibition -- discrimination 'because of sex' -- applies to many millions of gay and transgender workers. The decision, covering two cases, was the court's first on L.G.B.T. rights since the retirement in 2018 of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinions in all four of the court's major gay rights decisions." Politico's story is here. The decision and dissents are here. ~~~

~~~ Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up new cases for next term that gun rights groups claimed denied Second Amendment rights. The court did not accept a batch of nearly a dozen cases that gun groups had hoped the court, fortified with more conservative members, might consider. Among them were cases involving restrictions in Maryland and New Jersey to permits for carrying a handgun outside the home. The court earlier this term had dismissed a challenge from New York about transporting guns, and three justices objected, with the newest, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, adding that it seemed likely lower courts have been too quick to uphold state and local gun control measures." A Hill story is here. ~~~

~~~ Jeremy White of Politico: California's 'sanctuary' immigration enforcement law will not go before the U.S. Supreme Court, handing California a capstone victory in an ongoing clash with the federal government. The high court on Monday turned down the Justice Department's request to review a federal appeals court decision that largely upheld three California laws. One of the laws passed soon after Donald Trump became president, Senate Bill 54, partitions local law enforcement from federal immigration authorities, protecting arrested immigrants and low-level offenders from deportation. The federal government asked the Supreme Court to review SB 54. The court announced Monday that it declined that review, though Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have heard the case. Trump and allies have lambasted California's sanctuary law as an example of what they called Democratic lawlessness on immigration, but it has withstood federal attacks. In addition to rejecting the administration's argument that California was preempted by federal law, judges have turned back a Trump administration effort to withhold law enforcement funding from 'sanctuary' jurisdictions." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I'll bet when Sam Alito goes for a spin in town, he makes three right turns to avoid taking a left. And poor Clarence had to quit driving decades ago because he kept having panic attacks every time he had to merge onto the Beltway. Ginny thought it was the speedy traffic that frightened him, but turns out it was making a left-turn signal.

Ooh, Everybody's Picking on Donnie. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump on Monday accused the news media of attempting to 'shame' his reelection campaign over plans to hold a rally during the coronavirus pandemic.... 'The Far Left Fake News Media, which had no Covid problem with the Rioters & Looters destroying Democrat run cities, is trying to Covid Shame us on our big Rallies. Won't work!' Trump tweeted, suggesting the coverage of the protests had not pointed out risks of the demonstrations possibly leading to a spread of the coronavirus." ~~~

~~~ Uh-oh. Looks as if the "shaming" had some effect: ~~~

~~~ Brett Samuels of the Hill: "Attendees at President Trump's rally in Oklahoma on Saturday will be given temperature checks, masks and hand sanitizer before entering the arena, the campaign said Monday, the first indication that there will be any precautions taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeted the checklist, boasting that there had been more than 1 million requests for tickets for the Tulsa rally. The BOK Center, which will host the rally, holds roughly 19,000 people."

Politico: "The Food and Drug Administration has withdrawn emergency use authorizations for two controversial coronavirus treatments promoted by ... Donald Trump, amid concerns about their safety and effectiveness." An NBC News story is here. The New York Times live updates for Monday, linked below, now includes an item covering the FDA's decision.

Our economy is doing fantastically. Numbers are coming out very well. The consumer in the United States is unbelievably strong, stronger than ever before, I believe. -- Donald Trump to Sean Hannity, March 4 ~~~

~~~ Lachlan Markay of the Daily Beast: "As the novel coronavirus began to tank the stock market in early March..., Donald Trump went on Fox News to assure the country that the economy remained strong. That same day, Trump's chief of staff unloaded hundreds of thousands of dollars in publicly traded securities. Mick Mulvaney, then the acting White House chief of staff and the director of the Office of Management and Budget, sold between $215,000 and $550,000 in holdings in three mutual funds on March 4, according to ethics paperwork he submitted late last month. Holdings in each of the three funds are made up almost entirely of U.S. stocks. The trades, which represented the vast majority of Mulvaney's holdings in publicly traded funds, suggested a less sanguine view on America's financial outlook than Mulvaney's boss and colleagues were projecting at the time."

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Monday are here. "Leading infectious disease experts in the United States are warning that the coronavirus will be making life difficult for the foreseeable future. And as strict social distancing wanes, some leaders in New York and Texas are threatening renewed lockdowns in an effort to get people to take the persistent threat of the virus seriously.... The new rise in cases in some states comes as the Trump administration announced that it did not plan to back the extension of expanded unemployment insurance benefits beyond the end of July, citing concerns that workers are opting to take the generous benefits instead of going back to their jobs. Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, said on Sunday that the White House would support new incentives to bring people back to work rather than push to renew the additional $600 in weekly jobless benefits when it expires at the end of next month." ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here.

Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump faced new questions about his health on Sunday, after videos emerged of him gingerly walking down a ramp at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and having trouble bringing a glass of water to his mouth during a speech there. Mr. Trump -- who turned 74 on Sunday, the oldest a U.S. president has been in his first term -- was recorded hesitantly descending the ramp one step at a time after he delivered an address to graduating cadets at the New York-based academy on Saturday.... Another video circulated of Mr. Trump taking a sip of water from a glass tucked inside his lectern on the dais at West Point. Mr. Trump held the glass with his right hand and brought it to his mouth, but appeared to momentarily have trouble lifting his arm farther. He used his left hand to push the bottom of the glass so that it reached his lips. Mr. Trump posted defensively on Twitter late Saturday night about the video circulating of his walk, and offered a description that did not match the visuals. 'The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery,' Mr. Trump wrote. 'The last thing I was going to do is "fall" for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!' There was no evidence that the ramp was slippery, and the skies were clear during the ceremony.... The president has frequently tried to raise questions about the health and mental fitness of his rivals, while growing indignant when his own is questioned." Thanks to Akhilleus for the lead. (Also linked yesterday afternoon. More on the sippy-cup problem linked yesterday.) A Slate story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: You will notice in the video that Trump leads with his left foot. In other words, he doesn't walk left-right-left-right; he walks left-left-left-left. This is what I do when my arthritis acts up & I descend stairs or a steep slope: I lead with my stronger leg. I do so more often now than I did four years ago. (Don't think I look at my feet, though, unless I'm descending uneven ground where foot placement matters.) At the end of his descent, Trump speeds up & sort of jumps off the ramp, which IMO is not particularly steep; he raises his elbows to balance himself as he steps off, which a normal walking person would not need to do on so mild a transition from slight slant to flat. He obviously is keeping secret his difficulty walking even from his advance staff, as they could have requested an even longer, even less steep ramp which Trump could have maneuvered without the best-foot-forward step. ~~~

~~~ "Photo-Oops." Jeff Greenfield in Politico Magazine: "The same man who ran for office by mocking the height and stamina of his rivals, who celebrates dominance as the cardinal virtue of leadership, whose 2016 campaign compiled similar slips by Hillary Clinton into a dark TV commercial accusing her of lacking the strength to serve as president, found himself looking like a longtime resident of Shady Grove Home For the Weary.... Yes, it may seem absurd to argue that in a time of pandemic, economic catastrophe, demands for racial justice, and a president often at war with the norms of a Constitutional republic, that a couple of video images should really preoccupy either the president or his critics. But Donald Trump has a native instinct for knowing what matters -- not what the pundits say, or what civics classes tell you, but what really sticks with people. And history says he's right to be concerned about this one." ~~~

~~~ Stephen Collinson of CNN: "Instead of addressing ... directly [matters of great concern to the country], Trump is grasping for made-for-TV moments designed to enhance his personal aura -- a device he has used to some effect in his presidency but that is now emphasizing his disconnect with many Americans and struggles to manage crises besieging the White House. The President's television producer's eye leads him to seek dramatic tableaus that create his preferred image of himself -- strong, defiant, tearing down establishment structures and trampling the normal etiquette of the presidency. In the most recent example on Saturday, Trump's attempt to wrap himself in the power and prestige of the military failed at a West Point graduation ceremony apparently put on for his benefit, when his creeping walk down a ramp triggered so much social media mockery that he felt the need to explain it...."

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The irony is perfect. Trump staged the speech as a campaign rally, forcing graduating cadets -- a/k/a TrumProps -- to self-quarantine for two weeks so the young men & women in uniform could appear at an event, the purpose of which was to make him look like a powerful military leader. And what came of this fakery were, not one, but two viral videos that pictured him as a doddering, elderly man who was losing control of basic motor skills.

Sunday in the Park with George. Michelle Boorstein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Black Lives Matter Plaza was transformed into a church Sunday morning, with thousands of mostly African American worshipers praying, protesting, kneeling and dancing near the White House after marching from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was one of the largest faith-based events in the 17 days of protests that have consumed the nation's capital since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis police custody in May, and it was the first big public event organized by black clergy. Organizers said that was because of extra caution in the African American community, which has been hit especially hard by the coronaviru pandemic.... The Trump administration forcibly removed protesters from the area near Lafayette Square on June 1, ahead of President Trump's photo opportunity at the historic St. John's Episcopal Church. On Sunday, that show of federal force was replaced with prayer." ~~~

This was not an operation to respond to that particular crowd. It was an operation to move the perimeter one block. -- Attorney General William Barr, last week

I never heard any plan, ever, that police or National Guard were going to push people out of Lafayette Square. -- Gen. Joseph Lengyel, National Guard Bureau chief & member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ~~~

~~~ First the Attack & Photo-op, Then the Cover-up. Aaron Davis, et al., of the Washington Post: "During the nearly two weeks since authorities charged at peaceful protesters to push them from D.C. streets -- about 30 minutes before President Trump walked through the area for a photo op -- his aides, the attorney general and federal law enforcement officials have sought to shield the president from political fallout with a simple defense: One scene, they say, had nothing to do with the other. The notion that the street-clearing offensive around Lafayette Square was already planned, and separate from Trump's decision to visit a nearby church, has emerged as the administration's central explanation for scenes of federal officers shoving protesters with shields and firing pepper balls, chemical grenades and smoke bombs at retreating crowds on June 1.... However, the accounts of more than a half-dozen officials from federal law enforcement, D.C. public safety agencies and the National Guard who were familiar with planning for protests outside the White House that day challenge that explanation."

Trump Stands with "Dead Racist Losers." Jake Tapper of CNN (remarks on "State of the Nation" Sunday: "It has been a rough period for President Trump and the military leaders with his former defense secretary, retired Marine General James Mattis, assailing him for dividing the country -- a sentiment given an 'Amen' by Trump's former chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly -- not to mention criticisms from Gen. Colin Powell, Adm. Bill McRaven, Gen. Martin Dempsey, Gen. John Allen, [and] Adm. Mike Mullen. The President and his supporters have had plenty of nasty things to say about these men who have served our country.... There is one group of generals, however, that the President is standing firm with, dead racist losers -- more specifically, the Confederate commanders after whom 10 Army bases are currently named.... Men who declared war upon the United States to fight for their right to own and rape and kill Black Americans.... These bases ... were named in the 20th century as a way of honoring the racist 'Lost Cause' that the generals fought." ~~~

~~~ Are the Agile Strongmen & -women of the NFL & U.S. Soccer Shivering in Their Cleats? Shrivathsa Sridhar of Reuters: "... Donald Trump has said he will not watch National Football League (NFL) or U.S. soccer team matches if players do not stand for the national anthem. The U.S. Soccer Federation last week said it had dropped its requirement that players stand during the anthem, saying the policy was wrong and detracted from the Black Lives Matter movement.... NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said this month that the league had made mistakes in not listening to players and denounced racism in the country amid protests over police brutality against black people."

Carol Lee, et al., of NBC News (June 12) on why Trump's view of protesters who oppose police brutality against racial minorities: "'These aren't my voters,' the president has said repeatedly, dismissing protesters in discussions with aides about how to respond over nearly three weeks of unrest, according to three people familiar with the comments. The president's approach to what's widely seen as a seminal moment for the country reflects his ambivalence about being anything other than a self-styled 'president of law and order' and his stubborn adherence to tactics he believes have served him well politically, advisers inside and outside the White House say." Mrs. McC: That is, Trump readily admits it's okay to discriminate against people whom he sees as belonging to voter blocs who are unlikely to vote for him.

Good Timing. Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast: "Donald Trump's niece, his deceased brother's daughter, is set to publish a tell-all book this summer that will detail 'harrowing and salacious' stories about the president, according to people with knowledge of the project. Mary Trump, 55, the daughter of Fred Trump Jr. and Fred Trump Sr.'s eldest grandchild, is scheduled to release Too Much And Never Enough on August 11th, just weeks before the Republican National Convention. One of the most explosive revelations Mary will detail in the book, according to people familiar with the matter, is how she played a critical role helping The New York Times print startling revelations about Trump's taxes, including how he was involved in 'fraudulent' tax schemes and had received more than $400 million in today's dollars from his father's real-estate empire. [A messy court challenge to Fred Sr.'s will] produced a treasure trove of confidential and highly sensitive Trump family financial documents, including Fred Trump Sr.'s tax returns, which almost two decades later would fall into the hands of The New York Times and form the basis for one of the most stunning pieces of journalism in recent years."

George Conway, in a Washington Post op-ed, runs down the various reasons John Bolton took the course he did in refusing to testify against Donald Trump at the same time he was writing a book, to be published shortly, in which he trashes Trump. Conway concludes this was Bolton's calculation, one that didn't work out: "He wanted to testify, but wanted to appear to be forced to do it. Perhaps he thought that, as a reluctant witness, he'd be less open to being caricatured as a disgruntled, discharged adviser, and his credibility would have been enhanced. So he insisted on a court order to appear before the House. When that didn't happen, Bolton began virtually begging to testify.... But Bolton made one fateful misjudgment. He overestimated the character, honor and patriotism of Senate Republicans. It would have taken just four, joining with Democrats, for the Senate to have issued a subpoena. But only two voted to hear Bolton testify.... For that miscalculation, both he and the nation ... have paid a great price." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Nobody ever went broke underestimating the character of Congressional Republicans. Apologies to H.L. Mencken.

Mary Ilyushina of CNN: "Former US marine Paul Whelan was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison, a Moscow court ruled Monday. Speaking from behind a glass screen ahead of the verdict, Whelan called the trial 'a sham' and called on ... Donald Trump as well as leaders of Ireland, the UK and Canada to 'end this.' Whelan -- who is also an Irish, British and Canadian citizen -- was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 by Russian authorities who alleged he was involved in an intelligence operation. He has been in Lefortovo prison in Moscow since and the trial was held behind closed doors." The Washington Post's story is here.

Elections 2020

You do have to wonder how Lindsey will vote in the presidential race: ~~~

Asawin Suebsaeng & Lachlan Markay of the Daily Beast: The Trump campaign's cease-and-desist letter to CNN, which threatened the network because it published a poll that showed Trump's losing the presidential race "was just the latest effort by the president's aides to attempt to satisfy the boss' appetite for retribution. But it also revealed an element of the Trump political operation that has increasingly demanded time, money, and attention -- mainly, the task of convincing Trump that the electoral landscape and polling deficits he faces aren't as dire as he's been hearing. 'This helps keep the president from flying into a rage as much as he otherwise would,' said a White House official who's been in the room for these types of sessions." Trump appears to be buying the happy talk because he told at least confidant that the published polls showing Biden winning are "all fake."

Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "Experts have estimated that without a vaccine, about 70 percent of the population will need to be infected and develop immunity [link fixed] in order to stop the virus's spread, a concept called herd immunity. The number of confirmed American cases now exceeds 2 million, less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 Dashboard and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.... The risk of viral spread at a rally like the one President Trump has planned for next weekend in Oklahoma is much higher [than for the outdoor protests that have taken place across the nation]..., experts said, because the rally will be indoors in a large arena and there will no requirement that attendees wear masks. 'It's a perfect storm setup: the idea of tons of people, where one sick person can have an impact of generating secondary cases on this immense level, where it's indoors, where there's no ventilation,' Dr. [Nahid] Bhadelia [of the Boston University School of Medicine] said. 'I would move it to the outdoors, I would reduce the number of people, I would introduce social distancing, and I would require everybody to wear a mask.'" A related AP story is here. ~~~

~~~ Tulsa World Editors: "We don't know why [Donald Trump] chose Tulsa [for his first campaign rally in months], but we can't see any way that his visit will be good for the city. Tulsa is still dealing with the challenges created by a pandemic. The city and state have authorized reopening, but that doesn't make a mass indoor gathering of people pressed closely together and cheering a good idea. There is no treatment for COVID-19 and no vaccine. It will be our health care system that will have to deal with whatever effects follow.... Trump, a divisive figure, will attract protests.... His 2016 Tulsa rally provoked a heated response for some, and his ability to provoke opponents has only grown since then.... [Trump's visit] has already concentrated the world's attention of the fact that Trump will be rallying in a city that 99 years ago was the site of a bloody race massacre.... When the president of the United States visits your city, it should be exciting. We think a Trump visit will be, but for a lot of the wrong reasons, and we can't welcome it.

Are These GOP Electors Conservative? Nah, Just Bigoted. AP: "A Virginia Republican congressman who angered social conservatives in his district when he officiated a gay wedding has lost his party's nomination. Representative Denver Riggleman lost on Saturday in a party convention which was carried out as a drive-thru because of the coronavirus pandemic. He was defeated by Bob Good, a former official in the athletics department at the evangelical Liberty University. Riggleman, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, upset many Republicans in his district last summer when he officiated the wedding of two male campaign aides. Donald Trump endorsed him, as did the Liberty University president, Jerry Falwell Jr.... Good has pledged to restore 'Judeo-Christian' values to Congress, is a hardliner on immigration and wants English to be the official language of the US. His victory could make national Democrats and outside groups more likely to spend money in the district, which easily went for Trump in 2016."

Michigan. Fine with Me.* AP: "People burned letters informing them that they can vote by absentee ballot in future elections during a protest near Grand Rapids. The applications were burned Friday during an event called Operation Incinerator outside the DeltaPlex Arena in Walker. Many people had flags, shirts and signs showing support for ... Donald Trump and Republicans." *Well, actually, they should have recycled.

Beyond the Beltway

California. Sandra Garcia of the New York Times: "The families of two black men who were found hanged from trees in Southern California are asking the authorities to further investigate their deaths. The family of Robert L. Fuller, 24, disputed the authorities' initial pronouncement that he died by suicide. The family of Malcolm Harsch, 38, is worried his death will also be ruled a suicide." Families of both men suspect they were lynched.

Colorado. Saja Hindi of the Denver Post: "Colorado passed one of the most comprehensive police reform packages in the country Saturday, setting limits on police use of force and mandating data collection to make sure cops who are fired from one agency don't get rehired by another. Gov. Jared Polis [D] has said he will sign the historic bill into law once it reaches his desk.... Among the biggest changes, Colorado's Senate Bill 217 bans the use of chokeholds and carotid control holds, limits when police are allowed to shoot at a fleeing person and requires officers to intervene in cases of excessive force or face criminal charges. The bill requires all officers to use body-worn cameras and departments to release the footage within 45 days, and it allows for officers to be held personally liable for civil rights violations."

Georgia. Felicia Sonmez, et al., of the Washington Post: "Atlanta's top prosecutor said his office will decide this week whether to bring charges against the police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks, a black man whose killing outside a Wendy's on Friday sparked a fresh wave of protests against police violence in the Southern city and added fuel to nationwide anger over racial injustice.... Paul Howard, the Fulton County district attorney, told CNN on Sunday that a decision on whether to bring charges in the case will be made 'sometime around Wednesday.... He did not seem to present any threat to anyone,' Howard said of Brooks. 'The fact that it would escalate to his death seems unreasonable.' The police department has fired [Garrett] Rolfe, the officer who shot his gun, and pulled the other officer, Devin Brosnan, off street patrols. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned Saturday. Public outrage mounted across the country over the weekend, as demonstrators in New York, Los Angeles and other cities and towns took to the streets for the latest in a wave of protests prompted by last month's killing of another black man, George Floyd, in the custody of Minneapolis police. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office determined Sunday that Brooks suffered organ damage and blood loss from two gunshot wounds, and that his official cause of death was 'gunshot wounds of the back.'"

Way Beyond

David Stern & Robyn Dixon of the Washington Post: "Authorities said an anti-corruption bureau official was paid $6 million to drop the investigation against Burisma founder Mykola Zlochevsky ... in an elaborate sting operation Friday. Special anti-corruption prosecutor Nazar Kholodnytsky [-- who oversaw the sting operation --] ruled out involvement by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden or his son, Hunter.... Some anti-corruption activists saw the arrests as a hopeful sign that Ukraine's culture of corruption is finally changing." Mrs. McC: Looks as if the reporters had trouble writing this story; I hadda scan it twice to make sure the proceedings didn't involve some allegation or charge that Trump could use against either Biden.

The Commentariat -- June 14, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump faced new questions about his health on Sunday, after videos emerged of him gingerly walking down a ramp at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and having trouble bringing a glass of water to his mouth during a speech there. Mr. Trump -- who turned 74 on Sunday, the oldest a U.S. president has been in his first term -- was recorded hesitantly descending the ramp one step at a time after he delivered an address to graduating cadets at the New York-based academy on Saturday.... Another video circulated of Mr. Trump taking a sip of water from a glass tucked inside his lectern on the dais at West Point. Mr. Trump held the glass with his right hand and brought it to his mouth, but appeared to momentarily have trouble lifting his arm farther. He used his left hand to push the bottom of the glass so that it reached his lips. Mr. Trump posted defensively on Twitter late Saturday night about the video circulating of his walk, and offered a description that did not match the visuals. 'The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery,' Mr. Trump wrote. 'The last thing I was going to do is "fall" for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!' There was no evidence that the ramp was slippery, and the skies were clear during the ceremony.... The president has frequently tried to raise questions about the health and mental fitness of his rivals, while growing indignant when his own is questioned." Thanks to Akhilleus for the lead. More on the sippy-cup problem, linked below. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: You will notice in the video that accompanies the NYT story that Trump leads with his left foot. That is, he doesn't walk left-right-left-right; he walks left-left-left-left. This is what I do when my arthritis acts up & I descend stairs or a steep slope: I lead with my stronger leg. I do so more often now than I did four years ago. At the end of his descent, Trump speeds up & sort of jumps off the ramp, which is not particularly steep; he raises his elbows to balance himself as he steps off, which a normal walking person would not need to do on so mild a transition from slight slant to flat. He surely is keeping secret his difficulty walking even from his advance staff, as they could have requested a less steep ramp which Trump could have maneuvered without the best-foot-forward step.

~~~~~~~~~~

Peter Baker & Zach Montague of the New York Times: "President Trump told the Army's newest officers on Saturday that they will not have to serve in 'endless wars' being waged in 'far away lands,' but made no mention of his thwarted effort in recent days to deploy the active-duty military to the streets of American cities over the objections of Pentagon leaders. In commencement ceremony at the United States Military Academy at West Point that had been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic before the president insisted on moving forward with it, Mr. Trump presented himself as a staunch supporter of the armed forces who has increased spending on tanks, aircraft and other weapons even as he said they should not be used in fruitless foreign conflicts.... Mr. Trump alluded to the national reckoning over race following the killing of George Floyd only elliptically.... Graduating cadets who had been isolated for 14 days in advance of the event marched onto the field in their dress gray-and-white uniforms and face masks. They sat in white folding chairs spaced six feet apart, at which point they were allowed to take their masks off. The West Point band played with plexiglass shields to protect against the virus.... Hundreds of protesters gathered outside West Point on Saturday, holding signs like 'Cadets Aren't Props' and 'Welcome Cadet Bone Spurs.' Others showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement." A CBS News story is here. ~~~

~~~ Linda Qiu of the New York Times: "President Trump oversold his administration's military record in a commencement speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday. Here's a fact-check of his claims.... Mr. Trump's suggestion that the military was 'depleted' when he entered office and had seldom received such a large amount of money is wrong. Adjusted for inflation, the Pentagon operated with larger budgets every year from the 2007 fiscal year to 2012 fiscal year, peaking at $848 billion in 2008.... In October, Mr. Trump tweeted a claim similar to what he said in his West Point speech. 'When I arrived in Washington, ISIS was running rampant in the area,' Trump said. 'We quickly defeated 100% of the ISIS Caliphate.' [Brett] McGurk [-- former presidential envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition --] responded to the president on Twitter that 'none of this is true.'" Trump claimed he "is ending the era of endless wars," "but has yet to fulfill this promise."

~~~ While speaking at West Point, the commander-in-chief had trouble raising a glass of water to his lips. Thanks to Ken W. for the lead. ~~~

~~~ This is not the first time Trump has had trouble holding a water glass or bottle. He seems not to have got past the toddler stage in this, as in other, habits: ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Seriously, I think the public has a right to know why Trump can't hold a glass with one hand, put it to his lips. tip it up, ingest some water & swallow. This is what you might do after having had dental work & your mouth was still so numb from anesthetic that you couldn't actually feel the glass on your lips. ~~~

~~~ Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "Midway through his commencement address at West Point, Donald Trump noted that [Sunday] is notable for being both the birthday of the U.S. Army and his own -- and was greeted with silence by the graduating cadets. Earlier in his speech, scattered applause could be heard as the president commended some of the military school's top athletes...." Mrs. McC: Trump might have mentioned that Sunday also is Flag Day. But no. ~~~

~~~ A Suspicious Recommendation. Patricia Kime of Military.com (June 10): "Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, introduced a bill Wednesday designed to stop an extension of burial benefits at Arlington National Cemetery to U.S. presidents or vice presidents, regardless of their military service. The Illinois Democrat said Wednesday that recommendations made last year by the U.S. Army that would drastically reduce eligibility for in-ground burials at Arlington but expand eligibility for some civilians, including presidents or vice presidents, would 'take the place of actual veterans who served in uniform and their family members.' Last year, the Army proposed that eligibility for below-ground burials at Arlington be restricted to U.S. service members killed in action and combat veterans who earned the Purple Heart or were awarded the Silver Star or higher. Former prisoners of war would be eligible, as well as troops whose deaths were combat-related. But the recommendations also include presidents and vice presidents, as well as combat veterans who served as government officials and 'made significant contributions to the nation's security at the highest levels of public service.'... Duckworth charges that the recommendation to extend eligibility to presidents and vice presidents was made outside the normal process and without consulting the committee that drafts recommendations for the cemetery, the Advisory Committee on Arlington National Cemetery." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This "Army recommendation" sounds suspiciously like a recommendation that Trump requested.

Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "Joe Biden ratcheted up some of his criticism of President Trump on Friday, saying that his handling of the coronavirus was 'almost criminal,' that he has 'bungled' the economic fallout, and that he has exacerbated racial tensions in the country. During an hour-long town hall with the labor union AFSCME, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee warned that the U.S. will likely see a resurgence of the coronavirus and that Trump isn't doing enough to prepare.... On Friday, Biden also criticized Senate Republicans, saying they need to pass the Heroes Act, which would provide another round of federal funding. 'They're so damn stupid,' he said. Biden, a longtime senator known for strong bipartisan relationships, does not typically go after Republican lawmakers in such stark terms." (Also linked yesterday.)

Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "President Trump said he'll leave the White House peacefully if he loses this November's presidential election, addressing concerns he would try to hold onto power after a defeat. 'Certainly, if I don't win, I don't win,' he said in an interview that aired on Fox News Friday, adding that if he lost, he'd 'go on, do other things.' Trump has never given any indication that he would defy the results of an election that showed him losing to former Vice President >Joe Biden, though his remarks Friday appear to be the first public comments he's given on the subject." Mrs. McC: We'll see. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ledyard King of USA Today: "After saying it didn't, the Secret Service admitted Saturday it used pepper spray when it helped clear out Lafayette Square June 1 to allow for President Donald Trump's photo op in front of St. John's Church. The agency last week announced none of their officers used tear gas or capsicum spray (another name for pepper spray). On Saturday, the agency charged with protecting presidents retracted that claim. 'After further review, the U.S. Secret Service has determined that an agency employee used pepper spray on June 1st, during efforts to secure the area near Lafayette Park ' according to a statement the agency tweeted. 'The employee utilized oleoresin capsicum spray, or pepper spray, in response to an assaultive individual.'" ~~~

~~~ Philip Rucker & Ashley Parker of the Washington Post: Trump wanted an iconic photo-op, and he got it! "The event itself was slapdash and haphazard. No remarks were prepared for the president to deliver. He did not tour the damage the church sustained to its basement during riots the night before. When a reporter asked if he was holding a family Bible, he described it only as 'a Bible.' He offered no prayer or moment of silence to honor the life of George Floyd, whose May 25 death in the custody of Minneapolis police sparked the nationwide protests.... The smoky images of largely peaceful protesters choking on chemical irritants juxtaposed with the president's photo op prompted the opposite of his intended effect, generating widespread sympathy for the protesters." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I don't think Trump knows what a photo-op is. The whole idea of a photo-op is to get yourself photographed doing something that will endear you to others: say, humbly washing dishes in a soup kitchen. But there's nothing endearing about being able to hold a Bible over your head, much less tear-gassing Americans to clear your path so you can march across the street to do it.

Georgia. Johnny Diaz & Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "Atlanta's police chief resigned on Saturday, less than 24 hours after a police officer shot and killed a man at a Wendy's drive-through who had run from the police after failing a sobriety check and taking an officer's Taser, the authorities said. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta said that security footage appeared to show that the man, Rayshard Brooks, 27, who is black, had fired the Taser toward the officer, who was chasing him before he was killed. 'While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do,' Ms. Bottoms said. 'I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force.' In addition to the resignation of the police chief, Erika Shields, who just weeks earlier had engaged with demonstrators protesting the killing of George Floyd, Ms. Bottoms said that she had also called for the immediate firing of the police officer who killed Mr. Brooks." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution story is here. ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is live-updating developments in protests against police around the nation. Atlanta: "The officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks, 27, was later terminated, Sgt. John Chafee, a spokesman for the Atlanta Police Department, said early Sunday. He identified the officer as Garrett Rolfe. The shooting ignited angry protests that led to the apparent burning of the Wendy's where Mr. Brooks was shot, and to the blocking of roads and an interstate near the restaurant. Police officers used tear gas and flash grenades to try and clear the crowds.

New York. Dean Balsamini of the New York Post: "In a stunning and emotional bombshell, a retired NYPD spokesman blasted cops over the chokehold death of Eric Garner, calling it a 'horrible injustice' on his Instagram page. 'We killed Eric Garner,' Michael DeBonis, 40, an ex-detective who worked for the deputy commissioner for public information, posted last week.... 'I'm a hypocrite for saying this now, because I didn't say it publicly then, but WE ALL need to hold ourselves accountable.'... But he admitted he said nothing in 2014 following the Staten Island man's fatal arrest, infamous for Garner's final, videotaped words, 'I can't breathe.'"

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha.

Isaac Stanley-Becker of the Washington Post: "Fox News on Friday removed manipulated images that had appeared on its website as part of the outlet's coverage of protests..., which has occasioned peaceful assemblies in cities across the country and, in Seattle, given rise to an unusual experiment in self-government.... The police-free environment [in Seattle] has become an object of scorn for right-wing activists and President Trump.... The misleading material spliced a June 10 photograph of an armed man at the Seattle protests with different photographs -- one also from June 10, of a sign reading, 'You Are Now Entering Free Cap Hill,' and others from images captured May 30 of a shattered storefront and other unrest downtown. The conservative news site, in coverage that labeled Seattle 'CRAZY TOWN' and called the city 'helpless,' also displayed an image of a city block set ablaze that was actually taken in St. Paul, Minn." An AP story is here. ~~~

~~~ Wait, wait. It gets worse. And hilariously so. ~~~

~~~ Fox "News" Lifts Its "News" from Monty Python. Caleb Howe of Mediaite: "On Friday night, Fox News put on screen an image of a Reddit post that played off a famous Monty Python bit, mistaking it for a genuine message of discontent from among those at the so-called 'autonomous zone' in Seattle. On Fox News Channel's The Story, host Martha MacCallum read from a Reddit post that was shown on screen in a report on the self-declared autonomous zone around a police precinct, dubbed the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' or or 'CHAZ' by the demonstrators.... In covering that apparent discord, MacCallum referenced the Reddit post as an example of discontent within the ranks. But, as you can see below, the post was an obvious take on a scene from the movie 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail.'" Mrs. McC: There should be a prize for this stuff. I'll bet even Pravda never borrowed their propaganda/"reports" from Looney Tunes or the Three Stooges.

Presidential Race

Harry Enten of CNN: Joe "Biden is earning a historic amount of support from female voters for a presidential nominee when examining polling over the last 70 years. Take a look at the most recent live interview polls of registered voters from May and June compiled by The New York Times' Nate Cohn. Biden is leading among female registered voters by 59% to 35%, a 25-point margin when the numbers aren't rounded. That's a significant increase from his 19-point advantage earlier this year and the 14-point lead Hillary Clinton had in the final 2016 preelection polls of registered voters. Clinton had a 13-point edge with likely female voters."

Stetson Payne of the Tulsa World: "Expressing concerns about COVID-19's increasing spread, the Tulsa City-County Health Department's director said he wishes the campaign rally for ... Donald Trump at the BOK Center on June 20 would be pushed back to a later date. In an interview with the Tulsa World on Saturday, Dr. Bruce Dart said Tulsa is seeing a 'significant increase in our case trends' that makes a large gathering like the rally dangerous for not only attendees, but the president himself.... State officials on Saturday reported 225 new cases of COVID-19, once again marking a new high in daily increases for both the state and Tulsa County.... Dart said his concern stems from a sudden spike in cases he said likely comes from a combination of factors, but not increased testing.... 'A large indoor rally with 19-20,000 people is a huge risk factor today in Tulsa, Oklahoma,' Dart said."

The Commentariat -- June 13, 2020

Late Morning Update:

Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "Joe Biden ratcheted up some of his criticism of President Trump on Friday, saying that his handling of the coronavirus was 'almost criminal,' that he has 'bungled' the economic fallout, and that he has exacerbated racial tensions in the country. During an hour-long town hall with the labor union AFSCME, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee warned that the U.S. will likely see a resurgence of the coronavirus and that Trump isn't doing enough to prepare.... On Friday, Biden also criticized Senate Republicans, saying they need to pass the Heroes Act, which would provide another round of federal funding. 'They're so damn stupid,' he said. Biden, a longtime senator known for strong bipartisan relationships, does not typically go after Republican lawmakers in such stark terms."

Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "President Trump said he'll leave the White House peacefully if he loses this November's presidential election, addressing concerns he would try to hold onto power after a defeat. 'Certainly, if I don't win, I don't win,' he said in an interview that aired on Fox News Friday, adding that if he lost, he'd 'go on, do other things.' Trump has never given any indication that he would defy the results of an election that showed him losing to former Vice President Joe Biden, though his remarks Friday appear to be the first public comments he's given on the subject." Mrs. McC: We'll see.

~~~~~~~~~~

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here. "Two of the nation's most populous states, Texas and Florida, both reported this week their highest daily totals of new coronavirus infections, a concerning sign as all 50 states move to ease social distancing restrictions and allow more businesses to reopen. The nation's most populous state, California, hit a new daily high last week, when it recorded 3,593 new cases, a record it nearly matched ... again this week. The rise in cases helps explain why the nation continues to record more than 20,000 new cases a day even as some of the original hot spots, including New York, have seen dramatic declines." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) More on Florida's response to the pandemic linked below. ~~~

~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

The C.D.C. Revolts. Sort of. Lena Sun & Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post: "Federal health officials on Friday urged organizers of large gatherings that involve shouting, chanting or singing to 'strongly encourage' attendees use cloth face coverings to lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus. The guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes after more than a week of national protests against police brutality where many attendees and police did not wear masks. It also coincides with President Trump's plans to hit the campaign trail next week and to accept his party's nomination in Jacksonville, Fla. later this summer. The Republican National Committee has indicated it does not want to require participants to wear masks for the speech.... A similar recommendation for using cloth face coverings in settings that involve shouting, chanting, or singing, including choirs, was removed from the agency's guidance for reopening houses of worship two weeks ago after weeks of debate between the White House and the CDC.... CDC Director Robert Redfield began the agency's first full-fledged briefing in more than three months, saying he recognizes that Americans are eager to return to normal activities. But it's important for them to remember 'this situation is unprecedented and that the pandemic has not ended,' he said." The article is free to nonsubscribers. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.

Kudlow Said It, So It's Wrong. Quint Forgey of Politico: "The White House's top economic advisers on Friday shrugged off concerns of a potential 'second wave' of the coronavirus, reflecting ... Donald Trump's eagerness to continue reopening broad swaths of the country even as cases of Covid-19 are spiking in more than a dozen states. 'There is no emergency. There is no second wave. I don't know where that got started on Wall Street,' Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told 'Fox & Friends.' Kudlow previously claimed in late February that the federal government had 'contained' the threat of a domestic coronavirus outbreak 'pretty close to airtight' -- an assessment which proved to be direly wrong.... Kudlow ... said he had spoken with top public health officials 'at some length' Thursday evening. 'They are saying there is no second spike. Let me repeat that. There is no second spike,' he said." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Florida. Chris Persaud of the Palm Beach Post: "Florida's former top coronavirus data scientist has launched a website showing far more COVID-19 information than she said the state allowed her to report as an employee, including statistics contradicting Florida's official coronavirus numbers accompanying the push to reopen the state. Former Health Department geographic data scientist Rebekah Jones has created FloridaCOVIDAction.com, which asserts that the state's widely read public-facing dashboard under reports how many people have tested positive for the pathogen. Florida also overcounts how many have been tested, Jones said, to the benefit of Gov. Ron DeSantis' push to reopen the state after two months of quarantine. 'I decided to stop wallowing in self-pity and do something constructive, something useful with the skill set I've been using for so long,' Jones said. 'People have a right to know what's going on in a straightforward nonpolitical kind of way.'... Jones, who built the state dashboard, says she was fired May 18 after refusing to 'manipulate' COVID-19 data to justify reopening. [Gov. Ron] DeSantis [R] said she was fired because 'she didn't listen to the people who were her superiors.'"

Joshua Partlow, et al., of the Washington Post: Donald Trump's "company ... was already suffering from a tarnished brand before the novel coronavirus hit. The fresh wave of political anger directed toward Trump complicates an already difficult recovery for the company. Interviews with current and former Trump Organization employees and tenants, and emails obtained by The Washington Post, show the pandemic in particular has rattled operations at the company. With thousands of Trump's hotel rooms empty, the company laid off or furloughed more than 2,800 employees and scoured for even the smallest savings. It eliminated flowers, chocolates and newspapers at its New York hotel and turned off lights in common areas in its Chicago hotel to save on electricity.... After this story published Friday... , [Eric Trump] ... accused The Post of trying to harass the president and the company." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Trump Looks at Chokeholds from Both Sides of His Mouth Now. John Greve of the Guardian: "Donald Trump further stoked controversy over race issues and policing by remarking on Friday that chokeholds sounded 'so innocent and so perfect', and once again claimed he has been the best president for black Americans -- only partially conceding that Abraham Lincoln may have surpassed him. The US president also called his choice to resume rallies on 19 June, the Juneteenth day marking the end of slavery, 'a celebration', despite having picked a city known for a historic massacre of black Americans by white Americans and used divisive language over the anti-racism protests spurred by the police killing of George Floyd.... 'I think the concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent and so perfect,' Trump said, adding that 'you have to be careful. With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that, generally speaking, it should be ended.'... Trump offered several equivocal answers on sensitive issues in a time of exceptional national tumult, with the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting economic nosedive and the blight of police brutality all falling disproportionately on black Americans.... In the Fox interview, Trump said the choice of Juneteenth for a partisan rally was not specific, but 'the fact that I'm having a rally on that day, you can really think about that very positively as a celebration because a rally, to me, is celebration.' Senator Kamala Harris of California remarked on Twitter on the implications, calling the move a 'welcome home party' for white supremacists."

Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "Former national security adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book will include descriptions of President Trump's 'inconsistent, scattershot decision-making' driven by 'reelection calculations' rather than national security, according to a news release from the book's publisher.... 'What Bolton saw astonished him: a president for whom getting reelected was the only thing that mattered, even if it meant endangering or weakening the nation,' the news release said.... 'Trump's Ukraine-like transgressions existed across the full range of his foreign policy -- and Bolton documents exactly what those were, and attempts by him and others in the Administration to raise alarms about them,' the Simon & Schuster news release states." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Kyle Cheney & Quint Forgey of Politico: "... Donald Trump repeatedly endangered national security -- and committed a series of potentially impeachable offenses -- to boost his reelection prospects, former national security adviser John Bolton argues in a forthcoming White House memoir. Bolton writes that the House should have broadened its impeachment inquiry to other areas of his foreign policy.... Despite his swipe at the House, Bolton famously refused to cooperate with House investigators as they pursued allegations that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his Democratic adversaries." (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: While it's tempting to scream at Bolton, "Why didn't you say this stuff when it mattered?" the truth is that there are hundreds of knowledgeable people in the administration & Congress who decided to keep their heads down. They're all traitors to the Constitution & democratic principles. Bolton's voice would have made little difference: what? one or two more GOP senators voting for impeachment? ~~~

~~~ It Was About the Money. Jada Yuan of the Washington Post: "When Melania Trump stayed behind in New York after her husband's presidential inauguration, she said it was because she didn't want to interrupt their then-10-year-old son Barron's school year. News stories at the time concentrated on an apparent frostiness between the first couple and on the exorbitant taxpayer costs to protect Melania and Barron away from Washington. Those stories are true, but Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan reveals in a new book that the first lady was also using her delayed arrival to the White House as leverage for renegotiating her prenuptial agreement with President Trump." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) A New York Times story is here. A Guardian story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The Non-denial Denial. Brett Samuels of the Hill: "'Yet another book about Mrs. Trump with false information and sources. This book belongs in the fiction genre,' Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's chief of staff, said in a statement. The statement did not address any specific claims in the book." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

All the Best People, Ctd. Em Steck, et al., of CNN: "The White House's nominee for a top position at the Pentagon has a history of making Islamophobic and inflammatory remarks against prominent Democratic politicians, including falsely calling former President Barack Obama a Muslim.Retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, a frequent guest on Fox News and ardent defender of ... Donald Trump, was nominated to become the under secretary of defense for policy. If confirmed by the Senate, Tata would become the third highest official in the Pentagon overseeing the Defense Department's policy shop.... In several tweets from 2018, Tata said that Islam was the 'most oppressive violent religion I know of' and claimed Obama was a 'terrorist leader' who did more to harm the US 'and help Islamic countries than any president in history.' Following the publication of this story, Tata deleted several of his tweets, screenshots of which were captured by CNN's KFile." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Margot Sanger-Katz & Noah Weiland of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Friday finalized a regulation that will erase protections for transgender patients against discrimination by doctors, hospitals and health insurance companies, a move announced on the four-year anniversary of the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando and in the middle of Pride Month. The rule, which does not differ much from a proposed version released last year, is part of a broad Trump administration effort across multiple areas of policy -- including education, housing, and employment, as well as health care -- to narrow the legal definition of sex discrimination so that it does not include protections for transgender people." A Guardian story is here. ~~~

~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: The title of the news release from Health & Human Services for this rules change, BTW, is Orwellian: "HHS Finalizes Rule on Section 1557 Protecting Civil Rights in Healthcare, Restoring the Rule of Law, and Relieving Americans of Billions in Excessive Costs" ~~~

~~~ Dan Avery of the Insider: "... Joe Biden said Donald Trump's cruelty 'truly knows no bounds' on Friday, after the Trump administration finalized a rule change removing Obama-era nondiscrimination protections in healthcare for transgender Americans.... Biden noted that the rule change was announced during LGBTQ Pride month, and on the fourth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre, when 49 people were shot and killed at a gay club in Orlando."

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court panel appeared inclined on Friday to permit a trial judge to complete his review of the Justice Department's attempt to drop a criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, as all three judges asked skeptical questions about a request that they intervene and order the case dismissed. The nearly two hours of oral arguments, conducted by telephone because of the coronavirus pandemic and live-streamed over YouTube, were the latest step in an extraordinary and politically charged case against Mr. Flynn. He had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about his conversations in 2016 with the Russian ambassador before Attorney General William P. Barr decided last month to try to drop the case, a highly unusual intervention.... If the appeals court panel permits [the] process to play out, the Justice Department will have to respond to a scathing brief [former federal judge John] Gleeson submitted this week to Judge [Emmet] Sullivan that portrayed Mr. Barr's decision as a 'gross abuse' of power." An AP story is here. A Politico story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Instead of calling them nonlethal, we now call these weapons 'less lethal', and that is in comparison to a standard bullet. -- Dr. Jeffrey M. Goodloe ~~

~~~ Knvul Sheikh & David Montgomery of the New York Times: "... rubber bullets -- as well as tear gas, flash-bangs and beanbag rounds -- that protesters around the country have faced in marches against racial injustice, have been deemed 'nonlethal weapons' by law enforcement officials and the military, who use them regularly around the world. But research increasingly shows they can seriously injure and disable people -- and sometimes even kill. A 2017 analysis published in the British Medical Journal of several decades of the use of rubber bullets, beanbag rounds and other projectiles during arrests and protests found that 15 percent of people who were injured were left with permanent disabilities and 3 percent of those who were injured died. Of those who survived, 71 percent had severe injuries, with their extremities most frequently impacted."

Elections 2020

Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Trump will push back his planned rally for next week by one day to avoid overlapping with Juneteenth, he said Friday, citing widespread criticism that the campaign event would fall on the same day that marks the end of slavery. 'We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th -- a big deal. Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday,' Trump tweeted late Friday night. 'Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents,' he continued. 'I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests.'" This is a developing story @11:30 pm ET Friday. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: As the Guardian story by John Greve, linked near the top of the page, indicates, Trump had earlier defended his decision to hold the Tulsa rally on Juneteenth. AND there's this: ~~~

~~~ USA Today: "... Donald Trump said in an interview that aired Friday that his decision to hold a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma -- the site of a horrific 1921 attack on African Americans, on the holiday marking the end of U.S. slavery -- was not deliberate. Fox News host Harris Faulkner asked Trump whether he chose the location and date on purpose, to which the president said 'no,' even though his campaign has trumpeted the Juneteenth holiday when asked about its timing.... Despite Trump denying the significance of Tulsa, he's never held a rally there and Oklahoma is a firmly red state he won by 36 percentage points in the 2016 election.... When asked about why the campaign decided to hold the rally in Tulsa and on Juneteenth, senior Trump campaign adviser Katrina Pierson said in a statement Thursday, 'as the party of Lincoln, Republicans are proud of the history of Juneteenth.' White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany later told reporters Juneteenth was very 'meaningful' for Trump."

~~~ As we learned earlier this week, Donald Trump will be holding his first campaign rally in months in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this coming Friday Saturday. As CBS News (and others) reported Thursday, "Trump supporters who attend ... [the rally] must agree not to sue if they contract COVID-19.... The BOK Center ... seats more than 19,000 people. The president has emphasized he wants his rallies full of people and has made his distaste for masks clear. 'By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present,' the campaign website says on the RSVP page for the rally." AND with good reason, people! ~~~

~~~ KJRH Tulsa: "The Tulsa Health Department is urging caution on gatherings to Tulsa County residents as COVID-19 cases reach record daily high. The Tulsa Health Department (THD) says Friday reports showed the new highest daily increase of coronavirus cases to day in the county.... Officials said the increase has been identified as an outbreak linked to indoor gatherings." You might say that yelling, screaming & singing while standing shoulder-to-shoulder indoors with thousands of people from places far & wide, few of whom are wearing masks, is not "using caution." But enjoy! you dimwitted bastids. ~~~

~~~ AND Joe Biden Can't Get Anything Straight. From the USA Today report linked above: "Former Vice President Joe Biden criticized Trump's scheduled rally in Tulsa during a teleconference call with thousands of AFSCME union members Friday. But a day after mistakenly saying the rally was in Texas, Biden said it was Arizona." Mrs. McC: Clearly, Biden is not getting the significance of the 1921 Tulsa massacre, which is central to the story of Trump's original plan to hold his rally on Juneteenth very near the site of the mass murder of black Americans as an in-your-face pushback against international "Black Lives Matter" protests. Biden's briefers really need to give him news quizzes before he speaks. And they need to test him till he passes. This is embarrassing.

Sam Levine of the Guardian: "The alarm bells have been going off for months, but the election fiasco in Georgia on Tuesday made it clear: America is ill-prepared to hold a fair presidential vote in November, and is dangerously close to having an election disaster. The Georgia contest offered the most alarming preview to date of what could happen in November without major overhauls, training and planning. Voters stood in line to vote for upwards of four hours, saying they never received mail-in ballots requested weeks ago. Local officials, forced to consolidate polling locations because of Covid-19, were unable to manage the influx of voters and struggled to operate new voting equipment.... 'We're just going to have a catastrophe in November,' said Michael McDonald, a professor at the University of Florida who studies elections. 'We've already passed the point of catastrophic failure.'"

Beyond the Beltway

New York. Luis Ferré-Sadurní & Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "New York on Friday became the first state to take meaningful action to rein in police forces after the killing of George Floyd, banning the use of chokeholds by law enforcement and repealing a half-century-old law that has kept police disciplinary records secret in the state. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the expansive package of bills less than three weeks after Mr. Floyd's death at the hands of the police in Minneapolis, which has since sparked widespread civil unrest and demonstrations against police brutality and racism. New York City also took tentative steps toward meeting protesters' calls to 'defund the police.' On Friday, the City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, said the Council had identified $1 billion in cuts to the Police Department's $6 billion budget, and would urge Mayor Bill de Blasio to agree in advance of the July 1 budget deadline. Mr. de Blasio quickly rejected the proposal, while indicating that he was open to further negotiations over the size of the Police Department."

Oklahoma. Top Tulsa Cop Says Cops Should Shoot More Black People. David Li of NBC News: "Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum on Wednesday blasted one of his police department's top commanders after the officer denied there's systemic racism in law enforcement, then said African Americans 'probably ought to be' shot more. Tulsa Chief of Police Wendell Franklin, the first African American to hold that position, on Thursday also denounced the incendiary comments made by Major Travis Yates." Yates said on a KFAQ radio program called "Behind the Blue Line" that "All the research said -- including Roland Fryer, an African American Harvard professor -- ... we're shooting African Americans about 24 percent less than we probably ought to be based on the crimes being committed." "Fryer, an economics professor..., authored a 2016 paper on policing, published in The Journal of Political Economy. He found that African Americans and Hispanics were disproportionately targeted for use of force by officers -- but said there were 'no racial differences' in terms of officer-involved shootings."

Texas. Erin Ailworth of the Wall Street Journal: "Houston's top prosecutor has concluded that a scandal-ridden former Houston police officer likely lied when he arrested George Floyd on a minor drug offense for which Mr. Floyd served time in state jail. The Harris County District Attorney, Kim Ogg, also said that due to her office's examination of Mr. Floyd's case it could expand a continuing investigation to examine more arrests made by Gerald Goines, who was charged with murder after a botched drug raid in 2019 in which two people were killed. Mr. Goines -- who also is charged with tampering with a government record by lying to obtain the search warrant that authorized the deadly 2019 raid -- is the officer who arrested Mr. Floyd in 2004 over what Ms. Ogg described as a one-rock, $10 crack buy.... [Goines] has pleaded not guilty. Ms. Ogg's statements suggest that years before Mr. Floyd was killed by a former Minneapolis police officer with a history of complaints on his record, he may have been set up by a Houston officer with a notorious background. 'Goines was likely lying in this case,' she said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, pointing to several red flags, including that the deal was 'very small time' and that Mr. Goines was the only police-officer witness. 'These are not cases that we would take or that we would accept for charges under my administration.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: The story is of course firewalled, but I went at it a few different times, and it accidentally came up. KPRC Houston has the story, too, but their report is less clear than the WSJ's. The point here is this: because Floyd was black, he was a mark for the cops & was arrested, convicted & jailed for nothing. I don't look at this as an anomaly but as an ideal example of the "systemic racism" which the Trump administration denies. Yo, Bill Barr, if you can show me your sheet & a photo of yourself in those slimming stripes exercising in the prison yard, then I'll amend my remarks. Sadly, multiple shocking videos have forced Trump himself to concede there are "a few bad apples" (as opposed to system-wide racism) among the police, tho as we know, Trump is quite capable of viewing video evidence of police abuse as likely the work of an antifa provocateur setting up innocent men in riot gear.