Tracker

There is always one or two training camp surprises- both good and bad. Any thoughts so far from what we have seen?

Brookings report concludes: Donald Trump at "serious" risk of indictment. The 60-page report identifies five areas where criminal charges against the former president are likely A report from the Brookings Institute this week concluded that former President Donald Trump is at "serious" risk of indictment for a number of alleged crimes, including tax dodging, falsifying records and a variety of business-related fraud. The 60-page report, released Monday, came just days before criminal indictments against Trump Organization and its longtime finance chief were unsealed Thursday. Both the company and CFO Allen Weisselberg were accused of staging a 15-year-long scheme to avoid payroll taxes for top executives through the use of off-the-books corporate benefits. Brookings describes the report's four authors as "experts with a broad array of backgrounds as scholars, practitioners, former prosecutors, and defense lawyers, who have served under state or federal administrations headed by leaders of both political parties, and who have substantial relevant experience with the particular investigating offices here." They include Georgetown Law School professor and Deputy Attorney General under George H.W. Bush, Donald Ayer; former federal prosecutor Danya Perry; experienced criminal litigator John Cuti and senior Brookings fellow Norman Eisen, who served as counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee during the process of President Trump's first impeachment trial. To reach their conclusions, the authors write that they consulted "court filings, media reports, congressional transcripts, and other sources," which were public but had never been compiled in the same place. In particular, the report finds that Trump's potential criminal liability stems from alleged improperly recorded "business" expenses, including a $130,000 payout to Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen, as reimbursement for a hush-money payment to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, a.k.a "Stormy Daniels." The tax-free corporate benefits given to top Trump Organization officials also figure heavily into the analysis of the former commander-in-chief's criminal liability, the authors conclude. The report identifies five areas where Trump is most at risk of prosecution: Falsifying business records Tax Fraud Insurance Fraud "Scheme to defraud" Enterprise Fraud Brookings report concludes: Donald Trump at "serious" risk of indictment | Salon.com

HOT TOPICS >>GET OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER!THE RIGHT WINGRELIGIOUS RIGHTGO AD FREE!MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION Press freedom advocates on Saturday were encouraged by news that the U.S. Department of Justice has begun making arrests related to attacks on journalists at the Capitol on January 6, when hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump violently breached security measures to try to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election results. In addition to attacking some members of the Capitol Police—including one who later died of his injuries—and stalking lawmakers, some of those who attempted the insurrection targeted members of the media by damaging their equipment, assaulting them, and trying to chase them away from the Capitol. Starting last week, the Washington Post reported Saturday, the FBI began arresting people who were violent towards journalists during the riot and who prevented them from reporting at the scene. At least five people have been charged so far, and authorities expect more arrests. "The vilification of the media that we saw from the previous administration was incredibly concerning, and that played into a longer arc of rising anti-press sentiment across the country," Katherine Jacobsen, a researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists, told the Post. "January 6 showed that what the administration says about the media does matter, words do matter, and can have very negative, very real [impacts] on reporters and their ability to do their jobs safely." The Capitol rioters didn't just target Congress and cops — new evidence shows how they went after journalists - Alternet.org They Were Not Tourists: The Radicals At The Heart Of The Capitol Riot. On the six-month anniversary of the insurrection, Republicans are trying to convince America it wasn’t that big a deal.. In the six months since the dramatic conflict at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, large parts of the Republican Party, working alongside the right-wing media machine, have labored to make the case that what happened that day was no big deal. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) argued that it was not an insurrection, but a “largely peaceful protest.” Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) — who can be seen in photos from Jan. 6 looking horrified as he rushed to barricade the House gallery doors to stop the rioters from entering — called the riot a “normal tourist visit.” Fox News megastar Tucker Carlson has even asserted that perhaps the uprising was a false flag event orchestrated by the FBI. There were indeed some people at the Capitol who were basically harmless and have claimed they didn’t realize what would happen. A 49-year-old Indiana woman was sentenced this week in federal court on a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge for being inside the Capitol for only 10 minutes, during which she didn’t break anything or assault anyone, prosecutors say. She won’t serve prison time. “I would have never been there if I had known it would turn out that way,” she said at her sentencing, while apologizing to the “American people.” Later that day, however, another man pleaded guilty to far more serious charges. Graydon Young of Sarasota, Florida, faces up to 78 months in prison for conspiring with members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia to overrun the Capitol and stop electoral votes from being counted. He will cooperate with authorities in cases against his co-conspirators. Young’s case points to a fundamental, terrifying fact about Jan. 6: A dedicated core of bad actors, from architects of the “Stop the Steal” rally to a wide range of extremists and militia members, came to Washington to derail the democratic process. And it almost worked. On this half-year anniversary of that fateful day, it’s important to remember the horror of it, to retain our dwindling sense of shock, so that those who were complicit face justice ― and it never happens again. They Were Not Tourists: The Radicals At The Heart Of The Capitol Riot | HuffPost

No guarantee either way, but most-long-haulers are sick/off for months and some have been so for months and are still not better. I was listening to an Ontario doctor who was a long-hauler for over a year, still had the foggy brain and periods of dysphoria and was not getting better.

Apparently it has been confirmed as a lingering COVID infection. Had he come forward with this, it would probably have encouraged more people to seek vaccination.

The police chief said on the radio yesterday that he was in ongoing contact with the officers on scene and it was decided that there would be no arrests or intervention out of concern about inflaming the situation. Probably a wise decision.

Sharp Rise In COVID-19 Cases Sees Europe In Vaccination Race Against Delta Variant LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations and outpace the spread of the more infectious delta variant, in a high-stakes race to prevent hospital wards from filling up again with patients fighting for their lives. The urgency coincides with Europe’s summer holiday months, with fair weather bringing more social gatherings and governments reluctant to clamp down on them. Social distancing is commonly neglected, especially among the young, and some countries are scrapping the requirement to wear masks outdoors. Incentives for people to get shots include free groceries, travel and entertainment vouchers, and prize drawings. The president of Cyprus even appealed to a sense of patriotism. The risk of infection from the delta variant is “high to very high” for partially or unvaccinated communities, according to the European Centre for Disease Control, which monitors 30 countries on the continent. It estimates that by the end of August, the variant will account for 90% of cases in the European Union. “It is very important to progress with the vaccine rollout at a very high pace,” the ECDC warned. Sharp Rise In COVID-19 Cases Sees Europe In Vaccination Race Against Delta Variant | HuffPost

GOP 2020 Senate nominee falsely claims the Equality Act will ‘illegalize Jesus Christ’ Right-wing activist Lauren Witzke appeared on "The Alex Jones Show" Thursday, where she warned that the Equality Act will "illegalize Jesus Christ" if it becomes law. Witzke—the GOP's 2020 Senate candidate in Delaware and a flat Earth, QAnon-believing conspiracy theorist with ties to white nationalists and antisemites—appeared on Jones' program to discuss the fact that Wells Fargo recently shut down her bank account. While the bank insists its decision had nothing to do with her political views, Witzke asserted that it was done in retaliation for her opposition to the Equality Act, proposed legislation that would add sexual orientation and gender identity protections to federal civil rights laws. GOP 2020 Senate nominee falsely claims the Equality Act will ‘illegalize Jesus Christ’ - Alternet.org

I did not see Thomas shed any blocks or out-run anyone. His tackles were here he ran between would-be blockers and got to the ball carrier. He did have couple of INTs but some college film footage would have been a better measure.

These look like "meh" signings from the clips- particularly Thomas.

I remember him as positionally sound and a heavy hitter.

It can certainly spread......

According to the Free Press, Jonathon Toews has been absent from the Blackhawks due to a severe COVID infection.

CNN reveals that a man from the Capitol riot joined House Republicans on a border trip Anthony Aguero, a far-right YouTuber and ally of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, was reportedly among the group at the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, though at this point he has not been charged with any crime related to the insurrection. And his proximity to the shocking attack, apparently, isn't preventing some House other Republicans from associating with him. According to CNN reporters Andrew Kaczynski, Em Steck and Drew Myers, Aguero "accompanied Republican members of Congress" on a visit to the U.S./Mexico border earlier this week and served as a translator for them. "During his livestream of the Tuesday visit," the CNN journalists explain, "Aguero interviewed and chatted with Reps. Tom. Tiffany of Wisconsin, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Chris Jacobs of New York, Michael Cloud of Texas, John Rose of Tennessee, Ronny Jackson of Texas and Mary Miller of Illinois."

Former cop arrested for Capitol riot who was told to stay away from guns went out and purchased 34 firearms When Thomas Robertson was granted release by a federal judge in January, the decision was made under a number of very clear conditions. The judge made it clear that he "could not own any firearms, destructive devices or dangerous weapons while his case was pending." If he owned any firearms, he was given two days to move them. However, Robertson has reportedly failed miserably in holding up his end of that agreement. According to The Washington Post, Robertson was prohibited from owning firearms but just days after his release, local authorities found approximately eight firearms at his home. He was given a reprieve for that occurrence but to no avail. Former cop arrested for Capitol riot who was told to stay away from guns went out and purchased 34 firearms - Alternet.org (In the cop business this is called "professional courtesy")

Workers Abandoned Repairs to Doomed Surfside Condo Last Fall, Says Report Reuters/Marco Bello Last October, construction workers were brought into Champlain Towers South to assess and repair worsening concrete damage in the building. But, according to documents obtained by USA Today, they discovered that the concrete deterioration had gotten so bad that workers couldn’t carry out repairs out of fear they would destabilize more areas of the condo complex. A summary of the work carried out on Oct. 13 reportedly said restoration and repair work “could not be performed” because it “could affect the stability of the remaining adjacent concrete constructions.” It’s still not known what caused last week’s collapse, which killed 18 people and has left 145 people still missing as of Friday morning. Meanwhile, officials are weighing up a plan to demolish the ruins of the complex after the search operation was paused Thursday over fears of a secondary building collapse. Boy Scouts Reaches $850 Million Settlement With Sexual Abuse Victims George Frey/Getty The Boy Scouts of America reached a mammoth settlement agreement with representatives of tens of thousands of victims of sexual abuse, according to a Thursday filing in Delaware bankruptcy court first reported by Reuters. The settlement, worth some $850 million, will go to roughly 60,000 people who brought claims against the organization over abuse. The Scouts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February of last

Now, that's a stupid overreaction that will only strengthen the views of the racists.

'This is very bad news for the Trump Organization': MSNBC host breaks down the huge 15-count indictment -Ari Melber (MSNBC) MSNBC's chief legal correspondent broke down the key take-aways after Manhattan prosecutors unsealed a 15-count indictment against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg. "What has stood out to you so far from what you've been able to gather?" Ayman Mohyeldin asked Ari Melber. "They have thrown the kitchen sink at the Trump Organization and Allen Weisselberg. This is very bad news for the Trump Organization because the D.A. has taken an aggressive tact indicting, the entire Trump Organization, in references to the payroll company and others. So, if you were the company hoping to pin this on the employee or get out of it, as far as the D.A. is concerned, game over there — they're going after the whole company." "Highlight number two, there are 15 counts here," he said. "Now we have 15 counts, including larceny, tax fraud, false statements, filing false instruments, falsifying business records. They are taking, what the D.A. argues was a conspiracy to intentionally and habitually defraud the government, steal money and pay people off the books. That is the language of the indictment. They're alleging that went on for 15 years."

Trump Organization and its CFO have been criminally indicted by a grand jury: reports A Manhattan grand jury has criminally indicted The Trump Organization and its longtime Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, according to CNBC and The Washington Post. The Post calls this indictment "the first from prosecutors probing the former president's business dealings," and says Weisselberg is expected to turn himself in to authorities Thursday morning.

Cultural changes happen in increments, so awareness is the first step in that. Next comes closure (cessation of dysfunctional behaviours) and then we can install new and helpful behaviours and attitudes. We here in Canada do not have the mountain to climb that the Americans do. although we have some of the same idiots- just not as many.

Apparently Kim Kardashian has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Nor surprising, considering that the virus can live for long periods on plastic.

"We" did not do this terrible thing whereby children died sick, abused, neglected, alone and frightened in the hands of those who where supposed to care for them. But it is part of the history of our country and the scars are still everywhere. We, as a country, need to remember and mourn for all the children who never came home, the parents and families who never knew what happened and the communities who fractured under the grief and fear. We live in a wonderful country- not a perfect one, and you cannot heal what you will not feel. Going fast-forward past these tragedies will not serve anyone, and only ensure it or something like it will happen again.

But the Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined Wednesday that Cosby’s conviction in a second trial ― after the first ended in a hung jury ― was invalid. The court found that Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, who initiated Cosby’s arrest, was obligated to stand by a promise his predecessor had made not to charge Cosby, though there is no evidence that promise was ever put in writing, The Associated Press reported. The predecessor who made that promise to Cosby was Bruce Castor, who defended former President Donald Trump ― another man with dozens of sexual misconduct allegations against him ― in his second impeachment trial. Money talked and a predator walked.

Its so hot that I saw a dog chasing a cat- and they were both walking.