Tracker

Would this be "the downfall of Vikings"?

Well, an oval is a perfect shape.

Four—Yes, Four—Texas Republican Party Officials Have Shared Racist George Floyd Posts, Says Report Reuters / Jason Reed Four Republican Party officials in Texas have shared racist Facebook posts about George Floyd and the nationwide protests sparked by his death in police custody, the Texas Tribune reports. The first two—the GOP chairs in Bexar and Nueces counties—reportedly shared a conspiracy theory that Floyd’s death was “staged” to undermine President Trump’s re-election. The third, the GOP chairman-elect in Harris County, Keith Nielsen, reportedly posted an image that showed a Martin Luther King Jr. quote on a background with a banana. The fourth, from Chairwoman of the Comal County GOP Sue Piner, reportedly shared an image of billionaire George Soros with the caption: “I pay white cops to murder black people. And then I pay black people to riot because race wars keep the sheep in line.” Despite some calls to resign from inside the party, all four currently remain in their posts. https://www.thedailybeast.com/four-texas-republican-party-officials-have-shared-racist-george-floyd-posts-says-report?ref=home (Really ugly stuff)

Trump Shares Letter Saying White House Protesters Are 'Terrorists'. The letter also attacks former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for criticizing the president. President Donald Trump shared a letter on Twitter from one of his attorneys that describes the protesters outside the White House as “terrorists.” Trump said the letter from John Dowd, who represented him during part of the Russia investigation, was “of interest to the American people.” https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/donald-trump-protesters-terrorists_n_5ed9c2e9c5b612748cc65a00?ri18n=true

Conservative journalist caught on video pretending to board up a business for an Instagram pic As protests continue nationwide, some volunteers are coming together to clean up and rebuild areas affected by looting, arson, and vandalism. Worldwide, social media is being used to share images, resources, and views on the issues of racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement. Unfortunately, some people are using this time to gain social media popularity and pose as contributing to efforts to rebuild and care for the community. A video of a woman in California pretending to help board up a store window went viral Monday after it was shared on Twitter. “This lady stopped someone boarding up a store in Santa Monica so she could hold the drill for a picture, then drove away. Please don’t do this,” the post read. Commenters including a staff member from The New York Times identified the woman as Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, a writer for the conservative Washington Examiner. https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/conservative-journalist-caught-on-tape-pretending-to-board-up-a-business-for-instagram/

Paul Krugman: GOP would ‘cheer on’ Trump if he launched ‘a military coup’ New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Friday warned that it’s wrong to compare President Donald Trump to President Richard Nixon, on the grounds that Trump is far worse and more dangerous. Krugman acknowledges that there are some similarities between Trump and Nixon, such as their willingness to use racial grievance to gain power and their cavalier attitude toward obeying the law. But Krugman thinks that the biggest difference between Trump and Nixon is that the Republican Party of 2020 is not the same as the Republican Party that pushed Nixon out in 1974. https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/paul-krugman-gop-would-cheer-on-trump-if-he-launched-a-military-coup/

Arrest records and officials contradict Trump's claim that he only went to bunker for "inspection" “It was a false report," Trump claimed. "It was much more for an inspection" President Donald Trump attempted to edit real like an episode of "The Apprentice" by claiming that he was only in the White House bunker amid protests over the death of George Floyd in order to "inspect it." But sources told The Washington Post that the president and his family were rushed to the underground bunker after a group of protesters breached White House barriers, and arrest records also back up those claims. https://www.salon.com/2020/06/04/arrest-records-and-officials-contradict-trumps-claim-that-he-only-went-to-bunker-for-inspection/

‘Honorable Man’: Former Chief of Staff John Kelly Defends Mattis’ Rebuke of Trump John Kelly, former chief of staff to Donald Trump, defended former Defense Secretary James Mattis’ criticism of the president’s handling of the Black Lives Matter protests sweeping the nation. Kelly also refuted Trump’s claims that he had fired Mattis, who resigned in 2018 because he disagreed with Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. In his op-ed, Mattis accused Trump of trying to intentionally divide Americans. Trump clapped back at Mattis on Twitter, claiming he had fired Mattis and saying he was “glad” the general was gone. “The president did not fire him. He did not ask for his resignation,” Kelly told The Washington Post. “The president has clearly forgotten how it actually happened or is confused. The president tweeted a very positive tweet about Jim until he started to see on Fox News their interpretation of his letter. Then he got nasty. Jim Mattis is a honorable man.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-chief-of-staff-john-kelly-defends-mattis-rebuke-of-trump?ref=home

Bill Barr defends the disturbing refusal of an unmarked secret police force to identify itself CBS News Attorney General Bill Barr is defending his use of an unmarked, unidentified, black-clad heavily-armed paramilitary federal secret police force brandishing riot gear, on the streets of the nation’s capital. Apparently they have been deployed to, as he put it Sunday, “reestablish law and order.” Many across DC have taken to social media, posting photos and video of these mysterious “soldiers” seemingly charged not with protecting the citizenry, but with protecting the federal government from the citizenry.

It will not be missed.

It has gotten to the point where this is just another bizarre event in this bizarre administration and not even anywhere near the top of the WFT list.

Too bad there is no "what idiots" emoji on this forum.

A good example of the "gaslighting" that Trump and pretty much the whole GOP is doing these days.

Bernie Sanders calls on Democrats to embrace 8-point plan to end police brutality "We have got to act boldly to eradicate systemic racism and police violence," Bernie Sanders tweeted As the nationwide uprising catalyzed by the police killing of George Floyd continues to bring hundreds of thousands of Americans into city streets around the U.S., Sen. Bernie Sanders is urging the Democratic leadership to embrace a slate of specific policy proposals aimed at mitigating the intertwined crises of systemic racism and unaccountable brutality by law enforcement. "I am calling for sweeping policy reforms to protect people — particularly communities of color — who have suffered violence for far too long," the Vermont senator wrote in a letter (pdf) to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday. Sanders' letter outlines eight policy proposals that the senator says would, if implemented, "contribute greatly to the eradication of police violence in this country." Amend federal civil rights laws to allow more effective prosecution of police misconduct by changing the standard from willfulness to recklessness; Abolish "qualified immunity," so police officers can be held civilly liable for abuses; Prohibit the transfer of offensive military equipment to police departments; Strip federal funds from departments that violate civil rights; Create a federal model policing program that emphasizes de-escalation, non-lethal force and culturally competent policing in which access to federal funds depends upon the level of reform adopted. As part of this effort to modernize and humanize police departments we need to enhance the recruitment pool by ensuring that the resources are available to pay wages that will attract the top-tier officers we need to do the difficult work of policing; Provide funding to states and municipalities to create civilian corps of unarmed first responders to supplement law enforcement, such as social workers, EMTs, and trained mental health professionals, who can handle order maintenance violations, mental health emergencies, and low-level conflicts to aid police officers; Require agencies to make records of police misconduct publicly available; Require all jurisdictions that receive federal grant funding to establish independent police conduct review boards that are broadly representative of the community and that have the authority to refer deaths that occur at the hands of police or in police custody to federal authorities for investigation. In addition, the boards would be authorized to report to federal authorities other types of abuses by police including patterns of misconduct. This would be supplemental to current federal authority to commence investigations. Clearly we need to enhance federal funding for such investigations

Cop Kills 22-Year-Old on His Knees After Mistaking His Hammer for a Gun: Chief A police officer in Vallejo, California, shot and killed 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa early Tuesday morning after mistaking a hammer in his pocket for a gun, the city’s police chief said Thursday. Monterrosa was on his knees when the unnamed officer, who told authorities he believed Monterrosa to be armed with a gun, fired at him five times through his car windshield. Monterrosa had a hammer, not a gun, in his pocket. https://www.thedailybeast.com/cop-kills-22-year-old-sean-monterrosa-on-his-knees-after-mistaking-his-hammer-for-a-gun?ref=home (Whatever happened to "serve and protect?)

Travis McMichael Called Ahmaud Arbery the N-Word as He Lay Dying on the Ground: Witness Investigators said in a Thursday bond hearing that Gregory McMichael told his son “don’t shoot” before the fatal Feb. 23 incident. VIA REUTERS The Georgia man who shot 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery while he was jogging on a residential street allegedly called him the n-word after the fatal incident, investigators said Thursday. During a probable cause hearing in Brunswick on Thursday for three men accused in Arbery’s Feb. 23 slaying, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Richard Dial revealed that Travis McMichael called Arbery a “******* n---er” as Arbery lay on the ground with three gunshot wounds.

If there are, their silences are deafening.

Reports and video reveal police destroying and ‘looting’ critical medical supplies during protests As protests over the killing of George Floyd continue, nonviolent demonstrators have not only been subjected to tear gas and rubber bullets — they have also witnessed police officers destroying water bottles and other vital supplies. And this pattern is being reported in U.S. cities ranging from Louisville, Kentucky to Asheville, North Carolina. In the Asheville Citizen Times, journalists John Boyle and David Thompson report that protestors “set up a makeshift medical tent” that police officers destroyed. According to Boyle and Thompson, “Glenna Grant, 33, watched in horror as APD officers destroyed the tent, water bottles and medical supplies. Grant said she and others had set up the medical center and had not planned to protest, but rather, provide a safe space for anyone injured during the night.” https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/reports-and-video-reveal-police-destroying-critical-protest-supplies-during-protests/

"negligent homicide" would be a good fit.

One tiny squeak of protest from Romney is nowhere close to him appearing moral. He has said nothing about children in cages, Trump's coded but obvious support of white supremacists and on and on.

That she is still struggling to support Trump says volumes about the GOP/right-wing mindset. It looks good for public consumption but when push comes to shove, that is another matter altogether.

I don't think Trump gives a damn about bloodshed if it suits his agenda. He can always find, and has found lawyers like Jay Sekulow and Barr who can fabricate some sort of rationale for almost anything Trump chooses to do, and people like his current press secretary who will defend him to the public. Trump's lawyers have already argued in court that there ought to be no limits or accountability to presidential power.

Trump has already defied the constitution and the law, and when the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff walked with him to the church in battle fatigues, he also did. Trump has shown that there are no lengths he is not willing to go to to keep power, and he is being enabled by the GOP, big business, the very rich, evangelists and the alt-right. If Trump uses the excuse that the election was rigged, and he is already preparing for that, he can assume emergency powers.

This election may be the last chance Americans have to reclaim their democracy. Trump, the GOP and the alt-right will not leave power without bloodshed. It will probably come down to who the military and police support.

But he looked maaahhvelous on a Jet-ski.