Arrest warrant issued for state Rep. Poncho Nevárez after he was caught on tape dropping envelope with cocaine
By Cassandra Pollock and Patrick Svitek
The Texas Tribune
November 14, 2019
Authorities issued a warrant Thursday for the arrest of state Rep. Poncho Nevárez, an Eagle Pass Democrat, on felony drug possession charges. A state special investigator claims in the warrant, which was obtained by The Texas Tribune, that Nevárez was caught on surveillance footage in September dropping an envelope with cocaine as he was leaving the Austin airport.
A magistrate judge in Travis County signed the warrant Thursday afternoon. Nevárez faces a charge of third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.
Neither Nevárez’s office nor the Travis County District Attorney’s Office immediately responded to a request for comment.
Thursday’s news came hours after an affidavit detailing the allegations, filed Oct. 29 in Travis County court by the Texas Department of Public Safety, was revealed and later obtained by the Tribune and other news outlets. The affidavit was attached to a warrant seeking to conduct a test to determine whether Nevárez’s DNA was on the envelope. The document says that the envelope had Nevárez’s official House seal and held “four small clear baggies” containing a substance found to include cocaine.
Nevárez, who chairs the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, announced last week he was retiring from the lower chamber. And in a statement to the Tribune on Thursday morning before the warrant was issued, Nevárez confirmed that the “news is true” — and that the events detailed in the affidavit prompted his decision to not seek reelection.
"I do not have anyone to blame but myself," he said, noting that he plans to seek treatment. "I accept this because it is true and it will help me get better.”
The events leading to an arrest warrant for Nevárez began Sept. 6, according to the affidavit, when two Texas Department of Transportation employees found the envelope outside the entrance to an area of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport used by traveling state officials. DPS was called, and investigators reviewed surveillance tape showing Nevárez exiting the airport, getting into the front passenger seat of a black SUV owned by his chief of staff and "dropping a white paper object," the affidavit says.
The affidavit states that DPS immediately took custody of the contents left behind by Nevárez. Lab results indicated that the white powdery substance tested positive for cocaine. The total net weight, according to the affidavit, was roughly 2 grams.
"Through training and experience, I have learned that individuals involved in the possession of narcotics would like to remain discreet and typically conceal the narcotics as best they can," wrote Special Agent Otto Cabrera. "Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that [Nevárez], using his own letterhead envelope, licked and sealed the envelope that contained the cocaine in order to keep it concealed."
The affidavit was posted online late Wednesday night by the conservative activist group Direct Action Texas, and the Tribune confirmed its contents Thursday morning. It came to light after two unexpected moves from Nevárez last week. On Nov. 6, he announced his office would deactivate its Facebook page but provided no reason for the move. Two days later, Nevárez announced he would not seek reelection in 2020, saying in a statement he "must heal up for the rest of what may come in my life” — potentially a nod to the events that happened roughly two months before.
Aside from chairing of the homeland security committee, Nevárez also serves as as vice chairman of a select committee that state leaders formed two months ago in response to the deadly shootings in El Paso and Odessa. He works as an attorney in Eagle Pass.
After Thursday's news, the Texas Democratic Party said in a statement that it's important for people with addiction to "access the help they need moving forward."
Nevárez "is taking responsibility and seeking the help he needs," the statement said. "We wish the best to him and his family."
The chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, echoed the sentiment, saying in a statement that "by not seeking reelection, [Nevárez] will be better able to focus his attention on his family and his health, which is where it should be."
Saturday, November 16, 2019
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SHOULD NOT ACCEPT CHARGES FROM THE POLICE IF THERE IS A QUESTION OF PROBABLE CAUSE
DA Ogg: Judges’, magistrates’ discretion spurs increase in ‘no probable cause’ findings
By Samantha Ketterer
Houston Chronicle
November 14, 2019
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg took aim at local courts this week, calling an alarming uptick in findings of no probable cause in more than 3,000 court cases a waste of resources and a public safety concern.
Local judges and magistrates ruled no probable cause in 3,217 misdemeanor and felony cases this year — a more than 70 percent increase from 2015 — citing a lack of sufficient evidence to continue with a criminal charge, according to the DA’s office.
“This is not a situation of our making,” Ogg wrote in the letter to area police chiefs. “Every one of these decisions is being made by our local magistrates and judiciary and should be of critical concern in terms of just how far our limited resources can be stretched as we strive together to keep Harris County safe.”
Ogg said that the no probable cause findings cause the defendant’s case to be dismissed — a claim disputed by Judge Darrell Jordan, presiding judge over the 16 Harris County criminal courts at law. Only the DA’s office makes the decision to pursue or dismiss a case after a finding of no probable cause, not any judge, he said.
Highest findings of no probable cause
In 2019, magistrates and judges have tossed 3,217 cases due to findings of ‘no probable cause.’ Here are the top five area agencies that saw cases dismissed for that reason.
Houston Police Department: 1,656
Harris County Sheriff’s Office: 474
Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4: 161
Baytown Police Department: 107
Pasadena Police Department: 87
(Data obtained from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office)
__________
Jordan added that he requested to meet with the district attorney in late June but is still waiting a response.
“This is one of many examples where Ogg tells half the story in order to paint herself in a positive light,” Jordan said. “Integrity matters, especially when we are dealing with community safety. If this was a true concern, why wouldn’t she come talk to the judges?”
District attorney spokesman Dane Schiller said that a finding of no probable cause places a case in “legal limbo,” meaning prosecutors can’t move forward if police are unable to present additional evidence. It’s unclear how many of the 3,217 cases have been dismissed or re-presented to judges or magistrates.
“Judge Jordan is flailing as he has personally tossed out hundreds of cases that cost taxpayers thousands of dollars and released criminal offenders right back into the streets,” Schiller said.
“The judges are well aware of their own rulings,” he added.
Judge Herb Ritchie, who is the administrative judge for Harris County’s 22 district courts, was unavailable for comment Thursday. Judge Kelli Johnson, acting in Ritchie’s place, said judicial rules prevent her from speaking about cases brought before the court.
The Houston Chronicle obtained Ogg’s letter after she sent the note Wednesday to more than 50 law enforcement leaders ahead of a Thursday meeting of the Houston Area Police Chiefs Association.
Police officers take the first step when they make arrests and bring evidence of a crime to the District Attorney’s Office, which then presents evidence to a judge or magistrate. The judiciary then determines whether there is probable cause to continue with a formal criminal charge.
Judges are bound by rules of the law and don’t technically have discretion over probable cause, said Kenneth Williams, South Texas College of Law professor. Evidence for probable cause must be “sufficient,” but a judge’s interpretation of the evidence might vary, leading to a difference of opinion, he said.
“It’s ultimately the judge’s call, not the DA’s call,” Williams said. “That’s why we have judges.”
The judges and magistrates have reported that they denied probable cause in many cases because police submitted statements without enough detail to warrant a charge, Ogg said in her letter. And in other cases, the increase has occurred because of judges’ vocal and personal perspectives about crimes and the offenders, the district attorney alleged.
Some of those findings are made in initial probable cause court hearings, and others are made as late as the time of a plea, she said.
So far this year, the magistrates and judges found no probable cause in 2,232 misdemeanor and 985 felony cases, Ogg said. The count was lower in 2015, when the judiciaries found no probable cause in 1,094 misdemeanor and 785 felony filings, according to data collected by the district attorney’s office.
And police agencies are filing fewer cases over that time period — more than 102,243 filings in 2015 compared with a projected 93,199 filings this year, the data show.
Some of the more frequent charges that are denied include assault, driving while intoxicated, evading arrest, felon in possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and unlawfully carrying a handgun in a motor vehicle, district attorney spokesman Michael Kolenc said.
Ogg said agencies should work with the district attorney’s office to determine whether it is worth the expense and effort to refile cases once probable cause is denied. She warned that all evidence must be trial-ready because the court might require an expedited trial schedule.
The largest agencies account for the most arrests where probable cause was denied — Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4, Baytown Police Department and Pasadena Police Department, according to the local prosecutor’s office.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo called the increase in no probable cause findings disheartening, saying he is confident in the validity of the charges his officers pursue. He said his department plans to form a team to look at cases that were denied probable cause and determine whether to re-file charges.
But after observing the Harris County judiciary for his three years as chief, Acevedo said the apparent rise is ultimately unsurprising. More than 1,560 of his department’s cases have been found without probable cause this year, according to the DA’s office’s data.
“What I’ve been seeing here is a criminal justice system that is focused on everything but keeping people safe,” the chief said. “I think the public needs to know the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Baytown Police Chief Keith Dougherty said he is concerned when his officers have cases dismissed due to a lack of probable cause, according to an agency spokesman. The department presented 107 cases this year that were eventually thrown out for that reason, according to the district attorney’s office.
“Our officers affect thousands of arrests annually and we have an obligation to everyone involved to investigate each of those cases thoroughly and gather all the facts,” Baytown police spokesman Lt. Steve Dorris said. “We at the Baytown Police Department are absolute in our commitment, when we arrest and/or charge a suspect in a case that we have more than ample probable cause, not just enough to support a criminal charge, but ideally enough to convince a judge or jury to render a guilty verdict, should the case go to trial.”
Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger said he isn’t inclined to question the denials but hopes judges will provide more feedback to officers so they can bolster future cases and lead to fewer dismissals.
“At the end of the day, as long as everybody’s following the law, I’m not going to second-guess the judge’s decisions,” Bruegger said. “There’s something we need to change as far as the process or procedure.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office — which had 474 cases denied this year due to no probable cause — will continue to seek charges based on good evidence, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
“Law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges all play important roles in ensuring the public safety,” he said. “We will continue working collaboratively to ensure that people who commit crimes in our community are held accountable, and that the charges we file are based on compelling evidence.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: I suspect that where the police are at fault, it is due to the inability of officers to write what they are charging with clarity and legibility.
By Samantha Ketterer
Houston Chronicle
November 14, 2019
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg took aim at local courts this week, calling an alarming uptick in findings of no probable cause in more than 3,000 court cases a waste of resources and a public safety concern.
Local judges and magistrates ruled no probable cause in 3,217 misdemeanor and felony cases this year — a more than 70 percent increase from 2015 — citing a lack of sufficient evidence to continue with a criminal charge, according to the DA’s office.
“This is not a situation of our making,” Ogg wrote in the letter to area police chiefs. “Every one of these decisions is being made by our local magistrates and judiciary and should be of critical concern in terms of just how far our limited resources can be stretched as we strive together to keep Harris County safe.”
Ogg said that the no probable cause findings cause the defendant’s case to be dismissed — a claim disputed by Judge Darrell Jordan, presiding judge over the 16 Harris County criminal courts at law. Only the DA’s office makes the decision to pursue or dismiss a case after a finding of no probable cause, not any judge, he said.
Highest findings of no probable cause
In 2019, magistrates and judges have tossed 3,217 cases due to findings of ‘no probable cause.’ Here are the top five area agencies that saw cases dismissed for that reason.
Houston Police Department: 1,656
Harris County Sheriff’s Office: 474
Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4: 161
Baytown Police Department: 107
Pasadena Police Department: 87
(Data obtained from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office)
__________
Jordan added that he requested to meet with the district attorney in late June but is still waiting a response.
“This is one of many examples where Ogg tells half the story in order to paint herself in a positive light,” Jordan said. “Integrity matters, especially when we are dealing with community safety. If this was a true concern, why wouldn’t she come talk to the judges?”
District attorney spokesman Dane Schiller said that a finding of no probable cause places a case in “legal limbo,” meaning prosecutors can’t move forward if police are unable to present additional evidence. It’s unclear how many of the 3,217 cases have been dismissed or re-presented to judges or magistrates.
“Judge Jordan is flailing as he has personally tossed out hundreds of cases that cost taxpayers thousands of dollars and released criminal offenders right back into the streets,” Schiller said.
“The judges are well aware of their own rulings,” he added.
Judge Herb Ritchie, who is the administrative judge for Harris County’s 22 district courts, was unavailable for comment Thursday. Judge Kelli Johnson, acting in Ritchie’s place, said judicial rules prevent her from speaking about cases brought before the court.
The Houston Chronicle obtained Ogg’s letter after she sent the note Wednesday to more than 50 law enforcement leaders ahead of a Thursday meeting of the Houston Area Police Chiefs Association.
Police officers take the first step when they make arrests and bring evidence of a crime to the District Attorney’s Office, which then presents evidence to a judge or magistrate. The judiciary then determines whether there is probable cause to continue with a formal criminal charge.
Judges are bound by rules of the law and don’t technically have discretion over probable cause, said Kenneth Williams, South Texas College of Law professor. Evidence for probable cause must be “sufficient,” but a judge’s interpretation of the evidence might vary, leading to a difference of opinion, he said.
“It’s ultimately the judge’s call, not the DA’s call,” Williams said. “That’s why we have judges.”
The judges and magistrates have reported that they denied probable cause in many cases because police submitted statements without enough detail to warrant a charge, Ogg said in her letter. And in other cases, the increase has occurred because of judges’ vocal and personal perspectives about crimes and the offenders, the district attorney alleged.
Some of those findings are made in initial probable cause court hearings, and others are made as late as the time of a plea, she said.
So far this year, the magistrates and judges found no probable cause in 2,232 misdemeanor and 985 felony cases, Ogg said. The count was lower in 2015, when the judiciaries found no probable cause in 1,094 misdemeanor and 785 felony filings, according to data collected by the district attorney’s office.
And police agencies are filing fewer cases over that time period — more than 102,243 filings in 2015 compared with a projected 93,199 filings this year, the data show.
Some of the more frequent charges that are denied include assault, driving while intoxicated, evading arrest, felon in possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and unlawfully carrying a handgun in a motor vehicle, district attorney spokesman Michael Kolenc said.
Ogg said agencies should work with the district attorney’s office to determine whether it is worth the expense and effort to refile cases once probable cause is denied. She warned that all evidence must be trial-ready because the court might require an expedited trial schedule.
The largest agencies account for the most arrests where probable cause was denied — Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4, Baytown Police Department and Pasadena Police Department, according to the local prosecutor’s office.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo called the increase in no probable cause findings disheartening, saying he is confident in the validity of the charges his officers pursue. He said his department plans to form a team to look at cases that were denied probable cause and determine whether to re-file charges.
But after observing the Harris County judiciary for his three years as chief, Acevedo said the apparent rise is ultimately unsurprising. More than 1,560 of his department’s cases have been found without probable cause this year, according to the DA’s office’s data.
“What I’ve been seeing here is a criminal justice system that is focused on everything but keeping people safe,” the chief said. “I think the public needs to know the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Baytown Police Chief Keith Dougherty said he is concerned when his officers have cases dismissed due to a lack of probable cause, according to an agency spokesman. The department presented 107 cases this year that were eventually thrown out for that reason, according to the district attorney’s office.
“Our officers affect thousands of arrests annually and we have an obligation to everyone involved to investigate each of those cases thoroughly and gather all the facts,” Baytown police spokesman Lt. Steve Dorris said. “We at the Baytown Police Department are absolute in our commitment, when we arrest and/or charge a suspect in a case that we have more than ample probable cause, not just enough to support a criminal charge, but ideally enough to convince a judge or jury to render a guilty verdict, should the case go to trial.”
Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger said he isn’t inclined to question the denials but hopes judges will provide more feedback to officers so they can bolster future cases and lead to fewer dismissals.
“At the end of the day, as long as everybody’s following the law, I’m not going to second-guess the judge’s decisions,” Bruegger said. “There’s something we need to change as far as the process or procedure.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office — which had 474 cases denied this year due to no probable cause — will continue to seek charges based on good evidence, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
“Law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges all play important roles in ensuring the public safety,” he said. “We will continue working collaboratively to ensure that people who commit crimes in our community are held accountable, and that the charges we file are based on compelling evidence.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: I suspect that where the police are at fault, it is due to the inability of officers to write what they are charging with clarity and legibility.
Friday, November 15, 2019
PELOSI MUST BE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CALIFORNIA GOLD
Nancy Pelosi accuses Donald Trump of BRIBERY for holding back Ukraine's military aid in dramatic escalation of Democrats' impeachment attack and says public testimony 'makes what Nixon did look almost small'
By Emily Goodin
Daily Mail
November 14, 2019
Nancy Pelosi on Thursday accused Donald Trump of 'bribery,' a charge, she notes, that is in the U.S. Constitution as an impeachable offense.
The speaker's charge dramatically escalated the stakes in the impeachment battle as the inquiry moved into the public stage.
Pelosi said the transcript of Trump's own call with his Ukrainian counterpart along with the 'devastating testimony' of top U.S. diplomat in the Ukraine Bill Taylor and deputy assistant secretary of state George Kent confirmed the bribery charge.
'The devastating testimony corroborated evidence of bribery uncovered in the inquiry and that the president abused power and violated his oath,' she told reporters during a press conference on Capitol Hill.
She then pointed out that bribery is in impeachable offense in the U.S. Constitution.
'It's in the constitution. You know, talking Latin around here, from anyone. Quid pro quo. Bribery. Bribery. And that is in the constitution attached to the impeachment proceedings,' she added.
The speaker said the bribe was the nearly $400 million in military assistance the administration with held on the allegation President Trump wanted a statement from the Ukraine that it would investigate the Bidens and unproven charges about the 2016 election.
'The bribe is to grant or withhold military assistance in return for a public statement of a fake investigation into the elections. That's bribery,' Pelosi said.
But she wouldn't say if House Democrats were ready to draft formal articles of impeachment against President Trump.
'I don't know that. We haven't even made a decision to impeach. That's what the inquiry is about. And when the committees decide that, and they will decide what the articles are.'
She also argued Trump has already admitted to guilt and pointed to his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
'I am saying that what the President has admitted to and says "its's perfect" - I said it’s perfectly wrong. It's bribery,' Pelosi said.
'What President Trump has done on the record in terms of acting to advantage his foreign power to help him in his own election and the obstruction of information about that, the cover up, makes what Nixon did look almost small,' she noted.
She also pushed back against Republican charges the Kent and Taylor offered second-hand accounts in their testimony.
'Don't fall into the secondhand stuff. Really. That is such a fraudulent proposition put forth by the Republicans. That is such a fraudulent proposition. And they know it. That's why they're talking about process rather than the substance of what we have heard. I just won't even dignify what they're saying in that regard. I just won't,' Pelosi said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Devastating testimony and bribery, my ass! All of it was hearsay crap and hardly indicative of substantiating an impeachable offense.
Pelosi’s delusion is what you can get from smoking California’s legalized pot.
Now if bribery doesn’t work, Pelosi can always charge Trump with the impeachable offense of murder for having Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi assassinated.
By Emily Goodin
Daily Mail
November 14, 2019
Nancy Pelosi on Thursday accused Donald Trump of 'bribery,' a charge, she notes, that is in the U.S. Constitution as an impeachable offense.
The speaker's charge dramatically escalated the stakes in the impeachment battle as the inquiry moved into the public stage.
Pelosi said the transcript of Trump's own call with his Ukrainian counterpart along with the 'devastating testimony' of top U.S. diplomat in the Ukraine Bill Taylor and deputy assistant secretary of state George Kent confirmed the bribery charge.
'The devastating testimony corroborated evidence of bribery uncovered in the inquiry and that the president abused power and violated his oath,' she told reporters during a press conference on Capitol Hill.
She then pointed out that bribery is in impeachable offense in the U.S. Constitution.
'It's in the constitution. You know, talking Latin around here, from anyone. Quid pro quo. Bribery. Bribery. And that is in the constitution attached to the impeachment proceedings,' she added.
The speaker said the bribe was the nearly $400 million in military assistance the administration with held on the allegation President Trump wanted a statement from the Ukraine that it would investigate the Bidens and unproven charges about the 2016 election.
'The bribe is to grant or withhold military assistance in return for a public statement of a fake investigation into the elections. That's bribery,' Pelosi said.
But she wouldn't say if House Democrats were ready to draft formal articles of impeachment against President Trump.
'I don't know that. We haven't even made a decision to impeach. That's what the inquiry is about. And when the committees decide that, and they will decide what the articles are.'
She also argued Trump has already admitted to guilt and pointed to his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
'I am saying that what the President has admitted to and says "its's perfect" - I said it’s perfectly wrong. It's bribery,' Pelosi said.
'What President Trump has done on the record in terms of acting to advantage his foreign power to help him in his own election and the obstruction of information about that, the cover up, makes what Nixon did look almost small,' she noted.
She also pushed back against Republican charges the Kent and Taylor offered second-hand accounts in their testimony.
'Don't fall into the secondhand stuff. Really. That is such a fraudulent proposition put forth by the Republicans. That is such a fraudulent proposition. And they know it. That's why they're talking about process rather than the substance of what we have heard. I just won't even dignify what they're saying in that regard. I just won't,' Pelosi said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Devastating testimony and bribery, my ass! All of it was hearsay crap and hardly indicative of substantiating an impeachable offense.
Pelosi’s delusion is what you can get from smoking California’s legalized pot.
Now if bribery doesn’t work, Pelosi can always charge Trump with the impeachable offense of murder for having Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi assassinated.
ISIS BRIDE IS SHIT OUT OF LUCK
by Bob Walsh
A federal judge has ruled that Hoda Muthana, daughter of a former ambassador to the U. S. from Yemen, who left the U.S. and went to join ISIS in 2014, is in fact NOT a U.S. citizen under the law and is not entitled to return to the U.S.
She was born in the U.S. while her father was still an accredited diplomat. That means she is NOT a U.S. citizen. It also means that her father, who stayed in the U.S. after Yemen turned to shit and has now become a naturalized citizen, can not send money to her in the refugee camp where she now lives in Buttcrack, Kurdistan, as that would be a violation of U.S. law and could lose him his citizenship.
I am confident that Ms. Muthana can find another goat fucker to marry and can have a full and rewarding life as a second or third wife, unpaid baby sitter and punching bag. Fuck her and the camel she rode in on. Allahu Akbar.
A federal judge has ruled that Hoda Muthana, daughter of a former ambassador to the U. S. from Yemen, who left the U.S. and went to join ISIS in 2014, is in fact NOT a U.S. citizen under the law and is not entitled to return to the U.S.
She was born in the U.S. while her father was still an accredited diplomat. That means she is NOT a U.S. citizen. It also means that her father, who stayed in the U.S. after Yemen turned to shit and has now become a naturalized citizen, can not send money to her in the refugee camp where she now lives in Buttcrack, Kurdistan, as that would be a violation of U.S. law and could lose him his citizenship.
I am confident that Ms. Muthana can find another goat fucker to marry and can have a full and rewarding life as a second or third wife, unpaid baby sitter and punching bag. Fuck her and the camel she rode in on. Allahu Akbar.
THE SHOOTOUT IN SAUGUS
by Bob Walsh
A student opened fire yesterday morning at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, about 30 miles northwest of L.A.
Two of the victims have died. Another is in the hospital and is believed to be unlikely to survive. Two others were injured.
The shooter, who has not yet been identified for the media, shot himself in the head with the last shot in his .45 pistol. He fucked that up and is in the hospital.
Various left-wing political groups are already posting about how evil semi-automatic pistols are and how they should be banned.
I am confident that the rumor that Adam Schiff hired the kid to shoot up the school to take the heat off of his rapidly disintegrating impeachment hearing is probably false.
A student opened fire yesterday morning at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, about 30 miles northwest of L.A.
Two of the victims have died. Another is in the hospital and is believed to be unlikely to survive. Two others were injured.
The shooter, who has not yet been identified for the media, shot himself in the head with the last shot in his .45 pistol. He fucked that up and is in the hospital.
Various left-wing political groups are already posting about how evil semi-automatic pistols are and how they should be banned.
I am confident that the rumor that Adam Schiff hired the kid to shoot up the school to take the heat off of his rapidly disintegrating impeachment hearing is probably false.
CALIFORNIA'S "LEGAL" WEED INDUSTRY HAVING TROUBLES
by Bob Walsh
Yes, it is sad but true. "Legal" pot is not nearly the boon to the formerly great state of California was promised when the new laws were passed. Flow Kana, East and Weedmaps, all pot suppliers, are now laying off staff.
A lot of the problem is cost. Semi-legal weed sold from licensed shops has to undergo extensive and expensive testing for THC content and contaminants. If you buy your weed there you KNOW what you are getting. But it costs significantly more than black-market weed. It is estimated by the legal weed market that about 3/4 of the money spent on weed in CA is spent on unlicensed product.
There is currently one legal weed store for every 35,000 adults in California. That makes the legal retailing outlets pretty thin on the ground. And the number of outlets is shrinking, not growing. The high taxes on legal pot and the lack of access to a banking structure is causing significant operating problems. The industry groups want to state to restructure their business to look more like the current Craft Brewery business.
Maybe they should just kick back, smoke, have a few bags of chips and a quart of Ben and Jerry's, and chill out. Don't worry. Be happy.
Yes, it is sad but true. "Legal" pot is not nearly the boon to the formerly great state of California was promised when the new laws were passed. Flow Kana, East and Weedmaps, all pot suppliers, are now laying off staff.
A lot of the problem is cost. Semi-legal weed sold from licensed shops has to undergo extensive and expensive testing for THC content and contaminants. If you buy your weed there you KNOW what you are getting. But it costs significantly more than black-market weed. It is estimated by the legal weed market that about 3/4 of the money spent on weed in CA is spent on unlicensed product.
There is currently one legal weed store for every 35,000 adults in California. That makes the legal retailing outlets pretty thin on the ground. And the number of outlets is shrinking, not growing. The high taxes on legal pot and the lack of access to a banking structure is causing significant operating problems. The industry groups want to state to restructure their business to look more like the current Craft Brewery business.
Maybe they should just kick back, smoke, have a few bags of chips and a quart of Ben and Jerry's, and chill out. Don't worry. Be happy.
CALIFORNIA MAKES A TRULY REMARKABLE DISCOVERY
If You Dump Thousands Of Felony Prisoners Into County Jails That Are Not Designed, Staffed Or Equipped To Handle Them It Causes Problems
by Bob Walsh
It used to be simple. If you were awaiting trial, or sentenced as a misdemeanant, you did your time in the county slammer. Once you were sentenced for a felony you went to the state prison.
Then along came REALIGNMENT. This was one of Jerry Brown's pet social engineering projects. Over seven years it has moved tens of thousands of felony prisoners into county jails, where theoretically they could / would be closer to rehabilitative services, closer to their families and could be treated in a more warm-and-fuzzy fashion thereby reserving state prisons for the "real" bad guys. Theoretically the counties receive adequate funding to achieve these goals. Theoretically.
Now Governor Newsom is unhappy that the state does not have more oversight and control over the local jails, which are run by local elected sheriffs and not by state appointed bureaucrats. He wants to "fix" that.
Since REALIGNMENT came along in-custody deaths have risen drastically, including inmate on inmate homicides. (Gee, who would ever have guessed that would happen?) The state has found that they can not force counties to build updated facilities. (Gee, who could have ever forseen that?)
Fresno County is often cited is these issues. Since realignment 47 prisoners have gone toes up for one reason or another in the Fresno jail. That is twice the number for the previous seven years. Sheriff Margaret Mims (who is actually a very solid cop) has pointed out that jails will continue to be dangerous places as long as they keep locking up dangerous people.
The state democrat-socialists have made one attempt to ram a mandatory oversight bill thru that would create an oversight group with subpoena power. It rolled over and died after strong opposition from the sheriffs.
by Bob Walsh
It used to be simple. If you were awaiting trial, or sentenced as a misdemeanant, you did your time in the county slammer. Once you were sentenced for a felony you went to the state prison.
Then along came REALIGNMENT. This was one of Jerry Brown's pet social engineering projects. Over seven years it has moved tens of thousands of felony prisoners into county jails, where theoretically they could / would be closer to rehabilitative services, closer to their families and could be treated in a more warm-and-fuzzy fashion thereby reserving state prisons for the "real" bad guys. Theoretically the counties receive adequate funding to achieve these goals. Theoretically.
Now Governor Newsom is unhappy that the state does not have more oversight and control over the local jails, which are run by local elected sheriffs and not by state appointed bureaucrats. He wants to "fix" that.
Since REALIGNMENT came along in-custody deaths have risen drastically, including inmate on inmate homicides. (Gee, who would ever have guessed that would happen?) The state has found that they can not force counties to build updated facilities. (Gee, who could have ever forseen that?)
Fresno County is often cited is these issues. Since realignment 47 prisoners have gone toes up for one reason or another in the Fresno jail. That is twice the number for the previous seven years. Sheriff Margaret Mims (who is actually a very solid cop) has pointed out that jails will continue to be dangerous places as long as they keep locking up dangerous people.
The state democrat-socialists have made one attempt to ram a mandatory oversight bill thru that would create an oversight group with subpoena power. It rolled over and died after strong opposition from the sheriffs.
ANOTHER COLLEGE SCANDAL PLAYER GOES AWAY
by Bob Walsh
Toby MacFarlane, 56, was a real estate and title insurance guy from California. He just got six months in the slammer for his part in the admissions cheating scandal, the longest sentence handed out yet by a large margin.
MacFarlane made a total payout of $400,000 to a fake non-profit operated by Rick Singer to get his two rugrats into his old school, USC. He also paid out $50,000 to USC athletics generically. He got his daughter in as a fake soccer player and his son as a basketball recruit. The judge hammered him harder because he played the game not once but twice, not unlike Lori Laughlin.
Now a total of 29 defendants, including 19 parents, have either pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in the scheme.
Ivan Dvorsiky, formerly an administrator for both the ACT and SAT, copped out Wednesday last week to racketeering charges for accepting $200,000 in bribes for instances involving a total of 20 students.
Toby MacFarlane, 56, was a real estate and title insurance guy from California. He just got six months in the slammer for his part in the admissions cheating scandal, the longest sentence handed out yet by a large margin.
MacFarlane made a total payout of $400,000 to a fake non-profit operated by Rick Singer to get his two rugrats into his old school, USC. He also paid out $50,000 to USC athletics generically. He got his daughter in as a fake soccer player and his son as a basketball recruit. The judge hammered him harder because he played the game not once but twice, not unlike Lori Laughlin.
Now a total of 29 defendants, including 19 parents, have either pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in the scheme.
Ivan Dvorsiky, formerly an administrator for both the ACT and SAT, copped out Wednesday last week to racketeering charges for accepting $200,000 in bribes for instances involving a total of 20 students.
BERNIE SANDERS AND ELIZABETH WARREN REMAIN SILENT ABOUT ROCKET BARRAGE AGAINST ISRAEL
Most of the Democratic candidates declare their support for Israel’s right to self-defense, but not Sanders and Warren
The IDF reports that at least 350 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since rocket fire began early on Tuesday. Most of the Democratic candidates have declared their support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
Joe Biden: “Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorist threats. It is intolerable that Israeli civilians live their lives under the constant fear of rocket attacks. That’s why our administration was such a strong supporter of Israel’s life-saving Iron Dome.”
Kamala Harris: “The latest barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza on innocent Israelis cannot be tolerated – Israel has the right to defend itself from these horrific attacks. I join others in urging against further escalation. I strongly support funding of the Iron Dome missile-defense system, which is, once again, saving countless Israeli lives.”
Pete Buttigieg: “I strongly condemn the rocket attacks on the citizens of southern and central Israel. Israel has a right to defend itself against acts of terror that set back any progress towards peace and will only serve to inflame the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
However, Marianne Williamson blames both sides. She said: “As is the case so often in Israeli and Palestinian politics, it is reasonable to say ‘Pox on both your houses.’ On one hand, it is absolutely a violation of international law for Gaza to fire rockets into civilian territory within Israel. I condemn it in no uncertain terms. On the other hand, until Israel ends the blockade and paves the way to a better life for people living within the Gaza Strip, societal violence of this kind should be considered inevitable. For any country, large groups of desperate people should be considered a national security risk. As president, I would push for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, with an understanding that until conditions for people living in Gaza are improved then such a ceasefire is not likely to occur.”
As of Thursday, there has been no word from Sanders and Warren about the rocket barrage against Israel. Both have been vocal in their criticism of Israel. Sanders has proposed cutting U.S. military aid to Israel and using those funds for humanitarian relief in Gaza.
The IDF reports that at least 350 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since rocket fire began early on Tuesday. Most of the Democratic candidates have declared their support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
Joe Biden: “Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorist threats. It is intolerable that Israeli civilians live their lives under the constant fear of rocket attacks. That’s why our administration was such a strong supporter of Israel’s life-saving Iron Dome.”
Kamala Harris: “The latest barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza on innocent Israelis cannot be tolerated – Israel has the right to defend itself from these horrific attacks. I join others in urging against further escalation. I strongly support funding of the Iron Dome missile-defense system, which is, once again, saving countless Israeli lives.”
Pete Buttigieg: “I strongly condemn the rocket attacks on the citizens of southern and central Israel. Israel has a right to defend itself against acts of terror that set back any progress towards peace and will only serve to inflame the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
However, Marianne Williamson blames both sides. She said: “As is the case so often in Israeli and Palestinian politics, it is reasonable to say ‘Pox on both your houses.’ On one hand, it is absolutely a violation of international law for Gaza to fire rockets into civilian territory within Israel. I condemn it in no uncertain terms. On the other hand, until Israel ends the blockade and paves the way to a better life for people living within the Gaza Strip, societal violence of this kind should be considered inevitable. For any country, large groups of desperate people should be considered a national security risk. As president, I would push for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, with an understanding that until conditions for people living in Gaza are improved then such a ceasefire is not likely to occur.”
As of Thursday, there has been no word from Sanders and Warren about the rocket barrage against Israel. Both have been vocal in their criticism of Israel. Sanders has proposed cutting U.S. military aid to Israel and using those funds for humanitarian relief in Gaza.
DEATH PENALTY APPROPRIATE FOR SINGAPORE PARENTS FROM HELL
Parents on trial for poring scalding water on 5-year-old son until he died
By Lydia Lam
CNA
November 12, 2019
SINGAPORE: A young couple stood trial on Tuesday (Nov 12) for killing their five-year-old son three years ago, with the prosecution painting a picture of "horrific" child abuse.
Before dying from severe scald injuries and blunt force trauma to the head, the boy had been pinched with pliers, burned with a heated spoon and confined in a cage meant for a cat, said the prosecution.
His 27-year-old parents, Azlin Arujunah and Ridzuan Mega Abdul Rahman, have several other children and lived with some of them in a one-room rental flat, the court heard.
Any information identifying the victim and any of the other children cannot be published under gag orders issued by the court.
The prosecutors urged the court to name the accused parents, with defence lawyers objecting. The judge allowed the naming.
Ridzuan faces nine charges including murder with common intention, ill-treatment of a child and voluntarily causing hurt by means of a heated substance. Azlin faces six similar charges, including abetment of voluntarily causing hurt.
Both parents were jobless at the time and relied on financial assistance, with Ridzuan selling items such as amulets, love potions and old currencies online on Carousell.
According to the prosecution, the boy was given to a foster family shortly after his birth in January 2011, but returned to his biological parents' household in May 2015.
"From around July 2016, both accused began to physically abuse and psychologically torment the deceased in various ways," said Deputy Public Prosecutors Tan Wen Hsien, Daphne Lim and Li Yihong.
PARENTS PHYSICALLY ABUSED BOY: PROSECUTION
Both parents are accused of using pliers to pinch the boy's thighs and buttocks, hitting him with a broom or hanger, burning him with a heated spoon, scalding him with hot water, hitting him with their bare hands and keeping him in a cage meant for their pet cat.
On one occasion in August 2016, Azlin is said to have hit her son with a broom after suspecting that he had toppled a biscuit tin, scattering biscuits on the kitchen floor.
Her beating left marks on his stomach and caused the boy to develop a limp and a misaligned kneecap, said the prosecution.
His father allegedly flicked ash from a lit cigarette onto his son's arms when he refused to answer him, and used a heated spoon to burn his palm when he found out that the boy had stolen milk powder to eat.
From mid to late October 2016, before the boy died, his parents scalded him with hot water on at least four occasions, alleged the prosecutors.
Between Oct 15 and 17, his mother allegedly grabbed the victim by his ankle to prevent him from running away, then poured hot water over his right leg and hand, splashing the liquid over his arm and chest.
As a result, he was limping and in pain, and suffered blisters and peeling skin, said the prosecutors.
On another occasion, the boy's mother Azlin splashed hot water on him, and the boy shouted "kau gila ke apa?" which means "are you crazy or what?" in Malay.
This angered both his parents, and they both allegedly threw several cups of hot water at the boy.
BOY BECAME UNCONSCIOUS AFTER ABUSE
The abuse came to a head at around noon on Oct 22, 2016, said the prosecutors in their opening address. At this time, the boy was confined in a cage measuring 0.91m by 0.58m by 0.7m.
When Azlin wanted to bathe her son, he did not want to remove his shorts, and she woke her husband up so he could "deal with" the boy.
Ridzuan hit the victim over his head, hands and legs with a broom, but the boy refused to remove his shorts.
Ridzuan then threw several cups of hot water at the boy, who shouted "don't want, don't want" in Malay, said the prosecutors.
The boy crouched down in the toilet, and Ridzuan poured hot water over his back and calf, claimed the prosecution.
It was then that the boy fell forward onto the bathroom floor and stopped moving.
"Despite this, the accused persons decided not to convey him to the hospital immediately, as they were afraid that they would get into trouble and would be arrested for child abuse," said the prosecutors.
They took him to the hospital after more than six hours, and the KK Women's and Children's Hospital notified the police about a "case of non-accidental injury".
The boy's father was arrested at his flat a day later, and his mother was arrested on Oct 25, 2016.
The boy was taken to the emergency department with low body temperature, low blood pressure and in critical condition.
BOY HAD 75% OF BODY COVERED IN BURNS
Associate Professor Loh Tsee Foong, who took the stand as the prosecution's first witness on Tuesday, recorded the boy's injuries in his diagnosis.
These include: Major burn injuries of second to third degree, dehydration, acute kidney injury, nasal bone fracture, multiple facial lacerations and a background of iron deficiency anaemia with isolated speech delay.
The boy died of his injuries a day after he was admitted to hospital.
An autopsy on the boy found the cause of death to be severe scald injury, with blunt force trauma to the head as a contributory cause. He had burn injuries covering 75 per cent of his total body surface area.
The pathologist confirmed that the scald injuries on the boy were sufficient to cause death.
Scientific analysis by the Health Sciences Authority later found that the temperature of the hot water dispenser used in the alleged offences was between 86.5 and 98.7 degrees Celsius, with an average temperature of 92.6 degrees Celsius. Water at this temperature would have caused immediate burns on contact with the boy's skin.
PSYCHIATRIC STATES OF PARENTS
The boy's parents were remanded to assess their psychiatric states after their arrests.
Azlin was found to be suffering from an adjustment disorder in the period leading up to the offences, but was not of unsound mind at the time and was fit to plead. The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) doctor also found that she had an abnormal personality characterised by dependent and antisocial traits.
Another IMH consultant found that while Ridzuan appeared to have antisocial personality traits, he did not suffer from any mental disorder or intellectual disability. He was also found to be fit to plead and was not of unsound mind at the offences.
Further psychiatric opinions found that Azlin was suffering from an adjustment disorder with depressed mood at the time, which substantially impaired her mental responsibility for the acts leading to the boy's death.
Another doctor found that Ridzuan was suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intermittent explosive disorder and hypnotic use disorder, with a causal link between his disorders and his offending behaviour.
The prosecution intends to lead evidence from 44 witnesses over the course of the trial.
Azlin is defended by a team of lawyers including defence counsel Thangavelu, Terence Tan and Cheryl Ng, while Ridzuan is represented by Eugene Thuraisingam, Syazana Yahya and Haziq Ika.
The penalty for murder is death, or life imprisonment with caning.
By Lydia Lam
CNA
November 12, 2019
SINGAPORE: A young couple stood trial on Tuesday (Nov 12) for killing their five-year-old son three years ago, with the prosecution painting a picture of "horrific" child abuse.
Before dying from severe scald injuries and blunt force trauma to the head, the boy had been pinched with pliers, burned with a heated spoon and confined in a cage meant for a cat, said the prosecution.
His 27-year-old parents, Azlin Arujunah and Ridzuan Mega Abdul Rahman, have several other children and lived with some of them in a one-room rental flat, the court heard.
Any information identifying the victim and any of the other children cannot be published under gag orders issued by the court.
The prosecutors urged the court to name the accused parents, with defence lawyers objecting. The judge allowed the naming.
Ridzuan faces nine charges including murder with common intention, ill-treatment of a child and voluntarily causing hurt by means of a heated substance. Azlin faces six similar charges, including abetment of voluntarily causing hurt.
Both parents were jobless at the time and relied on financial assistance, with Ridzuan selling items such as amulets, love potions and old currencies online on Carousell.
According to the prosecution, the boy was given to a foster family shortly after his birth in January 2011, but returned to his biological parents' household in May 2015.
"From around July 2016, both accused began to physically abuse and psychologically torment the deceased in various ways," said Deputy Public Prosecutors Tan Wen Hsien, Daphne Lim and Li Yihong.
PARENTS PHYSICALLY ABUSED BOY: PROSECUTION
Both parents are accused of using pliers to pinch the boy's thighs and buttocks, hitting him with a broom or hanger, burning him with a heated spoon, scalding him with hot water, hitting him with their bare hands and keeping him in a cage meant for their pet cat.
On one occasion in August 2016, Azlin is said to have hit her son with a broom after suspecting that he had toppled a biscuit tin, scattering biscuits on the kitchen floor.
Her beating left marks on his stomach and caused the boy to develop a limp and a misaligned kneecap, said the prosecution.
His father allegedly flicked ash from a lit cigarette onto his son's arms when he refused to answer him, and used a heated spoon to burn his palm when he found out that the boy had stolen milk powder to eat.
From mid to late October 2016, before the boy died, his parents scalded him with hot water on at least four occasions, alleged the prosecutors.
Between Oct 15 and 17, his mother allegedly grabbed the victim by his ankle to prevent him from running away, then poured hot water over his right leg and hand, splashing the liquid over his arm and chest.
As a result, he was limping and in pain, and suffered blisters and peeling skin, said the prosecutors.
On another occasion, the boy's mother Azlin splashed hot water on him, and the boy shouted "kau gila ke apa?" which means "are you crazy or what?" in Malay.
This angered both his parents, and they both allegedly threw several cups of hot water at the boy.
BOY BECAME UNCONSCIOUS AFTER ABUSE
The abuse came to a head at around noon on Oct 22, 2016, said the prosecutors in their opening address. At this time, the boy was confined in a cage measuring 0.91m by 0.58m by 0.7m.
When Azlin wanted to bathe her son, he did not want to remove his shorts, and she woke her husband up so he could "deal with" the boy.
Ridzuan hit the victim over his head, hands and legs with a broom, but the boy refused to remove his shorts.
Ridzuan then threw several cups of hot water at the boy, who shouted "don't want, don't want" in Malay, said the prosecutors.
The boy crouched down in the toilet, and Ridzuan poured hot water over his back and calf, claimed the prosecution.
It was then that the boy fell forward onto the bathroom floor and stopped moving.
"Despite this, the accused persons decided not to convey him to the hospital immediately, as they were afraid that they would get into trouble and would be arrested for child abuse," said the prosecutors.
They took him to the hospital after more than six hours, and the KK Women's and Children's Hospital notified the police about a "case of non-accidental injury".
The boy's father was arrested at his flat a day later, and his mother was arrested on Oct 25, 2016.
The boy was taken to the emergency department with low body temperature, low blood pressure and in critical condition.
BOY HAD 75% OF BODY COVERED IN BURNS
Associate Professor Loh Tsee Foong, who took the stand as the prosecution's first witness on Tuesday, recorded the boy's injuries in his diagnosis.
These include: Major burn injuries of second to third degree, dehydration, acute kidney injury, nasal bone fracture, multiple facial lacerations and a background of iron deficiency anaemia with isolated speech delay.
The boy died of his injuries a day after he was admitted to hospital.
An autopsy on the boy found the cause of death to be severe scald injury, with blunt force trauma to the head as a contributory cause. He had burn injuries covering 75 per cent of his total body surface area.
The pathologist confirmed that the scald injuries on the boy were sufficient to cause death.
Scientific analysis by the Health Sciences Authority later found that the temperature of the hot water dispenser used in the alleged offences was between 86.5 and 98.7 degrees Celsius, with an average temperature of 92.6 degrees Celsius. Water at this temperature would have caused immediate burns on contact with the boy's skin.
PSYCHIATRIC STATES OF PARENTS
The boy's parents were remanded to assess their psychiatric states after their arrests.
Azlin was found to be suffering from an adjustment disorder in the period leading up to the offences, but was not of unsound mind at the time and was fit to plead. The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) doctor also found that she had an abnormal personality characterised by dependent and antisocial traits.
Another IMH consultant found that while Ridzuan appeared to have antisocial personality traits, he did not suffer from any mental disorder or intellectual disability. He was also found to be fit to plead and was not of unsound mind at the offences.
Further psychiatric opinions found that Azlin was suffering from an adjustment disorder with depressed mood at the time, which substantially impaired her mental responsibility for the acts leading to the boy's death.
Another doctor found that Ridzuan was suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intermittent explosive disorder and hypnotic use disorder, with a causal link between his disorders and his offending behaviour.
The prosecution intends to lead evidence from 44 witnesses over the course of the trial.
Azlin is defended by a team of lawyers including defence counsel Thangavelu, Terence Tan and Cheryl Ng, while Ridzuan is represented by Eugene Thuraisingam, Syazana Yahya and Haziq Ika.
The penalty for murder is death, or life imprisonment with caning.
ONLY IN MEXICO
The Secret Meeting Between Police and Narcos
By Sol Prendido from El Universal
Borderland Beat
November 14, 2019
Several Commissioners of Security and Traffic of the State of Mexico were summoned last January to meet with organized crime operators, according to an intelligence report from the state government. Meetings between officials and suspected members of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación were held in restaurants.
The report consulted by this columnist indicates that the Commissioners were gathered by regions. The different calls were attended by directors from the Amecameca area (consisting of 13 municipalities), Tultitlán (four municipalities), Cuautitlán Izcallli (three municipalities), Ecatepec (consisting of two municipalities) and Zumpango (five municipalities).
These meetings were allegedly organized by one of the Security Commissioners, who was responsible for transmitting the invitation to his colleagues. Criminals asked officials not to interfere with their activities and focus instead on common crime. In return, neither they nor their men would be touched.
The report argues that only one of the Commissioners reported the fact to their municipal president. According to the version he offered, there was no offer of money: only the proposal that "everyone should go their own way." "Don't mess with us and we won’t mess with you”.
The report does not specify which directors attended these meetings. In those days the Commissioner of Tecámac was dismissed, for he “did not meet the confidence control exams” and only remained 23 days in office. After the arrival of the new director, two municipal police officers were killed in the Héroes Tecámac while they had dinner at a tamales stand: the aggressors parked their vehicle a few meters from the food stand, approached the officers and opened fire. Later it was learned that municipal agents were involved in the service of the mafia.
In just nine months, four security directors were in charge of the police in Tecámac. When they separated from office, some claimed "family reasons." Simultaneously, Mayor Mariela Gutierrez began receiving death threats. In February, in a manta signed by one "Comandante Catrina" she was required to release, "within 24 hours", a group of criminals interned in the Chiconautla prison. The alleged Comandante announced that his people were "going to start killing all the police in the municipality."
New threats against the mayor were repeated in March. In the middle of that month, Salvador Alejandro Sánchez, who was known as El Comandante Catrina, the main operator of organized crime in that municipality, was slaughtered next to his wife (also an ex cop). In August, new death threats appeared against Mariela Gutiérrez, signed by the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación.
A month later, the Tecámac regional prosecutor and two of his bodyguards were shot at a seafood restaurant located on the Pachuca-Mexico highway. In mid-October, another officer was killed in the streets of the municipality in front of his daughters of 5, 6 and 8 years of age.
Valle de Chalco is part of one of the regions (Amecameca) whose Commissioners, according to the intelligence document, were summoned to meet with the alleged Jalisco Cartel operators
Although it is not known if the director of this municipality answered the call, on October 28, Mayor Francisco Fernando Tenorio was injured in the head by a young man who had previously crossed words with him during a tour. According to the state prosecutor, Alejandro Gómez, the murderer is linked to "a well-known drug shooter who operates in Valle de Chalco."
How many Commissioners yielded in January to the demands of organized crime? According to the intelligence work, the fact that most of them have not informed their superiors sends tremendous signals: it speaks, as in Culiacan, of entire regions overtaken by criminal groups dedicated at kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking and theft of cargo vehicles. Entire regions in which the local police are looking the other way. Areas in which citizens have been left alone.
There is other bad news. The strategy described in the report is not exclusive to Edomex: security directors of several neighborhoods of Mexico City have already been approached by representatives of criminal groups. Many mayors know it. And they have preferred to remain silent: here we are also alone.
By Sol Prendido from El Universal
Borderland Beat
November 14, 2019
Several Commissioners of Security and Traffic of the State of Mexico were summoned last January to meet with organized crime operators, according to an intelligence report from the state government. Meetings between officials and suspected members of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación were held in restaurants.
The report consulted by this columnist indicates that the Commissioners were gathered by regions. The different calls were attended by directors from the Amecameca area (consisting of 13 municipalities), Tultitlán (four municipalities), Cuautitlán Izcallli (three municipalities), Ecatepec (consisting of two municipalities) and Zumpango (five municipalities).
These meetings were allegedly organized by one of the Security Commissioners, who was responsible for transmitting the invitation to his colleagues. Criminals asked officials not to interfere with their activities and focus instead on common crime. In return, neither they nor their men would be touched.
The report argues that only one of the Commissioners reported the fact to their municipal president. According to the version he offered, there was no offer of money: only the proposal that "everyone should go their own way." "Don't mess with us and we won’t mess with you”.
The report does not specify which directors attended these meetings. In those days the Commissioner of Tecámac was dismissed, for he “did not meet the confidence control exams” and only remained 23 days in office. After the arrival of the new director, two municipal police officers were killed in the Héroes Tecámac while they had dinner at a tamales stand: the aggressors parked their vehicle a few meters from the food stand, approached the officers and opened fire. Later it was learned that municipal agents were involved in the service of the mafia.
In just nine months, four security directors were in charge of the police in Tecámac. When they separated from office, some claimed "family reasons." Simultaneously, Mayor Mariela Gutierrez began receiving death threats. In February, in a manta signed by one "Comandante Catrina" she was required to release, "within 24 hours", a group of criminals interned in the Chiconautla prison. The alleged Comandante announced that his people were "going to start killing all the police in the municipality."
New threats against the mayor were repeated in March. In the middle of that month, Salvador Alejandro Sánchez, who was known as El Comandante Catrina, the main operator of organized crime in that municipality, was slaughtered next to his wife (also an ex cop). In August, new death threats appeared against Mariela Gutiérrez, signed by the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación.
A month later, the Tecámac regional prosecutor and two of his bodyguards were shot at a seafood restaurant located on the Pachuca-Mexico highway. In mid-October, another officer was killed in the streets of the municipality in front of his daughters of 5, 6 and 8 years of age.
Valle de Chalco is part of one of the regions (Amecameca) whose Commissioners, according to the intelligence document, were summoned to meet with the alleged Jalisco Cartel operators
Although it is not known if the director of this municipality answered the call, on October 28, Mayor Francisco Fernando Tenorio was injured in the head by a young man who had previously crossed words with him during a tour. According to the state prosecutor, Alejandro Gómez, the murderer is linked to "a well-known drug shooter who operates in Valle de Chalco."
How many Commissioners yielded in January to the demands of organized crime? According to the intelligence work, the fact that most of them have not informed their superiors sends tremendous signals: it speaks, as in Culiacan, of entire regions overtaken by criminal groups dedicated at kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking and theft of cargo vehicles. Entire regions in which the local police are looking the other way. Areas in which citizens have been left alone.
There is other bad news. The strategy described in the report is not exclusive to Edomex: security directors of several neighborhoods of Mexico City have already been approached by representatives of criminal groups. Many mayors know it. And they have preferred to remain silent: here we are also alone.
CURRENT GAZA FIGHTING IS NETANYAHU’S REVENGE
The prime minister was said to be furious after Islamic Jihad terror chief managed to humiliate him
Israel Today
November 13, 2019
The current round of Gaza fighting might be the result of more than merely the opportune elimination of a dangerous terrorist chief.
Back in September, just a week before Israel’s second election of the year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage in Ashdod to address a political rally. Moments into his speech, two rockets were fired at Ashdod and neighboring Ashkelon. Air raid sirens wailed, and Netanyahu was whisked away on live television.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu al-Ata had orchestrated the carefully-timed attack, knowing that it would humiliate Netanyahu. Israel’s self-proclaimed “Mr. Security” had been chased off by one of Gaza’s primitive, homegrown rockets.
According to Channels 12 and 13, the prime minister was furious, and immediately consulted his generals on how to assassinate al-Ata at the earliest opportunity.
Israel had tried to kill al-Ata on numerous occasions in the past. And after a series of serious Islamic Jihad rocket attacks over the past year, he was already high on Israel’s kill list.
But, defense officials cautioned Netanyahu and his cabinet that assassinating al-Ata so close to the election would be ill-advised, likely leading to a major outbreak of hostilities.
For weeks, the issue was kicked back and forth between the cabinet and defense establishment until on November 3 the decision was finally made to take out al-Ata.
A week later, the IDF got the opportunity it was waiting for after learning that al-Ata and his wife were sleeping alone on one floor of a multi-floor house in Gaza City.
A precision missile strike destroyed al-Ata’s bedroom alone, leaving the rest of the house undamaged and avoiding any civilian casualties.
The arch-terrorist was dead, and the slight against Netanyahu had been avenged.
Israel Today
November 13, 2019
The current round of Gaza fighting might be the result of more than merely the opportune elimination of a dangerous terrorist chief.
Back in September, just a week before Israel’s second election of the year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage in Ashdod to address a political rally. Moments into his speech, two rockets were fired at Ashdod and neighboring Ashkelon. Air raid sirens wailed, and Netanyahu was whisked away on live television.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu al-Ata had orchestrated the carefully-timed attack, knowing that it would humiliate Netanyahu. Israel’s self-proclaimed “Mr. Security” had been chased off by one of Gaza’s primitive, homegrown rockets.
According to Channels 12 and 13, the prime minister was furious, and immediately consulted his generals on how to assassinate al-Ata at the earliest opportunity.
Israel had tried to kill al-Ata on numerous occasions in the past. And after a series of serious Islamic Jihad rocket attacks over the past year, he was already high on Israel’s kill list.
But, defense officials cautioned Netanyahu and his cabinet that assassinating al-Ata so close to the election would be ill-advised, likely leading to a major outbreak of hostilities.
For weeks, the issue was kicked back and forth between the cabinet and defense establishment until on November 3 the decision was finally made to take out al-Ata.
A week later, the IDF got the opportunity it was waiting for after learning that al-Ata and his wife were sleeping alone on one floor of a multi-floor house in Gaza City.
A precision missile strike destroyed al-Ata’s bedroom alone, leaving the rest of the house undamaged and avoiding any civilian casualties.
The arch-terrorist was dead, and the slight against Netanyahu had been avenged.
TARGETED ASSASSINATIONS OF TERRORISTS SEND DOUBLE MESSAGE
While officials insist killing of top Islamic Jihad official was a “one-off” operation, it also demonstrates to Hamas that Israel is still perfectly capable of obtaining detailed intelligence and carrying out surgical strikes
Israel Hayom
November 13, 2019
The Israeli missile that blasted through senior Islamic Jihad terrorist Baha Abu al-Ata’s Gaza bedroom window at 4 a.m. on Tuesday morning may have killed the man and his wife, but it also sent a broader message to Hamas and Iran.
While officials insisted this was a “one-off” operation and Israel does not intend to return to a campaign of targeted assassinations, it also demonstrates to Hamas that Israel is still perfectly capable of obtaining detailed intelligence and carrying out a precision strike. It also sends a message to Iran that Israel will not tolerate the rogue regime’s proxies attacking it.
Moshe Maoz, a research fellow at the Hebrew University’s Harry S. Truman Institute, said, “This was going to happen sooner or later.”
He hesitated to conjecture whether or not this operation was connected to the installation of new Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, who officially took office immediately after the operation, and who, according to Maoz, seeks a tougher military approach to the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza.
Maoz also questioned whether the operation was intended to influence the ongoing government negotiations currently taking place in Israel to form a proper coalition.
According to Israel’s defense establishment, the Islamic Jihad commander was responsible for the majority of the attacks emanating from Gaza in the past year, and regardless of the political situation, Israel was left with no choice but to eliminate him at this point.
Maoz questioned the options Israel has. “What is the solution here? To occupy the Gaza Strip? The price will be high on both sides, and then Israel will need to deal with 2 million Palestinians,” he posed.
He noted that in the last decade, Israel “pounded” Gaza with airstrikes but nothing came of it, and many years of negotiations have not yielded the calm that Israel desires. Equally notable was the criticism that came from both political circles and the general Israeli public near the border.
According to Maoz, Israel needs to be “more creative” in finding a solution to the Gaza problem.
'Find the right targets'
Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told JNS that Hamas and Islamic Jihad must have known that their indiscriminate targeting of innocent civilians would “exact a high price from Israel.”
He said he does not believe that a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza now is the right solution, and he advocates “mowing the lawn” as the right approach, by which Israel occasionally carries out operations to prevent the terror groups there from becoming too powerful or capable.
However, Inbar acknowledged that “at some time, a full-scale ground incursion will be inevitable.”
For now, he said, Israel needs to “find the right targets – the ones that are most painful.”
While former Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff and the leader of Israel’s Blue and White Party Benny Gantz had said in the past that he would “pound Gaza” and wipe out the Hamas leadership if elected, Inbar noted that “it is easy to speak when you are not in government.”
The prime minister always has “a different perspective,” noted Inbar.
Gantz supported the targeted killing, tweeting, “The campaign against terror is continuous and requires moments when difficult decisions must be made. The political leadership and the IDF made the correct decision tonight for the sake of the security of Israeli civilians and residents of the south.”
“Blue and White will back every correct action for the sake of Israel’s security and will put the security of residents above politics,” he wrote. “Every terrorist who endangers our security should know that his days are numbered.”
Unlike Maoz, who said he believes that it is possible to negotiate with Hamas and come to an understanding with the terror group that would result in some form of peace, Inbar emphasized that Hamas and Islamic Jihad “want to kill all of us. There is no solution. Islamic Jihad and Hamas just want to destroy the Jewish state.”
Israel Hayom
November 13, 2019
The Israeli missile that blasted through senior Islamic Jihad terrorist Baha Abu al-Ata’s Gaza bedroom window at 4 a.m. on Tuesday morning may have killed the man and his wife, but it also sent a broader message to Hamas and Iran.
While officials insisted this was a “one-off” operation and Israel does not intend to return to a campaign of targeted assassinations, it also demonstrates to Hamas that Israel is still perfectly capable of obtaining detailed intelligence and carrying out a precision strike. It also sends a message to Iran that Israel will not tolerate the rogue regime’s proxies attacking it.
Moshe Maoz, a research fellow at the Hebrew University’s Harry S. Truman Institute, said, “This was going to happen sooner or later.”
He hesitated to conjecture whether or not this operation was connected to the installation of new Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, who officially took office immediately after the operation, and who, according to Maoz, seeks a tougher military approach to the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza.
Maoz also questioned whether the operation was intended to influence the ongoing government negotiations currently taking place in Israel to form a proper coalition.
According to Israel’s defense establishment, the Islamic Jihad commander was responsible for the majority of the attacks emanating from Gaza in the past year, and regardless of the political situation, Israel was left with no choice but to eliminate him at this point.
Maoz questioned the options Israel has. “What is the solution here? To occupy the Gaza Strip? The price will be high on both sides, and then Israel will need to deal with 2 million Palestinians,” he posed.
He noted that in the last decade, Israel “pounded” Gaza with airstrikes but nothing came of it, and many years of negotiations have not yielded the calm that Israel desires. Equally notable was the criticism that came from both political circles and the general Israeli public near the border.
According to Maoz, Israel needs to be “more creative” in finding a solution to the Gaza problem.
'Find the right targets'
Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told JNS that Hamas and Islamic Jihad must have known that their indiscriminate targeting of innocent civilians would “exact a high price from Israel.”
He said he does not believe that a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza now is the right solution, and he advocates “mowing the lawn” as the right approach, by which Israel occasionally carries out operations to prevent the terror groups there from becoming too powerful or capable.
However, Inbar acknowledged that “at some time, a full-scale ground incursion will be inevitable.”
For now, he said, Israel needs to “find the right targets – the ones that are most painful.”
While former Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff and the leader of Israel’s Blue and White Party Benny Gantz had said in the past that he would “pound Gaza” and wipe out the Hamas leadership if elected, Inbar noted that “it is easy to speak when you are not in government.”
The prime minister always has “a different perspective,” noted Inbar.
Gantz supported the targeted killing, tweeting, “The campaign against terror is continuous and requires moments when difficult decisions must be made. The political leadership and the IDF made the correct decision tonight for the sake of the security of Israeli civilians and residents of the south.”
“Blue and White will back every correct action for the sake of Israel’s security and will put the security of residents above politics,” he wrote. “Every terrorist who endangers our security should know that his days are numbered.”
Unlike Maoz, who said he believes that it is possible to negotiate with Hamas and come to an understanding with the terror group that would result in some form of peace, Inbar emphasized that Hamas and Islamic Jihad “want to kill all of us. There is no solution. Islamic Jihad and Hamas just want to destroy the Jewish state.”
Thursday, November 14, 2019
ERDOGAN’S VISIT TO THE WHITE HOUSE, NOT THE IMPEACHMENT CIRCUS, SHAMES PRESIDENT TRUMP
On top of abandoning the Kurds, Trump has Turkey’s Islamist despot as his guest at the White House
To his shame, Trump abandoned the Kurds to the Turks, who have a long history of committing genocide against the Kurdish minority.
The Kurds lost some 16,000 of their fighters in the war against ISIS, deaths that could otherwise have been suffered by American soldiers. They were our main allies in that war and most responsible for the destruction of the ISIS califate.
To add insult to injury, Trump invited Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s despotic Islamist ruler, to the White House.
Erdogan systematically violates the human rights of the Turkish people opposed to his regime, slaughters the Kurdish minority, supports the radical Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and supports the terror organization Hamas. He has also dispatched a goon squad to Washington, DC, to abduct Turkish anti-Erdogan activists.
And under Erdogan’s leadership, Turkey illegally sized and now occupies most of Cyprus. That doesn’t keep Erdogan from ranting and raving about the Jews illegally occupying Palestine.
Trump’s invitation of Erdogan is analogous to Franklin Roosevelt inviting Hitler to the White House.
Erdogan was at the White House on Wednesday, the same day the House impeachment hearings started.
I watched some of Wednesday’s impeachment hearing. None of the hearsay crap I watched from that circus led by ringmaster Adam Schitt (typo) or saw summarized later on TV news programs would shame President Trump. However, Trump should be ashamed of himself for having Erdogan, a supporter of terrorism and genocide, as a guest at the White House. But then, Trump has no shame.
To his shame, Trump abandoned the Kurds to the Turks, who have a long history of committing genocide against the Kurdish minority.
The Kurds lost some 16,000 of their fighters in the war against ISIS, deaths that could otherwise have been suffered by American soldiers. They were our main allies in that war and most responsible for the destruction of the ISIS califate.
To add insult to injury, Trump invited Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s despotic Islamist ruler, to the White House.
Erdogan systematically violates the human rights of the Turkish people opposed to his regime, slaughters the Kurdish minority, supports the radical Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and supports the terror organization Hamas. He has also dispatched a goon squad to Washington, DC, to abduct Turkish anti-Erdogan activists.
And under Erdogan’s leadership, Turkey illegally sized and now occupies most of Cyprus. That doesn’t keep Erdogan from ranting and raving about the Jews illegally occupying Palestine.
Trump’s invitation of Erdogan is analogous to Franklin Roosevelt inviting Hitler to the White House.
Erdogan was at the White House on Wednesday, the same day the House impeachment hearings started.
I watched some of Wednesday’s impeachment hearing. None of the hearsay crap I watched from that circus led by ringmaster Adam Schitt (typo) or saw summarized later on TV news programs would shame President Trump. However, Trump should be ashamed of himself for having Erdogan, a supporter of terrorism and genocide, as a guest at the White House. But then, Trump has no shame.
LAWSUIT FILED IN CALIFORNIA'S MANDATORY FEMALE QUOTA
by Bob Walsh
The Pacific Legal Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against a new state law, SB826, signed into law by Jerry Brown on his way out the door. The law mandates the publicly held corporations in California must have no fewer than one woman on their boards by the end of 2019 and two or more by 2021 for boards of five. The mandatory quota is three or more for boards of six or more. (I am unsure if they have to be actual females or if transexual females or temporary female identity persons also count.)
The Pacific Legal Foundation is a libertarian based group. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Creighton Meland Jr. a member of the board of OSI Inc. a manufacturer of security and health care system. Their are currently seven on the board. All are male.
The Pacific Legal Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against a new state law, SB826, signed into law by Jerry Brown on his way out the door. The law mandates the publicly held corporations in California must have no fewer than one woman on their boards by the end of 2019 and two or more by 2021 for boards of five. The mandatory quota is three or more for boards of six or more. (I am unsure if they have to be actual females or if transexual females or temporary female identity persons also count.)
The Pacific Legal Foundation is a libertarian based group. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Creighton Meland Jr. a member of the board of OSI Inc. a manufacturer of security and health care system. Their are currently seven on the board. All are male.
SUE THE VENUE
by Bob Walsh
Five victims of the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival have gotten together to sue the venue and organizer, asserting that the security was "grossly deficient" because their private security contractor did not have a plan in place to deal with an active shooter situation. They also contend that physical security (fencing) was deficient (it was) and there was inadequate staffing.
It is believed the shooter, who killed himself when confronted, came under a somewhat ratty fence to avoid metal detectors and security screening at the gates.
The plaintiffs are also preparing a claim against the City of Gilroy.
Five victims of the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival have gotten together to sue the venue and organizer, asserting that the security was "grossly deficient" because their private security contractor did not have a plan in place to deal with an active shooter situation. They also contend that physical security (fencing) was deficient (it was) and there was inadequate staffing.
It is believed the shooter, who killed himself when confronted, came under a somewhat ratty fence to avoid metal detectors and security screening at the gates.
The plaintiffs are also preparing a claim against the City of Gilroy.
THE GIG ECONOMY STRIKES BACK
by Bob Walsh
In the wake of legislation in the formerly great state of California to essentially outlaw the gig economy, members of that economy are striking back.
The California Trucking Association, which represents (among other groups) about 70,000 owner-operator truck drivers, has asserted that the state law violates both the Federal Motor Carriers Act and the Federal Aviation Administration Act. They assert that the new law will cause prompt and irreparable harm to their membership and want a federal restraining order against implementation pending further litigation. They may very well get it.
In the wake of legislation in the formerly great state of California to essentially outlaw the gig economy, members of that economy are striking back.
The California Trucking Association, which represents (among other groups) about 70,000 owner-operator truck drivers, has asserted that the state law violates both the Federal Motor Carriers Act and the Federal Aviation Administration Act. They assert that the new law will cause prompt and irreparable harm to their membership and want a federal restraining order against implementation pending further litigation. They may very well get it.
SUN TZU: IF A BATTLE CAN’T BE WON, DON’T FIGHT IT
Democrats have put all their chips on impeaching Trump but they’ve forgotten the golden rule of warfare: never start a battle you can’t win
By Piers Morgan
Daily Mail
November 13, 2019
There have been many great generals in the annals of history, often with very different ideas of exactly how to wage war.
But there is one common principle that links them all.
‘If a battle can’t be won, don’t fight it,’ cautioned Sun Tzu, the revered Chinese warrior from 544-496 BC whose tactical treatise 'The Art of War' is now considered a masterpiece.
‘Don’t fight a battle if you don’t gain anything by winning,’ agreed Erwin Rommel, the Nazis’ most successful general in World War 2.
The same principle applies to political conflict.
‘Choose your battles wisely,’ said Frank Underwood in House of Cards, ‘do not start a war you know you’re gonna lose.’
It should be a fairly obvious mantra, yet it’s one that is ignored time and again by those who should know better as ego and hubris displace common sense.
This brings me neatly to the commencement of today’s public impeachment hearings in the House of Representatives.
Let’s be under no illusion about the enormity of what is about to be unleashed here: for more than a month, the process to potentially remove President Trump from office has been conducted under the veil of secrecy.
There have been leaks, counter-leaks, anonymous media reports and myriad deposition transcripts, all of which has led to an increasingly febrile atmosphere.
But today, it will all explode into the public consciousness in front of the world’s TV cameras, with every twist and turn faithfully, and doubtless hysterically, recounted in real time by salivating mainstream and social media.
This, as the New York Post front page, featuring Democrat impeachment-drivers Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi in circus ringmaster roles, intimated this morning, will be the Greatest Political Show On Earth – a trial of staggering sensationalism in the court of public opinion.
But as the Post also suggested, this is a uniquely perverse case where the defendant is presumed to be guilty before any of the public testimony is even heard.
And therein lies the biggest problem for the Democrats.
They’re marched into the Congress casino to throw down all their chips on taking Trump down via impeachment.
But in doing so, they’ve raised the bar to potentially ruinous stakes – not for Trump, but for them.
I’ve said from the moment it became public knowledge that Trump’s now infamous phone call to Ukraine President Zelensky was a stupendously dumb thing to do, coming so soon after he was cleared by Special Counsel Mueller of colluding with Russia to fix the 2016 Election.
For the President of the United States to ask a foreign leader to investigate his main domestic political opponent, Joe Biden, goes against everything America stands for.
Trump’s repeated claim since that it was ‘a perfect call’ is, frankly, bullsh*t.
It was a very imperfect call, and shouldn’t have been made.
BUT, and this is a crucial ‘but’, I don’t think it reaches anywhere near the bar required for impeachment, which requires one of these four criteria: ‘Treason, Bribery or other high crimes and Misdemeanors.’
The main charge against President Trump is that he deliberately denied Ukraine $400 million in military US aid unless Ukraine formally investigated Joe Biden for alleged corruption while he was Vice-President.
Yet the aid WAS given, albeit a few weeks later than originally intended, and NO such investigation into Biden was ever launched.
So if there was any kind of deal, it never materialized.
That leaves us with the question of intent, and on that point there remains no incontrovertible evidence that Trump demanded an ‘Aid-for-Biden-dirt’ quid pro quo.
Oh there’s been plenty of noise, and none of it looks or sounds great.
But people with a vested anti-Trump interest have been spouting much of it, and I still haven’t seen anything that 100% establishes the crucial quid-pro-quo as cold, hard fact.
Moreover, even if an incontrovertible smoking gun does emerge, I very much doubt it will move public opinion enough to force Republicans in the Senate to convict Trump and prematurely end his presidency.
First, because of the extreme partisan nature of current US politics.
Second, because of the undeniable apathy among many Americans towards this Ukraine scandal.
Why the disinterest?
Two words: ‘RUSSIA COLLUSION!’
They’ve just endured two years of mass hysteria, driven by the exact same people, over a similar scandal that involved Trump supposedly conspiring with a foreign power against the US national interest, only for it all to end in a gigantic nothing-burger.
That makes it a lot harder to get as excited all over again about ‘UKRAINE COLLUSION!’
By recklessly over-egging the Russia collusion soufflé, and now doubling-down on alleged Ukraine collusion, Democrats have run the risk of portraying themselves as the boys and girls who constantly cry wolf.
Then there’s the Biden issue.
Despite the liberal-dominated media’s unedifying biased efforts to downplay it, there remains enough murky unresolved doubt about what Biden’s son Hunter really got up to in the Ukraine while his dad was overseeing US activity there, to make this a legitimate matter for public concern.
One thing’s for sure: these impeachment hearings will get to the bottom of that too.
So we could be in an extraordinary position in a few weeks time where nothing new emerges to kill off Trump, but some bombshell revelation does explode to kill off the Democrats’ own front-runner for 2020.
These impeachment hearings are thus going to be very perilous waters, and nobody can be remotely confident as to what will happen.
So that brings me back to the most important principle of warfare: never start fights you can’t win.
The Democrats have gone all in on impeachment without knowing how it will end.
And that could end being a catastrophic act of self-harm that gifts Donald Trump the next election.
By Piers Morgan
Daily Mail
November 13, 2019
There have been many great generals in the annals of history, often with very different ideas of exactly how to wage war.
But there is one common principle that links them all.
‘If a battle can’t be won, don’t fight it,’ cautioned Sun Tzu, the revered Chinese warrior from 544-496 BC whose tactical treatise 'The Art of War' is now considered a masterpiece.
‘Don’t fight a battle if you don’t gain anything by winning,’ agreed Erwin Rommel, the Nazis’ most successful general in World War 2.
The same principle applies to political conflict.
‘Choose your battles wisely,’ said Frank Underwood in House of Cards, ‘do not start a war you know you’re gonna lose.’
It should be a fairly obvious mantra, yet it’s one that is ignored time and again by those who should know better as ego and hubris displace common sense.
This brings me neatly to the commencement of today’s public impeachment hearings in the House of Representatives.
Let’s be under no illusion about the enormity of what is about to be unleashed here: for more than a month, the process to potentially remove President Trump from office has been conducted under the veil of secrecy.
There have been leaks, counter-leaks, anonymous media reports and myriad deposition transcripts, all of which has led to an increasingly febrile atmosphere.
But today, it will all explode into the public consciousness in front of the world’s TV cameras, with every twist and turn faithfully, and doubtless hysterically, recounted in real time by salivating mainstream and social media.
This, as the New York Post front page, featuring Democrat impeachment-drivers Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi in circus ringmaster roles, intimated this morning, will be the Greatest Political Show On Earth – a trial of staggering sensationalism in the court of public opinion.
But as the Post also suggested, this is a uniquely perverse case where the defendant is presumed to be guilty before any of the public testimony is even heard.
And therein lies the biggest problem for the Democrats.
They’re marched into the Congress casino to throw down all their chips on taking Trump down via impeachment.
But in doing so, they’ve raised the bar to potentially ruinous stakes – not for Trump, but for them.
I’ve said from the moment it became public knowledge that Trump’s now infamous phone call to Ukraine President Zelensky was a stupendously dumb thing to do, coming so soon after he was cleared by Special Counsel Mueller of colluding with Russia to fix the 2016 Election.
For the President of the United States to ask a foreign leader to investigate his main domestic political opponent, Joe Biden, goes against everything America stands for.
Trump’s repeated claim since that it was ‘a perfect call’ is, frankly, bullsh*t.
It was a very imperfect call, and shouldn’t have been made.
BUT, and this is a crucial ‘but’, I don’t think it reaches anywhere near the bar required for impeachment, which requires one of these four criteria: ‘Treason, Bribery or other high crimes and Misdemeanors.’
The main charge against President Trump is that he deliberately denied Ukraine $400 million in military US aid unless Ukraine formally investigated Joe Biden for alleged corruption while he was Vice-President.
Yet the aid WAS given, albeit a few weeks later than originally intended, and NO such investigation into Biden was ever launched.
So if there was any kind of deal, it never materialized.
That leaves us with the question of intent, and on that point there remains no incontrovertible evidence that Trump demanded an ‘Aid-for-Biden-dirt’ quid pro quo.
Oh there’s been plenty of noise, and none of it looks or sounds great.
But people with a vested anti-Trump interest have been spouting much of it, and I still haven’t seen anything that 100% establishes the crucial quid-pro-quo as cold, hard fact.
Moreover, even if an incontrovertible smoking gun does emerge, I very much doubt it will move public opinion enough to force Republicans in the Senate to convict Trump and prematurely end his presidency.
First, because of the extreme partisan nature of current US politics.
Second, because of the undeniable apathy among many Americans towards this Ukraine scandal.
Why the disinterest?
Two words: ‘RUSSIA COLLUSION!’
They’ve just endured two years of mass hysteria, driven by the exact same people, over a similar scandal that involved Trump supposedly conspiring with a foreign power against the US national interest, only for it all to end in a gigantic nothing-burger.
That makes it a lot harder to get as excited all over again about ‘UKRAINE COLLUSION!’
By recklessly over-egging the Russia collusion soufflé, and now doubling-down on alleged Ukraine collusion, Democrats have run the risk of portraying themselves as the boys and girls who constantly cry wolf.
Then there’s the Biden issue.
Despite the liberal-dominated media’s unedifying biased efforts to downplay it, there remains enough murky unresolved doubt about what Biden’s son Hunter really got up to in the Ukraine while his dad was overseeing US activity there, to make this a legitimate matter for public concern.
One thing’s for sure: these impeachment hearings will get to the bottom of that too.
So we could be in an extraordinary position in a few weeks time where nothing new emerges to kill off Trump, but some bombshell revelation does explode to kill off the Democrats’ own front-runner for 2020.
These impeachment hearings are thus going to be very perilous waters, and nobody can be remotely confident as to what will happen.
So that brings me back to the most important principle of warfare: never start fights you can’t win.
The Democrats have gone all in on impeachment without knowing how it will end.
And that could end being a catastrophic act of self-harm that gifts Donald Trump the next election.
SAN FRANCISCO’S NEW DA
‘Crimes such as public camping, offering or soliciting sex, public urination, blocking a sidewalk, etc., should not and will not be prosecuted.’
By Peter Hasson
The Daily Signal
November 12, 2019
San Francisco’s pee problem could soon get worse.
Chesa Boudin, the urine-and-feces-plagued city’s incoming district attorney, pledged during the campaign not to prosecute public urination and other quality-of-life crimes if elected. Boudin declared victory Saturday night after results showed him winning a plurality of votes in the DA race.
“We will not prosecute cases involving quality-of-life crimes. Crimes such as public camping, offering or soliciting sex, public urination, blocking a sidewalk, etc., should not and will not be prosecuted,” Boudin vowed in response to an American Civil Liberties Union questionnaire during the campaign.
“Many of these crimes are still being prosecuted, we have a long way to go to decriminalize poverty and homelessness,” he lamented.
Boudin’s campaign didn’t return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for confirmation that he would follow through on his pledge not to prosecute public urination.
Boudin’s parents were members of the Weather Underground, a domestic terrorist group. Boudin “was raised in Chicago by Weather Underground leaders Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn” after his parents were sent to prison on murder charges while he was a toddler, NBC News reported.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., cheered Boudin’s victory in the election.
“Now is the moment to fundamentally transform our racist and broken criminal justice system by ending mass incarceration, the failed war on drugs and the criminalization of poverty,” the Vermont senator wrote Saturday on Twitter, congratulating Boudin on his “historic victory!”
By Peter Hasson
The Daily Signal
November 12, 2019
San Francisco’s pee problem could soon get worse.
Chesa Boudin, the urine-and-feces-plagued city’s incoming district attorney, pledged during the campaign not to prosecute public urination and other quality-of-life crimes if elected. Boudin declared victory Saturday night after results showed him winning a plurality of votes in the DA race.
“We will not prosecute cases involving quality-of-life crimes. Crimes such as public camping, offering or soliciting sex, public urination, blocking a sidewalk, etc., should not and will not be prosecuted,” Boudin vowed in response to an American Civil Liberties Union questionnaire during the campaign.
“Many of these crimes are still being prosecuted, we have a long way to go to decriminalize poverty and homelessness,” he lamented.
Boudin’s campaign didn’t return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for confirmation that he would follow through on his pledge not to prosecute public urination.
Boudin’s parents were members of the Weather Underground, a domestic terrorist group. Boudin “was raised in Chicago by Weather Underground leaders Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn” after his parents were sent to prison on murder charges while he was a toddler, NBC News reported.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., cheered Boudin’s victory in the election.
“Now is the moment to fundamentally transform our racist and broken criminal justice system by ending mass incarceration, the failed war on drugs and the criminalization of poverty,” the Vermont senator wrote Saturday on Twitter, congratulating Boudin on his “historic victory!”
ALTHOUGH HE TAKES HIS 11-MONTH OLD SON TO HIS WORK, NAFES MONROE IS NOT VERY HIGH ON LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR FATHER OF THE YEAR
Father of baby shot last month accused of using son as ‘human shield’
by Mensah M. Dean
The Philadelphia Inquirer
November 12, 2019
PHILADELPHIA -- The father of a baby who was critically wounded in a shooting last month allegedly used his son as a “human shield” while attempting to buy drugs with counterfeit money in the city’s Hunting Park section, a top prosecutor said Tuesday.
Nafes Monroe, 25, was arrested Saturday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person for having 11-month old Yazeem Jenkins in the car with him when a gunman opened fire and struck the boy four times, including in the head and chest.
Anthony Voci, head of the District Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit, said at the time of the shooting that Monroe was wanted on a probation violation warrant stemming from a 2013 gun conviction.
Monroe, his girlfriend, another man, and the baby were in the car at the time of the shooting around 7:50 p.m. on Oct. 19 in the 700 block of West Luzerne Street.
The alleged shooter, Francisco Ortiz, 29, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and related offenses.
Monroe, who lived in the 4900 block of North Camac Street, drove the child to a house before taking him to a hospital and fleeing, Voci said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
“He was using counterfeit money to purchase drugs, knowing that counterfeit money is something that is very upsetting to drug dealers, and when they find out they are being burned with counterfeit money, they act violently,” Voci said.
This was not the first time Monroe had taken his son with him while buying drugs with fake money, some of which was found in the car by police, Voci said.
“Our investigation has led us to believe that he intentionally had his child with him when he was making such types of purchases, with the idea or belief that if someone saw that he had a child in the car, that they would not fire upon him,” Voci said. “A 'human shield’ is probably the term that I would use.”
Ortiz, the alleged shooter, also is accused of supplying an AK-47 rifle used in a shooting the next day that killed 2-year-old Nikolette Rivera in Kensington.
Ortiz had a pending gun case at the time he was arrested.
by Mensah M. Dean
The Philadelphia Inquirer
November 12, 2019
PHILADELPHIA -- The father of a baby who was critically wounded in a shooting last month allegedly used his son as a “human shield” while attempting to buy drugs with counterfeit money in the city’s Hunting Park section, a top prosecutor said Tuesday.
Nafes Monroe, 25, was arrested Saturday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person for having 11-month old Yazeem Jenkins in the car with him when a gunman opened fire and struck the boy four times, including in the head and chest.
Anthony Voci, head of the District Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit, said at the time of the shooting that Monroe was wanted on a probation violation warrant stemming from a 2013 gun conviction.
Monroe, his girlfriend, another man, and the baby were in the car at the time of the shooting around 7:50 p.m. on Oct. 19 in the 700 block of West Luzerne Street.
The alleged shooter, Francisco Ortiz, 29, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and related offenses.
Monroe, who lived in the 4900 block of North Camac Street, drove the child to a house before taking him to a hospital and fleeing, Voci said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
“He was using counterfeit money to purchase drugs, knowing that counterfeit money is something that is very upsetting to drug dealers, and when they find out they are being burned with counterfeit money, they act violently,” Voci said.
This was not the first time Monroe had taken his son with him while buying drugs with fake money, some of which was found in the car by police, Voci said.
“Our investigation has led us to believe that he intentionally had his child with him when he was making such types of purchases, with the idea or belief that if someone saw that he had a child in the car, that they would not fire upon him,” Voci said. “A 'human shield’ is probably the term that I would use.”
Ortiz, the alleged shooter, also is accused of supplying an AK-47 rifle used in a shooting the next day that killed 2-year-old Nikolette Rivera in Kensington.
Ortiz had a pending gun case at the time he was arrested.
LAST MEALS FIT FOR A KING ….. NO MAKE THAT THREE KINGS
Georgia death row inmate is ordering second humongous last meal
Ray Jefferson Cromartie, 52, was scheduled to be executed on October 30 for the 1994 murder of a convenience store clerk.
Cromartie requested a last meal of steak, lobster, macaroni and cheese, cube steak, rice and gravy, steak and cheese sandwich, double cheeseburger, fries, side of ranch dressing, strawberry milkshake and layered cake with white icing.
Then he got a last-minute reprieve. His new execution date was set for November 13, 2019.
This go around Cromartie requested a last meal of steak, lobster macaroni and cheese, chicken sandwich, chicken caesar salad with ranch dressing, double cheeseburger, fries, red beans, strawberry milkshake, and apple juice.
Me thinks there is method to his madness. Cromartie wants to eat that much so he will be too sick to execute.
Another last minute appeal failed to stop the execution again and so finally on Wednesday evening Georgia sent the dipshit to his maker. The lethal injection was flawless.
Ray Jefferson Cromartie, 52, was scheduled to be executed on October 30 for the 1994 murder of a convenience store clerk.
Cromartie requested a last meal of steak, lobster, macaroni and cheese, cube steak, rice and gravy, steak and cheese sandwich, double cheeseburger, fries, side of ranch dressing, strawberry milkshake and layered cake with white icing.
Then he got a last-minute reprieve. His new execution date was set for November 13, 2019.
This go around Cromartie requested a last meal of steak, lobster macaroni and cheese, chicken sandwich, chicken caesar salad with ranch dressing, double cheeseburger, fries, red beans, strawberry milkshake, and apple juice.
Me thinks there is method to his madness. Cromartie wants to eat that much so he will be too sick to execute.
Another last minute appeal failed to stop the execution again and so finally on Wednesday evening Georgia sent the dipshit to his maker. The lethal injection was flawless.
FIRST DEGREE MURDER R SEEMS A BIT OVER THE TOP
Central California Mother Charged With Murder After Delivering Stillborn Baby With Meth In Its System
LAPPL News Watch
November 13, 2019
A 25-year-old woman in central California has been arrested and charged with murder after she delivered a stillborn baby that authorities said had toxic levels of meth in its system.
The Hanford Police Department said in a news release that Chelsea Cheyenne Becker delivered a stillborn child September 10 that medical professionals believed may have been exposed to drugs while she was pregnant. The death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy by the Kings County Coroner’s Office found methamphetamine in the baby’s system, police said.
Police put out a warrant for Becker, and she was arrested Tuesday night on a felony charge of first-degree murder and booked into the Kings County Jail in Hanford early Wednesday, records show. Her bail has been set at $5 million.
Becker pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on Wednesday morning, and a phone call to her lawyer, Robert Stover, was not returned. Court records indicate her next hearing is November 19.
LAPPL News Watch
November 13, 2019
A 25-year-old woman in central California has been arrested and charged with murder after she delivered a stillborn baby that authorities said had toxic levels of meth in its system.
The Hanford Police Department said in a news release that Chelsea Cheyenne Becker delivered a stillborn child September 10 that medical professionals believed may have been exposed to drugs while she was pregnant. The death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy by the Kings County Coroner’s Office found methamphetamine in the baby’s system, police said.
Police put out a warrant for Becker, and she was arrested Tuesday night on a felony charge of first-degree murder and booked into the Kings County Jail in Hanford early Wednesday, records show. Her bail has been set at $5 million.
Becker pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on Wednesday morning, and a phone call to her lawyer, Robert Stover, was not returned. Court records indicate her next hearing is November 19.
FELONS WHO HAVE SERVED THEIR TIME SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VOTE AND RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
Felon running for Houston City Council says she wants to serve her community
By Brittany Jeffers
Click2Houston
November 12, 2019
HOUSTON - Cynthia Bailey said Tuesday that she has served her time and now she wants to serve her community by sitting on the Houston City Council.
The convicted felon who is running for the District B seat is headed to a December runoff against Tarsha Jackson.
Last week, third-place candidate Renee Jefferson-Smith filed legal action seeking to have Bailey disqualified from the runoff, citing her prior felony conviction in 2007. She also claimed that Bailey lied about the conviction on her application for candidacy.
"What I want others to get is that she lost to me and that's it," Bailey said. "It's a loss."
Oliver Brown, Bailey's attorney, said his client is eligible to run for office, despite her felonious record.
"A lot of people are under the perception that people who have a felony cannot run, and that's false," Brown said.
Brown has filed a plea in the case and cited the Houston City Charter and two specific reasons he said that Bailey is eligible to run.
"My client is a qualified voter," Brown said. "If you look at the definition of qualified voter under the election code, it states even if you had a felony and you served out your time or you're done with your parole or probation, your voting rights are restored. So, therefore, she's now a qualified voter, and she's been in this district for 12 months, so she gets to be on the ballot."
The legal department with the city of Houston responded by saying that the "court will provide guidance on the matter."
Gerry Birnberg, who has practiced election code litigation. said that the next step is court proceedings.
"The next step is court hearings to determine whether or not the official ballot should be printed with her name on it or not," Birnberg said.
Birnberg said the court's decision regarding ballot printing doesn't necessarily determine whether she is eligible for the position.
KPRC 2 reached out to Jefferson-Smith's attorney for comment but has not heard back.
By Brittany Jeffers
Click2Houston
November 12, 2019
HOUSTON - Cynthia Bailey said Tuesday that she has served her time and now she wants to serve her community by sitting on the Houston City Council.
The convicted felon who is running for the District B seat is headed to a December runoff against Tarsha Jackson.
Last week, third-place candidate Renee Jefferson-Smith filed legal action seeking to have Bailey disqualified from the runoff, citing her prior felony conviction in 2007. She also claimed that Bailey lied about the conviction on her application for candidacy.
"What I want others to get is that she lost to me and that's it," Bailey said. "It's a loss."
Oliver Brown, Bailey's attorney, said his client is eligible to run for office, despite her felonious record.
"A lot of people are under the perception that people who have a felony cannot run, and that's false," Brown said.
Brown has filed a plea in the case and cited the Houston City Charter and two specific reasons he said that Bailey is eligible to run.
"My client is a qualified voter," Brown said. "If you look at the definition of qualified voter under the election code, it states even if you had a felony and you served out your time or you're done with your parole or probation, your voting rights are restored. So, therefore, she's now a qualified voter, and she's been in this district for 12 months, so she gets to be on the ballot."
The legal department with the city of Houston responded by saying that the "court will provide guidance on the matter."
Gerry Birnberg, who has practiced election code litigation. said that the next step is court proceedings.
"The next step is court hearings to determine whether or not the official ballot should be printed with her name on it or not," Birnberg said.
Birnberg said the court's decision regarding ballot printing doesn't necessarily determine whether she is eligible for the position.
KPRC 2 reached out to Jefferson-Smith's attorney for comment but has not heard back.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
MY CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT, NIKKI HALEY DEFENDS TRUMP IN FACE OF ANTAGONISTIC SAVANNAH GUTHRIE
Nikki Haley grilled over Trump's Ukraine conduct, truthfulness
By Allan Smith
NBC News
November 12, 2019
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump’s July call with the leader of Ukraine, but said that “it’s never a good practice for us to ask a foreign country to investigate an American. It's just not a good practice."
“Having said that, there’s no insistence on that call, there are no demands on that call, it is a conversation between two presidents that’s casual in nature,” Haley said in an interview on "Today" with NBC News' Savannah Guthrie.
According to the White House record of Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkiy, Trump asked Zelenskiy for a "favor," suggesting the country probe a debunked conspiracy theory about Democrats and the 2016 election and the Biden family. The call is at the center of the House's impeachment inquiry.
Haley contended that it was appropriate for Trump to ask Ukraine to probe "corruption."
"OK, but the corruption mentioned by the president here has to do with Joe Biden and the DNC server," Guthrie said. "Those are the two very specific examples."
"An American should want to know the answer of, 'Did Biden pressure the prosecutor to, you know, to do what he did?' And I think there's a real question there. You can question the president, but you also have to question what Biden did," Haley said.
Trump and his allies have pushed a theory that Biden acted improperly as vice president when he called on Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, threatening to hold about $1 billion in aid over the country. Shokin had been investigating Burisma Holdings, a natural gas company that Biden's son Hunter sat on the board of. But press accounts say that probe was long dormant by the time Biden pushed for Shokin's ouster, and his removal as prosecutor was the aim of a number of countries and international bodies. Shokin was accused of ignoring corruption in Ukraine, not pursuing it.
As Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., put it in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, what Biden had asked for was for the benefit of U.S. foreign policy with the backing of the international community. Democrats have alleged Trump was seeking investigations that would prove politically beneficial to him by directing a pressure campaign that included freezing millions of dollars in Congress-approved military aid that Ukraine depended on to counter Russian aggression.
In the interview, Guthrie also pressed Haley on Trump's fitness for office and her claims that top officials sought to undermine the president.
Haley addressed a portion of her new book, "With All Due Respect," where she detailed a meeting she had with Trump after that July 2018 press conference, in which the president appeared to side with Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies' determination that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
In the meeting Haley recalled, she told Trump he did not do well alongside Putin, a point that surprised Trump because, in Haley's retelling, she was the only person to tell him that.
Guthrie pressed Haley on that claim.
"Really? You were the only person?" Guthrie asked. "I mean that news conference was globally condemned because of that moment, but you were the only person in the administration who said, Hey, that didn’t look so great?"
"That’s what he told me," Haley responded. "I mean when I said I wanted to meet with him, and I go through that in the book, when I said I wanted to meet with him, and I said, 'Look, this sounded soft.' And he said, 'Really?' John Kelly was in the room with me when I had this meeting, and he looked at John and he said, 'All of you guys said I did great.'"
Guthrie pointed to separate claims from Haley's book, in which she said Kelly, then the White House chief of staff, and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, had sought to undermine Trump's decisions in order to save the country, and asked how she could explain Kelly's offering Trump such a positive assessment of his meeting with Putin in light of those assertions.
"You ask him those questions," Haley said, expressing support for Trump's policies toward Russia. "But the issue was that on that topic, no one had said anything to him, and I thought it was hugely important, and you’ll see later, he comes out, and he comes out much stronger on Russia."
Haley also told Guthrie that she did tell Trump of what she described as Kelly and Tillerson's insubordination — an effort to undermine the president that Haley claims they recruited her to be a part of.
Asked if and when such a conversation between Haley and Trump took place, as well as what the president thought of Haley's assertions, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told NBC News, "I believe that’s something you’d need to ask Nikki."
Guthrie concluded her interview by asking Haley whether Trump is honest and fit for office. Haley said she never doubted Trump's mental acuity.
"In every instance that I dealt with him, he was truthful, he listened, and he was great to work with," she said.
In a later interview with NBC's Craig Melvin, Haley was asked if Trump should release his tax returns, which he has shielded from the public, breaking with four decades of tradition.
"I always err on the side of transparency, but the American people didn't care what his tax returns said," she said.
Asked if she suggested to Trump that he release them, Haley said, "No, because he got elected."
"He got elected without releasing them," she said.
__________
Savannah Guthrie Grills Nikki Haley on ‘Today’: “Let’s Stick Only to the Undisputed Facts”
By Claire Spellberg
Decider
November 12, 2019
Savannah Guthrie came out swinging on Tuesday morning during a heated interview with former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. The women argued for much of the 10-minute interview, and Guthrie repeatedly encouraged Haley to “stick only to the undisputed facts,” particularly when discussing issues like impeachment and President Trump’s Ukraine call. While some viewers praised the Today anchor for “lighting up Nikki Haley,” many conservatives on Twitter slammed the “interrogation” as a “liberal narrative.” Who says morning news is just puff pieces?
Haley may have been on Today to promote her new book, With All Due Respect, but it quickly fell by the wayside when Guthrie immediately dove into the good stuff. The Today anchor asked whether Haley has “made up her mind” on impeachment, and the former governor insisted that she does not support it. “Here you’ve got a situation where there was no investigation, and the aid flowed as it was supposed to,” said Haley. “So, when you look at that situation, it’s hard to see where impeachment would qualify.”
“Can I stop you right there?” asked Guthrie. “With all due respect, to borrow a phrase, that doesn’t seem like much of a defense of the president. That he might have tried to do those things, but it didn’t work out, so it’s all okay.” When Haley repeated her line about how “impeachment is the most serious thing you can do to a president,” the Today host shifted the discussion towards Trump’s “conduct here, and whether you think it’s appropriate.”
“Let’s stick only to the undisputed facts,” said Guthrie, holding up the memo of Trump’s Ukraine call. “I think it’s never a good practice for us to ask a foreign country to investigate an American. It’s just not a good practice,” said Haley. “Having said that, there is no insistence on that call. There are no demands on that call. It is a conversation between two presidents that’s casual in nature.”
Guthrie immediately pushed back, saying the Ukrainians “always know the funding of their military is hanging over their heads.” The women then battled about whether the aid was or was not held up by Trump, with Haley insisting that the situation is totally okay because “it was released” eventually. “The aid was held up. That is not a hypothetical, right?” asked Guthrie. “Was the aid released? It was,” replied Haley, clearly flustered and trying to stick to her talking points.
Social media had a field day with the Guthrie-Haley showdown, with both left and right-wing viewers chiming in with takes. While many left-leaning Today fans enjoyed the interview and urged NBC to expand her political role — “Savannah is a real journalist and this is when she’s at her best,” wrote one viewer — conservatives felt otherwise, calling the segment “not journalism,” but “a liberal narrative.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: I’ve always liked Savannah Guthrie, but no more. She was clearly biased and attempted to have Nikki Haley make Trump look bad. Shame, shame on Guthrie!
And the media was quick to report that Haley had denounced Trump by cherry-picking her statement . “I think it’s never a good practice for us to ask a foreign country to investigate an American,” when in fact she defended Trump as best as she could with Guthrie throwing roadblocks her way all through the 10-minute interview.
I would vote Nikki for president in a heartbeat.
By Allan Smith
NBC News
November 12, 2019
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump’s July call with the leader of Ukraine, but said that “it’s never a good practice for us to ask a foreign country to investigate an American. It's just not a good practice."
“Having said that, there’s no insistence on that call, there are no demands on that call, it is a conversation between two presidents that’s casual in nature,” Haley said in an interview on "Today" with NBC News' Savannah Guthrie.
According to the White House record of Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkiy, Trump asked Zelenskiy for a "favor," suggesting the country probe a debunked conspiracy theory about Democrats and the 2016 election and the Biden family. The call is at the center of the House's impeachment inquiry.
Haley contended that it was appropriate for Trump to ask Ukraine to probe "corruption."
"OK, but the corruption mentioned by the president here has to do with Joe Biden and the DNC server," Guthrie said. "Those are the two very specific examples."
"An American should want to know the answer of, 'Did Biden pressure the prosecutor to, you know, to do what he did?' And I think there's a real question there. You can question the president, but you also have to question what Biden did," Haley said.
Trump and his allies have pushed a theory that Biden acted improperly as vice president when he called on Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, threatening to hold about $1 billion in aid over the country. Shokin had been investigating Burisma Holdings, a natural gas company that Biden's son Hunter sat on the board of. But press accounts say that probe was long dormant by the time Biden pushed for Shokin's ouster, and his removal as prosecutor was the aim of a number of countries and international bodies. Shokin was accused of ignoring corruption in Ukraine, not pursuing it.
As Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., put it in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, what Biden had asked for was for the benefit of U.S. foreign policy with the backing of the international community. Democrats have alleged Trump was seeking investigations that would prove politically beneficial to him by directing a pressure campaign that included freezing millions of dollars in Congress-approved military aid that Ukraine depended on to counter Russian aggression.
In the interview, Guthrie also pressed Haley on Trump's fitness for office and her claims that top officials sought to undermine the president.
Haley addressed a portion of her new book, "With All Due Respect," where she detailed a meeting she had with Trump after that July 2018 press conference, in which the president appeared to side with Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies' determination that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
In the meeting Haley recalled, she told Trump he did not do well alongside Putin, a point that surprised Trump because, in Haley's retelling, she was the only person to tell him that.
Guthrie pressed Haley on that claim.
"Really? You were the only person?" Guthrie asked. "I mean that news conference was globally condemned because of that moment, but you were the only person in the administration who said, Hey, that didn’t look so great?"
"That’s what he told me," Haley responded. "I mean when I said I wanted to meet with him, and I go through that in the book, when I said I wanted to meet with him, and I said, 'Look, this sounded soft.' And he said, 'Really?' John Kelly was in the room with me when I had this meeting, and he looked at John and he said, 'All of you guys said I did great.'"
Guthrie pointed to separate claims from Haley's book, in which she said Kelly, then the White House chief of staff, and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, had sought to undermine Trump's decisions in order to save the country, and asked how she could explain Kelly's offering Trump such a positive assessment of his meeting with Putin in light of those assertions.
"You ask him those questions," Haley said, expressing support for Trump's policies toward Russia. "But the issue was that on that topic, no one had said anything to him, and I thought it was hugely important, and you’ll see later, he comes out, and he comes out much stronger on Russia."
Haley also told Guthrie that she did tell Trump of what she described as Kelly and Tillerson's insubordination — an effort to undermine the president that Haley claims they recruited her to be a part of.
Asked if and when such a conversation between Haley and Trump took place, as well as what the president thought of Haley's assertions, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told NBC News, "I believe that’s something you’d need to ask Nikki."
Guthrie concluded her interview by asking Haley whether Trump is honest and fit for office. Haley said she never doubted Trump's mental acuity.
"In every instance that I dealt with him, he was truthful, he listened, and he was great to work with," she said.
In a later interview with NBC's Craig Melvin, Haley was asked if Trump should release his tax returns, which he has shielded from the public, breaking with four decades of tradition.
"I always err on the side of transparency, but the American people didn't care what his tax returns said," she said.
Asked if she suggested to Trump that he release them, Haley said, "No, because he got elected."
"He got elected without releasing them," she said.
__________
Savannah Guthrie Grills Nikki Haley on ‘Today’: “Let’s Stick Only to the Undisputed Facts”
By Claire Spellberg
Decider
November 12, 2019
Savannah Guthrie came out swinging on Tuesday morning during a heated interview with former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. The women argued for much of the 10-minute interview, and Guthrie repeatedly encouraged Haley to “stick only to the undisputed facts,” particularly when discussing issues like impeachment and President Trump’s Ukraine call. While some viewers praised the Today anchor for “lighting up Nikki Haley,” many conservatives on Twitter slammed the “interrogation” as a “liberal narrative.” Who says morning news is just puff pieces?
Haley may have been on Today to promote her new book, With All Due Respect, but it quickly fell by the wayside when Guthrie immediately dove into the good stuff. The Today anchor asked whether Haley has “made up her mind” on impeachment, and the former governor insisted that she does not support it. “Here you’ve got a situation where there was no investigation, and the aid flowed as it was supposed to,” said Haley. “So, when you look at that situation, it’s hard to see where impeachment would qualify.”
“Can I stop you right there?” asked Guthrie. “With all due respect, to borrow a phrase, that doesn’t seem like much of a defense of the president. That he might have tried to do those things, but it didn’t work out, so it’s all okay.” When Haley repeated her line about how “impeachment is the most serious thing you can do to a president,” the Today host shifted the discussion towards Trump’s “conduct here, and whether you think it’s appropriate.”
“Let’s stick only to the undisputed facts,” said Guthrie, holding up the memo of Trump’s Ukraine call. “I think it’s never a good practice for us to ask a foreign country to investigate an American. It’s just not a good practice,” said Haley. “Having said that, there is no insistence on that call. There are no demands on that call. It is a conversation between two presidents that’s casual in nature.”
Guthrie immediately pushed back, saying the Ukrainians “always know the funding of their military is hanging over their heads.” The women then battled about whether the aid was or was not held up by Trump, with Haley insisting that the situation is totally okay because “it was released” eventually. “The aid was held up. That is not a hypothetical, right?” asked Guthrie. “Was the aid released? It was,” replied Haley, clearly flustered and trying to stick to her talking points.
Social media had a field day with the Guthrie-Haley showdown, with both left and right-wing viewers chiming in with takes. While many left-leaning Today fans enjoyed the interview and urged NBC to expand her political role — “Savannah is a real journalist and this is when she’s at her best,” wrote one viewer — conservatives felt otherwise, calling the segment “not journalism,” but “a liberal narrative.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: I’ve always liked Savannah Guthrie, but no more. She was clearly biased and attempted to have Nikki Haley make Trump look bad. Shame, shame on Guthrie!
And the media was quick to report that Haley had denounced Trump by cherry-picking her statement . “I think it’s never a good practice for us to ask a foreign country to investigate an American,” when in fact she defended Trump as best as she could with Guthrie throwing roadblocks her way all through the 10-minute interview.
I would vote Nikki for president in a heartbeat.
OMG, THE CRAZY BITCH MIGHT ACTUALLY DO IT
by Bob Walsh
Based on non-denial denials made yesterday it looks like The Hildebeast is actually half-assed, maybe even 3/4-assed, thinking of jumping in. Damn, wouldn't that be a hoot?
Maybe Harvey Weinstein will donate again to her campaign.
Based on non-denial denials made yesterday it looks like The Hildebeast is actually half-assed, maybe even 3/4-assed, thinking of jumping in. Damn, wouldn't that be a hoot?
Maybe Harvey Weinstein will donate again to her campaign.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND A WILLINGNESS TO ACT CARRY THE DAY
by Bob Walsh
This happened at a Houston area jewelry store in the last couple of days. The owner was in the back watching a football game. A female employee was out front. She buzzed the door to allow a customer in. However, the customer opened the door all the way, put his foot in the door, and dialed his cell phone. She immediately knew something was up so she yelled at the owner and got the hell out of the way.
Four men rushed in with hammers and started breaking cases. The owner opened fire thru the mirrored glass in his office, hitting two of the robbers, who all beat feet pretty much immediately.
All four were captured shortly after. One was hit in the hand, another in the ass.
I wonder how good prison medical care is in Texas?
EDITOR'S NOTE: The bottom of the MD barrel. It has been reported that many of the TDC doctors have had their medical licenses revoked or are otherwise unlicensed.
This happened at a Houston area jewelry store in the last couple of days. The owner was in the back watching a football game. A female employee was out front. She buzzed the door to allow a customer in. However, the customer opened the door all the way, put his foot in the door, and dialed his cell phone. She immediately knew something was up so she yelled at the owner and got the hell out of the way.
Four men rushed in with hammers and started breaking cases. The owner opened fire thru the mirrored glass in his office, hitting two of the robbers, who all beat feet pretty much immediately.
All four were captured shortly after. One was hit in the hand, another in the ass.
I wonder how good prison medical care is in Texas?
EDITOR'S NOTE: The bottom of the MD barrel. It has been reported that many of the TDC doctors have had their medical licenses revoked or are otherwise unlicensed.
RAP ARTIST BITES THE DUST
by Bob Walsh
Eric Reason, 37, was a local rap artist in the bay area. At least he was up until Sunday evening when he made a very bad career choice. He pulled his gat on a man who happened to be an off-duty Richmond police sergeant.
Reason, whose day job was as construction worker and who had six rugrats, got into an argument with the cop over a parking space. The off-duty Richmond cop called in the shooting, which occurred in Vallejo.
The dead guys family has already talked to John Burris, an Oakland based attorney who specializes in suing police departments over officer involved shootings.
Both persons involved are black so the usual BLM psychopaths seem to be uninterested.
Eric Reason, 37, was a local rap artist in the bay area. At least he was up until Sunday evening when he made a very bad career choice. He pulled his gat on a man who happened to be an off-duty Richmond police sergeant.
Reason, whose day job was as construction worker and who had six rugrats, got into an argument with the cop over a parking space. The off-duty Richmond cop called in the shooting, which occurred in Vallejo.
The dead guys family has already talked to John Burris, an Oakland based attorney who specializes in suing police departments over officer involved shootings.
Both persons involved are black so the usual BLM psychopaths seem to be uninterested.
NIGEL THROWING IN WITH BORIS.....SORT OF
by Bob Walsh
The Brexit Party, headed by Nigel Farage, announced on Monday that they would NOT challenge conservative candidates in half of the U.K. districts. This is a tactical move rather than an emotional one, hoped to make it easier to get a functional coalition in the December 12 election so they can FINALLY push Brexit ahead.
This decision affects 317 districts. If all goes well that means the U. K. would finally be able to get the fuck out of the European Union on January 31.
I wish them luck. Their political ruling class is pretty much as big a bunch of dicks as the anti-Trump fanatics on this side of the pond. These arrogant twerps are absolutists in their belief that the common citizen has no business making decisions about pretty much anything because they are too stupid.
The Brexit Party, headed by Nigel Farage, announced on Monday that they would NOT challenge conservative candidates in half of the U.K. districts. This is a tactical move rather than an emotional one, hoped to make it easier to get a functional coalition in the December 12 election so they can FINALLY push Brexit ahead.
This decision affects 317 districts. If all goes well that means the U. K. would finally be able to get the fuck out of the European Union on January 31.
I wish them luck. Their political ruling class is pretty much as big a bunch of dicks as the anti-Trump fanatics on this side of the pond. These arrogant twerps are absolutists in their belief that the common citizen has no business making decisions about pretty much anything because they are too stupid.
THE ANTI-TRUMP IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE TRUMP
by Bob Walsh
A couple of months back I wrote briefly about Mark Sanford. He is the former governor of South Carolina and he launched a bid to unseat Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for President.
Well, 65 days downstream and Mark Sanford as admitted (at least to himself) that he was being delusional and was wasting his time and other people's money. Yesterday he shut down his Quixotic attempt to kill the windmills.
He blamed the fact that the Dems are sort-of impeaching the President for the fact that his campaign got about as much traction as a three-legged cow on a frozen lake.
Too bad, so sad. Lets face facts boys and girls, unless he gets run over by a beer truck or otherwise drops dead between now and then Donald J. Trump will be the Republican candidate for President in 2020. Pretending otherwise is a waste of brain cells.
A couple of months back I wrote briefly about Mark Sanford. He is the former governor of South Carolina and he launched a bid to unseat Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for President.
Well, 65 days downstream and Mark Sanford as admitted (at least to himself) that he was being delusional and was wasting his time and other people's money. Yesterday he shut down his Quixotic attempt to kill the windmills.
He blamed the fact that the Dems are sort-of impeaching the President for the fact that his campaign got about as much traction as a three-legged cow on a frozen lake.
Too bad, so sad. Lets face facts boys and girls, unless he gets run over by a beer truck or otherwise drops dead between now and then Donald J. Trump will be the Republican candidate for President in 2020. Pretending otherwise is a waste of brain cells.
FIRST NON-CREW LAWSUIT FILED IN DIVE BOAT FIRE
by Bob Walsh
The widow of a passenger on the dive boat Conception that burned to the waterline off Santa Barbara has filed suit against the owners.
Christine Dignam, widow of Justin Dignam, filed the federal suit on Monday. The suit asserts that the boat did not have adequate smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and emergency exits and that the legally required fire watch was not posted the night of September 2 when the tragedy occurred.
Federal authorities are still conducting both a criminal and a safety investigation of the fire.
A surviving crew members has previously filed his own suit in the matter.
The widow of a passenger on the dive boat Conception that burned to the waterline off Santa Barbara has filed suit against the owners.
Christine Dignam, widow of Justin Dignam, filed the federal suit on Monday. The suit asserts that the boat did not have adequate smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and emergency exits and that the legally required fire watch was not posted the night of September 2 when the tragedy occurred.
Federal authorities are still conducting both a criminal and a safety investigation of the fire.
A surviving crew members has previously filed his own suit in the matter.
SCOTUS PUTS GUN MAKERS OF ASSAULT RIFLES IN JEOPARDY
Sandy Hook victims' families are allowed to sue gun maker, U.S. Supreme Court rules
By Andrew Chung
Reuters
November 12, 2019
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday dealt a blow to the firearms industry, rejecting Remington Arms Co’s bid to escape a lawsuit by families of victims aiming to hold the gun maker liable for its marketing of the assault-style rifle used in the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre that killed 20 children and six adults.
The justices turned away Remington’s appeal of a ruling by Connecticut’s top court to let the lawsuit proceed despite a federal law that broadly shields firearms manufacturers from liability when their weapons are used in crimes. The lawsuit will move forward at a time of high passions in the United States over the issue of gun control.
The family members of nine people slain and one survivor of the Sandy Hook massacre filed the lawsuit in 2014. Remington was backed in the case by a number of gun rights groups and lobbying organizations including the powerful National Rifle Association, which is closely aligned with Republicans including President Donald Trump. The NRA called the lawsuit “company-killing.”
The Dec. 14, 2012 rampage was carried out by a 20-year-old gunman named Adam Lanza, who shot his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and fired on the first-graders and adult staff before fatally shooting himself as police closed in.
The United States has experienced a succession of mass shootings in recent decades, including several that have staggered the public such as the 2017 attack at a Las Vegas concert that killed 58 and one at a nightclub in Orlando in 2016 that killed 49. Assault-type rifles have been a recurring feature in many of the massacres.
The U.S. Congress has not enacted new gun control laws in the wake of the mass shootings largely because of Republican opposition.
The plaintiffs have argued that Remington bears some of the blame for the Sandy Hook tragedy. They said the Bushmaster AR-15 gun that Lanza used — a semi-automatic civilian version of the U.S. military’s M-16 — had been illegally marketed by the company to civilians as a combat weapon for waging war and killing human beings.
The plaintiffs said that Connecticut’s consumer protection law forbids advertising that promotes violent, criminal behaviour and yet even though these rifles have become the “weapon of choice for mass shooters” Remington’s ads “continued to exploit the fantasy of an all-conquering lone gunman.” One of them, they noted, stated, “Forces of opposition, bow down.”
Remington argued that it should be insulated from the lawsuit by a 2005 federal law known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which was aimed at blocking a wave of lawsuits damaging to the firearms industry.
The case hinges on an exception to this shield for claims in which a gun manufacturer knowingly violates the law to sell or market guns. Remington has argued that the Connecticut Supreme Court interpreted the exception too broadly when it decided to let the case go ahead.
Though the case does not directly implicate the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, the NRA told the justices in a filing that the lawsuit could put gun manufacturers out of business, making the right meaningless.
A state trial court initially threw out the claims but the Connecticut Supreme Court revived the lawsuit in March, prompting Remington’s appeal.
The justices already have taken up one important gun rights case in their current term.
They are due to hear arguments on Dec. 2 in a lawsuit by gun owners and the state’s NRA affiliate challenging New York City restrictions on handgun owners transporting firearms outside the home. The city had asked the justices to cancel the arguments because its measure was recently amended, meaning there was no longer any reason to hear the dispute. But the court decided to go ahead with the case.
By Andrew Chung
Reuters
November 12, 2019
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday dealt a blow to the firearms industry, rejecting Remington Arms Co’s bid to escape a lawsuit by families of victims aiming to hold the gun maker liable for its marketing of the assault-style rifle used in the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre that killed 20 children and six adults.
The justices turned away Remington’s appeal of a ruling by Connecticut’s top court to let the lawsuit proceed despite a federal law that broadly shields firearms manufacturers from liability when their weapons are used in crimes. The lawsuit will move forward at a time of high passions in the United States over the issue of gun control.
The family members of nine people slain and one survivor of the Sandy Hook massacre filed the lawsuit in 2014. Remington was backed in the case by a number of gun rights groups and lobbying organizations including the powerful National Rifle Association, which is closely aligned with Republicans including President Donald Trump. The NRA called the lawsuit “company-killing.”
The Dec. 14, 2012 rampage was carried out by a 20-year-old gunman named Adam Lanza, who shot his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and fired on the first-graders and adult staff before fatally shooting himself as police closed in.
The United States has experienced a succession of mass shootings in recent decades, including several that have staggered the public such as the 2017 attack at a Las Vegas concert that killed 58 and one at a nightclub in Orlando in 2016 that killed 49. Assault-type rifles have been a recurring feature in many of the massacres.
The U.S. Congress has not enacted new gun control laws in the wake of the mass shootings largely because of Republican opposition.
The plaintiffs have argued that Remington bears some of the blame for the Sandy Hook tragedy. They said the Bushmaster AR-15 gun that Lanza used — a semi-automatic civilian version of the U.S. military’s M-16 — had been illegally marketed by the company to civilians as a combat weapon for waging war and killing human beings.
The plaintiffs said that Connecticut’s consumer protection law forbids advertising that promotes violent, criminal behaviour and yet even though these rifles have become the “weapon of choice for mass shooters” Remington’s ads “continued to exploit the fantasy of an all-conquering lone gunman.” One of them, they noted, stated, “Forces of opposition, bow down.”
Remington argued that it should be insulated from the lawsuit by a 2005 federal law known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which was aimed at blocking a wave of lawsuits damaging to the firearms industry.
The case hinges on an exception to this shield for claims in which a gun manufacturer knowingly violates the law to sell or market guns. Remington has argued that the Connecticut Supreme Court interpreted the exception too broadly when it decided to let the case go ahead.
Though the case does not directly implicate the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, the NRA told the justices in a filing that the lawsuit could put gun manufacturers out of business, making the right meaningless.
A state trial court initially threw out the claims but the Connecticut Supreme Court revived the lawsuit in March, prompting Remington’s appeal.
The justices already have taken up one important gun rights case in their current term.
They are due to hear arguments on Dec. 2 in a lawsuit by gun owners and the state’s NRA affiliate challenging New York City restrictions on handgun owners transporting firearms outside the home. The city had asked the justices to cancel the arguments because its measure was recently amended, meaning there was no longer any reason to hear the dispute. But the court decided to go ahead with the case.
ANTI-TRUMP PROFESSOR TANGLES WITH WOMAN FROM PROUD BOYS
Fight breaks out between flag-waving Proud Boys and woman in NE Portland
By Stephanie Villiers
KGW8
November 10, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. — Videos showing a fight in Northeast Portland between a woman and a group wearing symbols for the far-right group Proud Boys are getting a lot of attention on social media.
Police said it happened when the group was waving flags on the 12th Avenue overpass across Interstate 84 Sunday afternoon.
Officers said a woman confronted the group and they got into an argument, which turned physical. They said it is not clear who started the fight.
Tara LaRosa, a professional MMA fighter who was part of the flag-waving group, streamed the incident live on Periscope.
In the video, one person can be seen striking the woman and holding her by her hair while LaRosa yells at them to stop. The video then goes dark as LaRosa puts her phone in her pocket.
The woman can be heard yelling “get off me” and “I can’t breathe.” At one point, someone says “how you like the Proud Boys now?”
The woman identifies herself as a professor in the video. Police have not released her name.
When LaRosa takes the phone out of her pocket, she says she “had to put somebody down” and that a “violent woman got violent.” LaRosa keeps the livestream running as police and medics arrive, and she talks to officers about what happened.
In another video posted on Twitter, LaRosa is seen pinning the woman to the ground. A member of the group accuses the woman of assaulting someone, which she denies.
The woman is also heard saying “you’re antagonizing the city I live in.” LaRosa replies, “No we’re not, we’re doing a flag wave,” and adds “we’re not trying to fight.”
In the livestreamed video, the woman mentions President Trump, and one of the group members says the flag waving is for veterans and does not have to do with Trump.
Neither video shows what led up the fight.
On Twitter, LaRosa wrote that the woman was berating her group, and then attacked another woman. LaRosa said she broke up the fight and held her down until police arrived.
Officers said those involved had minor injuries. Photos posted to Twitter show LaRosa with a bite mark and scrapes.
No one was arrested, but police said they have referred the case to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
The Southern Poverty Law Center designates the Proud Boys, which formed in 2016, as a hate group.
Their members have a history of clashing with left-wing activists in Portland. During dueling demonstrations on Aug. 17, anti-fascist protesters were seen attacking a bus full of Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer members that was stuck in traffic.
In October, Proud Boys member Tusitala “Tiny” Toese was arrested on felony assault charges stemming from a June 2018 attack in Northeast Portland on a man who yelled “fuck Trump.” Another Proud Boys member was also arrested in that case earlier this year.
By Stephanie Villiers
KGW8
November 10, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. — Videos showing a fight in Northeast Portland between a woman and a group wearing symbols for the far-right group Proud Boys are getting a lot of attention on social media.
Police said it happened when the group was waving flags on the 12th Avenue overpass across Interstate 84 Sunday afternoon.
Officers said a woman confronted the group and they got into an argument, which turned physical. They said it is not clear who started the fight.
Tara LaRosa, a professional MMA fighter who was part of the flag-waving group, streamed the incident live on Periscope.
In the video, one person can be seen striking the woman and holding her by her hair while LaRosa yells at them to stop. The video then goes dark as LaRosa puts her phone in her pocket.
The woman can be heard yelling “get off me” and “I can’t breathe.” At one point, someone says “how you like the Proud Boys now?”
The woman identifies herself as a professor in the video. Police have not released her name.
When LaRosa takes the phone out of her pocket, she says she “had to put somebody down” and that a “violent woman got violent.” LaRosa keeps the livestream running as police and medics arrive, and she talks to officers about what happened.
In another video posted on Twitter, LaRosa is seen pinning the woman to the ground. A member of the group accuses the woman of assaulting someone, which she denies.
The woman is also heard saying “you’re antagonizing the city I live in.” LaRosa replies, “No we’re not, we’re doing a flag wave,” and adds “we’re not trying to fight.”
In the livestreamed video, the woman mentions President Trump, and one of the group members says the flag waving is for veterans and does not have to do with Trump.
Neither video shows what led up the fight.
On Twitter, LaRosa wrote that the woman was berating her group, and then attacked another woman. LaRosa said she broke up the fight and held her down until police arrived.
Officers said those involved had minor injuries. Photos posted to Twitter show LaRosa with a bite mark and scrapes.
No one was arrested, but police said they have referred the case to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
The Southern Poverty Law Center designates the Proud Boys, which formed in 2016, as a hate group.
Their members have a history of clashing with left-wing activists in Portland. During dueling demonstrations on Aug. 17, anti-fascist protesters were seen attacking a bus full of Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer members that was stuck in traffic.
In October, Proud Boys member Tusitala “Tiny” Toese was arrested on felony assault charges stemming from a June 2018 attack in Northeast Portland on a man who yelled “fuck Trump.” Another Proud Boys member was also arrested in that case earlier this year.
IT PAYS BIGTIME TO BE A RULER IN IMPOVERISHED AFRICA
King of Swaziland is accused of 'showing the middle finger' to country's impoverished population by spending $18million on 19 Rolls-Royces and dozens of BMWs for his 14 wives
Daily Mail
November 12, 2019
King Mswati III has imported 19 Rolls-Royces and as many as 120 BMWs into Swaziland, some of which were seen being shipped from South Africa earlier this month.
Witnesses spotted BMW X3 and 5-Series models, which cost more than £30,000 each, under wraps on the back of a truck as they were delivered.
The average salary in Swaziland is estimated to be only £10,000 a year - meaning a typical worker would have to toil for decades to afford a Rolls-Royce - and the lavish spending has sparked outrage in the country.
Daily Mail
November 12, 2019
King Mswati III has imported 19 Rolls-Royces and as many as 120 BMWs into Swaziland, some of which were seen being shipped from South Africa earlier this month.
Witnesses spotted BMW X3 and 5-Series models, which cost more than £30,000 each, under wraps on the back of a truck as they were delivered.
The average salary in Swaziland is estimated to be only £10,000 a year - meaning a typical worker would have to toil for decades to afford a Rolls-Royce - and the lavish spending has sparked outrage in the country.
SIN PRESIDENTE PARA BOLIVIA
Bolivia's ousted leader Evo Morales flees "coup" into exile, leaves chaos in his wake
CBS News
November 12, 2019
La Paz, Bolivia — Bolivia faced its worst unrest in decades amid a political vacuum Tuesday, while Evo Morales, who transformed the Andean nation as its first indigenous president, fled the country following weeks of violent protests. Morales flew out on a Mexican government plane late Monday, hours after being granted asylum as his supporters and foes fought on the streets of the capital.
An opposition leader has tearfully laid out a possible path toward new elections in the wake of the president's resignation, but early on Tuesday morning the country's political fate appeared to hang in the balance.
Morales stepped down Sunday following weeks of widespread protests fed by allegations of electoral fraud in the Oct. 20 presidential election that he claimed to have won. Resignations by every other constitutionally designated successor left unclear who would take his place and how.
His flight from the country was a dramatic fall for the llama shepherd from the Bolivian highlands and former coca growers' union leader who as president helped lift millions out poverty, increased social rights and presided over nearly 14 years of stability and high economic growth in South America's poorest country. In the end, though, his downfall was marked by his insistence on holding onto power.
"It pains me to leave the country for political reasons, but I'll always be concerned," Morales said on Twitter. "l'll return soon, with more strength and energy."
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard published a photo of Morales holding the flag of Mexico, saying that the plane had left Bolivia and that Morales was safe.
In an earlier tweet, Morales posted a photo of his first night after he resigned showing him lying on a floor with an improvised blanket as a bed. He said had been forced into these conditions after what he has called a coup by the opposition.
Angry supporters of the socialist leader set barricades ablaze to close some roads leading to the country's main airport Monday, while his foes blocked most of the streets leading to the capital's main square in front of Congress and the presidential palace. Police urged residents of La Paz to stay in their homes and authorities said the army would join in policing efforts to avoid an escalation of violence.
The Senate's second vice president, opposition politician Jeanine Añez, said in an emotional address that she would take temporary control of the Senate, though it was unclear if she would be able to get approval from Congress, which is controlled by Morales supporters. She would become next in line for the presidency if chosen to head the Senate.
"Please excuse me if my voice breaks," Añez said between tears after arriving in Congress under heavy guard. "It's so hard to see Bolivians clashing, no matter which side they're on. They are being mistreated, and I'm asking you to cease the violence."
Añez said she would convene a legislative session Tuesday to consider accepting the formal resignation of Morales. It was unclear, however, if lawmakers could meet that soon because of insecurity in the capital.
As tensions grew, local media reported that Morales supporters were marching on La Paz from the nearby city of El Alto, a Morales stronghold, to try to break the street blockades thrown up by his opponents and reach the capital's main square.
Gen. Williams Kaliman, the chief of the armed forces, announced the joint police-military operation in a television address. He said the hope was to "avoid bloodshed and mourning of the Bolivian family," and he urged Bolivians to help restore peace.
Anti-Morales demonstrators in downtown La Paz set tires and other barricades on fire as other people went onto their rooftops to yell, "Evo, murderer!" Rock-throwing demonstrators also clashed in Cochabamba and other cities.
His presidency, the longest among serving leaders in the region and the longest ever in Bolivia, ended abruptly Sunday, hours after Morales had accepted calls for a new election by an Organization of American States team. The team reported a "heap of observed irregularities" in the Oct. 20 election whose official results showed Morales getting just enough votes to avoid a runoff that analysts said he could lose against a united opposition.
Morales stepped aside only after the military chief called on him to quit, saying that was needed to restore peace and stability. His vice president also resigned as did the Senate president. The only other official listed by the constitution as a presidential successor, the head of the lower house, had resigned earlier.
Morales has lashed out at his political opponents, calling his removal a return to the bleak era of coups overseen by brutal Latin American militaries that ruled over the region.
Former President Carlos Mesa, who finished second in the election, said Morales was brought down by a popular uprising, not the military. He noted that troops did not take to the streets during the unrest.
"Academics and the press have been very critical of the Bolivian military. But this might be the only time in Bolivian military history that the military is on the right side for once," said Eduardo Gamarra, a Bolivian political scientist at Florida International University.
"There's nothing here that remotely mirrors a traditional military coup," Gamarra added. "Perhaps this is a time that the military is playing a role that it should play. It's not intervening in what are essentially civilian affairs."
Michael Shifter, head of the Washington-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue, warned that Bolivia's polarization needs to healed by new leadership.
"The temptation for any vengeance against Morales supporters needs to be resisted," Shifter said. "That would be a recipe for continued conflict and chaos that could well put at risk some of the country's undeniable socio-economic gains over the past decade."
People waiting for flights Monday morning at the airport in the eastern Bolivian city of Santa Cruz listened to the national anthem played on television and then watched replays of Morales resigning in his televised address and news of the street clashes.
"At first people believed in him as an Indian. He was much more humble and accessible, but during these 14 years, he changed," España Villegas, a linguist, said while she waited for a flight to La Paz.
Morales, who was from the poor Andean highlands, had promised to remain austere when he became president in 2006. But shortly after, he bought a new airplane and built a 26-story presidential palace with a heliport.
"He fought poverty, he lifted our economy, but perhaps he wasn't well advised," Villegas said.
Morales ran for a fourth term after refusing to accept the results of a referendum that upheld term limits for the president - restrictions thrown out by a top court that critics contend was stacked in his favor.
"The whole population was tired of him because it's been nearly 14 years of government," said a businessman from the city of Cochabamba, who asked to be identified only by the name Walter, fearing reprisals by Morales supporters.
"There was no respect anymore. We're hurt. He believed himself to be a god."
CBS News
November 12, 2019
La Paz, Bolivia — Bolivia faced its worst unrest in decades amid a political vacuum Tuesday, while Evo Morales, who transformed the Andean nation as its first indigenous president, fled the country following weeks of violent protests. Morales flew out on a Mexican government plane late Monday, hours after being granted asylum as his supporters and foes fought on the streets of the capital.
An opposition leader has tearfully laid out a possible path toward new elections in the wake of the president's resignation, but early on Tuesday morning the country's political fate appeared to hang in the balance.
Morales stepped down Sunday following weeks of widespread protests fed by allegations of electoral fraud in the Oct. 20 presidential election that he claimed to have won. Resignations by every other constitutionally designated successor left unclear who would take his place and how.
His flight from the country was a dramatic fall for the llama shepherd from the Bolivian highlands and former coca growers' union leader who as president helped lift millions out poverty, increased social rights and presided over nearly 14 years of stability and high economic growth in South America's poorest country. In the end, though, his downfall was marked by his insistence on holding onto power.
"It pains me to leave the country for political reasons, but I'll always be concerned," Morales said on Twitter. "l'll return soon, with more strength and energy."
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard published a photo of Morales holding the flag of Mexico, saying that the plane had left Bolivia and that Morales was safe.
In an earlier tweet, Morales posted a photo of his first night after he resigned showing him lying on a floor with an improvised blanket as a bed. He said had been forced into these conditions after what he has called a coup by the opposition.
Angry supporters of the socialist leader set barricades ablaze to close some roads leading to the country's main airport Monday, while his foes blocked most of the streets leading to the capital's main square in front of Congress and the presidential palace. Police urged residents of La Paz to stay in their homes and authorities said the army would join in policing efforts to avoid an escalation of violence.
The Senate's second vice president, opposition politician Jeanine Añez, said in an emotional address that she would take temporary control of the Senate, though it was unclear if she would be able to get approval from Congress, which is controlled by Morales supporters. She would become next in line for the presidency if chosen to head the Senate.
"Please excuse me if my voice breaks," Añez said between tears after arriving in Congress under heavy guard. "It's so hard to see Bolivians clashing, no matter which side they're on. They are being mistreated, and I'm asking you to cease the violence."
Añez said she would convene a legislative session Tuesday to consider accepting the formal resignation of Morales. It was unclear, however, if lawmakers could meet that soon because of insecurity in the capital.
As tensions grew, local media reported that Morales supporters were marching on La Paz from the nearby city of El Alto, a Morales stronghold, to try to break the street blockades thrown up by his opponents and reach the capital's main square.
Gen. Williams Kaliman, the chief of the armed forces, announced the joint police-military operation in a television address. He said the hope was to "avoid bloodshed and mourning of the Bolivian family," and he urged Bolivians to help restore peace.
Anti-Morales demonstrators in downtown La Paz set tires and other barricades on fire as other people went onto their rooftops to yell, "Evo, murderer!" Rock-throwing demonstrators also clashed in Cochabamba and other cities.
His presidency, the longest among serving leaders in the region and the longest ever in Bolivia, ended abruptly Sunday, hours after Morales had accepted calls for a new election by an Organization of American States team. The team reported a "heap of observed irregularities" in the Oct. 20 election whose official results showed Morales getting just enough votes to avoid a runoff that analysts said he could lose against a united opposition.
Morales stepped aside only after the military chief called on him to quit, saying that was needed to restore peace and stability. His vice president also resigned as did the Senate president. The only other official listed by the constitution as a presidential successor, the head of the lower house, had resigned earlier.
Morales has lashed out at his political opponents, calling his removal a return to the bleak era of coups overseen by brutal Latin American militaries that ruled over the region.
Former President Carlos Mesa, who finished second in the election, said Morales was brought down by a popular uprising, not the military. He noted that troops did not take to the streets during the unrest.
"Academics and the press have been very critical of the Bolivian military. But this might be the only time in Bolivian military history that the military is on the right side for once," said Eduardo Gamarra, a Bolivian political scientist at Florida International University.
"There's nothing here that remotely mirrors a traditional military coup," Gamarra added. "Perhaps this is a time that the military is playing a role that it should play. It's not intervening in what are essentially civilian affairs."
Michael Shifter, head of the Washington-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue, warned that Bolivia's polarization needs to healed by new leadership.
"The temptation for any vengeance against Morales supporters needs to be resisted," Shifter said. "That would be a recipe for continued conflict and chaos that could well put at risk some of the country's undeniable socio-economic gains over the past decade."
People waiting for flights Monday morning at the airport in the eastern Bolivian city of Santa Cruz listened to the national anthem played on television and then watched replays of Morales resigning in his televised address and news of the street clashes.
"At first people believed in him as an Indian. He was much more humble and accessible, but during these 14 years, he changed," España Villegas, a linguist, said while she waited for a flight to La Paz.
Morales, who was from the poor Andean highlands, had promised to remain austere when he became president in 2006. But shortly after, he bought a new airplane and built a 26-story presidential palace with a heliport.
"He fought poverty, he lifted our economy, but perhaps he wasn't well advised," Villegas said.
Morales ran for a fourth term after refusing to accept the results of a referendum that upheld term limits for the president - restrictions thrown out by a top court that critics contend was stacked in his favor.
"The whole population was tired of him because it's been nearly 14 years of government," said a businessman from the city of Cochabamba, who asked to be identified only by the name Walter, fearing reprisals by Morales supporters.
"There was no respect anymore. We're hurt. He believed himself to be a god."
ISLAMIC JIHAD RETALIATES AGAINST ISRAEL
Israel Kills Senior Islamic Jihad Commander in Gaza; Rockets Fired at Israel
Haaretz
November 12, 2019
Israel assassinated a senior Islamic Jihad militant overnight Tuesday, the military said, after targeting a building in Gaza. Palestinian factions in Gaza vowed retaliation, with Islamic Jihad saying Israel "declared war,' as dozens of rockets were launched from Gaza at Israel's south and central cities.
The senior Palestinian militant who was targeted was Baha Abu al-Ata, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the northern Gaza Strip.
Just over an hour after the strike, multiple rocket alerts sounded in southern Israel, including in Ashdod, Ashkelon, and in central Israeli cities such as Holon, Rishon Letzion and Tel Aviv.
Amid the escalation, approximately one million students remained home Tuesday after Israel announced that schools in the vacinity of the Gaza border and in the center of the country will be closed.
Bomb shelters were opened in central Israel and as far as Modi'in, near Jerusalem.
Overnight Tuesday, a joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security service announced that an airstrike targeted al-Ata at around 4:30 A.M.
"Al-Ata was responsible for most attacks from the Gaza strip over the last year, including the days of battle close to Memorial Day [for Israel's fallen soldiers], the shooting on the Sderot festival on August 25, 2019, and the last rocket barrage against Sderot on Friday, November 1, 2019," the statement said, calling al-Ata "a ticking bomb."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that al-Ata "was behind multiple attacks and rocket launches against Israel in recent months and intended to carry new immediate attacks," noting that the strike was recommended by the IDF chief of staff and the Shin Bet and was approved by the inner security cabinet.
Following the assassination, Islamic Jihad vowed to respond. "We promise to continue the fight, and our response will undoubtedly come to shake the foundations of the Zionist entity," the group said. Hamas, the ruling group in Gaza, said Israel bears the responsibility for the consequences of the assassination. "This crime committed by Israel will not pass silently, and will be met with retaliation by the resistance forces," it said.
Benny Gantz, leader of centrist alliance Kahol Lavan, who is currently tasked with forming the next government, voiced his support of the assassination.
"The political leadership and the IDF made the right decision tonight for the safety of the citizens of Israel and the people of the South," the former chief of staff and Netanyahu's political rival said on Twitter. "Kahol Lavan will back up any activity that is right for Israel's security and put the safety of the people above politics."
The Israeli army announced a series of road closures and other restrictions in the south of the country in anticipation for a possible flare-up.
Al-Ata, a leading figure in Islamic Jihad, has become a dominant figure in the Strip, recently associated with the rise and fall of tensions with Israel.
Ata headed the military council of the Al-Quds Brigade, which is the military arm of the Islamic Jihad. He commanded the organization's operations in northern Gaza, but also wielded great influence on the southern front.
Al-Ata had several hundred fighters under his command and an arsenal of dozens of rockets at his disposal that could be fired at Israel, sources in Gaza told Haaretz ahead of his killing.
During the Gaza conflict in 2012, Israel attempted to assassinate al-Ata together with other leaders. An Israeli airstrike hit a building he was in, but he survived.
In 2014, during the Gaza operation dubbed Operation Protective Edge, al-Ata's house was bombed, but the commander wasn't home at the time and the Islamic Jihad interpreted the strike as a mere warning.
__________
ROCKETS RAIN DOWN ON ISRAELAFTER KILLING OF TOP JIHADIST
So far 150 rockets have hit the south and central regions of Israel, including the Tel Aviv area
Israel Today
November 12, 2019
The day began with air raid sirens across the northern Negev and the Greater Tel Aviv area.
Overnight, the Israel Air Force (IAF) had taken out Bahaa Abu al-Ata, a high-ranking Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza. Al-Ata was responsible for numerous attacks on Israel in recent months and years. He is also believed to have been planning further larger attacks against Israeli population centers.
The Islamic Jihad response was not long in coming. At 5:50 AM, the first air raid sirens sounded. The terror group openly declared that it was at war with Israel.
Soon after, the rocket fire began and then spread north. At first they hit the cities of Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod. By 7:00 AM, rockets were being fired at the central Israel towns of Rishon Letzion and Holon. All across the south and in the heavily-populated Greater Tel Aviv region, schools were closed and families were warned to remain near a bomb shelter. Most places of business also remained shuttered, and security officials banned any large public gatherings.
By 8:00, more than 30 terrorist rockets had been fired into Israel. In Ashkelon, a shrapnel fell near a sports field, and in Sderot a residential building suffered a direct hit. There were no physical injuries, but a number of people were treated for shock. Around this time, the first rocket hit the Greater Tel Aviv area.
At 11:00 AM, Naftali Bennett was scheduled to take the post of Minister of Defense. The coming hours will reveal how the situation develops, though most are assuming that this new “round” of fighting could take a few days, and might develop into another major military operation in the Gaza Strip. Of course, whether or not it comes to that often depends on the number of casualties on the Israeli side.
By mid-afternoon, the number of rockets fired from Gaza had reached 150, while the vaunted Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted at least 60 of those rockets that it’s algorithms deemed most threatening.
Haaretz
November 12, 2019
Israel assassinated a senior Islamic Jihad militant overnight Tuesday, the military said, after targeting a building in Gaza. Palestinian factions in Gaza vowed retaliation, with Islamic Jihad saying Israel "declared war,' as dozens of rockets were launched from Gaza at Israel's south and central cities.
The senior Palestinian militant who was targeted was Baha Abu al-Ata, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the northern Gaza Strip.
Just over an hour after the strike, multiple rocket alerts sounded in southern Israel, including in Ashdod, Ashkelon, and in central Israeli cities such as Holon, Rishon Letzion and Tel Aviv.
Amid the escalation, approximately one million students remained home Tuesday after Israel announced that schools in the vacinity of the Gaza border and in the center of the country will be closed.
Bomb shelters were opened in central Israel and as far as Modi'in, near Jerusalem.
Overnight Tuesday, a joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security service announced that an airstrike targeted al-Ata at around 4:30 A.M.
"Al-Ata was responsible for most attacks from the Gaza strip over the last year, including the days of battle close to Memorial Day [for Israel's fallen soldiers], the shooting on the Sderot festival on August 25, 2019, and the last rocket barrage against Sderot on Friday, November 1, 2019," the statement said, calling al-Ata "a ticking bomb."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that al-Ata "was behind multiple attacks and rocket launches against Israel in recent months and intended to carry new immediate attacks," noting that the strike was recommended by the IDF chief of staff and the Shin Bet and was approved by the inner security cabinet.
Following the assassination, Islamic Jihad vowed to respond. "We promise to continue the fight, and our response will undoubtedly come to shake the foundations of the Zionist entity," the group said. Hamas, the ruling group in Gaza, said Israel bears the responsibility for the consequences of the assassination. "This crime committed by Israel will not pass silently, and will be met with retaliation by the resistance forces," it said.
Benny Gantz, leader of centrist alliance Kahol Lavan, who is currently tasked with forming the next government, voiced his support of the assassination.
"The political leadership and the IDF made the right decision tonight for the safety of the citizens of Israel and the people of the South," the former chief of staff and Netanyahu's political rival said on Twitter. "Kahol Lavan will back up any activity that is right for Israel's security and put the safety of the people above politics."
The Israeli army announced a series of road closures and other restrictions in the south of the country in anticipation for a possible flare-up.
Al-Ata, a leading figure in Islamic Jihad, has become a dominant figure in the Strip, recently associated with the rise and fall of tensions with Israel.
Ata headed the military council of the Al-Quds Brigade, which is the military arm of the Islamic Jihad. He commanded the organization's operations in northern Gaza, but also wielded great influence on the southern front.
Al-Ata had several hundred fighters under his command and an arsenal of dozens of rockets at his disposal that could be fired at Israel, sources in Gaza told Haaretz ahead of his killing.
During the Gaza conflict in 2012, Israel attempted to assassinate al-Ata together with other leaders. An Israeli airstrike hit a building he was in, but he survived.
In 2014, during the Gaza operation dubbed Operation Protective Edge, al-Ata's house was bombed, but the commander wasn't home at the time and the Islamic Jihad interpreted the strike as a mere warning.
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ROCKETS RAIN DOWN ON ISRAELAFTER KILLING OF TOP JIHADIST
So far 150 rockets have hit the south and central regions of Israel, including the Tel Aviv area
Israel Today
November 12, 2019
The day began with air raid sirens across the northern Negev and the Greater Tel Aviv area.
Overnight, the Israel Air Force (IAF) had taken out Bahaa Abu al-Ata, a high-ranking Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza. Al-Ata was responsible for numerous attacks on Israel in recent months and years. He is also believed to have been planning further larger attacks against Israeli population centers.
The Islamic Jihad response was not long in coming. At 5:50 AM, the first air raid sirens sounded. The terror group openly declared that it was at war with Israel.
Soon after, the rocket fire began and then spread north. At first they hit the cities of Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod. By 7:00 AM, rockets were being fired at the central Israel towns of Rishon Letzion and Holon. All across the south and in the heavily-populated Greater Tel Aviv region, schools were closed and families were warned to remain near a bomb shelter. Most places of business also remained shuttered, and security officials banned any large public gatherings.
By 8:00, more than 30 terrorist rockets had been fired into Israel. In Ashkelon, a shrapnel fell near a sports field, and in Sderot a residential building suffered a direct hit. There were no physical injuries, but a number of people were treated for shock. Around this time, the first rocket hit the Greater Tel Aviv area.
At 11:00 AM, Naftali Bennett was scheduled to take the post of Minister of Defense. The coming hours will reveal how the situation develops, though most are assuming that this new “round” of fighting could take a few days, and might develop into another major military operation in the Gaza Strip. Of course, whether or not it comes to that often depends on the number of casualties on the Israeli side.
By mid-afternoon, the number of rockets fired from Gaza had reached 150, while the vaunted Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted at least 60 of those rockets that it’s algorithms deemed most threatening.
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