Mornings on the Mall 06.13.20
Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese
Executive Producer: Heather Hunter
Guests: ReOpen MoCo’s Erik Tammaru, Daily Caller’s Christian Datoc, Reason’s Robby Soave, Gen. Jack Keane, VCDL’s Philip Van Cleave
5-A/B/C — SEATTLE’S AUTONOMOUS ZONE:
– Seattle protesters storm City Hall, demand mayor resign after driving police out of area, declaring autonomous zone
Hundreds of protesters, aided by a sympathetic City Council member, stormed Seattle’s City Hall Tuesday night to demand the mayor’s resignation, just days after seizing a six-block downtown zone that includes a shuttered police precinct.
Demonstrators remained peaceful, without reports of violence or injuries, but are pushing Mayor Jenny Durkan to step down if she refuses to defund the city’s police department.
The protesters continued to camp out in a self-declared “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ)– a region spanning six blocks and encompassing the precinct– which has effectively been abandoned by law enforcement after the Seattle Police Department closed the East Precinct on Monday.
For more than two weeks following the death of George Floyd — an unarmed black man who died in police custody after a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes — hundreds of demonstrators all over the country took to the streets to condemn police brutality.
In some cities, like Seattle, pockets of violence erupted as a result of clashes with law enforcement.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/seattle-city-hall-protesters-autonomous-zone
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: 5h: Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats, of course. LAW & ORDER! https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1270923257844301836
@DAILYCALLER: Washington Gov. Inslee on the so-called “autonomous zone” in Seattle: “That’s news to me”. (VIDEO)
Hundreds of protesters, aided by a sympathetic City Council member, stormed Seattle’s City Hall Tuesday night to demand the mayor’s resignation, just days after seizing a six-block downtown zone that includes a shuttered police precinct.
Demonstrators remained peaceful, without reports of violence or injuries, but are pushing Mayor Jenny Durkan to step down if she refuses to defund the city’s police department.
The protesters continued to camp out in a self-declared “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ)– a region spanning six blocks and encompassing the precinct– which has effectively been abandoned by law enforcement after the Seattle Police Department closed the East Precinct on Monday.
KOMO: Police make allegations of intimidation, extortion inside Capitol Hill’s Autonomous Zone
And that lack of an organized leadership is hampering efforts to bring back some normalcy to the area and have officers return to the precinct said Deanna Nolette, Seattle Assistant Police Chief.
Nolette said her department and other city departments are trying to find the leaders of the CHAZ to negotiate a roadmap for the area’s immediate future.
She said police are receiving reports of armed people manning the check points intimidating people trying to enter.
“While Washington is an open carry state, there is no legal right for those arms to be used intimidate community members,” Nolette said.
Nolette said operating a citizen checkpoint on a public street is illegal.
“We have heard anecdotally of citizens and businesses being asked to pay a fee to operate within this area, this is crime of extortion,” Nolette said.
Activist Who Helped Create ‘Police No Go Zone’ Complains When Their Food Is Stolen (PHOTO)
An activist who claimed to have helped establish the self-declared Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), a six-block area in downtown Seattle, took to Twitter to complain about the community’s food being stolen.
The 18-year-old activist appears to be a transgender woman and a self-described “lesbian anarchist,” according to her now-private Twitter account. The activist tweeted Wednesday that CHAZ had invited homeless people into the zone, who promptly stole all of their food.
The activist pleaded on Twitter for people to bring an assortment of foods, including vegan meat substitutes and soy products, stating that they would “need more food to keep the area operational.”
5-D — FLYNN UPDATE:
– Justice Department dropping Flynn case is ‘a gross abuse of prosecutorial power,’ court-appointed lawyer says
*A former federal judge appointed to review the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss criminal charges against President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn said there was evidence of a “gross abuse” of prosecutorial power and that the request should be denied. Former U.S. District Judge John Gleeson said in a filing Wednesday the government “has engaged in highly irregular conduct to benefit a political ally of the President” and argued that Flynn had committed perjury.
– Court-appointed attorney says judge should block DOJ move to drop Flynn case
John Gleeson, the attorney and retired judge who was appointed by Judge Emmet Sullivan to submit a brief discussing whether federal prosecutors should be able to dismiss their case against Michael Flynn, insisted in a filing Wednesday that not only does Sullivan have the authority to reject the government’s request but he should do so.
The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure state that prosecutors may dismiss a case “with leave of court.” At issue in the Flynn case now is exactly what level of discretion this gives the court. Gleeson argues that it covers the current situation, claiming that federal prosecutors gave a pretext for why they want to drop the case.
“Leave of court should not be granted when the explanations the Government puts forth are not credible as the real reasons for its dismissal of a criminal charge,” Gleeson wrote in his amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief, alleging that prosecutors’ reasoning is “riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact” and should not justify dismissal.
“[T]he rule empowers courts to protect the integrity of their own proceedings from prosecutors who undertake corrupt, politically motivated dismissals. That is what has happened here. The Government has engaged in highly irregular conduct to benefit a political ally of the President.”
Attorney General Bill Barr disputes this. In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, he claimed that Sullivan was encroaching on the Justice Department’s authority.
“The argument is that it’s always been understood that decisions whether to pursue an individual through the prosecution process or holding them criminally accountable is vested in the executive branch and not the courts,” Barr said. “And he is essentially, in our view, trying to set himself up as an alternative prosecutor.”
5-E — MERRIAM WEBSTER CHANGING DEFINITION OF RACISM:
US dictionary Merriam-Webster to change its definition of racism
American dictionary Merriam-Webster will change its definition of the word racism at the suggestion of a young Black woman who wanted it to better reflect the oppression of people of colour.
Kennedy Mitchum, a recent graduate of Drake University in Iowa, contacted Merriam-Webster, which has published its dictionaries since 1847, to propose updating the term.
“I basically told them that they need to include that there’s a systematic oppression upon a group of people,” she told the local CBS affiliate KMOV.
“It’s not just, ‘Oh, I don’t like someone.’”
Merriam-Webster’s editorial manager, Peter Sokolowski, confirmed to AFP that the definition would be modified after Mitchum’s request.
6-A — TRUMP AGAINST CHANGING NAMES OF CONFEDERATE NAMED BASES:
*President Trump says he is ruling out changing the name of Army bases named for Confederate Army officers. This comes two days after Defense Secretary Mark Esper indicated he is open to a discussion of such changes, which have been urged by prominent retired Army officers and others. In a series of tweets, Trump wrote, “My administration will not even consider” changing those Army base names.
Kayleigh McEnany Turns Base Renaming Question Around On The Biden Welcome Center (VIDEO)
McEnany brought up the movie “Gone With The Wind,” no longer available on HBO, and asked if George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison should be “erased from history” because of their views.
“What about FDR, because of internment camps?” she asked. “Should he be erased from history, or Lyndon Johnson, who has a history of documented racist statements.”
Then, the White House press secretary took aim at Biden:
“Finally, what about people that are alleged by the media to be segregationists?” said McEnany. “NBC tells us Joe Biden didn’t just compromise with segregationists, he fought for their causes in schools, experts say. CNN tells us letters from Joe Biden reveal how he sought support of segregationists in the fight against busing. Washington Post tells us that Biden’s tough talk on 1970 schools’ desegregation plans could get him new scrutiny. And there are several more where that came from. So I’ll leave you with a question. Should we then rename the Biden Welcome Center?”
6-B/C — TRUMP NEWS:
*Trump to hold first post-coronavirus rally in Oklahoma: President Trump is planning to hold his first rally of the coronavirus era on June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And he says he’s planning more events in Florida, Texas and Arizona as well. Trump’s signature rallies often draw tens of thousands of people but have been on hiatus since March 2 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump also told reporters at the White House that he would announce a new location soon for a speech in August accepting the Republican Party’s nomination for president. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/502143-trump-to-hold-first-post-coronavirus-rally-in-oklahoma
- DAILY CALLER’S CHRISTIAN DATOC: Trump says he’ll hold his first post-coronavirus rally in Tulsa, OK on Juneteenth, sending any doubts he wouldn’t address racial inequality right out the window — OK followed by rallies in FL, AZ, and NC despite his feud with Gov Roy Cooper over the RNC https://twitter.com/TocRadio/status/1270828847794184195
- TRUMP TO SPEAK ON RACE AND POLICING ON THURSDAY: President Trump is expected to talk about race relations and policing Thursday in Dallas, before he attends a high-dollar campaign fundraising dinner. The White House says the president will announce a plan for “holistic revitalization and recovery” at a roundtable with “faith leaders, law enforcement officials, and small business owners to discuss solutions to historic economic, health, and justice disparities in American communities.”
- STEVEN PORTNOY: In Dallas tomorrow, President Trump will unveil a “plan for holistic revitalization and recovery,” a WH official says. He’ll meet with local faith, law enforcement and biz leaders to seek “solutions to historic economic, health, and justice disparities in American communities.”
GOP CONVENTION LOCATION:
- WASH POST REPORTED EARLIER ON WEDNESDAY: GOP expects to move its convention to JACKSONVILLE after dispute with North Carolina over pandemic safeguards… https://twitter.com/costareports/status/1270693829784604682
- DAILY CALLER’S CHRISTIAN DATOC FOLLOWS UP: Multiple RNC officials tell me this morning that Washington Post’s story about hosting the convention in Jacksonville is “premature” — Phoenix, Dallas, Savannah, Nashville, Orlando still very much in the running https://twitter.com/TocRadio/status/1270713912682352640
6-D — CANCEL CULTURE COMES FOR PAW PATROL AND OTHERS:
NY TIMES: The Protests Come for ‘Paw Patrol’
It was only a matter of time before the protests came for “Paw Patrol.”
“Paw Patrol” is a children’s cartoon about a squad of canine helpers. It is basically a pretense for placing household pets in a variety of cool trucks. The team includes Marshall, a firefighting Dalmatian; Rubble, a bulldog construction worker; and Chase, a German shepherd who is also a cop. In the world of “Paw Patrol,” Chase is drawn to be a very good boy who barks stuff like “Chase is on the case!” and “All in a police pup’s day!” as he rescues kittens in his tricked-out S.U.V.
But last week, when the show’s official Twitter account put out a bland callfor “Black voices to be heard,” commenters came after Chase. “Euthanize the police dog,” they said. “Defund the paw patrol.” “All dogs go to heaven, except the class traitors in the Paw Patrol.”
THE SHOW “COPS” HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY CANCELED: “Cops” has officially been canceled by Paramount Network four days after it was pulled from the schedule https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/cops-canceled-paramount-network-1234629637/
CNN: Greg Glassman resigns as CrossFit CEO after controversial statements about George Floyd
Embattled CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman is resigning after he sparked outrage over his response to nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
In a statement Tuesday, Glassman said he decided to retire after he “created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members.”
“Those who know me know that my sole issue is the chronic disease epidemic,” Glassman said. “I know that CrossFit is the solution to this epidemic and that CrossFit HQ and its staff serve as the stewards of CrossFit affiliates worldwide. I cannot let my behavior stand in the way of HQ’s or affiliates’ missions.”
Following HBO Cancellation, ‘Gone With The Wind’ Is The #1 Best-Selling Movie On Amazon
HBO Max pulled “Gone with the Wind,” the 1939 film that’s been called “the biggest blockbuster in American history,” from its library of streaming films. It quickly shot to the top of the list of best-selling movies and TV shows on Amazon.
Other editions of the film also made the top-ten list on Amazon Wednesday, ranking #8 and #9. It’s also at the top of the “Romance” category on Amazon. The movie won 10 Academy Awards, one of which was earned by Hattie McDaniel, making her the first African-American to be nominated for and win an Oscar.
UPDATE: ‘Gone With the Wind’ will eventually return to HBO with a denouncement of its racist depictions.
An HBO Max spokesperson says “Gone With the Wind” will eventually return to the platform with a discussion about its historical context and a denouncement of its racist depictions.
On Tuesday, HBO Max removed the 1939 film from its library in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd.
“’Gone With The Wind’ is a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society. These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible,” an HBO Max spokesperson told Variety. “These depictions are certainly counter to WarnerMedia’s values, so when we return the film to HBO Max, it will return with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions, but will be presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. If we are to create a more just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history.”
6-E — COROANVIRUS AND SEX:
- Journalist JOSH BARRO: NYC Health advice discourages casual sex during COVID, but also says if you’re going to have it: “Be creative with sexual positions and physical barriers, like walls, that allow sexual contact while preventing close face to face contact.”
- ROBBY SOAVE: NYC’s Official Guide to Pandemic Sex Is Awkward but Accurate. The health department correctly recognizes that abstinence doesn’t work, and kissing is riskier than sex. Coronavirus dictates from public health officials and government bureaucrats have been confusing, contradictory, and arbitrary for months now. As compliance with aggressive social distancing begins to slip, officials must pivot toward offering scientifically sound advice about what kinds of activities carry risk, rather than doubling down on impractical and wide-ranging lockdowns. Thankfully, New York City’s recently published guidance on “safer sex and COVID-19” is a remarkably sober—and, yes, awkwardly descriptive—piece of realistic guidance. While it acknowledges that the absolutely safest course of action would be to refrain from sex, it also accepts that abstinence-only education does not work. People are going to get together and they’re going to get it on. The best thing that the experts can do is educate people about how to make these activities less risky. To that end, the three-page document correctly notes that kissing might be a riskier amorous activity than actual sex, given that respiratory droplets are the most effective vehicles of disease transmission. (This is an inversion of standard safe sex practices: Kissing generally carries little risk of spreading STDs.)
– LAST WEEK: Study says couples should wear MASKS during sex
Harvard experts say couples who are not quarantining together should wear FACE MASKS during sex to prevent the spread of coronavirus
Sexual partners should consider wearing face masks that cover their noses and mouths while doing the deed.
While the advice sounds like something out of a Cosmopolitan magazine guide for spicing things up in the bedroom, it is actually a suggestion from Harvard University researchers, who have offered up a guide on sexual health in the era of COVID-19.
The guide, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine last month, suggests that couples who are not quarantining together but remain sexually active consider not kissing on the mouth and wearing protective face masks during sex to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8384891/Couples-arent-quarantining-avoid-kissing-wear-FACE-MASKS-says-study.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailus
6-F — VIRGINIA / COLUMBUS STATUE TOPPLED:
– Richmond protesters topple Columbus statue, throw it in lake
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A statue of Christopher Columbus in Richmond was torn down by protesters, set on fire and then thrown into a lake.
The figure was toppled less than two hours after protesters gathered in the city’s Byrd Park were chanting for the statue to be taken down, news outlets reported.
After the figure was removed from its pedestal around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday by protesters using several ropes, a sign that reads, “Columbus represents genocide” was placed on the spray-painted foundation that once held the statue. It was then set on fire and rolled into a lake in the park, NBC 12 reported.
https://wtop.com/virginia/2020/06/richmond-protesters-topple-columbus-statue-throw-it-in-lake/
– Christopher Columbus statues toppled in Richmond, beheaded in Boston
Statues of Christopher Columbus were targeted by protesters in Massachusetts and Virginia on Tuesday night in an act of solidarity with indigenous peoples.
The 8-foot-tall memorial to the explorer in Richmond, Va., was pulled down with ropes and dragged roughly 200 yards to nearby Landing at Foundation Lake, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It was also reportedly briefly lit on fire.
A makeshift headstone poster was also placed in front of the sunken statute in the water that read, “Racism. You will not be missed.”
Another statue of Columbus was beheaded in Boston overnight in the park named after him, according to CBS Boston.
BOSTON (CBS) – The Christopher Columbus statue in Boston’s North End will be removed after it was beheaded early Wednesday morning. Mayor Marty Walsh said it will be put in storage and there will now be conversations about the “historic meaning” of the incident and whether it will ever go back up.
The statue in Christopher Columbus Park on Atlantic Avenue was surrounded by crime scene tape as the head lay on the ground next to the base.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/501998-christopher-columbus-statues-toppled-in-richmond-beheaded-in
7-A — 7:05 AM – INTERVIEW – Erik Tammaru – founder of Reopen Montgomery County @etammaru
Reopen Montgomery County, MD has planned a protest against inequity this Thursday at 12:00 noon at the Red Brick Courthouse Park in Rockville.
For immediate release: June 8, 2020:
Rockville, MD – Reopen Montgomery County, MD is an online group dedicated to the reopening of our county to pre-Covid levels, and the restoration of our constitutional rights.
Why do politicians think it is safe to enter a big box store but not a small business? Why are churches limited to gatherings of ten people yet politicians support thousands taking to the streets? It is time to reopen.
Show your support for those hurt by extended lockdowns and join us.
Reopen Montgomery County, MD will host a protest against inequity on Thursday June 11, 12:00 noon at the Red Brick Courthouse Park, at the corner of East
Montgomery and Maryland Ave in Rockville.
Parking available at N Washington St, entrance on East Montgomery Ave.
UPDATE: Montgomery County likely to enter Phase 2 of reopening next week. Phase 2 of the reopening process will mean more relaxed restrictions for county residents and businesses.
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Just a couple of weeks after joining the rest of the state in entering Phase 1 of Maryland’s reopening process, Montgomery County could advance to Phase 2 as early as next week.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich announced Wednesday that the county could move onto the new phase next week based on the current data trends.
“If data trends continue, our Phase 2 reopening is likely to begin sometime next week,” Elrich said. “We expect to allow modified indoor retail shopping and indoor religious services, lap swimming, and more.”
Several suburban D.C. counties, including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, stayed behind Maryland’s reopening process, which Gov. Larry Hogan announced on May 15.
Phase 2 of reopening will mean more relaxed restrictions for county residents and businesses.
Here’s what Phase 2 of reopening will look like for Montgomery County if allowed to enter:
Indoor & Outdoor Gatherings: Limited to a maximum of 50 or 1 person/family unit per 200 sq. ft., whichever is lower
Office Spaces & Multi-tenant Commercial Buildings: Limited use for nonessential with requirements; telework strongly encouraged where applicable
Retail: Curbside and limited in-store; 1 patron per 200 sq. ft. of sales space
Restaurants: Outdoor/patio seating & limited indoor dining with requirements; 50% capacity maximum indoors
Salons/Barbers/Personal Services: All personal services allowed by appointment only; 1 patron per 200 sq. ft. of service delivery space
Outdoor Community Pools (public & private) – Open for lap swimming with requirements
Outdoor Day Camps: Expanded opening with requirements
Outdoor Youth Sports: Expanded for low-contact sports with requirements
Parks & Playgrounds: Parks open for personal fitness & fitness classes with requirements; playgrounds open with requirements; only low contact sports allowed
Car Washes: Open for internal and external cleaning with requirements
Childcare: MSDE continues expanding the number of EPCC programs
Construction: Open with requirements
Farms: “Pick your own” open with requirements
Gyms, Fitness Centers & Other Indoor Physical Activities: Open with requirements; 1 patron per 200 sq. ft. of fitness space
Hospitals: Physicians’ offices and other health care facilities, including hospitals, are available to care for your medical needs.
Hotels: Open with requirements
Houses of Worship: Virtual, drive-in, and limited indoor and outdoor services with requirements; 1 congregant/family per 200 sq. ft. of service space
Manufacturing: Open with requirements
Ride-On Service: Expanded schedule; expanded routes
– Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles today announced which activities will be allowed when the County enters Phase 2 of reopening https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS/RightNav/reopening/index.html
7-B/C — 7:15 AM — INTERVIEW – CHRISTIAN DATOC – Senior White House Correspondent for The Daily Caller @TocRadio
TOPIC: Latest White House/Trump news and GOP convention
- Trump to hold first post-coronavirus rally in Oklahoma: President Trump is planning to hold his first rally of the coronavirus era on June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And he says he’s planning more events in Florida, Texas and Arizona as well. Trump’s signature rallies often draw tens of thousands of people but have been on hiatus since March 2 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump also told reporters at the White House that he would announce a new location soon for a speech in August accepting the Republican Party’s nomination for president. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/502143-trump-to-hold-first-post-coronavirus-rally-in-oklahoma
- DAILY CALLER’S CHRISTIAN DATOC: Trump says he’ll hold his first post-coronavirus rally in Tulsa, OK on Juneteenth, sending any doubts he wouldn’t address racial inequality right out the window — OK followed by rallies in FL, AZ, and NC despite his feud with Gov Roy Cooper over the RNC https://twitter.com/TocRadio/status/1270828847794184195
- TRUMP TO SPEAK ON RACE AND POLICING ON THURSDAY: President Trump is expected to talk about race relations and policing Thursday in Dallas, before he attends a high-dollar campaign fundraising dinner. The White House says the president will announce a plan for “holistic revitalization and recovery” at a roundtable with “faith leaders, law enforcement officials, and small business owners to discuss solutions to historic economic, health, and justice disparities in American communities.”
- GOP CONVENTION:WASH POST REPORTED EARLIER ON WEDNESDAY: GOP expects to move its convention to JACKSONVILLE after dispute with North Carolina over pandemic safeguards… https://twitter.com/costareports/status/1270693829784604682
- DAILY CALLER’S CHRISTIAN DATOC FOLLOWS UP: Multiple RNC officials tell me this morning that Washington Post’s story about hosting the convention in Jacksonville is “premature” — Phoenix, Dallas, Savannah, Nashville, Orlando still very much in the running https://twitter.com/TocRadio/status/1270713912682352640
- TRUMP ON CONFEDERATE-NAMED BASES:Trump draws the line — despite Army and Defense Secs saying they’re open to renaming bases and forts sharing titles of Confederate generals, POTUS says he “will not even consider” the idea https://dailycaller.com/2020/06/10/trump-will-not-consider-renaming-military-bases-confederate-generals/
7-D/E — 7:35 AM — INTERVIEW – ROBBY SOAVE – senior editor at Reason and author of “Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump” — discussed cancel culture amid racial division.
- THE SHOW “COPS” HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY CANCELED: “Cops” has officially been canceled by Paramount Network four days after it was pulled from the schedule. “Cops” has officially been canceled at Paramount Network. Definitive news that the series won’t return comes only four days after Variety exclusively reported that it had been pulled from the schedule. “‘Cops’ is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a Paramount Network spokesperson said in a statement.The original decision to hold “Cops” was spurred by nationwide protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police officers. https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/cops-canceled-paramount-network-1234629637/
- GOODBYE GONE WITH THE WIND: ‘Gone with the Wind’ pulled from HBO Max until it can return with ‘historical context’… UPDATE: ‘Gone With the Wind’ will eventually return to HBO with a denouncement of its racist depictions https://nypost.com/2020/06/10/hbo-max-temporarily-removes-gone-with-the-wind/?utm_medium=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow
- CANCEL CULTURE COMES AFTER THE COP DOG ON PAW PATROL: NY TIMES: The Protests Come for ‘Paw Patrol’: A backlash is mounting against depictions of “good cops,” on television and in the street. It was only a matter of time before the protests came for “Paw Patrol.” “Paw Patrol” is a children’s cartoon about a squad of canine helpers. It is basically a pretense for placing household pets in a variety of cool trucks. The team includes Marshall, a firefighting Dalmatian; Rubble, a bulldog construction worker; and Chase, a German shepherd who is also a cop. In the world of “Paw Patrol,” Chase is drawn to be a very good boy who barks stuff like “Chase is on the case!” and “All in a police pup’s day!” as he rescues kittens in his tricked-out S.U.V. But last week, when the show’s official Twitter account put out a bland call for “Black voices to be heard,” commenters came after Chase. “Euthanize the police dog,” they said. “Defund the paw patrol.” “All dogs go to heaven, except the class traitors in the Paw Patrol.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/10/arts/television/protests-fictional-cops.html
8-A — 8:05 AM – INTERVIEW – GEN. JACK KEANE – retired 4 star general, the chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and Fox News Senior Strategic Analyst – discuss the debate of renaming military bases named after Confederate leaders.
- President Trump says he is ruling out changing the name of Army bases named for Confederate Army officers. This comes two days after Defense Secretary Mark Esper indicated he is open to a discussion of such changes, which have been urged by prominent retired Army officers and others. In a series of tweets, Trump wrote, “My administration will not even consider” changing those Army base names.
8-B/C – SEATTLE AUTONOMOUS ZONE:
– Seattle protesters storm City Hall, demand mayor resign after driving police out of area, declaring autonomous zone
Hundreds of protesters, aided by a sympathetic City Council member, stormed Seattle’s City Hall Tuesday night to demand the mayor’s resignation, just days after seizing a six-block downtown zone that includes a shuttered police precinct.
Demonstrators remained peaceful, without reports of violence or injuries, but are pushing Mayor Jenny Durkan to step down if she refuses to defund the city’s police department.
The protesters continued to camp out in a self-declared “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ)– a region spanning six blocks and encompassing the precinct– which has effectively been abandoned by law enforcement after the Seattle Police Department closed the East Precinct on Monday.
For more than two weeks following the death of George Floyd — an unarmed black man who died in police custody after a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes — hundreds of demonstrators all over the country took to the streets to condemn police brutality.
In some cities, like Seattle, pockets of violence erupted as a result of clashes with law enforcement.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/seattle-city-hall-protesters-autonomous-zone
8-D — 8:35 AM – INTERVIEW – PHILIP VAN CLEAVE – President of Virginia Citizens Defense League- discussed turnout needed for Protest at Alexandria City Hall on Saturday.
- Council To Vote On Gun Ban For City Of Alexandria Property. The city had previously not been allowed to enact a gun ban due to the Dillon Rule, but new state legislation authorizes that action. https://patch.com/virginia/delray/council-vote-gun-ban-city-alexandria-property
NOTE FROM VCDL:
The City of Alexandria is moving forward with public comment and a vote on a proposed ordinance to ban guns completely in government buildings, parks, recreation and community centers, and at permitted events and adjoining streets.
City Council had a chance to drop the proposed ordinance on Tuesday night, but did not. They made a minor amendment that did nothing significant for gun owners and voted to move forward with the public comment period and final vote on Saturday, June 20.
If passed, this ordinance would take effect on Wednesday, July 1, and would make criminals out of peaceful gun owners for merely being on a street that abuts a permitted event, or walking through any one of a myriad of public parks, or to go in City Hall to pay their taxes!
ACTION ITEM – GUN OWNERS NEED TO PROTEST THIS ATTACK ON THEIR RIGHTS!
This Saturday, June 13, from 1:30 PM to 3:30 pm, VCDL is calling on gun owners from Northern Virginia and beyond to protest outside of Alexandria City Hall, located at 301 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.
Let’s have a huge number of gun owners there to get our message across!
8-E — MORE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF MONEY?
- BREAKING: Unemployment claims climbed by 1.5 million last week. Workers filed another 1.5 million claims for jobless benefits last week, the Labor Department reported, suggesting that some Americans are still being pushed out of work nearly three months into the pandemic. Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/11/unemployment-claims-numbers-coronavirus-312958
- CONGRESS / DEMS PUSH EXTENDING $600 UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT, TRUMP ADMIN OPPOSED: Democratic proposal of extending $600 weekly unemployment benefit oppposed by Trump admin. WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration opposes a Democratic proposal to extend a $600 per week federal unemployment benefit approved in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said Tuesday. The $600 payment, which is in addition to normal unemployment benefits, “was the right thing to do,” Scalia said, but is no longer needed as the economy begins to recover. The money, included in a government relief package enacted in late March, has helped millions of workers stay in their homes and pay bills even as the unemployment rate surged to its highest levels since World War II. The payments are set to expire July 31, and Democrats have pushed a plan that would extend the enhanced benefit through January. The Democratic-led House approved the proposal last month, but it is considered unlikely to advance in the Republican-controlled Senate. https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/democratic-proposal-of-extending-600-weekly-unemployment-benefit-oppposed-by-trump-admin
- PUSH FOR MORE DIRECT RELIEF PAYMENTS: Mnuchin: White House will ‘seriously look at’ sending another round of direct cash payments to some Americans in the fourth coronavirus relief package. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday the Trump administration will “seriously look” at sending another round of direct cash payments to some Americans in the fourth coronavirus relief package. “I think we’re going to seriously look at whether we want to do more direct money to stimulate the economy,” Mnuchin said while testifying before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. “But I think this is all going to be about getting people back to work, and we look forward to working with the entire Senate on this one.” At the end of March, Congress passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, approving one-time payments of up to $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples. There’s also an extra $500 payment for each dependent child under the age of 17. The payments were tapered for individuals who earned more than $75,000 and cut-off completely for those earning more than $99,000 https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/mnuchin-trump-admin-to-seriously-look-at-more-direct-payments-in-next-coronavirus-relief-package
- House Republicans propose offering Americans a ‘return to work bonus’: Republicans say the bonus could encourage people to “return to work,” while a top Democrat rejected it as a replacement for extending emergency UIHouse Republicans are proposing a $1,200 bonus for Americans returning to work as the coronavirus pandemic slows, providing an alternative to Democrats’ plan to extend the extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits included in virus-related stimulus legislation.. Republicans on the Democrat-controlled House Ways and Means Committee cited an analysis from CBO to support their idea, instead of extending the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit past its July 31 end date. “The extension of the additional $600 per week would probably reduce employment in the second half of 2020, and it would reduce employment in calendar year 2021. The effects from reduced incentives to work would be larger than the boost to employment from increased overall demand for goods and services,” reads the CBO analysis. According to the GOP committee members, the federal expansion of unemployment benefits was “intended to provide relief for those who lost their jobs due to the government lockdown— but these funds shouldn’t undermine a return to work. Rather than continue subsidizing unemployment where it is no longer necessary, these funds can be put to more appropriate use in encouraging workers to return to work.” Some congressional Republicans have argued that the extra federal compensation — on top of state weekly unemployment payments — is more than some Americans earned at their jobs before the COVID-19 pandemic. https://justthenews.com/government/congress/house-republicans-propose-offering-americans-return-work-bonus
