MORNINGS ON THE MALL
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020
HOSTS: MARY WALTER AND VINCE COGLIANESE
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: HEATHER HUNTER
VA Del. Tony Wilt, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard, Ricky Rebel, Bret Baier joined WMAL on Friday!
7:05 AM – INTERVIEW – VIRGINIA DELEGATE TONY WILT – Delegate for the 26th District of Virginia (made up of the city of Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County in the Shenandoah Valley)
TOPIC: Virginia legislative special session has had a lot of anti-police nonsense
8:05 AM – INTERVIEW – Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police VP and Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard
TOPIC: Virginia legislative special session has had a lot of anti-police nonsense
8:15 AM – INTERVIEW – RICKY REBEL – pro-Trump Billboard Top 40 Recording Artist
– Ricky has a new single and music video coming out on Friday called “American Rebel”: https://youtu.be/9iAhvkKtyOg
8:35 AM – INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – Anchor of Special Report on Fox News Channel and host of “The Campaign” podcast
TOPIC: Discuss the final night of the GOP convention
5-A — WISCONSIN BACKLASH
KENOSHA RESIDENTS BLAME DEMOCRAT LEADERS FOR CHAOS… NYT: How Chaos in Kenosha Is Already Swaying Some Voters in Wisconsin
John Geraghty, a 41-year-old worker in a tractor factory, has barely paid attention to the presidential race or the conventions. […]
And after feeling “100 percent on the fence” about which candidates he will vote for in November, he is increasingly nervous that Democratic state leaders seem unable to contain the spiraling crisis. […]
In Kenosha County, where the president won by fewer than 250 votes in 2016, those who already supported Mr. Trump said in interviews that the events of the past few days have simply reinforced their conviction that he is the man for the job. But some voters who were less sure of their choice said the chaos in their city and the inability of elected leaders to stop it were currently nudging them toward the Republicans.
And some Democrats, nervous about condemning the looting because they said they understood the rage behind it, worried that what was happening in their town might backfire and aid the president’s re-election prospects. […]
Ellen Ferwerda, who owns an antique furniture store downtown just blocks from the worst of the destruction that is now closed, said that she was desperate for Mr. Trump to lose in November but that she had “huge concern” the unrest in her town could help him win. She added that local Democratic leaders seemed hesitant to condemn the mayhem.
“I think they just don’t know what to say,” she said. “People are afraid to take a stance either way, but I do think it’s strange they’re all being so quiet. Our mayor has disappeared. It’s like, ‘Where is he?’” […]
“I’m not 100 percent sure of anything yet,” Mr. Geraghty said of November. “But as of now I’m really not happy about how Democrats are handling any of this.” […]
Priscella Gazda, a waitress at a pizza restaurant in Kenosha, was having the opposite reaction. She said she had voted only once in her life — for Mr. Obama in 2008. Her son has Type 1 diabetes and was hoping for health insurance. […]
“I am going to vote for Trump,” she said. “He seems to be more about the American people and what we need.”
CHAOS KEEPS COMING… Kenosha Police arrest 9 people in out-of-state cars carrying gas masks, fireworks
Kenosha police arrested nine people traveling in vehicles with out-of-state license plates Wednesday on suspicion of criminal conduct amid the civil unrest occurring in the city.
Officials said they received a tip about the vehicles. When officers found them — a bread truck, black school bus and minivan — they followed the occupants, a police news release said.
The department did not specify which states the license plates were from. While under police surveillance, the group stopped at a gas station and attempted to fill up multiple fuel cans, the statement said.
“Suspecting that the occupants of these vehicles were preparing for criminal activity related to the civil unrest, officers attempted to make contact and investigate,” police said.
The people inside the bread truck and school bus were detained. The minivan drove away but was stopped a short time later, police said. Officers forced their way into the vehicle and arrested those inside, police said.
Inside the vehicles, officers found fireworks, helmets, gas maks, protective vests and suspected controlled substances. The nine people were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct.
POLL: Support For Protests Plummets In Wisconsin, Dropping 25 Points In Two Months
Public support for protests following the death of George Floyd has dropped in Wisconsin by 25-points since June, according to a poll published Wednesday.
Support for demonstrations against police killings stood at 61% approval to 36% disapproval in June, but both figures changed to 48% in August, according to a poll produced by Marquette Law School. The Aug. 4-9 poll was conducted prior to protests in Kenosha which began after police shot Jacob Blake on Sunday, and before 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested for killing two people during Tuesday night riots.
Support for the Black Lives Matter movement in general also fell between June and August, according to the poll’s results. About 59% of respondents said they supported the movement in June, with only 27% of people holding an unfavorable view. Approval for BLM dropped 10 percentage points in August, the poll showed.
ROBBY SOAVE: Remember When a Democratic Polling Firm Fired the Guy Who Thought Violent Protests Could Backfire Politically?
Back in June, the sudden firing of data scientist David Shor from the progressive consulting firm Civis Analytics raised eyebrows.
Shor had publicized research from the social scientist Omar Wasow showing that violent protests tend to backfire on progressive goals—tipping the 1968 election in favor of the law-and-order candidate, Richard Nixon, for instance—whereas peaceful protests often succeed. In response, Shor was widely derided by the left. On Twitter, the progressive activist Ari Trujillo Wesler accused him of using his “anxiety and ‘intellect’ as a vehicle for anti-blackness.” Employees and clients of Civis Analytics said Shor’s statement—which, to be clear, was merely an endorsement of well-grounded social science research that says nonviolent protest is strategically superior—had threatened their very safety, according to New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait.
As a result, Shor was terminated.
BIDEN GETS DESPERATE… RELEASES STATEMENT BLAMING TRUMP FOR VIOLENCE… ALSO BLAMES ‘WHITE SUPREMACISTS’… ABC REPORTER: Statement by Vice President@JoeBiden on Donald Trump’s America (STATEMENT)
Earlier this week a Portland development company sent a rather blunt letter to Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city council warning that businesses were planning to leave the city because of the nightly riots. “If you know a retail or office broker, give them a call and ask them how many clients they have are trying to leave,” he wrote.
Mayor Wheeler apparently got the message and last night he made a speech in which he came about as close as he has come yet to denouncing Antifa/BLM/the nightly riots in his city. After a bit of throat clearing he said, “We also have to be honest with ourselves even as those around us, the president in particular, traffic in dishonesty and an attempt to stoke fear. The honesty is the acknowledgement that we as a city are helping to feed and fire the hysteria.
“We, and I put myself at the top of that list as the city’s mayor, we have allowed our proud tradition of progressive protest to be stolen by a few dozen individuals engaged in violence and criminal destruction. They’re intent on creating mayhem and attacking and harming people, not just property.”
“Enough is enough,” the mayors said. “It’s time to rise up and to take immediate steps to repair and beautify our city.”
A moment later, Wheeler made reference to the attack on Adam Haner: “Rising up to decry structural racism is a noble cause; pulling people from their vehicles and beating them in the street is a horrific, violent crime.” He then suggested he wanted protesters and police to “virtually lock arms” to end the violence.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY HAS TROUBLE CONDEMNING VIOLENCE… Democratic Sen Chris Murphy Deletes Tweet Condemning Looting
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut deleted a tweet he posted Thursday condemning vigilantism, looting and police shootings of black people, saying it gave the false impression he was equating property damage to murder.
“This isn’t hard. Vigilantism is bad. Police officers shooting black people in the back is bad. Looting and property damage is bad,” Murphy wrote in the now-deleted tweet, which was posted Thursday morning. “You don’t have to choose. You can be against it all. You can just be for peace.”
Murphy said he deleted the tweet because it “mistakenly gave the impression that I thought there was an equivalency between property crime and murder.”
KENOSHA, WI POLICE ARREST OUT-OF-STATE PROTESTERS
Officials said they received a tip about the vehicles. When officers found them — a bread truck, black school bus and minivan — they followed the occupants, a police news release said.
The department did not specify which states the license plates were from. While under police surveillance, the group stopped at a gas station and attempted to fill up multiple fuel cans, the statement said.
Inside the vehicles, officers found fireworks, helmets, gas maks, protective vests and suspected controlled substances. The nine people were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/kenosha-police-out-of-state-gas-masks-fireworks
- LIN WOOD TO DEFEND KYLE RITTENHOUSE
- Lin Wood announced on Twitter Thursday morning that his colleague John Pierce had assembled a legal team to defend Rittenhouse, and they were ready to fly out to Wisconsin to meet with the family as soon as tonight. He and his team are currently trying to make contact with the Rittenhouse family.
https://amgreatness.com/2020/08/27/67740/#.X0f7Ku-CNT0.facebook
5-D/E — PELOSI FLOATS THAT BIDEN SHOULDN’T DEBATE, BIDEN RESPONDS THAT HE WILL DEBATE
PELOSI: BIDEN SHOULDN’T DEBATE
“I don’t think that there should be any debates,” Pelosi said out of the blue at a news conference at the Capitol, saying she doesn’t want the debates to be “an exercise in skullduggery.”
“I wouldn’t legitimize a conversation with him, nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States. Now I know that the Biden campaign thinks in a different way about this.”
6 AM HOUR
6-A/B/C — LOTS OF ANTI-POLICE NONSENSE IN THE VIRGINIA
- TEASE: 7:05 AM – INTERVIEW – VIRGINIA DELEGATE TONY WILT
- TEASE: 8:05 AM – INTERVIEW – Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police VP and Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard
ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICER
– Virginia Senate passes bill allowing assaulting a police officer to be a misdemeanor
Bill removes mandatory jail sentence
RICHMOND, Va. – A controversial bill is moving forward during the current Virginia General Assembly special session.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Senate voted 21-15 to pass Senate Bill 5032, which would allow an assault against a law enforcement officer to a misdemeanor if the person attacked is not hurt.
Here’s the summary of the bill:
Eliminates the mandatory minimum term of confinement for an assault and battery committed against a judge; magistrate; law-enforcement officer; correctional officer; person directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of inmates; firefighter; or volunteer firefighter or any emergency medical services personnel and provides that such crime can no longer be committed as a simple assault and must result in a bodily injury.
Summary of Senate Bill 5032: The bill also removes mandatory minimum 6-month jail sentence for assaulting a police officer.
BANNING POLICE USE OF TEAR GAS AND RUBBER BULLETS
– Va. House panel backs ban on tear gas, rubber bullets
Lawmakers in the House of Delegates gave a preliminary thumbs up Tuesday to legislation banning police from using tear gas and rubber bullets — so-called nonlethal weapons that departments around the state and country have deployed in response to recent widespread civil unrest.
“It’s currently legal for police in Virginia to use chemical weapons against civilians that we don’t even allow our troops to use in warzones,” said Del. Dan Helmer, D-40th, who represents parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties, who sponsored the legislation.
And rubber bullets and beanbag rounds, he said, “are known to pose significant risk of death and permanent disability.”
The bill, dubbed the Best Equipment for Law Enforcement Act, passed the House’s public safety committee on a party-line vote, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing. In addition to reining in crowd-control tactics, it also limits what kinds of military equipment police can obtain.
Law enforcement groups opposed the legislation, arguing rubber bullets, also called kinetic rounds, are an important law enforcement tool, especially in stand-off situations where someone is armed with a knife or other non-projectile weaponry.
“The way these munitions are used on a regular basis is not in civil disturbances,” said Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard, vice president of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. “I spent four years commanding a SWAT team. I can tell you, these munitions save lives.”
As a compromise, she suggested limiting the ban to protests and riots, where their deployment has caused brain damage, loss of sight and other disabilities.
Herndon also defended the use of a federal grant program that distributes military surplus to local departments around the country, arguing the military rifles departments obtain through the program are essential equipment in the event of a shooting in which the perpetrator is also armed with a rifle. Law enforcement groups have also said armored vehicles play an important role in some standoffs.
“I will tell you a lot of smaller and mid-sized agencies do not have the funding to purchase these for their agencies,” she said. “They need to be in the hands of patrol officers.”
– FLASHBACK LAST NOVEMBER: Democrat Dan Helmer unseats Del. Tim Hugo in 40th District House seat https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/democrat-dan-helmer-unseats-del-tim-hugo-in-th-district/article_85152b4e-ff01-11e9-8c32-0bec5715f7ca.html
DEL. TONY WILT’S TWEETS:
TONY ON THE BAN ON TEAR GAS AND RUBBER BULLETS FOR POLICE
– Tony Wilt @DelTonyWilt Yesterday afternoon during the Public Safety Committee meeting the majority passed a measure to prohibit police from using or having access to tear gas, rubber bullets and other equipment. When asked for examples of other states that had such a policy, he cited Oregon. https://twitter.com/DelTonyWilt/status/1298802884369317889
– Tony Wilt @DelTonyWilt When you eliminate non-lethal options as a tool you make both citizens and law enforcement less safe. We need to support our police, not defund them or recklessly curtail their ability to respond to each situation as warranted. https://twitter.com/DelTonyWilt/status/1298802885640228864
TONY ON LEE CARTER’S PUSH TO CUT POLICE FUNDING:
– Tony Wilt @DelTonyWilt: Now that the House is moving forward with the business of the special session, I’m concerned with what we’ve seen so far. Delegate Lee Carter has put forward a proposal to cut the State Police budget by 25% and state support for local police departments by 25%. https://twitter.com/DelTonyWilt/status/1298802881425027073
REMEMBER VA DEL. LEE CARTER’S THREAT TO CUT POLICE FUNDING? HE WAS PUSHING THIS WEEK TO SLASH POLICE FUNDING IN THE VA ASSEMBLY
– FLASHBACK IN JUNE: The Republican Party of Virginia is calling on a Democratic lawmaker to resign after it appears he got physical with police at a protest in Manassas and threatened their state funding. “I’m a member of the General Assembly,” a man who appeared to be Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, was videotaped telling state police at the protest Saturday. “I run the state police’s budget. They’re gonna f****** regret this.” https://www.thecentersquare.com/virginia/virginia-gop-urges-del-carter-to-resign-after-apparent-confrontation-with-police-at-protest/article_5b17d494-a420-11ea-b43f-4f1dc11c4338.html
– Flashback in JUNE: LEE CARTER IS AT A PROTEST YELLING AT POLICE AND THREATENING TO CUT THEIR POLICE FUNDING: Video: Lee Carter seems to think “Don’t you know who I am” works with police: https://twitter.com/MA2VA2/status/1267095876591390720
– VA House GOP @vahousegop: More than happy to let Virginians know you want to cut local police funding by 25 percent.
We want every Virginian to know it, and to know that @VAHouseDems support you in your efforts.
https://twitter.com/vahousegop/status/1299345166571122689
– Lee J. Carter @carterforva tweet to @VAGOP: You seem to be confused by how sentences work. If I’d addressed the cops and said “You’re gonna fuckin regret it,” that would’ve been a threat. I addressed a different group of people and said “THEY’RE gonna fuckin regret it.” Which makes it a campaign promise. https://twitter.com/carterforva/status/1299071436808687616
6-B/C — SPORTS NEWS:
After holding a meeting Thursday morning, NBA players have reportedly agreed to resuming the 2020 playoffs, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. There’s still a lot to be discussed. Thursday’s game have been postponed, but the league plans to resume games either Friday or Saturday, according to NBA Executive Vice President Mike Bass:
“NBA playoff games for today will not be played as scheduled. We are hopeful to resume games either Friday or Saturday. There is a video conference call meeting scheduled later this afternoon between a group of NBA players and team governors representing the 13 teams in Orlando, along with representatives from the National Basketball Players Association and the league office and NBA Labor Relations Committee Chairman Michael Jordan, to discuss next steps.”
The meeting Thursday morning came after the postponement of three playoff games on Wednesday, including the Bucks-Magic game in which Milwaukee players staged a walk-out before the start of Game 5. The league’s Board of Governors were also expected to have a call this morning to address Wednesday night’s walkouts in addition to what needs to happen next.
NHL playoff games on Thursday, Friday called off; action to resume Saturday
No NHL playoff games will be held Thursday or Friday, with the league and its players deciding to follow the lead of other professional sports in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting while pledging to “foster more inclusive and welcoming environments within our arenas, offices and beyond.”
The decision postpones two Thursday games: the New York Islanders vs. the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vegas Golden Knights vs. the Vancouver Canucks. Friday’s games pitted the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Boston Bruins, followed by the Colorado Avalanche vs. the Dallas Stars.
The four conference semifinal games will be rescheduled beginning Saturday.
Nationals-Phillies game postponed amid growing sports protest movement
When Joe Girardi called Dave Martinez around 2:15 p.m., the two managers were quickly in agreement: The Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies were not going to play baseball Thursday night.
Girardi, the Phillies’ manager, had just heard from his players that they had chosen not to play in protest of racial injustice and police brutality, joining a movement that has spread across sports. Martinez, the Nationals’ manager, was supposed to meet with his team in about two hours but began texting players that the game was off.
Similar sequences unfolded across the majors as four other games were postponed by Thursday evening. Martinez and Girardi sat side-by-side in Washington to discuss theirs. Soon after that, Nationals infielder Josh Harrison and Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins sat in the same chairs and detailed each clubs’ conversations. They all wanted to address reporters together.
“This is a humanitarian issue. We’re all human beings,” Martinez said as he grew emotional, speaking with the same thick throat and pauses that coated his comments Wednesday night. “When I got to go home at night and think about my grand kids and how they’re going to grow up and my kids and the rest of their lives growing up and then I think about the game, whether we win or lose and focus on what we do best, that hurts. It hurts a lot.
“We go through this day in and day out. I hear from the players, how they struggle knowing that we’re trying to do our best to go out there and play this game, but there’s things going on in this world that they can’t put aside. It’s time to speak up. That’s the message we’re trying to send out: We got to speak up.”
This came a day after the Milwaukee Bucks chose not to take the court for an NBA playoff game following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. Two more NBA playoff games Wednesday were later postponed. The protests reached MLB that night when the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds decided not to play. The Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants did the same. Then Thursday brought more clubs pausing to turn the spotlight toward persisting societal issues.
Shortly after the Phillies opted not to play, the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics followed. Then the Minnesota Twins voted not to play the Detroit Tigers. Then the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox had decided not to play against the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo. Like the Nationals and Phillies, the Red Sox and Blue Jays would later issued a joint statement on the postponement. The Colorado Rockies were next to take a pause, a move supported by their opponent, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After that, the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets and Miami Marlins all postponed their games. The Mets and Marlins took the field in New York, stood for a 42-second moment of silence and draped a “Black Lives Matter” shirt on home plate before walking off.
On Wednesday, after a loss to the Phillies, Martinez wanted to speak with his players before returning to the field. He told them to show up late Thursday to clear their heads before the team met. The Nationals will now travel to Boston on Thursday night. Martinez expects them to face the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday night, which is scheduled to include a celebration of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier in 1947.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/27/nationals-phillies-protest-postponed/
6-D — HOGAN REAUTHORIZES ALL MD COUNTIES TO REOPEN SCHOOLS
MD Governor Larry Hogan authorizes all Maryland counties to reopen schools
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Thursday he will authorize all counties in the state to reopen schools for in-person classes.
“That’s just the way our laws work, the elected and appointed school boards have the authority to make these decisions,” Hogan said in a Thursday press conference. “Some of those local school systems have asked for more guidance and more metrics. We’re not going to order them to back and open schools, but we’re going to go back to them and strongly suggest that since the numbers have dramatically improved since many of them made these decisions or started to work on their plans, we’re going to provide incentives for people working towards getting plans to get kids to return to the classroom.”
Hogan said he understands administrators are motivated by a desire to keep students safe, but added “it’s easier to say we’re not going to bring any kids back for the rest of the year as opposed to sitting down and doing the hard work of trying to figure out, how could we get kids back in for safe instruction? It’s just a lot of hard work, and we’re going to ask them to go back and do some more of that hard work.”
The governor noted that 16 Maryland school districts have said in-person class will resume at least part-time in the fall, while another eight have no plans for in-person reopening. Hogan said the eight districts’ decision “doesn’t make any sense,” adding “we’re going to go back and ask them to reconsider.”
He stressed the improvement in state numbers since plans were made to restart the school year with online classes, and said that should factor into the decision.
“There is broad and overwhelming agreement that finding a way to begin safely returning children to classrooms must be a priority. There is no substitute for in-person instruction,” Hogan said.
The governor, who has frequently criticized President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, distinguished his position on schools reopening from the president’s.
“I remember the president saying he was going to order all the schools to immediately open … we don’t have that authority to tell school systems what they must do,” he said.
Hogan added, however, that his administration aimed to offer financial incentives for schools to open for in-person instruction.
“I think we’re going to go back and put pressure on them … it’s not acceptable to say you’re just going to shut for the rest of the year.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/514028-hogan-reauthorizes-all-md-counties-to-reopen-schools
BALTIMORE SUN: Maryland officials say all public school systems meet new set of benchmarks for some in-person instruction
Gov. Larry Hogan stopped just short of ordering all local school boards to develop plans to reopen schools this fall, but strongly encouraged them to do so saying that all 24 school districts meet a new set of state-created benchmarks that indicate it is safe to reopen for some in-person instruction.
All school districts in the state are starting the school year with all-online instruction, but 16 have indicated that they will attempt to bring some groups of students back beginning as early as mid-September. Eight districts, including Baltimore and Harford counties, have said they will remain closed for the first semester, which ends in January.
The directive comes with most Maryland school districts beginning classes within the next two weeks. All Baltimore-area public school districts plan to start Sept. 8.
“There is broad and overwhelming agreement among public health leaders, education experts and parents that finding a way to begin safely returning children to classrooms must be a top priority,” Hogan said at a news conference Thursday.
6-E — CHAOS OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE LAST NIGHT
Elderly Man Assaulted By Protesters Outside Of White House (VIDEO)
An elderly man was assaulted by protesters outside the White House in Black Lives Matter Plaza, Washington, D.C. Thursday night.
Protesters reportedly punched him in the head before he fell to the ground near Lafayette Square Park, according to a video of the incident.
Protesters yelled at the man to “get the fuck out” as they followed him towards St. John’s Episcopal Church, video of the incident shows.
PROTESTERS PUT GUILLOTINE WITH A TRUMP DOLL OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE
Protesters put a guillotine in front of the White House with a doll resembling President Trump in it, as the president prepared to deliver his speech to accept the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday evening.
According to video posted by the Daily Caller’s Shelby Talcott, protesters put a piece of paper on the Trump doll that said, “Ticket — Facist, Rapist, Criminal.”
In another video posted by RawsMedia, the Trump doll was seen tied up with a mask over its face.
The protests at the White House came on the last night of the Republican National Convention, as Trump delivered his speech on the White House South Lawn.
“We must never allow mob rule,” Trump said in his speech, condemning the violence and looting in recent weeks around the country in Democrat-run cities.
In another photo posted by Dinesh D’Souza, a paper sign that said “The Palm Collective,” could be seen posted on the guillotine.
The Palm Collective’s website said the organization’s mission is to “connect individuals, networks, and grassroots organizations together to end systemic racism in DC and beyond while creating powerful communities through the power of Collective Action. We are a Black-led organization and are proud to center the voices of our fellow BIPOC members.”
It is not clear if the Palm Collective is responsible for the guillotine display, or if a member of the group simply posted a flyer on the guillotine.
VIDEO: https://twitter.com/ShelbyTalcott/status/1299170978233298946
OH AND THERE WAS ANOTHER GUILLOTINE ACROSS TOWN TOO:
Protesters build guillotine in front of Jeff Bezos’s house after his wealth hits $200B
Protesters on Thursday responded to a report that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the first man to be worth $200 billion by building a guillotine in front of his Washington house.
The protest, organized to demand a $30 minimum wage for Amazon workers, attracted about 100 people, led by former Amazon employee Chris Smalls. Smalls, who has protested Bezos before, gestured at the billionaire’s house and decried his record-setting wealth.
“Give a good reason why we don’t deserve a $30 minimum wage when this man makes $4,000 a second,” he said.
7 AM HOUR
7-A — INTERVIEW – VIRGINIA DELEGATE TONY WILT
7:05 AM – INTERVIEW – VIRGINIA DELEGATE TONY WILT – Delegate for the 26th District of Virginia (made up of the city of Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County in the Shenandoah Valley)
TOPIC: Virginia legislative special session has had a lot of anti-police nonsense
ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICER
– Virginia Senate passes bill allowing assaulting a police officer to be a misdemeanor
Bill removes mandatory jail sentence
RICHMOND, Va. – A controversial bill is moving forward during the current Virginia General Assembly special session.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Senate voted 21-15 to pass Senate Bill 5032, which would allow an assault against a law enforcement officer to a misdemeanor if the person attacked is not hurt.
Here’s the summary of the bill:
Eliminates the mandatory minimum term of confinement for an assault and battery committed against a judge; magistrate; law-enforcement officer; correctional officer; person directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of inmates; firefighter; or volunteer firefighter or any emergency medical services personnel and provides that such crime can no longer be committed as a simple assault and must result in a bodily injury.
Summary of Senate Bill 5032: The bill also removes mandatory minimum 6-month jail sentence for assaulting a police officer.
BANNING POLICE USE OF TEAR GAS AND RUBBER BULLETS
– Va. House panel backs ban on tear gas, rubber bullets
Lawmakers in the House of Delegates gave a preliminary thumbs up Tuesday to legislation banning police from using tear gas and rubber bullets — so-called nonlethal weapons that departments around the state and country have deployed in response to recent widespread civil unrest.
“It’s currently legal for police in Virginia to use chemical weapons against civilians that we don’t even allow our troops to use in warzones,” said Del. Dan Helmer, D-40th, who represents parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties, who sponsored the legislation.
And rubber bullets and beanbag rounds, he said, “are known to pose significant risk of death and permanent disability.”
The bill, dubbed the Best Equipment for Law Enforcement Act, passed the House’s public safety committee on a party-line vote, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing. In addition to reining in crowd-control tactics, it also limits what kinds of military equipment police can obtain.
Law enforcement groups opposed the legislation, arguing rubber bullets, also called kinetic rounds, are an important law enforcement tool, especially in stand-off situations where someone is armed with a knife or other non-projectile weaponry.
“The way these munitions are used on a regular basis is not in civil disturbances,” said Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard, vice president of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. “I spent four years commanding a SWAT team. I can tell you, these munitions save lives.”
As a compromise, she suggested limiting the ban to protests and riots, where their deployment has caused brain damage, loss of sight and other disabilities.
Herndon also defended the use of a federal grant program that distributes military surplus to local departments around the country, arguing the military rifles departments obtain through the program are essential equipment in the event of a shooting in which the perpetrator is also armed with a rifle. Law enforcement groups have also said armored vehicles play an important role in some standoffs.
“I will tell you a lot of smaller and mid-sized agencies do not have the funding to purchase these for their agencies,” she said. “They need to be in the hands of patrol officers.”
– FLASHBACK LAST NOVEMBER: Democrat Dan Helmer unseats Del. Tim Hugo in 40th District House seat https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/democrat-dan-helmer-unseats-del-tim-hugo-in-th-district/article_85152b4e-ff01-11e9-8c32-0bec5715f7ca.html
DEL. TONY WILT’S TWEETS:
TONY ON THE BAN ON TEAR GAS AND RUBBER BULLETS FOR POLICE
– Tony Wilt @DelTonyWilt Yesterday afternoon during the Public Safety Committee meeting the majority passed a measure to prohibit police from using or having access to tear gas, rubber bullets and other equipment. When asked for examples of other states that had such a policy, he cited Oregon. https://twitter.com/DelTonyWilt/status/1298802884369317889
– Tony Wilt @DelTonyWilt When you eliminate non-lethal options as a tool you make both citizens and law enforcement less safe. We need to support our police, not defund them or recklessly curtail their ability to respond to each situation as warranted. https://twitter.com/DelTonyWilt/status/1298802885640228864
TONY ON LEE CARTER’S PUSH TO CUT POLICE FUNDING:
– Tony Wilt @DelTonyWilt: Now that the House is moving forward with the business of the special session, I’m concerned with what we’ve seen so far. Delegate Lee Carter has put forward a proposal to cut the State Police budget by 25% and state support for local police departments by 25%. https://twitter.com/DelTonyWilt/status/1298802881425027073
REMEMBER VA DEL. LEE CARTER’S THREAT TO CUT POLICE FUNDING? HE WAS PUSHING THIS WEEK TO SLASH POLICE FUNDING IN THE VA ASSEMBLY
– FLASHBACK IN JUNE: The Republican Party of Virginia is calling on a Democratic lawmaker to resign after it appears he got physical with police at a protest in Manassas and threatened their state funding. “I’m a member of the General Assembly,” a man who appeared to be Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, was videotaped telling state police at the protest Saturday. “I run the state police’s budget. They’re gonna f****** regret this.” https://www.thecentersquare.com/virginia/virginia-gop-urges-del-carter-to-resign-after-apparent-confrontation-with-police-at-protest/article_5b17d494-a420-11ea-b43f-4f1dc11c4338.html
– Flashback in JUNE: LEE CARTER IS AT A PROTEST YELLING AT POLICE AND THREATENING TO CUT THEIR POLICE FUNDING: Video: Lee Carter seems to think “Don’t you know who I am” works with police: https://twitter.com/MA2VA2/status/1267095876591390720
– VA House GOP @vahousegop: More than happy to let Virginians know you want to cut local police funding by 25 percent.
We want every Virginian to know it, and to know that @VAHouseDems support you in your efforts.
https://twitter.com/vahousegop/status/1299345166571122689
– Lee J. Carter @carterforva tweet to @VAGOP: You seem to be confused by how sentences work. If I’d addressed the cops and said “You’re gonna fuckin regret it,” that would’ve been a threat. I addressed a different group of people and said “THEY’RE gonna fuckin regret it.” Which makes it a campaign promise. https://twitter.com/carterforva/status/1299071436808687616
7-B/C — HURRICANE UPDATE… LAURA HAS NOW WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION
Tropical Depression Laura Moving Through the Mid-South With Gusty Winds, Flooding After Category 4 Landfall
HURRICANE LAURA REPORTEDLY MADE THE MISSISSIPPI FLOW BACKWARDS
Hurricane Laura has weakened to a depression, but not before causing the Mighty Mississippi River to flow backward in Louisiana earlier this week, according to a report.
Chris Dier posted on Twitter a video of the unique occurrence, which happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday in Arabi, a suburb of New Orleans.
“Hurricane Laura is forcing the Mississippi to follow north instead of south,” he wrote. “Barges are now having to fight these tides as they go downriver. Surreal.”
The storm was located about 155 miles south of Lake Charles, La., around 4 p.m. CT Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). It failed to hit New Orleans directly later but still appeared to cause the unlikely phenomenon.
John Lewis, a research associate professor at the Tulane ByWater Institute, responded to the post, saying the top of the river likely got pushed by the wind — because the surge impacts were not severe enough to cause a reversal of flow.
He said his understanding was that: “storm surge slows the rate at which the river drains, so the increase in depth is sourced from water flowing from upriver, which then slows and starts to stack up. But the river is a very powerful force and doesn’t ‘reverse’ fully very easily.”
Louisiana Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards told Fox News’ “Your World” on Wednesday that Hurricane Laura was potentially the strongest storm to hit the southwestern part of the state in more than six decades.
“Things are very, very serious,” Edwards told host Neil Cavuto. “We have a storm that’s a Category 4. It’s going to make landfall just after midnight. It continues to grow in size and intensity and quite frankly the storm surge is going to be a huge threat to life and, in fact, the National Weather Service took the unprecedented step of saying the storm surge is going to be unsurvivable.”
The Mississippi River also flowed backward during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Isaac in 2012, WLBT-TV of Jackson, Miss., reported.
7-D/E — GOP CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS
- Ann Dorn, wife of Captain David Dorn, gives an emotional speech about her late husband
- Kayla Mueller’s parents ripped on the Obama handling of his daughter as a hostage of ISIS
- RUDY GUILIANI: a vote for Joe is a vote for bringing lawlessness to your neighborhood
- The law and order message came once again with Pat Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, who argued that police across the nation are having their hands tied by Democrat mayors in the face of widespread riots.
- Ivanka Trump: “Our president refuses to surrender his beliefs to score points with the political elite. To my father, you are the elite … Washington has not changed Donald Trump. Donald Trump has changed Washington.”
- Republican National Convention: Donald Trump officially accepts his nomination for president
8 AM HOUR
8-A — INTERVIEW – MAGGIE DEBOARD – VINCE
8:05 AM – INTERVIEW – Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police VP and Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard
TOPIC: Virginia legislative special session has had a lot of anti-police nonsense
ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICE
– Virginia Senate passes bill allowing assaulting a police officer to be a misdemeanor
Bill removes mandatory jail sentence
RICHMOND, Va. – A controversial bill is moving forward during the current Virginia General Assembly special session.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Senate voted 21-15 to pass Senate Bill 5032, which would allow an assault against a law enforcement officer to a misdemeanor if the person attacked is not hurt.
Here’s the summary of the bill:
Eliminates the mandatory minimum term of confinement for an assault and battery committed against a judge; magistrate; law-enforcement officer; correctional officer; person directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of inmates; firefighter; or volunteer firefighter or any emergency medical services personnel and provides that such crime can no longer be committed as a simple assault and must result in a bodily injury.
Summary of Senate Bill 5032: The bill also removes mandatory minimum 6-month jail sentence for assaulting a police officer.
BANNING POLICE USE OF TEAR GAS AND RUBBER BULLETS
– Va. House panel backs ban on tear gas, rubber bullets
Lawmakers in the House of Delegates gave a preliminary thumbs up Tuesday to legislation banning police from using tear gas and rubber bullets — so-called nonlethal weapons that departments around the state and country have deployed in response to recent widespread civil unrest.
“It’s currently legal for police in Virginia to use chemical weapons against civilians that we don’t even allow our troops to use in warzones,” said Del. Dan Helmer, D-40th, who represents parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties, who sponsored the legislation.
And rubber bullets and beanbag rounds, he said, “are known to pose significant risk of death and permanent disability.”
The bill, dubbed the Best Equipment for Law Enforcement Act, passed the House’s public safety committee on a party-line vote, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing. In addition to reining in crowd-control tactics, it also limits what kinds of military equipment police can obtain.
Law enforcement groups opposed the legislation, arguing rubber bullets, also called kinetic rounds, are an important law enforcement tool, especially in stand-off situations where someone is armed with a knife or other non-projectile weaponry.
“The way these munitions are used on a regular basis is not in civil disturbances,” said Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard, vice president of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. “I spent four years commanding a SWAT team. I can tell you, these munitions save lives.”
As a compromise, she suggested limiting the ban to protests and riots, where their deployment has caused brain damage, loss of sight and other disabilities.
Herndon also defended the use of a federal grant program that distributes military surplus to local departments around the country, arguing the military rifles departments obtain through the program are essential equipment in the event of a shooting in which the perpetrator is also armed with a rifle. Law enforcement groups have also said armored vehicles play an important role in some standoffs.
“I will tell you a lot of smaller and mid-sized agencies do not have the funding to purchase these for their agencies,” she said. “They need to be in the hands of patrol officers.”
8-B/C – INTERVIEW – RICKY REBEL
8:15 AM – INTERVIEW – RICKY REBEL – pro-Trump Billboard Top 40 Recording Artist
– Ricky has a new single and music video coming out on Friday called “American Rebel”: https://youtu.be/9iAhvkKtyOg
https://twitter.com/RickyRebelRocks
www.rickyrebelrocks.com
Buy new song: https://smarturl.it/AmericanRebel
8-D — INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER
8:35 AM – INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – Anchor of Special Report on Fox News Channel and host of “The Campaign” podcast
TOPIC: Discuss the final night of the GOP convention
*President Trump blasted Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who will endanger Americans’ safety as he accepted his party’s 2020 nomination on the South Lawn of the White House. Trump delivered a triumphant, optimistic vision of America’s future, but he said that brighter horizon can only be secured if he defeats Democrat Joe Biden.
*House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said yesterday she doesn’t think there should be any presidential debates ahead of the November election, arguing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden shouldn’t “legitimize” a discussion with President Trump. “I wouldn’t legitimize a conversation with him nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States,” she added. Instead, Pelosi proposed that the candidates take separate stages and answer questions about their policies in a “conversation with the American people” instead of “an exercise in skulduggery.”
8-E — SHARPTON’S MARCH ON WASHINGTON IS IN DC TODAY
– FRIDAY 8/28: March on Washington 2020: The Rev. Al Sharpton’s “Get Off Our Necks” Commitment March is expected to draw an estimated 50,000 participants to the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool, though the crowd will be smaller than first predicted. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s latest travel restrictions list 30 “high-risk” states, and Sharpton’s National Action Network will no longer be shuttling in buses from those states. Still, the event features a program of speakers and a march from the Lincoln Memorial steps to the MLK Jr. Memorial. Guests start arriving at 7 a.m., followed by a program starting at 11 a.m., and a march from 1-3 p.m.; Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool https://dcist.com/story/20/08/25/march-on-washington-rnc-dc-protests-events-guide/
