I’d lay bets that Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), the man with the big mouth in the photo at left, pushed Code Pink protester Nour Jaghama, the little woman in the photo below, and not the other way around. The former Navy SEAL is a big guy. She’s a little woman. Moreover, Van Orden has [[...]
Archive for July, 2024
July 16th, 2024 - 7:47 pm § in Law and Courts
Whose child is this?
In September 2019, an American raid left an Afghan farmer and several of his children dead, but an injured infant survived (read story here). This young girl was still in Afghanistan when a Marine officer, who served there, and his wife persuaded a rural Virginia judge to give the girl to them with [...]
Democratic senator convicted of corruption
A jury convicted Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), 70, of “bribery, acting as a foreign agent and a slew of other charges,” The Hill reported on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 (read story here). The charges involved, among other things, undisclosed gifts from a donor. Menendez (photo, left) brushed asi[...]
July 16th, 2024 - 6:00 pm § in Donald Trump, Law and Courts
Prosecutor faces ethics charges over edited videos of protesters
On January 20, 2017, the day Trump was inaugurated, Washington D.C. police “kettled” 230 protesters (photo below) and hauled them off to jail. Four years later, D.C. settled related lawsuits for $1.6 million (see story here). Initially, an assistant U.S. attorney brought felony rioting c[...]
Trump picks Vance; judge nukes Mar-a-Lago case. Will this fly?
It’s hard to see what Trump’s pick brings to the ticket. Vance isn’t popular with the MAGA base, with many calling him a “RINO” (see story here), while critics at the other end of the political spectrum view him as a toady (“he’ll do what Pence wouldn’t,” see story here). The big[...]
New poll on WA gov race is what you’d expect
About a week ago, I asked rhetorically, “Can Dave Reichert get 45%?” And answered, “Don’t bet on it.” (See my posting here.) Now we have a poll to give us a glimpse of how things are going as we approach the primary. About as I expected: Bob Ferguson will be our next [...]
July 16th, 2024 - 1:37 am § in Donald Trump, Misc.
Who is Johnathan Willis?
“Johnathan Willis” is a fictional Secret Service agent in a widely circulated internet hoax designed to feed a false narrative that the Biden administration was behind the Trump assassination attempt. On July 14, 2024, a day after the Pennsylvania rally shooting that wounded Trump, a pos[...]
July 15th, 2024 - 5:17 pm § in Israel/Palestine
A swing and a miss
“Hamas said Sunday [its] military commander was in good health, a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health officials said killed at least 90 people, including children,” Huffington Post reported on Monday, July 15, 2024 (photo b[...]
July 15th, 2024 - 1:59 pm § in Donald Trump, Politics
Will Trump’s bloody ear change the 2024 election?
Vox asks, “What will it mean for Trump politically? Among commentators and social media posters, there have basically been two separate instinctive — and conflicting — reactions. “The first reaction: This is a political boon for Trump that makes him more likely to win in November. The s[...]
Yellow journalism
The Daily Mail, a U.K.-based tabloid, is a mixed bag. They pay for tips and photos, a disreputable practice in professional journalism circles. They’re also a rightwing propaganda soapbox and not above yellow journalism. But they often have pictures, names of suspects, and other information be[...]