In the aftermath of the vicious tweets against MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, there was an intriguing allegation that three top Trump Administration officials called Joe Scarborough and threatened that, if he did not call Trump to apologize for his negative comments, the National Enquirer would run a hit piece on the hosts. The allegation is deeply troubling and, while it would not necessarily constitute a crime, it would raise a serious question of abuse of office in the use of staff to convey such an alleged threat. With all of the understandable passion following the tweets. this is a very significant allegation and one that was not previously disclosed. It has not appeared in both print and on air by the hosts, who are obviously sticking by this chilling account of what they say was a campaign to intimidate them. The White House has denied the allegations and said that Scarborough has misrepresented his call to the White House.
Month: June 2017
Without fanfare, the Justice Department dropped the long fight over stripping the trademark protections from the Washington Redskins football team as an offensive term. I have long been a critic of the action taken by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and said at the time that the action was flagrantly unconstitutional. Now millions have been spent but the case is withdrawn in light of the recent decision in Matal v. Tam.
Continue reading “Sacked: Justice Department Drops Fight To Strip Redskins of Trademark Protections”
A letter from fifty-eight Republican lawmakers calls upon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to recuse herself in the travel ban case scheduled to be argued in October. While there is a fair chance that the case could be moot by October as I previously discussed, a recusal is highly unlikely despite that fact that Ginsburg’s comments were highly inappropriate and troubling. I have been a long critic of Ginsburg’s public speeches and comments as raising serious ethical issues and undermining the integrity of the Court. However, the Court has long declared itself outside of the enforcement of the Code of Judicial Ethics. The result is a dreadful record of self-regulation and Ginsburg is only the latest disturbing example. Ironically, while the media has rightfully raised inappropriate public comments about Trump, it has shown little interest in the inappropriate comments of Ginsburg.
Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 37, is a leading Vietnamese blogger known as “Mother Mushroom” has been writing for years to expose the torture and oppression of the one-party state. This week Vietnam showed the world that, despite its portrayal as one of the world’s emerging economies, it remains an authoritarian warmed-over Communist regime. It convicted Quynh and sentenced her to 10 years in jail. For telling people the truth about their government.
Continue reading “Blogger Sentenced To Ten Years In Jail In Vietnam”
A new shocking study has found that 1 in every 5 of the 230,000 in Los Angeles Community College District are homeless and another two-thirds cannot afford food costs. It is a chilling statistic that offers an insight into economic strata in the country and the marginal economic conditions for so many people.
Continue reading “Study: Twenty Percent Of LA Community College Students Are Homeless”
This morning began with what has become a Washington ritual. We all wake by the chirp of a morning presidential tweet and brace ourselves for what follows. Even with past tweet controversies, this morning’s missive was breathtaking. President Donald Trump attacked the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe show in a pair of tweets that included a highly disturbing attack on co-host Mika Brzezinski. The tweet was not simply unpresidential, it was unhinged and inexcusable.Continue reading “Trump Unleashes Personal Attack On The Hosts Of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe””
For those hoping that Russians will gradually reject the authoritarian rule by Vladimir Putin, a new poll will be a disappointment. Russians have long favored the strongman leader and that taste for authoritarianism has not greatly diminished. A new poll shows that Russians place Stalin at the top of the list of the greatest historical figures of all time. Putin tied with poet Alexander Pushkin for second place. The poll was conducted by the Levada Centre.
Continue reading “Russians Select Stalin As Greatest Leader Of All Time In New Poll”
Ricky Q. Caldwell, 52, has announced his retirement. Caldwell’s career was crime and, like Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan, he has previously announced his retirement. However, when called before the court for his 66th conviction, Caldwell told Court Justice Richard C. Kloch Sr. “In my illustrious career, I apologize, and I retire.”
Continue reading ““I Retire”: Career Prisoner Announced Retirement At 66th Conviction”
I recently ran a column on my concern over the coverage of the Russian investigation and underling legal issues. While I supported the appointment of the Special Counsel and the investigation into possible obstruction of justice after the firing of James Comey, I have objected to what I see as biased and at times unhinged legal coverage of the underlying allegations. There has obviously been such bias on both sides as people turn to news sources that offer an echo chamber for their political views. This week, however, CNN has been under close scrutiny after it retracted a major story on the Russian investigation and three of its top journalists were let go, including respected Pulitzer prize winner Eric Lichtblau. If that were not bad enough, a conservative filmmaker posted a videotape of CNN Producer John Bonifield talking freely about how the collusion story is nothing by “bulls**t” and how CNN was pushing the story purely for the “ratings.” [UPDATE: O’Keefe has released a new video of CNN host Van Jones saying that the Russian story is a “nothing burger.”]
The New Orleans police have arrested the men responsible for a shocking assault in the French Quarter. Two tourists from Boston were viciously attacked and robbed — a crime captured on videotape. James Curran and Tim Byrne were attacked from behind and Byrne is in critical condition.
Continue reading “Four Arrested In Vicious New Orleans Attack”
There is a verdict in Colorado where Green Beret Michael Joseph Galvin shot and killed Robert Carrigan after Carrigan broke into his garage. Carrigan was shot three times in the back. The case raised a threshold question of whether the state’s “Make My Day” law applied to a shooting in a garage detached by the home of the shooter. A jury clearly believed that it did and acquitted Galvin from the charge of negligent homicide.
Continue reading “Green Beret Acquitted In Shooting Of Thief Under Colorado’s “Make My Day” Law”
Below is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the Supreme Court order lifting the stay over the Trump immigration order. With the exception of those with bona fide relationships, the Trump Administration has the authority to enforce its travel limitations. As discussed earlier, the order could prove not the next but final chapter of the immigration controversy given the 90 day period set under the Trump order. However, a more immediate issue of concern should be the prior coverage and court decisions leading up to the unanimous order of the Supreme Court.
Continue reading “The Immigration Order and the Regaining Objectivity In the Media and the Courts”
The victory of the Trump Administration in securing the lifting of much of the injunction on the immigration order consumed much of the analysis yesterday. The Court voted unanimously to lift the injunction for every one except those with “bona fide relationships” in the United States. The latter exception was a bit incongruous with the overall deference to the Executive Branch and led three justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch — to dissent. They would have lifted the ban without exceptions. What was most interesting however was what was not in the order: a hearing date for July. The reason is that it was not requested by the Trump Administration. Given the 90 days expiration of the order, that leads to the question of whether this appeal is a case of “planned obsolescence.”
Continue reading “Is The Supreme Court Immigration Appeal A Case Of Planned Obsolescence?”
We have yet another academic fired this week for statements made on social media. University of Delaware professor Kathy Dettwyler attracted national criticism over her statement that Otto Warmbier “deserved” to die after being arrested in North Korea. The professor of anthropology will now be denied rehire as an adjunct.
Continue reading “University of Delaware Fires Professor For Insensitive Comments On Facebook”
We have yet another Transportation Security Administration employee arrested for stealing at a security check point in an airport. Alexander Shae Johnson, 22, did not allegedly waste time in engaging in theft. He has only been with the TSA for a few months. Now he may be on his way to prison.
Continue reading “TSA Officer Charged With Stealing Cash From Woman At Orlando Airport”