Monthly Archives: May 2020

CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: The internet was abuzz late Saturday night with speculation that Anonymous — the decentralized hacker collective — had successfully disabled the Minneapolis Police Department website, in retaliation for the murder of George Floyd. The Minneapolis PD site, as well as the parent City of Minneapolis site, became inaccessible late Saturday, according to multiple user reports. By mid-afternoon Sunday, …

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Gov. Cuomo Asks AG To Probe Misconduct By NYPD

Axios reports: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Sunday that he has asked the state’s attorney general to review the New York Police Department’s conduct during protests over the death of George Floyd. Several videos of protests over the weekend showed NYPD officers pushing protestors, driving SUVs through crowds and more. While some of the confrontations were instigated by …

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George Floyd’s Brother: Trump Blew Me Off On Call

Talking Points Memo reports: The brother of George Floyd, the man whose death in Minneapolis on Monday set off nationwide protests, expressed disappointment with a conversation he had with President Trump, saying the president “kept pushing me off.” “He didn’t give me an opportunity to even speak,” Philonise Floyd told MSNBC’s Al Sharpton of his call with the president. “It …

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De Blasio Blames Unrest On Organized “Anarchists”

Politico reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday blamed an organized group of anarchists for inciting violence and vandalism amid protests over the killing of George Floyd, but conceded some were from the city and the neighborhoods where demonstrations were happening — a shift from his message Saturday night. “Some come from outside the city. Some are from inside the …

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Protesters Block Looters From Brooklyn Target [VIDEO]

The New York Daily News reports: Peaceful demonstrators barred violent looters from breaking into a Brooklyn Target during chaotic protests over the death of George Floyd, video shows. In the video shot late Saturday, about 10 outnumbered protesters form a line and barricade angry looters from breaking into the Target at the Atlantic Terminal Mall in Downtown Brooklyn. After a …

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GOP Senator Rips Trump’s Tweets: “Not Constructive”

Mediaite reports: Senator Tim Scott (R- SC) said on Fox News Sunday that he doesn’t believe some of President Donald Trump’s tweets in the past week on Minneapolis and the protests and riots going on have been constructive. “There is a lower value on an African-American male life than it is on a white woman’s life. And that is part …

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Pelosi: Trump Is “Fueling The Flame” Of Unrest [VIDEO]

“The president of the United States should bring dignity to the office that he serves. He should be a unifying force in our country. “We have seen that with democratic and republican presidents all along. They have seen their responsibility to be the president of the United States, to unify our country, and not to fuel the flame, not to …

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Trump: US Will Label Antifa As “Terrorist Organization”

The Independent reports: The Trump administration will move to designate the loose association of militant left-wing, anti-fascist demonstrators commonly known as “Antifa” as a terrorist organisation, the president has announced in a tweet. “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization,” Mr Trump wrote amid a series of tweets on Sunday blaming violent outbursts and …

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Demings: Don’t Expect Trump To “Show Compassion”

The Hill reports: Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) said Sunday that the killing of George Floyd was an indicator that law enforcement agencies nationwide should conduct internal reviews and “come out better than before.” “I do believe we are long overdue for every law enforcement agency in our nation to review itself and come out better than before,” Demings, who previously …

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SpaceX Capsule Successfully Docks At Space Station

CNN reports: Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley have officially arrived at the International Space Station. After a historic launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, the astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft synched up with the space station Sunday morning. The spacecraft made a careful approach, easing its way toward its destination over the course of 19 …

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Biden Surges To +10 In New WaPo/ABC National Poll

The Washington Post reports: Americans give President Trump negative ratings for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and as the crisis has persisted his prospects for reelection in November have eroded, with former vice president Joe Biden now holding a clear lead nationally, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Biden leads Trump 53 percent to 43 percent among registered …

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Atlanta Mayor Warns Protesters To Get COVID Tests, Says Trump Should Stop Talking: He’s Making It Worse

CBS News reports: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appealed to President Trump on Sunday to “just stop talking” after demonstrators descended on dozens of U.S. cities Saturday for the fifth day to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and clashes became more violent as day turned to night. “There are times where you should just stop, and this …

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Homeland Security IG Has Diploma Mill “Doctorate”

Mother Jones reports: The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general wants you to know he has the credentials to hold accountable a 240,000-person department responsible for keeping the country safe. Until Thursday, Joseph Cuffari’s official government bio stated, “Dr. Cuffari earned a Ph.D. in philosophy.” That isn’t true. Cuffari’s PhD from California Coast University is in management, and it was …

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Trump Supporters Strike Protesters With Jeep [VIDEO]

The Metro reports: Shocking footage has emerged of Donald Trump supporters running over two protesters who had taken to the streets calling for justice over the death of George Floyd. The footage, which was shared on Twitter, appears to show three people driving through the protests in a blue Jeep with a US flag and a Trump ‘Keep America Great’ …

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Utah Man Aims Bow And Arrow At Protesters [VIDEO]

The Grio reports: A white man declaring “All Lives Matter” during demonstrations in Utah on Saturday was detained by police after he aimed a bow and arrow at protesters. Video footage of the shocking Salt Lake City incident shows Brandon McCormick standing in the street beside his vehicle as he begins to prepare his bow and arrow to apparently use …

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Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Pleads For Non-Violence: “Rioting, Looting, And Burning Is Not The Way” [VIDEO]

From civil right icon Rep. John Lewis: “Sixty-five years have passed, and I still remember the face of young Emmett Till. It was 1955. I was 15 years old — just a year older than him. What happened that summer in Money, Mississippi, and the months that followed — the recanted accusation, the sham trial, the dreaded verdict — shocked …

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Reporters Gassed, Hit With Rubber Bullets, Arrested

The Hollywood Reporter reports: MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, CNN commentator Keith Boykin were among journalists recounting being hit by rubber bullets, attacked, and in some cases arrested while covering protests. As tensions escalated across the United States during protests over the death of George Floyd, many journalists found themselves in the crosshairs of covering an unprecedented moment with some getting hit …

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NYPD Vehicle Plows Through Protesters [VIDEO]

CBS News reports: A large protest in Brooklyn on Saturday sent a shock through social media when video emerged of two New York Police Department vehicles driving through a group of protesters. The protest was one of dozens nationwide over the death of George Floyd. The videos show dozens of protesters gathered in a street holding up a small barricade, …

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Anti-Racism Riots Spread To Dozens Of Cities [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: A largely peaceful day of protests descended into a night of chaos, destruction and sporadic violence overnight Saturday as tens of thousands of people poured into streets across the United States to express anger and heartbreak over the death of yet another black man at the hands of the police. On Sunday morning, the authorities …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue was somber and serious tonight, as the late-night host shared his thoughts on the George Floyd death in Minneapolis and its aftermath. Kimmel ran down the facts of the case as he saw them, and lamented “the senseless acts of violence that were brought on by a senseless act of violence,” and “the loop …

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