Trump didn’t say a word about George Floyd at his “press conference” (the one at which he took no questions) today, but he did say he was yanking the US out of the WHO.

US President Donald Trump has announced that he is terminating the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO). The president has accused the WHO of failing to hold Beijing to account over the coronavirus pandemic. “China has total control over the World Health Organization,” the president said while announcing measures aimed at punishing Beijing.

…

More than 102,000 people in the US have lost their lives to Covid-19 – by far the biggest death toll in the world.

And that’s…the WHO’s fault.… Read the rest

A couple of thoughts related to the police murder of George Floyd and the protests in response:

It can be hard to get the evidence to prosecute police excessive force cases & juries don't always convict. But forcing your knee onto the neck of a man for 2:53 after he's unresponsive? Presumably the officer is paying attention to his condition to evaluate any threat. He knew.

— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) May 29, 2020

Thinking about Black journalists who may have a difficult time covering the events in Minneapolis and the protests across the country. Your work is always important, but especially right now. Thank you—stay strong.

— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) May 29, 2020

Both women are former prosecutors.… Read the rest

Originally a comment by Seth on As a fact not as a statement.

This is the real Doublespeak, of course; not a statement meant to instill contradictory beliefs in the speaker’s mind and thus induce a fugue of passive acceptance of Big Brother, but rather an obvious smokescreen meant to gaslight anyone who takes the plain reading seriously. I foresaw this excuse immediately when I glanced at your previous post. The interpretation being in this case that Trump is a very poor and disorganized speaker who obviously meant that when looting (or really any kind of civil disobedience) occurs, violence often follows (by and upon the looters/disobeyers themselves, obviously), and the government should step in to prevent the looters/disobeyers … Read the rest

Ah now comes the backtrack.

….It was spoken as a fact, not as a statement. It’s very simple, nobody should have any problem with this other than the haters, and those looking to cause trouble on social media. Honor the memory of George Floyd!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020

Time stamp is 11:20. He was scheduled to do a press conference starting at 11.

What does “It was spoken as a fact, not as a statement” mean? Was he trying to say he was describing what happens as opposed to making a threat? Poor confused wannabe fascist.

Anyway – do we believe his afterthought?

No.… Read the rest

Maybe casual libel isn’t such a good idea after all.

Unless you want to hear from lawyers, you might want to rethink that tweet. I'm not wasting time arguing with wilful misrepresentations of my views on transgenderism – your timeline shows you're not big on truth – but making serious insinuations like this comes with consequences.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 29, 2020

… Read the rest

Also in the Post’s live updates:

Hours after Twitter said a tweet by President Trump violated its rules for glorifying violence, the White House posted his same comments about the unrest in Minneapolis on its official account Friday morning.

“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen,” the White House tweet said, quoting Trump’s words referring to the man who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck. “Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”

The White House did that, so it’s … Read the rest

More on that arrest of the CNN reporter and crew as they were reporting:

CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his camera crew were arrested on air early Friday as they reported on the protests.

A Minnesota State Police officer said the journalists were arrested because they were told to move and didn’t, according to CNN. Jimenez is seen and heard on camera before his arrest identifying himself and his crew as reporters and saying, “We’re getting out of your way” and “put us back where you want us. Just let us know.”

…

The arrest, which happened during CNN’s “New Day,” shocked hosts Alysin Camerota and John Berman. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Berman said.

…

CNN political reporter

Do we really have to soften Trump’s homicidal fascist screams of rage even now, when he’s literally saying he’s going to have people shot in the street?

Washington Post headline:

CNN crew arrested as fires rage in Minneapolis; Trump calls protesters ‘THUGS,’ suggests looting will lead to ‘shooting’

He didn’t “suggest”! He flat-out said it! His words: “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” How is that in any way a “suggestion”? It’s a flat unqualified announcement. He announced his intention to have people murdered for property crimes.

President Trump called the protesters “THUGS,” while suggesting military intervention and warning in a tweet that there could be additional violence if the chaos continued. “When the looting starts, the

And there’s this.

Very Reichstag fire today.… Read the rest

But last night Trump finally did push it hard enough that Twitter semi-removed one of his tweets. They’ve veiled it behind the message

This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible. Learn more

and there’s a view button next to it.

What does it say? Oh nothing much, just that he wants “the Military” to shoot people who are “looting” in Minneapolis.

….These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume

Wisdom:

CHINA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020

… Read the rest

Such a good idea to politicize wearing masks during a lethal pandemic.

New Trump campaign Facebook ads mock Biden wearing a mask with a China flag behind him

While Trump is shown with no mask in front of an American flag pic.twitter.com/xMIQD5nADf

— Will Steakin (@wsteaks) May 28, 2020

… Read the rest

Trump reading from the words written down on the paper in front of him.

"They try to silence views that they disagree by selectively applying a fact-check" — put simply, Trump wants the power to lie with impunity on social media and to be able to benefit from advertising that pushes lies (as is already the case on Facebook) pic.twitter.com/MgyHXsKTPk

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 28, 2020

He sounds both congested and slobbery, as if he had both snot and spit surging out of control in his nose and mouth and throat. It’s gross.

He is barely able to read. He has to guide himself down the page with his hands. He ad libs while looking at the camera, telegraphing … Read the rest

The Associated Press/The Guardian does a crap job of reporting on the Title IX ruling.

A subhead:

Ruling calls policy a violation of civil rights of ‘female athletes’

What’s with the scare quotes? Have we decided female athletes don’t exist now? Are they all an illusion? Are they a product of lies and public relations?

Connecticut’s policy allowing transgender girls to compete as girls in high school sports violates the civil rights of athletes who have always identified as female, the US Education Department has determined in a decision that could force the state to change course to keep federal funding and influence others to do the same.

It’s interesting how the boys who claim to be girls are called … Read the rest

Trump has duly staged his tantrum disguised as an “executive order.”

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at limiting the broad legal protections enjoyed by social media companies, just two days after Trump tore into Twitter for fact-checking two of the president’s tweets.

…

Legal observers described the action as “political theater,” arguing that the order does not change existing federal law and will have no bearing on federal courts.

The president’s latest confrontation with Twitter was set off after the tech company placed fact-checking warnings on two of his tweets that claimed, without evidence, that casting ballots by mail allows for voter fraud.

See? There’s that “without evidence” signal again, which is the ass-covering way of … Read the rest

This just in –

A Connecticut policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in girls sports violates the civil rights of female athletes, the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has ruled.

The ruling, which was obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, comes in response to a complaint filed last year by several female track athletes, who argued that two transgender runners who were identified as male at birth had an unfair physical advantage.

The office said in a 45-page letter that it may seek to withhold federal funding over the policy, which allows transgender athletes to participate as the gender with which they identify. It said the policy is a violation of Title IX, the federal civil rights

Oh good, an academic article on “Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument Against Trans Inclusion.” At least it won’t be stuffed full of shouty accusations and libels.

But…

The proposed reforms aim to replace the current medicalized process of gender recognition with one based on self-identification and self-declaration. The most prominent voice opposing the reforms was raised under the banner of gender-critical feminism. Academics from various disciplines, including philosophy and law, have lent their voices to the gender-critical project. In general, gender-critical feminism advocates reserving women’s spaces for cis women.

That’s in the first paragraph, and already I’m de-motivated to keep going, because already we’re in a world of assumptions that I refuse to assume, that I in fact … Read the rest

Does the Trump administration really want to go on the record saying social media outlets can’t fact-check Trump’s lies?

Apparently it does, yes, however fatuous that may be.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said he stands by the company’s decision to fact-check two tweets by President Donald Trump, even as it has attracted intense criticism by Trump and his allies.

News outlets do that already. They add “without evidence” to their reporting on Trump’s lies. That’s not nearly as forthright and clear as I would like, but it’s not nothing.

The statement comes as the White House is preparing an executive order that would target social media companies for alleged bias in their content moderation strategies.

Brazen, isn’t it. The reason … Read the rest

Pliny comments:… Read the rest

Padma Lakshmi is on it:

You know what else “everyday Minnesotans” want?

Not to be harassed & interrogated for using their company gym because they don’t look like they “belong” to you (a fellow tenant)

Your perceived ownership of a group space & threat to call 911 is the epitome of racism

— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) May 27, 2020

Damn right.

Let’s read that op ed from October 2017:

Over this past summer, I met with virtually every homeowner who lives directly along Lake Calhoun, plus another couple hundred neighbors who live within a few blocks. Why? To listen to what they had to say about the renaming of Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska. The results were surprising.