Nike suspends Irving but won’t suspend NBA coaches and players who promote hate and China. Irving made some comments on a bllk labeled as racist. But look at the comments and you be the judge. My issue is that when folks like LeBron and Nash make hate and racist comments, no suspension. Why? And the embracing of China by these folks Irving’s comments below.
“I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in every day. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions,” Irving wrote.
“History is not supposed to be hidden from anybody, and I’m not a divisive person when it comes to religion. I embrace all walks of life. You see it on all my platforms. I talk to all races, all cultures, all religions. And my response would be, it’s not about educating yourself on what Semitism is or what anti-Semitism is. It’s really about where the root words, where these come from and understanding that this is an African heritage that is also belonging to the people,” Irving said during the press conference on Thursday.
“I’m not comparing Jews to Blacks. I’m not comparing White to Black; I’m not doing that. That conversation is dismissive, and it constantly revolves around the rhetoric of who are the chosen people of God. And I’m not here to argue over a person, or culture, or religion on what they believe. Nah, This is what is here. It’s on a public platform. Did I do anything illegal?”
“So, I’m not going to stand down on anything that I believe in. I’m only going to get stronger because I’m not alone. I have a whole army around me.”
On Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets announced that Kyrie Irving will serve a suspension without pay over his failure to disavow antisemitism(?)
The Nets added that he is currently unfit to be associated with the team.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images, Mario Tama/Getty Images
I think we have a new odd couple. A person who blames all of black folks failures on white folks, and a person who believes that black folks can’t succeed unless a white person does it for them. The new version of Miami Vice. Holder and Hobbs.
The man who armed the drug cartels and the woman who has numerous incidents of racism against people of color.
Arizona Democratic gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs is holding a meet and greet with former Obama Administration Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday in Phoenix.
Holder has faced no accountability for the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Fast and Furious scandal, which saw thousands of guns walk to Mexico under his watch. In December 2010, some of the guns were used by members of a Mexican rip crew to murder border patrol agent Brian Terry.
Moreover, Hobbs has drawn scrutiny after one of her former employees in the Arizona State Senate, a black woman named Talonya Adams, successfully sued the legislative body for racial and sexual discrimination that she blames Hobbs for. Adams was awarded $2.75 million to Adams, but state law capped it at $300,000. Between lawyer fees and the payout, which was finally sent in September, the case has cost Arizona taxpayers $758,806.
Who can forget Hobbs high school starring role in Slave day?
Finally, last month Arizona up to 6,000 Arizona voters received faulty ballots only listing federal races under Hobbs’s watch due to a “voter registration error,” as the Associated Press reported. She stated that the error was corrected and the voters would soon receive complete ballots.
“Responding to misinformation is my day job. My night job is RUNNING ELECTIONS.” – CISA document 6/22/22. Name redacted, emphasis added.
Here is a disturbing story. It demonstrates intrigue, corruption, and disdain for American principles at the highest level.
Perhaps the saddest thing about this story is that you probably won’t be surprised. Especially if you’ve been paying attention for the past few years.
The story is this: Twitter and other social media platforms have been cozy with the Department of Homeland Security to squelch what DHS calls “misinformation,” “disinformation” and “malinformation,” or “MDM,” according to an investigative report published Monday by The Intercept.
Job one for Musk was to not only fire CEO Parag Agrawal but also Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s top lawyer and the individual responsible for booting former President Donald Trump off the platform and for censoring the Hunter Biden laptop story in the run-up to the 2020 election.
You probably remember a few months ago when DHS rolled out what it called its Disinformation Governance Board, designed to go after “MDM” on social media. A firestorm of bad publicity meant the Biden administration had to quickly yank it offstage.
But the concept is still around and Gadde has been part of it.
Gadde is a member of an advisory committee of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In June, the committee put out a report that essentially outlined a need to get around the First Amendment to stop “MDM” since it “poses a significant risk to critical functions like elections, public health, financial services and emergency response.”
Also, The Intercept reported on DHS documents saying the agency is going after “MDM” on “the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, racial justice, U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the nature of U.S. support to Ukraine.”
In other words, DHS wants to push the Biden administration’s line on many of the controversies Americans might be discussing on social media, and attack or suppress other views that oppose it.
And Twitter has been right there in the middle of it.
Lee Fang, one of the authors of The Intercept article, tweeted that Gadde had met monthly with DHS to discuss censorship and, along with Facebook, Twitter “created special portals for the government to rapidly request takedowns of content.”
The emails and documents show close collaboration b/w DHS & private sector. Twitter’s Vijaya Gadde (fired by @elonmusk last week) met monthly with DHS to discuss censorship plans. Microsoft exec texted DHS: “Platforms have got to get comfortable with gov’t”
In March, top officials of Twitter and JPMorgan Chase met with Laura Dehmlow, section chief of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force. Dehmlow said subversive information on the internet could undercut support for the U.S. government, according to notes of the meeting reported by The Intercept.
In a statement for The Intercept report, a Twitter representative said the company does not “coordinate with other entities when making content moderation decisions,” following, rather, its own rules in such situations.
Still, Twitter joined other tech companies in monthly meetings with the FBI, CISA and other government agencies to determine how to handle misinformation leading up to the 2020 elections, according to NBC News.
In 2018, DHS began notifying social media companies of what it described as voting disinformation appearing on their platforms. The following year, DHS developed the Foreign Influence and Interference Branch which morphed in 2020 to track communication regarding COVID-19, The Intercept said.
Varied U.S. intelligence agencies moderated social media surrounding the 2020 election and leading up to the November voting there were regular emails among officials of Twitter, DHS and the Center for Internet Security regarding takedown procedures for social media postings.
And while the Disinformation Governance Board was scrapped, DHS in August published a document titled “DHS Needs a Unified Strategy to Counter Disinformation Campaigns.”
In it, DHS intones “such campaigns may aim to erode public trust in our government and the Nation’s critical infrastructure sectors, negatively affect public discourse, or even sway elections.”
Sway elections? You think? Hasn’t that been a major aim of Silicon Valley?
Of course, DHS does not address a key foundational principle which allows for pesky ideas that the Department of Homeland Security considers “MDM.”
It’s contained in the document that proclaims, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The Founders, ever conscious of man’s corruption, knew what’s now called “MDM” would be protected by the First Amendment, but, as in other parts of the Bill of Rights, they also knew liberty was more important than government convenience.
Twitter, as The Intercept report shows, clearly has been involved in the federal government’s attempts to outsource censorship and suppression of dissent.
Musk, Twitter’s new owner, has publicly declared himself to be a “free speech absolutist.”
Clearly, something has to give.
There’s no telling where the company will go now that Musk is in charge, but he was right about one of his first major personnel moves.
Attack on the retired Admiral. Boston 25 news photo.
Before yesterdays debate, a man took a swing at Republican Don Balduc. We have this from the website Debate Politics.
Prior to the debate, an individual in the crowd gathered outside attempted to punch the General and was quickly apprehended and arrested. We are grateful to the quick response from law enforcement on the scene,” said a Bolduc campaign manager.
We have this from the retired Admiral.
“As the General said on stage tonight, it’s time to lower the temperature of the political discourse in this country.”
The Bolduc campaign spokesperson referred further questions to the Goffstown Police Department. Boston 25 contacted the department but were advised to call back Thursday morning.
Nothing from Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH). Thanks Joe Biden.
I thought I would put this out there. Some good and some does have me scratching my head. These are the views of those who at times try to stop the rest of the story. The article is from MedPage Today.
Note that some links may require subscriptions.
The Supreme Court let a ruling stand which allows the Transportation Security Administration to mandate mask-wearing on planes, trains and other forms of transportation. (The Hill)
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, developed COVID rebound after being treated with Paxlovid, the agency announced.
The FDA said that clinicians providing abortion pills to patients before they are pregnant — a prescribing method known as advance provision — are acting without the agency’s authorization, and that they could be putting patients at risk. (Politico)
A judge in North Dakota stopped the state’s abortion ban from going into effect, saying it’s likely the law will face constitutional challenges once it’s implemented. (AP)
Missouri’s health department is investigating whether a hospital violated federal law by denying a woman an abortion in a medical emergency. (ABC News)
Ob/gyn residency programs in states that restrict abortion face a difficult choice when it comes to educating their trainees on abortion: risk prosecution or losing their accreditation. (New York Times)
Pfizer said its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for pregnant women was 81.8% effective in preventing severe infection in infants, stating it will submit an application for approval to the FDA by the end of this year.
Scientists are exploring therapies that target human proteins for the treatment of COVID-19. (Washington Post)
A record number of cholera outbreaks has been reported across the globe, forcing health agencies to ration their limited supply of vaccines. (New York Times)
Abiomed announced that the FDA granted pre-market approval to its Impella RP Flex with SmartAssist, an implanted device to treat acute heart failure for up to 2 weeks.
The CDC issued a Health Alert Network advisory emphasizing the importance of cleaning and monitoring dental waterlines, following multiple nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) infections in children who were exposed to water with high levels of bacteria at pediatric dental clinics.
Voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota — four of which are among the most conservative states in the nation — will decide whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana in the upcoming election. (NPR)
Experts explain why the latest wellness trend — parasite cleanses — is “modern snake oil.” (Washington Post)
An Iowa egg farm home to 1.1 million chickens has been infected with bird flu. (ABC News)
Amanda D’Ambrosio is a reporter on MedPage Today’s enterprise & investigative team. She covers obstetrics-gynecology and other clinical news, and writes features about the U.S. healthcare system.
I’ve had enough of this crap about what happened to Paul Pelosi. Of course it was terrible and this clown needs to be punished to the full extent of the law. But I care about the ongoing violence from the left.
Where was the outrage during the killings by ANTIFA and BLM riots? Where was the outrage during the assault on Rand Paul? Or the planned murder attempt against a sitting Supreme Justice? Well I found this from 2018.
1. Last year, House Republicans practicing for a congressional baseball game were shot by a liberal supporter and volunteer for 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Sanders said he was “sickened” by the shooting and recently dismissed liberal charges that Trump was to blame for the Pittsburgh synagogue slayings.
2. In June, California Rep. Maxine Waters called for threats and attacks on Trump team members. She said, “If you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”
3, That month White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders and her group had to leave a Virginia restaurant because of their work for Trump. “This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals,” said Red Hen Restaurant co-owner Stephanie Wilkinson.
4. White House top aide Stephen Miller was verbally assaulted at two restaurants, in Washington, D.C.
7. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker in July urged liberal advocates to “Get up in the face of some congresspeople.”
8. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Democrats shouldn’t be civil to Republicans until they win back control of Washington. She said, “You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about.”
9. Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder junked former first lady Michelle Obama’s call for civility when he told supporters, “Michelle always says, ‘When they go low, we go high.’ No. No. When they go low, we kick them,” he said, adding, “That’s what this Democratic Party’s about. We’re proud as hell to be Democrats. We’re willing to fight for the ideals of the Democratic Party.”
11. When Kavanaugh arrived at the Supreme Court to take his seat, a mob pounded on the doors of the Supreme Court. They yelled, “No justice, no peace.”
12. During the Kavanaugh hearings Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins received a potentially deadly mailing of Ricin at her home. “Today’s incident is the latest in a series of threats against Senator Collins, her loved ones, and her staff,” said spokeswoman Annie Clark.
13. The campaign manager for Nevada GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt was allegedly grabbed and yanked by an operative for American Bridge 21st Century, funded by liberal billionaire George Soros. “Politics is a little bit aggressive these days, but this is just insane. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said a bruised Kristin Davison.
Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake during a rally in Chandler, Ariz., on Oct. 18, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)
“This graphic was never meant to go on air—the numbers were only part of a test.”
The television station that used to employ Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake on Oct. 27 called the race for Lake’s opponent, despite the fact the election won’t be held until November.
A graphic displayed by Fox 10, the TV station, said that Katie Hobbs, the Democrat nominee, won the election with 53 percent of the vote.
The graphic was shown during a newscast at about 5:50 p.m. local time.
Fox 10 acknowledged airing the graphic, blaming what happened on a test gone wrong.
The graphic showed “test results for the upcoming election,” the broadcaster said. “These were generated by the Associated Press which distributes results to clients.”
“This graphic was never meant to go on air—the numbers were only part of a test. The station has taken steps to make sure this cannot happen again,” it added.
Lake said the graphic may have been a retaliatory move because it happened shortly after she held a press conference urging reporters to do their due diligence to check claims by Arizona Democrats that a person who broke into Hobbs’ campaign office was linked to Lake.
State Rep. Jake Hoffman, a Republican, said in response that he would introduce a bill in the future addressing the situation.
“While I understand the need for internal planning by news stations, errors like this that are broadcast live to the public pose a legitimate threat to our Republic and serve only to undermine the confidence that Arizonans have in the integrity of their vote,” Hoffman said in a statement. “What if this had happened on election night of the day before the election? The impact to our democratic process would be devastating.”
The legislation would hold news outlets accountable should they interfere with Arizona’s election and/or disenfranchise Arizona voters like this in the future,” Hoffman said.
The midterm election is slated to take place on Nov. 8.
Early voting has already begun in Arizona.
Lake, 53, has never before held office. She worked for Fox 10, or KSAZ-TV, for 22 years before leaving in March 2021. She launched her campaign several months later.
Hobbs, 52, was elected Arizona secretary of state in 2018. Before that, she was part of the Arizona legislature.
W. Taylor comment, on Epoch Times:
“Either this is a deliberate misinformation campaign to fool people into not going to vote, or mailing in their ballots, or they just gave away the store. They somehow knew by how much the Democratic ballot counting operatives were going to overwhelm Kari Lake. Perhaps the DoJ told them since they’re going to ‘ensure election integrity.’ “
Kelli Ward contends that the Jan. 6 select committee subpoena would chill her First Amendment rights and serve as a backdoor for the panel to explore her political contacts as head of the Arizona GOP. | Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo
The much to do about nothing January 6th Democrat committee went fishing again. For now the Supreme court smacked their hand.
Kagan’stwo-page orderstayed the subpoena “pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court.” Similar requests in high-profile cases are almost always referred to the full court.
Of all people, Justice Kagan said not happening. Kagan gave the Loon panel until Friday at 5 p.m. to respond.
Ward asserted her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in an appearance before the Jan. 6 select committee, a fact that the appeals court panel majority noted could be held against her in the civil lawsuit.
FIRST ON FOX: Ohio Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan was slammed by his opponent, Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance, over his pledge to decriminalize the possession of all drugs while simultaneously pushing to label fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction.”
Ryan wants to label the deadly opioid fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” but previously made an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) pledge to decriminalize “all drug possession.”
“If Tim Ryan wants someone’s vote, he will tell them whatever they want to hear,” Vance told Fox News Digital in an exclusive quote. “The fact that he would pledge to decriminalize the deadly fentanyl flooding our streets is a slap in the face to every family in Ohio that has faced this poison head-on.”
Ryan’s 2019 ACLU pledge while running for president to cut the prison population in half. The pledge also included a provision to decriminalize “all drug possession,” which would include illicit fentanyl.
The ACLU pledge also calls for bail reform “that reduces the number of people we lock up before trial, often simply because they are too poor to afford cash bail.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., says one of his campaign volunteers was “brutally attacked” by four people who told him Republicans weren’t allowed in their neighborhood.
“Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a Desantis hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans weren’t allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah#Florida,” Rubio tweeted Monday. “He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery.”
The incident comes after President Joe Biden decried “mega MAGA Republicans” who “think it’s alright to threaten violence” in a Sunday interview on MSNBC.
GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel in early September called out Biden for his divisiveness and attacks on voters.
“Joe Biden’s wretched attacks on millions of Americans have fueled attacks on pregnancy centers, Republican offices, and an assassination attempt on a Supreme Court Justice,” she said in a statement.
“His agenda has pitted neighbors against each other, rewarded the wealthy while punishing working families, and trampled on the rights and freedoms of Americans.”
Fox News in early October reported an uptick in several instances of political violence following Biden’s warning that supporters of former President Donald Trump pose threats to the country.
“Either this is a deliberate misinformation campaign to fool people into not going to vote, or mailing in their ballots, or they just gave away the store. They somehow knew by how much the Democratic ballot counting operatives were going to overwhelm Kari Lake. Perhaps the DoJ told them since they’re going to ‘ensure election integrity.’ “