The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    In the News

    Exposé On Former General's Vast Wealth Spurs Debate About Military Privilege In Pakistan

    Story found retweeted by Carlotta Gall, who has a couple of decades of expert reporting from the Af-Pak area:

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Vallejo police killing lawsuit settles for $5.7 million, attorney says

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    I was the woman surrounded by BLM protesters at a D.C. restaurant. Here’s why I didn’t raise my fist.

    This is the # 2 most popular story over at WaPo right now. I imagine that's partly being caused by being shared on Facebook:

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Chinese authorities face widespread anger in Inner Mongolia after requiring Mandarin-language classes

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    The Pinnacle of Looting Apologia

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Rochester, NY: Video in Black man’s suffocation shows cops put hood on him

    Daniel Prude died March 30, seven days after Rochester, New York police put a hood over his head and pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes.

    The world only found out about it today, when his family released video and records of the incident.https://t.co/DwNi7Ki3Wz

    — Mike Sisak (@mikesisak) September 3, 2020
    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    How Trump (OR Lulu scarequoting Biden) Could Try to Steal the Election

    This is a scary 12 minute video. 

    A Guy Called LULU 4 years 5 months ago

    Statement of U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. in Response to Mayor Bowser's Press Conferencce

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Trump Instructs Supporters to Commit Voting Fraud

    "Well, they'll go out and they'll go vote, and they're going to have to go and check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way, because if it tabulates, then they won't be able to do that," Trump said on the tarmac in front of Air Force One. "So, let them send it in, and let them go vote, and if the system is as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they won't be able to vote. So that's the way it is. And that's what they should do."

    NCD 4 years 5 months ago

    CDC To Rush Trump Vaccine Out as October Surprise

    "The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told public health officials around the United States to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine as soon as late October."

    Who's gonna trust the efficacy or safety of a Trump vaccine?

    NCD 4 years 5 months ago

    Social Security trust fund to run out by 2031: CBO

    Cavaet: I know, this is always theoretical. But still, it's news that the CBO is saying it.

    By Niv Ellis @ TheHill.com, Sept. 2

    The Social Security Old Age and Survivors Insurance fund, which pays out retirement benefits, is on track to run out in 2031 as the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic takes its toll, according to a Wednesday report by the Congressional Budget Office.

    Without Congressional action to address the shortfalls, the depletion of the fund would lead to benefit cuts for retirees.

    CBO projected that the OASI fund would drop from $2.8 trillion today to $533 billion in 2030, and run out the following year [....]

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Chicago Faces $1.2 Billion Budget Shortfall in 2021: Lightfoot

    includes interview with mayor and budget director

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    CDC Issues Sweeping Temporary Halt On Evictions Nationwide Amid Pandemic

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Andrew Yang and Rep. Ro Khanna on the power incumbents hold

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    First coronavirus death occurs linked to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota

    By Justine Coleman @ TheHill.com, Sept. 2

    Officials announced the first known COVID-19 death linked to last month's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which brought 400,000 people to South Dakota.

    A male biker in his 60s with underlying conditions died after visiting the rally, a Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. The Minnesota resident had been hospitalized in an intensive care unit for several weeks after the rally.

    His case is among at least 260 cases in 11 states connected to the rally, according to a survey of health departments conducted by The Washington Post [....]

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    DHS withheld bulletin warning of Russian planned attack on Biden's mental health

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    France’s Charlie Hebdo to republish Mohammed cartoons at start of terror trial

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Police shootings in perspective: Bullets rarely are fired by NYPD

    By Walter B. Levis @ NYDailyNews.com, Aug. 28

    [...] Yes, policing needs reform. Yes, racial injustice needs attention. Yes, the system as a whole needs to be examined and fixed. But most civilians fail to understand how policing actually works, and the misunderstanding — particularly about shootings — can leave us with a feeling of tortured helplessness and make it harder to focus on improving the criminal justice system as a whole. Let me explain [....]

    [....] Now, consider this: The total number of NYPD uniformed cops in 2018 was 36,484. Of those 6.1 million calls being answered by over 36,000 cops, there were a total 35 incidents in which shots were fired. Slow down and take that in: 35 shooting incidents in all of 2018. That means when a civilian calls the police in New York, more than 99.9% of the time, there’s no shooting by the cops [....]

    Police can abuse their power in many ways. George Floyd was killed without a gun being drawn. So was Eric Garner. Stop-and-frisks were daily indignities visited on young Black and Brown men, and a single encounter with a fist or club can leave scars that never fully heal. The courts, the jails, the departments of probation and parole — they’re all connected and needing repair. But if we’re trying to fix the criminal justice system as a whole, let’s keep perspective on police shootings for starters.

    Levis has covered crime and legal affairs for the Chicago Reporter, The National Law Journal and other publications. He now teaches and works freelance in New York City.

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Friend Accidentally Killed Teen Activist While Firing at a Vehicle in Chicago, Prosecutors Say

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    The “Oath Keepers” Are Today’s Blackshirts

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Ilhan Omar calls on MSNBC's Joy Reid to apologize over comments labeled Islamophobic

    By John Bowden @ TheHill.com, Sept. 1

    with tweet and video clip

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    NJ governor signs bill criminalizing false 911 calls based on race

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Black candidates are winning more House seats and statewide offices where most voters are white

    The U.S. Has Elected Only Two Black Governors. Why That Might Change.

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    The Politics of Riots

    Accounts of police brutality and protest-related violence are rife with political bias, right and left. It may help the right.

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

    Covid-19 Memorial in Belle Isle Park, Detroit

    artappraiser 4 years 5 months ago

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