News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
How Antifa and Other Far-Left Groups Exploit the Protests for ‘Revolution’
Communist groups—including the extremist organization Antifa—are hijacking what started out as peaceful protests over the death of an unarmed black man to usher in a revolution, according to officials, experts, videos, and anarchists’ own words.
That charge comes amid an unprecedented and coordinated effort behind the riots, the likes of which have never been seen before and which span across multiple states and involve often violent street-level tactics.
Officials from both sides say that outside groups have exploited the recent momentum to further their own agenda.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, noted that “bad actors continue to infiltrate the rightful protests” and that 80 percent of the rioters have come from outside the state.
Federal officials including President Donald Trump have pointed to Antifa.
No Recent Coronavirus Cases Reported Among Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks Crowds
Concerns escalated after throngs of partygoers flocked to the Lake of the Ozarks, ignoring both social distancing guidelines and the broader call to avoid large crowds.
One of the attendees, who reportedly visited various bars, restaurants, and an outdoor swimming pool, later tested positive for the virus and may have been contagious during the getaway:
Despite that — and the lack of adherence to guidelines, no new cases stemming from the Lake of the Ozarks partiers have been reported.
‘Strategic’ well-orchestrated heists seen amid protest chaos
By the time San Leandro officers arrived at the Dodge dealership, dozens of cars were gone and thieves were peeling out of the lot in $100,000 Challenger Hellcat muscle cars. Nearly 75 vehicles were stolen Sunday, including models driven through glass showroom doors to escape.
“It was very strategic,” Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said about the auto thefts and other recent heists.
Caravans of burglars have capitalized on chaos, communicating with each other via messaging apps during heists and using both the protests and other tactics to throw police off their trail.
While opportunists have sometimes joined the frenzy, police and experts say there is a sophistication that suggests a level of planning that goes beyond spontaneous acts.
Violent, armed looters overrun Santa Monica Music Center: ‘They took everything from us, and no one stopped them’
For almost five decades, Santa Monica Music Center was an oasis of arts and education that gave all walks of life the opportunity to bond over melodies.
But in the riots that reached Santa Monica on Sunday, almost everything inside was damaged or pilfered as the distraught owners looked on, and those who tried to defend the building had guns and other weapons pulled on them with no law enforcement to be found.
Just two days before the looting, the Santa Monica Music Center had unlocked its doors for the first time in almost three months following the stringent lockdown orders amid the coronavirus pandemic, and at least part of the business was readied to start again.
As of Wednesday, Negrete said, the police still had not come to take a report.
Cop Stabbed In Neck In Assassination Attempt During Riot, Cops Shot In Struggle
The incident began at approximately 11:45 p.m., as two officers were patrolling the area of Flatbush Avenue and Church Avenue to help deter looters, WNBC reported.
As they were performing their duties, a 20-year-old suspect armed with a knife suddenly walked up and attacked them, slashing one of the officers in the neck.
Shots were fired during the struggled that ensued, drawing the attention of a nearby sergeant, WNBC reported.
AG Barr, FBI Director Wray hold a press conference
Attorney General William P. Barr, FBI Director Christopher Wray, U.S. Marshals Director Donald W. Washington, BOP Director Michael Carvajal, ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo, and DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea hold a virtual press conference at the Department of Justice.
Attorney General Bill Barr said Monday that the Justice Department has gathered evidence showing that antifa and “foreign actors” are among the groups responsible for the violence undermining peaceful George Floyd protests.
Barr told reporters during a Thursday press conference that there are three separate sets of people taking part in the protests: peaceful demonstrators, looters, and “extremist agitators who are hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda.”
Franklin Graham not offended by Trump’s Bible photo, slams other clergy
The evangelical leader called it “unbelievable” that religious leaders would attack the president for holding up “God’s word” in a time of unrest across the nation.
“They should be thanking him rather than criticizing him! They are nitpicking his gesture, also saying he should have prayed while he was there. So critical,” Graham said.
“Well, maybe they should invite him back and pray for him as he leads this country through a very difficult time in our history.”
The North Carolina-based Christian leader called on all pastors to “join hands and join hearts in praying for our nation, that God would give wisdom to our leaders – our mayors, our governors, our President Donald J. Trump, and also our law enforcement. The God of the Bible is our only hope.”
More than 2 million Americans became first-time gun owners this year, trade association says
“The early part of 2020 has been unlike any other year for firearm purchases – particularly by first-time buyers – as new NSSF research reveals millions of people chose to purchase their first gun during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the association said.
Personal protection, followed by target shooting and hunting, was the main driver leading to “more than 2.5 million new gun owners in a very short period of time,” the NSSF said.
The data indicated that the most-purchased firearms among new buyers were semiautomatic handguns, nearly double the number of the second-most purchased firearm, shotguns.
California man seen on camera pointing AR-15 at protesters arrested, charged with assault
Jacob Daniel Bracken, 38, of Rancho Cucamonga, faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon related to the incident in Upland on Monday, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said.
Even though Bracken did not fire the rifle and no one was injured, Upland Police Chief Darren Goodman explained the assault charge: “You point the weapon at someone with the intent to intimidate and the weapon being loaded itself.”
One video shared by a KNBC reporter at the scene showed Bracken take the AR-15 out of a pickup truck, yelling for the crowd to “back the f— up.”
Tucker: Kneeling will never be enough for the mob
Commentary/Opinion:
Why are Americans surrendering to violent mobs? Because they’ve been told they have to.
US Navy veteran freed from Iran after nearly two years in detention
Michael White has been released from detention in Iran and is on his way back to America.
Project Veritas INFILTRATES ANTIFA: “Practice things like an eye gouge…injure someone’s eyes”
In light of recent events, Project Veritas today released a video exposing the violent nature of the controversial group known as “Antifa.”
Politics:
TRUMP TELLS ALL on riots, race relations, Biden, China
Commentary/Opinion:
In a Newsmax TV exclusive at The White House with former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer,
President Donald Trump comments exclusively on the latest response to protests-turned-violent across the country, his take on the death of George Floyd,
thoughts on Joe Biden’s political career going into the 2020 election, his current working relationship with China, lawmakers who he claims are ‘stone cold crazy,’ and beyond.
Minneapolis City Council Looking At Disbanding Entire Police Department
During an interview on Wednesday, Fletcher said that the MPD is “ungovernable” and that MPD Chief Medaria Arradondo has failed to “make the culture change happen that we were hoping for an investing in,” KSTU reported.
He tweeted that he and “several” of his fellow city council members “are working on finding out what it would take to disband the MPD.”
Fletcher said they would like to replace the city’s police force by starting “fresh with a community-oriented, non-violent public safety and outreach” model.
Top Dem Ally Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement
Jones admitted to using more than $1 million in union funds on various extravagances, including clothing, golf outings and equipment, vacation rentals, liquor, fine dining, and premium cigars.
The union—which is still under investigation after a federal probe began more than five years ago—endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in April and has spent big backing Democrats in recent years.
In the 2018 cycle alone, the UAW’s political action committee gave $200,000 to the Michigan Democratic Party and $68,000 to Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer’s (D.) campaign.
Senate Homeland Security Committee authorizes subpoenas to Obama officials in Russia probe, unmasking review
The committee authorized subpoenas to the FBI for the production of all records related to the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation—the bureau’s internal code name for the Russia probe, which began in July 2016.
Johnson is now able to issue subpoenas to a number of officials,
including former FBI Counsel James Baker, former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough, former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, Joe Pientka, former White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice, former FBI director of counterintelligence Bill Priestap, former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, Sidney Blumenthal, and a number of other Obama-era
Virginia governor announces removal of Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond
Richmond’s Mayor Levar Stoney, who spoke before the governor, said he plans to seek the removal of all of the other Confederate statues along Monument Avenue, which include Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Confederate Gens. Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart.
Those statues sit on city land, unlike the Lee statue, which is on state property.
“Richmond is no longer the capital of the Confederacy,” Stoney said.
Garcetti, LA city leaders call for cutting police funding amid protests against police brutality
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in his briefing that he has called on top city budget advisers to find $250 million in cuts to the city budget, “so we can invest in jobs, and health and education and healing.”
Police Commission President Eileen Decker said that their civilian oversight committee will be seeking $100 million to $150 million in cuts from the LAPD budget itself.
Garcetti also said there will be a moratorum on putting names of people into the CalGang database.
World News:
Thousands in Hong Kong Attend ‘Illegal’ Tiananmen Square Memorials
This year was the first time in history that Hong Kong police rejected a permit request for the vigil, which has no history of violence or conflict.
Hong Kong authorities have banned gatherings in public of over eight people in response to the Chinese coronavirus and claimed that the event was too “high-risk” for the spread of infectious disease.
“Sources had earlier indicated that officers will not interfere if people in small groups go to the park, as long as they don’t breach an eight-person limit on public gatherings,” the broadcaster RTHK reported.
Reports began surfaced on Thursday evening that those who arrived at Victoria Park numbered in the thousands. Images showed large crowds of people in the vast soccer fields in the center of the park, but with significant gaps between them, indicating that many were attempting to keep to social distancing guidelines.
Exclusive: Pompeo to urge stock exchanges globally to tighten rules for Chinese companies
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media at the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S., May 20, 2020. Nicholas Kamm/Pool via REUTERS
Pompeo had planned to address the issue through a press briefing and a statement on Thursday. The briefing was postponed Thursday afternoon and rescheduled to Friday.
“The real issue is the lack of transparency and the lack of disclosure to the American investors,” Keith Krach, undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment at the U.S. State Department, told Reuters on Wednesday.
“No country should be allowed to lie to the American investors to create an unfair advantage, especially when operating in American markets,” Krach said, adding that there was a push within the administration to make U.S. investors more aware about China’s opaque accounting practices.
U.S. to revise Chinese passenger airline ban after Beijing move
On Thursday, China said it would ease coronavirus restrictions to allow in more foreign carriers, shortly after Washington said it planned to bar Chinese passenger airlines from flying to the United States by June 16 due to Beijing’s curbs on U.S. carriers.
The change should allow U.S. carriers to resume once-a-week flights into a city of their choice starting on June 8, but that would be still significantly fewer than what the U.S. government says its aviation agreement with China allows.
The department said on Wednesday Chinese carriers could operate “the same number of scheduled passenger flights as the Chinese government allows ours.” It added the order was to “restore a competitive balance and fair and equal opportunity among U.S. and Chinese air carriers.”
UK vaccine summit calls for freely available virus vaccine
LONDON (AP) — A vaccine summit hosted by Britain on Thursday raised billions of dollars to immunize children in developing countries as experts wrestled with the difficult question of how any potential vaccine against the new coronavirus might be distributed globally — and fairly.
The United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have urged that “a people’s vaccine” be developed for COVID-19 that would be freely available to everyone, calling it a “moral imperative.”
Israelis split over West Bank annexation; tensions rise on Temple Mount-TV7 Israel News 04.06.20
1) Tensions are mounting within Israel’s right-wing bloc over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declared decision to adopt the U.S. Administration’s regional peace initiative in its entirety.
2) A new poll reveals that Israelis are split down the middle over whether to assert Jerusalem’s sovereignty over the West Bank.
3) Growing tensions surround the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s antient city.
Mexican president urges calm after jump in reported deaths
On Wednesday evening, undersecretary of health Hugo López-Gatell said during his nightly news conference that the government was reporting 1,092 additional deaths.
He noted delays in processing tests and unspecified other reasons.
“We have had a very substantial increase in mortality,” he said.
The number of new confirmed cases rose by 3,912, pushing Mexico’s total past 101,000 confirmed cases and more than 11,000 deaths.
Both figures are considered substantial undercounts because of Mexico’s low rate of testing.
Commentary/Opinion:
THE LEFT’S POISONING OF THE EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE
In New York City during the riots, two individuals were arrested for attempting to bomb a marked New York Police Department cruiser with a Molotov cocktail. Upon arrest, police found additional material in the car to make more Molotov cocktails, and the booking complaint alleges they intended to hand out the bombs to other rioters.
The kicker? Both of the suspects are lawyers. One, Colinford Mattis, a 32-year-old man had been working with a corporate law firm in New York City, and is a graduate of Princeton University. The other, Urooj Rahman, a 31-year old woman, is a graduate of Fordham Law School and was admitted to the bar in 2019. On her Facebook page, she fashions herself a “human rights lawyer.”
His background as an “anti-poverty intern” for a mayor of San Francisco was listed on LinkedIn, as well as being president of the Princeton Black Student Union.
With such promising backgrounds and illustrious educations, we must ask, what went wrong?
Education went wrong, which is a dangerous realization, considering its importance not just as a conveyer of information, but as an important and formidable influence on character and values.
With the breakdown of the American family, for many, the leftist indoctrination at the academy is the only instruction on life and principles to which they’ve been exposed.
Cleaning Up Rioter Graffiti Is Now Racist
In a video posted on Twitter Tuesday, three white women were spotted clearing “Black Lives Matter” graffiti from the Lafayette Building which houses the Export-Import Bank as a woman recording them harasses the good Samaritans as racists.
The episode, however isolated, marks a continual shift into a new paradigm where anything and everything is now racist in our obsessively woke culture.
The fringe Left-wing movement to characterize the United States as an irredeemably racist country where every facet of American life is built to oppress black people has now begun to take serious grip in our mainstream society, and the nation is embracing it.
If you think that’s an extreme predicament, look no further than events unfolding this week.
On Tuesday,
The Media Are Lying To You About Everything, Including The Riots
They lied about the Trump campaign colluding with Russia in 2016. They lied about the Mueller probe and Brett Kavanaugh and former national security adviser Mike Flynn.
They lied about Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president and the impeachment farce that ensued. They lied about the coronavirus and the lockdowns and the White House response. And now they’re lying about the riots.
In recent days we’ve heard a steady drumbeat of lies, distortions, and disingenuousness from the mainstream media about almost every aspect of the unrest now gripping American cities.
The deceit is almost too pervasive and amorphous to describe, but I’m going to try anyway.
Andrew McCarthy: ‘Institutional racism’ among police? Let’s look at the numbers
Take the website statista.com, specifically its breathless focus on “Hate crime in the United States” — counterfactually insinuating that any shooting involving a black victim must be a “hate crime.”
Here’s their big headline from Tuesday: “Black Americans 2.5X More Likely Than Whites to Be Killed By Police.”
It is fiction. It is sheer demagoguery, peddled as American cities are besieged by rioters in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police.
The falsity of the claim is demonstrated even by statista.com itself. Just three days ago, the site posted another series of bar graphs, showing that, in fact, whites are nearly twice as likely as blacks to be shot to death by police.
Here are the numbers: