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May 2015

Posted by Amy Miller on May 12, 2015 42 Comments
The smoke may have cleared, but the Rolling Stone retraction disaster isn't over yet. UVA associate dean of students Nicole Eramo has filed a multimillion dollar defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone, its parent company Wenner Media, and journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely for their portrayal of Eramo in the now-retracted and forever infamous "A Rape on Campus." One of Eramo's chief responsibilities at UVA was to handle allegations of sexual assault. In the complaint, she argues that Rolling Stone and Erdely used her to personify the "campus indifferent to sexual assault" narrative and as a result caused her emotional and physical distress, and damaged her reputation. The complaint itself is a parade of horrors. It lays out the allegations Rolling Stone and Erdely made one by one---that Eramo coddled Jackie, that she was indifferent to Jackie's allegations, that she pressured Jackie to not report a rape, that she abused Jackie, and that she attempted to suppress Jackie's rape---and lays out the case that Rolling Stone's own subsequent statements to the media prove that those allegations weren't only untrue, but "categorically false" and defamatory per se.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 12, 2015 58 Comments
Pew just released a survey of religion in America, and the headline is Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population:
The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing, according to an extensive new survey by the Pew Research Center. Moreover, these changes are taking place across the religious landscape, affecting all regions of the country and many demographic groups. While the drop in Christian affiliation is particularly pronounced among young adults, it is occurring among Americans of all ages. The same trends are seen among whites, blacks and Latinos; among both college graduates and adults with only a high school education; and among women as well as men.
The complete Report is here (pdf.). The percentage of Christians has declined by 8 percent sice 2007:
To be sure, the United States remains home to more Christians than any other country in the world, and a large majority of Americans – roughly seven-in-ten – continue to identify with some branch of the Christian faith. But the major new survey of more than 35,000 Americans by the Pew Research Center finds that the percentage of adults (ages 18 and older) who describe themselves as Christians has dropped by nearly eight percentage points in just seven years, from 78.4% in an equally massive Pew Research survey in 2007 to 70.6% in 2014....

Posted by Mike LaChance on May 12, 2015 6 Comments
Newt Gingrich has always been an ideas guy, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that when he looks at what recently unfolded in Baltimore he sees a unique opportunity. Republicans, who haven't had a chance to influence politics in Baltimore for decades, would be wise to follow his advice. Transcript and video via National Review:
Former House speaker and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich had advice for Republican candidates on Sunday’s Face the Nation:
The number one thing that Cameron did was emphasize working Britons. I’ll give you an example that’ll probably be controversial: A party which goes into places like Ferguson, Baltimore, and says, ‘It is the working African American who was hurt by the riot. It was the working, small-business African American and Latino American and Asian American who was hurt by the riot. Somebody ought to stand up for the people who are trying to create a decent future.’ That party’s going to start a debate that’s really important for this country, between those who want to work and those who want to disrupt and destroy, and I think that’s a very important debate for the next year.

Posted by Andrew Branca on May 12, 2015 98 Comments
So this should be interesting: Matthew Apperson, the man who yesterday fired a bullet at George Zimmerman's head and missed, is now claiming through his lawyer, Mark NeJame, that he did so in self-defense in response to Zimmerman brandishing a gun at him. Florida news station WFTV is also reporting that Apperson has a history at least six arrests in Seminole County alone, including twice for DUI in 2000 (once found guilty of DUI, once found guilty of reduced charge of reckless driving-alcohol related), twice for drug possession in 1995 and 1998 (cannabis < 20 grams), once for trespassing, as well as being adjudicated guilty for other charges, such as driving with a revoked license. As might be expected with such a plethora of charges, Apperson is also a multiple probation violator. It will be interesting to see how Apperson will argue self-defense in court without having to testify personally, which would seem necessary absent any witnesses to support his claim that he fired at Zimmerman only when Zimmerman brandished a gun at him. Also interesting will be Apperson's explanation of how he was able to observe Zimmerman's alleged brandishing through the heavily tinted window of Zimmerman's SUV. George Zimmerman SUV bullet hole 5-11-15

Posted by Amy Miller on May 12, 2015 8 Comments
It's only May, and things are already getting weird on the campaign trail. Yesterday, "Justin," a tracker from the progressive oppo research group American Bridge, showed up at a Rand Paul campaign event, worked his way inside, and started filming. One of Paul's staffers noticed, and in a bizarre turn of events, decided that the best way to deal with the incursion was to...lick the camera lens? Dave Weigel at Bloomberg has the back story:
The staffer is David Chesley, Paul's New Hampshire political director. He joined the team officially when Paul's campaign began, but before that, it had been up to him to march up to the tracker and inform the people checking in reporters that, no, this guy was not to be allowed in. On Monday, Chesley made that clear to the tracker, who headed outside with a gaggle of reporters attempting to grab a moment with Paul. When the senator showed up, delayed by a meeting, the gaggle stuck to him liked chewed gum, and the tracker was able to make it into the mid-sized room where TV cameras would be filming Paul. After that: The licking.
Here. Get it over with:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 11, 2015 47 Comments
Following a lengthy investigation, the 'Deflategate' verdict was handed down by the NFL early this evening. Boy is it tough. New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2015-2016 season, the team incurred a $1 million fine, and the Patriots will lose their first round draft pick in 2016 and fourth round pick in 2017. Two employees who handle footballs for the club were also implicated. "Patriots employees John Jastremski and James McNally have been indefinitely suspended without pay by the club, effective May 6. They aren't allowed to be reinstated without the NFL's permission," reports Yahoo News. Multiple sources including Yahoo Sports claim there's no evidence that Brady, coach Bill Belichick, or Patriots owners were directly involved in the Deflategate scandal. According to Yahoo Sports, the NFL handed down the unprecedented punishments, "for violating playing rules and not cooperating fully in the investigation." Is the finding that Brady was most probably aware befitting of a four-game suspension though? CNN reports, "The Wells report found that "it is more probable than not" that Brady was "at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities" of locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski. Jastremski has been with the team for 14 years, the past three as the staffer in charge of preparation of the game-day footballs." Yahoo Sports has the breakdown:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 11, 2015 22 Comments
Yesterday, a video released by Digitas Daily featured a condensed version of Bloomberg host Mark Halperin conducting a super creepy interview with Sen. Ted Cruz. In a series of bizarre questions, Halperin grilled Sen. Cruz on his Cubaness. The interview was so bad, the left-wing group Think Progress condemned it as, "the most racist interview of a 2016 candidate." Think Progress came to the same conclusion as many on the right: Halperin seemed determined to get Cruz on the record about the minutia of his Hispanic heritage. Facing the wrath of the Internet, Mark Halperin released an apology today:

Posted by Amy Miller on May 11, 2015 12 Comments
Brace yourselves for an international incident: John Kerry is going to Russia...and he wants to talk about Ukraine. And Iran. And Syria. I don't think I'm out of line for assuming that some sort of disaster will come of this, even if he does manage to make progress with the increasingly belligerent and wholly unaccountable Russian leadership. This will be Kerry's first visit to Russia since 2013, and only his second as Secretary of State. The 2013 visit fell just before Russian relations with Ukraine bottomed out amid the conflict that eventually led to the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Based on statements released by both Moscow and Washington, this trip is less of a diplomatic jaunt, and more of a salvage operation. From the AP:

Posted by Amy Miller on May 11, 2015 46 Comments
Authorities in Lake Mary, Florida have told the press that George Zimmerman was shot during what is believed to be a road rage incident earlier today. He suffered minor injuries to his face.

Posted by Amy Miller on May 11, 2015 21 Comments
Well, that's embarrassing. What if you threw a summit and no one came? That's Obama's reality this week as four of six Persian Gulf heads of state have declined his invitation to a summit at Camp David later this week. The kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have dropped out entirely, as have the heads of state from the United Arab Emirates and Oman. (Kuwait and Qatar haven't dropped out yet, but there's still time.) This is a huge deal, considering the purpose of the summit is (in part) to address Iran's growing influence in the region, and to discuss security guarantees from the Obama administration. Although Saudi and the other absentee nations will be sending deputies, the absence of their figureheads sends a strong message about the state of relations between the Middle East, and Barack Obama. Via Fox News:
"We first learned of the King's possible change of plans from Saudis on Friday night," a senior U.S. administration official told Fox News. "This was confirmed by the Saudis on Saturday. We coordinated closely with our Saudi partners on the alternate arrangement and timing of the announcement and look forward to welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This is not in response to any substantive issue."

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 11, 2015 14 Comments
If there is one thing Israel-haters hate more than anything, it's being reminded of how well women are treated in Israel compared to the surrounding Arab countries. So when the Israel Airforce posted a Mother's Day greeting of a female IAF pilot breastfeeding her child, it was major league trolling (h/t Nadav Eyal Twitter): https://www.facebook.com/IsraeliAirForce.EN/photos/a.247957101913936.56748.234494436593536/930385137004459/?type=1 The reaction was precious. Ali Abunimah, who runs The Electronic Intifada tweeted:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 11, 2015 6 Comments
For years we have been documenting how stirring racial tensions on campus is one of the tactics employed by the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The methodology is to tie unrelated movements into the fight against Israel by portraying a common enemy -- in their terminology, "white settler colonialism." Israel and the U.S. are lumped together in that theory, so that whatever goes wrong in the U.S. from a racial standpoint is tied to Israel.   So problems at the Mexican border are used by BDS groups on campus to bring Mexican-American student groups into the BDS fight; police problems in Ferguson or elsewhere are used in movements such as "Ferguson2Palestine" to blame Israel; the BlackLivesMatters movement is brought into the fight against Israel in the same manner. Here are some of our prior posts on the subject: The NY Times focused on these racial tensions in a front-page, below the fold article yesterday, Campus Debates on Israel Drive a Wedge Between Jews and Minorities:

Posted by Amy Miller on May 11, 2015 32 Comments
Behold, Mars: site of future discoveries adventures microaggressions. Yes, really. Happy Sunday, everyone. Every once in a while, the social justice warrior set cracks a window and shines light on what's really bugging them about the world. Racism, ageism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, life-phobia---if they can't find a problem, they'll use one of these handy buzzwords to invent one. Last week, Martin Robbins at The Guardian (presumably) gazed up into the firmament and saw what only a social justice warrior could see when presented with such breathtaking splendor: potential. For discrimination. Martin presents a simple question: How can our future Mars colonies be free of sexism and racism? (Anyone with a brain reading this just did a spit take.) In his essay, he questions the idea that “[w]hen we go into space, we will all magically become nice,” and makes an exquisitely flawed case for why future off-planet settlements will look a less like a Picard-era Enterprise, and more like an Earp-era gambling outpost.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 10, 2015 29 Comments
Thanks to Mark Halperin, we can all rest easy knowing that Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz, is in fact, authentically Cuban. In a bizarre interrogation line of questioning on Bloomberg's 'With All Due Respect', host Mark Halperin grilled Sen. Cruz on his Cubaness. Questions began with, "when you filled out your application to Princeton, to Harvard Law school, did you list yourself as an Hispanic?" Then moved to cuisine, "do you have a favorite Cuban food, Cuban dish?" Cruz tried to answer but was interrupted by Halperin demanding to know his favorite Cuban dish. And it didn't stop there. Halperin continued his interrogation until making a final demand -- that Sen. Cruz welcome Sen. Sanders to the presidential race, with the requirement that he do so, "on Espanol," whatever that means.

Posted by Andrew Branca on May 10, 2015 120 Comments
One of the interesting facets of the charges brought in the Freddie Gray case is that even at the earliest stages it appears that Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby was running an independent investigation in parallel with that of the Baltimore Police Department. Naturally, any investigation has a lead, and so it seems worthwhile to ask who Mosby assigned to that sensitive and responsibility-burdened position for her own investigative team. This is, after all, the man who generated the evidence presumably used by Mosby in bringing her 26 charges--including second-degree depraved-heart murder and manslaughter--against six Baltimore officers associated with the death of street-level drug dealer Freddie Gray. Legal Insurrection, I introduce you to Avon Mackel. Let's roll the video tape from Anderson Cooper on CNN:
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