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Posted by Andrew Branca on May 08, 2015 53 Comments
CNN reports that attorneys for the six Baltimore police officers charged by Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby in the death of Freddie Gray have filed a lengthy motion in Baltimore City District Court to have Mosby removed from the case--either by her recusal or by court order. The motion--which I have not yet seen, but hope to soon--purportedly sets out at least five conflicts of interest as the basis for recusal, including:
  • Both Mosby and her husband, a Baltimore City Council member, are positioned for personal financial and political gain from the case.
  • Mosby has existing personal relationships with potential witnesses.
  • Mosby's office took the unusual step of establishing it's own investigation run parallel with that of the Baltimore Police Department, and lead by a former officer with a considerably checkered past.
  • The existence of a pending civil suit against Mosby's office (the relevance of this is unclear to me).
  • The Gray family attorney William (Bill) Murphy (in featured image, above), is a close friend, supporter, and indeed a lawyer for Marilyn Mosby; in particular, he has contributed at least $5,000 to Mosby's political campaigns.
More here, from CNN:

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Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 08, 2015 4 Comments
Readers are aware that Bowdoin College in Maine recently held a student body referendum for a full academic and cultural boycott of Israel. It failed miserably. I have a post at National Review looking back on the referendum, and how the SJP boycotters are doubling-down on their absolutist view of the conflict, Brainwashed at Bowdoin: Anti-Israel Boycotters Miss a Teachable Moment: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/418119/brainwashed-bowdoin-anti-israel-boycotters-miss-teachable-moment-william-jacobson Here is an excerpt, but head over to National Review for the whole thing. And share it widely on Facebook and Twitter, or email to friends, using the links at National Review. This is a story that needs to be told:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 08, 2015 28 Comments
Hey, remember when I wrote in February 2011 how state employees accused Scott Walker of being Hitler because he wanted to scale back state employee unions? First They Came For The Right To Retire After 30 Years On Full Salary With COLAs. Welcome to Illinois, where in 2011 the legislature made a similar "Hitlerian" move to protect the State from fiscal oblivion by scaling back annual compounding of retiree Cost of Living Adjustments and other retiree perks as part of a reform package. Those perks, not available in the private sector, were crushing the state budget.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 08, 2015 11 Comments
Today marks the 70th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), when the Nazi's surrendered to allied forces and Russia, ending World War II's European front. The battle for the Pacific would not be won until later that year, on August 14. The world celebrated the end to the bitter, bloody fight against Nazi fascism: ny times ve day

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 08, 2015 23 Comments
Not even basketball is immune from feelings these days. There's an entire discussion to be had about the wussification of sports, but we'll save that for another time. According to CNN, the following video was played during a time out at Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls. A poorly produced spoof of "Dirty Dancing," the video certainly elicited a reaction. Though probably not the one producers were going for. Remember this scene? dirty dancing cleveland caveliers Right before attempting the iconic "Dirty Dancing" lift, the gal in the video removes her apron revealing a Chicago Bulls t-shirt. Rather than catching and lifting his girlfriend, the guy tosses her to the side and says, "Bulls fan?! I didn't know you were a Bulls fan!" Take a look:

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Posted by Amy Miller on May 08, 2015 5 Comments
Earlier this month we took a look back at the 2013 sarin gas attacks in Syria. No one has ever been held accountable for those attacks, and now new allegations have surfaced of chemical weapons use against civilians in Syria. At least one diplomat stationed in Syria is saying that the situation there has become "unacceptable," and that he (or she---the diplomat spoke under conditions of anonymity) has seen evidence of chlorine gas attacks. Fox News explains in detail:
Civilians, including children, allegedly have been injured and killed in the latest attacks. In a letter sent this week to the U.N. Security Council from the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, the group cited reports of chlorine gas attacks in the Idlib and Hama areas and urged the creation of a no-fly zone to protect the Syrian people. "In the past two weeks alone, witnesses and medics on the ground in Idlib and Hama governorates reported at least nine separate instances of toxic chemical attacks -- several of them deadly," the group wrote. "... in each instance, barrel bombs loaded with poisonous chemical substances were deployed from Syrian regime helicopters."

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 08, 2015 26 Comments
The British Conservative Party had a big win yesterday in the British elections:
Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservatives won a resounding victory in the British general election, with nearly complete results on Friday showing that the party had secured an overall majority in Parliament.... The result defied pre-election opinion polls that suggested a tight race between the Conservatives and Labour. It returns Mr. Cameron to 10 Downing Street for a second term, with enough seats in the House of Commons to act on his agenda without having to rely on support from smaller parties. He went to Buckingham Palace on Friday to be invited by the queen to form a new government.
That's the big picture. Within that big picture are some huge specific wins. Specifically, the losses by anti-Israel maniacs George Galloway, David Ward and Natalie Bennett. George Galloway is the poster child for anti-Israel hate, an obsessed creep who spews anti-Israel conspiracy theories, regularly appears on Iranian Press TV, attacks critics of the Mullah regime, and Jew-baits under the guise of anti-Zionism, British MP George Galloway storms out of debate when finds out opponent is Israeli:

Posted by David Gerstman on May 08, 2015 12 Comments
Iran released the Maersk Tigris, the cargo ship it seized at sea last week. The New York Times reports:
The Maersk Line, the Danish shipping giant, confirmed in a statement that the vessel and its 24-member crew, forced to anchor near Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas since its seizure on April 28, were now free and en route to the port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. ... The Maersk Tigris is registered in the Marshall Islands. It is managed and staffed by Rickmers Shipmanagement, a subsidiary of Germany’s Rickmers Group, a maritime services company, which reported that the crew was in good condition. ... The apparent stand-down reflected what political analysts called a wish by both Iran and the United States to avert an escalation of tensions that could sabotage the nuclear talks between Iran and a group of six powers that includes the United States.
From the language of the report it appears that Maersk agreed to a settlement of the claim an Iranian company had against it. CBS offered the judgment of one of its security analysts.
The Iranian decision to board the vessel was "a reflection of the fact that tensions are running very high, and these tensions don't really have borders," explained CBS News senior national security analyst Juan Zarate. "These are conflicts that are happening on the ground, they're happening in the shipping lanes, and there are places and points of vulnerability that could... serve as flashpoints for conflict."

Posted by Mike LaChance on May 08, 2015 32 Comments
By now, you've no doubt heard that Pamela Gellar hosted a free speech event in Texas which focused on cartoon images of Mohammed and that an Islamist terror plot to kill attendees was foiled. Many in media - and not just liberals -have gone out of their way to blame the victim, Geller and those attending the event, and have even gone so far as questioning the limits of free speech in America. A writer at the Washington Post wondered why Geller didn't apologize. CNN's Chris Cuomo argued that 'hate speech' isn't protected by the First Amendment which was so dumb he was even called out by the far left site Salon. Geller appeared on the Sean Hannity show Wednesday night and confronted the British Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary, who openly called for her death on national television. If you watch the Hannity show, you're probably familiar with Choudary. Allahpundit of Hot Air jokes that Choudary has probably appeared on the show more times than Alan Colmes. The exchange is over 10 minutes long but you should watch the whole thing: Despite threats Geller has received, she said federal security agencies haven't contacted her.

Posted by Amy Miller on May 07, 2015 21 Comments
Today the Senate passed a bill that would give Congress the authority to review the emerging nuclear deal with Iran. The bill---and the vote---was controversial, with many Republicans arguing against final passage; those who opposed sending the bill to the House argued that it was not strong enough, and would not provide a big enough buffer between the Obama Administration, and a nuclear Iran. Fox News explains why Senate leadership pushed so hard for the passage of the bill:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the bill "offers the best chance for our constituents through the Congress they elect to weigh in on the White House negotiations with Iran." Added Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee: "No bill. No review." The legislation would bar Obama from waiving congressional sanctions for at least 30 days while lawmakers examine any final deal. The bill would stipulate that if senators disapprove of the deal, Obama would lose his current power to waive certain economic penalties Congress has imposed on Iran.

Posted by Amy Miller on May 07, 2015 10 Comments
Campaign work is filthy business sometimes. Manipulating the media cycle is a full time job---especially if your boss is a corrupt career politician who may or may not have made deals with foreign governments in exchange for speaking fees. Hillary Clinton's staff did a bang up job pivoting away from that whole "corrupt career politician" thing this week by flogging Clinton's newfound enthusiasm for immigration policies that are even more radical than the ones President Obama has backed. Meet the Press host Chuck Todd pointed out today how Clinton's team used controversy to distract the public from controversy---and succeeded. Watch here:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 07, 2015 24 Comments
After showing the internet how little he knew about free speech yesterday, Chris Cuomo attempted to rectify his Constitutional missteps in a short video. "I got beat up for this tweet I made; it was a clumsy tweet. I was caught up in a back and forth..." he began. First, the tweet: We've been searching high and low for Cuomo's version of the Constitution to no avail. But in the mean time, not only do we say we love the Constitution, we've actually read it (though not on the counsel of Cuomo). Our version of the first amendment completely disagree's with Cuomo's because it simply states:
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.
But maybe words are hard?

Posted by Andrew Branca on May 07, 2015 59 Comments
Legal Insurrection, I'd like to introduce you to Page Croyder. Page, Legal Insurrection. The most interesting thing about Ms. Croyder to my eye is that she's a retired commander and commissioned officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.  I thank you for your service, ma'am. What brings Ms. Croyder to our attention today, however, is not her military service, but her 21-year career with the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office.  That experience provides here with a rather unique perspective from which to view and evaluate the recent conduct of Maryland State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby in the matter of the death of Freddie Gray. And what Ms. Croyder sees, she does not like. Not. At. All. The Baltimore Sun has published a lengthy op-ed piece by Ms. Croyder in which she expresses her views on the Mosby prosecution of six Baltimore police officers following the death of Freddie Gray, following upon similar sentiments expressed by Ms. Croyder in her personal blog, Baltimore Criminal Justice Blogger:
The Fraternal Office of Police called Mosby’s charges an “egregious rush to judgment.” It smacks more of a calculated push to the spotlight, filing charges after a mere two weeks. She conducted her own “parallel” investigation using her police integrity unit (the only unit for which she fails to list a supervisor on her website.) She received the autopsy report the same day as her press conference announcing the charges. In her haste to step into the national limelight, she circumvented normal charging procedures by grabbing a member of the sheriff’s office to file them for her. Her actions appeared calculated for maximum surprise and effect, and she got it. But she was so hasty she drew up warrants for the wrong people. And her arrest of two of the officers for making an illegal arrest was itself "illegal." Had she taken the time to discuss it with the police department, she'd have avoided an embarrassing and unjust result.
I recommend you "read the whole thing," as the saying goes, at both the Baltimore Sun piece and Ms. Croyder's blog. https://youtu.be/v7B7IVgZdAw To prepare your cognitive palette I'll simply bullet her main points from her op-ed:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 07, 2015 26 Comments
As if there weren't more important things to be concerned about... Lawmakers are considering legislation that would further regulate cosmetics including handmade soap. The Personal Care Products Safety Act was introduced by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Cal) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) last month. The bill is currently rattling around in the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The stated purpose of the bill is to, "protect consumers and streamline industry compliance by strengthening the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority to regulate the ingredients in personal care products. While the personal care products industry is projected to exceed $60 billion in U.S. revenue this year, federal regulations on these products have not been updated in 75 years." Essentially, the Personal Care Products Safety Act is another venture in big government glut that would expand the FDA's jurisdiction thereby creating more bureaucracy, wasting taxpayer money, and hindering small business growth. More specifically though, the bill would impose fees, and add ridiculous reporting and labeling requirements. Sen. Feinstein boasts support from just about every big cosmetic industry player including:
  • Personal Care Products Council (a trade association representing more than 600 companies in the industry)
  • Johnson & Johnson (brands include Neutrogena, Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Lubriderm, Johnson’s baby products)
  • Procter & Gamble (brands include Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Clairol, Herbal Essences, Secret, Dolce & Gabbana,
  • Gucci, Ivory, Cover Girl, Olay, Sebastian Professional, Vidal Sassoon)
  • Revlon (brands include Revlon, Almay, Mitchum)
  • Estee Lauder (brands include Estée Lauder, Clinique, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, MAC, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan, Aveda, Michael Kors)
  • Unilever (brands include Dove, Tresemme, Lever, St. Ives, Noxzema, Nexxus, Pond’s, Suave, Sunsilk, Vaseline, Degree)
  • L’Oreal (brands include L’Oréal Paris, Lancome, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Kiehl’s, Essie, Garnier, Maybelline-New York, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, The Body Shop, Redken)
But what about the independent cosmetic purveyor?

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 07, 2015 8 Comments
RickPAC served up its latest offering this morning. Filmed in the beautiful Granite State, Governor Perry is shares the message of American exceptionalism. "This is an incredibly resilient country. We've gone through a civil war, we've gone through two world wars, we've gone through a Great Depression, we made it through Jimmy Carter," Perry says speaking to a group. "We are a blessed country and it makes me proud, but there is something wrong." Perry has yet to announce candidacy and hasn't given a timeframe for when he plans to do so.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on May 07, 2015 26 Comments
When the history of the past decade gets written, it will be peppered liberally with the word "unprecedented." California Governor Jerry Brown recently unveiled the state’s first water restrictions in response to the “mega-drought." In a move that will surprise almost no one, our state legislature passed the "unprecedented" proposal:
California regulators approved sweeping, unprecedented restrictions Tuesday on how people, governments and businesses can use water amid the state’s ongoing drought in the hope of enticing residents to conserve more water. The State Water Resources Control Board approved rules forcing cities to limit watering on public property, encouraging homeowners to let their lawns die and imposing mandatory water-savings targets for hundreds of local agencies and cities that supply water to California customers. Gov. Jerry Brown sought to tighten the already strict regulations, arguing that voluntary conservation efforts have not yielded the water savings needed amid a four-year drought. Brown ordered water agencies to cut urban water use by 25 percent from levels in 2013, the year before the drought emergency was declared.
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