RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/exposing-the-hoax

No need to build to a crescendo — let’s just say it: The Trump-Russia investigation was a politically driven fraud from beginning to end. It was opened on false pretenses, sustained by investigative abuses, and will undoubtedly end in recriminatory angst, which is what happens when the kind of accountability the victims demand does not, indeed cannot, come to pass.

Worst of all is the damage wrought, though even that isn’t fully understood. Obama administration officials exploited the awesome national security powers that we trust our government to use for counterintelligence operations that safeguard America from jihadists and other foreign hostiles. Because of the abuse, and the growing awareness that few of the abusers will be held to meaningful account, those powers have lost the solid constituency they had maintained in Congress for nearly two decades. Thus, this episode will prove to be a catastrophe for American national security.

Last August, I released Ball of Collusion. As a former longtime federal law enforcement official who is proud of that service, I had come reluctantly to the realization that the Trump-Russia escapade was less an investigation than a political narrative — hence the book’s subtitle, The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency. In fact, it would be more accurate to say I had been dragged to it, kicking and screaming. In the early days, friends of mine, both pro-Trump and Trump-skeptic, asked me if it was possible that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice had brought an uncorroborated screed of innuendo (under the guise of campaign opposition research) to the secret federal tribunal that issues foreign-intelligence surveillance warrants, in order to monitor the Trump campaign. Confidently, I assured them that that was inconceivable.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/05/biggest-blacklist-american-history-john-perazzo/

The left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a $592 million non-profit. It is also the creator and leader of the largest blacklist, by far, in American history. Its infamous list of “hate groups,” which currently consists of 940 separate entities in all 50 U.S. states, is the centerpiece of a massive smear campaign that conflates a small number of mostly insignificant fringe groups with entities whose sin is being politically conservative, but which are not “hate” groups in any meaningful sense of the word.

By equating a smattering of actual hate groups with respectable conservative organizations, SPLC seeks to delegitimize conservatives as repugnant monsters whose viewpoints do not merit a hearing. And by labeling mainstream conservative individuals and organizations as “hate mongers,” it seeks to deprive them of the funding they need to reach an audience or even stay alive. Consider, for instance, the SPLC’s branding of David Horowitz, founder of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, as an “anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim extremist” and as one of the “10 Most Dangerous Hatemongers” in the United States — solely because he opposes illegal immigration and warns against the dangers of Islamic jihad.

After Horowitz gave a speech to the bi-partisan American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in August 2018, SPLC organized a boycott that singled out his remarks as worthy of suppression and called on ALEC’s corporate sponsors to withdraw their support. The actual sin Horowitz committed was confined to one sentence in which he referred to Black Lives Matter as a “racist organization” and the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist” group.[1] Within two weeks, 79 leftist organizations had joined the boycott. This led to the withdrawal of financial support by major corporations like Verizon, AT&T, and Dow Chemical, and the loss of tens of thousands of dollars for ALEC.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/paula-bolyard/2020/05/29/violent-rioters-breach-ohio-statehouse-breaking-windows-and-entering-building-to-protest-death-of-george-floyd-n454462

Rioters in Columbus, Ohio, launched an attack on the Statehouse in the early hours of Friday morning to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, who was unarmed and subdued with handcuffs, died after a police officer pinned his neck to the ground with his knee and held it there until he stopped breathing.

Protests and riots are ongoing in several cities around the U.S., including Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., Memphis, Tenn., Louisville, Ky., Denver, Colo., Los Angeles Calif., and Columbus, Ohio. 

The Statehouse in Columbus came under attack, with rioters breaking windows and some entering the building. There are unconfirmed reports that the protesters damaged the interior of the building.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/paula-bolyard/2020/05/29/minneapolis-police-precinct-on-fire-possible-gas-leak-as-protests-over-death-of-george-floyd-escalate-n450339

For the third night in a row, protests and riots rocked Minneapolis in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Stores were once again looted and buildings set on fire as protesters demanded justice for Floyd’s death. The Fifth Precinct police building is currently burning and authorities are warning of a possible gas leak in the area.

Floyd, who was suspected of forgery, died after a police officer inexplicably pinned him to the ground with his knee, holding him down as he begged for mercy. The officer remained in that position until Floyd, who was unarmed and subdued with handcuffs at the time, became lifeless. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Four police officers were summarily fired after video of the horrific, indefensible act was made public.

Julio Rosas, from PJ Media’s sister site Townhall, is on the scene in Minneapolis. His tweets show the violence escalating throughout the night and a very dangerous situation developing.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fisa-bill-flops-11590708290?mod=opinion_lead_pos2

Nancy Pelosi is known for her iron political control over the House, but on Wednesday the Speaker suffered a rare defeat as she pulled a FISA reauthorization bill before what would have been a losing vote. This is a victory for security and political accountability, and it’s worth rehearsing how we got here.

The need to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has been clear since last year’s damning report by Inspector General Michael Horowitz. In March Attorney General Bill Barr worked out a deal with Democratic and GOP House leaders to renew surveillance authority for the FBI and include measures to prevent a repeat of James Comey’s 2016 interference in a presidential campaign.

These provisions included a requirement that the Attorney General sign off personally on any FBI investigation of a presidential campaign, that the FBI set up an office of compliance, and that any application for a FISA court warrant include evidence or information that might be exculpatory. That bill easily passed the House, 278-136, in March.

Then the mischief began. The Senate added an amendment from Mike Lee (R., Utah) and Pat Leahy (D., Vt.) to require an outside “amicus curiae” to review and perhaps rebut surveillance requests. These amici would have extraordinary access to sensitive information.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2020/05/28/former-fbi-official-the-document-used-to-authorize-trump-campaign-surveillance-is-a-train-wreck-n2569586

With each passing day, we’re learning more about the Obama DOJ’s off the reservation behavior regarding the Trump-Russia fiasco. There was no evidence of collusion, but this circus act, fanned by the anti-Trump liberal media, engulfed the nation for nearly two years. No, it still has a grip on the minds of liberal America. The overreach is well-documented.

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to bogus “lying to the FBI” charges over a phone call he had with the Russians, which was routine and not out of the ordinary. There was no reason to investigate Flynn, as the new DOJ motion to dismiss the criminal charges against him showed. The agents who interviewed Flynn also added that they felt he didn’t lie. And yet, that 302 report, which took weeks to file, a departure from department policy, has vanished into the ether. We know that those who weren’t conducting the interview edited and tweaked it, another departure from department policy.

Disgraced ex-FBI Director James Comey wanted Flynn and was going to get him at all costs. Well, Flynn remains in legal purgatory, as the judge in his case, Emmet Sullivan, has not only decided to not drop the case, despite the lack of a case and the resignation of the prosecutor, he’s doubling down. He appointed a retired judge, whose law firm represented the queen of the DOJ resisters, Sally Yates, to fight the DOJ motion and see if perjury charges could be filed against Flynn for his shoddy plea deal. It’s Keystone Cops. Period.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/28/weekly-jobless-claims.html

First-time jobless claims totaled 2.1 million last week, slightly ahead of the 2.05 million Wall Street estimate.
Continuing claims plunged by nearly 4 million to just over 21 million, probably a clearer representation of the jobless level.
The high jobless numbers persist even as all states have reopened their economies to various extents.
Nearly 41 million jobless claims have now been filed since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic.

First-time claims for unemployment benefits totaled 2.1 million last week, the lowest total since the coronavirus crisis began though indicative that a historically high number of Americans remain separated from their jobs.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 2.05 million. The total represented a decrease of 323,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised 2.438 million.That decline in continuing claims “suggests that the reopening of states is pushing businesses to rehire some of the people let go when the virus hit,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. However, Shepherdson noted that some of the data, particularly from California, remains noisy and may not be an accurate representation of some states’ situations.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nyc-to-begin-phase-1-of-reopening-in-the-first-or-second-week-of-june-amid-coronavirus

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that the city will begin “Phase 1” of its reopening in early to mid-June, making it the last part of the state to reopen after the coronavirus lockdowns.

De Blasio, during his daily press conference Thursday, said that New York City is “now in a position to start opening things up phase by phase.”

“I’ve been cautious,” de Blasio said Thursday, noting he’s been focused on “health and safety, and how and when to take steps to start” reopening.”

De Blasio, though, warned that when he says “restart,” he does not mean ”rushing back to something normal.”

“It’s not just flicking a switch,” de Blasio said, noting that he is working to “make sure” that the city can “avoid a resurgence.”

De Blasio did not offer a specific date for the reopening of New York City, but said that “based on what we know today,” the reopening will begin “in the first or second week of June.”

De Blasio did say, however, that the city is launching an initiative next week for companies that are considered “Phase 1 companies” to help them navigate the reopening for their specific industries. The mayor added that if the city gets the first phase “correct,” it “will be that much nearer to Phase 2 and other phases.”

De Blasio estimated that between 200,000 and 400,000 employees will return to work during “Phase 1,” and said he is working with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to work out how mass transit will operate. De Blasio noted that as more staff return to work, MTA subway services “can increase.”

https://www.city-journal.org/florida-evidence-based-reopening-working

For a moment in April, the Internet tried to cancel Florida. Photos showing crowds flocking to Jacksonville Beach amid the Covid-19 pandemic brought the hashtag #FloridaMorons to the top of Twitter. The media eagerly spun scenes of ignorant spring breakers endangering themselves and others. Nearly two months after America’s first case of coronavirus, here was Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, joining neighboring state Georgia’s “experiment in human sacrifice” by letting locals lift restrictions on their own.

Nearly a month later, Jacksonville’s Duval County reports new Covid-19 hospitalizations in the single digits. Rates of hospitalizations, cases, and deaths remain steady across Florida. So far, fewer Floridians have died of the novel coronavirus than in New York’s nursing homes alone (2,259 compared with 5,800, at least). More than half of the state’s known cases of Covid-19 are found in just four South Florida counties—the top out-of-state destinations for fleeing New Yorkers. As Politico recently concluded, “Florida just doesn’t look nearly as bad as the national news media and sky-is-falling critics have been predicting for about two months now.”

There’s still a lot that we don’t know about mitigating Covid-19, but Florida’s approach—a decentralized health response with targeted lockdowns and quarantines reinforced by voluntary social distancing—appears to have worked. Other populous states adopting this approach, such as Tennessee, have seen similar success. Governor DeSantis’s experience suggests that it is possible to keep a lid on the coronavirus even while gradually reopening.

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/why-does-the-cdc-think-the-covid-19-fatality-rate-is-so-low-and-why-wont-it-tell-anyone/?utm_source=recirc-desktop&utm

Last week I was searching the Internet for some COVID-19 statistic or other, and I came across a new CDC website. The site featured some numbers the federal government is using to model the spread of the epidemic. One in particular caught my eye: 0.4 percent, the “current best estimate” of the disease’s “case fatality rate.” The document also said that 35 percent of infections are asymptomatic, which suggests the infection fatality rate is just 0.26 percent.

These numbers struck me as low for several reasons. For one thing, the virus has already killed 0.2 percent of all New Yorkers, and obviously a much higher percentage of those who’ve actually been infected in the city. For another, if we’ve had 100,000 deaths nationwide and a CFR of 0.4 percent, that means we’ve had 25 million symptomatic cases; including cases without symptoms, more than 10 percent of the entire country has been infected, which seems out of sync with what we’re hearing from serology tests. Individual studies and reviews of the evidence tend to put the infection fatality rate somewhere around 0.5 to 1 percent, though there’s at least one dissenting review that puts it lower (while managing not to include any studies finding a fatality rate above 0.5 percent, of which there are plenty).