“Cans of tuna fish. They go out and buy tuna fish and soup. You know that, right? Because they throw it. It’s the perfect weight, tuna fish, they can really rip it, right? And that hits you. No, it’s true. Bumble Bee brand tuna.”
— President Trump, quoted by CNN, speaking at a rally about what he claims are protesters’ methods.
Texas deputy sheriffs were allegedly rewarded by superiors for using force on the job with steakhouse gift cards, the Austin American-Statesman reports.
“Hours before federal police officers cleared a crowded park near the White House with smoke and tear gas on June 1, the lead military police officer in the Department of asked if the D.C. National Guard had a kind of military heat ray that might be deployed against demonstrators in the nation’s capital,” NPR reports.
The Washington Post reports federal officials “began to stockpile ammunition and seek devices that could emit deafening sounds and make anyone within range feel like their skin is on fire.”
The most interesting finding in the new CNN poll in Wisconsin:
When likely voters were asked whether they approve of the candidates’ handling of the “situation in Kenosha,” President Trump is underwater at 42% to 54% (-12), while Joe Biden is at 48% to 42% (+6).
A new Monmouth poll finds neither presidential candidate has a decisive advantage in public trust on this issue.
Slightly over half (52%) are very or somewhat confident that Joe Biden can maintain law and order if he is elected president, while slightly under half (48%) say the same about Donald Trump if he is reelected.
“Law enforcement agencies described 911 dispatchers being overrun with calls about a false online rumor that ‘Antifa’ members had been arrested for setting the fires — a claim promoted by the anonymous account behind the QAnon conspiracy theories,” CNN reports.
“The incident highlights how online conspiracy theories, a sustained right-wing campaign to create increased fear of anti-fascist groups, and amplification of false claims by QAnon followers, have real consequences.”
Ben Collins: “Nobody is appropriately gauging how quickly QAnon (and Q by other names) has taken over among suburban and rural white women. It is everywhere.“
Washington Post: “The four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s killing appear to be turning on each other, with each offering significantly different versions of the infamous arrest that acknowledge Floyd should not have been allowed to die that day but also deflect the blame to others.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) praised the the 17-year-old who fatally shot two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last week, saying he acted in self-defense and showed “incredible restraint,” the Louisville Courier Journal reports.
Said Massie: “He also exhibited incredible restraint and presence and situational awareness. He didn’t empty a magazine into a crowd.”
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds a significant majority of Americans believe President Trump’s rhetoric on the unrest in parts of the country is making matters worse — with even members of his own party divided on his approach.
“Over half of the country — 55% — in the new poll said they think Trump is aggravating the situation, while just over one in 10 Americans, 13%, said they think he is making it better.”
“Among his base, 30% of Republicans say the president is improving the situation, compared to 26% who say he’s having an adverse impact. Only 18% of white, non-college educated Americans, another core constituency for the president, believe he is having a positive effect on the protests, while 41% view his comments on the demonstrations amid the debate over racial equality as having a negative influence.”
“A Black man who had run naked through the streets of a western New York city died of asphyxiation after a group of police officers put a hood over his head, then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes, according to video and records released by the man’s family,” the Associated Press reports.
The new Fox News poll in Wisconsin — conducted entirely after the unrest in Kenosha — suggests President Trump’s law and order stance isn’t working: Trump trails Biden by 5 percentage points in the state on the issue of “policing and criminal justice.”
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 78% of Americans remain “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the coronavirus. Nearly 60% said President Trump is at least partly responsible for the protracted school and business closures due to the virus, as well as for the high number of coronavirus cases in the United States.
By contrast, most Americans do not see crime as a major priority and do not think it is increasing in their communities Only about 8% of American adults listed crime as a top priority for the country, compared with 30% who said it was the economy or jobs, and 16% who said it was the healthcare system.
“After struggling for much of the year to settle on a clear and concise reelection message, President Donald Trump appears to have found his 2020 rallying cry,” the AP reports.
“Four years ago, it was ‘Build the Wall,’a simple yet coded mantra to white America that nonwhite outsiders threatened their way of life. This week, Trump has re-centered his campaign on another three-word phrase that carries a similar racial dynamic: ‘Law and Order.'”
Earlier for members: Trump Isn’t Likeable, But He Can Try to Be Strong
Joe Biden has a new ad which condemns recent rioting in several urban areas.
First Read: “According to our August NBC News/WSJ poll (conducted before the violence in Kenosha), Trump held a 4-point advantage over Biden when it comes to which candidate better handles crime, with 43% picking Trump and 39% Biden.”
“But on uniting the country, Biden’s edge over Trump was 23 points, 49% to 26%.”
“And on race relations, Biden’s lead over Trump is 24 points, 53% to 29%.”
“So despite the conventional wisdom, it’s not clear at all this issue is a winner for Trump.”
President Trump told Fox News that the police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times last month was just having a bad day, like a golfer who misses a simple putt.
Said Trump: “Shooting the guy in the back many times, I mean, couldn’t you have done something different? Couldn’t you have wrestled him? But they choke. Just like in a golf tournament. They miss a three-foot putt.”
“President Trump has been throwing accelerant on the fire of the nation’s social unrest rather than trying to put it out, seeking confrontation rather than calm at a volatile moment his advisers hope will help salvage his campaign for a second term,” the New York Times reports.
“Other presidents in times of tumult tried to settle down communities convulsed by racial and cultural divisions, but Mr. Trump has encouraged one side against another. He has threatened to deploy federal forces, condoned freelance actions by his own armed supporters, conflated peaceful protesters with violent rioters and used the strife to undercut his political opponents.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.