Chaos and violence have broken out in Mexico, even more than usual. The <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmySecUK/status/1185013332769759232">footage</a> looks like something out of a war zone. This latest bit of anarchy began when Mexican law enforcement officers managed to arrest Ovidio Guzmán, one of the top drug lords in the country and son of the notorious kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Unfortunately, Guzmán’s cartel was not willing to let the son end up in a U.S. maximum security prison like the father. Dozens of gunmen, armed with everything from machine guns to grenade launchers to sniper rifles, invaded the city where Guzmán was captured and started murdering police officers. The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-el-chapos-son-arrested-in-mexico-cartel-violence-erupts">reports</a> that the cartel militants also went searching for the family members of Mexican military personnel.
Finally, the Mexican government capitulated, raised the metaphorical white flag, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/17/el-chapo-violence-breaks-out-in-mexican-city-amid-rumours-of-sons-arrest">released the younger Guzmán</a>. The president of Mexico assured the public that his administration is &#8220;doing really well&#8221; in its crime fighting strategy, explaining that they &#8220;don&#8217;t want war.&#8221; But war is exactly what he has on his hands, whether he wants it or not, and releasing a notorious drug lord back into the clutches of his cartel is, one might argue, the exact opposite of doing really well. It is, in fact, a disgrace, a travesty, an embarrassment, and a signal that Mexico is a failed state. The drug cartels run the show, and after having so much success with the &#8220;take over the city and start shooting people&#8221; strategy, they will surely resort to it again.
I don&#8217;t know what Mexico&#8217;s next step should be (though refraining from releasing any more drug lords might be a good start), but I do know what the United States’ next step should be: build the wall, finally. Really build it. Most of the wall building that has happened so far under Trump&#8217;s watch &#8212; despite how Trump himself sometimes presents it — has consisted of <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-border-wall-three-new-contracts-rio-grande-valley-sector-1462252">replacing</a> existing fences with slightly better fences. There has not been much in the way of actually new wall — or fence, or barrier, or whatever we&#8217;re calling it now &#8212; and certainly we haven&#8217;t seen the grand, 2,000 mile-long wall across the entire southern border like we were promised.
Of course, every thinking person always knew that the Great Wall of America wasn’t going to happen, but there are still plenty of places along the border where a wall can be, should be, and so far hasn&#8217;t been built. It would seem that now, with the Mexican government all but officially surrendering to the cartels, is as good a time as any to get started.
There has never been any rational objection to building the wall. There are some practical reasons why a wall across all 2,000 miles probably isn&#8217;t feasible (or necessary, given the natural barriers that exist along some portions of the border), but there is no valid argument in principle against erecting physical barriers wherever they are possible and needed. Those arguments always come down to vague emotional appeals and clichéd sloganeering about &#8220;building bridges, not walls.&#8221; But this is not the time for clichés. Mexico is collapsing, and we have to shield ourselves from the debris.

Border wall prototypes.

WALSH: Mexico Is A Failed State Run By Drug Cartels. It’s Time To Finally Build The Wall.

Crime

Drugs

Illegal Immigration

Mexico

Southern Border

As of right now, most national head-to-head polls for the 2020 presidential general election show President Donald Trump losing to his Democratic Party presidential primary rivals. This trend generally holds, regardless of whether the nominee is any of the leading top three Democratic candidates: Former Vice President <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_biden-6247.html">Joe Biden</a>, Sen. <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_warren-6251.html">Elizabeth Warren</a> (D-MA), or Sen. <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_sanders-6250.html">Bernie Sanders</a> (I-VT).
While the Trump campaign might be tempted to rest on its laurels and sneer at the polls based upon a look back at the perceived polling debacle that was the 2016 presidential election, such a move would be just as haughty as it is myopic. As Harry Enten&#8217;s <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-is-just-a-normal-polling-error-behind-clinton/">article</a> from November 4, 2016 — that would be four days before the general election — presciently pointed out, in retrospect, polling from the 2016 election cycle was not actually irreconcilable with a Trump victory. Trump obviously trailed Hillary Clinton in the polls, but his victory was actually not outside the realm of polling feasibility — or even outside the realm of polling reasonableness.
As such, the 2020 Trump re-election campaign would be wise to focus on what it can do to win over a larger share of independent, moderate, and suburban voters. In doing so, the Trump campaign would be wise to look back to a much-ballyhooed part of Karl Rove&#8217;s 2004 blueprint for George W. Bush&#8217;s re-election: Specifically, that campaign&#8217;s ingenious focus on the &#8220;<a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/security-moms-bushs-secret-election-weapon-gl6jc8cxr7j">security mom</a>.&#8221; The mythical &#8220;security mom,&#8221; at the time, was symbolized by the proverbial suburban mother who was worried about revanchist Islamist terrorism and sought to protect her home and family against those who would seek to kill us.
Although some of the specific animating issues have changed over the past 15 years, there is tremendous potential this election cycle for Trump to deploy similar messaging and reach out to a similar sect of voters.
Violent crime in America, despite overall dramatically declining since the 1990s, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-in-defense-of-prosecutors">unfortunately spiked</a> over the past few years. Why isn&#8217;t Trump formally renouncing the <a href="https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20191004/he-was-released-early-from-prison-in-february-now-hes-wanted-for-murder-on-federal-hill">harrowing</a> First Step Act jailbreak law, the passage of which he apparently already <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/trump-reportedly-regrets-passage-jailbreak-first-step-act-gullible-conservatives-supported/">regrets</a>, and doubling down on &#8220;Willie Horton&#8221;-style anti-crime messaging?
Left-wing Democrats are campaigning harder than ever on anti-Second Amendment, gun-grabbing policy proposals. Why isn&#8217;t Trump leading Republicans on a 2020 platform of cracking down on the gun felons that <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/html/decriminalization-delusion-14037.html">light-on-crime</a> jurisdictions like California seem <a href="https://calmatters.org/gun-violence/2019/10/felons-firearms-california-federal-charges-gun-control-newsom/">hellbent on unleashing</a> upon the general public?
The global jihad — as embodied both by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-designating-muslim-brotherhood-terrorist-josh-hammer">Muslim Brotherhood</a>, the mother&#8217;s milk of Sunni jihad, as well as more public-facing Islamist outfits like al-Qaeda and Islamic State — continues, 18 years after 9/11, to pose a threat to the U.S. homeland. Why isn&#8217;t Trump running on a platform of discussing not just the wall and border security, but also the arguably even more indispensable issue of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-border-wall-nice-interior-enforcement-nicer-josh-hammer">interior visa enforcement</a>? What about the need to radically <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-never-forget-911-we-need-rethink-how-we-josh-hammer">restructure our immigration policy</a> away from letting in largely unvetted populations of Middle Easterners?
Across the nation, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-who-will-stand-for-the-forgotten-american">neo-Confederate</a> &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; jurisdictions employ anti-<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlevi">Supremacy Clause</a> erroneous legal &#8220;reasoning&#8221; to defy <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiHsv7v4LXjAhWTHM0KHZKMB7gQFjAAegQIAxAB&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.law.cornell.edu%2Fuscode%2Ftext%2F8%2F1324&amp;usg=AOvVaw2EunpYa249SvA-oBwwFrS2">federal immigration law</a>, ignore ICE detainers on <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/another-illegal-alien-arrested-brutal-rape-notorious-sanctuary-montgomery-county/">violent criminal aliens</a>, and aid and abet the work of the transnational Mexican cartels that traffick drugs and criminals alike into the homeland. Why isn&#8217;t Trump proposing more aggressive policies to strip federal funding away from sanctuary jurisdictions and effectively message to suburban voters that the government will act to help prevent MS-13 thugs from terrorizing their neighborhoods?
There are a myriad other examples, to be sure. But to maximize its 2020 re-election chances, the Trump campaign ought to focus more intensively on appealing to moderates and suburban swing voters. In order to do so, there is no better platform than a safety and security agenda tailored to the very &#8220;security moms&#8221; that President Bush so effectively courted in 2004.

Handcuffed prisoner

HAMMER: Trump Needs To Focus On A Safety And Security Agenda For 2020

2020 Election

Al Qaeda

Democratic Party

Donald Trump

Hamas

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Jail

MS-13 Gang

National Security

Serious gun fire erupted on the streets of Culiacan, Sinaloa, after Mexican law enforcement officials reportedly captured Ovidio Guzman, the son of convicted Sinaloa cartel drug lord Joaquín &#8220;El Chapo&#8221; Guzmán.
Journalist Robert Arce was the first to report the unredacted mugshot of Ovidio Guzman who &#8220;sought to take control of the Sinaloa cartel along with his older brother, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, after their father was captured and extradited to the United States in 2017,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-10-17/chaos-in-mexico-as-el-chapos-son-a-leader-of-the-sinaloa-cartel-is-reportedly-captured">Los Angeles Times</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
SCOOP: Here is the unredacted mugshot of Ovidio Guzman, the son of convicted Sinaloa Cartel drug lord El Chapo, who was just arrested in Culiacán, Sinaloa <a href="https://t.co/ILD5XICR48">pic.twitter.com/ILD5XICR48</a>
— Robert Arce (@robertrarce) <a href="https://twitter.com/robertrarce/status/1184987109947363328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
In his report at Breitbart, Arce <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/10/17/el-chapos-son-captured-sinaloa-cartel-assaults-police-hq-for-rescue-attempt/">wrote</a> that sources confirmed that the arrest is what &#8220;sparked an intense deployment of Sinaloa Cartel gunmen to the scene of the incident and later the offices of the Federal Prosecutor’s office in [an] attempted rescue effort.&#8221;
A source told The Daily Wire that family members of military personnel were being warned that truckloads of cartel gunmen were searching for the relatives of Mexican army personnel in retaliation for the capture of El Chapo&#8217;s son.
On social media, numerous posts showed intense gun fire erupting around the city as innocent bystanders rushed to find cover.
Cartels appear to have set fire to numerous vehicles in a road block that they set up in an effort to prevent backup from Mexican authorities from arriving on scene.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Continúan las agresiones en <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a>. <a href="https://t.co/3sHdy8d750">pic.twitter.com/3sHdy8d750</a>
— Juan Pablo Pérez Díaz (@PerezDiazMX) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerezDiazMX/status/1185005020355293184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nuevo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nuevo</a>: Fuentes de la SEIDO señalan que el detenido es Ovidio Guzmán López.
Se espera su arribo a la Ciudad de México.
En un intento por detener su traslado, quemaron autos para usarlos como barricadas. <a href="https://t.co/zonxKKU3ZH">pic.twitter.com/zonxKKU3ZH</a>
— Carlos Zúñiga Pérez (@Carloszup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Carloszup/status/1184975977975300099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
Other footage showed what appeared to be automatic fire:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Así las cosas al norte de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a>. Momentos exactos de la balacera captados por el compañero reportero Policiaco, Ernesto Martínez. <a href="https://t.co/o53uBLqCWr">pic.twitter.com/o53uBLqCWr</a>
— Juan Pablo Pérez Díaz (@PerezDiazMX) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerezDiazMX/status/1184946085468332032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
Other photos showed vehicles that were apparently destroyed by the cartels:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a> zona de guerra. Enrique Cabrera y Enrique Félix Castro. <a href="https://t.co/OUzFLtk08X">pic.twitter.com/OUzFLtk08X</a>
— Juan Pablo Pérez Díaz (@PerezDiazMX) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerezDiazMX/status/1184967639640076288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
Bystanders trying to flee the area after intense gun fire breaks out:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
Reportan enfrentamientos entre militares y hombres armados en <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a>.
No se sabe el origen del enfrentamiento. <a href="https://t.co/s4iFLTl4Nm">pic.twitter.com/s4iFLTl4Nm</a>
— Carlos Zúñiga Pérez (@Carloszup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Carloszup/status/1184954604657827841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
A man opens fire using what appears to be a .50 caliber sniper rifle:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M%C3%A1s?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Más</a>: El enfrentamiento inició en el Sector Tres Ríos, pero se ha extendido a otros puntos de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a>.
Vean el tipo de armas que se están usando. <a href="https://t.co/sLXtMeUTHk">pic.twitter.com/sLXtMeUTHk</a>
— Carlos Zúñiga Pérez (@Carloszup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Carloszup/status/1184955221161730054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
Other video showed cartel gunmen armed with .50 caliber machine guns mounted on top of trucks driving around the area:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M%C3%A1s?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Más</a>: Otro video de los hombres armados que participan en las balaceras en <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a>. <a href="https://t.co/UNDnnYR0yX">pic.twitter.com/UNDnnYR0yX</a>
— Carlos Zúñiga Pérez (@Carloszup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Carloszup/status/1184958364993933313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
More intense gun fire:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nuevo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nuevo</a>: Versiones a través de whatsapp y radio, señalan que autoridades federales detuvieron a Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, hijo de “Él Chapo” Guzmán.
Los enfrentamientos siguen. <a href="https://t.co/vsEiNhFFz5">pic.twitter.com/vsEiNhFFz5</a>
— Carlos Zúñiga Pérez (@Carloszup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Carloszup/status/1184960633202192387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
The Mexican military arrives on scene:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M%C3%A1s?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Más</a>: Sigue el despliegue de militares por <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a>. <a href="https://t.co/Eoyna6wZXZ">pic.twitter.com/Eoyna6wZXZ</a>
— Carlos Zúñiga Pérez (@Carloszup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Carloszup/status/1184963628564434945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
Innocent bystanders hide in a supermarket as gunfire erupts:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M%C3%A1s?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Más</a>: En medio del miedo y el caos, habitantes de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a> intentan resgardarse de las balaceras en un centro comercial. <a href="https://t.co/l6rrNgf9nU">pic.twitter.com/l6rrNgf9nU</a>
— Carlos Zúñiga Pérez (@Carloszup) <a href="https://twitter.com/Carloszup/status/1184967879478972416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
The fighting continued into the night:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Al norte de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Culiac%C3%A1n?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Culiacán</a> sector Humaya siguen las balaceras. <a href="https://t.co/zJw1K8CJFo">pic.twitter.com/zJw1K8CJFo</a>
— Juan Pablo Pérez Díaz (@PerezDiazMX) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerezDiazMX/status/1185006815651565568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
The Los Angeles Times added that the Sinaloa Cartel – which has long been the most prolific drug trafficking organization in the world – has faced increasing challenges to its dominance from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
The CJNG is suspected to be behind a massacre on Monday in the western Mexican state of Michoacan.
&#8220;The federal public security ministry said 14 police were killed, though its Michoacan state counterpart reported that 13 officers were confirmed dead and three injured,&#8221; <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-violence/more-than-a-dozen-police-killed-in-ambush-in-violent-mexican-state-idUSKBN1WT23A">Reuters</a> reported.
Reuters added that photographs of the crime scene &#8220;showed large placards signed by &#8216;CJNG&#8217; left on police vehicles.&#8221;
CJNG reportedly warned law enforcement in the area to not support rival criminal organizations.

Mexico Drug Cartel Violence

WATCH: El Chapo&#8217;s Son Arrested In Mexico, Cartel Violence Erupts

Violent crime in America, despite experiencing an overall <a href="https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/1tabledatadecoverviewpdf/table_1_crime_in_the_united_states_by_volume_and_rate_per_100000_inhabitants_1993-2012.xls">dramatic decline</a> since the 1990s, has started to <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/25-years-crime-wave-back-republicans-refuse-talk/">surge back</a> over the past few years. Amidst this distressing social trend, alas, America&#8217;s <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/rnc-blasts-kamala-harris-not-pro-criminal-enough/">erstwhile</a> &#8220;law-and-order&#8221;/tough-on-crime political party has been ideologically and financially captured by pro-criminal libertarians who ally with the Left to spout hackneyed, outmoded orthodoxies like the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-dont-let-kim-kardashian-fool-you-america-josh-hammer">alleged (non-)issue</a> of &#8220;mass incarceration.&#8221; The most tangible result of this unholy alliance was the bipartisan 2018 passage of the harrowing First Step Act jailbreak law — a law enactment which President Donald Trump, viewing the <a href="https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20191004/he-was-released-early-from-prison-in-february-now-hes-wanted-for-murder-on-federal-hill">murderous early results</a>, apparently already <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/trump-reportedly-regrets-passage-jailbreak-first-step-act-gullible-conservatives-supported/">regrets</a>.
Alas, the leftist/libertarian alliance on &#8220;criminal justice&#8221; issues, just highlighted during last night&#8217;s Democratic Party presidential primary debate when Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) touted her work with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on the crime-abetting issue of &#8220;<a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/jailbreak-epidemic-gang-member-released-6k-bail-now-accused-raping-12-year-old-girl/">bail reform</a>,&#8221;continues unabated. Which brings us to prominent libertarian lawyer/legal commentator <a href="https://www.cato.org/people/clark-neily">Clark Neily</a>, who has been on a roll, of late. Neily, who spent years with the rabidly <a href="https://ij.org/center-for-judicial-engagement/">pro-judicial power</a> libertarian legal group <a href="https://ij.org">Institute for Justice,</a> now works for the equally <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/proper-judging-means-principled-engagement-not-judicial-deference">pro-judicial power</a> libertarian Cato Institute. Neily&#8217;s title at Cato is &#8220;Vice President for Criminal Justice&#8221; and, based on his recent musings, he appears to embody the zealous leftist/libertarian jailbreak alliance.
The precise target of Neily&#8217;s recent ire is the prosecutor. More specifically, Neily is convinced that far too many prosecutors become federal judges — and that not nearly enough criminal defense attorneys become federal judges. In a highly revealing but nonetheless sober-minded recognition of his core readership for such anti-prosecutorial musings, Neily has published on the subject at both <a href="https://www.cato.org/publications/studies/are-disproportionate-number-federal-judges-former-government-advocates">Cato</a> and, just this week, at left-wing <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/too-many-prosecutors-federal-judiciary.html">Slate</a>. The latter piece goes so far as to call for an outright &#8220;moratorium&#8221; on the nomination of former prosecutors to the federal bench.
I am not a former prosecutor. But I do have the benefit of education at a top law school and the experience of serving as a law clerk for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. And I believe Neily is severely misguided in his anti-prosecutor crusade.
Crucially, Neily&#8217;s Cato <a href="https://www.cato.org/publications/studies/are-disproportionate-number-federal-judges-former-government-advocates#summary-previous-studies">study</a> makes no attempt whatsoever to control for education, intellect, or legal credentials. To many lay observers, this may seem anodyne — after all, can&#8217;t former prosecutors and defense attorneys/public defenders, as classes of attorneys, be presumed to have roughly equivalent legal acumens and credentials? Well, no. For generations, gifted law students of all political stripes have seen the prosecutorial career path — be it via the Department of Justice (DOJ), local U.S. attorney&#8217;s offices, state attorneys general offices, or even local district attorneys — as a prominent avenue for vocational success. The DOJ <a href="https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/entry-level-attorneys">Honors Program</a> has long been viewed as one of the most prestigious entry-level attorney tracks in the nation, and scores of lawyers hoping to one day be considered for a federal judgeship have routinely sought U.S. attorney&#8217;s office experience as a means of padding their resumes and evincing a demonstrable commitment to public service. Again, this holds true for lawyers and judges of all political persuasions and partisan affiliations: As but two prominent examples for those on the Left, 2016 failed Barack Obama U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland is a former federal prosecutor and current presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is a former California attorney general.
This is simply not nearly as broadly true for those who pursue careers in the criminal defense bar — be they in private practice or working as public defenders. Leftists and libertarians can gnash their teeth and wail all they&#8217;d like, but the reality, as I <a href="https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1176324820771819520">tweeted</a> last month, is that in no sane world is the median defense lawyer of the same acumen and credentials as the median prosecutor. Representing drug traffickers, gangbangers, and felons in possession of firearms is not a dream job. Again, my claim is that this holds true for prosecutors and the defense bar, viewed as a class — obviously, there will be innumerable individual dispensations to such a broad rule, when comparing class sizes of this magnitude. But anecdotally, based on (1) my own personal experience knowing many individuals who have become prosecutors and defense lawyers, (2) my own law clerk experience and thinking back to a comparison of the median prosecutor&#8217;s brief and oral argument versus the median defense attorney&#8217;s brief and oral argument, and (3) discussing the issue with other former federal appellate law clerk friends, I feel eminently comfortable making such a claim. We should feel comfortable establishing a rebuttable presumption that prosecutors, considered as a class, have superior legal credentials to defense attorneys. Based purely on my own experience, I cannot even begin to count the volume of public defender&#8217;s office legal briefs I read that were of an immensely shoddy quality.
At a bare minimum, libertarians and leftists who would seek to place a moratorium on nominating prosecutors to federal judgeships ought to be asked how they can be so sure that they are not sacrificing legal acumen or credentials. I understand that such logic is arguably circular — anti-prosecutor libertarians and leftists could respond that such a moratorium may prophylactically disincentivize smart law school graduates who may aspire for judgeships from pursuing prosecutorial careers. But the salient point is that the general prestige of many prosecutorial career paths is so deeply ingrained in our legal culture. That is not something that can be easily reversed, and I highly suspect the criminal defense bar and its apologists have no particularly compelling argument to offer for how they might be able to do so.
Prosecutors do not write our nation&#8217;s criminal statutes — they merely enforce them. To the extent leftists and libertarians — hooked as they are on the anachronistic talking points of &#8220;mass incarceration&#8221; and &#8220;low-level non-violent offenders&#8221; — have substantive issues with our criminal statutes, they ought to lobby policymakers. By all accounts, considering both <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/needs-leftists-gop-texas-gov-greg-abbott-endorses-radical-ban-box-pro-criminal-mandate-employers/">state-level initiatives</a> and the aforementioned First Step Act, the pro-jailbreak cabal is quite successful in its lobbying efforts. Pro-jailbreak forces are wrong, on the policy merits, but that is an issue that can be debated in the political space. But it would be dangerous for justice and the rule of law, absent pro-jailbreak forces&#8217; ability to overcome the rebuttable presumption about the credentials of disparate vocational classes, for such forces to also take out their frustrations as part of the judicial nominations process.

Judge gavel with Justice lawyers, Businesswoman in suit or lawyer, Advice and Legal services Concept.

HAMMER: In Defense Of Prosecutors

Constitution

Department of Justice

Federal Government

Guns

Homicide

Judicial Branch

Judiciary

Kamala Harris

Another person has been murdered in the Seattle area due to gang violence committed by illegal immigrants, yet the city still refuses to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Carlos Orlando Iraheta-Vega, a member of the MS-13 gang, was arrested and accused of the brutal slaying of his teenage friend, Juan Carlos Con Guzman. Iraheta-Vega, who entered the country illegally, is accused of bashing Guzman to death with a baseball bat, and then working with another gang member to chop the body into pieces using a machete. One of Guzman’s arms and legs had been severed. Marks on his neck suggested the perpetrators attempted to cut his head off.
The Washington Times <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/14/king-county-washington-officials-shun-ice-despite-/">reported</a> that Iraheta-Vega, 20, “admitted to the killing, saying he’d arranged to fight Juan Carlos but somewhere along the way he and a fellow MS-13 confederate, nicknamed ‘Inferno,’ decided to kill him instead.”
The Times also reported that Iraheta-Vega would have been deported about a year ago had Seattle cooperated with ICE at the time.
“But King County refused to notify ICE that Mr. Iraheta-Vega was being released from jail, and instead freed him into the community. He would have more run-ins with the law, each time escaping ICE’s clutches, until his arrest last week on suspicion of murder,” the outlet reported.
Iraheta-Vega’s arrest on suspicion of murder came just one week after Carlos Daniel Carillo-Lopez was arrested on charges of participating in the murder of a teen boy with fellow gang members. The boy was targeted because his girlfriend had posted a photo of herself online making the hand sign of a rival gang. Carillo-Lopez was a member of the Surenos gang and was prepared to fight a boy who was previously his friend. But after the boy’s girlfriend posted photos of herself making the hand sign of the 18th Street gang, Carillo-Lopez joined others in killing him, the Times reported.
Both Iraheta-Vega and Carillo-Lopez had previous criminal records when they were arrested for murder. Iraheta-Vega had previously stolen a car and had an ICE detainer request placed on him, which city officials in Seattle ignored due to sanctuary city policies.
Sanctuary cities have prevented ICE from deporting dangerous illegal immigrants before they can commit additional crimes.
“This scenario, where sanctuary policies shield criminal aliens who prey on people in the community from immigration enforcement, is becoming all too common,” ICE spokeswoman Tanya Roman told the Times. “As Iraheta-Vega’s crimes increased in severity, local officials chose to release him, time and time again, without notification to ICE, a simple process that could have potentially prevented this crime.”
At the end of September, ICE offices across the country arrested <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ice-offices-across-the-country-arrested-hundreds-of-criminal-illegal-immigrants-last-week">more than 400 illegal immigrants</a> – most of whom had previous criminal histories. The previous crimes committed including drug offenses, sexual assault (including sexual assault of minors), domestic violence, assault, and more. Many of the arrests took place in sanctuary cities, whose officials refuse to turn illegal immigrants over to ICE.
The recent arrests in Seattle have apparently not deterred the cities sanctuary policies.

Chalk outline of body

Another Brutal Gang Slaying In Sanctuary City Seattle, Yet Police Still Won’t Work With ICE

Seattle

On Wednesday evening, Matt Lauer&#8217;s rape accuser Brooke Nevils ripped the former NBC daytime news host&#8217;s open letter defense, accusing him of &#8220;victim blaming.&#8221;
&#8220;There’s a Matt Lauer that millions of Americans watched on TV every morning for two decades. And there is the Matt Lauer who this morning attempted to bully a former colleague into silence,&#8221; Nevils wrote in the statement to NBC News, according to <a href="https://pagesix.com/2019/10/09/brooke-nevils-calls-lauer-defense-a-case-study-in-victim-shaming/?_ga=2.254381576.1881320997.1570721058-1941273117.1559752445">Page Six</a>.
&#8220;His open letter was a case study in victim blaming. I am not afraid of him now regardless of his threats, bullying, and the shaming and predatory tactics I knew he would and now has tried to use against me,&#8221; the accuser added.
Nevils&#8217; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matt-lauer-accused-of-rape-by-former-colleague-lauer-responds">rape allegation</a> against Lauer hit the press earlier on Wednesday. Nevils, a former NBC News employee herself, told journalist Ronan Farrow she was anally raped by Lauer in 2014 while covering the Sochi Olympics.
After socializing at a hotel bar with Lauer and then-&#8220;Today&#8221; anchor Meredith Vieira, Nevils said she went to Lauer’s room to get back her press credentials, which she said were taken by Lauer as a joke. She then returned to his room a second time upon his invite, when the alleged rape took place.
&#8220;Once she was in his hotel room, Nevils alleges, Lauer — who was wearing a T-shirt and boxers — pushed her against the door and kissed her. He then pushed her onto the bed, &#8216;flipping her over, asking if she liked anal sex,&#8217; Farrow writes. &#8216;She said that she declined several times,'&#8221; the <a href="https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/matt-lauer-rape-nbc-ronan-farrow-book-catch-kill-1203364485/">Variety</a> report said.
Nevils claims she &#8220;was in the midst of telling him she wasn’t interested again when he &#8216;just did it,'&#8221; Farrow wrote in his book &#8220;Catch and Kill.&#8221;
&#8220;Lauer, she said, didn’t use lubricant. The encounter was excruciatingly painful. &#8216;It hurt so bad. I remember thinking, Is this normal?&#8217; She told me she stopped saying no, but wept silently into a pillow,&#8221; the book claimed.
&#8220;It was nonconsensual in the sense that I was too drunk to consent,&#8221; the former NBC employee told Farrow. &#8220;It was nonconsensual in that I said, multiple times, that I didn’t want to have anal sex.&#8221;
Nevils admitted that she had consensual — though she described them as &#8220;transactional&#8221; — sexual encounters with Lauer, some of which she initiated, after the alleged rape took place.
Lauer flatly denied the rape allegation in a fiery <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-it-matt-lauers-open-letter-slams-accusers-my-silence-was-a-mistake">open letter</a>, saying Nevils&#8217; accusations &#8220;defy common sense.&#8221; He also noted that his past silence on the matter was &#8220;a mistake.&#8221;
&#8220;Over the past two years people have asked why I have not spoken out to defend myself more vigorously against some of the false and salacious allegations leveled at me,&#8221; Lauer wrote in the letter, which was released by his lawyers and published by <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/matt-lauer-pens-open-letter-ronan-farrow-book-allegations-1246419">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. &#8220;It is a fair question and the answer is deeply personal. Despite my desire to set the record straight and confront the individuals making false allegations, I wanted nothing less than to create more headlines my kids would read and a new gathering of photographers at the end of our driveway. So I decided to just stay quiet and work on repairing my relationship with the people I love. It has been the most important full-time job I have ever had.&#8221;
&#8220;But my silence has been a mistake,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Today, nearly two years after I was fired by NBC, old stories are being recycled, titillating details are being added, and a dangerous and defamatory new allegation is being made. All are being spread as part of a promotional effort to sell a book. It’s outrageous. So, after not speaking out to protect my children, it is now with their full support I say &#8216;enough.'&#8221;
&nbsp;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-it-matt-lauers-open-letter-slams-accusers-my-silence-was-a-mistake">READ IT: Matt Lauer’s Open Letter Slams Accusers: ‘My Silence Has Been A Mistake’</a>

Matt Lauer

Matt Lauer&#8217;s Rape Accuser Rips His Defense As &#8216;Victim Shaming’

MeToo

Rape

Jodi Arias became infamous over the past decade for murdering her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander. She was arrested in 2008 for his murder, convicted in 2013, and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole in 2015.
Now, four years later, attorneys for Arias are seeking a new trial, claiming Maricopa County prosecutor Juan Martinez acted improperly during the investigation and trial. Arizona Central <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2019/10/03/jodi-arias-trial-court-of-appeals-overturn-prosecutor-juan-martinez-misconduct/3857752002/">reported</a> that the Arizona Court of Appeals agreed to consider “numerous allegations of misconduct” against Martinez. The outlet included a list of issues the Court of Appeals will look into:
<ul>
<li>
<blockquote>Which Arizona Supreme Court cases accurately describe the standard of review for addressing prosecutorial misconduct?</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Is Arias is entitled to a new trial if there was intentional prosecutorial misconduct, and would double jeopardy play a role?</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>What factors are relevant in determining whether Arias was denied a fair trial based on prosecutorial misconduct? Does publicity around the trial affect the decision?</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Was she deprived of the ability to present her defense to the jury?</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>If there was prosecutorial misconduct, did it contribute to her guilty verdict?</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>What authority supports reversing a conviction based on prosecutorial misconduct when there is overwhelming evidence of guilt?</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>What authority supports a conviction when there has been a pervasive intentional prosecutorial misconduct?</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>What steps can the court take to constrain a prosecutor&#8217;s conduct inside the courtroom during the proceedings? Does the court have authority to control the prosecutor outside the courtroom if it impacts the proceedings?</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>Should the publicity outside the courtroom be considered when deciding if the atmosphere of the trial was &#8220;circus-like?&#8221; Can publicity outside the courtroom grant a reversal?</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
Martinez is also facing ethics complaints from the Arizona State Bar, which Maricopa County Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Amanda Steele said was a completely separate issue.
&#8220;We want to ensure our community’s understanding that there are two separate proceedings,&#8221; she said in a statement. &#8220;In one, there is the criminal conviction and life sentence in the Arias case that &#8230; is currently being considered by the Court of Appeals. This also involves claims of prosecutorial misconduct that allegedly occurred during the Arias trial. These separately are being reviewed as part of complaints submitted to the Arizona State Bar.&#8221;
In the Arias case, Martinez has been accused of having flirtatious or sexual relationship with two female bloggers and attempting to get them to dig up dirt on jurors during the trial. One of the bloggers allegedly “bragged to at least two others that she helped Martinez dig up negative information about a juror who refused to vote for a death sentence,” AZ Central reported.
The outlet also reported that a juror’s name was posted online just minutes after a mistrial was declared in the case.
Martinez also allegedly asked a removed juror what other jurors were thinking about the case. That juror also allegedly sent Martinez photos of her “naked breasts to Martinez after he told her he was ‘a breast man,’” the outlet reported.
None of this changes the evidence against Arias found in her car, home, rental car, and at the crime scene.

Lady Justice Statue

Convicted Killer Jodi Arias May Get New Trial Due To Prosecutor Misconduct

Murder

The forgotten American is the blue-collar taxpayer who attends church on Sundays. He toils diligently so that he can put bread on the table for his family and children, but he lives paycheck-to-paycheck on a tight budget. He is frustrated that neither major political party seems attuned to the quotidian trials and tribulations that necessarily come, in today&#8217;s society, with raising numerous children while fiscally constrained. Who will stand not with the cronyist interests of Silicon Valley or the corporatist interests of Wall Street, but for the economic interests of the forgotten American family man?
The forgotten American is the law-abiding patriot who has never had a skirmish with law enforcement more dire than a speeding ticket. He proudly exercises his Second Amendment right and owns firearms to protect home and hearth. But he also believes it is a core function of government to ensure law and order by locking up murderers, rapists, sex offenders, drug traffickers, burglars, and other appalling criminals. He is frustrated that neither major political party seems attuned to the fact that deterring crime and removing the worst of the worst from the streets is an indispensable tenet of the American social contract. Who will stand against the leftist/libertarian <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/trump-reportedly-regrets-passage-jailbreak-first-step-act-gullible-conservatives-supported/">jailbreak alliance</a>, and will stand athwart the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-dont-let-kim-kardashian-fool-you-america-josh-hammer">under-incarceration epidemic</a> that wreaks havoc on the safety of the forgotten, law-abiding American?
The forgotten American believes in sovereignty and the integrity of the nation-state. He accepts the truism that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-federal-government-has-no-more-important-josh-hammer">to lack borders is to lack a nation</a> itself and, as such, he opposes illegal immigration. He believes that the federal government&#8217;s response has been woefully inadequate to the phenomenon of augmented transnational criminal cartels trafficking economically motivated faux-asylee human migrants <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-smugglers-and-cartels-profited-23-billion-josh-hammer">for profit</a>. He is frustrated that neither major political party seems committed to deploying the resources necessary to protect the republic&#8217;s territorial and <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/media-willfully-ignores-connection-killer-drugs-illegal-immigration/">narcotics-related</a> integrity against the siege of military-style, Hezbollah-intertwined cartels. He is distressed that neither major political party seems attuned to those who oppose the social transformation without representation that is imposed via the diktats of judicial amnesty. Who will stand not with the open-borders lobby, but with the forgotten American who values the nation-state and wants to see criminal aliens deported en masse?
The forgotten American keeps his copy of the U.S. Constitution in his bedside nightstand. He has read this simple, straightforward document and he cherishes the unbounded political wisdom embedded therein. He is a big proponent of the Tenth Amendment and believes that politicians and lawless judges alike have been complicit in fundamentally distorting the original relationship between the states and federal government that James Madison once described in <a href="https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed45.asp">The Federalist No. 45</a>. But he has also read the Supremacy Clause of <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlevi">Article VI</a> of the Constitution, and he therefore understands that sanctuary state and sanctuary city jurisdictions across the nation operate today in <a href="https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1179456465179942913">subversive, neo-Confederate</a> fashion. Who will stand against the modern-day analogue of John C. Calhoun-style thought and will instead stand for the uncountable forgotten American victims of sanctuary jurisdiction-abetted violent <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/washington-couple-sue-seattle-releasing-career-violent-criminal-savagely-beat/">crime</a>?
The forgotten American is both pro-science and pro-common sense. He knows from rudimentary biology, the <a href="https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8165/jewish/Chapter-1.htm#v27">Book of Genesis</a>, and observable human nature alike that there are two distinct genders: Male and female. He has immense compassion and sympathy for those suffering from gender dysphoria, but he believes in neither bestowing social affirmation upon mental illnesses nor in incentivizing doctors to violate the Hippocratic Oath via genital mutilation &#8220;surgery.&#8221; Furthermore, he worries greatly about the fact that biological males may well soon be permitted to enter his daughter&#8217;s high school girls&#8217; locker room with impunity. Who will stand not with the de-civilization agenda of those would seek to redefine and ultimately eviscerate God&#8217;s man/female biological complementarity, but with the forgotten American who believes in biological and biblical truth?

Border Wall

HAMMER: Who Will Stand For The Forgotten American?

Conservatism

LGBT

Transgender

Agents with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) across the country arrested hundreds of criminal illegal immigrants last week during a week-long enforcement action. From Colorado and Wyoming to New England, agents arrested 443 illegal immigrants who had committed other crimes or had previous immigration violations.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 42 criminal illegal aliens in Colorado and Wyoming over a 5-day period that ended on Wednesday. A <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-arrests-42-colorado-and-wyoming-during-5-day-enforcement-action-targeting-criminal">press release</a> from the agency said, “Most of the aliens targeted by ERO deportation officers during this enforcement action had prior criminal histories; nine have pending criminal charges only.”
The crimes committed by these individuals include assault, domestic violence, sexual assault, and drug offenses, among others.
“Our ICE officers still managed to find and detain many dangerous criminals despite the Colorado law that prohibits local law enforcement jurisdictions from cooperating with ICE,” said John Fabbricatore, acting field office director for ERO Denver. “We continually work to keep our communities safe from Colorado’s misguided priorities of protecting criminal aliens at the expense of its citizens.”
Another <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-arrests-49-north-texas-and-oklahoma-during-5-day-enforcement-action-targeting">operation</a> in North Texas and Oklahoma nabbed 49 illegal immigrants, 33 of which had prior criminal histories. Eleven of the immigrants arrested had no criminal history, while five had pending criminal charges. The crimes committed included assault, domestic violence, sexual assault of a child, burglary, and driving while intoxicated, among others.
In Southern Texas, 45 criminal aliens were arrested in and around San Antonio and Austin. An ICE <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-arrests-45-south-central-texas-during-5-day-enforcement-operation">press release</a> stated that more than 88% of those arrested had prior criminal histories, including fondling a child, driving under the influence, assault, and drug-related crimes, among others.
“Four of those arrested were immigration fugitives with a final order of removal; 27 others illegally re-entered the United States after having been previously deported, which is a felony. The remaining 14 arrests were processed as removable aliens,” the press release stated.
Other offices shared similar statistics.
In Michigan and Ohio, agents <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/2-state-ice-targeted-enforcement-action-nets-46-arrests-over-5-day-period">arrested 46 illegal immigrants</a>, most of whom had prior criminal histories. The previous crimes included attempted rape, attempted sexual assault of a minor, burglary, and drug-related crimes, among others.
Moving east, agents from the Philadelphia field office <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/philadelphia-ice-field-office-arrests-45-during-week-long-enforcement-action-targeting">arrested 45 illegal immigrants</a> in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. Again, most of those arrested had prior criminal histories including driving under the influence and sex-related crimes.
Agents in New Jersey arrested 52 illegal immigrants after targeting at-large criminals that had been released into the community due to local policies. The New Jersey office <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-arrests-54-nj-during-week-long-enforcement-action-targeting-large-criminal-aliens">did not specify</a> what previous crimes had been committed, but did list additional illegal immigrants wanted by ICE.
Another week-long enforcement action in New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-arrests-more-80-during-5-day-enforcement-action-new-york-city-hudson-valley-and">nabbed 82 illegal immigrants</a>. About half of those arrested “had been previously released from local law enforcement custody with an active detainer,” the office said in a press release. Several had committed previous crimes, including sex-related offenses, weapon-related crimes, and assault.
Finally, ICE’s Boston office arrested 80 individuals across New England, including in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. A majority of the arrests included illegal immigrants with a prior history of crime, including violent offenses and child sex crimes.
“In years past, most of these individuals would have been turned over to ICE by local authorities upon their release from jail based on ICE detainers. When non cooperative jurisdictions, including those within the six states of New England do not honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat,” said <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-ero-boston-arrests-80-criminal-aliens-during-targeted-enforcement-action-focused">a press release</a> from the office.

ICE Offices Across The Country Arrested Hundreds Of Criminal Illegal Immigrants Last Week

Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal was conducting a routine traffic stop on Friday when he was shot in the head.
He had pulled over a vehicle in Harris County, Texas. Dashcam footage showed he and the driver talking with “no combat, no arguing,” sheriff Major Mike Lee told reporters Friday, according to <a href="https://abc13.com/suspect-given-no-bond-in-murder-of-harris-county-sheriffs-deputy/5575271/">CNN affiliate KTRK</a>. The driver’s door was open as the two men talked. Dhaliwal then shut the door before turning to walk back to his patrol car. At that time the suspect, 47-year-old Robert Solis, got out of his vehicle and “almost immediately running with a gun already out,” Lee added. Dhaliwal was shot in the back of the head and later died from his injuries, <a href="https://abc13.com/5573573/">reported KTRK</a>.
&#8220;In a cold-blooded manner, ambush style, (he) shot Deputy Dhaliwal from behind,&#8221; Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told reporters. “It&#8217;s the worst day, the worst nightmare for any police executive.&#8221;
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/28/us/texas-sikh-deputy-shot-saturday/index.html">reported</a> that police used Dhaliwal’s dashcam to identify Solis and arrested him at a nearby ice cream parlor.
Gonzalez <a href="https://twitter.com/SheriffEd_HCSO/status/1177773283950960641">tweeted</a> that Solis “had an active Parole Violation Warrant for Aggravated Assault w/Deadly Weapon dating back to January 2017.”
Lee said Friday that Solis “probably knew he was going to go back to jail and did not want to go back to jail.&#8221;
Dhaliwal, CNN reported, gained national attention in 2015 after he was given permission to wear his turban and full beard as part of his religion. Dhaliwal, an observant Sikh, had owned his own trucking business before joining the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. When he heard the office was looking for someone who could connect with the local Sikh community, he sold his business and became a detention officer, eventually becoming a deputy.
Six years after joining the police department, an official policy change allowed him to wear his turban and beard while on duty.
&#8220;As a Sikh American, I felt the need to represent the Sikh community in law enforcement,&#8221; Dhaliwal said when the policy was issued. &#8220;It will give me the chance to open up the conversation.&#8221;
His coworkers remember him as a beloved member of the community. Harris County police commissioner Adrian Garcia said Dhaliwal had “a heart of gold.”
&#8220;This guy had a heart of gold. He treated his brothers and sisters in law enforcement as if they were just brothers and sisters. He thought of them before he thought of himself. He thought of the broader community before he thought of himself,&#8221; Garcia said.
Gonzalez said Dhaliwal “wore the turban, he represented his community with integrity, respect and pride and he was respected by all.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turn <a href="https://twitter.com/SylvesterTurner/status/1177731537149804544">tweeted</a> that Dhaliwal “represented the diversity and inclusiveness of our community and everything that is good. Evil you do not win here.”
Members of the community also sent footage of Dhaliwal interacting with residents. One woman sent a video of the deputy playing with her deaf son at a restaurant.
“A Harris County resident sent us a video of fallen Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal,” the sheriff’s office tweeted. “‘He laughed and joked with all of us, and left a bright impression on my son who is deaf,’ she said.  Deputy Dhaliwal is an incredible loss not only to our HCSO family but to the entire community.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A Harris County resident sent us a video of fallen Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal.
“He laughed and joked with all of us, and left a bright impression on my son who is deaf,” she said.
Deputy Dhaliwal is an incredible loss not only to our HCSO family but to the entire community. <a href="https://t.co/EbsdFeeWXO">pic.twitter.com/EbsdFeeWXO</a>
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) <a href="https://twitter.com/HCSOTexas/status/1177796393349603328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Military funeral

Officer Dies After Being Shot During Traffic Stop, Dashcam Helps Identify Alleged Killer

Police

CBS announced on Monday that the hit action television show &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; will get a modern reboot and complete overhaul.
According to <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/09/walker-texas-ranger-reboot-jared-padalecki-in-the-works-chuck-norris-1202741160/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deadline</a>, &#8220;Supernatural&#8221; star and Texas native Jared Padalecki is set to both produce the show and take over the role of Cordell Walker from original star, acting legend Chuck Norris, who wore the Texas Ranger badge for nine seasons and starred in a television film after the show ended. 
Anna Fricke, best known for executive producing the military drama &#8220;Valor,&#8221; will write and executive produce the remake along with Dan Lin (&#8220;Lethal Weapon&#8221; and &#8220;Godzilla: King of the Monsters&#8221;) and Dan Spilo (&#8220;Sunnyside&#8221;).
&#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; was known for exploring themes of morality, family, justice, and faith. Deadline is reporting that those themes will all be facets of the new series with a focus on &#8220;rediscovering our lost common ground.&#8221;
Moving the action from its original city of Dallas to Austin, The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jared-padalecki-star-walker-texas-ranger-reboot-1242551" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">notes</a> the plot will revolve around widower Cordell Walker returning home after some time undercover. He will receive a female partner and begin patrolling the streets of Texas&#8217; capital city and possibly beyond. No word yet on who will play his partner or if other familiar characters will appear on the show.
CBS Studios has not decided on which network the series will land. Some have speculated that the series will join their flagship network beside other remakes such as &#8220;Hawaii Five-0&#8221; and &#8220;MacGyver.&#8221; However, it is also possible that &#8220;Walker&#8221; could land at the CW, where Padalecki has spent fifteen years on their long-running series &#8220;Supernatural,&#8221; along with his co-star Jensen Ackles. That series will end on its fifteenth season later this year, freeing up Padalecki for this new project. 
&#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; ran for eight seasons from 1993 to 2001 and starred Norris as the titular character, Clarence Gilyard as his partner James Trivette, Sheree J. Wilson as Assistant D.A. Alexandra &#8220;Alex&#8221; Cahill, and Noble Willingham as &#8220;semi-retired&#8221; Captain C.D. Parker. The last two seasons would add Nia Peeples and Judson Mills as fellow Rangers. The original show won several TV awards including Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Gilyard at the 2000 NAACP Image Awards.
&#8220;Walker&#8221; crossed over with fellow law enforcement action series &#8220;Martial Law&#8221; starring Sammo Hung and spun-off the short-lived private detective show &#8220;Sons of Thunder.&#8221; Its iconic theme song &#8220;Eyes of the Ranger,&#8221; composed by Tirk Wilder and performed by Norris, was introduced midway through the second season. 
Four years after the show ended, a reunion television film, &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire,&#8221; was produced by Paramount Network Television and aired in October 2005. Norris, Gilyard, Wilson, and Mills all reprised their roles. Though the film garnered high ratings, CBS ultimately passed on doing further projects. 
In February 2018, Chuck Norris&#8217; film company Top Kick Productions filed a lawsuit against CBS Productions in Los Angeles for over thirty million dollars in unpaid royalties over &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger.&#8221; According to <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/cbs-legal-battles-lawsuits-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fox Business</a>, the suit was forced into arbitration and its verdict is yet undecided. 
Norris currently hosts &#8220;Chuck Norris&#8217;s Epic Guide to Military Vehicles&#8221; on the History Channel.

walker_texas_ranger.jpg

CBS Rebooting Hit Series ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’

Hollywood

Texas

A few years ago, Front Royal, Virginia was set to plan a new data center and shopping center that would bring jobs to an area devastated 25 years earlier with the closure of a rayon manufacturing plant.
When the plant closed, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-news/millions-of-dollars-are-missing-the-sheriff-is-dead-a-small-virginia-town-wants-answers/2019/09/24/1a0be2fe-c061-11e9-b873-63ace636af08_story.html?outputType=amp">reported</a>, 1,300 people lost their jobs and 440 acres of Front Royal was left decimated by toxic waste. In 2014, however, the land had been restored and the area appeared ready to relaunch, so to speak.
As the Post reported, Jennifer McDonald “a longtime Front Royal resident who directed the Warren County economic development authority” began working on a deal to bring investments, companies, and retailers to the area. She secured the help of Truc “Curt” Tran, a developer in the Washington, DC., area, who promised to finance the Front Royal project “with $40 million from wealthy immigrant investors and a $140 million federal contract his technology company had secured,” the Post reported. Tran also said he would provide funding to a police training academy in the area, which was to be run by Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron.
A civil lawsuit filed in Warren County Circuit Court, reviewed by the Post, now says Tran’s promise was bogus From the Post:
<blockquote>Tran never had the money to build the data center project on the 30 acres his company bought from McDonald’s agency for $1, a civil lawsuit alleges. And the training academy was one of several hoaxes that, prosecutors and civil lawsuits claim, allowed Tran, McDonald, McEathron and others to siphon away millions in public funds, which they allegedly used to buy properties, pay bills and gambling debts, and enrich relatives and friends.</blockquote>
The scam began unraveling in 2016, when people started looking into Tran’s business and found that it wasn’t even allowed to solicit investments. The supposed $140 million government contract also didn’t appear to exist.
In early 2017, the Post reported, Tran emailed McDonald to say questions about his company meant “our ability to raise capital within the EB-5 investor community is now in jeopardy.”
Front Royal’s Town Council approved $1.7 million for infrastructure improvements for the proposed site. McDonald used $1.5 million to pay Tran without notifying her development board.
In 2018, it was discovered that McDonald’s board had overbilled the town nearly $300,000, which she calmly claimed was a mistake. An independent review began, which discovered “a dizzying array of phony invoices, phantom projects, secret land deals and bank wire transfers to entities controlled by McDonald or her friends” the Post reported.
McDonald has now been charged with “28 state counts of embezzlement, money laundering and obtaining money through false pretenses,” the Post reported, adding that she has denied the allegations.
McEathron wasn’t charged but also used money purposed for the Front Royal development to buy a home that he rented to his son and daughter-in law. Fearful after what he had done, he retired earlier. Then he testified before a grand jury and was arrested before Memorial Day Weekend. The Tuesday after, McEathron killed himself. Tran, meanwhile, is being sued by McDonald’s former board and is being investigated by state and federal authorities.

Kanchana Chitkhamma / EyeEm

They Promised To Develop A Town. Instead, They Stole Millions. Now, One Is Dead And The Others Are In Legal Trouble.

Virginia

A 59-year-old man has died from injuries suffered during an attack by two teenage brothers prompted by the man&#8217;s refusal to give them a dollar.
John Weed was attending the Great Frederick Fair in Maryland on Friday with his family when he was approached by the teens, ages 15 and 16. According to the prosecution, the 15-year-old sucker-punched Weed after he refused to give them a dollar, knocking him unconscious. Video evidence of the attack shows chaos and laughter in moments after Weed hits the pavement; one of the boys even spits on his lifeless body.
Medics flew the victim to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Teenage-Brothers-Fatally-Attacked-Man-Who-Refused-to-Give-Them-Money-Maryland-Authorities-Say-561154601.html">4 NBC Washington</a> reported on Monday. Weed succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, according to the local sheriff’s office.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s despicable, and it tells me a lot about how these young people view this person by the very fact after they had him on the ground they taunted and they spit on him,&#8221; Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said, according to 4 NBC Washington. &#8220;That to me shows hatred and disgust and despise.&#8221;
The 15-year-old teen who landed the sucker punch has been charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. His 16-year-old brother landed a second-degree assault charge, according to authorities.
The attackers are being charged as juveniles, but prosecution might push for the teens to be tried as adults, the NBC affiliate reported.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been doing this for close to thirty years,&#8221; said Frederick County State’s Attorney Charlie Smith. &#8220;There’s plenty of times where good people make bad decisions, but when they result in somebody’s death, you get punished.&#8221;
When Sheriff Jenkins was asked by a reporter what the &#8220;appropriate punishment&#8221; should be for the boys &#8220;given their age,&#8221; he sternly replied, &#8220;The maximum.&#8221;
&#8220;They made an adult decision by doing what they did and ended up with a man losing his life, the sister losing a brother, whatever,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They deserve the maximum penalty.&#8221;
The video of the vicious attack picked up traffic online on Sunday. However, the account that initially posted the video erroneously framed the attack as black teens defending themselves from a &#8220;white supremacist.&#8221; The video post has been viewed over 230,000 times and garnered nearly 2,000 likes.
&#8220;A white supremacist tried to racially antagonize a group of Black kids at the Frederick Fair in MD. He started calling them the N-word, and one of the kids, fearing for his life, punched the racist man. The white supremacist later died and two innocent Black victims were charged,&#8221; the caption reads.
However, as reported by <a href="https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/crime_and_justice/man-dies-after-frederick-fair-assault-two-juveniles-charged/article_61d7ea30-c7f9-57ff-a94d-cfc02e34bd4a.html">The Frederick News-Post</a>, a sheriff&#8217;s office release revealed that &#8220;investigators who responded to the scene interviewed witnesses who indicated that the attack on the man was unprovoked.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A white supremacist tried to racially antagonize a group of Black kids at the Frederick Fair in MD. He started calling them the N-word, and one of the kids, fearing for his life, punched the racist man. The white supremacist later died and two innocent Black victims were charged <a href="https://t.co/uw56d6Cn0V">pic.twitter.com/uw56d6Cn0V</a>
— Church Of Ogun (@ChurchofOgun) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChurchofOgun/status/1175939278271963138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
The Great Frederick Fair released a <a href="https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/crime_and_justice/man-dies-after-frederick-fair-assault-two-juveniles-charged/article_61d7ea30-c7f9-57ff-a94d-cfc02e34bd4a.html">statement</a> following the brutal incident, emphasizing its commitment to safety and clarifying details of the fatal assault.
&#8220;The Great Frederick Fair’s number one priority is the safety and security of our guests,&#8221; the statement reads. &#8220;To dispel rumors of the events of last night, while there was an assault, there was NO shooting and NO stabbing. The team of security and law enforcement was able to respond rapidly to control and contain the incident. The investigation into this incident remains active and any further information regarding the assault will be released from the Sheriff’s Office.&#8221;
WATCH:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"></div>

State Fair in Maryland

Video: Teen Boys Sucker Punch Middle Aged Man At Fair, Spit On Lifeless Body

Maryland

A woman who crawled into a camel’s pen bit the animal’s testicles after it sat on her.
The woman, who has not been named in media reports, entered the pen of Caspar the camel, a roadside attraction at a truck stop in Louisiana, to retrieve her dog. The woman’s husband had been tossing treats for the dog under the camel’s fence for some unknown reason.
The dog crawled under the fence and began reacting to the camel. The woman crawled in after it and shortly after, Caspar, a male dromedary, sat on her. WBRZ <a href="https://www.wbrz.com/news/woman-bites-camel-to-save-herself-after-freak-encounter-in-iberville-parish/">reported</a> that Caspar first chased the woman in his pen and pinned her against the wall before sitting on her. Caspar weighed 600 pounds, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/09/23/camel-truck-stop-petting-zoo-testicles-bite/">according to The Washington Post</a>, so the woman was being crushed. To escape, she bit the animal’s testicles.
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/camels-testicles-woman-louisiana-truck-stop-zoo-authorities">reported</a> that the woman was taken to the hospital after the encounter, but it is unclear what injuries she suffered.
Louisiana news outlet The Advocate <a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_e046c5fc-dd5c-11e9-ba1e-8fc42923739b.html">spoke to</a> Iberville Parish Deputy Louis Hamilton Jr, who said the woman told him, “I bit his balls to get him off of me, I bit his testicles to get him off of me.”
An investigation ensued. It turns out the couple provoked the camel before it sat on the woman. The husband reportedly pushed the camel and swatted it with his hat.
&#8220;The camel did nothing wrong,&#8221; Hamilton added. &#8220;They [the couple] were aggressive. The camel was just doing its normal routine.&#8221;
The truck stop just outside Baton Rouge is known for its wild animal attractions. The Advocate reported that Caspar has been part of the attraction for some years. At one point, a tiger was on the premises.
“The camel has never been aggressive, the camel has never gotten out, never caused any issues — in fact, the husband and wife stated before that we’ve been here before and we’ve never had any problems,” Hamilton told the outlet.
The couple was cited for violating local leash laws and criminal trespassing. The truck stop was not held liable since signs are clearly posted telling visitors not to enter the pens.
&#8220;My only question to her husband was: ‘Why did you throw the doggy treat under the fence?’” Hamilton told the Advocate. “And he just said, ‘I wasn’t thinking.’”
The truck stop’s manager, Pamela Bossier, told the outlet there hadn’t been any attacks on visitors in the 30 years since the stop started keeping wild animals.
&#8220;First of all, they went and trespassed. After they trespassed then they proceed to antagonize something that big,&#8221; Bossier told local media.
&#8220;He&#8217;s really a gentle giant,&#8221; she said of Caspar.
She also said Caspar’s behavior was “instinct” because he had been provoked.
&#8220;Any animal you provoke, they&#8217;re going to strike back,&#8221; she told the Advocate, adding that the couple could have asked store employees for help retrieving their dog. She told the Post she watched the situation from security video and that Caspar did not put all his weight on the woman.
The woman is a Florida resident.

Camel

Woman Enters Camel Pen, Gets Sat On, Bites Animal’s Testicles To Escape

On June 14, 1985, TWA Flight 847 left Cairo for Athens. After arriving in Athens, a new crew boarded the flight and departed for Rome.
Just after takeoff, two Lebanese men speaking Arabic hijacked the plane using a pistol and grenades they managed to smuggle past airport security. The plane’s course was altered for Beirut in Lebanon. Upon landing, the hijackers released 19 passengers in exchange for fuel.
As TIME later <a href="http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,142099,00.html">reported</a>, millions watched the drama unfold from their television sets and radios. Captain John Testrake argued with air traffic control at Beirut International Airport after they were initially refused for landing.
&#8220;He has pulled a hand-grenade pin and is ready to blow up the aircraft if he has to. We must, I repeat, we must land at Beirut. We must land at Beirut. No alternative,&#8221; Testrake said.
The Beirut control tower eventually responded: &#8220;Very well. Land. Land quietly. Land quietly.&#8221;
Testrake then detailed the threats against passengers: &#8220;They are beating the passengers. They are threatening to kill the passengers. We want fuel now. Immediately. Five minutes at most, or he is going to kill the passengers.&#8221;
One of the hijackers then took over, telling the control tower that the “plane is booby-trapped.”
“If anyone approaches, we will blow it up. Either refueling the plane or blowing it up. No alternative,&#8221; he added.
The plane was then flown to Algiers where it remained for five hours and another 20 passengers were released. The plane then returned to Beirut. During the flights, the hijackers singled out members of the military for beatings. Once they landed in Beirut a second time, however, they focused their attention on U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem. The hijackers beat Stethem and then shot him in the head. They tossed his body out of the plane and then shot him again. Seven passengers believed to have been Jewish were also removed from the plane and taken to a Shia prison.
Armed men boarded the plane in Beirut before it set off for Algiers once again on June 15. Back at Algiers, another 65 passengers and all female crew members were released. The hijackers then flew back to Beirut once more, demanding those responsible for the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Kuwait be released and all Shias held in an Israeli prison be released. The hijackers also demanded Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon and for the international community to condemn the U.S. and Israel.
On June 17, the 40 remaining passengers were taken into Beirut and held hostage by the terrorist organization known as Hezbollah. They were eventually released on June 30 after President Ronald Reagan intervened.
Those involved in the hijacking were placed on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List by President George W. Bush. Just one alleged hijacker, Mohammed Ali Hammadi, was arrested in 1987 and sentenced to life in prison. He was paroled by German officials in 2005 and was placed on the Most Wanted list again in 2006.
On September 20, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plane-crash-suspect-arrested-in-greece-for-1985-hijacking-of-twa-flight-847/">reported</a> that a suspect in the hijacking was arrested while on a cruise in Mykonos. The suspect, a 65-year-old man, has not been identified by police but is rumored to be either Lebanese journalist Mohammed Saleh or Hammadi. The suspect’s role in the hijacking was not disclosed.

gettyimages-1170169489

34 Years Later, Suspect Arrested In TWA Flight 847 Hijacking

Terrorism

A 6-year-old girl in Florida was arrested after she threw a tantrum in her Florida classroom.
The girl’s grandmother, Meralyn Kirkland, said the girl suffers from sleep apnea and was sleep deprived when she threw the tantrum, and shouldn’t have been arrested. She <a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/florida-grandmother-outraged-after-6-year-old-arrested-for-tantrum/">told</a> NBC affiliate WFLA-TV that she was told of the arrest after the fact.
“What do you mean she was arrested, he said ‘there was an incident and she kicked somebody and she is being charged and she is on her way,&#8217;” Kirkland told the outlet.
She said police officers were not persuaded by her granddaughter’s medical condition.
“She has a medical condition that we are working on getting resolved and he says, ‘what medical condition, she has a sleep disorder, sleep apnea,’ and he says, ‘well I have sleep apnea and I don’t behave like that,” Kirkland told WFLA.
The outlet reported that Kirkland’s granddaughter Kaia, a first grader at Lucious and Emma Nixon Elementary charter school, was handcuffed and taken to the police station in a squad car to be fingerprinted and have her mug shot taken.
“They told us we had to wait a few minutes because Kaia was being fingerprinted, and when she said fingerprinted it hit me like a ton of bricks,” Kirkland told WFLA. “No six-year-old child should be able to tell somebody that they had handcuffs on them and they were riding in the back of a police car and taken to a juvenile center to be fingerprinted, mug shot.”
Kirkland added that Kaia “was charged with battery!” because she kicked a staff member at her school during her tantrum. Kirkland <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/grandmother-outraged-over-6-year-old-girls-arrest">told Click Orlando</a> that Kaia was sent to the head office after throwing a tantrum. Once there, a staff member tried to calm her down by grabbing her wrists, which is when Kaia kicked the staff member.
Kaia said Friday that she “felt sad that my grandma was sad, and I really missed her.&#8221;
The outlet also reported that another child at the school, an 8-year-old, was also arrested that day. Orlando Police Department officials told Click Orlando that department policy dictates school resource officers must seek watch commander approval before arresting children under the age of 12, but this particular officer did not do that in either case. That officer, Dennis Turner, is now <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/orlando-school-resource-officer-under-investigation-after-arresting-elementary-students-report">facing an internal investigation</a> for the arrests.
Kirkland told the outlet that Kaia has an upcoming court date related to her arrest.
Kaia is not the only Florida child whose arrest caused national outrage. In 2017, a 10-year-old boy with autism was arrested after <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/21/health/autism-florida-10-year-old-arrested-bn/index.html">an outburst in class</a>. CNN reported at the time that John Haygood, a student at Okeechobee Achievement Academy, was throwing paper balls at students. His paraprofessional told him to take a time out, but he refused, and kicked and punched the paraprofessional instead. In a previous incident, Haygood allegedly threatened to kill the paraprofessional.
Haygood was expelled from the Academy but returned months later to take a test. He was arrested after refusing to take the test and “not being compliant.” The arresting officer told Haygood’s mother that the 10-year-old had an active warrant because the paraprofessional had filed charges. He was arrested.

Handcuffs

6-Year-Old Girl Arrested For ‘Battery’ After Throwing Tantrum

Children

Florida

The New York Times continues its string of bad tweets this week with the following whopper:
<blockquote>Two men died in the home of Ed Buck, a small-time Democratic donor and political activist. Now federal prosecutors say they have detailed a disturbing pattern in which he exchanged drugs and money for sexual favors, citing at least 11 victims. (Emphasis added).</blockquote>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Two men died in the home of Ed Buck, a small-time Democratic donor and political activist. Now federal prosecutors say they have detailed a disturbing pattern in which he exchanged drugs and money for sexual favors, citing at least 11 victims. <a href="https://t.co/5d1utUPzPF">https://t.co/5d1utUPzPF</a> <a href="https://t.co/zcoSyUbfQI">pic.twitter.com/zcoSyUbfQI</a>
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/nytpolitics/status/1175073412546486275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Anyone with even a vague sense of who Buck is knew the idea that he was a “small-time” donor was ludicrous. A quick search of the Open Secrets database shows Buck has donated at least $100,000 to Democrat candidates and groups over the past decade. A Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/new-york-times-slammed-as-disgusting-for-downplaying-ed-buck-as-small-time-democratic-donor">review</a> of federal records showed that “Buck also contributed more than $500,000 to Democratic groups, including $1,500 <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/clinton-obama-silent-on-ed-buck-donations-after-dem-megadonors-sudden-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to the Obama presidential campaign</a> and $2,950 to the Hillary Clinton campaign.”
The Times’ tweet was not an error outside of the article behind it. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/us/ed-buck-charged-gemmel-moore.html?smid=tw-nytpolitics&amp;smtyp=cur">article</a>, written by four reporters, called Buck “a small-time Democratic donor and political activist” in its lede.
The reporters do not address Buck’s donations until the end of the article, where it again claimed he “was not a major Democratic donor, but he handed out tens of thousands of dollars to California Democrats.”
The Times also acknowledged Buck’s influence, writing that he “is a recognizable figure in West Hollywood, a former model who became a fixture in Los Angeles Democratic political circles and was known for focusing on animal rights.”
The Times also added that “politicians began distancing themselves from him, with some donating his contributions to nonprofit organizations” after reports surfaced of multiple men dying at his home.
None of this, apparently, makes Buck anything other than a “small-time” donor.
Buck was arrested on September 17, 2019 “for allegedly operating a drug house after three men connected to Buck have overdosed on methamphetamines over the last two years,” The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51911/breaking-democrat-donor-ed-buck-arrested-charged-ryan-saavedra">reported</a>.
Gemmel Moore, 26, and Timothy Dean, 55 each reportedly died in Buck’s West Hollywood apartment within two years. Buck is white; Moore and Dean were both black. In fact, most of Buck’s victims were gay black men.
Buck was charged last week with providing methamphetamines to a 37-year-old man who overdosed in Buck’s apartment but managed to survive.
Buck had previously avoided criminal charges for the death of Moore, whose death was initially ruled an accident before a new investigation was launched in 2017 following questions from his mother about whether he himself administered the drugs that killed him.
The Times, in its article downplaying Buck’s Democrat donor status, reported that Buck has been accused of trading “drugs and money for sexual favors.”
“There were at least 11 victims in the last two years, according to the complaint, including one who said he left Mr. Buck’s apartment after overdosing last week and called 911,” the outlet reported.
Nine of the victims said Buck either administered the drugs for them or encouraged them to take the drugs. Some said Buck had injected them while they were asleep and without their knowledge or consent.

Ed Buck

New York Times Claims Ed Buck Was ‘Small-Time’ Democrat Donor. He Was Not.

In 2017, a 16-year-old low-level member of the violent MS-13 gang was suspected of working with law enforcement. The leader of his particular faction of the gang allegedly authorized his murder.
Now, two years later, that suspected leader and two other members have been indicted for the murder: Local free newspaper the Queens Chronicle <a href="https://www.qchron.com/editions/north/three-reputedly-in-ms--charged-over-slay/article_cd0c7e07-9850-54ef-9c99-f073a0fa4932.html">reported</a> them as 28-year-old Melvi Amador-Rios (the apparent leader of the faction), 22-year-old Josue Leiva, and 24-year-old Luis Rivas. Rivas is a new defendant added on in the 18-count superseding indictment, the Chronicle reported. The &#8220;indictment was filed Thursday in Brooklyn federal court, charging three members of the vicious gang variously with racketeering, murder, attempted murder, murder conspiracy, robbery and related firearms charges,&#8221; the outlet reported.
The new indictment included the murder charges against the three members.
The story of the 16-year-old Julio Vasquez&#8217;s death is a little complicated. Amador-Rios allegedly suspected a low-level gang member, referred to in an indictment as John Doe 2, was associating with a rival gang. Amador-Rios authorized the murder of John Doe 2. The leader of the Centrales Locos Salvatruchas faction of MS-13 then suspected that another low-level member, referred to as John Doe 3, had warned John Doe 2 about his impending murder. Amador-Rios then tasked Vasquez with killing John Doe 3. Vasquez failed and was subsequently suspected of working with law enforcement. Amador-Rios then ordered Vasquez&#8217;s murder as well.
On May 16, 2017, Vasquez was brought to a wooded area of Alley Pond Park and was allegedly stabbed multiple times by Leiva and Rivas. Vasquez died as a result of his injuries, and his body was found five days later.
&#8220;The superseding indictment also adds a robbery charge and associated firearms offense against Amador-Rios and Rivas. On Jan. 8, 2017, they allegedly robbed a money transfer business in Jamaica at gunpoint, and pistol-whipped an employee,&#8221; the Chronicle reported. &#8220;The defendants face life in prison if convicted.&#8221;
Arrests for MS-13 gang members have appeared to pick up in recent years. In July, it was reported that a high school <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/50486/ms-13-murdered-california-high-school-student-ashe-schow">declined to inform</a> parents and students that a 16-year-old student was murdered by MS-13 members. At least five of the gang members arrested for the murder were also students at Panorama High School.
Earlier this month, yet another group of MS-13 members were arrested in Maryland for murder. As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51498/ms-13-gang-members-arrested-murder-maryland-ashe-schow">reported</a>, six members of MS-13 murdered Daniel Cuellar after he allegedly flashed the sign of a rival gang. MS-13 members stalked him and stabbed him to death. More from the Wire:
<blockquote>
Maryland has been struggling with gang violence for some time. In July, four teenagers were arrested for beating 14-year-old Ariana Funes-Diaz to death. Two of the four were members of MS-13, who feared Funes-Diaz would tell police about a gang-related kidnapping two months earlier in Washington, D.C., WBAL reported.
</blockquote>
New York has also seen its share of MS-13 gang violence. A 16-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42105/3-allegedly-illegal-alien-ms-13-gang-members-stab-ashe-schow">was stabbed</a> after leaving a Long Island Burger King earlier this year. The murders were allegedly orchestrated my illegal alien members of MS-13.

EL SALVADOR-GANGS-TATTOOS

Three MS-13 Gang Members Charged With 2017 Murder Of A Teenager

The media this week is trumpeting a study that makes a shocking claim: One in every 16 women say their first sexual experience was rape. As NPR <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/16/761201571/tip-of-the-iceberg-1-in-16-women-report-first-sexual-experience-as-rape">notes</a>, this is just &#8220;the tip of the iceberg.&#8221; The one-in-16 figure — over 6% of all women between the ages of 18 and 44 — could even be an &#8220;underestimate,&#8221; we&#8217;re assured.
News reports on this study have, of course, tied these revelations to the #MeToo movement. We are meant to come away with the impression that America is chock-full of rapists, and millions upon millions of women have fallen victim to the millions upon millions of predators lurking behind every corner. A closer look at the data, however, reveals a drastically different picture. There is no reason to artificially inflate rape statistics — rape is horrible enough, and far too common already — but this study does just that.
Here&#8217;s the key portion of the NPR report (emphasis mine):
<blockquote>About 6.5% women — an estimated 3.3 million nationwide — said that their first sexual experience was rape.
The average age of most victims was about 15 when they were assaulted. The average age of their partner, or the assailant, was 27, Hawks notes. This suggests a &#8220;major power discrepancy&#8221; and, possibly, a difference in physical size as well, she says.
More than 26% said they were physically threatened during the encounter, 46% said they were physically held down. Over half (56%) of them said they were verbally pressured into having sex, and 16% said that their partner threatened to end the relationship if they didn&#8217;t have sex. These forms of coercion were not mutually exclusive.
&#8220;The definition of rape is any sexual encounter that&#8217;s unwanted or nonconsensual,&#8221; Hawks says. &#8220;And when a [woman or girl] is coerced into having sex that she doesn&#8217;t want to have, that is still considered a rape.&#8221;</blockquote>
There is quite a lot going on in these few paragraphs. First, NPR misquotes the study&#8217;s <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2751247">findings</a>. The average age of most &#8220;victims&#8221; was actually 15.6 and the average age of the &#8220;assailant&#8221; was six years older, which would make him 21 rather than 27. More to the point, &#8220;verbal pressure&#8221; has been lumped together with physical force. Dr. Laura Hawks, the primary author of the study, broadens rape to include &#8220;any sexual encounter that&#8217;s unwanted.&#8221; The &#8220;or&#8221; in the phrase &#8220;unwanted or nonconsensual&#8221; makes it clear that a sexual act could be in every sense consensual — meaning, both partners actively and affirmatively agree to participate in it — and yet rape still may have occurred.
This is madness.
Traditionally, rape hinges entirely on consent. The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/blog/updated-definition-rape">defines</a> it with precise detail: &#8220;The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.&#8221;
Now, it is understood that verbal consent is not always legitimate consent. A child is not capable of consenting, no matter what they say, because they lack the psychological and emotional faculties to make that sort of decision. For a similar reason, you cannot get consent by drugging someone. That&#8217;s one of the reasons why &#8220;unwanted&#8221; does not and cannot enter into the definition of rape. A rapist cannot be excused by arguing that the victim really &#8220;wanted it.&#8221; The only question we need to ask is this: Did you have sex with someone who did not or could not consent? If so, you&#8217;re a rapist. If not, you aren&#8217;t.
A man who pressures a woman to have sex by threatening to end the relationship might be a jerk, but he&#8217;s not a rapist. The woman, if she is a mentally competent adult, can still make her own choice. She is not being forced to do anything. She can decline the man&#8217;s advances and she can terminate the sexual act at any time. Her situation, however unpleasant, cannot be compared to a woman who is physically held down against her will and violated. If she decides to go through with it, the sex may be unloving and transactional, but it is still consensual. She may regret it afterwards. She may feel used (she was). She may want to leave him (she should). But none of this, in itself, makes it rape.
And this new definition of rape wouldn&#8217;t just make everyday jerks and bad boyfriends into rapists; it would turn any man who has ever used any form of persuasion — flattery, sweet talk, and so forth — into a sex criminal. In all of those cases, it could be argued that the woman didn&#8217;t really want to, wasn&#8217;t really into it, and thus was raped. Any wife that has ever had slightly begrudging or unenthusiastic sex with her husband is now a sexual assault survivor. Dr. Hawks is right: By this definition, the actual percentage of &#8220;rape victims&#8221; is way, way higher than 6%.
To make matters worse, the standard is inconsistently applied. If a man who convinces a woman to have sex is a rapist, isn&#8217;t a woman who seduces a man also a rapist? Aren&#8217;t strippers coaxing money out of men&#8217;s pockets now rapists? Aren&#8217;t prostitutes strutting on the street corner rapists? Isn&#8217;t any woman who uses emotional pressure of any kind to extract any concession or compromise out of a man now guilty of assault? It&#8217;s true that men can be manipulative in getting what they want out of a relationship — and it&#8217;s true that what they often want is sex — but women have been known to employ their own forms of manipulation to achieve their own ends. If the man is a rapist, so is she. Coercion, pressure, and manipulation is far from a one-way street, as anyone familiar with male-female relationships well knows.
And this is all to say nothing of pressure and coercion in other contexts. By this standard, isn&#8217;t an effective salesman who convinces people to buy things they don&#8217;t want now a thief? Isn&#8217;t the homeless beggar guilt-tripping quarters out of people&#8217;s pockets now guilty of emotional robbery? Isn&#8217;t persuasion of all kinds, in all contexts, problematic at best — and violent assault, at worst?
This is what happens when coherent definitions are broadened into ambiguous, incoherent, all-encompassing concepts. Before long, everyone is a rapist and everyone is a rape victim. The word no longer means anything. And the real victims — of which there are many — are left high and dry.

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WALSH: Media Trumpets Study Claiming That All ‘Unwanted’ Sex Is Rape. That Is Insane And Dangerous. Here&#8217;s Why.

Media Bias

National Public Radio (NPR)

Sexual Assault

One year later, the Kavanaugh frenzy has returned with a vengeance. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is now calling for the U.S. Supreme Court justice&#8217;s impeachment over the recent New York Times &#8220;scoop&#8221; alleging that he forced his penis into the hands of a girl at Yale who does not even claim to remember it taking place. MSNBC host Joe Scarborough has now blasted Harris for crossing the line.
&#8220;Listen, after the initial hearings that happened a year ago, the number of women, and men, who approached me in public places and cried about what this meant to them because there&#8217;s so much about this issue. And I, as a prosecutor, personally prosecuted sexual assault cases and cases of this general nature, and one of the worst things that happens is that when we are not willing to believe the victim and take them seriously,&#8221; Harris said on MSNBC&#8217;s Rachel Maddow on Monday night.
&#8220;Take them seriously. Investigate the case,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;Determine and assess credibility. But let&#8217;s take the allegations seriously. And it&#8217;s a very serious allegation. So, you know, I think that, you know, what we have seen, frankly, is we’ve seen suppression of evidence. If the bodies that are charged with actually investigating fail to do it and block it off, or tailor it, I would argue that’s suppression of evidence.&#8221;
The California Democrat kicked it up even more, though, when she said that Kavanaugh should now be impeached.
&#8220;Yes, I call for impeachment,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I believe that is the clearest way for us to get an investigation of these allegations and we should open an investigation of these allegations.&#8221;
Harris said this despite the fact that the FBI and U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee both extensively investigated the allegations against Kavanaugh and came up with nothing. The supposed new &#8220;allegation&#8221; that The New York Times revealed over the weekend originated from the justice&#8217;s former Yale classmate Max Stier, who claimed he witnessed Kavanaugh&#8217;s indecent act of sexual impropriety from decades ago. The woman Stier named, however, had no recollection of the incident, and the Times published the article in the opinion section while giving no mention of that salient fact.
On Tuesday, Scarborough said that Harris should not call for the impeachment of somebody based on such a flimsy allegation. &#8220;As a prosecutor, she really should put an &#8216;alleged&#8217; in front of the word victims, especially in the case of The New York Times essay, the baffling essay, the baffling editing process that they put forward,&#8221; he said, as reported by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/joe-scarborough-kamala-harris-kavanaugh-impeachment">Fox News</a>.
Harris echoed her claims when speaking on NPR&#8217;s &#8220;Morning Edition&#8221; on Tuesday, even going <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51865/harris-kavanaugh-fact-something-has-not-been-joseph-curl">so far as to say</a> that just because an allegation has not been proven, it doesn&#8217;t mean that the incident did not happen.
&#8220;Someone should investigate this. Because the fact that something has not been proven it doesn&#8217;t mean it didn&#8217;t occur, right?&#8221; said Harris. &#8220;But if you don&#8217;t investigate it, if it hasn&#8217;t been investigated, then there&#8217;s not been a full airing of the issue. And my point from the beginning about all of these allegations against Brett Kavanaugh is that there&#8217;s not been a robust, a meaningful investigation. There has not been an investigation with the level of attention that normally would occur around these kinds of allegations.&#8221;

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Joe Scarborough Blasts Kamala Harris For Pushing Kavanaugh Impeachment

Brett Kavanaugh

Joe Scarborough

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