Establishment Media Reams Ivanka Over Kindness to Jacksonville Victims

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Ivanka Trump led with her heart Sunday and wound up once again being the target of abuse on social media.

“As we await further details, our hearts are with Jacksonville and all those affected by today’s tragic mass shooting,” the first daughter — a mother of three — tweeted even as most of America was waiting for details to emerge about the shooting that took place in Florida, the New York Post reported.

That call for humanity ignited more than 3,000 comments, many directed against President Donald Trump for his position on gun rights, CBS reported.

In the incident, David Katz, 24, of Baltimore, Maryland, shot 12 people, killing two, before killing himself, CNN reported. The guns were legally purchased in Maryland.

The criticism Ivanka Trump received for her tweet was covered by multiple major media outlets, such as Newsweek, which headlined its report, “Ivanka Trump Slammed for Jacksonville Shooting Tweet: ‘Vapid Heartless Nonsense.’”

Some voices fired back.

One commentator noted that the hatred directed at both Ivanka Trump and first lady Melania Trump misses the point that both routinely disagree with the president both privately and publicly.

“Unfortunately, because of the polarizing nature of political discourse, and because both women openly support Trump in other areas, their individual moments of dissent are not widely appreciated,” wrote Kimberly Ross in an Op-Ed posted by the Washington Examiner. “Those who feel that standing against the president should occur more often within his inner circle are sure to be disappointed. While I routinely differ from Ivanka Trump’s personal and professional political stances, I admire this stand of hers.”

Ross pointed to Ivanka Trump’s difference of opinion with her father about the media as evidence that they do not think in lockstep.

“The hatred that a fair amount of individuals on the left have for these two women is palpable. Neither is an elected official and both are quite limited in how much influence they have on this administration. By publicly objecting to certain attitudes within the Trump White House, and doing so with a measure of grace, they show that civil discourse is possible,” Ross wrote. (For more from the author of “Establishment Media Reams Ivanka Over Kindness to Jacksonville Victims” please click HERE)

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Trump Unloads on ‘Rigged’ Google, Threatens Action

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President Donald Trump was awake early Tuesday morning and once again took aim at the perceived bias of Silicon Valley with a pair of tweets aimed at Google.

The search-engine giant had been the subject of an investigation by one conservative website that found a majority of news results related to Trump were from “liberal” media sites.

That designation was itself lifted from a “media bias chart” compiled by journalist Sharyl Attkisson. Major media properties including CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post appear on the left-leaning side of that chart.

Apparently referencing that PJ Media report, the president began by tweeting that Google’s behavior could be against the law.

Google search results for “Trump News” shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake New Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal? 96% of…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2018

….results on “Trump News” are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous. Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2018

He claimed the tech giant had “RIGGED” the system against him and his supporters while artificially amplifying the voices of his detractors in the media.

“Google search results for ‘Trump News’ shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake New Media,” he wrote. “In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD.”

While keeping the focus on Google, Trump denounced “Fake CNN” as a “prominent” news outlet within the search engine’s results.

“Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out,” he wrote. “Illegal?”

As his statement ran into a second tweet, Trump hinted that his administration could take action against the company, though he did not elaborate on what crime he believes Google might have committed.

“96% of…….results on “Trump News” are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous,” the president tweeted at about 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. “Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good.”

Trump concluded by insinuating that Google’s influence is so great that it can effectively silence some voices on the internet.

“They are controlling what we can & cannot see,” he wrote. “This is a very serious situation — will be addressed!”

In a statement later Tuesday morning, the president’s economic adviser confirmed his team would be determining whether the government should step in to regulate what users find when they search for content online using Google.

“We’ll let you know,” Larry Kudlow said. “We’re taking a look at it.”

Earlier this month, Trump tweeted similar criticism of the nation’s leading social media firms, which have been accused of exhibiting political bias in removing or restricting access to certain content.

“If you are weeding out Fake News, there is nothing so Fake as CNN & MSNBC, & yet I do not ask that their sick behavior be removed,” Trump wrote. (For more from the author of “Trump Unloads on ‘Rigged’ Google, Threatens Action” HERE)

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Designer of 3D Printed Gun Will Distribute Gun Plans Despite Court Order

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The designer of a 3D printed gun said he will distribute his designs despite a court order that sought to bar him from doing so. . .

Cody Wilson plans to sell the designs for 3D printed guns through his company Defense Distributed, based in Austin, Texas. While it’s illegal to distribute plans for an entire 3D printed gun online, Wilson circumvented this by selling parts instead of a complete gun.

On July 10, the U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement with the Second Amendment Foundation on behalf of Defense Distributed, under which plans for the guns could be distributed freely online.

Wilson announced at a news conference on Tuesday that he had figured out a work-around, and would be selling flash drives with the plans on them instead of making them available for download. He will also limit sales to the United States instead of making the plans available internationally. . .

Trump is no fan of Wilson’s. In July, shortly after the settlement, Trump tweeted that does not think that 3D guns should be sold to the public.

(Read more from “Designer of 3D Printed Gun Will Distribute Gun Plans Despite Court Order” HERE)

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More Than Two-Thirds of School Shootings Reported to Feds in 2015-16 Never Happened

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. . .This spring the U.S. Education Department reported that in the 2015-2016 school year, “nearly 240 schools … reported at least 1 incident involving a school-related shooting.” The number is far higher than most other estimates.

But NPR reached out to every one of those schools repeatedly over the course of three months and found that more than two-thirds of these reported incidents never happened. Child Trends, a nonpartisan nonprofit research organization, assisted NPR in analyzing data from the government’s Civil Rights Data Collection.

We were able to confirm just 11 reported incidents, either directly with schools or through media reports.

In 161 cases, schools or districts attested that no incident took place or couldn’t confirm one. In at least four cases, we found, something did happen, but it didn’t meet the government’s parameters for a shooting. About a quarter of schools didn’t respond to our inquiries. . .

The Education Department, asked for comment on our reporting, noted that it relies on school districts to provide accurate information in the survey responses and says it will update some of these data later this fall. But, officials added, the department has no plans to republish the existing publication. (Read more from “More Than Two-Thirds of School Shootings Reported to Feds in 2015-16 Never Happened” HERE)

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California Eliminates Bail System so That ‘Rich and Poor Alike Are Treated Fairly’

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California will no longer have a bail system for suspects awaiting trial beginning next year, after Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill aiming to treat suspects more equally, according to The Hill.

Senate Bill 10 will go into effect in October 2019 and replace the current bail system with a “risk assessment” procedure that will determine whether a suspect is released.

“Our path to a more just criminal justice system is not complete, but today it made a transformational shift away from valuing private wealth and toward protecting public safety,” said state Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), who authored the bill along with Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Alameda). “Thanks to the collaboration of the governor, chief justice and the Legislature, we are creating a system that is fairer for all Californians.” . . .

Nonviolent misdemeanor suspects will be released within 12 hours after being booked, with exceptions being made for people with recent violent felony convictions, failures to appear, or domestic violence allegations.

For other suspects, local courts will conduct a risk assessment. Those found to be at a low risk of further criminal activity or fleeing will be released. Medium-risk suspects may be released at the discretion of the court, and high-risk suspects will be detained. (Read more from “California Eliminates Bail System so That ‘Rich and Poor Alike Are Treated Fairly’” HERE)

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About 1 in 7 U.S. Adults Reported Using Marijuana Last Year, and Many Believe It Has Health Benefits

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Nearly 15 percent of adults in the U.S. reported using marijuana last year, according to a study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal.

Researchers found that 1 in 7 adults used some form of cannabis in 2017, up slightly from 13 percent in 2016. In states where marijuana is legal for recreational use, the rate of users was as high as 20 percent.

The survey of the 9,003 adults found that Americans have a more favorable view of marijuana than existing scientific evidence supports, the study’s authors wrote. . .

Thirteen percent of adults in the U.S. reported using pot in 2016, according to a Gallup poll published earlier this month. In 2013, only 7 percent said they used it.

Sixty-six percent of respondents perceived pain management to be the most common benefit of marijuana use, followed by treatment for diseases such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis (48 percent). Forty-seven percent believed it treats depression and anxiety. (Read more from “About 1 in 7 U.S. Adults Reported Using Marijuana Last Year, and Many Believe It Has Health Benefits” HERE)

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Mother Alleges That ICE Is Responsible for Her Toddler’s Death

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Jazmin Juarez, 20, and her 18-month-old daughter, Mariee, came to the U.S. from Guatemala via the Rio Grande in March. They were detained by ICE and placed in the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. Mariee soon developed a respiratory infection which “went woefully under-treated for nearly a month,” according to Juarez’s lawyers. Facility workers reportedly gave her Tylenol to alleviate her symptoms, but it did not help. The toddler died six weeks after the family’s release.

“A mother lost her little girl because ICE and those running the Dilley immigration prison failed them inexcusably,” the lawyers told CNN. “We are working with Yazmin and her family to obtain justice for the failures by ICE and others, and to ensure that no other family suffers such a needless and devastating loss.”

They provided a timeline of Mariee’s deteriorating condition.

But her lawyers say Mariee’s symptoms became worse, losing weight, vomiting as well as developing fever and diarrhea. During their nearly three weeks at the facility, Juarez sought medical attention for Mariee at least five times, according to her attorneys. During her time there, Mariee received various other diagnoses that included acute bronchiolitis and an ear infection.

“After it became clear that Mariee was gravely ill, ICE simply discharged mother and daughter. Yazmin immediately sought medical care for her baby, but it was too late. Mariee died following six agonizing weeks in the hospital after leaving Dilley,” according to her lawyers. (Read more from “Mother Alleges That ICE Is Responsible for Her Toddler’s Death” HERE)

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Hmm: Meghan McCain for Senate?

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Over the coming days, Americans will continue to pay tribute to the late Sen. John McCain, who died on Saturday after a protracted battle with cancer. McCain, a decorated and extraordinary war hero and the Republican Party’s 2008 presidential nominee, was 81 years old. (I commented briefly on McCain’s life and legacy in Friday’s week-in-review post, published shortly after his family revealed that the Senator had chosen to cease medical treatment). Under Arizona law, Gov. Doug Ducey will appoint McCain’s replacement, who will serve until the next qualifying general election — in this case, 2020. Ducey, quite rightly, has declined to publicly discuss his decision at this time out of respect, telling the Arizona Republic that the issue is effectively tabled until Sen. McCain is laid to rest:

Gov. Doug Ducey will wait to name a successor to John McCain until after the late senator has been buried at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in Maryland, an aide to the governor told The Arizona Republic on Saturday. “Out of respect for the life and legacy of Senator John McCain and his family, Governor Ducey will not be making any announcements about an appointment until after the Senator is laid to rest,” Ducey’s senior adviser Daniel Ruiz II said in a statement. “Now is a time for remembering and honoring a consequential life well lived.”

. . .

From the Republican Party’s perspective, it would probably be most helpful for Ducey to select an up-and-coming figure within the GOP ranks, thus helping that person build and burnish his or her credentials in advance of a 2020 run in an increasingly competitive state. It’s also possible that Ducey could view this role as that of a place-holder or caretaker, in which case, former Sen. Kyl would be a sensible and sterling pick. Kyl, by the way, is currently acting as Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate ‘sherpa.’ By going this direction, Ducey would avoid putting his thumb on the scale in advance of an eventual 2020 primary, a show of favoritism that could potentially alienate certain factions within the party in the lead-up to the governor’s own active re-election push. As for the rumors that Mrs. McCain is in the mix — and a Senate wife getting appointed to fill a seat is hardly groundbreaking — I shared this thought on Twitter yesterday:

Many people reacted negatively to this idea, citing concerns about dynastic politics. As noted above, I share those concerns. My point is that if the governor decides that he’s inclined to appoint a McCain to fill this seat until the next general election, my preference would be Meghan. (She meets the Senate age threshold, but I’m not sure if she meets any applicable Arizona residency requirements). This is not a criticism of Cindy whatsoever; I just do not know much about her ideology. Meghan, by contrast, has really found her voice as a conservative media commentator, exhibiting fearlessness and tenacity on the set of a show that is often politically hostile to her worldview. She, like her father, is a Trump skeptic in some respects — but she frequently stuck up for the president on Fox, and has done so at The View, as well, much to the chagrin or Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, and most of the live audience. (Read more from “Hmm: Meghan McCain for Senate?” HERE)

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Mattis Makes Announcement on the Future of Military Exercises With South Korea

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U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. is preparing to resume military exercises with South Korea after they were briefly suspended this past summer.

“We took the step to suspend several of the largest military exercise as a good faith measure,” Mattis said at the Pentagon. “We have no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises.”

“We will work very closely … with the Secretary of State and what he needs done, we will certainly do to reinforce his effort,” he added. “But at this time there is no discussion about further suspensions.”

Following a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June, President Trump suspended war games with South Korea as a gesture of good faith in the denuclearization process. . .

However, relations with North Korea have recently stalled. President Trump cancelled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s planned trip to North Korea last week, citing the lack of progress in the goal of denuclearization.

(Read more from “Mattis Makes Announcement on the Future of Military Exercises With South Korea” HERE)

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Bag With Apparent Human Remains Found in the Bronx for 2nd Time in a Week

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Police are investigating what appear to be human remains found inside two plastic bags in the Bronx Tuesday night.

This is the second time within the past week that body parts have been discovered in the Bronx.

Police received a 911 call just after 7:30 p.m. from a person who discovered the bags inside Barretto Point Park at Barretto Street and Viele Avenue in the Hunts Point section.

One bag appeared to have a human leg, while the other also appeared to have human remains. . .

Human remains were found in two bags on a sidewalk in the Claremont section Friday afternoon. (Read more from “Bag With Apparent Human Remains Found in the Bronx for 2nd Time in a Week” HERE)

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