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Friday, September 4, 2020

The Rundown: Biden Meets With Blake

Chicago Tribune 9/4/20
TRUMP MAINTAINS LAW AND ORDER MESSAGE IN PENNSYLVANIA: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Thursday, where he met with Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man who was shot seven times in the back by police, and his family, as well as with community leaders later at a church. There has been at-times violent unrest in Kenosha since Blake's August 23rd shooting.

The former vice president said at the church meeting that the turmoil around the incident and other recent similar ones could help Americans confront centuries of systemic racism, saying, "We’re finally now getting to the point where we’re going to be addressing the original sin of this country, 400 years old . . . slavery and all the vestiges of it." Biden, who doesn't support defunding police, said yesterday, however, that policing needs to be overhauled, and has promised a national commission on policing if he's elected. President Trump, meanwhile, kept pushing the same law and order message during an appearance in Pennsylvania yesterday that he had when he went to Kenosha himself two days earlier, where he praised police and condemned violence at the protests as "domestic terrorism." Appearing at an outdoor rally in Latrobe, Trump declared, "Biden's plan is to appease the domestic terrorists and my plan is to arrest them and prosecute them."


➤AP: SUSPECT IN FATAL SHOOTING AT PORTLAND CLASHES KILLED AS INVESTIGATORS MOVED IN: A 48-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting Aaron "Jay" Danielson, a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, during clashes with anti-racism protesters in Portland, Oregon, last weekend was killed yesterday as investigators moved in to arrest him, the Associated Press reported last night. AP cited a senior Justice Department official as saying Michael Reinoehl was killed by a law enforcement officer working on the federal task force that tried to take him into custody in Lacey, Washington. The official said Reinoehl was killed after he pulled a gun. The killing of Danielson, who was 39, took place after a caravan of supporters of President Trump rode through downtown clashing with the protesters last Saturday. Reinoehl had regularly been at the anti-racism protests in Portland.


➤ROCHESTER, N.Y., OFFICERS INVOLVED IN MAN'S SUFFOCATION DEATH SUSPENDED: Rochester, New York, Mayor Lovely Warren yesterday suspended seven police officers involved in the March suffocation death of Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man, who died after police put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting and then held his head down on the pavement for two minutes until he stopped breathing. Warren said she'd been misled for months about the incident, saying the police chief initially described it as a drug overdose. There was outrage after Prude's family released police bodycam video a day earlier of the incident, which previously hadn't been publicly known. Police found Prude running naked through the street after his brother called 911 early in the morning of March 23rd when he realized Prude had left his home, hours after getting a mental health evaluation at a hospital. Prude obeyed police orders to get on the ground and they handcuffed him, but then he became agitated and police put the hood on him because he'd been spitting, before pressing his face into the pavement for two minutes. Prude begged to be let go, and eventually stopped moving and became quiet, and officers noticed water coming out of his mouth. Waiting medics gave him CPR, but he was taken off life support a week later. A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint." The state attorney general's office has been investigating the case since April.

➤REPORT: TRUMP CALLED U.S. MILITARY DEAD 'LOSERS' AND 'SUCKERS,' HE DENIES: A report out yesterday in The Atlantic details several instances in which it says President Trump said disparaging things about members of the U.S. military who were killed or captured. In one reported incident, Trump in 2018 referred to the U.S. war dead at France's Aisne-Marne American Cemetery as "losers" and "suckers." Trump blasted the story, calling it "totally false" and a "disgraceful situation." He told reporters, "I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes." The Associated Press reported that a senior Defense Department official with firsthand knowledge of the events and a senior U.S. Marines officer who was told about Trump’s comments confirmed some of the remarks, including the 2018 cemetary comments.


In another reported incident in the Atlantic's story, which AP said the Defense officials also confirmed, Trump went on Memorial Day in 2017 with his then-chief of staff John Kelly to visit the Arlington Cemetery grave of Kelly's son, Robert Kelly, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. Trump reportedly told Kelly, "I don’t get it. What was in it for them?" The Atlantic report further said that Trump got angry that flags were flown at half-staff for Senator John McCain after his 2018 death, saying, "What the f*** are we doing that for? Guy was a f***ng loser." Trump had disparaged McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, in 2015 soon after launching his presidential campaign, saying, "He's not a war hero. I like people who weren’t captured." The magazine said Trump also referred to former President George H.W. Bush as a "loser" because he was shot down by the Japanese when he was a Navy pilot during World War Two.


➤U.S. TRADE DEFICIT HIGHEST IN 12 YEARS: The U.S. trade deficit rose in July to $63.6 billion, its highest in 12 years, driven by a record increase in imports. The Commerce Department said the July deficit, which is the difference between what America buys and what it sells to foreigners, was 18.9 percent higher than June's, and was the largest monthly deficit since July 2008 during the Great Recession.


➤FACEBOOK TO RESTRICT POLITICAL ADS WEEK BEFORE ELECTION:  Facebook on Thursday announced several new measures related to the upcoming presidential election meant to prevent it from being used to spread misinformation or sow chaos amid the contentious atmosphere surrounding the election and the potential for not having a final result on election night due to expanded mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. Under the new measures, politicians and campaigns won't be able to run new election ads during the week before the November 3rd election. However, they can still run existing ads and change how they're targeted. Posts with misinformation about voting policies and the pandemic will be removed. Additionally, Facebook will attach links with the official election results to any posts by candidates or campaigns that prematurely declare victory.

Newsday 9/4/2020
➤RAPTORS TOP CELTICS IN GAME 3 WITH THREE-POINTER AT THE BUZZER: The Toronto Raptors took Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics last night (September 3rd) with a three-pointer at the buzzer by OG Anunoby, getting on the board in the series to avoid going down 3 games to 0, with Boston now having a 2 games to 1 lead. Anunoby caught a cross-court pass from Kyle Lowry and drained the three-pointer as time expired for the 104-103 win.

NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from playoff games yesterday:

Conference Semifinals:
  • Toronto Raptors 104, Boston Celtics 103 -- Boston leads series 2 games to 1 (East)
  • L.A. Clippers 120, Denver Nuggets 97 -- Los Angeles leads 1 game to 0 (West)
➤NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round playoff games yesterday:
  • Philadelphia Flyers 5, New York Islanders 4 (2OT) -- Series tied at 3-3
  • Vancouver Canucks 4, Vegas Golden Knights 0 -- Series tied at 3-3

➤SERENA WILLIAMS WINS IN SECOND ROUND AT U.S. OPEN: Serena Williams won her second-round match at the U.S. Open on Thursday, beating Margarita Gasparyan in straight sets. She'll play fellow American Sloane Stephens in the next round on Saturday, after Stephens downed Olga Govortsova, also in straight sets. The day's other winners included Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Sofia Kenin and Madison Keys.

Cam Newton
➤REPORTS: NEWTON TO BE PATRIOTS' STARTING QUARTERBACK: Cam Newtown will be the New England Patriots' new starting quarterback, according to media reports yesterday. ESPN cited a source as saying coach Bill Belichick told players the news in a meeting yesterday, and that he was also elected team captain, a position long been held by Tom Brady, who he's replacing as QB after Brady left after 20 years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

➤STEVE NASH IS NETS' NEW HEAD COACH: The Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash as their new head coach yesterday (September 3rd), giving the Hall of Fame point guard his first job coaching an NBA team. Nash said in a statement, "Coaching is something I knew I wanted to pursue when the time was right, and I am humbled to be able to work with the outstanding group of players and staff we have here in Brooklyn."

➤DODGERS' KERSHAW GETS 2,500TH STRIKEOUT: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw got his 2,500th career strikeout in the Dodgers' 5-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks last night (September 3rd). Kershaw finished with eight strikeouts to move his career total to 2,505, passing Christy Mathewson (2,502) for 38th on the career list. Kershaw is the third-youngest pitcher to reach the milestone, and one of just five active pitchers with 2,500 strikeouts.

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