close Video Protesters smash police vehicle windows in Tacoma Reports of Antifa being behind protests, lighting of fires in Tacoma, Washington; reaction from chair of the King County Republican Party Joshua Freed. White House press secretary Jen Psaki, pressed on the riots in Portland and Seattle , said President Biden "condemns violence" and supports "peaceful protests" but said "smashing windows is not protesting and neither is looting." Psaki was asked during the White House press briefing Monday for Biden’s reaction to recent unrest in the Pacific Northwest. LATEST PORTLAND ANTI-ICE PROTEST PROMPTS FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE "President Biden condemns violence and any violence in the strongest possible terms," Psaki said. "Peaceful protests are a cornerstone of our democracy but smashing windows is not protesting and neither is looting, and actions like these are totally unacceptable." More than a dozen people were … [Read more...] about White House condemns violence amid Portland, Seattle riots: ‘Smashing windows is not protesting’
Peace over violence
At Least 5 Deaths Reported in Bloodiest Day of Myanmar Coup Protests
The crackdown against opponents of Myanmar’s military takeover intensified Sunday as security forces were reported to have fired on protesters, killing at least five people in the deadliest day of demonstrations since the February 1 coup. Witnesses say police used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and in some cases live ammunition in the country’s biggest city Yangon. According to the Associated Press, photos of shell cases from live ammunition were posted on social media. Police also aggressively sought to break up protests in Mandalay and Dawei. Popular protests have been staged across Myanmar on a daily basis since the military detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the civilian government last month, claiming widespread fraud in last November’s election, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won in a landslide. The junta has declared a one-year state of emergency. Its commander, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, has pledged that … [Read more...] about At Least 5 Deaths Reported in Bloodiest Day of Myanmar Coup Protests
Russia Seeks to Strengthen Old Ties with Myanmar Junta
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Russia’s appetite for influence and lucrative arms sales in Southeast Asia has been whetted by the latest coup in Myanmar, where isolated generals remain distrustful of China but still require allies on the United Nations Security Council. Chinese investments had flourished in Myanmar under the now-deposed civilian government effectively led by former opposition figure Aung San Suu Kyi, and the military, also known as Tatmadaw, benefitted through state owned enterprises brought under its control before Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won historic 2015 elections. However, relations between junta leaders and Beijing have long been strained over Chinese interference across their common border – an existential threat not shared with Russia – and Beijing’s assistance to long-running ethnic insurgencies, including the sale of weapons to rebels. Bradley Murg, a senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said Russia and … [Read more...] about Russia Seeks to Strengthen Old Ties with Myanmar Junta
No indictment of Aurora police officer in slaying of unarmed black man
AURORA — Grand jurors in Arapahoe County have declined to indict an Aurora police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed, 37-year-old black man in March, prosecutors said Wednesday. The decision not to charge Officer Paul Jerothe , a tactical paramedic commended for his actions during the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, ends months of speculation in a case that drew parallels to other police shootings of black men around the country. Naeschylus Carter Vinzant was a wanted parole absconder also suspected in a domestic violence and robbery case when Jerothe, who is white, and other officers tried to arrest him. Authorities had been warned Vinzant was a violent criminal with a history of threatening to shoot police. Grand jurors were convened in June to review the case and heard testimony that Jerothe feared for his life and the lives of his colleagues when he fired one shot, hitting Vinzant in the chest. Lawyers for Vinzant’s family released a statement saying he … [Read more...] about No indictment of Aurora police officer in slaying of unarmed black man
Who killed the California dream? If you think it was liberals, think again
California’s in tough shape. We’ve got our own dangerous virus variant , homelessness appears uncontrollable , and the governor may soon face a recall election. That can mean only one thing: It's time for establishment media to once again declare the death of “the California dream.” It’s happened every downturn since the end of the gold rush, but these new eulogies have a fresh twist. The dream this time has apparently been ruined by an excess of liberalism . Big government projects and overregulation are to blame for the shattering of an illusion. ADVERTISEMENT Without question, California sometimes suffers vertigo from tilting too far left; the San Francisco Board of Education’s crusade to rename schools is one handy example. Small-business owners here can rattle off a long list of frustrations about government micromanagement. But this is also a state where voters last November overwhelming rejected progressive ballot measures to end bail, restore … [Read more...] about Who killed the California dream? If you think it was liberals, think again
