January 1, NYPD Bloodied in Brooklyn Fracas

This Day in History | 1945

The Manhattan Project comes to an explosive end as the first atom bomb is successfully tested in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Good morning Middle Americans, 

We continue to learn more about the flash point for this whole cultural revolution, over race and authority, we see playing out in the streets of America’s biggest cities. Just yesterday New York City’s highest ranking police officer was bloodied in a fracas with violent rioters in Brooklyn.

These mask orders are getting serious and the issue is becoming less and less partisan each day. Alabama is now the latest state to have the governor lay down the order: masks in public are mandatory. We are happy to report that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has been released from the hospital and is doing well, according to her office.  You might not agree with her decision, but let’s be honest. Can the country really deal with a SCOTUS nomination fight right now? And finally, how much Goya stuff have you bought or thrown away since the company’s CEO publicly shared his support for president Trump? We know how the White House feels about both the president and his daughter/advisor tweeting out pictures in support of Goya products. Some are now accusing Ivanka of breaking a law with that tweet.

Read all about it. 

-Fraser Dixon 

Bodycam Video Shows Officer Pulled Gun on George Floyd at the Start

(Minneapolis Star Tribune) – Body-worn camera footage from former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane showed that George Floyd was given no explanation for why he was being questioned before Lane pointed a gun and swore at him, touched him multiple times and forced him out of his vehicle into the street.

The court made footage captured by Lane and fellow fired officer J. Alexander Kueng publicly viewable Wednesday by appointment. Sixty-six spaces were made available at one-hour increments to watch the videos that totaled about 65 minutes.

Lane and Kueng, along with onetime colleague Tou Thao, are charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death while he was under arrest on May 25 at E. 38th Street and S. Chicago Avenue. Another fired officer, Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Read more here

Alabama Become Latest State to Issue Mask Order

(ABC Birmingham) – Wednesday morning, Governor Kay Ivey announced that a statewide mask order will be in place, effective at 5:00 p.m. Thursday July 16, 2020 and ending July 31, 2020.

Ivey was joined at the news conference by State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, as Alabama’s COVID-19 cases and deaths surged.

When asked about how the order will be enforced Dr. Harris said, “no one is interested in arresting people.”

Find out more here

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Discharged from the Hospital, Doing Well

(CNN) – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been discharged from the hospital after being treated for a possible infection in her latest health scare.

“Justice Ginsburg has been discharged from the hospital,” a Supreme Court spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday. “She is home and doing well.”

Ginsburg had been taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore early on Tuesday “after experiencing fever and chills,” spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg said.

“She underwent an endoscopic procedure at Johns Hopkins this afternoon to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August,” Arberg said on Tuesday, announcing Ginsburg’s hospitalization. “The Justice is resting comfortably and will stay in the hospital for a few days to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment.”

Get the latest here

Ivanka Trump’s Goya: A ‘Flagrant’ Violation of Federal Law

(Law and Crime) – If there’s anything we know about the Trump family, it’s that they just don’t learn. Not about apostrophes, and not about federal law. We are, once again, living in a world in which a White House official is out there endorsing commercial products. And oh-boya, this one is really angering people.

Wondering why Ivanka is suddenly interested in canned beans? Well, a few days ago, Goya CEO Robert Unanue attended a White House event, at which he said, “We’re all truly blessed” to “have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder.” Unanue was widely criticized for his comments, and calls to boycott Goya sprang up immediately.

On Tuesday night, First Daughter of the United States (FDOTUS) and White House Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump came to Goya’s rescue in the wake of the recent #Goyaway boycott.

Read more here