Don't Miss: Heather Mac Donald, The War on Cops

I can't promote this book enough, so don't be surprised if I'm linking it like crazy over the next few days. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. She should be the most in-demand speaker on the television interview circuit, and her book should be up for a Pulitzer.

Even top Black Lives Matter activists are feakin' that their movement is going to get blamed for the Baton Rouge cop killings this morning, although the identity of the suspects has not been released yet.

More on that later.

At Amazon, The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe.

And previously, ICYMI, "Heather Mac Donald Discusses the 'War on Cops," the Ferguson Effect, and Black-on-Black Violence."

Sunday Cartoons

Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies," isn't up yet.

So, until later:



Also at Theo Spark's, "Cartoon Roundup."

Cartoon Credit: A.F. Branco, "Box Truck Terrorism."

Rachel Maddow Befuddled by Hillary's Horrible No-Good 'Rate of Return' on Massive Campaign Ad Spending (VIDEO)

I mentioned this yesterday, heh.

See, "Hillary Clinton Slumps in L.A. Times Daybreak Tracking Poll."

Here's Rachel Maddow, being forced to deal with some facts about the presidential horse race that she'd clearly rather not. And note Guy Cecil, interviewed there, who heads-up strategy for Priorities USA, the Democrat establishment's in-house super-PAC. He's all, "Well, we're going to define Donald Trump early, and that oughta show that the Republican anti-Trump super-PACs were doing it wrong in the primaries."

Right.

Trump hasn't even started running ad buys yet. And one way or another Republicans are going to be up on the air in battleground states, and the anti-Hillary attacks are going to be merciless.

At MSNBC:



See also the Hill, "Polls suggest Clinton-Trump race tightening."

And at Bloomberg, "Hillary Clinton Confronts Her Growing Trust Problem, With Scant Results."

Stability in Turkey is Key Strategic Goal of U.S. Foreign Policy

Following-up, "Turkey Coup d'État Risks Major Ramifications for U.S. Foreign Policy (VIDEO)," and "Turkey's Instability Threatens to Weaken the War on Terror."

A great piece, from Tracy Wilkinson and W.J. Hennigan, at the Los Angeles Times, "Straddling East and West, Turkey is a critical U.S. ally in fight against Islamic State":

Straddling East and West, #Turkey is a critical U.S. ally in fight against #IslamicState. https://t.co/UVcwAYi6sl

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 17, 2016

Dramatic @LATimes front page extra today. #Turkey pic.twitter.com/xA76Dv6q0L

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 16, 2016

The sprawling nation of Turkey is one of the United States’ most important and critically strategic allies, straddling the divide between the Middle East and the West.

As the only majority-Muslim member of NATO, Turkey has lent its soil to U.S. air bases, supported American military operations in key conflicts — such as Syria today and the Balkans in the 1990s — and served, until recent years, as a rare friendly interlocutor between Muslim nations and Israel.

But Turkey has also been a complicated and prickly ally, and more so as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan deepened his autocratic hold on power.

Turkey’s stability and the friendliness of its military toward the West are also of vital importance to the U.S. and for countries throughout Europe.

Turkey has been a NATO ally since 1952, and U.S. warplanes have used Incirlik Air Base in the south during the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

An estimated 1,800 U.S. military personnel are assigned to the base and the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, the capital.

Security at Incirlik is of critical importance for the U.S. military because there is a stockpile of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons at the base.

The B61 thermonuclear weapon is the last of its kind, the only tactical nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal. Unlike strategic weapons, designed to destroy cities and hardened military targets, the tactical weapons are intended for use on a battlefield, delivered by aircraft at treetop level or from high altitudes.

The exact number of B61 bombs at Incirlik is classified, but arms control analysts estimate there are about 50 deployed there.

With  the second largest army in NATO, Erdogan was initially hesitant to take part in the U.S-led effort against Islamic State militants in Syria. For Erdogan, the greater goal was ousting Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Erdogan was accused in some U.S. circles of turning a blind eye toward the threat of Islamic State.

However, after a series of high-profile suicide attacks in Turkish cities, Erdogan agreed a year ago to allow U.S. warplanes to fly combat sorties from Incirlik.

Since then, the intensity of the U.S.-led air war in Syria increased sharply because the flight time into Syria was drastically reduced compared with using other, more distant U.S. bases. The Pentagon in March ordered military family members to leave Incirlik due to the rising risk of possible terror attacks against Americans at the base.

Turkey has also begun to clamp down on smuggling routes along its 500-mile border with Syria that Islamic State militants use to move fighters, money and weapons -- especially along a porous 60-mile stretch known as the Manbij Pocket.

Thousands of foreign fighters have slipped across the border amid the maze of supply lines that go through Turkey to join the various militant factions in the multi-sided Syrian war.

The U.S.-led coalition, with Turkey's help, is in the midst of a massive, months-long operation to close the Manbij Pocket. Since the operation began, coalition warplanes have launched about 400 airstrikes to support ground forces known as the Syrian Arab Coalition to push the last remaining Islamic State fighters from the area...

Still more.

WATCH: You Can Briefly See Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel Plowing Down Revellers in This Video from the #Nice Jihad Attack

What's astonishing is how packed the crowd is along the promenade.

Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was apparently zig-zagging left and right, up onto the sidewalk and back down, mowing down people like bowling pins.

Watch, at Blazing Cat Fur, "Front View of Truck Used in Muslim Terror Attack in Nice, France."

Emily Ratajkowski Teases Fans with Bikini Selfie

Hey, it's the social media age, and if you're not promoting your assets while you've got the goods, you're doing it wrong.

Ms. Ratajkowski certainly knows how to play the game.

At the Sun U.K., "'NATURAL BEAUTY' - Emily Ratajkowski teases fans with cheeky booby selfie: The dark-haired model posts latest bikini snap showing off her enviable cleavage."

👋🏽 pic.twitter.com/UdNtXe1r4X

— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) July 13, 2016

Memphis Commercial Appeal Apologizes for Dallas Cop-Killer Headline: 'Gunman Targeted Whites...'

Maybe at some earlier time I'd have been surprised by this, but not now.

Most of our major institutions, public and private, are afraid of alienating the unruly masses of the radical left.

Here's the Commercial Appeal's report on protests against newspaper earlier this week, "Protesters demonstrate outside Commercial Appeal offices, sides promise monthly talks":

About 50 protesters gathered in front of The Commercial Appeal offices Wednesday to voice their disappointment in the newspaper for its coverage historically.

Kim Hill said she canceled her subscription because she felt the newspaper didn’t cover the African-American community properly.

“I feel like black people have been represented in an unfavorable light by The Commercial Appeal,” Hill said.

Rev. Earle Fisher announced the protest Tuesday via Facebook Live. He called for people to gather at the newspaper at 495 Union Avenue to protest what he called an “incendiary headline” published on the front page of Saturday’s newspaper.

The headline he referenced reads “Gunman targeted whites,” referring to last week’s fatal shooting of five police officers and wounding of others during a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas.

The Commercial Appeal Editor Louis Graham responded Tuesday with a column, writing “Simply put, we got it wrong.”

Here's the editorial, with a picture of the editor.

Maybe they should have stripped him naked, thrown his body on hot coals, and let the Black Panthers open fire with salt buckshot rounds.

Would that've even appeased the radical black mass hordes?

Turkey's Instability Threatens to Weaken the War on Terror

Following-up from yesterday, "Turkey Coup d'État Risks Major Ramifications for U.S. Foreign Policy (VIDEO)."

At the Wall Street Journal, "Turkish Instability Threatens to Hamper Battle on Terror":

An attempted military coup in Turkey introduces the prospect of prolonged instability in a key U.S. ally that could undermine one of Washington’s international priorities: the battle against the Islamic State terrorist organization.

Obama administration officials struggled to respond to the unexpected attempt Friday to unseat Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr. Erdogan, on vacation when the coup began, returned to Istanbul early on Saturday, and forces supporting him said they were close to putting it down.

But whether successful or not, the coup raises new questions about Mr. Erdogan, who in recent months has shown a greater resolve to confront Islamic State, which is also called Daesh or ISIS.

Amid the race of developments late Friday, the U.S. called for the Turkish public and military to “support the democratically elected government” in the country. But the White House declined to make any further comments on the crisis, suggesting President Barack Obama wanted to keep his options open in Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The U.S. has a major air base in south-central Turkey that it has used to strike Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.

Washington appeared to be facing two bleak outcomes in Muslim-majority Turkey in the coming month. The military could succeed in overthrowing Mr. Erdogan, resulting in unrest if the leader’s supporters, many of them religious conservatives, take to the streets.

Conversely, Mr. Erdogan could hold on to power but rule in an increasingly paranoid and authoritarian manner. He has increasingly sought control of the major institutions inside Turkey, including the media, judiciary and security forces...

Keep reading.

Time to End the Demonizing of Police

I was wondering when Heather Mac Donald was going to come out with a new commentary piece in light of all the recent anti-police rhetoric and cop-killing leftist violence.

Well, she's got a piece up at the Wall Street Journal, "Two years of corrosive rhetoric about racist cops, based on falsehoods—with disastrous effects":

Such corrosive rhetoric about the nation’s police officers and criminal-justice system is unsettling coming from the president of the United States, but it reflects how thoroughly the misinformation propagated by Black Lives Matter and the media has taken hold. Last month Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, dissenting in a case about police searches, wrote that blacks are “routinely targeted” by law enforcement, adding that “Until their voices matter, too, our justice system will continue to be anything but.”

Hillary Clinton has also taken up this warped cause. On CNN Friday, she decried “systemic” and “implicit bias” in police departments. She also called on “white people” to better understand blacks “who fear every time their children go somewhere.”

Mrs. Clinton ought to take a look at Chicago. Through July 9, 2,090 people have been shot this year, including a 3-year-old boy shot on Father’s Day who will be paralyzed for life, an 11-year-old boy wounded on the Fourth of July, and a 4-year-old boy wounded last week. How many of the 2,090 victims in Chicago were shot by cops? Nine.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump emphasized “law and order” in a video released Friday, saying: “We must stand in solidarity with law enforcement, which we must remember is the force between civilization and total chaos.”

Given the nightmarish events of the past several days, Mr. Trump could do worse than making this presidential campaign one about that line between civilization and anarchy.

RTWT.

And get her book, The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe.

Hillary Clinton Slumps in L.A. Times Daybreak Tracking Poll

The interesting thing is that the Clinton campaign is supposedly bombarding Donald Trump with millions and millions in attack ads, and her numbers are still falling. I'll update with some of the numbers on Hillary's ad campaign, but folks have been pointing it out on Twitter.

Here's LAT, "As Clinton stumbles, Trump takes an apparent slim lead in new tracking poll":

In the new tracking poll, through Thursday night, Trump led Clinton 43% to 40%. That’s within the poll’s margin of error of 3 points in either direction, meaning the apparent lead could be the result of chance.

By Friday morning, the poll, which will be updated every day through the election, was showing a decline in Trump’s lead.

The poll shows big gaps along the lines of race, gender, age and education that have surfaced consistently during the campaign. Through Thursday’s results, Trump led among men, 47%  to 36%, while Clinton had a smaller, 41%-34% edge among women. Trump led among voters 45 and older, Clinton among those younger.

Some of Trump’s strongest support comes from white voters who have not graduated from college, among whom he led 53% to 24%. Clinton, by contrast, dominates among minorities, leading 77% to 3% among blacks and 51% to 30% among Latinos.

Clinton also held a narrow edge among white college graduates, 42% to 40%. If she wins that group, Clinton would be the first Democrat to carry white college graduates since polls began asking such demographic questions in the early 1950s.

The poll also offers some support for a prediction that Trump’s backers have made – that he would appeal to disaffected voters who did not cast ballots in 2012.  Those who did not vote that year or voted for a minor-party candidate were more likely to favor Trump than Clinton, the poll indicated.

Although respondents to the poll narrowly favor Trump, they don’t necessarily expect him to win. In a separate question asking people who they think will prevail, Clinton led 53% to 41%.

Research has shown that that question often – although not always – forecasts election results more accurately than asking people their voting intention, particularly months before the vote is counted.

The Daybreak tracking poll differs from traditional polls in two major respects. Rather than questioning a different group of respondents for each poll, the survey relies on a panel, currently consisting of about 3,000 people recruited at random to represent U.S. households.

The panel is part of a larger Understanding America Study conducted by USC’s Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research. The election survey is being done in partnership with The Times and USC’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics.

Because of the panel design, “we have the same people every time, so changes in the poll are really people changing their minds,” rather than the result of variations in who answers a particular survey, said Arie Kapteyn, the director of the USC Dornsife center, who pioneered the approach for the 2012 election while at Rand Corp.

The panel design typically shows less volatility than traditional polls. Four years ago, it proved more accurate than most other surveys in forecasting the election result, although “maybe that was beginner’s luck,” Kapteyn said.

The other major difference is that the poll, using a 1-to-100 scale, asks respondents to say what the chance is that they will vote as well as the chance that they will cast a ballot for Clinton, for Trump or for another candidate. The results are weighted based on those probabilities, so that a voter who is 100% sure of his or her choice has more impact on the forecast than one who is 60% sure.

That approach is one way to resolve “one of the biggest problems that polls have – deciding who is going to vote,” Kapteyn said.

Most polls use several questions to try to determine who is a likely voter and make a forecast based on that, but efforts to predict likely voting are often wrong, particularly far in advance of the election. Employing probabilities means “you get to use all the data,”  Kapteyn said. In theory, that should lead to more reliable results...

Well, we'll see how accurate this is in less than three months.

I'm less skeptical of this poll than some of the others out currently showing Hillary with a "double-digit" lead over Trump. That sounds particularly far-fetched considering events of the last week and a half. There's too much violence, at home and abroad, and people have already been long upset by the gridlock and perceived economic stagnation. Voter anger is the most descriptive term for the times, and now we're adding fear -- real fear -- of more terrorism and political violence in the short term.

I'll have more on these trends later.

But see earlier, "Eight Years After Hope and Change, Voters are Angry, Anxious."

'Surly Misfit' Attack in Nice, France

Here's the unbelievable New York Times, "A Surly Misfit With No Terror Links Turned a Truck Into a Tank."

This surely must be some kind of joke, as I reported earlier, "Leftist Media Whitewashing Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel's Fanatical Islamic Background."

Update your NY Times style guide: Out: Jihadist -- In: Surly misfit https://t.co/MhuHVIz8IL

— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) July 16, 2016

Mohamed was screaming "Allahu Akbar!", but of course it has nothing to do with Islam.

Actually, a little belated, but the French government is changing its tune. At WaPo, "Attacker in Nice is said to have radicalized ‘very rapidly’":

French official: Attacker in Nice underwent swift radicalization https://t.co/oIhsP1EGXG

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 16, 2016

NICE, France — The Islamic State on Saturday asserted responsibility for an attack that killed 84 people in this coastal French city, according to the organization’s news agency, as France’s interior minister announced for the first time that investigators think the attacker had been “radicalized.”

It remains unclear whether the militant group directed the attack, was taking responsibility for an assault it inspired or was simply seeking publicity from an event in which it had no direct hand.

“It seems” that the attacker, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, “radicalized his views very rapidly. These are the first elements that our investigation has come up with through interviews with his acquaintances,” Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Saturday, without offering details. Five people have been detained for questioning in the case.

“We are now facing individuals who are responding positively to the messages issued by the Islamic State without having had any special training and without having access to weapons that allow them to commit mass murder,” Cazeneuve said.

The Amaq news agency, which is linked to the Islamic State, cited an “insider source” in declaring that Bouhlel “was a soldier of the Islamic State.”

“He executed the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations that fight the Islamic State,” the news agency wrote.

Separately, the Islamic State’s al-Bayan radio station said Bouhlel used “a new tactic” to wreak havoc. “The crusader countries know that no matter how much they enforce their security measures and procedures, it will not stop the mujahideen from striking,” the station said.

But the oblique claim of responsibility left open the question of whether Bouhlel had acted alone or had any prior communication with the group, which has also claimed ties to the attacks that struck Paris twice last year and Brussels in March. French authorities have been scrambling to determine whether Bouhlel had a support network in Nice, where he appears to have been living for at least six years...

More.

It doesn't matter if Bouhlel had direct contact. He was sucking up Islamic State propaganda and jihad exhortations, and decided to go with what he knew.

Robert Spencer has more, at FrontPage Magazine, "Muslims Celebrate Bastille Day":

Muslims Celebrate #BastilleDay: 80 Dead, 68; “The worst tragedy in the history of Nice” – but many more are to come https://t.co/siorbmNeS9

— Jewhadi™ (@JewhadiTM) July 15, 2016

Jihadis have had their eyes on France for quite some time. The Islamic State issued this call in September 2014:

So O muwahhid, do not let this battle pass you by wherever you may be. You must strike the soldiers, patrons, and troops of the tawaghit. Strike their police, security, and intelligence members, as well as their treacherous agents. Destroy their beds. Embitter their lives for them and busy them with themselves. If you can kill a disbelieving American or European — especially the spiteful and filthy French — or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be….If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies. Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him…

Yes, “run him over with your car.”

Then again from the Islamic State in May 2016:

“The French must die by the thousands…. Towards paradise, that is the path….Come, brother, let’s go to paradise, our women are waiting for us there, with angels as servants. You will have a palace, a winged horse of gold and rubies….With a little rocket-launcher, you can easily get one of them… you do something like that in the name of Dawla (Islamic State), and France will be traumatised for a century.”

The French are already traumatized. The BBC reported last week that “more than 5,000 French police will be deployed at key venues in and around Paris ahead of the Euro 2016 football final between France and Portugal,” and that “there will be no victory parade if France win.” Why not? For fear of jihad terror attacks.

The Bastille Day jihad massacre demonstrates that the answer to jihad attacks is not to curtail one’s activities and cower in fear. Even if free people do that, the jihadis will strike anyway. Even without a victory parade, the jihadis struck yet again in France. The response should not be to cower in fear, but to recognize that this is a war and act accordingly. France has just suffered a fresh attack in a war that is being fought by people in service of an ideology that France, like other Western countries, refuses to acknowledge even exists.

France, even as it is under serious attack by the warriors of jihad, continues to pursue policies that will only result in the arrival of still more Muslims to France – and with them will come jihad terrorists, and many, many more jihad massacres like the one on Bastille Day in Nice. French curtailing their activities for fear of being struck by jihadis did not save them. The Bastille Day jihad attack should be the last to take place under the regime of politically correct fantasy that forces law enforcement and intelligence officials to pretend that the threat is other than what it is, and that the remedy is to apply, one more time, policies that have failed again and again and again.

Bastille Day should be a day for the releasing of prisoners. In the war against the global jihad, the truth has been prisoner for too long. It is time to set it free – before it, too, becomes irrevocably a casualty of this war against an enemy no one dares name...

Leftist Media Report 'Truck Attack' on Bastille Day Revellers in Nice, France

Even after reports indicated that the truck driver was an Islamic jihadist, we were still seeing headlines and chyrons reporting that "a truck plowed down" dozens of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice.

It was frankly infuriating.

Michelle Malkin first tweeted, then I seconded that emotion the next day. But thank goodness for Australia's Daily Telegraph. Compare that awesome front-page cover for today's newspaper to the New York Times' front-page on Friday.

We're in for some tough times ahead. Brutal, bloody though times ahead. Here's hoping someone in France decides to genuinely crack down in the Islamic terror network there. It's not too late, although many others have tweeted that France is history.

At least 60 dead after truck crashes into crowd in Nice, France. Police have called it a terror attack https://t.co/eJd4h6XZtf

— TIME.com (@TIME) July 14, 2016

A *truck* didn't crash into the crowd at Nice. A *terrorist driving a truck* crashed into the innocents. #nice https://t.co/V7HpGf3GAH

— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 14, 2016

Public service announcement to the U.S. media: A "truck" didn't slam into a crowd in #Nice. An Islamic jihadist driving a truck did. #ISLAM

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 15, 2016

Tomorrow's @dailytelegraph front page... pic.twitter.com/8eNHt9KJhk

— Dave Meddows (@davemeddows) July 15, 2016

The front page of The New York Times for Friday, July 15, 2016 pic.twitter.com/MMbqVANu7X

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 15, 2016

Terror in Europe Becoming the New Normal

At Blazing Cat Fur:

Canadians are shocked by tonight's attack in Nice. Our sympathy is with the victims, and our solidarity with the French people.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 14, 2016

No, we're not shocked at all, this is the new normal https://t.co/ujrufmiDad

— Blazing CatFur (@Blazingcatfur) July 14, 2016

“…In a tweet following the latest devastation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted “Canadians are shocked by tonight’s attack in Nice.”

Really? We’re feeling and thinking many things. But given what we know about the state of the world today, shocked is pretty low down the list.”

Islamic State Claims Responsibility for #Nice Jihad Terror Attack (VIDEO)

At WSJ, "Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Attack in Nice":

Islamic State on Saturday claimed responsibility for the deadly truck attack in the French city of Nice, saying the assault was a response to calls by the extremist group to target those nations allied against it.

Despite the assertion of responsibility, the nature and scope of the Sunni Muslim extremist group’s involvement in Thursday’s attack, which killed 84 people and wounded scores more, was unclear.

French authorities said Saturday they had found no evidence of ties between terror groups and the man who carried out the assault in Nice, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian man living in the city. Prosecutors also said they had little doubt the militant group had, at the very least, inspired the attack.

In its statement Saturday quoting an unidentified security source and carried by its affiliated Amaq news agency, the Sunni Muslim extremist group said, the Bastille Day attack “was carried out by one of the soldiers of the Islamic State, and the operation was done in response to calls to target nations of coalition states that are fighting the Islamic State.”

The statement was reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity.

France is one of 66 participants in the U.S.-led military coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, according to the U.S. State Department. U.S. President Barack Obama announced the formation of the coalition in September 2014.

On the internet and social media, supporters of Islamic State cheered the truck attack by Lahouaiej Bouhlel, but as in some previous claims of responsibility by the militant group, no clear link to the group has been established.

U.S. and European officials were running checks on financial, social media and internet communication networks to try to determine whether Lahouaiej Bouhlel had accomplices or received foreign support...

Keep reading.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Looks to Restore Control After Attempted Coup in Turkey (VIDEO)

Here's my post from last night, "Agence France-Presse Updates on Coup Attempt in Turkey."

Events were moving very quickly. Shortly after I posted it looked like Erdoğan was bringing things back in control. He flew into Istanbul's airport and went on television for a national address.

The nation's capital is in Ankara, however, so it remains to be seen if Erdoğan's restored control at the government traditional seat of power.

At the New York Times, "Turkey Detains Thousands of Military Personnel After Attempted Coup: 265 Killed and Many More Wounded as Factions Clash":

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s government rounded up thousands of military personnel on Saturday who were said to have taken part in an attempted coup, moving swiftly to re-establish control after a night of chaos and intrigue that left hundreds dead.

By noon, there were few signs that those who had taken part in the coup attempt were still able to challenge the government, and many declared the uprising a failure.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the insurrection “a stain in the history of democracy” at a news conference on Saturday in Ankara, the capital. He raised the death toll in the clashes to 265, with 1,440 people wounded, and he said 2,839 military personnel had been detained.

As the insurrection unfolded Friday night, beginning with the seizing of two bridges in Istanbul by military forces, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was not heard from for hours. He finally addressed the nation from an undisclosed location, speaking on his cellphone’s FaceTime app — a dramatic scene that seemed to suggest a man on the verge of losing power. But in the early hours of Saturday, he landed in Istanbul, a strong sign that the coup was failing.

Mr. Erdogan placed blame for the intrigue on the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania, who was the president’s ally until a bitter falling out three years ago. Mr. Gulen’s followers were known to have a strong presence in Turkey’s police and judiciary, but less so in the military.

On Saturday morning, Mr. Erdogan said, referring to Mr. Gulen, “I have a message for Pennsylvania: You have engaged in enough treason against this nation. If you dare, come back to your country.”

In a statement released on the website of his group, Alliance for Shared Values, Mr. Gulen condemned the coup and supported the country’s democratic process.

“As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt,” Mr. Gulen wrote. “I categorically deny such accusations.”

Mr. Erdogan also said that Turkish fighter jets had bombed tanks on the streets of Ankara, and that a military helicopter being used by the coup plotters had been shot down.

There was also a battle early Saturday at Turkey’s main intelligence headquarters in Ankara, which government forces later secured, and a Turkish official said the intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, had been taken to a secure location.

In a news conference on Saturday, Turkey’s top military officer, Gen. Umit Dundar, the acting head of the general staff, said that “the coup attempt was rejected by the chain of command immediately.”

More.

Slinky Blue Bikini Barely Contains the Amazing Devin Brugman

Truly Amazing.

At Egotastic!, "Devin Brugman is Barely Contained in a Blue Bikini."

This is definitely the life, heh.

The amazing Devin Brugman@devinbrugman pic.twitter.com/LczJ8chNkL

— Celeb Lover (@celeblover8) July 15, 2016

Let swim week begin!!! 👙 @whitneykaye_ @abikiniaday @mondayswimwear #miamiswimweek pic.twitter.com/GJzFJlduaN

— Devin Brugman (@devinbrugman) July 15, 2016

Eight Years After Hope and Change, Voters are Angry, Anxious

From Julie Pace, at AP:

Angry and anxious have replaced hope and change in America this election, @jpaceDC writes. https://t.co/ll8QrB8Eoi pic.twitter.com/SgMD12e3uB

— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) July 16, 2016

AARVADA, Colorado (AP) — Eight years ago, Barbara Conley was one of the millions of Americans swept up in Barack Obama's promises of hope and change when he accepted the Democratic nomination at a packed football stadium a few miles from her home in the Denver suburbs.

But those optimistic days are almost unrecognizable to Conley now.

With Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton preparing for their own nominating conventions, the 68-year-old independent is filled with so much frustration at the candidates and the political system that propelled them to victory that she can't even imagine voting in November.

"I'm so mad about both of the candidates," said Conley, who finds Clinton too dishonest and Trump too unproven to be president. She paused while loading groceries into her car and declared, "It's depressing."

Less than four months before Election Day, that same sense of anger and anxiety runs deep with voters across the country. Trump and Clinton will each try to paint a rosy picture of life under their leadership during their back-to-back conventions, but it seems unlikely either can quickly shake Americans out of their bad mood.

A stunning 79 percent of Americans now believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, a 15-point spike in the past year, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. Voters are strikingly unhappy with the candidates who will be on the ballot this fall, with only 22 percent saying they would be proud to see Trump win and 27 percent to see Clinton.

Kristie Boltz, a registered Republican from Black Lake, Ohio, said a choice between Clinton and Trump is so unappealing that she would rather Obama stay in office for a third term.

"And I didn't even vote for Obama. How crazy is that?" said Boltz, a 39-year-old who works in marketing.

By some measures, America's palpable pessimism can appear at odds with the country's economic and security standing.

The economy is growing, jobs are being created and unemployment is low. Tens of thousands of American troops have come home from dangerous war zones during Obama's presidency. Crime is down nationwide.

But the improving economy is no doubt a changing one, leaving some Americans without the skills they need for the jobs available. Terrorism fears have been heightened in the U.S. after a string of deadly incidents in the West.

This summer in particular has seemed to bring a steady stream of gruesome news.

A mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub left 49 people dead, as well as a gunman who pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State militants despite no formal ties to the group. Shootings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota were captured on video, followed by the murder of five police officers in Dallas.

The incidents seemed to momentarily spark national soul searching about gun violence and race relations. But as Americans looked toward the presidential candidates and other political leaders, some saw little sign of readiness to meet a challenging time.

Emilie Passow, a 68-year-old Democrat from Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, said her disgust extends beyond the presidential candidates to Congress as well. "There's so little attempt at conciliation and consensus," she said.

More than any other candidate in this election, Trump has latched onto the public's fears. He promises to "Make America Great Again," pledging to bring back manufacturing and mining jobs from areas where they've disappeared. With coded — and sometimes not so coded — language, he's cast aspersions on immigrants seeking to come to the United States and on Muslims already here.

"We're trying to be so nice, we're trying to be so civil. We're so weak," Trump said hours after the Nice attack. "The world has got to strengthen up, and we have to be very tight with our borders. It's now a different world."

While Trump supporters cheer those lines, they leave other voters on edge...

More.

Agence France-Presse Updates on Coup Attempt in Turkey

Following-up from previously, "Turkey Coup d'État Risks Major Ramifications for U.S. Foreign Policy (VIDEO)."

Again, news is breaking very quickly and it's unclear who's in control, although I have my doubts that the coup plotters will be successful. Still, where's Erdoğan? As long as he remains out of the country, there's no saying how things will turn out. This is the real thing. Wow.

Here's some of the latest from AFP on Twitter, and note that events might prove different as we move along:

#UPDATE Turkish troops launch coup with soldiers taking to streets of Ankara and Istanbul https://t.co/5LzXDdKOjl

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 15, 2016

#BREAKING Turkey military opens fire on crowds in Istanbul, casualties: AFP photographer

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 15, 2016

#BREAKING Turkish F-16s shoot down helicopter carrying 'coup plotters': NTV television

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 15, 2016

#BREAKING 17 police officers killed in Turkey coup attempt: state news agency

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 15, 2016

#BREAKING Obama urges support for 'democratically-elected' Turkish govt

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 15, 2016

TURKEY - Turkish security officers detain Turkish police officers (in black) in Istanbul. By @yasinnakgul #AFP pic.twitter.com/p5VMGCUJjn

— AFP Photo Department (@AFPphoto) July 15, 2016

#BREAKING Turkish parliament in Ankara hit by bombing: state news agency

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 15, 2016

AFP photographer says Turkey military has opened fire on crowds gathered at Istanbul bridge https://t.co/RY1FWel2ka pic.twitter.com/q968SYRJVk

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 15, 2016

#BREAKING 'Situation largely under control' after Turkey coup attempt: PM

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 15, 2016

Turkey Coup d'État Risks Major Ramifications for U.S. Foreign Policy (VIDEO)

I've just been glued to my Twitter app for about the past two hours. There's no way to post on a story as fast-moving at the coup in Turkey. There's been all kinds of conflicting information, and some just plain crazy developments, especially the moment when President Erdoğan took to Face Time to announce that he was still in control and there'd be major repercussions against the coup plotters. Erdoğan urged citizens to rise up and take to the streets, and frankly, within minutes cable news reports started showing hordes of people out and about, protesting and gathering.

I'm going to look for the Sky News video of Erdoğan, but probably the best thing I saw of all this was Barbara Starr's reporting on CNN. She discussed all the intense linkages between Turkey and the U.S., including the former's key role in NATO, from which the U.S. is authorized to launch air missions from Turkish military bases. Turkey's also an incredibly strategic state, with its location at the entry-points to the Middle East from the south and to Europe from the north. And the U.S. sends billions of dollars in direct foreign aid to the regime in Ankara, so the investment is multifaceted. And then there's the fight against Islamic State and U.S. policy toward Assad's regime in Syria. Frankly, Turkey's looking like a linchpin over there, sheesh.

In any case, here's Starr at CNN. I'll update throughout the night. I've gotta say, this is an extremely interesting story from a number of angles. Donald Trump tweeted his support for the coup plotters, which may prove rather tantalizing, even problematic, depending on events.

In any case, there's too much conflicting information on who's in control.

Demi Rose Posts Eye-Popping Bikini Photos While She Vacations with Kylie Jenner

A needed Rule 5 diversion from Islamic jihad blogging.

At London's Daily Mail, "Demi Rose puts on an eye-popping display in busty bikini selfies... as rapper enjoys European getaway with girlfriend Kylie Jenner."

#Nice Jihadist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel Screamed 'Allahu Akbar' Before Slaughtering Dozens

It's pretty hard to whitewash a jihadi screaming "Allahu Akbar' before plowing down dozens of innocents, but see, "Leftist Media Whitewashing Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel's Fanatical Islamic Background."

Here's the Sun U.K., "BASTILLE DAY MASSACRE: At least ten children among 84 slaughtered by truck driver who ploughed through Nice crowd ‘like a bowling ball while shouting Allahu Akbar’.'

#NiceAttack driver ‘shouting Allahu Akbar’ ploughs through Nice crowd ‘like a bowling ball’ https://t.co/zZsun4gWZA pic.twitter.com/GDBarZN6hZ

— The Sun (@TheSun) July 15, 2016

Hat Tip: Pamela, "Jihadi Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel SHOUTED “ALLAHU AKBAR” as he PLOWED through #Nice crowd “like a bowling ball” as FAMILY EVENT 84 dead, 10 CHILDREN."

Leftist Media Whitewashing Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel's Fanatical Islamic Background

Yeah, the Telegraph U.K., and a number of other outlets are using the "lone wolf" whitewash. France 24 even referred to Mohamed as a "stray dog" attacker, because of course this has nothing to do with Islam.

Here comes the whitewash. He was just a "depressed loner". #NothingToDoWithIslam. https://t.co/ibN2jeSDL3

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) July 15, 2016

But see the (now-changed) headline at London's Daily Mail, "Nice attacker named as ISIS fanatic Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel."

Nice attacker named as ISIS fanatic Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel | Daily Mail Online https://t.co/Fhs7vcNHdQ

— Ed Baker (@EdBaker3000) July 15, 2016

Video Shows the Moment Police Shoot and Kill #NiceAttack Jihadist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel

Following-up, "#NiceAttack Jihadist Identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel (VIDEO)."

At Telegraph U.K.:

#NiceAttack Jihadist Identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel (VIDEO)

At Jihad Watch, "France: Nice jihad murderer is Muslim of Tunisian origin."

And at the Telegraph U.K., "Nice terror attack: Truck driver who killed 84 named as 'loner' French-Tunisian criminal who 'became depressed' when wife left him as police question estranged spouse."

#NiceAttack Truck driver named as 'loner' French-Tunisian criminal Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel https://t.co/jNkw3tlWDP pic.twitter.com/suI7N7IS7s

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) July 15, 2016

And at France 24:

Islam's Bitch

Heh.

I couldn't resist posting, lol:

NY, Boston, Paris, San Bernardino, Orlando... now Nice. And this jackass is still debating semantics. #Trump2016 pic.twitter.com/kbxvjbVc04

— ViveLaFrance (@vivelafra) July 14, 2016

WATCH: Fresno Police Department Releases Body-Camera Video of Dylan Noble Shooting

At the Fresno Bee, "Fresno police release body camera videos in Dylan Noble shooting."



Also at the Los Angeles Times, "Fresno police release dramatic body-camera footage of fatal shooting of unarmed 19-year-old."

The cops didn't know if the dude was unarmed. He refused to show his hands and was still reaching for his waist belt while on the ground.

Newt Gingrich Calls for Deportation of Muslims Who Back Sharia Law (VIDEO)

Heh.

Some pretty aggressive statements on Islam and sharia.

Gingrich is like an echo to Trump's earlier statements on Islam, and not only does this fire up the base, it's almost like he's trying to sway Trump's veep decision at the last minute. Remember, the announcement's been postponed due to the attack in France.

Interesting.

Watch, from Hannity's show earlier, "Newt Gingrich: Deport every Muslim who believes in Sharia."

Gingrich is really on fire, heh.

.@newtgingrich on fighting terror: "We better rethink the rules, or we are going to lose the war." #Hannity pic.twitter.com/IaUayKrcQF

— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 15, 2016

Multiculturism Kills

Bastille Day's kinda like the Fourth of July in the states, although July 14th isn't exactly the start of the French Revolution. An angry French mob just busted into the Bastille prison, massacring a number of officers of the permanent garrison, and beheading the governor, Bernard-René de Launay, parading his head around on a pike.

Vox Day is the Supreme Dark Lord on Twitter:

Multiculturalism kills. Close the borders. Deport the invaders. #Nice

— Supreme Dark Lord (@voxday) July 14, 2016

Previously, "Terrorist Attack in Nice, France, During Bastille Day Celebrations (VIDEO)."

Terrorist Attack in Nice, France, During Bastille Day Celebrations (VIDEO)

At the Conservative Treehouse, "Terror Attack In Nice France During Bastille Day – Dozens Killed, Truck Rams Large Crowd…"

Pamela Geller embedded there, and France 24 below:

Terror in #Nice on #Bastille day. “There are people in blood, probably full of wounded,” https://t.co/x8rtGNXO5f pic.twitter.com/DGNRE4xkEH

— Pamela Geller (@PamelaGeller) July 14, 2016

**GRAPHIC** Raw FOOTAGE of Nice Terror Attack, UP TO 60 DEAD: Up to 50 dead 100 injured. TERRIBLE SCENE on th... https://t.co/WrsPZuSqnk

— Pamela Geller (@PamelaGeller) July 14, 2016

Added: At the Telegraph U.K., "Live '73 dead' after truck crashes into crowd at Bastille Day celebrations in Nice 'terror attack'."

New York Times/CBS News Poll: Race Relations Now at Lowest Point in #Obama Presidency

It's not all Obama's fault, but he's definitely been divisive, and that's putting it mildly.

At NYT:

Race Relations Are at Lowest Point in #Obama Presidency, Poll Finds. Obama brings it on himself. #Dallas https://t.co/WJFpBmFC7o

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 14, 2016

Paris Hilton Wore 'Thong' to Louis Vuitton Giving Love Ball in Paris, France

Heh.

She looks good in that sheer evening gown, thong or not.

At Galore.

Ann Coulter Not Happy with Mike Pence Selection as Donald Trump's Running Mate

Following-up from earlier, "Donald Trump Picks Mike Pence for Veep (VIDEO)."

I'm still not buying this is a done deal. I'll believe it when I see the announcement tomorrow, and when Pence makes his speech.

But here's this, on Twitter:

.@AnnCoulter is not pleased pic.twitter.com/W9A9HKDdXU

— Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) July 14, 2016

Ann Coulter rips Trump’s VP pick https://t.co/eK75IaSuF1 pic.twitter.com/sojOb8BGLc

— The Hill (@thehill) July 14, 2016

RUMORED Veep Pick. https://t.co/HsBcnvzcym

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 14, 2016

I think Newt & Pence are head-fakes, so that when Trump announces his real VP is someone like Christie, there will be dancing in the streets

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 14, 2016

Theresa May Taps Boris Johnson as British Foreign Minister (VIDEO)

I'd say this is something of a surprise pick.

I'd have never expected Johnson for the foreign ministry. I think this shows people the Theresa May's got some spunk, even a devious kind of humor.

At the far-left BBC, "Boris Johnson made foreign secretary by Theresa May."

Transgender Woman Charged with Secretly Taking Photos of 18-Year-Old Woman at Target Store in Idaho

Well, it's not like anyone hasn't been warning about this kind of thing.

At the Idaho Statesman, "Transgender voyeur’s Idaho arrest adds to national debate":

The authorities in Idaho charged a transgender woman this week with secretly taking pictures of an 18-year-old woman changing in a Target fitting room.

The national retail chain drew praise from transgender advocates and condemnation from conservative groups when it announced in April that it would allow customers to use the restroom or fitting room corresponding to their gender identity.

Target has been the subject of a boycott petition created by the American Family Association, which contends the transgender fitting room and bathroom policy would give sexual predators access to victims. The petition has collected nearly 1.4 million signatures since April, according to the group’s website.

Officers from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office were called to a Target in Ammon, Idaho, on Monday evening by a woman who said she saw someone reach over the wall separating the fitting rooms there with an iPhone taking pictures or a video.

After interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage, detectives on Tuesday arrested Shauna Smith, 43, on one felony count of voyeurism, according to the sheriff’s office. She was booked into Bonneville County Jail as a male, using her legal name, Sean Patrick Smith. The 18-year-old told the authorities she had been trying on swimwear when she spotted the iPhone, according to a court document obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.

Her mother confronted the suspect, who fled on foot. Both later identified the voyeur as a white man wearing a dress and blond wig, according to the document. Another witness reported seeing the suspect leave in a vehicle that was later discovered to be registered to Ms. Smith.

Ms. Smith’s roommate confirmed to police that she is, indeed, a transgender woman and identified clothes worn by the suspect in surveillance footage as belonging to Ms. Smith, according to the document.

According to the document, an affidavit of probable cause for warrantless arrest, Ms. Smith told a detective that she had made videos in the past of women undressing for the “same reason men go online to look at pornography.”

According to the detective, Ms. Smith said that she gets sexual gratification from such videos and later showed the detective a video of a woman changing in a Target fitting room. Ms. Smith is represented by a public defender.

Target, which has 1,792 stores nationwide, said in a statement that it was committed to creating “a safe and secure shopping environment” and that it immediately cooperated with local law enforcement as soon as it learned of the case...

More.

Shauna Smith isn't really a woman. She's pretending to be a woman so she can scope out hot 18-year-old chicks and get off on iPhone voyeur pornography. This is exactly why women are put at risk be leftist "gender neutral" bathrooms, and it's bad --- very bad --- for children, from kindergarten all the way through high school. And young women in college and beyond are also harmed by despicable leftist LGBT boondoggles. It's disgusting.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — the Notorious RBG — Apologizes for Attacking Donald Trump (VIDEO)

Watch, at Fox News, "Ginsburg regrets Trump comments, but is damage already done?"

And here's "juice box boy" Ezra Klein, at Vox, via Memeorandum, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the fetishization of “objectivity”."

Yes, because objectivity is only a "fetish" when your side bloviates out the ass like a bloated donkey.

Donald Trump Picks Mike Pence for Veep (VIDEO)

Sources say Trump's picked Pence for vice president.

We won't know for sure until tomorrow, when Trump holds his event announcing the pick.

But see WSJ, "Pence Is Trump Pick for Running Mate, Senior GOP Official Says."

I think Pence's a perfectly fine pick. It's a little surprising to me, actually, but from what I'm reading, Pence should make conservatives happy.

I'm just glad Gingrich didn't get the nod. I mean, yeah, he's smart and loquacious, but he's such an asshole personally. I don't know if I could stand watching him for four years, much less eight if Trump were to win a second term.

And don't even get me going about Chris Christie, heh. That would've been a laugh riot of a pick.

More, at CNN:

Donald Trump Delivers Words of Resistance

For whites.

Of course, this is seen as evidence of whites supremacy by depraved leftists, and it's at the New York Times, so there you go.

See, "For Whites Sensing Decline, Donald Trump Unleashes Words of Resistance":

The chant erupts in a college auditorium in Washington, as admirers of a conservative internet personality shout down a black protester. It echoes around the gym of a central Iowa high school, as white students taunt the Hispanic fans and players of a rival team. It is hollered by a lone motorcyclist, as he tears out of a Kansas gas station after an argument with a Hispanic man and his Muslim friend.

Trump

Trump

Trump

In countless collisions of color and creed, Donald J. Trump’s name evokes an easily understood message of racial hostility. Defying modern conventions of political civility and language, Mr. Trump has breached the boundaries that have long constrained Americans’ public discussion of race.

Mr. Trump has attacked Mexicans as criminals. He has called for a ban on Muslim immigrants. He has wondered aloud why the United States is not “letting people in from Europe.”

His rallies vibrate with grievances that might otherwise be expressed in private: about “political correctness,” about the ranch house down the street overcrowded with day laborers, and about who is really to blame for the death of a black teenager in Ferguson, Mo. In a country where the wealthiest and most influential citizens are still mostly white, Mr. Trump is voicing the bewilderment and anger of whites who do not feel at all powerful or privileged.

But in doing so, Mr. Trump has also opened the door to assertions of white identity and resentment in a way not seen so broadly in American culture in over half a century, according to those who track patterns of racial tension and antagonism in American life....

The resentment among whites feels both old and distinctly of this moment. It is shaped by the reality of demographic change, by a decade and a half of war in the Middle East, and by unease with the newly confident and confrontational activism of young blacks furious over police violence. It is mingled with patriotism, pride, fear and a sense that an America without them at its center is not really America anymore...

Still more.

Saying #AllLivesMatter Is a Racist White Supremacist 'Rallying Cry' on Social Media

The Black Lives Matter movement is about anti-white racism and black supremacy, and if any leftist steps out of bounds they'll be destroyed.

Here's the background at USA Today, "#AllLivesMatter hashtag is racist, critics say."

And J.Lo's in trouble for tweeting #AllLivesMatter, at PuffHo:

J.Lo tweets out #AllLivesMatter, internet turns against her https://t.co/ieDhN2dFpQ pic.twitter.com/ira7bn12XX

— HuffPostEnt (@HuffPostEnt) July 12, 2016

J.Lo deleted the tweet soon after it was posted, but forgot about the other time she used your racist uncle’s rallying cry on Instagram. Nuzzled in between the caption #filltheworldwithmusicloveandpride and #JLin in a promotion post for her new single is #alllivesmatter, the social media movement that erases the specificity of the black experience in this country.

Tomi Lahren Blames Barack Obama, 'Two Black Attorney Generals', for Inciting Dallas Shooting (VIDEO)

Via Heat Street, there's video at the post:

Lahren blamed President Obama and "two black attorney generals" for the country's mounting racial tensions. https://t.co/tL3qzy1cJM

— Heat Street (@heatstreet) July 12, 2016

Previous Tomi Lahren blogging's here.

Italy is Once Again on the 'Frontline' of Europe's Refugee Crisis (VIDEO)

Italy and the Europeans need to wind down this "crisis."

Watch, at Euronews, "Italy new 'frontline' in Europe's refugee crisis, warns Frontex chief":

Italy is once again on the 'frontline' of Europe's refugee crisis, replacing Greece, the head of the EU's border agency has said.

The warning came as nearly 1,000 migrants were rescued off Italy on Tuesday, in six seperate operations by the Italian coast guard.

Four migrants were found dead after suffocating below deck on their boat.

Laying out fresh plans to strengthen the bloc's borders Frontex chief Fabrice Leggeri said the agency wanted to conduct checks, so called stress tests...

Obama Sparks Backlash on Twitter for Inappropriate Comments at #Dallas Police Memorial (VIDEO)

At London's Daily Mail, "President Obama sparks backlash on Twitter for controversial comments on gun control as he and George W. Bush lead tributes to the five police officers killed in Dallas."

#Obama is criticized for depraved, partisan gun control comments during #Dallas memorial. https://t.co/o8HiHJJkly

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 13, 2016

Katie Pavlich was just blistering, but amazingly, leftist Josh Kraushaar too was not happy at all:

How am I surprised Obama would use a memorial for police to lecture about gun control and politics? He is the worst.

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) July 12, 2016

Black Lives Matter is a fraud and based on lies. They also promote cop killers. Unreal Obama would credit them at this memorial.

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) July 12, 2016

Obama promotes group that worships convicted cop killer Assata Shakur and Mumia...at a police memorial.

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) July 12, 2016

Obama wrote his own speech today, according to the White House.

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) July 12, 2016

Worst part of Obama's lecture about racial bias today? He did it at a memorial for 5 officers who were killed because they were white.

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) July 12, 2016

Agree or disagree, the second part of Obama's speech polarizing. Felt like a State of the Union for a moment based on who was applauding

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) July 12, 2016

A future presidential leadership course will showcase the Bush/Obama Dallas speeches for dramatic contrasts in style/approach.

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) July 12, 2016

Was this the moment for speaking truth to power, as Pres. Obama sees it? Or to comfort the mourners?

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) July 12, 2016

Obama's Obscene Exploitation of the Dallas Massacre

From Sultan Knish, at FrontPage, "Exploiting dead police officers to promote #BlackLivesMatter":

In Dallas, Obama mentioned the name of dead sex offender Alton Sterling more times than those of the murdered police officers whom he was pretending to memorialize. After quickly dispensing with the formalities of eulogizing the slain officers, Obama demanded that “even those who dislike the phrase ‘black lives matter’” should “be able to hear the pain of Alton Sterling’s family”.

Alton Sterling was a convicted sex offender, burglar and violent criminal who was shot while reaching for a gun. His family may mourn him, just as every criminal’s family mourns their own, but it was obscene to class him together with five police officers who were murdered by a violent racist while doing their duty.

It is even more obscene when Obama’s favorite sex offender displaces the murdered police officers.

And yet that was Obama’s theme in Dallas. Murdered police officers were contrasted with dead criminals. The proper thing for Americans to do, as Obama told us, was to mourn both officers and criminals, to respect the sacrifices of the police and the anti-police accusations of #BlackLivesMatter.

Obama did not come to Dallas to mourn the murdered police officers, but to defend the ideology that took their lives. And this is what he has done from the very beginning...

Very well said.

Keep reading.

Dana Loesch Gives a Shout-Out to Jesse Lee Peterson

This is interesting because I just mentioned Jesse Lee Peterson on Sunday, here: "Heather Mac Donald Discusses the 'War on Cops," the Ferguson Effect, and Black-on-Black Violence."

And then I posted on the Megyn Kelly segment here: "Debating Black Lives Matter's Impact on the National Conversation (VIDEO)."

So, here's Dana's shout-out. So cool:

Wow this #KellyFile panel. And Rev Jesse Lee Peterson is speaking truth right now.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) July 12, 2016

Backlash Against Former Miss Alabama After Calling Dallas Cop Killer a 'Martyr' (VIDEO)

She's pretty despicable.

She should've kept that video to herself, rather than posting it to the world. She's feeding the hatred. She's compounding the hatred, the hatred that's been coming from the top, from President Obama on down. Indeed, blacks, with Barack Hussein in office, feel empowered to speak badly of white Americans, and feel "conflicted" when white cops are gunned down ruthlessly and viciously, in cold blood. It's shameful.

Following-up from last night, "Kalyn Chapman James, First Black Miss Alabama, Says Dallas Cop Killer Was a 'Martyr'."

She appeared on Hannity's show tonight, and I saw an image of her earlier. She looks like revolutionary communist Angela Davis, and I think she knows it.

Look at that Afro on that chick! She's like Angela Davis! #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/iZSMV8Mbu2

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 13, 2016

President George W. Bush Speaks at Memorial Service in Dallas (VIDEO)

I literally tear-up when I see and listen to President Bush speak, and it's less because of his words than by the realization that I miss him so much. That realization makes me sad, but then I go back again and listen to his words, and I'm comforted. I'm comforted because I know that when Bush invokes God he means it. It's not just some rote statement uttered for political consumption, hiding far less benevolent sentiments, which is how I feel when President Obama speaks. When he speaks. He divides.

Via Fox News 10 Phoenix:

Don't Forget to Pre-Order Naomi Schaefer Riley's New Book, The New Trail of Tears [BUMPED]

Anna Sacca, Senior Publicity and Branding Manager at FSB Associates, thanked me for promoting Naomi Schaefer Riley's new book.

Hey, it's my pleasure.

Here's another link, at Amazon, The New Trail of Tears: How Washington Is Destroying American Indians.

Out Now: Robert Spencer, The Complete Infidel's Guide to Iran [BUMPED]

Robert's a tireless fighter for American freedom.

Here's his new book, just out yesterday, at Amazon, The Complete Infidel's Guide to Iran.

Donald Trump Rebukes Ruth Bader Ginsburg for Deriding His Candidacy

Following-up from earlier, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg Bashes Donald Trump, Crossing a Line."

She should be careful lest her comments become a campaign liability for the Democrats. Frankly, they already are.

From Maggie Haberman, at NYT:

Trump to Times on RBG's criticism of him: "Highly inappropriate..it energizes my base..she should get off the court" https://t.co/uc4RtwMStZ

— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) July 12, 2016

Donald J. Trump on Tuesday assailed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court for speaking out on the presidential race, calling her disdainful remarks about his candidacy “highly inappropriate” and suggesting that she owed other justices an apology.

Mr. Trump’s remarks came in a telephone interview with The Times two days after Justice Ginsburg was quoted as saying she was frightened about what the nation would look like if he were elected.

“I can’t imagine what this place would be — I can’t imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president,” Justice Ginsburg told The Times in an interview published Sunday. “For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be — I don’t even want to contemplate that.” She even joked ruefully about moving to New Zealand.

Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, said he found those remarks unbefitting a member of the high court.

“I think it’s highly inappropriate that a United States Supreme Court judge gets involved in a political campaign, frankly,” Mr. Trump said. “I think it’s a disgrace to the court and I think she should apologize to the court. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.”

He continued: “That she should be saying that? It’s so beneath the court for her to be making statements like that. It only energizes my base even more. And I would hope that she would get off the court as soon as possible.”

Mr. Trump also said he expected to announce his choice of a running mate by Friday, winding down a process that has been closely watched as in all likelihood the most significant decision he will make in his campaign.

“I have five candidates, plus two, two that are unknown to anybody,” Mr. Trump said from Chicago, where he was raising money for his campaign.

“I will be making a decision over the next three- to four-day period of time, and I think it will be a decision that will be a very good decision for a lot of people,” he added.

Mr. Trump said that he was not basing his vice-presidential selection on fund-raising prowess or potential, and indicated that he had had enough experience with many of those he has been considering for the job that their tryouts on the campaign trail would not necessarily be determinative.

“I’ve been with these people for a long time — I know them,” Mr. Trump said, specifically invoking Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker. “Christie was excellent yesterday and Newt is excellent.” Mr. Trump will appear on Tuesday night in Indiana with Gov. Mike Pence, who has risen in the estimation of many of the nominee’s advisers.

Mr. Trump said his decision was largely coming down to instinct. “A lot of is gut. A lot of it is,” he said. “My whole life has been about gut.”

He also suggested that he would consider polling in states like heavily Democratic Connecticut, which he again said he believed he could put in play in November...

More.

And the Notorious RBG is doubling-down on her attacks:

Absolutely stunning comments. Inconceivable that other justices aren't upset by this https://t.co/FqUr4hdmyY

— John Bresnahan (@BresPolitico) July 12, 2016

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg intensifies criticism of Trump: 'He is a faker' https://t.co/VVvVkF8RnA

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 12, 2016

I have a sense this isn't going to turn out well for Ginsberg, or the Supremes, for that matter.

Via Memeorandum.

Midweek Cartoon

I missed posting my Sunday cartoons, but this one's too good to wait for next weekend.

Via A.F. Branco, at Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Fraying With Fire."

Kimberly Guilfoyle Blows Up Gretchen Carlson's Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Roger Ailes

This is pretty amazing!

At Breitbart, "Exclusive — Kimberly Guilfoyle Blows Up Gretchen Carlson's Allegations Against Roger Ailes: 'The Truth Should Matter...'"

Obama Used Dallas Memorial to Confront the Nation on Race

Wow.

That's the headline at the Hill, a mainstream news organization.

How combative.

The president truly is the Divider-in-Chief.

At Instapundit, "I’M SURE THE FAMILIES OF THOSE DEAD COPS APPRECIATED THE CONFRONTATION: The Hill: Obama uses Dallas memorial to confront nation on race."

Blazing Saddles: The Bernie Bros 'Fart-In' Against Hillary Clinton is Righteous and Hilarious!

This cracks me up.

At AP, via Memeorandum, "Bernie Fans Say ‘Fart-In’ Against Hillary Will Go On."

And at Heat Street, "Bernie Bros to Stage Epic Anti-Hillary ‘Fart-In’ at DNC Convention":

Bernie Sanders supporters and other progressive activists have a unique plan to protest the nomination of Wall Street-backed Hillary Clinton at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia later this month. They’re going to stage a “fart-in.”

You might be wondering what, exactly, a “fart-in” entails. Well, the plan is to make sure that Bernie Sanders’ convention delegates eat plenty of beans prior to entering the convention hall in Philly. Then, they shall unleash their noxious bodily fumes, which will send a powerful message to Hillary — that she stinks, or something.

God, this is too good, lol.

White Papa John's Delivery Man Murdered by Black Thugs in Georgia: Where's the Outcry?

The murder went down in March, but folks are still tweeting about the crime, demanding answers to the media's silence.

White lives don't matter so much, I guess?

At Heat Street:

Twitter seethes with racially charged attacks after a white Papa John's delivery man is murdered. https://t.co/Yze74UcdYo

— Heat Street (@heatstreet) July 12, 2016

It truly is A Hard Thug Life

Reginald Lofton, 14-year-old charged as adulthttps://t.co/BTNLWYC2hu pic.twitter.com/TYTGWSqaxi

— Armatus Rebellio (@ArmatusRebellio) March 28, 2016