#Democrat Pete Buttigieg Warns Against the 'Domestic White Nationalist Terror' Threat (VIDEO)

Democrats didn't wait long.

Following-up, "Democrat Beto O'Rourke Politicizes Mass Slaughter at #CieloVista #Walmart in #ElPaso (VIDEO)."

Buttigieg, who otherwise often sounds reasonable, is pathetic and desperate here.

#Democrats in a race to demonize law-abiding citizens for the actions of an evil individual filled with racist hatred. STFU and fix your #Democrat thug-controlled cities before blaming #Republicans for this evil act. #ElPaso #CieloVista #MassShooting 🙏🤷‍♂️ https://t.co/zK4fypY6YJ

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 4, 2019

El Paso Shooting Suspect Posted Online 'Manifesto' Decrying 'Ethnic Replacement' in the U.S. (VIDEO)

Bellingcat has an investigative report, "The El Paso Shooting and the Gamification of Terror." (Via Memeorandum.)

And click through at Gateway Pundit to read the shooter's racist screed, which cites the New Zealand Christchurch massacre as inspiration: "El Paso Walmart Shooter Patrick Crusius Admits in Manifesto That he Chose a Gun-Free Zone for Obvious Reasons."

And at Russia Today (with the obvious caveats):

El Paso Shooting Suspect Could Face Death Penalty (VIDEO)

I hope the dude fries. Let's so leftists launch an anti-death penalty campaign to free this guy from death row. I mean, it helps to be politically consistent, right? (*Eye-roll.*)

At the El Paso Times, "Capital murder charge filed, death penalty sought against man arrested in El Paso Walmart mass shooting."

Democrat Beto O'Rourke Politicizes Mass Slaughter at #CieloVista #Walmart in #ElPaso (VIDEO)

I'm shocked, horrified, sick, and angry with all the mass shootings, whatever the background of the shooter. And obviously, politically-motivated hate crimes must be denounced and prevented. But let's work as a team. Not tear each other apart. Beto's not helping. And he's especially not helping the #Democrat Party, which will not win a battle to secure even more regressive and confiscatory guns laws.

#Beto is really hitting the “blame Trump” talking points hard. Politicizing #ElPaso won’t turn out well for #Democrats, especially when the left’s inevitable gun confiscation propaganda goes into overdrive. #FakeNewsCNN #Dems #CieloVista #massShooting 🤷‍♂️

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 4, 2019

This is what I’m talking about. 🙄 #Beto https://t.co/vz1rjdWN7V #ElPasoShooting #CieloVista #MassShooting https://t.co/u1PLugKNXv

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 4, 2019

A tragedy like this is not an opportunity to reboot your failing presidential campaign.

This is disgusting and wrong.https://t.co/gHfPHx1Oet

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) August 4, 2019

House Republicans Head for the Exits (VIDEO)

At the New York Times, "Deprived of Power, House Republicans Head for the Exits":

WASHINGTON — Imagine being swept out of power in Congress and relegated to the role of spectator and naysayer as your political opponents dictate the terms of legislative debate. Add in the specter of a painful slog to re-election, sharing the ticket with President Trump and being asked to answer daily for his every tweet and incendiary statement.

Now picture doing all of that only to risk landing in the minority again, possibly under the other party’s president.

Such is the plight of House Republicans contemplating whether to seek re-election in 2020, and the bleak outlook is taking its toll. A half-dozen Republican members of Congress have announced over the past two weeks that they will retire rather than face voters again next year, and more are expected to follow in the coming weeks, dealing an early setback to the party’s uphill battle to win back the House.

The rush for the exits is also providing evidence about how difficult the House Republican Conference is becoming for the few women and people of color who remain in it.

Among the retirements announced in the past week are Representatives Will Hurd of Texas, the only African-American Republican in the House, and Martha Roby of Alabama, one of only 13 Republican congresswomen. Representative Susan Brooks of Indiana, the head of recruitment for the party’s campaign committee, had been tasked with replenishing the ravaged ranks of Republican women; she announced in June that she would retire, an indication of the long odds of that effort.

“It’s a reflection of the pessimism Republicans feel about regaining the majority in 2020,” said David Wasserman, the House editor of the Cook Political Report, which tracks congressional races...

Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Fleishman Is in Trouble

At Amazon, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Fleishman Is in Trouble: A Novel.

Bella Hadid

At Taxi Driver, "Bella Hadid in a Tiny Brown String Bikini."

She looks great!

Olivia Brower Intimates (VIDEO)

At Sports Illustrated Swimsuit:

Danielle Gersh's Saturday Forecast

Here's the lovely Ms. Danielle, for CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Marianne Williamson (VIDEO)

She was trending the other night.

At CNN and Real Time with Bill Maher:





BONUS: At Hot Air, "Bill Maher: All Democrats Need To Do To Win Is Not Be Crazy, And They Can’t Do It."

Georgia Police Officer Dragged (VIDEO)

He's lucky to be alive. I'm not sure how he got stuck on the window. He must have reached in for something and the suspect sped off. Either way, it's horrifying.

At ABC World News Tonight:

Trump Targets Cities as Bastions of Crime, Poverty, and Corruption

Democrat crime, corruption, and poverty. If leftists stick with Democrats on this issue, you know politics isn't about improving the lives of people. It's only about stroking your fellow ideologues and tribalists.

At LAT, "It’s not just Baltimore; Trump is running against America’s cities":

.@Michael_Nutter told me efforts to demotivate black voters may do the opposite.

“In 2016, people just couldn’t believe that this kind of bizarro character had any possible chance.. Now, I think that folks’ eyes are wide open. People are fully woke.”https://t.co/2ZXkJb1JpQ

— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) August 3, 2019

WASHINGTON —  He was born in Queens and lives on Fifth Avenue. His skyscrapers dot city skylines on several continents. But President Trump is increasingly intent on disparaging urban areas, depicting them as blighted and overrun by criminals and homelessness — all part of a divisive reelection strategy heading into 2020.

Trump’s denigration of cities is part of an effort to animate a base of rural, mostly white supporters while depressing minority turnout in places like Milwaukee, Detroit and Philadelphia — a repeat of the two-pronged strategy that helped him to a surprising electoral college victory in 2016 and could be determinative again four years later.

“No one has paid a higher price for the far-left destructive agenda than Americans living in our nation’s inner cities,” Trump said Thursday night at a rally in Cincinnati, drawing cheers from the mostly white crowd. “We send billions and billions and billions for years and years, and it’s stolen money, and it’s wasted money.”

“For 100 years it’s been one party control, and look at them,” he continued. “We can name one after another, but I won’t do that because I don’t want to be controversial.”

In reality, the country’s largest urban areas are major engines of the national economy and generate more tax money than they receive from the federal government. By contrast, most rural areas receive more from Washington than they generate.

The president singled out California and two of its largest cities, commenting on a homelessness problem that he laid at the feet of the state’s leaders.

“Nearly half of all the homeless people living in the streets in America happen to live in the state of California. What they are doing to our beautiful California is a disgrace to our country. It’s a shame,” he said.

“Look at Los Angeles with the tents, and the horrible, horrible disgusting conditions. Look at San Francisco, look at some of your other cities,” Trump added.

Trump’s administration has not made homelessness a priority and has offered no new policy ideas for dealing with the problem.

After a skirmish in the crowd, as Trump supporters swarmed around a small group of protesters who had unfurled a sign that read “Immigrants Built America,” the president took the opportunity to punctuate his chosen message.

“Cincinnati, do you have a Democrat mayor?” Trump asked the crowd. “Well, that’s what happens.”

Last weekend, Trump tweeted more than 30 times about Baltimore, the nation’s 30th largest city, calling it a “very dangerous & filthy place” where “no human being would want to live.”

He blamed Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Democratic chairman of the House Oversight Committee that is investigating the administration on multiple fronts, and described his district, which includes parts of Baltimore as well as its suburbs, as a “disgusting, rat- and rodent-infested mess.”

A Trump campaign aide defended the president against critics who called those statements racist.

“It’s notable that no one has challenged the President’s descriptions of the problems in Baltimore and other cities. Critics would rather focus on the word ‘infested,’ which is the very same word Congressman Cummings used to describe his own city’s drug problems in a congressional hearing 20 years ago,” said Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for Trump’s reelection campaign.

“After all this time, why hasn’t it gotten better? It’s completely legitimate to call out the leadership in cities where conditions haven’t improved decade after decade.”

“When the nation and our economy are clearly on the right track, why would we turn the country over to the same political party whose ideas have failed so many of our city residents?” Murtaugh added, noting, as the president often does, that African-American unemployment is dropping.

While Trump avoided mentioning Cummings by name at the rally Thursday night, he did assert that Baltimore’s homicide rate was higher than several Central American countries...

Three Killed in #Encinitas Cliff Collapse (VIDEO)

What a way to go, man.

At the San Diego Union-Tribune, "‘Normal beach day gone awry': 3 killed in Encinitas bluff collapse."

Laura Loomer to Run for Congress

Good for her.

The one real way to effect change is to get into the arena yourself. Even if you don't win, you raise the profile of the things that matter. You can effect change and move the agenda. Sometimes you don't win the first time, but House elections are every two years, and a lot changes.

At Washington Examiner, "Laura Loomer announces bid for Congress."

Laura Loomer (yes, Laura Loomer) announces her bid for Congress in Florida, challenging incumbent Democrat @RepLoisFrankel who ran unopposed in 2018. https://t.co/Eics3HDCWR

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 2, 2019

BREAKING: Laura Loomer is running for Congress in Florida's 21st Congressional district.

If elected, she will likely be a very strong fighter against tech censorship on Capital Hill. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ZwHo8mKUdX

— Michael Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) August 2, 2019

Citizenship and American Identity

We can't take in everybody.

At City Journal, "If We Extend American Citizenship to Everyone in the World, Can We Still Be a Country?":

Citizenship and American Identity: If we extend the designation to everyone in the world, how can we still be a country? https://t.co/uAYlbsWsEe pic.twitter.com/Gs3kyMiyu3

— City Journal (@CityJournal) August 2, 2019

And ICYMI, Andrew Sullivan's must read on Democrat immigration proposals, "Democrats Offering a Great Deal to People Who Aren't Americans."

Megan Parry's Friday Forecast

Great weather.

You should be at the beach!

Here's the wonderful Ms. Megan, for ABC News 10 San Diego:

Saoirse Kennedy Hill, Robert F. Kennedy Granddaughter, Dead of Drug Overdose (VIDEO)

She was just 22.

It's indeed a curse on the Kennedy family, man.

At the New York Post, "Saoirse Kennedy Hill is latest victim of the ‘Kennedy curse’."

And NYT:

Some sad news:

RFK’s granddaughter, Saoirse Hill, overdosed today on Cape Cod. She was 22.

Her death comes 50 years after Chappaquidick and 20 years after JFK Jr died in a plane crash. https://t.co/7X1BlNrItp

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) August 2, 2019

“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse,” the family of Saoirse Kennedy Hill, who died on Thursday, said in a statement. “Her life was filled with hope, promise and love.” https://t.co/cTgMMJYzku

— NYT National News (@NYTNational) August 2, 2019

New Nina Agdal Bikini Photos

At Hollywood Tuna, "Nina Agdal’s Booty Plays in the Pool."

Kourtney Kardashian Posing in a Pool

At Taxi Driver, "Kourtney Kardashian Butt Naked Posing in a Pool."

Democrats Put Private Health Insurance Up for 'Debate'

Really, I hope Dems talk about obliterating private and employer-based health insurance right up to November 2020. It's going to be too easy, dang.

At LAT, "News Analysis: Democrats ask if Americans are ready to give up job-based health coverage":

Voters have repeatedly punished both Democrats and Republicans who've threatened to take away their health coverage, no matter how flawed it is. Are Dems ready to risk trying again? https://t.co/thjrXEdzsB

— Noam Levey (@NoamLevey) August 2, 2019

WASHINGTON —  Sharp disagreements among the presidential hopefuls at this week’s debates have crystallized a critical and explosive political question: Are Democrats willing to upend health coverage for tens of millions of their fellow Americans?
The party is closer than it’s been in decades to embracing a healthcare platform that would move all Americans out of their current insurance and into a single government-run plan.

Plans pushed by three of the four leading candidates — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California — differ in their particulars but would all end the job-based system that provides coverage to more than 150 million people.

That’s a hugely risky strategy, as more-centrist rivals reminded the three senators during the two nights of heated, sometimes confusing, debates.

Sweeping healthcare plans have never fared well in American politics.

For decades, voters repeatedly have punished presidents and Congresses — Democratic and Republican alike — who have threatened to take away existing health plans, no matter how flawed.

Just last year, the GOP suffered historic losses in the House of Representatives after the party’s unsuccessful effort to roll back the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

But at a time when rising insurance deductibles and medical bills are crippling growing numbers of American families, many Democrats on the party’s left believe public discontent with the current system has changed that dynamic.

“It’s time that we separate employers from the kind of healthcare people get,” Harris said Wednesday night, acknowledging that her “Medicare for all” plan would, after a lengthy phase-in period, end job-based insurance.

Harris, Sanders and Warren have made Medicare for all a central plank of their campaigns, riding a wave of discontent over rising medical costs to call for a historic expansion of government insurance.

Their more-moderate rivals say the three have misjudged the public mood and that by overreaching, they would squander an opportunity to enact significant, if incremental, reforms.

A survey earlier this year by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found that support for a single government plan fell from 56% to 37% when respondents were told that it might involve eliminating private insurance companies or requiring more taxes.

“It doesn’t make sense for us to take away insurance from half the people in this room,” warned Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who is among many Democratic presidential candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who back more limited approaches.

The more-centrist Democrats would preserve the current employer-based system, as well as state Medicaid programs and the insurance marketplaces created by the 2010 healthcare law.

They would add an additional choice to allow Americans to buy into a Medicare-like government plan, often called a “public option.”

“Every single person in America would be able to buy into that option if they didn’t like their employer plan,” Biden said Wednesday.

Critics on the left say that approach would ultimately cost more and would preserve an outsized role for private insurance companies.

“We have tried this experiment with the insurance companies,” Warren said from the debate stage Tuesday. “And what they’ve done is they’ve sucked billions of dollars out of our healthcare system. And they force people to have to fight to try to get the healthcare coverage that their doctors and nurses say that they need.”

But threatening Americans’ current health coverage has proved disastrous for previous Democratic efforts to expand protections, including President Clinton’s doomed initiative in the early 1990s.

The 2010 healthcare law was almost sunk by labor unions angry about a new tax on the kind of generous health plans many of their members enjoy.

And even though the law was designed to have minimal impact on the existing insurance system, President Obama faced a firestorm when a few million people found their health plans canceled after new rules took effect requiring plans to offer more-comprehensive benefits.

“Traditionally, fear of losing benefits — however flawed they may be — trumps hope of getting something better,” said Chris Jennings, an influential Washington health policy advisor who worked for Clinton and Obama...

Still more.