Flynn urges appeals court to end the battle over dismissing his case

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/20/michael-flynn-appeals-court-case-dismissal-372929

“To allow Judge Sullivan to delay and generate litigation against a criminal defendant is unconstitutional,” Flynn’s lawyers, Sidney Powell and Jesse Binnall, say in the filing. “This action itself diminishes the status of the federal judiciary as an independent bulwark for the rule of law.”

Even if Sullivan is deemed to lack standing, whether his case gets taken up by the full appeals court is another matter. Any active D.C. Circuit judge can request a poll of the full court, even if no litigant seeks it or has standing to do so.

How It Starts

Navy vet says he was beaten, pepper sprayed by authorities at Portland protest

Trump law enforcement officials brush off pleas to butt out of Portland

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/20/ken-cuccinelli-federal-law-enforcement-portland-372570

President Donald Trump’s top law enforcement officials on Monday defended the descent of militarized government forces upon Portland, Ore., rejecting pleas from local and state leaders to pull back the fusion of federal officers.

In an interview on CNN, acting deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli claimed the department deployed federal law enforcement personnel to Portland over the July 4 weekend after having received “locally generated” intelligence regarding “planned attacks” on federal facilities.

 

The remarks from the three senior administration officials, none of whom were confirmed by the Senate to serve in their current roles, come amid national scrutiny of protesters’ treatment at the hands of DHS forces in Portland.

One viral video of the protests depicts a Navy veteran, who is standing still, being beaten with a baton and tear-gassed by a group of masked officers.

Another piece of footage from Portland widely circulated online shows two men wearing camouflage loading a protester into an unmarked van while refusing to identify themselves to onlookers.

Asked about criticisms of officers’ conduct Monday, Wolf placed blame on “local leaders” in Portland whom he said “have fostered this environment that allows these individuals to … do these very violent acts, destructive acts night after night after night.”

Jerusalem court to rule on Malka Leifer in September

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/283875

An Israeli court said Monday it would rule in September if an Orthodox Jewish teacher accused of sexually abusing children in Australia will be extradited, a courts spokeswoman told AFP.

The Jerusalem District Court heard new arguments by defense lawyers Monday against the extradition of Malka Leifer, the latest chapter in years of legal battles.

The court had ruled in May that she was mentally competent to stand trial, rejecting defense arguments to the contrary.

Leifer was not in court on Monday but took part by videoconference, the Israel Courts Administration spokeswoman said.

She is accused of child sex abuse while she was a teacher and principal at a haredi Jewish school in Melbourne, where she had emigrated from hernative Israel.

According to Australian media, she is facing 74 counts of child sex abuse, but her lawyers say there were only "three actual complaints."

After allegations against her surfaced in Australia in 2008, Leifer and her family left for Israel and have been living in the town of Emmanuel.

Defense at extradition hearing: Leifer’s students effectively consented to abuse

https://www.timesofisrael.com/defense-at-extradition-hearing-leifers-students-effectively-consented-to-abuse/

At a long-awaited extradition hearing for Malka Leifer on Monday, the defense team of the former headmaster at an Australian school sought to argue that those who accuse their client of sexual abuse had effectively consented to it.

The highly anticipated session at the Jerusalem District Court was the 69th hearing convened since Leifer was initially arrested in 2014, six years after fleeing Australia, where she now faces 74 charges of child sex abuse.

Defense attorney Nick Kaufman argued that the three sisters accusing his client were around or even over the consenting age of 18 when the alleged abuse took place. He did not state specifically that the allegations were true, but argued that even if they were, there were holes in their stories, which should prevent Leifer from being extradited.

State prosecutor Matan Akiva flatly rejected the claims, saying the alleged victims were in no place to say “no” to Leifer and that their principal had total control over them. Moreover, he argued that the nature of their ultra-Orthodox community in Melbourne left the girls without the tools to be able to cope with such abuse.

Trump’s Deceptive Ad on Biden and Defunding the Police

https://www.factcheck.org/2020/06/trumps-deceptive-ad-on-biden-and-defunding-the-police/

A Trump for President ad deceptively suggests that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden supports a campaign to “defund the police.” But Biden has said explicitly that he doesn’t.

However, Biden has said categorically and repeatedly that he opposes defunding the police, a cause espoused by some of those protesting the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis and police misconduct in general.

“No, I don’t support defunding the police,” Biden told “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell on June 8. “I support conditioning federal aid to police, based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency and honorableness. And, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community and everybody in the community.”

Biden reiterated that position in an op-ed published in USA Today on June 10.

Reality Check: Does Biden Want To Defund Police?

Fact checking the Republican claim that Biden plans to defund the police, and Biden’s claim that Trump put brake on coronavirus tests

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fact-checking-the-republican-claim-that-biden-plans-to-defund-the-police-and-bidens-claim-that-trump-put-brake-on-coronavirus-tests-2020-07-11

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign team is misrepresenting Democratic rival Joe Biden’s stance on improving police practices following George Floyd’s death.

In ads and emails this week, the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee assert that Biden would “defund the police.” That’s not Biden’s position. The former vice president has repeatedly made clear he would boost money for social services and condition federal dollars on police adhering to standards.

 

Trump ad ties Biden to defund police effort, warns Americans 'won't be safe'

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/507445-trump-campaign-ad-ties-biden-to-defund-police-effort-warns-americans-wont

The Trump campaign is doubling down on its message of "law and order" with a dark ad released Wednesday telling Americans they "won't be safe" if presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is elected president.

 

Biden has refused to back calls to defund the police but has voiced support for further justice system reforms and expressed sympathy with activists protesting racial inequality.

“The vast majority of police are decent, honorable people, but there are bad apples, man. And we have to change the way we teach the police,” Biden said at a recent fundraiser. “We have to make sure that we deal with an entire new set of standards at the federal level like Barack [Obama] and I were doing before we left office. There’s so much we can do, the country is ready for it. We don’t have to defund the police departments, we have to make sure they meet minimum basic standards of decency.” 

A similar Trump campaign ad that aired earlier this month received four Pinocchios from The Washington Post’s fact-checker.

Trump claims Joe Biden wants to defund police in upcoming Fox News interview

https://nypost.com/2020/07/17/trump-claims-joe-biden-wants-to-defund-police-in-fox-news-interview/

President Trump and Fox News host Chris Wallace get into a debate over whether Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden “wants to defund” the police in the tease for an interview set to air Sunday.

In a clip of the taped interview, “Fox News Sunday” host Wallace rebuffs Trump’s claim that Biden’s unity agenda with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) committed to defunding or abolishing police.

“Let’s go, get me the charter, please!” an agitated Trump says in the brief clip.

 

'Let's go!': Trump snaps when pushed on false claim about Biden and police

https://www.independent.co.uk/us-election-2020/trump-does-joe-biden-want-to-defund-the-police-abolish-fox-news-interview-a9625711.html

Donald Trump testily lashed out at Chris Wallace after the Fox News Sunday host, during an interview to air this weekend, called out the president's false statement that Joe Biden wants to defund all police departments.

"Let's go!" the president said forcefully, appearing to look at off-camera staff and give an order for someone to retrieve a Democratic document he had just misquoted.

"Get me the charter, please," a clearly agitated Mr Trump said.

At the end of the brief-but-testy exchange, Mr Wallace looks bemused as he simply says, "Alright..."

Trump Wrongly Suggests Biden Supports Defunding The Police In Fox News Interview

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/07/17/trump-wrongly-suggests-biden-supports-defunding-the-police-in-fox-news-interview/#1e1f9b7e1d04

In an excerpt from a Fox News interview released Friday, President Trump falsely claimed that Joe Biden supports “defunding the police” and signed a “charter” with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) supporting the progressive rallying cry, in what appears to be an attempt by the president to pin the controversial idea on his opponent to make him appear more radical.

 

President Trump goes one-on-one with Chris Wallace | Full Interview