The Right Stuff In The Morning
October 22, 2014
Good morning. In the news today: In a sign the grand jury may not choose to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, the official autopsy of Michael Brown appears to support Wilson's narrative that he was defending
himself when he killed Brown, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Meanwhile, Obama's political bumbles are hurting Democrats; his Ebola czar, who starts today, just got off the campaign trail; the White House hasn't been completely frank in saying Kobani's not a big deal; and Chuck Todd is big bad a bully! Who knew?
Keith
Autopsy appears to back cop in Ferguson case . . . The official autopsy on Michael Brown shows that he was shot in the hand at close range, according to an
analysis of the findings by two experts not involved directly in the case. A source with knowledge of Wilson’s statements said the officer had told investigators that Brown had struggled for Wilson’s pistol inside a police SUV and that Wilson had fired the gun twice, hitting Brown once in the hand. Later, Wilson fired additional shots that killed Brown and ignited a national controversy. The St. Louis medical examiner, Dr. Michael Graham, who is not part of the official investigation, reviewed
the autopsy report for the newspaper. He said Tuesday that it “does support that there was a significant altercation at the car.” Dr. Judy Melinek, a forensic pathologist in San Francisco, said the autopsy “supports the fact that this guy is reaching for the gun, if he has gunpowder particulate material in the wound.” She added, “If he has his hand near the gun when it goes off, he’s going for the officer’s gun.” Melinek
also said the autopsy did not support witnesses who have claimed Brown was shot while running away from Wilson, or with his hands up. She said Brown was facing Wilson when Brown took a shot to the forehead, two shots to the chest and a shot to the upper right arm. The wound to the top of Brown’s head would indicate he was falling forward or in a lunging position toward the shooter; the shot was instantly fatal. A sixth shot that hit the forearm traveled from the back of the arm to the
inner arm, which means Brown’s palms could not have been facing Wilson, as some witnesses have said, Melinek said. That trajectory shows Brown probably was not taking a standard surrender position with arms above the shoulders and palms out when he was hit, she said. St. Louis Post-Dispatch |
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Obama missteps boost GOP chances . . . The GOP could hardly contain its glee at what it viewed as Obama’s latest mistake: his comments that voters should support red-state Democrats who “vote with me” and “have supported my agenda in
Congress.” While the remarks on the Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio show were intended to move black voters to the polls, they bolstered GOP attacks that a vote for Michelle Nunn in Georgia or Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas is essentially a vote for Obama. “Democrats running in the midterms have continually tried to distance themselves from Obama to no avail,” noted Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski.
The Sharpton comments were just
the latest in a series of fumbles by Obama that has fueled Democratic worries the party will lose control of the Senate in the midterms. The Hill
Klain
advised Michelle Nunn's campaign . . . Ron Klain starts work today as Obama’s Ebola “czar,” or point person to coordinate various agencies involved in containing the outbreak. That means the longtime Democratic hand no longer has time to help out Michelle Nunn’s U.S. Senate bid. Klain, a former chief of staff to vice presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden and frequent debate prepper, was to lead Nunn’s preparation for her debates against Republican David Perdue, according to
the infamous internal campaign memo. Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Of course, Klain's stewardship of the Ebola fight will be completely
apolitical.
Companies try to escape Obamacare penalties . . . With companies set to face fines next year for not complying with the new mandate to offer health insurance, some are pursuing strategies like enrolling employees in Medicaid and offering skinny plans to avoid penalties and hold down costs. Wall Street Journal
Coburn "Wastebook" skewers federal spending . . . The retiring Oklahoma senator laces into the National Institutes of Health for complaining about lack of Ebola research money while NIH investigates the effect of Swedish massages on
rabbits. This particular study on rodent rubdowns cost $387,000 — a tiny fraction of the NIH's more than $4 billion budget. But he cites many “unnecessary” spending programs that continue while NIH officials argue that important disease research has slowed. Politico |
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ISIS-bound girls intercepted . . . Authorities are investigating whether three teenage girls from suburban Denver who may have been trying to join Islamic State militants in Syria have friends or associates with
similar intentions. A U.S. official said the evidence gathered so far made it clear that the girls — two sisters, ages 17 and 15, and their 16-year-old friend — were headed to Syria. Associated Press Actually,
Kobani is a big deal . . . In public, the Obama administration argued for weeks that Kobani wasn’t strategically vital to the air campaign against Islamic State extremists. Behind the scenes, however, top officials concluded the Syrian city had become too symbolically important to lose and they raced to save it. Wall Street Journal U.S. issues Ebola travel restrictions . . . The United States ratcheted up its safeguards against Ebola on Tuesday, requiring travelers from three countries at the center of an epidemic in West Africa to fly into one of five major airports conducting
enhanced screening for the virus. Reuters |
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Poll: GOP gains with women voters . . . In last month's AP-GfK poll, 47 percent of female likely voters said they favored a Democratic-controlled Congress while 40 percent wanted the Republicans to capture control. In the new poll,
the two parties are about even among women, 44 percent prefer the Republicans, 42 percent the Democrats. Breitbart
Win or lose, Pelosi stays . .
. House Democrats face long odds at the polls and are bracing for depleted numbers next year, but that doesn’t mean they’re giving up on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) just yet. Democrats on and off Capitol Hill expect Pelosi to remain as leader regardless of the outcome on Election Day. The Hill
Matthews: GOP murdering the vote! . . . In his opening “Hardball” monologue, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews accused the Republican Party of “murder in broad daylight” for passing voter ID laws, or as he put it, disenfranchising “the sons and daughters of slaves.” Daily Caller
Chuck Todd, bully? . . . Buzzword alert: Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes told supporters that she
would not be “bullied” by her Republican opponent Senator Mitch McConnell or NBC host Chuck Todd. “Kentucky is ready for a senator that’s an independent thinker, that can put the partisanship aside and actually fight for the people for this state, one that won’t be bullied by Mitch McConnell or Chuck Todd. We can do this Kentucky!” Daily Caller
Chuck used to try to take my lunch money when we covered the White House together. But, like with all bullies, once I stood up to him, he stopped.
GOP comes up short on voter targeting . . . The RNC hired a tech jury to develop a unified
information hub but will face the midterm elections with the goal not met. By the time the RNC introduced Mr. Barkett’s new software, Beacon, many campaigns were using other products. Wall Street Journal
Kasich appears not to have backed Obamacare . . . Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said there was never any argument about the veracity of the quote; it's just the news service saying Kasich was referring to Obamacare when he was only talking about Medicaid expansion. Colombus Dispatch
It just goes to show. Never talk to reporters.
Jeb has a tax problem . . . The former Florida governor has said he could accept tax increases in a hypothetical deficit-cutting deal. Never mind that he added
that would come only in exchange for major federal spending cuts, or that he repeatedly cut taxes as governor. Tax hikes are still apostasy in Republican circles, and the stance could be a big problem for Bush if he decides to seek the party’s presidential nomination in 2016. Politico
Christie: Enough about the minimum wage . . . “I gotta tell you the truth, I’m tired of hearing about the minimum wage. I really am,” the Republican governor said, according to a video of the remarks posted by the left-leaning super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century. Christie continued, “I don’t think there’s a mother or father who’s sitting around a kitchen table in America tonight saying ‘You
know honey, if our son or daughter could just make a higher minimum wage.’” Politico |
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ISIS manna from Obama . . . ISIS fighters intercepted a cache of weapons dropped by a U.S.-led coalition against the terrorist group. A roughly two-minute video shows a masked man armed with a rifle going through boxes of hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenade
launchers and ammunition. The accidental drop of the weapons cache prompted thank yous from ISIS supporters on Twitter. Buzzfeed Most
of the weapons did get to the right place, however. Pakistan court upholds death for Christian woman . . . A Christian in the Muslim-dominated and increasingly intolerant nation, the mother of five was quickly assailed by the other women working the field in a tiny village in the Punjab province. First they said they would not drink from the same water bucket as a Christian. Later, they told police Bibi had insulted
the Muslim Prophet Mohammad. The crime, blasphemy, is punishable by death. Fox News |
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Puerto Rico judge upholds same-sex marriage ban . . . A federal judge in Puerto Rico upheld the territory’s gay marriage ban in an opinion Tuesday that could
reignite legal challenges against same-sex marriage in some Northeastern states. “Ultimately the very survival of the political order depends upon the procreative potential embodied in traditional marriage,” U.S. District Court Judge Juan Pérez-Giménez said. The Hill Toys R Us pull Breaking Bad dolls . . . Toys R Us is pulling its four collectible dolls based on characters from AMC's hit series "Breaking Bad" after taking heat from a Florida mom who launched a petition campaign last week. The dolls are based on the series about Walter White, a high
school chemistry teacher who turns into a crystal meth dealer, and his sidekick Jesse Pinkman. The figures have a detachable bag of cash and a bag of methamphetamines. Fox News I assume those aren't real methamphetamines. Nor, alas, real cash.
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