#JusticeForAhmaudArbery

#AhmaudArbery would be turning 26 today.

He was killed in February while jogging. Two white men have been charged with his murder.

Activists organized an #IRunWithMaud protest to honor him — pledging to run 2.23 miles, marking the date of his death. pic.twitter.com/H64YrUnJeE

— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 8, 2020

I refuse to applaud an arrest that should have been made 74 days ago. #AhmaudArbery

— brittany packnett cunningham. (@MsPackyetti) May 8, 2020

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"Jog during the day and not at night." They'll still kill you. "Stay in your own backyard." They'll still kill you. "Don't move your hands too quickly." They'll still kill you. "Keep your voice down." They'll still kill you. They'll still kill you. They'll still kill you.

— Clint Smith (@ClintSmithIII) May 6, 2020

Language matters.

Justice (noun): Ahmaud Arbery, alive today to celebrate his birthday.

Accountability (noun): The McMichaels, convicted of murder.

The Bare Minimum (what Black folks get)*: The McMichaels, arrested for murder, after 74 days.

Never be confused.#AhmaudArbery

— brittany packnett cunningham. (@MsPackyetti) May 8, 2020

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Stand with us and demand that Ahmaud’s murders are charged in his death. They are not immune from prosecution and should be tried for murder. #IRunWithMaud pic.twitter.com/tb57wtfNE4

— Georgia NAACP (@Georgia_NAACP) April 28, 2020

White America: Watch this Tik Tok of me and my gramama twerking to Megan & Beyoncé’s remix. It’s lit! We do it for ‘da culture. Big ups!

Also White America: Police brutality? Black lives? I don’t really talk about that kind of stuff in public. It’s not my thing.

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) May 7, 2020

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Never Forget: They didn’t make arrests because they saw the tape and were outraged by the evil they saw, they made arrests because we saw the tape and were outraged by the evil we saw #AhmaudArbery

— Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) May 8, 2020

Raising The Bar

Yesterday, marathoner Eliud Kipchoge became the first ever to break two hours. Today in Chicago, Brigid Kosgei set a new women’s world record. Staggering achievements on their own, they’re also remarkable examples of humanity’s ability to endure—and keep raising the bar.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 13, 2019

Dear Mr. Obama, Thank you for your special words. In life we hope to inspire others. Thank you for inspiring me. It would be my greatest honour if we could meet, and discuss how we can make this world a running world. As a running world is a peaceful world. #NoHumanIsLimited

— Eliud Kipchoge - EGH🇰🇪 (@EliudKipchoge) October 14, 2019

Early Bird Chat

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All Times Eastern

10:35AM: President Obama departs the White House

1:10PM: President Obama arrives in Miami

1:55PM: President Obama delivers remarks about the Affordable Care Act at Miami Dade College

4:05PM: President Obama delivers remarks at a Hillary for America campaign event at Florida Memorial University

5:30PM: President Obama participates in a fundraiser for Democratic governors

6:40PM: President Obama departs  Miami

9:10PM: President Obama arrives at the White House

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#EasterEggRoll: The President And First Lady’s Day

Idina Menzel sings the National Anthem

President Barack Obama pretends to wipe a tear from his eye when First Lady Michelle Obama says it’s their last Easter Egg Roll at the White House

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Malia Obama, Sasha Obama, and Maisy Biden

First lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama doing the Whip and the Nae Nae

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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama cheer on kids during the Easter Egg Roll race

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President Barack Obama holds up Stella Muñoz in the air

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Pres. Obama Loves to Jog…And Jog…And Jog

Wherever he travels, wherever he goes

He jogs in large groups

He jogs alone

He jogs while he’s happy

Jogging is one of his favorite passions

He jogs near bales and bales of hay

And he jogs with dogs

More of this hilarious series here

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Six years ago….. Barack Obama announces his candidacy

Springfield, Illinois, February 10, 2007 – Photo: Pete Souza

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Text of the speech here

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NYT: Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, standing before the Old State Capitol where Abraham Lincoln began his political career, announced his candidacy for the White House on Saturday by presenting himself as an agent of generational change who could transform a government hobbled by cynicism, petty corruption and “a smallness of our politics.”

…. It was the latest step in a journey rich with historic possibilities and symbolism. Thousands of people packed the town square to witness it, shivering in the single-digit frostiness until Mr. Obama appeared, trailed by his wife, Michelle, and two young daughters….

…. The formal entry to the race framed a challenge that would seem daunting to even the most talented politician: whether Mr. Obama, with all his strengths and limitations, can win in a field dominated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who brings years of experience in presidential politics, a command of policy and political history, and an extraordinarily battle-tested network of fund-raisers and advisers.

…. “If a campaign is premised on personality, then no, I don’t think you can stay fresh for a year,” he said. “But if the campaign is built from the ground up and there is a sense of ownership among people who want to see significant change, then absolutely. It can build and grow.”

More here

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Photo: Callie Shell

“Most singular piece of partisan hackery… since Scalia picked president”

Charles Pierce: The next time I hear some lefty mooing about the president’s having let down the side on something or another, it better be about something of substance, like the Keystone XL pipeline, or I’m going to boot said lefty’s hindquarters in the general direction of the federal appeals court of the District Of Columbia, which today laid down the most singular piece of partisan hackery to come out of a court since Antonin Scalia picked the previous president.

…. This, children, is what you get when you operate politically under the theory that They’re All The Same. You get 20 or 30 years of primarily Republican judges acting primarily as Republicans, drawn from the legal chop-shops in the conservative movement bubble, and doing their partisan duty like performing seals.

David Sentelle would be the one in the center ring with the ball on his nose ….  This is a guy who thinks the NLRB itself is constitutionally illegitimate….

…. Three decades of this, and what you get are decisions like the one that was handed down today. Tell me again how it never mattered.

Full post here

Pierce at his very best, make sure you click the link.

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On a more joyous note:

Photo of the day: The President runs with new WH Chief of Staff Denis McDonough’s kids on the White House colonnade (Pete Souza)

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A short clip from 60 Minutes:

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Happy Australia Day to 99ts and all our O(z)bots!

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This and That

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San Francisco International Airport

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All times Eastern:

6:15 Departs San Francisco

7:20: Arrives Los Angeles

10:15: Delivers remarks at a campaign event at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills (CNN live streaming)

11:55: Delivers remarks at a campaign event at a private Residence, Beverly Hills (Print Pool only)

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People gather in a lobby of a building to catch a glimpse of President Obama where was attending a campaign event in San Francisco

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camera hog

Univision reporter Adriana Arevalo, March 12

evening all

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President Obama is introduced at a United Parcel Service (UPS) freight facility in Las Vegas

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Remarks by the First Lady at a DNC Event today in Sarasota, FL here

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and First Lady Michelle Obama have lunch with students at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., Jan. 25, 2012. The First Lady and Secretary Vilsack visited the school to sample a healthy meal that meets the United States Department of Agriculture’s new and improved nutrition standards for school lunches. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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The Week

LA Times: Some investments listed in Mitt and Ann Romney’s 2010 tax returns – including a now-closed Swiss bank account and other funds located overseas – were not explicitly disclosed in the personal financial statement the GOP presidential hopeful filed in August as part of his White House bid.

The Romney campaign described the discrepancies as “trivial” but acknowledged Thursday afternoon that they are undergoing an internal review of how the investments were reported and will make “some minor technical amendments” to Romney’s financial disclosure that will not alter the overall picture of his finances.

More here

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TPM

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ThinkProgress

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Greg Sargent: Yikes! The pro-Newt Super PAC is up with an epic, over-the-top one-minute ad called “Blood Money” that throws everything in the oppo file at Mitt Romney:

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Billboard

Thanks Lamh!

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Okay, who’s watching the freak show?