Democrats, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, handed Obama a stinging defeat Tuesday afternoon when a procedural motion to proceed with the President’s trade bill, “Fast Track”, failed to get the 60 votes necessary to pass.  Only one Democrat, Sen. Tom Carper (Del.), voted for it.

WASHINGTON DC – […]  Fast-track is a top legislative priority for the White House, but it has run into significant Senate opposition that has been led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
It faces even more opposition from Democrats in the House, and the surprise Senate failure will raise doubts about whether the legislation will make its way through Congress.
Labor unions and other left-leaning groups have declared war on the fast-track bill, which they argue would ship jobs overseas. The Senate is generally a more pro-trade body than the House, and it has been easier to move trade agreements through the upper chamber.
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Grande Lum’s team of CRS “peacekeepers” have been on the ground in Madison Wisconsin for weeks preparing the community to hear that no charges will be filed against police officer Matt Kenny who shot 19-year-old street thug Tony Robinson. (Backstory)
As shared by an eye witness:

…This so called “gentle giant” was high on suspected hallucinagenics, and in a violent, volitile rage, walking down the streets of madison battering citizens, whom were frantically calling 911 for police assistance.
This out of control, violent man, high on acid hallucinagenic drugs, which not only gave him super human strength but made him impervious to pain, then battered a peace officer. Yes a peace officer who’s job that night was to protect the citizens screaming for help, and to protect the community from further harm from this man.
Again a man who made the choice to consume quantities of drugs, that made him a mad man, who was on a mission to critically harm others in his path”… (link)

The police scanner and other witness testimony confirms this account. We previously wrote about it HERE.
Using a CRS organized group called “Black Leadership Council” whose member organizations include: the Dane County NAACP, the African American Council of Churches, black Greek organizations, the Urban League and 100 Black Men of Madison, Lum’s Community Relations Service has been busy trying to aide District Attorney Ismael Ozanne in making the announcement. (more…)

Of course most of those arrested were from husband Nick Mosby’s council district; but, meh, who’s paying attention to those pesky details.

[…]  The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office tells WJZ prosecutors are dropping all charges against individuals arrested solely for curfew violations. They say those arrests were punishment enough. (link)

Marilyn Mosby asserted in her probable cause statement the Medical Examiner conclusion that Freddie Gray’s “fatal injury” occurred “inside the Baltimore Police transport van”.  An assertion also evident today in a New York Times report:

[…]  The medical examiner has concluded that Mr. Gray’s fatal neck injury occurred in the van, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation (link)

Numerous national network broadcasts have focused on the transport van, including some networks doing re-enactments based on similar transport vans.  However, what each media outlet has missed, is the factual layout of the specific van used in the 4/12/15 event.
We recently re-focused attention on this aspect when it was noted the transport is actually a 3 compartment van, NOT a two compartment van that most of the media focuses upon.
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IT STARTS WITH A LIE –  William “Billy” Murphy Jr. is the attorney for the Freddie Gray family. He appeared on Fox News with Chris Wallace last Sunday (05/03) answering questions about his financial contributions to Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
During his appearance William “Billy” Murphy said he never contributed to Mosby’s campaign. “the contribution didn’t come from me, it came from my son“. (See the video at :56)

However, he was, quite simply, lying.
The records clearly indicate the contributions to the “friends of Marilyn Mosby campaign” came specifically from him. Campaign Donation Verification Link

~ click image to enlarge ~

A William H Murphy III donated $1000.00 to “Mosby, Marilyn Friends of” on 1/05/2014
A William H Muprhy Jr donated $4000.00 to “Mosby, Marilyn Friends of” on 6/20/2014
Shortly after evidence of his contributions surfaced – Murphy seemingly dropped the lie and admitted to the campaign donations. He then appeared on MSNBC (05/06) to discuss the “conflict of interest”. (more…)

We have outlined exhaustive evidence of why Marilyn Mosby should recuse herself from prosecution of the Baltimore Six.  Here – and – Here
Officer Edward Nero’s lawyer has just filed a 107 page motion containing those reasons and many more:

[scribd id=264688411 key=key-n07QpYO64G69zVMIn0HW mode=scroll]
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Jack Cashill –  On Wednesday, April 29, Peter Hermann of the Washington Post published a well-sourced article, headlined, “Prisoner in van said Freddie Gray ‘was intentionally trying to injure himself.'”
Hermann based this story on an affidavit contained in an application for a search warrant that had been sealed by the court.  According to the document, written by a Baltimore police investigator, the unnamed prisoner, a 38-year-old man accused of violating a protective order, could hear Gray from his side of the van.  The man heard “banging against the walls” of the vehicle and believed that Gray “was intentionally trying to injure himself.”
The Post received the document under the condition that the person testifying not be named.  As Hermann reported, “[t]he person who provided it feared for the inmate’s safety.”  That fear was understandable.  Many people have a vested interest in preserving the illusion of Gray’s martyrdom at the hands of a cruel and/or callous police department.
If anything, the fact that the man in question was currently in prison increased the risk factor. (more…)

There’s an odd dynamic to the Washington Post report that Attorney General Loretta Lynch is set to “launch federal investigation of Baltimore police” using the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office for a “pattern or practice” investigation.
Odd because, the DOJ COPS office investigation, run by Ronald L. Davis (Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services), was already launched last October, 2014.

DETAILS – Yesterday the Washington Post reported:

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch has decided to launch a federal investigation into whether the Baltimore Police Department has engaged in a “pattern or practice” of excessive force.  (link)

However, last October 20th COPS announced:

U.S. Department of Justice Announces Collaborative Reform Initiative with Baltimore Police Department
COPS OFFICE WILL ASSESS BALTIMORE POLICE POLICIES, TRAINING, AND OPERATIONS AS THEY RELATE TO USE OF FORCE AND INTERACTIONS WITH CITIZENS
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – Today the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) announced the beginning of a review of the Baltimore Police Department’s use of force policies and practices. The scope of the work announced today will include an assessment of policies, training, and operations as they relate to use of force and interactions with citizens, taking into account national standards, best practices, current and emerging research, and community expectations.
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Least surprising announcement ever…

WASHINGTON DC – Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch has decided to launch a federal investigation into whether the Baltimore Police Department has engaged in a “pattern or practice” of excessive force.

Lynch’s announcement about the Justice Department’s probe — the latest in a string of municipalities that are being investigated by the federal government for civil rights violations — could come as early as Friday, according to two law enforcement officials.
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday night. (more…)

Baltimore police have continually said their initial reasoning for suspecting Freddie Gray of suspicious activity was his immediate running from police when bicycle officers made eye contact.  However, no-one has revealed he ran into a building.

State Attorney Marilyn Mosby referenced the chase in her charging details:

Mosby Said:  “On April, 12 2015 between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m., near the corner of North Avenue and Mount Street. Lt. Brian Rice of the Baltimore Police Department while on bike patrol with Officer Garrett Miller and Edward Nero made eye contact with Freddie Carlos Gray Jr.”

“Having made eye contact with Mr. Gray, Mr. Gray subsequently ran from Lt. Rice”.

“Lt. Brian Rice then dispatched over departmental radio that he was involved in a foot pursuit at which time bike patrol officers Rice, Miller and Nero began to pursue Mr. Gray”.

Mosby then said: “Having come in contact with pursuing officers, Mr. Gray surrendered to Officers Miller and Nero in the vicinity in the 1700 block of Presbury Street“.

What Marilyn Mosby didn’t say, nor did any media report, was that Freddie Gray ran south past the point of arrest, into a building, then exited the building doubling back on this path, before running into officers Miller and Nero. (more…)