Daily Archives: August 22, 2017

Three Charlottesville residents are facing misdemeanor charges after Monday evenings raucous City Council meeting that was taken over by those demanding answers for the citys handling of the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally.

Donna Gasapo Gray, 43, was charged with disorderly conduct. Two others, Mark Heisey, 30, and Sara Michel Tansey, 29, were chared with obstruction of justice.

The council agreed to continue the meeting following the arrests, but cancelled the planned agenda. The meeting then turned into a town-hall style meeting that ended after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously early Tuesday morning to cover the citys statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson in black fabric, which will represent the city's mourning of Heather Heyer.

Heyer was killed earlier this month in what many have described as white nationalist terrorism. At least 30 others were injured in the attack.

Some time after the Aug. 12 white nationalist Unite the Right rally was shut down by authorities due to violence between ralliers and counter-protesters, a 20-year-old man from Ohio who came to attend the rally allegedly drove his car into a crowd of Downtown Mall pedestrians on Fourth Street.

The council voted on other resolutions after a tumultuous council meeting Monday evening. Activists and residents took over the meeting to express their anger and frustration about how the city and police officials handled the rally.

In addition to seeking the removal of the citys Lee statue, councilors voted to direct the Board of Architectural Review to make a decision on removing the nearby Jackson statue.

People in the crowd said three were arrested. They called for Mayor Mike Signers removal. His eyes welled as people told the City Council how they experienced the vicious car attack that slammed into a crowd of counter-protesters crossing the Downtown Mall.

A woman said her daughter was supposed to start her fourth year at the University of Virginia this week. She wont be attending the first day of class because of her injuries, the mother said.

Another man said hes suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

He said he can still see the bodies that went flying after the car struck the crowd several hours after the Unite the Right rally was shut down because of rampant street-fighting outside Emancipation Park, the location where white nationalists and white supremacists gathered on Aug. 12 for their Unite the Right rally.

Within 30 minutes of starting its meeting, the entire City Council, the city attorney, the city manager and council clerk all retreated into a backroom. Two women stood on top of the dais with a banner: Blood on your hands.

City Council candidate and community activist Nikuyah Walker asked: Why did you think you can walk in here and do a business-as-usual meeting after what happened on the 12th?

Mayor Mike Signer and Councilor Kathy Galvin are now supporting the removal of Charlottesvilles statue of Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park, but the change did not spare them from criticism Monday.

Last week, Signer asked for the state General Assembly to hold an emergency session to consider amending the states law regarding statues. A lawsuit citing that law is preventing the city from removing the statue as planned because of a court injunction.

A spokesperson for Gov. Terry McAuliffe intimated last week that a special session was unlikely.

Photos and video of the attack on Deandre Harris, an instructional assistant with the city schools, remain viral on social media.

Galvin held a news conference Monday to announce her change of mind, and she called for the removal of the statue of Thomas Stonewall Jackson, too.

It is time for the Jackson and Lee statues to be relocated to a battlefield park or a museum where they will neither be reviled or revered, she said, adding that shed prefer the statues there so they can be preserved and explained more fully.

She said the state legislature would need to play a role in their removal.

Weve been told that if we take them down tonight, were going to be personally sued, Councilor Wes Bellamy said Monday night. We will personally be held liable and charged with a class-six felony.

Councilor Kristin Szakos encouraged the protesters to challenge the states legislators.

You cant just show up to City Council meetings, Szakos told the protesters. You have to go to the state legislature. Virginia has laws that restrict what we can do.

Signer and Galvins change of heart, however, failed to placate those who accosted their local elected officials almost immediately at the start of the meeting.

Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Nina-Alice Antony said there was not enough evidence to convict Jason Kessler of disorderly conduct stemming from the May 14 vigil.

It then became an urban-populist coup.

Someone needs to be held accountable, said Don Gathers, the former chairman of the blue ribbon commission that recommended relocating the Lee statue.

Something is going to happen by any means necessary, he added. People are tired and theyre fed up its going down, for real.

Social justice activist Emily Gorcenski said many protesters had tried to warn the city that violence would come to the city if the rally was permitted.

Aside from the well-documented clashes that took place on Market Street and in Emancipation Park, protesters Monday said the Unite the Right ralliers went to majority African-American communities south of the downtown area to harass residents there.

Gorcenski said activists and counter-protesters took it upon themselves to defend the community.

Charlottesville isnt the capital of the resistance, Gorcenski said, excoriating Signers declaration of resistance against President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Charlottesville now, she said, is the capital of the [anti-fascists].

Signer read a resolution at the start of the meeting to commemorate the three lives lost, but not before someone in the crowd accused him of being responsible for the loss of life.

The protesters criticized the council for allegedly allowing the rally happen. Signer defended himself and the council, explaining that the council attempted previously to move the rally to McIntire Park.

The crowd also took aim at police officers for not intervening more in the melees that took place on Aug. 12.

We tried really hard. A federal judge forced us to have the rally downtown, Signer said.

Responding to the allegations that he ordered police to not protect people counter-protesting in the street, Signer said the mayor has no real police power.

Signers attempts to calm the crowd repeatedly failed. He tried to cut the meeting short, but that didnt work either.

Bellamy attempted to regain control and coordinate a town-hall style meeting, giving the floor to everyone gathered. The councilors appeared visibly rattled as they came out to the crowd at 8 p.m. It continued past 11 p.m., and dozens of people made their frustration and anger known.

The reason my two daughters and I were out there protesting and putting our bodies in our lines is because we knew that so many others could not, said the woman who told the crowd that her daughter wouldnt be able to attend classes at UVa later this week.

Its not about the statues, she said. We were out there because our community is hurting. what I want to see is meaningful changes in our community.

After the violent street-fighting compelled local and state officials to end the rally prematurely before noon Aug. 12, James A. Fields Jr. allegedly drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters with intent to kill about two hours later.

James Alex Fields Jr. is accused of killing Heather Heyer and injuring 30 others when he rammed his car into a crowd of protesters on Aug. 12.

Local paralegal Heather Heyer was killed. At least 30 were hospitalized because of their injuries.

Two state police officers, H. Jay Cullen and Berke Bates, died several hours later when a Virginia State Police helicopter crashed in Albemarle County.

Fields is facing second-degree murder and other charges.

Previously, 19 injuries resulting from the attack that followed the white nationalist Unite the Right rally had been reported by the University of Virginia Medical Center.

The protesters Monday said they expect there are many more injuries and criminal assaults that have not been reported.

There were hundreds of people that were hurt, said housing activist Joy Johnson. Way more than 19 people got hurt, she added, citing the number that city officials previously reported were injured in the car attack.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the Sentara Martha Jefferson hospital said they treated 11 people who were injured in the car attack. A spokesperson for the UVa Medical Center said they treated 19.

Im still pissed, Johnson said. Im still angry.

Read the rest here:

Three arrested as councilors vote to shroud Confederate statues at meeting overwhelmed by anger - The Daily Progress

President Trump unveiled a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Aug. 21. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

President Trump delivered a sharpwarning to Pakistan on Monday,saying he intends to hold itsleaders to account for harboringmilitantgroups responsible for perpetuating instability across the border in Afghanistan.

During a prime-time address to the nation, Trumpsaid the United States would once more accelerate its longest military mission and bring renewed focus to achieving victory in Afghanistan.

It is time for Pakistan, the president declared, to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order and to peace.

He declined, however, to similarly admonish three other regional powers which the United States views ascomplicit inundermining progress there: Russia, Iran and to a lesser extent China, which has a stake in Afghanistan's stability but shows little motivation to take a more active role in providing for its security.

Here's a look ateach country's involvement in Afghanistan:

Russia

Since April,notlong after he declared America's longest war a stalemate, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen.John Nicholson, has voiced concern aboutMoscow's apparent effort to arm the Taliban. Those weapons include medium and heavy machine guns, officials have said,used to cut down Afghan troops in multiple southern provinces, including areaswhereU.S. military advisers and Special Operations forces aredeployed.

U.S. officials have said that any country shipping weapons into Afghanistan would be in violation of international law. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis vowed toengage theRussians through diplomatic channels, hopeful that doing so would encourage them to halt their alleged meddling.

Russia has denied working with the Taliban, saying its interactions with the fundamentalist group thatonce ruled Afghanistan have been focused on encouraging it to make peace. Video published by CNN in July appears to contradict that.

Iran

Like Russia, Iranviews Afghanistan as within its sphere of influence, as The Washington Post'sErin Cunningham characterized it earlier this year.Iranian operatives have been active in the west, where the two countries share a 500-mile border, as well as in the south.

Afghan government officials have indicated Iran and Russia appear to be coordinating, supplying weapons and training to the Taliban in an effort to create loyalty and promote unrest.

In a piece published this month, the New York Times' Carlotta Gallexplored this burgeoning dynamic in considerable detail. Here's an excerpt:

Iran has conducted an intensifying covert intervention, much of which is only now coming to light. It is providing local Taliban insurgents with weapons, money and training. It has offered Taliban commanders sanctuary and fuel for their trucks. It has padded Taliban ranks by recruiting among Afghan Sunni refugees in Iran, according to Afghan and Western officials.

Iran has come to see the Taliban not only as the lesser of its enemies but also as a useful proxy force. The more recent introduction of the Islamic State, which carried out a terrorist attack on Irans parliament this year, into Afghanistan has only added to the Talibans appeal.

China

Trump has been candidin his criticism of China for not doing more to help counter the provocative actions being taken by North Korea, whose leaders have threatened a nuclear attack against the United States. But his administration has said little about Beijing's comparatively minor contributionsin Afghanistan.

China, as one observer notes, has chosen to assume a minimalistic role in the security sector, refusing to get involved in direct military operations but benefiting nonetheless from the U.S. and NATO presence there.

And asMilitary Times' Shawn Snow reported in March, Beijing is seen as something of a freeloader in Afghanistan, but there is growing evidence small numbers of Chinese security forces there's disagreement as to whether they are military personnel or police units have been deployedacross the border to conduct counterterrorism patrols. China is concerned about Uighur militants who remain active in the region and have professed support for the Islamic State.

Since 2015 China hascontributed some funding and combat equipment for the Afghan security forces. Still, its interests are primarilyeconomic, focused on Afghanistan's natural resources and its potential to help connect China with other trade partners.

China was one of four countries, including Russia, Iran and Pakistan, that sentenvoys to an Afghan summit in the spring talks the United States refused to attend. And China was quick to show solidarity with ally Pakistan after Trump's remarks Monday.

A spokeswoman for China's foreign minister, speaking with the Reuters news agency Tuesday, conveyed Beijing's contentment with the U.S. continuing to do the heavy lifting.

We hope, the spokeswoman added, the relevant U.S. policies can help promote the security, stability and development of Afghanistan and the region.

Some in Afghanistan and India praised President Trump's Aug. 21 speech, but his rhetoric set off alarm bells in Pakistan. (The Washington Post)

Here are six costly failures from Americas longest war. No. 1: cashmere goats.

Trumps muscular but vague Afghanistan speech, annotated

Trump faces the grim reality of Afghanistan: No quick path to victory and no clear way out

Read more:

Three countries undermining Afghanistan progress that President Trump didn't call out - Washington Post

A look at how the Giants rookies performed in the team's Preseason matchup vs. the Browns:

Preseason in the NFL means different things to different players.

For the young guys, its about getting an opportunity to prove the stage is not too big and that your teams assessment of you was justified. And the New York Giants got another good look at their youth on Monday night in Cleveland.

>> WATCH GIANTS VS. BROWNS HIGHLIGHTS

TE Evan Engram

Depth chart: TE2 Preseason Week 1: 2 TGTS, 1 REC, 11 YDS Preseason Week 2: 4 TGTS, 3 REC, 32 YDS

You never know where the first-round pick is going to line up on any given play, and thats just how the Giants like it. Engram tied for a team-high with three catches for 32 yards, including a 21-yard catch-and-run when he came out of the backfield. It was the longest offensive play of the game from either sideline, run or pass.

Depth chart: RDT2 Preseason Week 1: 4 TCKLS (2 SOLO) Preseason Week 2: 3 TCKLS (2 SOLO)

While Jay Bromley has been a steady Eddie on the top line next to All-Pro Damon Harrison, Steve Spagnuolo thought Tomlinson took a major step between the first and second weeks of the preseason. Hes playing more violent, the defensive coordinator said, as the second-round pick gets more comfortable with the players around him. Those three will make up the bulk of the interior rotation while veteran Corbin Bryant was placed on injured reserve last week with an elbow injury.

>> READ TOMLINSON'S ROOKIE BLOG

QB Davis Webb

Depth chart: QB4 Preseason Week 1: 8/16, 67 YDS, 61.2 RTG Preseason Week 2: DNP

Ideally, McAdoo would have liked to play all four quarterbacks in Cleveland, but with the way the game unfolded, that didnt turn out to be the case. Eli Manning, after sitting the opener, started the game before Geno Smith came in just before halftime. Josh Johnson, who started the first game vs. Pittsburgh, was third and played only the final two minutes of the game after Smith threw an interception deep in Browns territory. The assumption was Webb would take a developmental role this year behind Manning the backup, whoever that may be, but McAdoo opened the door for the rookie even if its just a crack.

I think we all have to be careful making assumptions, he said last week before the second preseason game. Josh and Geno are competing right now for the number two spot, and if that doesnt look the way we want it to look, Davis will get a crack.

RB Wayne Gallman

Depth chart: RB5 Preseason Week 1: 5 CAR, 11 YDS; 1 REC, 4 YDS Preseason Week 2: 5 CAR, 22 YDS, LOST FUM; 2 REC, 20 YDS

Gallman, who finished his college career third in Clemson history in rushing touchdowns and fifth in rushing yards, provided a spark when he came in at the beginning of the fourth quarter. His first run was an 11-yard gain, followed by a pair of 10-yard receptions. However, the bad came with the good for the rookie. Gallman dropped a pass and lost a fumble at the Browns 10-yard line. It was one of three turnovers for the Giants on the night.

DE Avery Moss

Depth chart: RDE4 Preseason Week 1: 2 TCKL (1 SOLO) Preseason Week 2: 1 SOLO TCKL

Ahead of him, Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon played for the first time together since Dec. 4 of last season and absolutely dominated when they were in. Thats a lot to aspire to for the rest of the unit, including the rookie Moss. Hes trying to make the most of every rep as the Giants look to find a healthy rotation of defensive ends. Theres a crowd behind JPP and OV, though. Romeo Okwara and Kerry Wynn lead the next wave.

OT Adam Bisnowaty

Depth chart: RT2 Preseason Weeks 1 & 2: Relieved starter Bobby Hart

Like he has since he arrived at the facility, Bisnowaty has been on the second team at right tackle. Hes playing behind Bobby Hart, who is part of the five returning starters from a year ago on the offensive line. As a whole, the Giants managed 65 yards on 20 carries against the Browns in addition to 147 passing yards.

Link:

Rookie Progress Report: Engram makes presence felt - Giants.com (blog)

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- This has been a pleasantly quiet summer for the Minnesota Vikings, though it's worth remembering there was no drama at this time a year ago, either.

Before Teddy Bridgewater blew out his knee days before the preseason finale, and then Adrian Peterson got hurt, and injuries decimated the offensive line, and head coach Mike Zimmer underwent the first of many eye surgeries, and offensive coordinator Norv Turner quit, and a 5-0 start crumbled into an 8-8 finish, the Vikings felt much as they do now: optimistic about one of the NFL's most stacked defenses and an offense that can do enough to make them a tough out come January.

"Defensively, I kind of know who we are and what we are. It's similar to what we've been," Zimmer told me after a recent practice. "Offensively, I think we're still a little bit trying to find exactly the right balance of what we're doing -- but I like a lot of things we're doing offensively.

"I don't think the identity of the team is going to change too much. I don't think we're going to go to The Greatest Show on Turf, and I don't think we're going to be the '85 Bears, either. But this team has some talent, and we've got a chance."

The Vikes have really felt that way since they had the mighty Seattle Seahawks beat in a divisional playoff game 19 months ago -- until Blair Walsh yanked a 27-yard game-winning field-goal attempt.Seemingly every bit of their luck since followed that thing wide left.

To be sure, the Vikings have their work cut out to get out of the NFC North, which they've wrested away from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers just once in the past six seasons. Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions are coming off their own playoff campaign, taking the spotlight in the division away from Minnesota -- and that may not be a bad thing here.

Just as the 5-0 start last season covered up some of the flaws that eventually got exposed, the way things fell apart might be obscuring some of the reasons the Vikings are excited about their chances for bouncing back. That list includes:

Sam Bradford has settled in: The former No. 1 pick put together his most efficient season in 2016 (71.6 percent passing, 20 TDs, five interceptions, 99.3 rating) despite not joining the Vikings until a cutdown-day trade from Philadelphia and having to learn Turner's offense on the fly, with little run threat to help him. Now Bradford, 29, has had an offseason to work with his teammates and a coordinator, Pat Shurmur, who has a lot of history to draw on in sculpting the offense around Bradford's skill set.

"I think [Bradford] feels so much more comfortable, obviously," Zimmer said. "He's throwing the ball well. He's got a good feeling for Pat, checking and all the different things that he does."

Dalvin Cook might be special: Ask anyone at Vikings HQ about the upside of this team, and they'll bring up Cook, who slid into the second round of April's draft for reasons that had little to do with his unquestioned explosiveness as a runner. He can make an offensive line look better. The one-time NFL MVP Peterson is gone, but with Cook, ex-Oakland Raider Latavius Murray and third-down back Jerick McKinnon, the NFL's least productive running team a year ago (1,205 yards, 3.2 per carry) has some juice.

The O-line shouldn't be horrible: That's a low bar, but the Vikings set it there last season. Is Riley Reiff an ideal left tackle? Probably not. (There are reasons the Lions moved him to right.) But he should be an upgrade over the T.J. Clemmings-Jake Long combo the Vikings played with most of last season. Ditto Mike Remmers at right tackle. Left guard Alex Boone feels better after being beat up last season. Third-round pick Pat Elflein is a likely Week 1 starter at center. Depth seems better, too -- even with Reiff and Boone sitting out last week's exhibition against Seattle, the line played much better than in its opener. Accountability and attitude will be key. As Boone told me: "We've got to smash people and have fun doing it, embrace it."

Defense remains loaded: Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph, Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith ... that's an excellent core on defense, and all those guys are under age 30. They know Zimmer's scheme inside and out. One guy to keep an eye on is Barr, whose effort and productivity last season weren't acceptable. People who have watched him recently say Barr is a different guy right now.

"I think Barr has had an unbelievable spring, unbelievable training camp," Zimmer said.

Rookies might make an impact: Unlike last year, when they ranked dead last in offensive and defensive snaps from rookies, the Vikings could have as many as four first-year starters from their draft class -- Cook, Elflein, linebacker Ben Gedeon and guard Danny Isidora. They also spent more on undrafted rookies than in years past and have a few who could contribute, led by defensive end Tashawn Bower.

Zim is Zim again: He went through a lot last year, yet at age 61, none of it seems to have softened him.

"There's nothing different," said veteran cornerback Terence Newman, who has spent much of his 15-year career with Zimmer. "Obviously, he wants this team to win and be better than we were last year. So, he's going to be tough and stringent. But that's always him."

Said Boone: "I think he's probably tougher now."

That approach doesn't fit everyone, especially when things start going south. But Zimmer has shown under the right circumstances he can make it work.

There's plenty the Vikings still have to figure out: nickel cornerback, both kicking jobs, how to best utilize a receiver group with a bunch of solid No. 2/3 type guys (Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Michael Floyd) but no true No. 1 mismatch threat, the right combination on an O-line that still figures as the team's biggest weakness until it shows otherwise. Entering his eighth season, Bradford has to shake the stigma of never reaching the playoffs. An uncertain future at quarterback -- Bradford's in a contract year, while Bridgewater continues to rehab in hopes of returning sometime in 2017 -- contributes to the feeling the Vikings are at something of a fork in the road. Repeat last season, and changes are inevitable.

The Vikings aren't thinking that way now, though.

"Last year was last year and some [expletive]-up things happened. But nine years in this league, I've seen a lot of messed-up things like that," Boone said. "Going forward, this is our team. This is the group of guys we're going to go out and fight with and I'm excited about that."

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.

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Vikings' D, Sam Bradford's progress have Mike Zimmer optimistic - NFL.com