Enjoy good journalism?
… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.
We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.
Value Raw Story?
… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.
When Daunte Wright called his mother shortly before he was shot by former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter, he told her he was being pulled over for an air freshner.
It turns out, he was pulled over for expired tabs even though there were delays of multiple months to obtain tabs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Reporter Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of The New York Times reported police had added two rows of fencing, on which protesters were hanging air freshners.
Some new additions in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, tonight:
• Two rows of fences in front of the police department
• Roads blocked off by police in all three directions
• Protesters have hung air fresheners to the fence pic.twitter.com/Kw6V0yrxJn
— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs (@NickAtNews) April 16, 2021
Fox 9 anchor Karen Scullin posted video showing a large number of air freshners hanging from the outer fence.
Demonstration smaller - vocal - 2 layers of fencing https://t.co/QpUHhql2xd— Karen Scullin FOX9 (@Karen Scullin FOX9)1618535982.0
Capitol police leadership ripped to shreds amid new bombshell revelations surrounding Jan 6 riot
On Thursday, writing for Slate, Aymann Ismail blasted Capitol Police leadership following the new watchdog report that revealed how, ahead of and during the Capitol insurrection, higher-ups ordered officers to stand down from their most effective riot control methods even as they pleaded for backup.
"I expected police in military gear and a response as aggressive as I've come to anticipate covering and observing protests over the past year, where a single water bottle thrown at a cop line can bring a volley of tear gas and percussion grenades in retaliation," wrote Ismail. But instead, "I'd never seen law enforcement show this level of restraint at any protest, much less a riot."
As Ismail noted, inspector general Michael Bolton "found that Capitol Police leadership dismissed threat assessments and forbid rank-and-file officers from appropriately responding to the threat" even though the agency's own intelligence noted that "Congress itself is the target on the 6th" and "Stop the Steal's propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members and others who actively promote violence may lead to a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike." The officers were told not to use stun grenades and were given faulty equipment, including shields that shattered on impact with rioters' weapons.
All of this, wrote Ismail, spoke to how the pro-Trump rioters were subject to a completely different standard of law enforcement than that brought to bear against Black Lives Matter protesters.
"I have no idea what was in the heart of the former police chief or his leadership, but his and others' actions seem to fit a pattern that any hyphenated American is very familiar with, the chasing of perceived threats and the abandoning of evidence-based policing based on stereotypes, or just plain racism," wrote Ismail. "Not only does that drive a dagger through a community's trust in law enforcement, but it's also proven to be an obstacle in hindering actual police work. As much as this new report reveals, it leaves a fuller institutional reckoning with what happened on Jan. 6 for another day."
You can read more here.
The host of "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on Thursday updated his viewers on the latest news on the alleged Matt Gaetz sex scandals.
The host played a clip from CNN.
"We've learned these parties were held at a house in a gated community in suburban Orlando. The women we spoke with said, when some of the women arrived, there were rules. For example, the first thing some of them were asked to do was put away their cell phones," CNN's Paula Reid reported. "And we're told folks mingled and shared drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy."
Meyers focused on the details in the reporting.
"You know, my grandmother used to say nothing good happens after midnight and I'd say the same is true about anything that happens at a party at a gated community in suburban Orlando where they make you give up your phone," he said.
"As a general rule, never go to a party at a gated community in suburban Orlando where they make you give up your phone," Meyers explained.
The FBI Seized Matt Gaetz’s Phone Amid Sex Trafficking Investigation: A Closer Look www.youtube.com
Copyright © 2021 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | Masthead | Privacy Policy | For corrections or concerns, please email corrections@rawstory.com.

Don't Sit on the Sidelines of History. Join Raw Story Investigates and Go Ad-Free. Support Honest Journalism.

Subscribe Annually
$95 / year — Just $7.91/month
Subscribe Monthly
$1 trial
I want to Support More
$14.99 per month