Vice President Mike Pence and his press secretary really, really, really want you to know that Prince Charles didn’t snub him on camera at the World Holocaust Forum. Yes, there may be a video circulating that shows the Prince passing by the homophobic goblin man without a word, but that was just the Prince’s dry “British humor”—allegedly!
USA Today reports that Katie Waldman, Pence’s press secretary, emailed a statement shortly after the video went viral that read: “Vice President Pence and the Second Lady spoke with Prince Charles for five minutes in the preprogram before they entered the hall. Also, they shook hands at the end of his remarks.” Waldman also tweeted a photo that seemed to confirm this:
The outlet also reports that Clarence House, Charles’ household with wife Camilla, “confirmed Pence and Charles spoke beforehand.” Of course they did! Remember—the royal family “technically” stays above the political fray, lest they back one party and the other decides to overthrow them or something.
This political neutrality is, ultimately, a farce. One could probably assume Buckingham Palace’s general political alignment because of the family’s treatment of Meghan Markle or predilection for cozying up to billionaire pedophiles. (Cough, Tory, cough.) However, it is blatantly obvious that the royals are no fans of the Trump administration, not because of his politics, but because he has snubbed them and their arcane traditions on more than one occasion. It’s simply a vanity issue, not a moral high ground! [USA Today]
If you were still the mayor in charge of a police force facing serious scrutiny and public outcries over the shooting of Eric Logan, in a city already fraught with racial injustice and police misconduct, would you skip the majority of planned meetings so you could run for president instead? If you’re name is Pete Buttigieg, you definitely made that choice!
The Intercept reports that South Bend’s Board of Public Safety conducted seven advisory groups to “publicly solicit input from residents on a range of law enforcement issues.” Buttigieg only attended one of those meetings, something Black Lives Matter South Bend Leader Jorden Giger and other community activists have drawn attention too as he climbs in the polls. While The Intercept and activists point out he was not on the books for those meetings, many feel his presence as the mayor of South Bend was needed, especially if he hoped to one day lead the country through similar, larger crises.
Giger, speaking to The Intercept, said: “We’ve discussed police policy, training, procedures, etcetera, but Mayor Pete didn’t come to any of those meetings until we called him out in the national media.” In the media, Buttigieg has made a talking point of the “first ever” disparity study or the creation of a diversity office. Something activists, who have been protesting his rallies, claim he has weaponized against critics. Similarly, Buttigieg was called out by activists who believed his campaign leaked a widely circulated memo that black voters would not support him because he was gay. [The Intercept]
Is Donald Trump planning on attending an anti-choice rally on Friday? Most likely!
- Justin Trudeau has been mired in a donut controversy alongside his blackface predilection. [CNN]
- “Three women impeachment managers say public will see trial as ‘rigged’ if Trump acquitted.” [NBC News]
- Trump has given developers a green light to pollute our only water sources! [AP News]
- Unsurprisingly, Americans really believe the impeachment trial should feature witnesses. [Reuters]
- Facebook could probably win in a money-wrestling contest against the IRS, unfortunately. [ProPublica]