Wiretap: Arrests, riots and the fight to see police videotape

Jury of peers

In Charlotte, Keith Scott’s family sees the video of the police shooting and killing him. The police chief says the video, by itself, is inconclusive and refuses to show it to the public. Scott’s family agrees that the video is unclear about whether Scott was armed or not, but that the video should be released to allow everyone to judge. Via The New York Times.

In the streets

Riots following the fatal police shooting of Keith Scott have upended Charlotte’s vision of itself. Via The Wall Street Journal.

Say what?

And then there was the white congressman representing suburban Charlotte who said in an interview with BBC News that the mostly black protesters “hate white people because white people are successful and they’re not.” Via The Washington Post.

Charges filed

In Tulsa, officer Betty Shelby is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the police shooting of Terence Crutcher. Via Tulsa World.

Dog and pony

As we head toward Monday’s debate, maybe the most important question of the night is whether debates really matter. We’ve got two informed opinions, which may be more than you get Monday night. Amy Walter of Cook Political Report says that if one of the candidates can make a potential pool of voters feel less tortured about voting for him/her, that candidate will win. Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics says history and poll numbers tell us that debates matter remarkably little.

Abnormalizing normal

In New York magazine, Jonathan Chait writes that the normalization of Donald Trump is not the story of the campaign. Rather it’s the abnormalization of Hillary Clinton.

Lyin’ Ted

To understand the power of positive polling, the big rumor now is that Ted Cruz, seeing Trump’s rise in the polls, may be considering endorsing Trump. Via The Atlantic. 

Put me in, coach

You know that Clinton is a policy wonk. Well, here’s a close look at Clinton’s giant policy team just waiting for the nearly-policy-free election season to be over so they can really get to work. Via The Huffington Post.

Funny or die

On a lighter note — actually, on a crazy, absurdist, what-will-one-candidate-do-to-win-millennials note — Hillary Clinton tunes up for her debate with Trump by going head to dead with Zach Galifianakis on “Between Two Ferns.” Via The New Yorker.

Photo credit: Jobs for Felons Hub, Creative Commons, Flickr

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