Donald Trump's former Chief of Staff John Kelly today confirmed that Trump was lying when he said he demanded the resignation of former defense secretary Jim Mattis.

Said Kelly:

“The president did not fire him. He did not ask for his resignation. The president has clearly forgotten how it actually happened or is confused."

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,” Mattis wrote in a statement published by the Atlantic, which Trump later criticized in a tweet.

From the Washington Post's Josh Dawsey:

“The president did not fire him. He did not ask for his resignation,” Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, said in an interview. “The president has clearly forgotten how it actually happened or is confused. The president tweeted a very positive tweet about Jim until he started to see on Fox News their interpretation of his letter. Then he got nasty. Jim Mattis is a honorable man.”

Mattis tendered his resignation in 2018, citing his disagreement with Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria.

On Wednesday, he released a statement criticizing Trump’s handling of protests that have erupted across the country following the killing of George Floyd in police custody last week.

Mattis accused Trump of deliberately trying to divide Americans, taking exception to his threats of military force on U.S. streets, and praising those demanding justice following death of Floyd, an African American man living in Minneapolis.

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/trump-lied-about-2018-mattis-r.html

Former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen said today in an interview with ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz, "We are at an inflection point, and the events of the past few weeks have made it impossible to remain silent."

Mullen: "It sickened me" to see "security personnel—including members of the National Guard—forcibly and violently clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the president's visit outside St. John's Church."

Watch the interview clip here.

JUST IN: Former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen to @MarthaRaddatz: "We are at an inflection point, and the events of the past few weeks have made it impossible to remain silent." https://t.co/sG73egNmRc pic.twitter.com/bIFBxVknbK

 ABC News (@ABC) June 4, 2020

JUST IN: Mike Mullen to @MarthaRaddatz: "It sickened me" to see "security personnel—including members of the National Guard—forcibly and violently clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the president's visit outside St. John's Church." https://t.co/sG73egNmRc pic.twitter.com/i2MaQkK3sE

 ABC News (@ABC) June 4, 2020

Latest Trump publicity shot looks like scene from The Omen

Latest Trump publicity shot looks like scene from The Omen

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde denounces Trump’s abuse of St. John's Church as a prop

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/it-sickened-me-says-fmr-j.html

On Twitter today, Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk called for the federal breakup of Amazon.

Okay.

Noted.

Musk's reply is in this thread by a guy who is mad that Amazon won't let him self-publish his as yet unpublished 'true fact exposed' book about the coronavirus pandemic.

Oh fuck me. I can’t believe it. They censored it. pic.twitter.com/GfPEr7OiV2

 Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) June 4, 2020

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/elon-musk-calls-for-breaking-u.html

“My Nanny sewed catnip into a toy bunny for my cat and she absolutely loves it,” says IMGURian @kittydetonator.

My Nanny sewed catnip into a toy bunny for my cat and she absolutely loves it

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/watch-this-cat-enjoy-some-dank.html

An autopsy of George Floyd, who was killed by police officers in Minneapolis, shows that he'd tested positive for COVID-19 in April, and had recovered -- only to have his life cut short by those who vow to “protect and serve.”

You can read the autopsy here, on the Hennepin County government website.

The autopsy release comes nine days after Floyd's death following police encounter, and nine days into protests demanding justice for Floyd and all Black Americans.

Excerpt from the Star-Tribune:

Also disclosed by the report was that Floyd tested positive for COVID-19 in early April, although the autopsy did not cite that as a factor in his death.

“Since … positivity for [COVID-19] can persist for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease, the autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent … positivity from previous infection,” the report said based on the autopsy performed by the medical examiner, Dr. Andrew Baker.

Floyd repeatedly told officers that he was unable to breathe while he was restrained before he lost consciousness and died. A concern with SARS-CoV-2 infection is that it can cause scarring in the lungs that results in lingering respiratory problems and shortness of breath. However, doctors worry more about that long-term problem in severe COVID-19 cases that require hospitalization, and doctors expect that patients with asymptomatic cases will fully recover. It can take weeks in some cases, though, before X-rays show that lungs have recovered.

The release of the 20-page report comes “with the consent and cooperation of Mr.

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/autopsy-shows-george-floyd-tes.html

YouTuber Jake Paul (whose brother Logan Paul we've written about many times before, don't miss the rat-tazing incident) has been arrested for being present on camera with looters in an Arizona shopping mall during recent protests.

pic.twitter.com/kwsQ2jyMm1

 Jake Paul (@jakepaul) May 31, 2020

From ABC 15 in Arizona:

Police said Thursday that 23-year-old Jake Joseph Paul was identified as being present among hundreds of tips and videos sent to officials. He reportedly unlawfully entered and remained inside Scottsdale Fashion Square mall when it was closed.

Officials say Paul, who has a large following on YouTube, “was present after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were ordered to leave the area by police.”

Paul has been charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly, both misdemeanor charges.

However, Paul tweeted on Sunday: “To be absolutely clear, neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism.” He says they were there to film and “share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we traveled through…”

Young Mr. Paul has over 20 million YouTube subscribers, you can make some real money with numbers like that.

His profile on YouTube says, "The squad 'Team 10' & I are always making comedy vids, acting, doing action sports & going on crazy adventures."

Read more: Online influencer Jake Paul charged after Scottsdale looting

Logan Paul finally booted from YouTube ad program after tasering dead rat

Logan Paul says he posted video of him in a silly hat near a corpse to draw attention to the harsh reality of suicide

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/youtuber-jake-paul-charged-wit.html

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison kindly obliged to a homeowner's request to keep off his grass during a press conference. The man, who had just reseeded his lawn, gave the PM a thumbs up, and the PM returned the gesture. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/man-tells-australian-prime-min.html

First, watch part one, in which Julie Nolke travels back in time from April to the pre-pandemic era and freaks out her earlier self. Then, watch this video on which today's Julie Nolke travels back in time to give April's Julie Nolke a heads-up on what's to come. Nolke is donating all the revenue from the video to the George Floyd Memorial Fund and other programs assisting people of color.

  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/explaining-the-pandemic-to-m.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/google-says-china-and-iran-bac.html

The New York Times celebrated the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre by publishing a column calling for a similar crackdown here in the U.S. It has not gone down well. Critics are horrified that the paper of record would amplify a call for military action against largely black protestors and there is a reported "rebellion" in the NYT newsroom. On social media, parodies unravel the Times' vacuous both-sidesism by posing absurdity in its classy, restrained op-ed format.

From Pixelated Boat:

From Brian Lockhart:

The Dahmer one, up top, is by myself. Below, the one everyone is posting in some form or other: good old Palps.

Here's a few more:

If you spot any good ones , add them in the comments. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/parodies-of-the-new-york-times.html

Uberphawx edited Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" so that all the notes are C. I guess the Cs are in different octaves -- I can't tell, but it sounds great.

See also: "Eleanor Rigby" but all the notes are E or F and it haunts your nightmares

Image: YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/joy-division-love-will-tea.html

Nevada ordered a statewide shutdown of all casino and gambling operations on March 17. Casinos and the hotels, restaurants, clubs, and resorts attached to them were all closed two-and-a-half months ago, when Gov. Steve Sisolak’s emergency order shuttered “nonessential” businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is still spreading, but those closures ended at midnight last night, and much of the Las Vegas Strip will re-open at 10 AM local time this morning.

Nevada has entered Phase Two to reopen the state economy with new guidelines for gatherings at church services and the reopening of more businesses, such as bars and health facilities. Casinos are scheduled to open June 4. https://t.co/NvEONptE60

 Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) June 4, 2020

From AP:

“The past few months have presented our city with an unprecedented challenge,” said Derek Stevens, owner of two downtown Las Vegas casinos that were shuttered along with all gambling establishments in March. “We are excited to get our employees back to work and to welcome guests to the entertainment capital of the world.”

Hotel-casinos in suburban Las Vegas were the first to open at 12:01 a.m., to be followed later in the morning by a restart of the iconic Bellagio fountain and several resorts on the Las Vegas Strip.

The D Hotel and Casino, one of Stevens’ two downtown properties, had several dozen people waiting in line for the doors to open shortly after midnight. After guests had their temperatures checked at the door, the casino was quickly crowded with revelers and gamblers, albeit with dealers were wearing face masks or shields.

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/las-vegas-casinos-reopen.html

Software apps are a dime a dozen. Well, if you’re going by their actual monetary cost, maybe not really. But considering how useless some poorly conceived, poorly executed apps are at doing the job you actually downloaded them to accomplish, it isn’t a stretch to think that many apps aren’t even worth a free download.

If you want apps that actually fulfill their promise, you can pick up a full package of curated apps, including a handful of award winners, with The Limited Edition Mac Bundle ft. Parallels Desktop.

With this package, users get 11 grade-A apps dedicated to improving the productivity, security and overall operation of your Mac. And a few of these apps might even give the Mac’s owner a bit of an upgrade as well.

The star player in this collection is the productivity darling Parallels Desktop, an app trusted by over 7 million Mac users and one of the top 15 highest-grossing apps in the Mac App Store. If you’re a Windows user or ever spent much time on a Windows system, Parallels Desktop will be a particular winner, allowing for the safe bootup and operation of literally thousands of Window-based apps on your Mac.

Whether you’re a fan of the Microsoft Office suite, have a bunch of graphic-heavy Windows compatible games or want to work with a complicated CAD program like TinkerCAD or FreeCAD, Parallels will make sure it runs without a glitch or any slowdown in speed.

This bundle also includes 2 years of online protection with a subscription to Windscribe VPN Pro. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/the-bundle-of-11-award-winning.html

The title of this YouTube video, posted by Reuters, says "NY Police officers filmed hitting cyclist after a citywide curfew took effect."

It's not clear whether the officers are actually beating up a man for simply riding his bike after 8pm, or if he did a worse "crime." Either way, three cops are aggressively using batons on a man who is not resisting and does not look like a threat. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/watch-a-group-of-cops-in-new.html

Little Richard and Dick Cavett have a wonderful conversation in this 1970 episode of Cavett's show. About three minutes in, Little Richard talks about how he "gave The Beatles their start in 1962," when he took them on tour, but this fact was not reported because Little Richard is Jewish. (Interestingly, JTA wrote that Little Richard was "fascinated with Judaism for decades — so much so that he might have even observed Shabbat.")

Image: YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/04/little-richard-on-discovering.html

With everything happening in the last few months, we all but guarantee no one has been thinking about their taxes. That’s understandable — because, beyond all of our current concerns, nobody enjoys the whole tax filing process during even the best of times.

Unfortunately, Benjamin Franklin was right — taxes truly are as inescapable as death. And while the U.S. tax filing deadline was extended by three months while the nation worked its way out of the COVID-19 nightmare, your 2019 tax form still needs to be filed with Uncle Sam by July 15. 

And if you find you have any questions about your eminent filing, well...don’t count on turning to the Internal Revenue Service for help these days.

However, you can still turn to trusty tax e-filing services like TurboTax to help point the way to a successful return. 

TurboTax is already used by over two-thirds of all online tax fliers — and deluxe users are guided through the entire tax preparation process so they get full advantage of every favorable tax law with every entry double checked along the way.

All a new customer has to do is answer a few quick questions, upload an image of their W-2, verify the information, then sit back as TurboTax searches out deductions and credits you deserve -- from more than 350, in all -- ensuring you’ll always receive the maximum refund possible.

TurboTax is always up to speed, so if you have questions about mortgage interest, property taxes, charitable deductions, medical expenses, child credits and more, you’re covered. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/03/if-you-are-still-waiting-to-do.html

Just now in Alta, Norway: Huge mudslide dragging several houses into the sea. pic.twitter.com/xR4t5zLI7m

 Jan Fredrik Drablos (@JanFredrikD) June 3, 2020

This video of farmhouses and land sliding into the ocean is like a nightmare that keeps getting worse.

Image: Twitter Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/03/horrific-mudslide-in-norway-dr.html

Jim Mattis was Trump's first defence secretary, serving from 2017-2019. He quit and promised he would not be quiet forever, but also said it would be improper to criticize a sitting president. When protests over George Floyd's death at the hands of the police sprang up, many wondered if he would finally speak. He finally spoke.

The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. ...

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children. ...

Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that ‘The Nazi slogan for destroying us … was “Divide and Conquer.” Our American answer is “In Union there is Strength.”’ We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.”

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/03/former-defense-secretary-jim-m.html

The New York Times today published a column by Sen. Tom Cotton calling for the U.S. military to violently suppress nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by police in Minneapolis.

These rioters, if not subdued, not only will destroy the livelihoods of law-abiding citizens but will also take more innocent lives. Many poor communities that still bear scars from past upheavals will be set back still further.

One thing above all else will restore order to our streets: an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers.

It is completely mad that the Times would publish such an piece, even as an op-ed. It does so from a floating world which has no idea how quickly or how hard it could be brought crashing to the ground. It invites violence against everyone, from all quarters of power, and America will pay for it in blood.

I have lots of friends who work at the NY Times and do amazing work. This destroys all of their credibility. It's one thing to post opposing views. But this is not that.

This is blatant support for fascism. pic.twitter.com/ZJkO7jeFzG

 Mike Masnick (@mmasnick) June 3, 2020

i feel compelled to say that i disagree with every word in that Tom Cotton op-ed and it does not reflect my values. this piece does though https://t.co/Vrlw3NVtBH

 Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel) June 3, 2020

where’s the red line for the NYT do we think pic.twitter.com/AGZHfIzz7W

 Jason Wilson (@jason_a_w) June 3, 2020

I truly, truly cannot believe the New York Times published a piece calling for military force to be used against civilians.

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/03/new-york-times-column-calls-fo.html

Most parents know that giving their kids educational toys and other projects will expand their minds. But what many might not realize is that physical play is actually building their mental abilities as well. 

Studies are still in beginning stages, but some early research supports the theory that kids who get the chance to get outside, run around and play are not only getting important health benefits, but that physical playing also increases memory retention and cognitive development.

That’s what prompted the creation of the Zubi Flyer Hackable Frisbee, a STEM-based toy that couples futuristic technology and challenging gameplay with a kid’s natural love for running, jumping and generally covering every physical inch of ground they can.

Right out of the box, the Zubi Flyer looks like a frisbee -- and if your kid takes it outside, it’ll cut through the air just like your old-school Wham-O. 

But there’s a lot more happening here than just a soaring plastic disk. Once you screw the Zubi’s circuit board into place, you can push buttons or use the magnet wind to bring the Zubi Flyer to life and play 12 different games with full lights and sound.

Playing Hot Potato, Copycat, Pong and more, kids will have their memory tested and their minds expanded -- and they can all be played while you’re throwing the frisbee.

Of course, the games are just the start of the Zubi Flyer’s exploration. Once it’s connected to a computer, kids can effectively hack it, adjusting games, modifying the light and sound patterns or even creating games of their own. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/03/the-zubi-flyer-is-the-hackable.html