In a flurry of tweets Monday, actor John Cusack repeatedly apologized to his 1.6 million followers for retweeting an anti-Semitic meme - after defending why he hit send in the first place.
The offensive tweet, since deleted, featured a black and white cartoon that depicted a giant hand with a blue Star of David imposed on the sleeve, smashing a crowd of feeble-looking people beneath it.
Accompanying the image is a quote mistakenly attributed to 18th-century French philosopher Voltaire: “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” The phrase’s origin can be traced to white nationalist and neo-Nazi Kevin Alfred Strom, according to USA Today.
After hitting retweet with his own words - “Follow the money” - attached, Mr. Cusack was immediately met with criticism from fans and followers who recognized the clear anti-Semitic message in the image.
The “Say Anything” actor initially claimed (in another deleted tweet) that he had been “got” by a “bot.” That easy denial didn’t fly. Mr. Cusack later claimed that by “bot” he meant “alt right” account. He then added another explanation - that the offensive retweet was meant to criticize Israel’s policies against Palestinians, and not to disparage the Jewish faith as a whole.
Mr. Cusack eventually admitted the original retweet was indeed anti-Semitic.
“The use of the star,” he tweeted, “even if it depicts the state of Israel- committing human rights violations - when combined with anti Jewish tropes about power- is antisemitic & antisemitism has no place in any rational political dialoge.”
McConnell says he’s against reparations for slavery
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he opposes reparations for the descendants of slaves, arguing that “it would be pretty hard to figure out who to compensate.”
Mr. McConnell, R-Ky., made the remarks at his weekly news conference with reporters ahead of a House subcommittee hearing on the issue Wednesday.
“I don’t think reparations for something that happened 150 years ago - for [which] none of us currently living are responsible - is a good idea,” Mr. McConnell said when asked whether he supports reparations or, if not, whether he backs the idea of a public apology from Congress.
Wednesday’s hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, titled “H.R. 40 and the Path to Restorative Justice,” will include testimony from Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and actor Danny Glover, among others.
The hearing comes as a number of contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nod have thrown their support behind reparations. As The Washington Post’s Eugene Scott notes, the hearing is also set to coincide with the observance of Juneteenth, a day commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black people in the United States.
In addition to noting that the perpetrators of slavery are dead, Mr. McConnell argued that “it would be pretty hard to figure out who to compensate.”
Joe Biden visits Stonewall, saying the fight for LGBT rights must continue
NEW YORK — Joe Biden doesn’t drink alcohol, but Tuesday afternoon he stood behind the bar at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, buying a round of beers.
Against a backdrop of flags celebrating LGBT pride and equality, Mr. Biden pulled out a credit card to pay for about 10 beers for a crowd gathered at the historic Greenwich Village site. He was visiting less than two weeks before the 50th anniversary of the police raid on the Stonewall that led to days of street protests and helped fuel the rise of the gay-rights movement.
In his campaign for president, Mr. Biden has faced steep skepticism from the left wing of his party over his perceived centrism on issues ranging from abortion rights to his dealings with Republicans. But the former vice president was ahead of many Democrats — including President Barack Obama — in announcing his support for same-sex marriage in 2012. On this stop to the Stonewall, which has been designated a national monument, Mr. Biden appeared to revel in that legacy.
As he worked his way through the room — shaking hands, taking selfies, writing one young patron a note to excuse his absence from class — Mr. Biden also highlighted his own support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. He repeatedly told the story of his father, decades ago, saying of a gay couple: “Joey, it’s simple. They love each other.”
And in a brief appearance before a few reporters who had gathered there, Mr. Biden said that the country still had a “long way to go” on expanding LGBT equality, pointing to issues of workplace discrimination.
Boeing signs first deal for 737 Max jet since deadly crashes
PARIS — Boeing is selling its 737 Max planes again.
The company announced at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday that International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways and other carriers, signed a letter of intent for 200 Boeing 737 aircraft.
Boeing said it’s the first sale of the jetliner since the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max in March. Another 737 Max crashed in Indonesia last year. All planes of the same model are now grounded amid an investigation of problematic software.
Justice Department says it helped Manafort stay off Rikers Island out of respect for his ‘unique’ health needs
NEW YORK — The nation’s second highest-ranking law enforcement official stepped in last week and made sure President Donald Trump’s former campaign boss was spared an uncomfortable stay on Rikers Island, according to the Justice Department.
The extraordinary intervention from Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen came in response to a letter Paul Manafort lawyer Todd Blanche sent to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on May 17, requesting that his client be allowed to remain in federal custody as he faces state fraud charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.
Mr. Blanche said in the letter that Manafort, 70, suffers from unspecified “health challenges” and that Rikers Island is “unsecure, unsanitary and dangerous.”
Also in the nation …
A man fatally shot in a Southern California Costco store was mentally ill and off his medication when he pushed or slapped an off-duty police officer who opened fire and killed the man and critically wounded the man's parents, the lawyer for the man's family said Tuesday. … San Francisco supervisors moved a step closer Tuesday to becoming the first city in the U.S. to ban all sales of electronic cigarettes to crack down on youth vaping. … California’s Pacific Gas & Electric utility agreed Tuesday to pay $1 billion to 14 local governments to cover damages from a series of deadly wildfires caused by its downed power lines.
First Published: June 19, 2019, 6:35 a.m.
