CNN:

Two people were removed from the Republican National Convention Tuesday after they threw nuts at an African-American CNN camera operator and said, “This is how we feed animals.”

Harper’s:

A Puerto Rican party functionary—Zoraida Fonalledas, the chairwoman of the Committee on Permanent Organization—took her turn at the main-stage lectern. As she began speaking in her accented English, some in the crowd started shouting “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” The chanting carried on for nearly a minute while most of the other delegates and the media stood by in stunned silence.

The Republican Party? They built that. Over decades.

Update from Harper’s:

Read more »

“George Zimmerman, the Florida man accused of killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin will face charges brought by a special prosecutor investigating the matter, according to multiple reports.” A press conference is scheduled for 6pm ET. [TPM]

Welcome to TheRealGeorgeZimmerman.com, a new website where you can express your support for The Real George Zimmerman, who has “been forced to leave my home, my school, my employer, my family and ultimately, my entire life,” just like the kid The Real George Zimmerman killed, except for the fact that The Real George Zimmerman is still alive.

Our tour begins with an American flag in the background, signifiying that shooting unarmed kids is nothing more than a selfless patriotic act.

Read more »

We’ve been ignoring the police-station video of George Zimmerman, because it’s wayyyyyy too easy to read into it what you want to, and we don’t think the images support any definitive conclusions.

We’re more interested in the visit police paid to Trayvon Martin’s dad two days later, and his account of how they explained the shooting to him:

Read more »

“Members need to remove their hoods or leave the floor.” —Gregg Harper to Bobby Rush, who donned Inappropriate Headwear on the House floor today. [ThinkProgress]

[Washington Free Beacon, via BuzzFeed/Blogenfreude]

Orlando Sentinel:

With a single punch, Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who eventually shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman and slammed his head into the sidewalk several times, leaving him bloody and battered, authorities have revealed to the Orlando Sentinel.

That is the account Zimmerman gave police, and much of it has been corroborated by witnesses, authorities say.

The Sanford police report indicates that a number of witnesses were interviewed the night of the shooting, but their statements are not included. The Sentinel story does not indicate whether the reporter saw the witness statements, but suggests reliance on a police summary.

Not that there’s any reason to doubt the police summary, but the events of that night are an Adventure in Epistemology. Also, police typically withhold evidence that might prove useful in an investigation, so there’s no reason to expect full disclosure.

With that, a more detailed police summary:

Read more »