Latest news with #Rittenhouse
Evening Standard
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Josh Barrie at All My Gods: Nuclear daiquiris in a temple of darkness
Take heed too of a brilliantly executed watermelon marg; the 'Little Italy', made with Carpano (like Campari), Rittenhouse rye and Cynar; as well as picklebacks, various punches and a nitro garibaldi, that canny combination of Campari and 'fluffy' orange juice invented at Dante in New York but in situ at Claridge's until the end of summer. Finish with a frozen Irish coffee for a laugh. Or try the 'martininator', or vodka martini dispenser. Swerve the boozy vending machine filled with hard seltzers and BuzzBallz (bore off, and more calories than a Guinness).
New York Post
04-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
How the ‘social justice' movement distorted what Kyle Rittenhouse really did
Five summers ago, with no end to the coronavirus pandemic in sight and a pent-up desire to rebel against the spectacle of police violence in the wake of George Floyd's videotaped death, cities across the country exploded in rioting and arson. With the confluence of the threat of COVID-19, the ongoing racial reckoning, and the specter of President Trump's re-election campaign rendering even the smallest considerations and disagreements hyper-partisan, the nation's media, political and cultural institutions grew single-mindedly focused on an overly simplistic story of 'social justice' and 'antiracism.' In 'Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse,' (Knopf, out August 5) Thomas Chatterton Williams, a staff writer at The Atlantic, paints a clear and detailed picture of the pivotal ideas and events that paved the way for the dramatic paradigm shift that changed the country in the summer of 2020 and helped make possible the astonishing backlash still unfolding today. Here, an excerpt. When a doughy 17-year-old named Kyle Rittenhouse, too young to purchase the AR-15 he'd strapped across himself, ventured from his home in Antioch, Ill., into the burning streets of Kenosha, Wis., he was doing many things simultaneously. He was placing himself in a deranged situation that shouldn't have unfolded to begin with. And, in doing so, his very armed presence became a further provocation, heightening the danger for himself and everyone around him. But he was also attempting, however misguidedly, to make his community safer. 7 In the summer of 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse, then 17, strapped on an AR-15 in an misguided attempt to keep Wisconsin streets safe. AP Advertisement On the morning of Aug. 25, 2020, two drastically divergent white lives inched inexorably closer to conflict. As Rittenhouse took up with a makeshift cleanup crew, Joseph Rosenbaum was discharged from the Aurora psychiatric hospital, outside Milwaukee. A deeply troubled 36-year-old with an extensive criminal record — including recent domestic violence against his fiancée and prior sexual assault of minors — whom the hospital had deposited in the middle of Kenosha's pandemonium, Rosenbaum attempted to retrieve his belongings from the police station, only to find it shuttered because of the ongoing melee. He continued on to Walgreens to procure his medication, but the store had also been closed due to the protests. Meanwhile, Rittenhouse prepared to join another crew that evening at the Car Source auto lot, which had been set ablaze the previous evening. As night descended, Rosenbaum left the motel where his fiancée was living and Rittenhouse was filmed standing guard outside the dealership with a gathering group of armed men, people he describes as complete strangers who had also come to protect local businesses. Advertisement 7 Kenosha, Wisconsin, erupted in protests and flames after the shooting of James Blake. AFP via Getty Images Rittenhouse speaks affably with citizen journalists live streaming the protests on social media. 'People are getting injured, and our job is to protect this business, and part of my job is also to help people,' he says unaffectedly. 'If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way. That's why I have my rifle, because I need to protect myself obviously. But I also have my med kit.' Mid-conversation, he looks up and shouts, 'Medical, EMS right here, do you need assistance? I am an EMT,' and rushes out of frame. An hour before midnight, in the claustrophobic lot of the Ultimate Convenience Center, Rosenbaum emerges for the first time on video. Head shaved to a polish, fluorescent stud jutting from his earlobe, and a look of fury tinged on his troubled countenance, his compact figure berates and even butts into much larger men with long guns. Rosenbaum looks and sounds not fearless but reckless. 'Don't point no motherf–king gun at me, homey!' he screams one moment before quickly changing tacks: 'Shoot me, n—a! Shoot me, n—a! Bust on me, n—a! For real!' he taunts the militia members without getting a rise, in the process embodying some of the strangest, most thoroughly American racial alchemy that is as familiar to me as it would be inscrutable to someone foreign born. Advertisement 7 The Kenosha protests were part of what Thomas Chatterton Williams dubs the 'Summer of Our Discontent,' which is the title of his new book. Thomas Brunot It is the kind of subtlety the blunt mainstream narrative around blackness, whiteness and antiracism is so ill-equipped to convey accurately, or even to recognize in the first place, and so it is ignored. I have seen no evidence in the hours of footage from that night to indicate the militiamen themselves had treated the protesters they encountered with racial prejudice. It is Rosenbaum alone who has deployed the n-word. But he does not do so pejoratively, at least not regarding black people. Many of the black men standing nearby register the epithet yet take no exception to it, even as they protectively move to restrain him — a white man who is out of control and in conflict solely with other white men. Soon Rosenbaum is shoving a flaming dumpster toward the idle gas pumps, as scores of bystanders do nothing, filming this act of patent lunacy from a distance. One young man has the sense to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher. Advertisement 7 Rittenhouse shot and killed two men. Joseph Rosenbaum (above), a deeply troubled 36-year-old with an extensive criminal record, was one of them. The professional police forces appear sporadically in armored vehicles and weakly address the combustible crowd through loudspeakers. Whereas Rittenhouse and the other armed civilians are physically present in the streets, inserting their bodies into the commotion, law enforcement officers are just as good as absent. Both Rittenhouse and Rosenbaum, who has now removed his shirt and wrapped it around his head like a desert nomad, are among the hundreds of men and women told to disperse on Sheridan Road, the main artery. 'Back away from the business, back away from the business,' an officer commands from the safety of his tank's interior. Rosenbaum is seen among the crowd, swinging a metal chain. Officers slow to a crawl and toss Rittenhouse and his colleagues bottled water through the roof hatch of an armored truck. 'We appreciate you guys, we really do,' the disembodied voice from the loudspeaker intones. 7 Rittenhouse also fatally shot 26-year-old Anthony Huber (above). There is something shameful, darkly comical and infuriating about this exchange. Law enforcement has outsourced the task of keeping fuel pumps from exploding to improvising adolescents. These police are spectators, watching a 17-year-old attempt to save them. Fifteen minutes later, the streets still buzz, protesters linger, restlessly scrolling their phones. Rittenhouse walks among this multiracial assembly and asks, 'Medical, does anybody need medical?' He is rebuffed by a couple of men in masks and continues onward to an intersection. Officers, who have used their vehicles to corral the mob southward, prevent him from resuming his post in front of Car Source. At 11:44, reports that rioters are trying to set on fire yet more cars at another lot come across the scanners. 'We've seen at least four people with handguns running around here,' a dispatcher warns. Two minutes after that, Rittenhouse is filmed holding a fire extinguisher, running from the gas station before slowing to a walk. Rosenbaum follows, picking up his pace, closing the distance between them. He throws his bag of belongings at him. Then the night cracks with a nearby gunshot. Four more shots in quick succession scatter the crowd into a frenzy. The camera shakes. Rittenhouse, who's been separated from his colleagues, runs in circles around a parked car. Another three-round burst, and as the focus resumes, he remains standing and Rosenbaum has fallen. 7 Rittenhouse turned himself in, telling officers that he had 'shot two white kids.' AP Advertisement The latter's limp body is hoisted into an SUV. Rittenhouse makes a phone call, then begins to flee. The crowd has grown attuned to him in unison, with tragically imperfect information, reacting to the presence of what seems to be an active shooter, as rumor pulses through it. 'What did he do?' one man shouts, chasing after Rittenhouse, who stumbles onto his back in the middle of the thoroughfare. Four masked white men are upon him, one drop-kicking him in the chest before another smacks his head with a skateboard. Rittenhouse receives the blows and shoots the skater in the process, killing him. A third approaches, raising a handgun, and Rittenhouse fires another round, blowing apart his forearm. He stands. The remaining bystanders give a wide berth now, and he shuffles down the street back to the gas station, where a cluster of police vehicles, lights flashing, slowly approach — far too late to be of use to anyone. Hands raised, he attempts to turn himself in, but the armored vehicles drive right past him. Even though the shooter and each of his three targets, as well as the instigating crowd around them, are white, dispatchers relay a description of the gunman as 'black.' Rittenhouse leaves the scene, returning home to his mother. She drives him to the police department in Antioch at 1:20 a.m., where he attempts to turn himself in a second time, vomiting in the precinct lobby and telling officers that he had 'shot two white kids.' 7 The tidy narrative branded Rittenhouse a 'racist killer.' Thomas Chatterton Williams writes, 'In the context of the summer of 2020, what had happened among four white men could never be understood as unfortunate or tragic or even simply illegal; it was racist.' AP Advertisement 'Kenosha: Teen Charged with Murder After Two Black Lives Matter Protesters Killed,' read one headline in The Guardian. In the context of the summer of 2020, what had happened among four white men could never be understood as unfortunate or tragic or even simply illegal; it was racist. Rosenbaum had been elevated posthumously to the status of 'a Black Lives Matter activist.' The specific and complicated causes and effects that produced the awful violence of August 25 — all of which contradict the notion that these were primarily peaceful demonstrations — much like the particularities of the police shooting of Jacob Blake that had preceded it, had been reconfigured into a tidier narrative. Excerpted from 'Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse' (Knopf, August 5, 2025). Copyright © 2025 by Thomas Chatterton Williams
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Bull Case for Galaxy Digital Is AI Data Centers Not Bitcoin Mining, Research Firm Says
When Galaxy Digital (GLXY) CEO Mike Novogratz bought Argos' Helios data center in late 2022, at the depths of the post-FTX crypto winter, the company thought they were bailing out a desperate bitcoin (BTC) miner on the brink of bankruptcy. This, however, was before ChatGPT had become mainstream. Novogratz and co. had no idea that this data center would be a strategic asset as the growing Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry clamours for more data center space, thanks to the explosive growth of Large Language Models (LLMs). As analysts from Rittenhouse Research outlined in a new note, Galaxy's lucky find, which instigated the company's move out of BTC mining altogether, might now be crypto's most lucrative pivot, as they make the case that the infrastructure used to mine digital gold is better used to process AI algorithms, and firms that shift away from BTC mining towards AI infrastructure are set to be the next growth stocks. Analysts from Rittenhouse argue that AI data centers represent a significantly more lucrative business model than BTC mining because they generate stable, long-term cash flows with minimal ongoing capital expenditures, contrasting sharply with the volatility and capital intensity of bitcoin mining. BTC mining revenues inherently decline by approximately 50% every four years due to the scheduled halvinings. Effectively, the play for a miner is being a long-term bull on BTC's price and the ability for semiconductor fabs and designers to develop chips that are perpetually more efficient, and, for an investor, that's a lot of variables. In contrast, AI data centers like Galaxy's Helios facility earn consistent, high-margin revenue through long-term, triple net leases to hyperscaler tenants (a large-scale cloud computing provider), without needing continuous investment in mining equipment. 'Galaxy stumbled upon Helios by virtue of good luck,' Rittenhouse wrote in their note. While competitors such as Riot Platforms and Cipher Mining have publicly tried to "rewrite history," retroactively suggesting their business was always broader than BTC mining, analysts say, 'in reality, these miners had zero intentions to do anything besides mine BTC until ChatGPT was launched.' Galaxy's transition reflects a broader trend as BTC miners attempt to pivot toward AI and cloud computing. Yet, analysts underscore Galaxy's significant advantage, stemming from its superior balance sheet ($1.8 billion of net cash and investments), successful execution record, and credibility established through the CoreWeave lease. While some have raised concerns over CoreWeave's creditworthiness, causing Galaxy's shares to trade at a significant discount, Rittenhouse analysts say these fears are significantly overblown, highlighting CoreWeave's exceptional revenue stability from long-term contracts accounting for 96% of its revenues and its strong institutional backing. The analysts emphasize that CoreWeave's debt is carefully structured through delayed draw term loans, utilized specifically to finance infrastructure directly linked to secured customer agreements, dramatically reducing default risk. Rittenhouse also notes that Galaxy has gone fully in on AI, and now doesn't have any exposure to mining. "Galaxy has completely exited all bitcoin mining activities to focus solely on its AI data center ambitions, which sends a positive signal to potential hyperscaler tenants," analysts wrote. As Rittenhouse writes, Cipher Mining's CEO Tyler Page recently acknowledged the uphill battle miners face when approaching major AI customers. "It's not lost on us that if we're talking to a counterparty with a $1 trillion market cap... One drawback for bitcoin miners is that major counterparties say, 'wow, that's a big obligation for you guys to backstop for such an important investment for us,'" Page said on the company's Q1 2025 earnings call. Galaxy doesn't have that problem. With this Helios deal in place and Novogratz's company totally out of mining, Galaxy's accidental pivot might just turn out to be crypto's best strategic move in years – if Rittenhouse's thesis is correct.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tega Cay council member censured over controversial social media post
A Tega Cay city council member voted in favor of his own censure for comments he made on social media. According to the Charlotte Observer, Scott Shirley made a post about Kyle Rittenhouse. ALSO READ: Kyle Rittenhouse trial: Jury finds not guilty on all counts Rittenhouse was acquitted after shooting and killing two people during a Black Lives Matter protest in Wisconsin in 2020. While the details of the post aren't clear, Shirley said he was advocating for the use of constitutional rights to protect private property. He said he was in no way advocating violence but understands how his post could be misconstrued. VIDEO: Rittenhouse seeks return of gun used during Kenosha protest
Politico
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Will Rick Zbur stand his ground?
Presented by SAFETY ON: The backlash has been swift for Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur and his proposal to make California an anti-stand-your-ground state. The Los Angeles Democrat is continuing to play defense on his less-than-week-old bill to narrow the definition of 'justifiable homicide' by requiring deescalation when possible. He's already promising amendments that make it clear the legislation won't have an effect on Californians' ability to protect themselves in their own homes. 'We're looking forward to working with law enforcement to modify the bill so that it's clear that this is about making sure that everyone in our communities are safe,' Zbur told Playbook. The online brouhaha that followed Zbur's bill introduction shows the continuing pitfalls of pushing left-leaning criminal justice policy in an environment primed to generate conservative outrage — even in deep-blue California. Opponents quickly seized on the proposal's language — which would make killing someone illegal if a person uses more force than necessary to defend themselves or chooses not to disengage or deescalate a violent situation when they can — calling it a 'criminal-first bill.' The assemblymember tried to clarify things on social media, saying the bill is aimed at people like Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two people during a Wisconsin protest in 2020 and was acquitted of all charges in the incident, turning him into something of a far-right hero. But that only drew more vitriol from Rittenhouse and his supporters, extracting a promise from him to testify against Zbur's bill. 'I'll see you in California,' Rittenhouse said in an X post. Bill supporters argue the legislation is necessary to close legal loopholes as California potentially sees more guns in public after a 2022 Supreme Court decision that blew a hole in the state's concealed carry law. Everytown for Gun Safety, the bill's sponsor, says the bill will create 'guardrails' that will help gun owners understand the rules of engagement in a new era of concealed carry rules. The organization is against 'stand your ground' laws, such as Florida's policy, which says residents have 'no duty to retreat' from threats. Florida gained national attention for its rules in 2012 after George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black 17-year-old walking in his neighborhood. Everytown says Zbur's bill would bring California in line with a group of other states — including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts — that require deescalation . 'This bill simply updates state law to make clear that if a person can safely walk away from a conflict, they must do so instead of escalating to using deadly force,' said Nick Suplina, Everytown's senior vice president for law and policy, in a statement to Playbook. 'It doesn't change the long-standing 'Castle Doctrine,' which provides extra self-defense protections in a person's home.' The debate over Zbur's bill will eventually play out in the Assembly Public Safety Committee, which new Chair Nick Schultz is already anticipating. Though it's too early for the bill to be assigned to a committee, Schultz said Zbur reached out to him after the online rhetoric over the bill began heating up. Zbur wanted to make it clear he's 'working proactively to address those concerns,' Schultz said. 'I think that some of the commentary that we saw really strikes at the heart of that uncertainty of how is this bill — if approved, if it's passed through and signed by the governor — how would it be changing existing legal standards?' Schultz said. 'So I think there are some legitimate questions, and we're going to try to work with them to address those.' IT'S THURSDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY FIRING SQUAD: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass may have hoped her removal of the city's fire chief, Kristin Crowley, would be forgotten after a few news cycles. But no such luck — Crowley notified the city council Thursday afternoon that she intends to appeal her firing. 'Former Chief Crowley has the right to appeal her dismissal,' responded Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for Bass. The council could overturn the mayor's decision by a two-thirds vote, but it's a tall order for the ex-chief to find 10 members who would defy the mayor. So far, two councilmembers — Traci Park, who represents the fire-devastated Pacific Palisades, and Monica Rodriguez — have publicly called for Crowley's firing to be reversed. Four members appeared alongside Bass when she announced her decision and a fifth, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, told the Los Angeles Times that the mayor had 'the right to hire and fire whom she wishes.' Whether or not Crowley's appeal is successful, today's move all but guarantees a fresh round of fireworks at City Hall. — Melanie Mason IN OTHER NEWS... LAWYERS TO THE RESCUE: Blue-state attorneys general see themselves as 'the last backstop' protecting Americans from President Donald Trump's policies, our Rachel Bluth and Melanie Mason report today. Proactive coordination has helped the 23 Democratic leaders this time around, as they execute a plan they developed a year before Trump started his second term. Their multi-state lawsuits have temporarily stopped the president from revoking birthright citizenship, freezing federal funding and cutting off money for medical research. This week, they filed their sixth amicus brief in an action against the Trump administration, with the Democratic AGs signing on to argue the importance of the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Department of Justice declined a request for comment on that suit, or others it is defending. 'Right now in the United States, the Democratic AGs are the only group of people who are united and working to prevent some of these unconstitutional actions from continuing,' Hawaii attorney general Anne Lopez boasted in an interview. SAFEGUARDING FUNDS: A California bill would prevent schools from losing federal funding due to fears of federal immigration raids, our Eric He reports today for POLITICO Pro subscribers. The majority of funding to school districts is largely tied to attendance, which has dropped in some areas since the Trump administration allowed immigration enforcement officials to enter schools. 'Immigration enforcement is no excuse to defund our schools,' Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, the bill's author, told POLITICO. 'We should not be asking our kids to pay the price for congressional failure to address the border.' Katie Lagomarsino, a budget analyst with the Department of Finance, told lawmakers at a hearing today that the department is 'hearing, anecdotally, that families are fearful of sending their children to school in light of deportation threats being made at the federal level, thus resulting in lower attendance.' MEA CULPA: Yesterday's edition of California Playbook PM misspelled Erik Menendez's name. We regret the error, and we've updated the online version of the newsletter. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — California Democrat Kevin Mullin was in a Bay Area Hospital recovering from medical complications after a routine knee surgery the morning before he appeared in Washington, D.C. to vote against the Republican budget resolution. (San Francisco Chronicle) — LA 2028 Olympic organizers say they are on track to secure $2 billion in corporate sponsorships by the end of the year. (Los Angeles Times) — Tesla lobbyists are having trouble with once-friendly lawmakers from blue states since Elon Musk's arrival in Washington. (POLITICO) AROUND THE STATE — The Port of San Diego, which relies heavily on grant funding, has removed most references to diversity, equity and inclusion from its website. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — A third Napa Valley tasting room has closed this month, as the industry deals with a historic downturn caused by high interest rates, wine and grape oversupplies and a decline in tasting room visitation. (San Francisco Chronicle) — Sacramento County law enforcement officials say that Prop 36 implementation has been successful so far, with 129 people charged with theft offenses and more than 50 charged with drug possession. (Sacramento Bee) — compiled by Nicole Norman
