June 16, 2017
Notes

Black Diamond: Our Best Social Media of the Week

Baseball equipment is seen scattered on the field where a shooting took place at the practice of the Republican congressional baseball teamin Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 14 June 2017. The Republican House majority whip Steve Scalise and at least four others have been shot shot at a congressional baseball game practice session, according to media reports. EPA/SHAWN THEW

This week, domestic terror took center stage. Given the anger and fear that has riven American politics, the attack on GOP congresspeople during a baseball practice had a sickening sense of inevitability. The week was also framed by “Russiagate” and more Trump theater. Jeff Sessions’s appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee provided a lesson in stonewalling while the Comey testimony continued to resonate (hence our admiration for the way photographers cover these rituals). Trump’s first full cabinet meeting and his request for a round of praise was a comical feast, at least for the media. And on the personality front, we had our eyes on Cosby and the focal role of Chelsea Manning.

We hope, like we know you do, that the violence in Alexandria somehow brings more humanity and less polarization to Congress.

 

A striking photo based on timing alone. In the Instagram flow a day after the attack on the red-clad GOP baseball team, the darkness and the circle (like a target and a spotlight) is haunting. The connection is more literal, more ironic and more lethal to the past times of sport and politics though. As Steve Israel wrote in a NYT op-Ed yesterday: “It wasn’t just an attack on members of Congress and their staff and police protective details but on one of the few vestiges of bipartisanship left in Congress: baseball.” http://buff.ly/2t6c4mWβ € β € Reposting @jaechongpix:β € …β € “Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker throwing against the New York Yankees. #otk #morebaseball #angels #givethanksineverything”

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Photo: SHAWN THEW/EPA Caption: Baseball equipment is seen scattered on the field where a shooting took place at the practice of the Republican congressional baseball teamin Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 14 June 2017. The Republican House majority whip Steve Scalise and at least four others have been shot shot at a congressional baseball game practice session, according to media reports.

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Michael Shaw
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