Standing for the National Anthem

NFL national anthem protest: List of players who have kneeled

Anyone remember the old black panther party salute?

Anyone remember the old black panther party salute?

If you were under the impression that Colin Kaepernick's continued unemployment would cause NFL players to think twice before protesting during the national anthem, think again.

Last year, Kaepernick sat (and later kneeled) during the anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. Several other players joined him throughout the season. Yet despite the blowback Kaepernick received in some quarters, NFL players appear even more eager to protest than last season. Perhaps the biggest story of the 2017 preseason has been the willingness of players to demonstrate during the pregame rendition of the anthem. 

After the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month, momentum only seems to be growing. What started with Marshawn Lynch and Michael Bennett this preseason has grown to a wide range of players, mostly black but also white. During one preseason game, the Browns staged the largest group protest to date, with at least 10 players demonstrating.
Here's a look at the players who have knelt, sat or demonstrated in some way during the national anthem so far this season.

Regular season

• Marcus Peters, Chiefs (sat)
• Marshawn Lynch, Raiders (sat)
• Michael Bennett, Seahawks (sat)
• Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles (raised fist)
• Robert Quinn, Rams (raised fist)
• Martellus Bennett, Packers (raised fist)
• Chris Long, Eagles (put his hand on teammate Malcolm Jenkins's shoulder)
• Rodney McLeod, Eagles (put his hand on teammate Malcolm Jenkins's shoulder)
• Justin Britt, Seahawks (put his hand on teammate Michael Bennett's shoulder)
• Thomas Rawls, Seahawks (put his hand on teammate Michael Bennett's shoulder)
• Cliff Avril, Seahawks (sat)
• Frank Clark, Seahawks (sat)
• Johnny Hekker, Rams (embraced teammate Robert Quinn)
• Eric Reid, 49ers (knelt surrounded by teammates)

Preseason

• Marshawn Lynch, Raiders (sat)
• Michael Bennett, Seahawks (sat)
• Cliff Avril, Seahawks (sat during the end of the anthem)
• ​Seth DeValve, Browns (knelt)
• Duke Johnson Jr., Browns (knelt)
• Terrance Magee, Browns (knelt)
• Isaiah Crowell, Browns (knelt)
• Kenny Britt, Browns (knelt)
• Ricardo Louis, Browns (knelt)​
• Jabrill Peppers, Browns (knelt)
• Calvin Pryor, Browns (knelt)
• Jamar Taylor, Browns (knelt)
• Christian Kirksey, Browns (knelt)
• Jamie Collins, Browns (knelt)
• Ron Brooks, Eagles (knelt)
• Shalom Luani, Raiders (knelt)​
• Eric Reid, 49ers (knelt)
• Cameron Jefferson, Bills (raised fist)
• Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles (raised fist)
• Jurrell Casey, Titans (raised fist)
• Wesley Woodyard, Titans (raised fist)
• Robert Quinn, Rams (raised fist)
• Jeremy Lane, Seahawks (stood with his back to the field and flag)
• Chris Long, Eagles (put his hand on teammate Malcolm Jenkins's shoulder)
• Derek Carr, Raiders (put his hand on teammate Khalil Mack's shoulder)
• Justin Britt, Seahawks (put his hand on teammate Michael Bennett's shoulder)
• DeShone Kizer, Browns (put his hand on teammate's shoulder)
• Britton Colquitt, Browns (put his hand on teammate's shoulder)
• Rodney McLeod, Eagles (put his hand on teammate Malcolm Jenkins's shoulder)
• ​Other Browns players, such as Jason McCourty and Shon Coleman, stood near the group of kneeling players on Monday night in an apparent show of support.
•​ About 30 Browns players stood with their arms linked together before their game against the Buccaneers

'Tell That Son of a B***h He's Fired': Trump Blasts NFL Anthem Kneelers

President Trump railed against National Football League players who have knelt during the national anthem.
Trump said that he and Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), who he was stumping for in Huntsville, are "unified" by "great American values."
"We're proud of our country and we're proud of our flag," he said.
He said players who disrespect the flag and kneel for the national anthem should be ejected from the stadium and cut from the team.
"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say 'get that son of a b***h off the field right now - he's fired'," Trump said.
"Some owner is going to do that," he said.
Trump said the shows of disrespect over the past few football seasons are the main reason behind a decline in NFL ratings.
He also mentioned that the game has grown more litigious, with hard hits and other recurring incidents during a game now being penalized more often.
Trump riffed on a referee from last weekend, saying his wife was likely proud to see him on television so often as he penalized such tackles.
"They're ruining the game," he said of flag-kneeling players and overly litigious officiating standards.

Ben Carson praises Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in apparent break with Trump

Dr. Ben Carson, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, on Friday praised Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in the state’s contentious runoff, an apparent break with the president who is backing another candidate.

"Judge Moore is a fine man of proven character and integrity, who I have come to respect over the years,” Carson said in the statement released by the Moore campaign. “I was delighted to hear he is running for the U.S. Senate. He is truly someone who reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country.”

It was released just hours before President Trump was set to take stage in Huntsville for a rally in support of the other Republican in the race, incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the post when Jeff Sessions stepped down to become the U.S. attorney general.
Despite Trump’s endorsement, some of the president’s usual allies, including former senior adviser Steve Bannon, are supporting Moore. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin headlined a post-debate rally for Moore after Thursday's debate.
Moore, Alabama’s former Supreme Court justice, has been polling ahead of Strange, who is favored by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. The runoff takes place Tuesday.
It's uncommon for Cabinet officials to wade into political races, as the Hatch Act limits political activities of federal employees.
According to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, federal employees are not allowed to engage in political activity while on duty, in the workplace or in any official capacity.
Carson's statement was carefully worded and did not identify Carson as a Cabinet secretary, but rather as a doctor. It also did not claim to be an endorsement.
In 2012, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was found to have been in violation of the Hatch Act after the Office of Special Counsel determined that she made "extemporaneous partisan remarks" during a speech. The speech had come during an official trip.

Alabama rally: Trump campaigns in last-ditch effort for Senate candidate Luther Strange

President Trump rallied with his Alabama supporters on Friday evening for more than an hour in a last-ditch effort to push incumbent Sen. Luther Strange across the finish line in next week’s tight Republican runoff.

During a campaign rally in Huntsville, the president said he appreciated how Strange agreed to vote for ObamaCare replacement legislation this summer without asking any favors from him.

“I called him up a week ago and I said, ‘You know, I think you’re down by a few points,’” Trump said. “But I’m going to come to Alabama and I’m going to make a speech for you on Friday night.”
Trump, who endorsed Strange last month, is tremendously popular in Alabama, winning 62 percent of the vote in the state during the presidential race.
But Strange has been trailing his opponent, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, in recent public polls.
The president also used the rally to draw attention to a variety of other political issues, including Arizona Sen. John McCain’s opposition to Republican ObamaCare overhaul bills, the nuclear threat from North Korea and the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the election.
“That was totally unexpected thing -- terrible," Trump said of McCain’s vote against ObamaCare repeal legislation.
He also referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un as “Little Rocket Man.”
“Rocket Man should have been handled a long time ago,” Trump said.
REPUBLICANS SPAR IN ALABAMA SENATE DEBATE OVER TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT
Speaking of the special counsel probe into possible Trump campaign ties with Russia, the president said: “And by the way folks, just in the case you’re curious, no, Russia did not help me.”
“I call it the Russian hoax, one of the great hoaxes,” he said.
Trump also made an apparent reference to football player Colin Kaepernick, known for kneeling during the national anthem as a protest against police shootings of African-Americans.
“We’re proud of our country," Trump said. "We respect our flag. Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say get that son of a bitch off the field, right now, out? He’s fired.”

Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) looks on during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC16E9F1A070

Trump argued during the rally that Strange would have an easier time than Moore winning the general election in Alabama if Strange secures the Republican nomination next week.
“That is why I’m here tonight to ask the good people of Alabama to send Luther Strange to the United States Senate, so he can defend your interests, fight for your values and always put America first,” Trump said.
The Strange campaign is banking on the president’s support to help him close the gap before Tuesday’s vote. During a debate Thursday, Strange repeatedly emphasized Trump’s endorsement, portraying himself as a loyal warrior in Washington for the president’s agenda.
Introducing the president during Friday’s rally, Strange donned a red “Make America Great Again” hat.
But the Alabama runoff has divided Trump from some of his usual allies, including former senior advisers Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who are supporting Moore.
A few hours before Friday’s rally, Ben Carson, the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, released a statement praising Moore and encouraging Alabamians to get out and vote.
BEN CARSON PRAISES ALABAMA SENATE CANDIDATE ROY MOORE IN APPARENT BREAK WITH TRUMP
"Judge Moore is a fine man of proven character and integrity, who I have come to respect over the years,” Carson said. “I was delighted to hear he is running for the U.S. Senate. He is truly someone who reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country.”
During Friday's rally, the president played to his crowd, expressing his love for the state, its people, college football and its former senator, Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
“I understand the people of Alabama,” he said. “I feel like I’m from Alabama, frankly. Isn’t a little weird when a guy who lives on Fifth Avenue, in the most beautiful apartments you’ve ever seen, comes to Alabama and Alabama loves that guy?”
Strange, the former attorney general in Alabama, was temporarily appointed to the seat in April after Sessions joined the Trump administration.

Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks to supporters, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. Moore, who took losing stands for the public display of the Ten Commandments and against gay marriage, forced a Senate primary runoff with Sen. Luther Strange, an appointed incumbent backed by both President Donald Trump and heavy investment from establishment Republican forces. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)  (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Moore, known in Alabama as the “Ten Commandments Judge,” is a Christian conservative who is famous for having been removed twice from his position on Alabama’s Supreme Court.
Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to fly to Alabama on Monday
The winner of the GOP runoff will face Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney under the Clinton administration who was endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden has announced plans to campaign for Jones in Alabama in October.

Democrats still Crying Cartoons

Iowa Dems hope anti-Trump sentiment will help them win GOP House seat

Iowa Democrats apparently ran out of gas between Caucus Day and Election Day in 2016, but nine months later, that’s changed.

The party is hoping it can parlay soured support of President Trump into the capture of Republican Huse seats.

“We’ve had more enthusiasm since the election results than we had prior to Nov. 8,” Linn County Democratic Party Chairman Bret Nilles told Fox News.

“We’ve had more enthusiasm since the election results than we had prior to Nov. 8."

Linn County sits in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, which delivered double-digit wins for Obama twice, before breaking for Trump by three over Clinton.
That makes this a swing district, and a top target for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in its effort to flip the House of Representatives in 2018.
Rep. Rod Blum, R-Iowa, represents the 1st right now, and isn’t letting the Democratic machine present a distraction.
“I’m not afraid of losing elections, I’m not even thinking about the next election,” Blum told Fox News.
Earlier this year, Blum hosted town hall meetings that were disrupted by demonstrators, who he believes were “organized by leftist groups.”
Blum also casts doubt on the impact of Trump's flagging approval ratings on this race, saying he thinks the president still appeals to his blue-collar constituents in a Reagan-like way.
Still, Democrats will try to flip the seat by tying Blum to Trump.
“Congressman Blum showed tremendous support for Donald Trump, I think that’s going to be in our favor,” Nilles said.
One of the locals trying to get on the ballot as a Democrat just hopes her party doesn’t repeat the last cycle’s mistakes.
“I think that the Democratic party did a very poor job of presenting that they cared about the problems in this district,” said Courtney Rowe, an engineer from Cedar Rapids.
Rowe, a supporter of single-payer health care, says a chord struck by both Obama and Trump in this state should be sought out.
“In 2012, they felt that Obama that was giving them hope and letting them know he cared about the issues in their life,” Rowe said.  “In 2016, they felt that was Trump.”

GOP retirements could signal trouble for midterm elections

The beginning of September inevitably brings a wave of Congressional retirements, especially in non-election years, as members return from their August recess to a thankless helping of gridlock, unrelenting criticism, and public approval ratings of 15.8 percent, according to the latest Real Clear Politics average of polls.

Pennsylvania moderate Republican Charlie Dent is one of seven House Republicans to recently announce his retirement.

"A lot of this was personal but also the polarization around here is pretty severe," he told Fox News.
TRUMP NOMINATIONS SET UP MORE SPECIAL ELECTIONS, CHANCES FOR DEMS TO UPSET
He joins soon-to-be retirees Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), Sam Johnson (R-Texas) Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) Jimmy Duncan (R-Tenn.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Dave Trott (R-Mich). Ten other GOP seats, mostly considered safe, are open as members run for higher office.
It could all signal trouble ahead for the GOP in the mid-terms, when the president's party traditionally loses seats. Former presidential adviser and Breitbart publisher Steve Bannon is promising to back conservative and economic populists to root out moderates in Republican primaries.
GOP REP. REICHERT OF WASHINGTON STATE RETIRING AFTER 7 TERMS
Yet, the far-right Freedom Caucus remain resistant to compromise.
"Both of these groups, whether it's Bannon or the Freedom Caucus still believe they can take over the Republican Party and dominate it," says Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush and a Fox News contributor.
Conservative primary challenges didn’t work out well in the 2010 election cycle, as untested GOP Senate candidates like Sharon Angle in Nevada, and Christine O'Donnell in Delaware faded in general elections with self-inflicted rookie gaffes.
Already in this new election cycle, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Roy Moore, who's running against Sen. Luther Strange for Jeff Sessions’ seat, made an embarrassing misstep as he was queried on the local Dale Jackson radio show about "Dreamers" and the DACA program.
ALABAMA SENATE PRIMARY: MOORE'S POPULARITY SHAKES GOP ESTABLISHMENT
"You're not aware of what Dreamers are?"
"No," said Moore.
"This is a big issue in the immigration debate," Dale Jackson responded incredulously.
"Why don't you tell me what it is Dale and quit beating around and tell me what it is," Moore responded.
Republicans are heartened that seven retirements and 10 other open seats are fewer in number than in an average election cycle.
"I'm not overall concerned right now. Seven is well below the 22 average retirements that would normally happen," Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), the chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee, told Fox News. "Second... Democrats have retirement problems of their own."
Stivers also maintains Republicans have a distinct advantage in redistricting.
The 100 Congressional districts that were once considered in play at any given time, has been whittled down to about 70, making it much more difficult for House Democrats to win a majority.