Saturday, April 23, 2016
The Police Data Initiative: One Year In
The White House and the Department of Justice Office of Community
Oriented Policing Services are collaborating to host a meeting with
Senior Administration and White House officials to discuss progress made
by law enforcement agencies under the Police Data Initiative (PDI),
with a specific focus on ways that leading law enforcement agencies have
worked with technologists, researchers, and community members to
leverage technology and data innovation to increase trust between police
and citizens.
National Security Council Notes: Lisa Monaco's Meetings in the United Kingdom
Today,
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
Lisa Monaco concluded a series of meetings with Home Secretary Theresa
May, Deputy National
Security Advisor Paddy McGuinness, and other senior British security
and intelligence officials on a range of security and counterterrorism
issues, focused on our shared efforts to prevent and disrupt
ISIL-directed and inspired attacks in the West. Noting
that the United Kingdom is one of our strongest counterterrorism
partners, Ms. Monaco discussed a number of ways we can continue to
enhance our whole-of-government efforts to protect our nations from ISIL
and other threats, including intensifying intelligence
cooperation and information sharing with our European partners, working
together to strengthen European counterterrorism capabilities, and
enhancing our engagement with private sector partners to counter ISIL’s
destructive propaganda.
While
in London, Ms. Monaco also co-led a session on “Counterterrorism in the
Age of ISIL” at the Aspen Security Forum: Global with Deputy National
Security Advisor McGuinness.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
Paid Family Leave Policies
Independent Women’s Forum Executive Director Sabrina Schaeffer discusses
her organization’s policy proposals on paid family leave programs.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Minority Entrepreneurship
Center for Global Policy Solutions President and CEO Maya Rockeymoore
discusses her organization’s report on minority entrepreneurship, which
projects that closing the racial gap would add nine million jobs to the
U.S. economy.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Civility in Politics
University of Arizona National Institute for Civil Discourse Executive
Director Carolyn Lukensmeyer discusses her organization’s work to
increase civility in U.S. politics.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Communicators with Ted Koppel: Electrical Grid Security
Ted Koppel talked about his book, Lights Out: A Cyberattack, a Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath,
which examines the possibility of a cyberattack on the U.S. electrical
grid. He discussed what could happen, vulnerabilities, and the degree to
which government agencies, electric companies, and individuals were
prepared to respond to an attack. He said that leaders within those
groups were not in agreement on what measures were necessary. Topics
included what steps could be taken to prepare more adequately.
The segment was originally broadcast on February 29, 2016.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
How One Small Religion Changed Prince
By Candida Moss
His music still dripped with lust, but in his personal life Prince’s conversion to a Jehovah’s Witness was a dramatic one.
The world is shocked by the sudden death of Prince at the young age of 57. As we come to terms with his passing we also face a new realization: that the artist responsible for some of the most powerfully seductive songs of the 20th century died a deeply religious man. One of his generation’s greatest artists—the man responsible for songs like “Sexy MF” and “Jack U Off”—died a fervent member of a marginalized and often derided sect.
In some ways Prince was always religious. He was raised a Seventh-day Adventist and frequently attended an African-American congregation in Glendale City. He claimed as a child, and maintained until his death, that an angel had cured him of epilepsy. It was only in 2001, though, that he became a Jehovah’s Witness.
His conversion was inspired by a two-year conversation with songwriter-bassist Larry Graham (of Sly and the Family Stone fame). Prince described it more as an awakening than a conversion, likening his experience to that of Neo in The Matrix. But Prince surely behaved like a convert: his religion permeated every aspect of his life. He not only attended meetings at a local Kingdom Hall, he occasionally knocked on doors proselytizing to others. A Jewish couple in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, once reported that they found Prince on their doorstep clutching a Bible.
It
was a moment that revolutionized his worldview. He gave up drugs and
became vegan. Even his notorious sexuality appeared to have been subtly
augmented by his conversion. He was a famous ladies’ man with a penchant
for beautiful women but since separating from his wife Manuela
Testolini in 2006 he was—in keeping with the beliefs of his church—a
bachelor. If he engaged in the sexual conquests typical of people in his
professional position, he no longer flaunted.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Daily Beast
Friday, April 22, 2016
Passover Greetings from the President
Michelle and I send our best wishes to
everyone celebrating Pesach in the United States, in the State of Israel, and
around the world.
One of Passover’s most powerful rituals
is its tradition of storytelling – millions of Jewish families, friends, and
even strangers sitting together and sharing the inspirational tale of the
Exodus. Led by a prophet and chased by an army, sustained by a faith in
God and rewarded with deliverance, the Israelites’ journey from bondage to the
Promised Land remains one of history’s greatest examples of emancipation.
This story of redemption and hope, told and retold over thousands of
years, has comforted countless Jewish families during times of oppression,
echoing in rallying cries for civil rights around the world.
Mah nishtana halailah hazeh?
For
Michelle and me, this Passover is different from all other Passovers because it
will mark our last Seder in the White House – a tradition we have looked
forward to each year since hosting the first-ever White House Seder in 2009.
We will join millions around the world to celebrate redemption at God’s
mighty hand and pray for those who still are denied their freedom. We dip
the greens of renewal in saltwater to recall the tears of those imprisoned
unjustly. As we count the 10 Plagues, we spill wine from our glasses to
remember those who suffered and those who still do. And as we humbly sing
“Dayenu,” we are mindful that even the smallest blessings and slowest progress
deserve our gratitude.
Passover gives us all a special
opportunity to renew our belief in things unseen even as the future remains
uncertain. May this season inspire us all to
rededicate ourselves to peace and freedom for all of God’s children. From
our family to yours, chag sameach.
DÃaz and Sepúlveda to Announce Push for Key Voter Registration and Elections Reforms
On April 26 at 11 a.m., on the steps of City Hall in New York City, Assembly
Member Luis Sepúlveda and Senator Rubén Diaz will hold a news conference
to introduce legislation to make it a felony for boards
of elections to dump or archive voters from registration rolls, requiring
that such removals only be made upon confirmation either of the death of
a voter or the out-of-state relocation of a voter, and to require boards
of elections to notify voters by email, whenever possible, of changes in
in polling sites.
Sepúlveda and Diaz
will also announce their support of legislation to provide for automatic
registration of voters when they apply for or renew their driver’s license
or non-driver ID (with the option for persons to opt out of becoming registered)
and to allow voters to change party registration as easily and under the
identical criteria applicable for new voter registration.
Source: The Offices of Senator Rubén Diaz and Assembly
Member Luis Sepúlveda
Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day
Today
we solemnly reflect on the first mass atrocity of the 20th century—the
Armenian Meds Yeghern—when one and a half million Armenian people were
deported,
massacred, and marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman
empire.
As
we honor the memory of those who suffered during the dark days
beginning in 1915—and commit to learn from this tragedy so it may never
be repeated—we also
pay tribute to those who sought to come to their aid. One such
individual was U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr., who voiced alarm
both within the U.S. government and with Ottoman leaders in an attempt
to halt the violence. Voices like Morgenthau’s continue
to be essential to the mission of atrocity prevention, and his legacy
shaped the later work of human rights champions such as Raphael Lemkin,
who helped bring about the first United Nations human rights treaty.
This
is also a moment to acknowledge the remarkable resiliency of the
Armenian people and their tremendous contributions both to the
international community
as well as to American society. We recall the thousands of Armenian
refugees who decades ago began new lives in the United States, forming a
community that has enormously advanced the vitality of this nation and
risen to prominence and distinction across a
wide range of endeavors. At a moment of regional turmoil to Armenia’s
south, we also thank the people of Armenia for opening their arms to
Syrian refugees, welcoming nearly 17,000 into their country.
As
we look from the past to the future, we continue to underscore the
importance of historical remembrance as a tool of prevention, as we call
for a full, frank, and
just acknowledgment of the facts, which would serve the interests of
all concerned. I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred
in 1915, and my view has not changed. I have also seen that peoples and
nations grow stronger, and build a foundation
for a more just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning
with painful elements of the past. We continue to welcome the
expression of views by those who have sought to shed new light into the
darkness of the past, from Turkish and Armenian historians
to Pope Francis.
Today
we stand with the Armenian people throughout the world in recalling the
horror of the Meds Yeghern and reaffirm our ongoing commitment to a
democratic, peaceful, and prosperous Armenia.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
Dr. Jill Biden to Deliver Commencement Address at Northern Virginia Community College
On Saturday, May 14,
Dr. Jill Biden will deliver the commencement address to graduates of
Northern Virginia Community College. Dr. Biden, an educator for more
than 30
years, has continued to teach as a full-time English professor at
Northern Virginia Community College since 2009 while serving as Second
Lady of the United States. Northern Virginia Community College is the
largest public institution of higher education in
the Commonwealth of Virginia, and one of America’s largest community
colleges, with more than 75,000 students at its six campuses in
Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge,
and through its Extended Learning Institute.
Source: The White House, Office of the Vice President
Confederate Monuments in New Orleans
The New Orleans Advocate's Jeff Adelson joins by phone to discuss the ongoing debate over the removal of Confederate monuments in New Orleans.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Religious Liberty and the Contraceptive Mandate
Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Legal Counsel Hannah Smith discusses recent Supreme Court oral arguments in Zubik v. Burwell, which deals with the Little Sisters of the Poor’s objections to the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
State Department Briefing
Elizabeth Trudeau, director of the State Department’s Office of Press
Relations, briefs reporters and responds to their questions on a variety
of international topics, including the U.S. purchase of heavy water
from Iran.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Republican National Committee Rules Committee Meeting
The Republican National Committee’s (RNC) Standing Committee on Rules
held a meeting during the RNC’s spring meeting at the Diplomat Resort in
Hollywood, Florida. Members engaged in debate and ultimately defeated
attempts to change the rules governing the convention during which the
party’s nominee for president would be officially chosen.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
FPWA Distributes $120,000 in Program Grants to Local Nonprofit Organizations
(New York, NY) – This morning FPWA
awarded six of its member agencies with a $20,000 grant at its annual Program
Grants Breakfast at its office in Lower Manhattan. The grants support
programs that are aligned with the FPWA mission and help to enhance the lives
of New York’s most vulnerable.
Grants were awarded to fund programs
from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 that align with at least one of FPWA’s
three strategic pillars – reducing poverty, advancing upward mobility, and
creating shared prosperity. FPWA awards program grants on an annual basis to
its member agencies to support new direct service projects that are linked to
FPWA’s advocacy agenda. Grants must address emerging social service issues or
needs that the agency has identified.
This year’s awardees are the Asian
Americans for Equality, Edwin Gould, Exodus Transitional Community, Inc., New
Alternatives for Children, Inc., New York Asian Women’s Center, Inc. and New
York Therapeutic Communities, Inc. Programs funded by the awards included an
integrated job referral and placement platform for Flushing, Queens; a
faith-based program to support formerly incarcerated fathers; and an
entrepreneurship program to increase the vocational prospects of women in
substance abuse treatment. This year’s grants include:
Asian Americans for Equality – Flushing
Employment Network – Flushing, Queens
Edwin Gould – College Success – Brooklyn
Heights, Brooklyn
Exodus Transitional Community, Inc. – Faith
in Fatherhood – East Harlem
New Alternatives for Children, Inc. – Career
Initiative
New York Asian Women’s Center, Inc. – Economic
Empowerment Workshop
New York Therapeutic Communities, Inc. –
Recovery Through Entrepreneurship for Women – Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
At the ceremony, Jacob Riis Neighborhood
Settlement House, one of last year’s program grant awardees, also returned to discuss
their 2015 project, helping immigrants establish worker cooperative businesses.
“One of the many ways that we address
the needs of New York’s most vulnerable is through FPWA's annual program grant
awards,” said CEO and Executive Director of FPWA Jennifer Jones Austin. “These
grants provide community-based organizations with an opportunity to address
specific needs in their respective communities—things to improve economic
well-being, workforce readiness and social services that will ultimately lead
to poverty reduction. We are especially thrilled to be able to double the
amount of money in grants this year, which means that more individuals and
communities will be served. "
“We are grateful to FPWA for the
opportunity to receive this grant,” said Julio Medina, Founder and Executive
Director of Exodus Transitional Community. “Made possible with this
funding, Exodus is thrilled to provide a faith-based fatherhood program to our
participants that support family restoration after incarceration. The Faith
in Fatherhood program strives to increase a father’s emotional, physical and
financial presence in the lives of their children to increase individual
earning power and household income, as well as impact the economic and
emotional health of generations to come. Everyone who walks through our
doors is part of the Exodus family, and we are excited to bring this value out
into the community. ”
Source: Mercury
Chinese-American Planning Council Promotes Safe Sex in Chinatown
Logo for the Chinese-American Planning Council
“The CPC has been fighting to bring HIV/AIDS
services to Chinatown since 1990, during the height of the citywide AIDS
crisis, when it received a $5,000 grant from the Federation of
Protestant Welfare Agencies. The council used the money
to create and distribute a bilingual pamphlet educating the community
about HIV prevention.
Since then, the CPC has gone on to receive grants
from several agencies, including the state Department of Health’s AIDS
Institute, that have allowed it to expand its services — the council
conducts education outreach programs while providing
services for HIV-positive clients to ensure access to medication and
support.”
Full story – DNA Info: Group Hopes to Break Taboo Around Safe-Sex Talk in Chinatown With New Film
Source: Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA)
Passover Message from Governor Cuomo
“Tonight,
members of the Jewish faith all across New York will begin the
celebration of Passover. The message of this joyous holiday is that
through hope, strength and faith in God, we can come together to
overcome slavery and oppression to achieve peace and freedom for all
people. New York’s strength is in our diversity. This Passover, as we
join together, let us resolve to further this timely lesson and work to
create a fairer, more just and secure state for all New Yorkers. Chag
Sameach.”
Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Ruth Hassell-Thompson Appointed Special Advisor for Policy and Community Affairs of NYSHCR
Governor Andrew Cuomo today appointed
Ruth Hassell-Thompson as Special Advisor for Policy and Community Affairs of
New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Hassell-Thompson currently serves
as Senator for New York’s 36th Senate District, representing parts of
the Bronx and Westchester County.
She will begin her new role in July.
“As a nurse, an advocate and a member of
the New York State Legislature, Senator Hassell-Thompson has spent her entire
career fighting to improve lives and build communities,” said Governor Cuomo.
“I am proud to have her continue this work as a member of my administration and
look forward to working with her to build a stronger, fairer and more
prosperous New York for all.”
“I am thrilled to be joining Governor
Cuomo’s administration within New York State Homes and Community Renewal,” said
Senator Hassell-Thompson. “Under Governor Cuomo, HCR has a tremendous impact on
advancing housing policy state-wide, including the Governor's efforts in
developing and protecting affordable housing and protecting vulnerable
communities. I am excited to lend my expertise to those efforts.”
Hassell-Thompson has served in the New
York State Senate since 2000. She is also a former City Council President and
Acting Mayor of Mount Vernon, having been first elected to the City Council in
1993. She is also a retired nurse for Mount Vernon Hospital, specializing in
pediatrics and substance abuse counseling. She is the founding President and
CEO of “The Gathering,” a volunteer-staffed women’s center in Mount Vernon that
provides counseling and support services, and has also worked extensively with
individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Prior to holding an elected office, she
was President/CEO of Whart Development Company, Inc., a real estate development
company that also provided consultant services to small and developing
businesses. She was also the Executive Director of the Westchester Minority
Contractors Association, helping to bring opportunities for growth and economic
development to minority- and women-owned businesses in the region. Previously,
she led the Westchester Community Opportunity Program, which provided medical,
social and related support services to local residents in need.
Hassell-Thompson is the recipient of two
Honorary Doctorate degrees; Mercy College, Doctor of Humane Letters; and
Eastern Theological Consortium, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Christ
Theological Seminary, Doctor of Humanities. She is an alumna of Bronx Community
College.
Source: Press Office, Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo
Trailblazers in Black History: Prince
From The G-Man offers its condolences to the family, friends, fans and colleagues of Prince.
May he forever rest in peace.
Meet The Delegate Candidates Who Could Decide the GOP Nominee
Pennsylvania is taking its turn in the 2016
presidential spotlight this week and the campaigns are in an all-out
push for votes in next Tuesday's crucial primary - votes that could
determine who will be the next Republican presidential nominee.
And the most important of those ballots will be
cast for 54 of the state's delegates to this summer's Republican
convention, not one for the one of the three well-known candidates -
Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich - remaining in the GOP
contest. Instead, voters must chose people whom they might not ever have
heard of.
They aren't household names, although they may
be known to some voters locally. Like the rank-and-file voters who will
elect them, these candidates are regular people with regular jobs, they
are party enthusiasts who want to go to the Party's big party in
Cleveland this summer.
Most importantly, these delegates are independent, not bound to support any one candidate in Cleveland this summer.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News