Saturday, April 30, 2016
Analyzing the Indiana Primaries
Indianapolis Star Political Columnist Matthew Tully talks from Indianapolis about the prospects of the various
presidential candidates in the May 3, 216, primary elections.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Laura Bush Discusses 'We Are Afghan Women'
The former First Lady talked about the book, We Are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope, about
the lives of Afghan women since the U.S. invasion. Mrs. Bush wrote the
introduction to the book, which was released by the George W. Bush
Institute. Mrs. Bush was joined by Mina Sherzoy, one of the women
profiled in the book.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Book Discussion on 'White Backlash'
From the 4th annual San Antonio Book Festival, Marisa Abrajano talks about how immigration is affecting American politics.
The segment was originally recorded on April 2, 2016.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Cenk Uygur on the Progressive Movement in 2016
The host of “The Young Turks” discusses his support Senator
Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) presidential bid, as well as the future of his
campaign following a loss in four out of five states on April 26.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Friday, April 29, 2016
Veep Meet and Greet: Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy
Vice President Biden met with Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi today. The
Vice President thanked Prime Minister Renzi for Italy's contributions
to promoting stability
in Iraq and Libya. The leaders discussed the need to improve
intelligence sharing with and within Europe in the wake of recent
terrorist attacks, as well as the attack recently thwarted by Italian
security forces. The leaders also agreed on the critical importance
of maintaining sanctions on Russia until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented.
Source: The White House, Office of the Vice President
U.S. Reports First Zika Virus Death in Puerto Rico
A man infected with Zika virus in Puerto Rico has died from complications of the infection, health officials said Friday.
The man, in his 70s, died from internal bleeding caused by a rare
immune reaction to the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said.
It's the first death in the United States from Zika virus.
"This demonstrates that, as with Guillain Barre
Syndrome cases, that there can be severe manifestations that result from
Zika virus infection," the CDC's Tyler Sharp told NBC News.
Note: This is a breaking news story, so check the NBC News website fotr updates.
Note: This is a breaking news story, so check the NBC News website fotr updates.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
NY Senator: 'Everyone Does It, de Blasio is Not the Only One!'
What You Should
Know
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District
You should know that the Mayor of the
City of New York is under fire and he is facing 5 different investigations.
It is important for you to know that I
never supported Mayor de Blasio when he was a Mayoral Candidate, and instead. I
supported Eric Salgado and Bill Thompson. For the record, I don’t like Bill de
Blasio’s policies, we have nothing in common, and I have not met with him nor
spoken with him in person since he was elected Mayor. But as I see him being
subject to what looks like selective prosecution, I must speak out.
It is important for you to know that
Risa S. Sugarman, who was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve as the
Chief Enforcement Officer for the Board of Elections, sent a report to the
Manhattan District Attorney regarding Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “willful and flagrant”
campaign law violations.
Ms. Sugarman’s report prompted a
criminal investigation into Mayor de Blasio’s fund-raising.
According to Ms. Sugarman’s report,
Mayor Bill de Blasio and his team raised money to send to certain County
Committees in 2014 to help Democrats running for the State Senate. In a
response to Ms. Sugarman’s report, a criminal investigation against Mayor de
Blasio is underway.
You should also know that City and
State’s Winners and Losers column for the week ending 4/29/2016 included NY
Times columnist Jim Dwyer in the Winners’ column for successfully “putting
pressure on state Board of Elections Chief Enforcement Officer Risa Sugarman to
explain her selective investigation process.
This hat-tip tip Jim Dwyer includes his
April 28, 2016 column “Faulting de Blasio for
Walking a Beaten Path in Elections.”
Mr. Dwyer wrote: “In 2008, when Michael R. Bloomberg was mayor, he gave
$1.2 million to the tiny Independence Party, which used the money to help the
campaigns of two Republican senators in Queens, Frank Padavan and Serphin R.
Maltese … Mr. Bloomberg also gave $500,000 to the Republicans’ Senate campaign
committee, which supported Mr. Padavan and Mr. Maltese in their races.”
As you can see, Mayor de
Blasio’s actions are not the first time a Mayor has used his political power
and resources to influence New York State Senate races. This is routinely done
by Democrats and Republicans alike, and we all know it.
I have to ask myself, how is it that
Mayor de Blasio is being investigated and has received subpoenas from the Manhattan
District Attorney and the US Attorney General, and how is it that he is being
lambasted on the front pages and editorial columns of New York’s daily
newspapers, when the things he did are no different than what Michael Bloomberg
did when he was New York City’s Mayor?
Why was there no outcry for
investigations and allegations made when Michael Bloomberg also violated New
York’s Campaign Finance laws by donating large amounts of money to the
Republican and Independent Parties in order to hold sway over certain State
Senate elections?
If everyone does it, how come only Mayor
Bill de Blasio is being held accountable?
I am Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz and
this is what you should know.
Rival White Supremacist Groups Unite To Fight ‘Race War’
By James King, Vocativ
In April, a coalition of white
supremacists gathered to light up a cross—and plan the future of hate in
America.
The Georgia Peach Oyster Bar sits along a rural highway about 45
miles west of Atlanta. From the outside, it could pass for a
single-story house if not for the neon beer signs. Inside, it looks like
any other dusty saloon in the dregs of Dixie: a bar, pool tables under
Bud Light lamps hanging from the ceiling, a TV mounted in the corner of
the room. It’s what’s behind a single doorway leading to a backroom that
makes the Georgia Peach unique.
Dozens of white nationalists from various groups across the country gathered here on a Saturday
night in April and spirits were high, giving the room the feel of a
white supremacist theme park. In one corner, a tattoo station where
shirtless men were getting inked up. In another, a guy sold T-shirts
featuring swastikas and hooded Ku Klux Klansmen with the words “The
Original Boys in the Hood.” Centered along a back wall was a stage with a
podium, the backdrop comprised of a banner with the contact information
for the National Socialist Movement (NSM), the predominant neo-Nazi
group in the United States, as well as swastikas and other white
nationalist imagery.
A porch off the back of the building looks out over a multi-acre horse
pasture, an idyllic country scene were it not for the 15-foot wooden
cross and swastika that three neo-Nazis were wrapping in burlap and
dousing in gasoline in preparation for the night’s festivities. Inside
the bar, attendees milled about smoking cigarettes and sipping drinks in
celebration of what they are calling an historic event.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Huffington Post
Investigation of U.S. Airstrike on Afghan Hospital
General Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, briefs
reporters and responds to their questions on the investigation into the
October 3, 2015 bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz,
Afghanistan, in which 42 people died.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
House Minority Leader Weekly Briefing
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) briefed reporters and responded to questions on her party’s legislative agenda.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Trailblazers in Black History: Gale Sayers, NFL Legend
Published on YouTube on Dec. 15, 2015.
Additional information on Mr. Sayers and his career is available here.
Video courtesy of Official Chicago Bears.
This Vegan Rapper is the O.G. of Eco Hip-Hop (That's Original Gardener)
Ietef Vita has a dream.
The Denver-based environmental activist and recording artist best known as "DJ Cavem Moetivation"
longs for a time when he'll be able to stroll the streets of any black
neighborhood in America without passing by a sea of liquor stores and
fast food joints.
A greener time. When farmer's markets stocked
with fresh fruits and veggies would inhabit every corner; yoga studios
and juice bars would abound. Instead of concrete and litter in every
direction, freshly-planted trees and community gardens would be
commonplace; black people would self-medicate with nectarines instead of
narcotics and try cannabis in lieu of chemotherapy.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Supreme Court Approves Rule Change to Expand FBI Hacking Power
The Supreme Court on Thursday approved a rule
change that would let U.S. judges issue search warrants for access to
computers located in any jurisdiction despite opposition from civil
liberties groups who say it will greatly expand the FBI's hacking
authority.
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts transmitted the
rules to Congress, which will have until Dec. 1 to reject or modify the
changes to the federal rules of criminal procedure. If Congress does not
act, the rules would take effect automatically.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Protests at Donald Trump Rally Turn Violent; John Boehner Bashes Ted Cruz
A large crowd outside a Donald Trump rally in California turned violent,
resulting in nearly 20 arrests and several injuries. Meanwhile former
Speaker of the House John Boehner called Ted Cruz “Lucifer in the
flesh.” NBC News national correspondent Peter Alexander reports the
day’s campaign news.
Click here for video.
Source: NBC News
What is Bernie Sanders' Plan B?
The contest may be over, but the mission is not for Bernie Sanders and his supporters.
Winning the Democratic presidential nomination
is all but impossible given the current delegate count, so it's on to
Plan B: Sanders will spend the next 79 days before the Democratic
National Convention accruing as much leverage as possible before he sits
down at the bargaining table.
"The power of the political revolution to shape
what comes out of the Democratic convention will be in proportion to the
vitality and engagement of the people who have poured themselves into
the Sanders campaign thus far. So it is critical not to let up or step
back," said Ben Wikler, the Washington director of MoveOn.org, which has
endorsed Bernie Sanders. "Every door that a Sanders volunteer knocks
on, every call that a supporter makes, every dollar raised online, every
video shared, is a message to the Democratic Party that this is where
the energy is."
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
ISIS-Linked Hackers Target 3,000 New Yorkers in Cyberattack: Officials
By Jonathan Dienst, Ann Givens and Evan Stulberger
ISIS-linked hackers have targeted about 3,000 ordinary New Yorkers in a cyberattack, posting their personal information online and announcing, "We want them #Dead," the I-Team has learned. Jonathan Dienst reports.
Click here for video.
Source: NBC News