Saturday, May 7, 2016
President Obama's Howard University Commencement Address
President Obama delivered the first of his commencement addresses this
spring to the graduating class of the historically black college of
Howard University in Washington, D.C. after receiving an honorary doctor
of laws degree. The cere3mony was held on the Upper Quadrangle of the
main campus.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Analyzing April's Job Numbers and the Economy
New York Times Senior Economic Correspondent Neil Irwin discusses
the latest jobs numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
with shows the unemployment rate holding steady at five percent with
employers adding 160,000 news jobs.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Isle de Jean Charles Relocation and Climate Change
New York Times Energy and Environment Correspondent Coral
Davenport discusses her story on an unusual $48 million federal grant to
relocate an entire community in Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana
struggling with the impact of climate change.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Friday, May 6, 2016
Hillary Clinton to Be Interviewed in FBI Email Investigation
A source has confirmed to CBS News that Hillary Clinton will be
interviewed by the FBI within the coming weeks, in connection with the
investigation into her private email server.
One of her top aides, Huma Abedin was interviewed by the FBI at its Washington field office in April, an official familiar with the investigation told CBS News Friday.
The
FBI and Justice Department have been investigating whether sensitive
information that flowed through Clinton's email server was mishandled.
Abedin was interviewed at the FBI's Washington field office last month.
The FBI's investigation into Clinton's email server was first reported in August.
The
Clinton campaign has said it's confident that the FBI's review "will
conclude that nothing inappropriate took place." There's no timetable
for completing the investigation, and there have been no statements
about how much longer the investigation will take.
Click here for the full article.
Source: CBS News
Shootings at Two Maryland Malls Leave Two Dead, Two Injured: Police
Shootings on Friday at two Maryland shopping centers eight miles apart killed two people and injured two others, police said.
It was unclear whether the two incidents in the Washington, D.C., suburbs were related, and no suspects were in custody.
Authorities said they had identified a person of
interest. They were also looking into whether Friday's incidents could
be tied to another shooting a day earlier.
The violence started at around 11:30 a.m. ET at
the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, where two males and one
female were injured by gunshots in the parking lot, Montgomery County
police said. One male later died at the hospital, police said. Another
was in critical condition, and the female had non-life-threatening
injuries.
President Obama Issues Statement on the Economy
President Obama delivers a statement on the economy, as well as federal
efforts to combat tax evasion, money laundering, and
corruption. Spokesman Josh Earnest then briefs reporters and responds to
their questions on a variety of topics.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Senator Harry Reid's Conference Call with Reporters
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) holds a conference call with
reporters to discuss Donald Trump’s candidacy following his win in
Indiana, as well as Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination to the U.S.
Supreme Court.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
The Republican Party and Campaign 2016
Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus sits down with Politico Chief White House Correspondent Mike Allen to discuss campaign 2016 and the GOP ahead of July’s Republican National Convention.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Statement on the Employment Situation in April
WASHINGTON, DC – Jason Furman, Chairman
of the Council of Economic Advisers, issued the following statement today on
the employment situation in April.
Summary:
The economy added 160,000 jobs in April, extending the longest streak of
private-sector job growth on record, as wage growth picked up.
The longest streak of private-sector job growth on record
continued in April, with businesses adding 171,000 jobs, well above the pace
necessary to maintain a low and stable unemployment rate. U.S. businesses have
now added 14.6 million jobs over 74 straight months of job growth. Most
importantly, average hourly earnings for private employees have increased 3.2
percent at an annual rate so far in 2016. Nevertheless, more work remains to
sustain faster wage growth and to ensure that the benefits of the recovery are
broadly shared, including investing in infrastructure and job training,
implementing high-standards free trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, and raising the minimum wage.
The complete report is available here.
Source:
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
Annual Nazi War Criminal Report
Jerusalem – In conjunction with
Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom Hashoah) this week, the Simon Wiesenthal Center
released the initial findings of its fifteenth Annual Status Report
on the Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals,
which covers the period from April 1, 2015 until March 31, 2016.
Highlights
include: The
implementation (by local judicial authorities) of a legal strategy, paved the
way for the conviction on charges of accessory to murder of practically any person
who served either in a Nazi death camp or in the Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing
units) in Germany.
The lack of political will to bring Nazi war
criminals to justice and/or to punish them continues to be the
major obstacle to achieving justice, particularly in post-Communist Eastern
Europe.
The campaign led by the Baltic countries to
distort the history of the Holocaust and obtain official
recognition that the crimes of the Communists are equal to those of the Nazis
is another obstacle to the prosecution of those responsible.
The full report is available here.
Source: The Simon Wiesenthal Center
NYS Senator Calls Out Colleagues: 'And They Call Themselves Defenders of the Poor?'
WHAT
YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
District 32 Bronx County, New York
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
District 32 Bronx County, New York
You should know that there is an old
saying that goes like this: “It’s one thing what you say, and another is what
you do.” If we apply this expression to elected officials, we can see that all
too often, what they say and what they do aren’t always the same.
You should know that some of these
elected officials in New York say one thing and do the opposite, and they are
often the first ones to call themselves defenders of the poor.
HaHaHaHa!
One of these elected officials is our
New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who together with the
Democratic majority, approved and passed a law that adds an additional burden
to the poor - especially senior citizens.
This new law requires for everyone to
pay an extra 5 cents for each plastic bag people will use to put their
groceries in. We all know that there are items which need 2-3 plastic bags.
That means people will have to pay 5 cents for each one. (And stores that
break this law will be hit with a $250 penalty.)
It is important for you to know that
there are many senior citizens in New York City who receive a total income of
between $500 and $600 per month. This means that each month, these seniors have
to decide if they should pay their rent, pay for their medications, pay for
their rice and beans, or pay for their utilities. The cost for these plastic
bags imposed upon the poor and our seniors by the so-called "defenders of
the poor” just adds insult to injury.
Instead of our City Council Members
using their votes to help defray costs or burdens for our senior citizens and
poor people, and instead of finding ways to help decrease day-to-day expenses
for people in need, the New York City Council continues to slowly crush our
poor and our seniors by taking away money they just don’t have.
I have to publicly commend the Bronx
Democratic City Council Members who voted to oppose this punitive measure, who
include James Vacca, Rafael Salamanca, Annabel Palma, Vanessa Gibson, and the
Council Members from the other boroughs: Inez D. Barron, Joseph Borelli, Robert
Cornegy, Jr., Chaim M. Deutsch, Inez E. Dickens, Mathieu Eugene, Vincent
Gentile, David G. Greenfield, Barry S. Grodenchik, Karen Koslowitz, Rory
Lancman, Steve Matteo, Darlene Mealy, Deborah L. Rose, Mark Treyger, and
Eric A. Ulrich.
Another case that has been highlighted
this week in the news involves a lawsuit that was filed against a Democratic Member
of the New York State Assembly, Jeffrey Dinowitz.
According to an article titled “PS 24
assistant principal sues DOE” written by Shant Shahrigian, that was published
on May 3, 2016 of The Riverdale Press: “The Spuyten Duyvil School’s (P.S. 24)
Assistant Principal Manny Verdi says northwest Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey
Dinowitz is seeking to keep minority and lower-income students out of the
school, one of several bombshell allegations in a suit he filed on Tuesday
against the Department of Education (DOE), Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and
District 10 Superintendent Melodie Mashel.”
These are very serious charges.
I’m not saying whether the allegations
are true or not, but if this report is credible, then my question is: How can
this be so?
We already know that Jeffrey Dinowitz
has been a vocal opponent of New York Charter Schools, which were created
primarily to serve the educational needs of minority students. Charter school
enrolments are made up of more than 90 percent of Black and Hispanic children. Our
children get a good education in these Charter Schools.
So how does Jeffrey Dinowitz – a
Democrat who claims to be a defender of the poor – oppose Black and Hispanic
children from being allowed to attend a public school in Riverdale, and at the
same time, also oppose Charter Schools?
This is something that cannot be
tolerated.
My question to Assemblyman Dinowitz is:
“If you don’t want our Black and Hispanic children going to your neighborhood
school, and you also oppose sending our Black and Hispanic children to charter
schools, how can you claim to defend the needs of the poor?
If we look at these cases: the harm done
by the City Council to the poor and senior citizens, and the other cases of
preventing Black and Hispanic children from attending a good public school, and
also opposing Charter Schools so our Black and Hispanic children could have
good educational opportunities, then I have to wonder why they call themselves
defenders of the poor.
I am Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz, and
this is what you should know.