Saturday, April 22, 2017

Charleston Shooter Dylann Roof Moved to Death Row in Terre Haute Federal Prison

Convicted church shooter Dylann Roof has been transferred to death row at Terre Haute Federal Prison in Indiana — the facility that houses male inmates awaiting execution under the federal government.

Roof, the first person to be convicted of a federal hate crime and sentenced to the death penalty, was removed from custody in Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday and transferred to Terre Haute, prison records show.

Terre Haute, a medium-security prison where inmates are put to death by lethal injection, currently houses 1,338 inmates

Click here for the full article.

Friday, April 21, 2017

More Than 1.5 Million Children Are At Risk Of ‘Horrific Abuse’ In Central Congo

Scientists Plan to Shake D.C. on Earth Day: 'We Want to Be Counted'


They study the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees and the moon up above.

They love bugs and frogs.

They know that vaccines have saved tens of millions of lives and that climate change is not only real and worsened by people, but that it threatens our homes and livelihoods.

And now scientists and their supporters are getting their day in the limelight, with a global March for Science that grew out of the unexpectedly successful Women's March at the end of January.

Click here for the full article.

Former Acting AG Sally Yates to Testify Publicly in House Russia Probe

 
Former acting attorney general Sally Yates, who is said to have told the White House that then-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was vulnerable to blackmail, has been invited to testify publicly before Congress.

The Republican and Democrat leading the House Intelligence Committee probe of Russian election interference announced Friday they are seeking to schedule public testimony sometime after May 2 by Yates, as well as former CIA Director John Brennan and James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence.

Click here for summary.

Source: NBC News 

Jay Z Is Working On A New Docuseries On Race In Trump’s America

Florida State Senator Frank Artiles Resigns After Calling Colleagues The N-Word

 

Florida state Sen. Frank Artiles (R), who referred to his colleagues using the n-word earlier this week, resigned Friday.

Artiles was at a members-only club in Tallahassee on Monday when he went on a profanity-laden tirade. Speaking with fellow state Sens. Audrey Gibson (D) and Perry Thurston (D), who are both black, Artiles reportedly said that “six n****rs” had helped get Senate President Joe Negron (R) elected. Negron is white.

The senators present for Artiles’ tirade said he also referred to Gibson as “this bitch” and called Negron a “pussy.”

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Huffington Post

Defense Secretary Mattis Says Assad Regime Still Has Chemical Weapons



Defense Secretary James Mattis held a bilateral press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, during a trip to Tel Aviv, part of the secretary’s travel through the Middle East and Africa. Earlier, he visited Turkey and Egypt. Both officials talked about the importance of the U.S.-Israeli military and security partnership and then took questions from four journalists: two Israelis and two Americans. In response to one of those questions, Secretary Mattis said Syria was still in possession of chemical weapons and would be ill-advised to use them again. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

U.N. Syria Commission Press Briefing

 
The chair and one of the commissioners of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, the U.N.-chartered organization charged with investigating allegations of war crimes in the Syrian civil conflict, held a press conference with reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York City. They talked about their latest findings on the 2016 siege in Aleppo, and about their ongoing investigation into the use of chemical weapons in an attack on Khan Sheikhoun, which prompted a retaliatory U.S. missile strike. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

North Korea and the Cuban Missle Crisis: A Comparison


The Wilson Center’s Robert Litwak discusses tensions with North Korea and compares the dynamic between that county and the U.S. to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Source: C-SPAN

Investigation of Con Edison Equipment Failure and MTA Subway Delays Underway


 

Governor Andrew Cuomo today directed the New York State Department of Public Service and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to conduct an immediate investigation into Con Edison’s equipment failure that led to significant delays across MTA New York City Transit subways this morning.

New York City Transit subways experienced a loss of station power at the Seventh Avenue Station in Manhattan due to a Con Edison equipment failure. The outage resulted in the loss of signals, escalators, communications and station lighting. MTA New York City Transit immediately deployed MTA generators to the station to restore the signals allowing trains to bypass the station. Service has resumed with residual delays.

"The loss of power due to a Con Edison equipment failure during the morning rush hour caused a cascading effect and impacted the lives of thousands of commuters. Simply put, this was completely unacceptable and I am directing the Department of Public Service and the MTA to conduct an immediate investigation into the Con Edison equipment failure, the cause of the outage and the response to it. The New York City subway system is the lifeblood of the city and a critical means of transportation for millions of people, which is why we are making unprecedented capital investments into modernizing the system. The MTA will continue to deploy emergency resources to address the short-term issues, and our investigation will address all aspects of today’s events to get to the bottom of what happened." 

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo 

Update: 3:32 P.M. (EST) Subway Service Now 'Fairly Normal' After Daylong Misery

Trailblazers in Black History: Jody Watley



The following is an excerpt from a February 24, 2017, article entitled Some Kind of Wonderful: A Conversation with Jody Watley, Warrior Woman and Master of Reinvention

By Quentin Harrison

Jody Watley has been a musical chameleon for four decades, and in her fifth she shows no sign of creative fatigue. Her solo gambit was cast on February 23, 1987 when her debut album Jody Watley was released to the public and impacted hard. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.  The long player spun off five hit singles in “Looking For a New Love,” “Still a Thrill,” “Don't You Want Me,” “Some Kind of Lover” and “Most of All,” but held several other tracks that helped the album, as a whole, storm the charts. Watley netted the “Best New Artist” Grammy Award the following year and went on to record more music that pushed the boundaries of what contemporary R&B could accomplish.

Earlier this week, Watley graciously sat down with Albumism’s Quentin Harrison to discuss her eponymous debut album and its enduring impact and appeal. Additionally, the acclaimed singer-songwriter shared her knowledge as a woman of color in the arts and what that means in today's environment which has grown increasingly harsh toward women.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: Albumism.com 

Man Who Killed Saints Star Will Smith Sentenced to 25 Years


NEW ORLEANS — The man who fatally shot retired New Orleans Saints star Will Smith and wounded his wife after a traffic crash last year was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for manslaughter, far less than the maximum prosecutors had called for.

Cardell Hayes faced up to 60 years if given consecutive maximum terms for manslaughter and attempted manslaughter, as prosecutors had urged. Instead, Judge Camille Buras gave him 15 years for shooting Racquel Smith in the legs, to be served at the same time.

Hayes, 29, will get a year of credit for the time he's already served since shooting one of the city's sports heroes in April 2016. State law requires him to serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for good-behavior release, meaning he could be freed in roughly 20 years. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBCBLK

Cherokee Nation Sues Opioid Distributors, Pharmacies

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Cherokee Nation sued distributors and retailers of opioid medications on Thursday, alleging the companies have contributed to "an epidemic of prescription opioid abuse" within the tribe and have not done enough to prevent tribal members from acquiring illegally prescribed opioid painkillers.

The lawsuit alleges that six distribution and pharmacy companies have created conditions in which "vast amounts of opioids have flowed freely from manufacturers to abusers and drug dealers" within the 14 northeastern Oklahoma counties that comprise the Cherokee Nation.

The tribe argues the companies regularly turn a "blind eye" to opioid prescriptions that would require further 
investigation before pills are dispensed. The lawsuit also alleges the companies have pursued profits instead of trying to reduce opioid-related addition that has taken the lives of hundreds of Cherokee citizens and cost the tribe hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs.

"Defendants have created an environment in which drug diversion can flourish," the lawsuit states. 

Click here for the full article.

Charity Worker Detained in Egypt for 3 Years Credits Trump for Release

An Egyptian-American charity worker returned home to the Washington, D.C. area Thursday night after spending three years in an Egyptian jail over what human rights groups say were bogus charges.

A freed Aya Hijazi got the opportunity Friday morning to shake hands with President Donald Trump, who her lawyer said helped to secure her release.

"First and foremost, there have been countless number of people advocating for Aya Hijazi's freedom," Wade McMullen told NBC News. "I think Trump and his team deserve credit for making this a priority at the most critical time in her case."

U.S. Eyes Russian Meddling in French Presidential Campaign

As voters in France prepare for their presidential election Sunday, U.S. officials are warning of Russian interference in the hotly contested race, saying that the tactics being used are similar to those deployed in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The warnings come as congressional investigators and intelligence agencies continue to look at Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and any role Donald Trump's campaign played in Russian interference.

Specific concerns are being raised about the dissemination of false news stories, allegations of computer hacking against a leading candidate opposed by the Kremlin and slanted coverage of the French elections by Russian news agencies. 

Click here for the full article.

French Elections: Marine Le Pen Backed By Quiet Army of Women

COGOLIN, France — Muslims preoccupy Jennifer Troin.

"I'm worried about my nieces having to wear the veil," said the soft-spoken 29-year-old.

This fear has helped propel the young mother to the far-right of the political spectrum ahead of key presidential elections Sunday — and into the arms of the hard-line National Front party.

Troin sells children's clothes at a store in Cogolin, a town of 11,000 a few miles from the jet-set resorts of the French Riviera. In 2014, Cogolin became one of a handful of communities nationwide to elect mayors from the National Front, which is also known by the acronym FN. 

Troin told NBC News that it wasn't just the FN's stance on Islam and immigration that attracted her, but also the party's populist take on the economy.

But most of all, it was the party's charismatic leader, Marine Le Pen, who captured Troin's loyalty.
"She fights for women's rights against Islam," she said. "I vote because of Marine." 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News 

Rockefeller Institute Finds 71 Percent Increase in Opioid Deaths

 

This comes on the heels of an announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo about more funding to fight the opioid epidemic sweeping New York and other places. According to the Rockefeller Institute, the overdose death rate in New York has jumped 71 percent between 2010 and 2015.

Moreover this drug-abuse epidemic has largely hit older users in upstate and suburban areas, compared to New York City which was years ago viewed as the center of the state’s drug culture.

Click here for the full article.

Source: timesunion.com (via The Empire Report)

Bloomberg Adds Climate Change Site To Its Financial News Empire



NEW YORK ― Over the past two years, corporate giants have become some of the loudest voices calling for climate-change action. Automakers that once killed the electric car are racing to roll out zero-emissions rivals to Tesla. Even Exxon Mobil Corp., the oil behemoth that spent decades bankrolling a Big Tobacco-style campaign to discredit global warming, has named a climate scientist to its board. 

Now, Bloomberg, the titan of business and financial journalism, is adding a site devoted to climate science and the future of energy to its sprawling news empire.  

The data and media giant on Thursday launched ClimateChanged.com, a hub for coverage of how rising global temperatures are changing the planet and moving financial markets.

“Climate change is fundamentally an economic story, it’s an economic problem,” Eric Roston, Bloomberg’s sustainability editor, told The Huffington Post in an interview on Tuesday. “It’s naturally a business story and it’s naturally a concern to rationally minded executives in any sized enterprise.” 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Huffington Post (via The Empire Report) 

President Trump and Italian Prime Minister React to Paris Attack


In a joint news conference, President Trump and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni pledge to fight terrorism. Their comments come in the wake of a shooting in Paris, in which two police officers died. The shooter also died in the attack.

Click here for video. 

Source: C-SPAN

Treasury Secretary Predicts Action on Tax Reform Before Year's End

 
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin predicts tax reform legislation will be passed before the end of 2017. He also lays out objectives in that bill, including simplified personal taxes, middle income tax cuts, and initiatives to make business taxes more competitive. He says the "deal will pay for itself." 

Click here for video. 

Source: C-SPAN

Jim Yong Kim: World Bank Will "Lose Any Credibility" If It Ignores Climate Science


Responding to a question on whether President Trump's election will have an impact on the World Bank's stance toward climate change, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim says, "The science of climate change didn't change with any particular election." He warns the organization will "lose any credibility" if it ceases to be an "evidence-based" entity. 

Source: C-SPAN

SPLC Sues Neo-Nazi Leader Who Targeted Jewish Woman in Anti-Semitic Harassment Campaign




The Southern Poverty Law Center, along with its Montana co-counsel, filed suit in federal court today against the founder of a major neo-Nazi website who orchestrated a harassment campaign that has relentlessly terrorized a Jewish woman and her family with anti-Semitic threats and messages.

The lawsuit describes how Andrew Anglin used his web forum, the Daily Stormer – the leading extremist website in the country – to publish 30 articles urging his followers to launch a “troll storm” against Tanya Gersh, a real estate agent in Whitefish, Montana. Gersh, her husband and 12-year-old son have received more than 700 harassing messages since December.

The intimidation began after Anglin accused Gersh of attempting to extort money from the mother of Richard Spencer. The younger Spencer heads the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist organization.

Anglin and Spencer are both prominent leaders of the “alt-right” movement that rallied white nationalists behind President Donald Trump’s campaign.

“Andrew Anglin knew he had an online army primed to attack with the click of a mouse,” said SPLC President Richard Cohen. “We intend to hold him accountable for the suffering he has caused Ms. Gersh and to send a strong message to those who use their online platforms as weapons of intimidation.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Southern Poverty Law Center 

Wisconsin DOC Forced to Remove Offensive Images from PowerPoint Presentations

Click on the image to increase its size. 


The following was submitted by Mark Rice, Statewide Organizer/Assistant State Director at EXPO

EXPO and WISDOM leaders were shocked recently to learn that the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) was using a training presentation that compared people on supervision to animals. Our organizing efforts led the DOC to remove the offensive images from their PowerPoint presentations. Thank you to all those who contacted their legislators and local DOC officials and posted messages on social media regarding this matter. Click here to read additional information on the discovery.  
 
The 2017 EXPO of Milwaukee Community Forum will be on Saturday, April 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, which is located at 2620 W. Center St., Milwaukee. 

Topics will include the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility, crimeless revocations, and community-based alternatives to incarceration. Click here to RSVP and to read the bios of the panelists and presenters.


Please consider making a financial contribution to EXPO. Your support will help EXPO advance our mission of ending mass incarceration, eliminating structural discrimination against formerly incarcerated people, and restoring formerly incarcerated people to full participation in the life of our communities. Click here to learn more about our work.
 
For information on how to become a Sustaining Member of EXPO, contact us at expogroupwi@gmail.com.

Rabbi Hier First Non-Israeli Chosen to Light Torch on Israel’s Independence Day


In an historic first, Rabbi Marvin Hier, Simon Wiesenthal Center Founder and Dean (pictured at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem construction site) is being honored as the first non-Israeli citizen chosen to light Israel’s Independence Day ceremonial torch.
 

The decision was made by Israel’s Culture Minister Miri Regev, who said that the inclusion of Jews from the diaspora symbolizes the stake that Jewish people all over the world have in the Jewish state.
 

“I recognize that by lighting this torch I am merely a messenger for previous generations of Jews, my own family included, who sacrificed everything to keep alive the dream that one day their children would return to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem,” said Rabbi Hier.

“This is not a personal honor, but a recognition of the sacred work of the Simon Wiesenthal Center to defend the Jewish people, honor the principles of human dignity and impart our values to generations to come at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem.

“By igniting this flame we are sending a message to the whole world that Jerusalem was, is, and will forever be, the eternal capital of the Jewish people," Hier added.

Some of the other torch lighters include: Six Day War paratrooper and veteran Yaakov (Yaki) Hetz, author Eli Amir, Professor Amnon Shashua, Hadassah Hospital head surgeon Ahmed Eid, Rabbanit Chana Henkin, singer Yehoram Gaon, philanthropist Michael Steinhardt, student Dina Simata, Zichron Menachem founder Miri Ehrental and soccer player Uri Malmilian.
 

This year’s torch lighting ceremony takes place during the Simon Wiesenthal Center 40th anniversary celebration as it prepares the new Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, and as world Jewry celebrates the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification. 

Source: The Simon Wiesenthal Center