Source: Democracy Now!
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Trump Turns the Tables on Immigration
News analysis
WASHINGTON — Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, the leading immigration hard-liner in the Senate GOP, likes President Donald Trump's new immigration plan.
So does Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Cuban-American advocate for immigrant rights who represents a politically competitive Florida district.
And while Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the key
Democratic negotiator on Capitol Hill, sharply criticized the proposal's
provisions for a border wall and curtailing legal immigration, he
stopped short of saying there's no room for negotiation.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
CDC Reports That the Flu Epidemic is the Worst in Nearly a Decade
This report was published on January 26.
She Said Vince McMahon Assaulted Her. Prosecutors Shrugged.
She said the wrestling and future XFL magnate told her after she got away that “he was only trying to have some fun.” Then a Florida prosecutor decided not to press charges.
By Ben Feuerherd
By Ben Feuerherd
On a Saturday afternoon in January of 2006, a young woman walked into
a Papa John’s pizza restaurant at the end of a Boca Raton strip mall
and asked for help. The woman, who worked at a tanning salon a few doors
down, was in tears. A man had just tried to “attack and rape her” at
the salon, she told an employee of the pizza joint.
That man was
later identified as Vince McMahon, chairman of World Wrestling
Entertainment. The Boca Raton police believed they had enough evidence
to file an arrest warrant against McMahon for misdemeanor simple battery
after the tanning salon employee accused him of groping her and trying
to kiss her, according to a police report reviewed by The Daily Beast.
The allegation against McMahon was covered at the time by local media and in an Associated Press report. Some of the details about the alleged crime were included in the reports, but press attention dissipated after McMahon was not criminally charged, with prosecutors citing a lack of independent evidence to charge him.
McMahon, who was married to wife Linda, now the chief of the Small Business Administration for President Donald Trump, strongly denied the allegation at the time. He did not respond to requests for comment for this article.
In announcing this week his plan for a new XFL, McMahon declared that "the quality of the human being is very important. Just as important as the quality of the player." In his football league, he continued, “you want someone who does not have any criminality whatsoever associated with them. Even if you have a DUI, you will not play in the XFL."
A handful of 2006 press reports remain online (Woman, 22, Says McMahon Tried Too Many Moves), but many others have disappeared or can only be found on forums where they appear to have been pasted without permission.
McMahon’s accuser, who was 22 at the time, walked into the Boca Raton Police Department on Jan. 29, 2006 and told officer T.E. Baker that she had been groped by McMahon at the tanning salon the previous day.
The allegation against McMahon was covered at the time by local media and in an Associated Press report. Some of the details about the alleged crime were included in the reports, but press attention dissipated after McMahon was not criminally charged, with prosecutors citing a lack of independent evidence to charge him.
McMahon, who was married to wife Linda, now the chief of the Small Business Administration for President Donald Trump, strongly denied the allegation at the time. He did not respond to requests for comment for this article.
In announcing this week his plan for a new XFL, McMahon declared that "the quality of the human being is very important. Just as important as the quality of the player." In his football league, he continued, “you want someone who does not have any criminality whatsoever associated with them. Even if you have a DUI, you will not play in the XFL."
A handful of 2006 press reports remain online (Woman, 22, Says McMahon Tried Too Many Moves), but many others have disappeared or can only be found on forums where they appear to have been pasted without permission.
McMahon’s accuser, who was 22 at the time, walked into the Boca Raton Police Department on Jan. 29, 2006 and told officer T.E. Baker that she had been groped by McMahon at the tanning salon the previous day.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Daily Beast
Civil Asset Forfeiture - Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Jamey Vibbert had owned his car dealership in Dothan, Alabama, for over a decade when authorities seized $25,000 from one of his bank accounts.
One of Vibbert’s customers had allegedly used illegal drug profits to buy two cars from him. A prosecutor later told the local newspaper that Vibbert, by extension, had committed something “kind of akin to money laundering because you know you’re taking dirty money.”
Vibbert said he knew no such thing, but authorities indicted him on title fraud and seized the money he received for the vehicles. When he went to trial, a judge was quick to find Vibbert innocent of any wrongdoing. But his troubles were far from over: Prosecutors wouldn’t return his money.
That’s because they had seized it through civil asset forfeiture, a process that lets law enforcement take and keep property even if its owner — such as Vibbert — wasn’t convicted of a crime.
This week, the SPLC and Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice released a joint report called Forfeiting Your Rights, which examines 1,100 cases of civil asset forfeiture in Alabama in 2015. Its findings paint a disturbing picture:
A legal process once intended to strip illicit profits from drug kingpins has since evolved into a revenue-generating scheme for law enforcement, one that is now being widely used against people accused of low-level crimes, particularly marijuana offenses, or no crime at all.
In Alabama, as in other states around the country, civil asset forfeiture has been used to take cars, real estate, guns, TVs — even power tools. And though a court decides whether the agencies can keep the property, the property owner must prove the property is “innocent” of the alleged crime, turning the concept of innocent until proven guilty on its head. Vibbert, for example, had to hire a lawyer to get his money back
There is widespread agreement across the ideological spectrum that civil asset forfeiture laws violate the most fundamental tenets of due process in our democracy. And in Alabama, two state lawmakers filed legislation this week that offers reform.
Both are encouraging signs. As this report makes clear, civil asset forfeiture places its heaviest burden on the economically vulnerable. It encourages policing for profit. It erodes trust in law enforcement. In other words, it is unfair, undemocratic and un-American.
It is time to end this abusive practice.
One of Vibbert’s customers had allegedly used illegal drug profits to buy two cars from him. A prosecutor later told the local newspaper that Vibbert, by extension, had committed something “kind of akin to money laundering because you know you’re taking dirty money.”
Vibbert said he knew no such thing, but authorities indicted him on title fraud and seized the money he received for the vehicles. When he went to trial, a judge was quick to find Vibbert innocent of any wrongdoing. But his troubles were far from over: Prosecutors wouldn’t return his money.
That’s because they had seized it through civil asset forfeiture, a process that lets law enforcement take and keep property even if its owner — such as Vibbert — wasn’t convicted of a crime.
This week, the SPLC and Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice released a joint report called Forfeiting Your Rights, which examines 1,100 cases of civil asset forfeiture in Alabama in 2015. Its findings paint a disturbing picture:
A legal process once intended to strip illicit profits from drug kingpins has since evolved into a revenue-generating scheme for law enforcement, one that is now being widely used against people accused of low-level crimes, particularly marijuana offenses, or no crime at all.
In Alabama, as in other states around the country, civil asset forfeiture has been used to take cars, real estate, guns, TVs — even power tools. And though a court decides whether the agencies can keep the property, the property owner must prove the property is “innocent” of the alleged crime, turning the concept of innocent until proven guilty on its head. Vibbert, for example, had to hire a lawyer to get his money back
There is widespread agreement across the ideological spectrum that civil asset forfeiture laws violate the most fundamental tenets of due process in our democracy. And in Alabama, two state lawmakers filed legislation this week that offers reform.
Both are encouraging signs. As this report makes clear, civil asset forfeiture places its heaviest burden on the economically vulnerable. It encourages policing for profit. It erodes trust in law enforcement. In other words, it is unfair, undemocratic and un-American.
It is time to end this abusive practice.
Girls for Gender Equity to Deliver 'The State of Our Union'
This Tuesday, January 30th, the President will deliver his first State of the Union Address. Rather than simply tune out, we hope that you tune in to our event — women are coming together in D.C. that same evening to share the State of OUR Union.
Join us Tuesday at 8 p.m. (EST) as we broadcast live from the National Press Club in Washington D.C. We'll share a new vision from women across America who are fighting for a future where all women and girls — all people — can be with and care for their families, and live and work with safety and dignity. RSVP now to watch the State of Our Union or if you’re in the DC area, RSVP now to attend (for free, of course!)
Our Senior Director Tarana Burke will join Mónica Ramirez from Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (the National Farmworker Women’s Alliance), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, domestic worker leaders, and many others to discuss the state of the nation, and chart a path together toward real solutions that shape our lives. When women succeed, we all succeed.
We are proud to co-sponsor this event along with Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Caring Across Generations, Color of Change, Moms Rising, Planned Parenthood, and many more.
The past year has been difficult for all of us. Relentless attacks on immigrants, girls, women, and people of color have cast a dark cloud over our country. But women of color are ushering in a new day. As organizers, we know when we come together, we win! It will take all of us, reaching across industry and community, to reclaim our democracy and move us closer to the future we deserve.
RSVP today to receive instructions on how to tune in. And join the conversation on Tuesday on social media with the hashtag #StateOfOurUnion.
This is OUR union. Women, girls — and all people — deserve to be free, safe, and able to care for their families in healthy, sustainable environments. And it will take every one of us to make this possible. We hope you will join us on Tuesday.
Join us Tuesday at 8 p.m. (EST) as we broadcast live from the National Press Club in Washington D.C. We'll share a new vision from women across America who are fighting for a future where all women and girls — all people — can be with and care for their families, and live and work with safety and dignity. RSVP now to watch the State of Our Union or if you’re in the DC area, RSVP now to attend (for free, of course!)
Our Senior Director Tarana Burke will join Mónica Ramirez from Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (the National Farmworker Women’s Alliance), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, domestic worker leaders, and many others to discuss the state of the nation, and chart a path together toward real solutions that shape our lives. When women succeed, we all succeed.
We are proud to co-sponsor this event along with Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Caring Across Generations, Color of Change, Moms Rising, Planned Parenthood, and many more.
The past year has been difficult for all of us. Relentless attacks on immigrants, girls, women, and people of color have cast a dark cloud over our country. But women of color are ushering in a new day. As organizers, we know when we come together, we win! It will take all of us, reaching across industry and community, to reclaim our democracy and move us closer to the future we deserve.
RSVP today to receive instructions on how to tune in. And join the conversation on Tuesday on social media with the hashtag #StateOfOurUnion.
This is OUR union. Women, girls — and all people — deserve to be free, safe, and able to care for their families in healthy, sustainable environments. And it will take every one of us to make this possible. We hope you will join us on Tuesday.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Trailblazers in Black History: Jean-Michel Basquiat
A poet, musician, and graffiti prodigy in late-1970s New York,
Jean-Michel Basquiat had honed his signature painting style of obsessive
scribbling, elusive symbols and diagrams, and mask-and-skull imagery by
the time he was 20. “I don’t think about art while I work,” he once
said. “I think about life.”
Basquiat drew his subjects from his own
Caribbean heritage—his father was Haitian and his mother of Puerto Rican
descent—and a convergence of African-American, African, and Aztec
cultural histories with Classical themes and contemporary heroes like
athletes and musicians.
Often associated with Neo-expressionism, Basquiat received massive acclaim in only a few short years, showing alongside artists like Julian Schnabel, David Salle, and Francesco Clemente.
Click here for additional information.
Source: https://www.artsy.net
Tri-State Launches Coalition to Sue Federal Gov't Over Federal Tax Bill
Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have launched a coalition to sue the federal government to challenge the new GOP tax bill that eliminates full state and local tax deductibility. This provision effectively preempts the states' ability to govern by reducing the ability to provide for their own citizens and unfairly targets New York and similarly situated states in violation of the Constitution.
"New Yorkers will not stand idly by as the federal government fires an economic missile at the fiscal health of our state," Governor Cuomo said. "The elimination of full state and local deductibility is a blatantly partisan and unlawful attack on New York that uses our hardworking families and tax dollars as a piggy bank to pay for tax cuts for corporations and other states. This coalition will take the federal government to court to protect our residents from this assault."
"Capping the State and Local Tax deduction had nothing to do with sound policy," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said. "It is a clear and politically motivated punishment of blue states—like New Jersey and our neighbors—who already pay far more to the federal government than we receive. We will not stand by and allow this to happen. I pledged that my administration would explore every legal mechanism to fight for New Jersey taxpayers, and that is exactly what we are doing today. I am proud to have Governors Cuomo and Malloy join New Jersey in our efforts."
"The GOP tax legislation gave massive handouts to the wealthiest one percent and stuck middle class taxpayers with the bill," Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy said. "In short, this law does real harm to Connecticut taxpayers, who stand to lose over 10 billion dollars in state and local tax deductions. Hundreds of thousands of residents could see a tax increase even as their property values decrease. The coalition we launch today will fight against the discriminatory impacts of this shortsighted and damaging Republican law on our states."
The new federal law disproportionally impacts the State of New York, which already sends $48 billion more each year to Washington than it receives in federal dollars—a far more extreme "balance of payments" shortfall than any other state. According to a recent report released by the State Department of Tax and Finance, the elimination of full SALT deductibility alone will cost New York an additional $14.3 billion.
The elimination of full SALT deductibility also rolls back a basic foundation of federal tax law that has always allowed states to raise revenues that are not double taxed.
The launch of a multi-state coalition to sue the federal government is the first step in Governor Cuomo's three-pronged effort to fight the federal tax assault on New York, as announced in his 2018 State of the State Address. The second prong of the effort is to launch a repeal-and-replace strategy, and the third prong is to explore the feasibility of a major shift in the structure of State tax policy.
On January 17, at the direction of Governor Cuomo, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance released a preliminary report to outline options for aggressive state tax reform to thwart the federal tax legislation. The State will use this blueprint as a foundation to work with experts, the Legislature, employers, taxpayers, and other stakeholders to develop and implement necessary changes to the New York tax code.
Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Trump’s Friends and Advisers Are Terrified of What He Might Say to Mueller
There has been a drumbeat in the White House and on Fox News warning of the big-league risks the president would run.
By Asawin Suebsaeng and Lachlan Markay
By Asawin Suebsaeng and Lachlan Markay
Some of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers and allies are
pleading with him not to give sworn testimony to special counsel Robert
Mueller.
It’s an ongoing struggle. One that has intensified in
recent days as everyone from White House officials, to trusted campaign
hands, to friends and confidants on the phone have repeated a variation
of the same refrain: Listen to your lawyers. Listen to your lawyers. Oh,
dear God, please listen to your lawyers.
Trump actually did that last June, The New York Times
reported Thursday evening, when he ordered Mueller fired only to
reverse himself after White House counsel Don McGahn said he would quit
instead of asking the Justice Department to do that.
“It would be
monumentally and historically stupid,” a senior White House official
said, regarding the possibility of Trump quickly submitting himself to a
no-holds-barred sit-down, under oath, with the special counsel.
Those
advising the president say they are confident that he is innocent of
the allegations central to Mueller’s investigation—that Trump or his
campaign colluded with Russian agents to influence the outcome of the
2016 presidential election. But they fret the possibility that by
subjecting himself to questioning, he could open himself up to
additional legal quagmires, made all the more complicated by revelations
on Thursday night that the president attempted to have Mueller fired,
only to back off after White House counsel Don McGahn threatened to quit.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Daily Beast
Billions in Valuable Tax Credits Available to New Yorkers
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and the New
York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance (OTDA) today
reminded New York State taxpayers to check their eligibility for the
earned income tax credit (EITC). EITC Awareness Day is today, January
26.
The EITC can reduce the amount of taxes owed or provide a substantial
tax refund, potentially worth several thousand dollars for lower-income
workers.
EITCs are refundable federal, New York State, and New York City
credits for working taxpayers. For tax year 2017, the maximum total of
federal, state, and New York City EITCs is $8,529 (for a family with
three children). Income criteria is shown in the chart below.
To view regional EITC data, based on IRS estimates, visit Earned Income Tax Credits: Tax Year 2015 Data.
To view regional EITC data, based on IRS estimates, visit Earned Income Tax Credits: Tax Year 2015 Data.
“Taxpayers have, as the credit’s name implies, earned this benefit,
so we urge all New Yorkers to check their eligibility and claim what
they’re due,” said New York State Acting Commissioner of Taxation and
Finance Nonie Manion. “Earned income tax credits are a financial
lifeline for many, providing money to pay rent, groceries, energy bills,
and other daily expenses.”
“The EITC can significantly boost the bottom line for eligible
working families and individuals, giving them greater financial
flexibility,” said Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
Commissioner Samuel D. Roberts. “The EITC is a tremendously effective
tool that helps lift working households out of poverty and toward
economic independence.”
In tax year 2015, more than 1.83 million New Yorkers received the
federal EITC. When the federal, New York State, and New York City
benefits were combined, the benefit to working families and individuals
was more than $5.4 billion with an average benefit of more than $2,950
per household.
Check eligibility requirements each year
Each year, thousands of New Yorkers qualify for the EITC for the
first time as their filing status or personal financial situation
changes. The IRS estimates that nearly 400,000 eligible New Yorkers fail
to claim these valuable credits.
In addition to the specific income requirements, taxpayers must meet other criteria such as: earn wages from employment or self-employment; have a valid Social Security number; have a qualifying child living with them for more than half the
year, or, if they don’t have a qualifying child, be at least 25 years of
age and under age 65; and have investment income of less than $3,450.
Taxpayers must also file a tax return, even if they don’t owe any tax
or aren’t otherwise required to file. Those eligible who prepare their
returns electronically will be automatically prompted to claim this
credit and others. Those who were eligible in previous years but didn’t
claim the credit may still be able to submit an amended income tax
return for up to three years.
The Tax Department also reminded those ineligible for EITC benefits
to look for other possible tax credits that they might be eligible to
claim, such as the child and dependent care credit.
Noncustodial parent earned income tax credit
In 2006, New York State became the first state in the nation to enact
a noncustodial parent EITC. The refundable credit is one of the many
ways the state encourages low-income noncustodial parents to work and
stay current with their child support payments.
In 2015, over 6,700 taxpayers claimed the noncustodial parent EITC, totaling almost $3.4 million in taxpayer benefits.
Source: The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance
Turkish Offensive in Syria: President Erdogan Visits Troops on Syrian Border
Source: FRANCE 24 English
Speaker Corey Johnson 'Not Ready to Say' NYCHA Boss Shola Olatoye Should Resign
By Erin Durkin
Johnson said he met with NYCHA brass Wednesday and pressed for an explanation on why Olatoye did not tell the truth at the December hearing — but officials have not been able to “pinpoint” what went wrong.
Olatoye testified that 4,200 apartments where young children live had been inspected for lead by NYCHA workers with proper certification by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. But according to the city Department of Investigation, the workers were not properly certified.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The New York Daily News (via Empire Report New York)
Soros: Trump Has US 'Set on a Course Towards Nuclear War'
By Jeff Cox
President Donald Trump has the U.S. on course for a nuclear war with North Korea, billionaire investor and progressive political activist George Soros said Thursday.
In a blistering critique of the country
under Trump's leadership, the head of Soros Fund Management and the
Open Society Foundations painted a bleak picture.
"The fact of nuclear war
is so horrendous that we are trying to ignore it, but it is real," Soros
said during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"Indeed, the United States is set on a course towards nuclear war by
refusing to accept that [North] Korea has become a nuclear power."
Click here for the full article.
Source: CNBC (via Empire Report New York)
Schumer Knocks Johnson as ‘Delusional’ Over FBI ‘Secret Society’ Flap
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Republicans Thursday for
what he described as "delusional" and "paranoid" attempts to discredit
the FBI — singling out GOP Sen. Ron Johnson for a particularly harsh
rebuke.
The Wisconsin Republican suggested earlier in the week that a series
of text messages between two FBI officials — backed up by an
"informant" — had identified a "secret society" within the bureau with
anti-Trump intent.
Click here for the full article.
Source: Politico (via Empire Report New York)
Thursday, January 25, 2018
‘Doomsday Clock’ Swings To 2-Minute Countdown Due To Nuclear Threat
The apocalypse is now as close as it has ever been, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock, which on Thursday ticked 30 seconds closer to midnight ― the symbolic end of humanity.
The clock now stands ominously at 11:58 p.m., a time reached only once before in its seven-decade history, when fears surrounding the Cold War nuclear arms race surged in 1953. The academic journal, which covers global security, established the clock as a metaphorical tool to annually measure the world’s countdown to its final moment. It was first set at seven minutes to midnight in 1947.
In a statement released Thursday morning, the Bulletin identified three “obvious and imminent” dangers that caused the clock to swing forward by 30 seconds since its 2017 assessment:
- The untenable nuclear threat
- An insufficient response to climate change
- Emerging technologies and global risk
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Huffington Post
Chicago Cop Under Investigation Again Over Social Media Posts
Officer John Catanzara describes himself as a “give no f#$%s, say it like it is man.” His Facebook and Instagram posts have prompted investigations.
In September, Chicago Police Officer John Catanzara made headlines
after posting on Facebook a picture of himself, in uniform, holding an
American flag and a homemade sign that read, “I stand for the anthem. I
love the American flag. I support my president and the 2nd Amendment.”
He was reprimanded for violating rules that prohibit officers from
making political statements while on duty. But if that discipline was
intended to change his ways on social media, Catanzara instead is living
up to the words he uses to describe himself on Facebook: “A give no
f#$%s, say it like it is man.”
Since he was disciplined last fall, the veteran officer has remained
outspoken and defiant, posting inflammatory material about women,
welfare recipients and those who disagree with his politics.
He has tangled with Facebook users who question him. “Keep listening for that knock on the door,” he responded to one critic.
And, more than once, he has boasted that he will continue to avoid
serious punishment. Police superintendents have twice tried to fire him,
though he appealed the efforts and won.
“The police dept didn't and CAN'T fire me,” he wrote last fall, after the flag post went viral.
Now, ProPublica Illinois has learned that the city's police watchdog
agency is conducting two investigations into Catanzara's social media
conduct in response to allegations of verbal abuse and coercion for
comments he made on Facebook and Instagram.
Click here for the full article.
Source: ProPublica
SPLC Sues Trump Administration Over Radical Medicaid Changes
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is suing the Trump administration over its approval of sweeping
changes to Medicaid law, which the organization claims will endanger the health care of tens of
thousands of low-income individuals and families in Kentucky.
The SPLC also noted that the
state’s recently approved waiver will result in the imposition of
premiums and cost sharing, “lockouts,” benefit cuts, and a work
requirement, that, by the state’s own admission, will result in
substantial reductions in coverage.
This is the first lawsuit to
challenge a Trump administration Medicaid waiver approval.
Click here for the full announcement.
Source: The Southern Poverty Law Center
Saving Our Youth: G.R.E.A.T. Program Helps Kids Avoid Gangs
This report was published on YouTube on July 10, 2017.
Source: WestPalmTV
Trailblazers in Black History: Debbi Morgan, 'All My Children' Icon
Debbi Morgan was born September 20, 1956 in Dunn, North Carolina, to Lora and George Morgan, Jr., she moved to New York City when she was three months old. Her most memorable role was on the television series All My Children (1970). She played Angie Baxter. Her performance in the series earned her four Daytime Emmy Award nominations, and one win.
In this interview, the actress discusses growing up in a home where domestic violence was commonplace.
This video was published on YouTube on August 5, 2015.
Sources: WXII 12 News and IMDb
NAACP Files Lawsuit Over Trump Administration Plan to End Protections for Haitians
The National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump
administration’s plans to end temporary protected status for Haitians,
the group said Wednesday.
The NAACP and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund said that the planned end of
the "temporary protected status" for Haitians who were allowed entry to
the U.S. following a devastating earthquake in 2010 "discriminates
against immigrants of color" and violates protections of due process and
equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.
"The decision by the Department of Homeland
Security to rescind TPS status for Haitian immigrants was infected by
racial discrimination," Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel
of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., said in a
statement.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Support for LGBTQ People Suffers 'Alarming Erosion,' Report Finds
by John Paul Brammer
Support for LGBTQ people across the country has fallen, according to a national survey indexing attitudes toward the community. It is the first time in the survey's four-year history to register a decline.
The
Harris Poll, which has been tracking public opinion and social
sentiment since 1963, was commissioned by LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD
four years ago to annually survey attitudes toward lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and queer people. This year's online survey
included 2,160 adult participants, 1,897 of which identified as
"non-LGBTQ."
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Amazon Pulls Products with 'Slavery Gets Sh-- Done' Slogan
by Scott Stump
Editor's note: Images in this story display a slogan with crude language.
Amazon
has pulled a group of products, including children's clothing, with the
slogan "Slavery Gets Sh- Done" after a backlash from shoppers and
anti-slavery organizations.
The products included bags, mugs and T-shirts, some being modeled by children.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Gov. Cuomo Signs Executive Order to Combat New York Flu Epidemic
Governor Andrew Cuomo today signed an executive order
to combat the flu epidemic in New York. The executive order allows
pharmacists to administer flu vaccines to children ages 2 to 18 -
increasing access and convenience for New Yorkers seeking the flu
vaccination as the number of reported cases across the state continues
to rise. Over the past week, 7,779 laboratory confirmed influenza cases
were reported to the state and 1,759 New Yorkers have been hospitalized
with confirmed influenza, the highest weekly numbers in both categories
since reporting began in 2004 and surpassing last week's previous high
of 1,606 hospitalizations.
"With flu cases reaching
epidemic proportions in New York, we must do everything in our power to
fight this virus and keep New Yorkers safe," Governor Cuomo said. "Once
again, I urge all New Yorkers to help us combat this quick-spreading
strain of flu and make sure they and their loved ones are vaccinated."
To
raise awareness on the high rates of influenza and to continue to
encourage New Yorkers to get vaccinated, Governor Cuomo has also called
on the Department of Health to immediately expand the state's influenza
public service advertising campaign targeting the areas of the state
hardest hit by influenza. Additionally, subscribers to the New York
State text line will receive a message encouraging them to get a vaccine
and providing resources to find a location to receive the vaccine.
Click here for the full announcement.
Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Lebanese PM Saad Hariri: 'The Relationship is Excellent with Saudi Arabia'
Source: FRANCE 24 English
Syria: Turkish Offensive on Afrin Forces US to Perform Diplomatic Balancing Act Between Allies
Source: FRANCE 24 English
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
The 'I Am Woman' Series: Billie Jean King
This video was published on YouTube on September 22, 2013.
Source: ABC News
'Two Sides' Narrated by Viola Davis, Aims to Bridge Gap Between Police, Communities
by Karu F. Daniels
Academy and Emmy Award winner Viola Davis is stepping behind the
scenes for a new docu-series that shines light on fatal police
encounters.
"Two Sides," a four part series, will begin Jan. 22 on
the TV One network and was co-executive produced and narrated by Davis.
Focusing on the higher profiled controversial cases of officer-involved
deaths, each one-hour episode offers comprehensive insight into the
fatal encounters involving Eric Garner in New York, Ezell Ford in
California, John Crawford in Ohio, and Sandra Bland in Texas — all
occurring within a one year span.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Gay Couple Sues State Dept. After One Twin's U.S. Citizenship Denied
by Associated Press and Brooke Sopelsa
Ethan and Aiden Dvash-Banks are toddler twins who share almost
everything: the same toys, the same nursery, the same clothes and the
same parents. Everything but a toothbrush and U.S. citizenship.
To
remedy what their parents, a same-sex married couple, view as an
injustice, Ethan Dvash-Banks became a plaintiff at the tender age of 16
months in a federal lawsuit against the U.S. State Department that seeks
the same rights his brother has as an American citizen.
Each boy
was conceived with donor eggs and the sperm from a different father —
one an American, the other an Israeli citizen — but born by the same
surrogate mother minutes apart.
“What we’re trying to do is pursue
justice for Ethan,” said Elad Dvash-Banks, Ethan’s biological dad, “and
correct a wrong that the State Department is continuing to pursue that
might affect other couples.”
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Puerto Ricans Could Lose Their Homes as Mortgage Moratorium Expires
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Aylsa Torres sighed in relief when she
received a letter from her bank two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit. She
was among the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans awarded a
three-month moratorium on their mortgage payments as the U.S. territory
reeled from the storm's destruction.
Believing she was temporarily freed from those
financial obligations, the 46-year-old government worker drained her
savings to pay for a $750 generator and $786 worth of repairs for storm
damage. But when Torres visited her bank in December, she says, she was
shocked to hear that she was behind on payments and that officials
threatened to foreclose on her apartment and ruin her credit rating.
Click here for the full article.
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