Friday, June 29, 2018

The Immigrant Children’s Shelters Near You


We found 99 facilities holding immigrant children and have mapped 78 of them. Help us find out more about the facilities and the children being held there.

by  Decca Muldowney, Alex Mierjeski, Claire Perlman, Lilia Chang, Ken Schwencke, Adriana Gallardo and Derek Kravitz

Under President Trump’s new “zero tolerance” immigration policy 2,047 children remain separated from their parents, as of June 26. They are now held in shelters and foster homes run by the federal government and an assortment of nonprofit groups. These shelters were already home to an additional 8,886 children who crossed the border unaccompanied by older relatives before the “zero tolerance” policy was announced.

ProPublica is working with partners in the U.S. and in Latin America to fill in gaps in what we know about these facilities, and to tell the stories of the people affected by the zero tolerance policy. More about the map | EspaƱol

Use this map to find the facilities nearest you and to help us find out more about them.

Click here to access the map.

Source: ProPublica

Sarah Sanders Reflects on First Year as White House Press Secretary


This report was broadcast on June 26. 

The interview took place almost a year after Sanders took over the role following Sean Spicer’s resignation. She talked about President Donald Trump’s message, the tone of his presidency, and her interactions with the media. 

Click here for video.

Funding Awarded to Support New and Military Veterans Farmers


More than $1 million has been awarded to New York State farmers through two grant programs designed to promote growth in the state's agriculture industry.

Click here for the full announcement.

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo 

BPEP Urges District Attorney, President Judge to Revoke Bond for Officer Rosfeld


The Black Political Empowerment Project (BPEP) sent another letter to Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala.

In the letter, the organization asked  Zappala to ask the judge to revoke bond for Officer Michael Rosfeld, the East Pittsburgh police officer accused in the shooting death of Antwon Rose. 

You can read that letter here

Source: WPXI Channel 11

'Flashback Friday': 'Star Trek' Broadcasts the First Interracial Kiss


This video was published on YouTube on January 29, 2013. 

Star Trek caused controversy in 1960s America by having a Black actress in a major role, for the creators though, this made them want to take things even further, with Capt. Kirk and Lt. Uhura sharing the first interracial kiss on screen in 1968.

Source: Discovery UK

Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura) on Filming
the First Interracial Kiss on Television


This video was published on YouTube on December 22, 2010.

Source: FoundationINTERVIEWS

Trailblazers in Black History: Dr. James West


This video was published on YouTube on October 30, 2017.

Source: Science in Color

California Passes Digital Privacy Bill That Could Have Impact Across U.S.

by Alyssa Newcomb

SAN FRANCISCO — California enacted the nation’s strongest data privacy law on Thursday that could presage national changes to how big tech companies, including Facebook, Google and Amazon, collect and use personal data.

The law, passed by the state legislature on Tuesday and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, requires companies to disclose the types of data they collect about consumers and with whom they share that information. Companies will be forced to let consumers opt-out of having their data sold. The law will also prohibit companies from charging a consumer or treating them differently because they opted out of having their data sold.

Companies will also be required to secure customer data or risk being fined by California’s attorney general, according to the legislation.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News

Concern About Rising Suicide Rate for American Farmers


This report was published on YouTube on June 28.

The suicide rate among farmers is higher than other professions, according to the CDC. Financial strain and lack of access to health care may play a role. Farm Aid communication director Jennifer Fahy joins CBSN to talk about some of the issues affecting farmers and what they're looking for from the Trump administration.

Source: CBS News 

Victims in Newspaper Shooting Include Veteran Journalists


All five victims who were gunned down in a shooting at the Capital Gazette, a daily local newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, were employees of the newspaper.

Annapolis Shooting Suspect Blamed Paper for Reporting on His Stalking


Jarrod Ramos had been threatening the Capital Gazette since it reported on his vicious harassment of a woman in 2011. 

by Kelly Weill and Will Sommer

The suspected killer in a mass shooting at Annapolis, Maryland’s Capital Gazette newspaper, 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos, had previously waged a years-long campaign against the paper through social media and the court system after the newspaper reported in 2011 on his guilty plea in a vicious harassment case.

Ramos filed a defamation suit against the newspaper, but had his case and his appeal tossed by judges. But he continued to rail against the Capital Gazette for years, including on Twitter—where his profile picture was a crude photoshop of a sacrificial symbol onto the head of the journalist who wrote the Capital Gazette story about him.

On Thursday afternoon, Ramos allegedly entered the Capital Gazette newsroom with smoke grenades and a shotgun. He is accused of opening fire on the room, killing five people, and wounding several more. He was taken into custody alive.

Zak Shirley, a lawyer who represented the Capital Gazette in the defamation case, said Ramos—whom law-enforcement officials identified as a suspect to the Associated Press Thursday night, hours after the attack—regularly made threats on his Twitter account. Shirley told The Daily Beast that people involved in the case were “absolutely” concerned about violence.

“We were concerned about him at the time, it definitely came up more than once,” Shirley said. “And it was because of his Twitter feed.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Daily Beast 

Antisemitism Incidents Fuel Migrant Debate in Germany


After a spate of antisemitic attacks Germany's 100,000 strong Jewish community is becoming increasingly anxious about a new wave of hate crime. There are fears that it may be linked to an upsurge in migration from Muslim countries hostile to Israel. 

Source: euronews.

Theresa May's Brexit Dilemma Continues


This European Summit was expected to be one where Brexit would be the main topic of discussion. Other matters such as migration have overtaken in Brexit in terms of priority. Euronews correspondent Vincent McAviney explains more.

Mayor de Blasio Host LGBTQ Pride Month Reception


This video was published on YouTube on June 27. 

Source: NYC Mayor's Office

Gillibrand Calls to Eliminate ICE: 'Get Rid of It, Start Over'


By John Bowden

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) became the first sitting senator on Thursday to call for the elimination of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), telling CNN that the agency should be "reimagined."

In an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo, the New York Democrat was asked whether she agreed with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in a primary Tuesday while running on a platform to fully shut down ICE.

“Well, I agree with it. I don’t think ICE today is working as intended," Gillibrand said, referring to Ocasio-Cortez's platform.

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Hill (via Empire Report New York) 

Ocasio-Cortez Toppled a Giant. Are These N.Y. Democrats Next?



The night after Representative Joseph Crowley’s stunning defeat, another Bronx politician who faces an energetic primary challenge from the left, State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, happened to be holding a birthday party at Limani, the upscale Rockefeller Center restaurant.

The topic, inevitably, turned to the fate of Mr. Crowley. Making the case why his own primary would be different, Mr. Klein told attendees the story of when he ran into Mr. Crowley, whose district overlaps with Mr. Klein’s, at a Bronx parade last year.

“Good to see you here,” Mr. Klein recalled telling the congressman, according to a person at the party. “You must have gotten a new GPS.”

The victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old activist, over Mr. Crowley, one of the state’s most powerful Democrats, has reshuffled New York’s political order. As emboldened progressive activists dream of their next targets, Mr. Klein and the band of renegade Democrats he led in Albany, who for years broke with the Democratic Party to help keep Republicans in power in the State Senate, are at the top of the list.

The districts of two of the eight senators, those of Mr. Klein and Jose R. Peralta, overlap with the seat that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez won, underscoring just how close to home the progressive insurgency had struck. Like in Mr. Crowley’s race, younger female candidates are challenging both men.

“Even though I set out on this race knowing this is possible,” Alessandra Biaggi, the 32-year-old challenger to Mr. Klein said in an interview on Thursday, “it feels like voters are waking up.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The New York Times (via Empire Report New York) 

Thursday, June 28, 2018

The Capital Gazette: Courage in the Wake of Tragedy


Click here to access the paper's website and updates on the shooting. 

The staff is reporting on the tragedy and working to publish tomorrow's edition. From The G-Man salutes their remarkable resilience and offers its condolences.

Deadly Shooting at Maryland Newspaper Office


Four people were killed in a shooting at a newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland. Officials said a suspect was in custody. Jeff Glor anchors a CBS News Special Report in New York with reporting from Jeff Pegues in Washington. 

Former ICE Spokesman Speaks Out: I Was Asked To Perpetuate A ‘Flat-Out Lie’



A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman slammed the agency for being “OK with lying to the American public” in his first TV interview since he resigned in March.

James Schwab told CBS News on Wednesday that he became “extremely uncomfortable” in February when Attorney General Jeff Sessions made false statements about immigration raids in Oakland, California.

“They failed to correct it, it’s a flat-out lie,” Schwab said. “They know it’s a lie. It was just shocking to me that no one wanted to fix that.”

Click here for video. 

Source: The Huffington Post

The 'Ultimate Deal' That Jared Kushner is Proposing for Palestine is Delusional


By Robert Fisk 

Is there no humiliation left for the Palestinians? After Oslo, after the “two state solution”, after the years of Israeli occupation – of “Area A” and “Area C” to define which kind of occupation the Palestinians must live under – after the vast Jewish colonisation of land thieved from its Arab owners, after the mass killings of Gaza, and Trump’s decision that Jerusalem, all of Jerusalem, must be the capital of Israel, are the Palestinians going to be asked to settle for cash and a miserable village? Is there no shame left?

For the Palestinians are soon to be awarded the “ultimate deal” – “ultimate”, as in the last, definitive, terminal, conclusive, no-more-cards-to-play, cash-in-your-chips, go-for-broke, take-it-or-leave-it, to-hell-with-you, cease-and-desist, endgame “deal”. A pitiful village as a capital, no end to colonisation, no security, no army, no independent borders, no unity – in return for a huge amount of money, billions of dollars and euros, millions of pounds, zillions of dinars and shekels and spondulix and filthy lucre, the real “moolah”.

“I believe,” quoth Crown Prince Kushner this week, “that Palestinian people are less invested in the politicians’ talking points than they are in seeing how a deal will give them and their future generations new opportunities, more and better paying jobs and prospects for a better life.” Is Trump’s son-in-law – “adviser” on the Middle East, real estate developer and US investor – delusional? After three Arab-Israeli wars, tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths and millions of refugees, does Jared Kushner really believe that the Palestinians will settle for cash?

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Independent

These Trump Staffers — Including an ex-NRA Lobbyist — Left Their Financial Disclosure Forms Blank

 
The Interior Department acknowledges that many of its employees’ forms “were not reviewed and certified properly.”


Before accepting a position at the U.S. Department of the Interior last October, Benjamin Cassidy championed gun rights for nearly seven years as a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, collecting a peak annual salary of $288,333 for his work on Capitol Hill.

The public wouldn’t know that by looking at Cassidy’s government financial disclosure report. The form, which he filed soon after taking a job as senior deputy director of the office of intergovernmental and external affairs, doesn’t list his old job at the NRA — or any past job, for that matter. Cassidy’s form was nearly blank, save for his name, title and some bank holdings and investments. In the space allotted to show his income, it incorrectly stated “None.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: ProPublica

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi News Briefing


House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi briefs reporters and responds to questions on her party’s legislative agenda.

Click here for video. 

Source: C-SPAN 

Deputy Attorney General and FBI Director Testify Before House Judiciary Committee


Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray testify before House Judiciary Committee on 2016 election.

New World: ‘US Must Learn to Respect Other Nations’


This report was published on YouTube on June 26. 

As the world changes and other nations ban together, America is finding itself more isolated and less relevant. The SCO has experience far more success in a greater area than NATO. RT America’s Manila Chan is joined by Martin Sieff, Senior Fellow at the American University in Moscow.

Source: RT America

Labor Unions Will Be Smaller After Supreme Court Decision, but Maybe Not Weaker



With the Supreme Court striking down laws that require government workers to pay union fees, one thing is clear: Most public-sector unions in more than 20 states with such laws are going to get smaller and poorer in the coming years.

Though it is difficult to predict with precision, experts and union officials say they could lose 10 percent to one-third of their members, or more, in the states affected, as conservative groups seek to persuade workers to drop out.

The court’s decision is the latest evidence that moves to weaken unions are exacting a major toll. Beyond the dropout campaigns aimed at members, conservatives are bringing lawsuits to retroactively recover fees collected by unions from nonmembers.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The New York Times (via Empire Report New York) 

The Front-Runners and Full List of Potential Supreme Court Nominees


By The New York Times

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced on Wednesday that he would retire from the Supreme Court. His vacancy sets up a showdown for a replacement that could change the direction of the highest court in the United States.


President Trump said he intends to choose his next Supreme Court nominee from a list he began compiling during the 2016 presidential campaign.

“I think you see the kind of quality that we’re looking at when you look at that list,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office.

He added, “So it will be somebody from that list.”

Click here for the full article.

Civil Rights Groups Demand SCOTUS Vote Delay


The National Urban League, National Action Network, NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation urge citizens to contact senators. 

A coalition of civil rights groups today released the following statement in response to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s pending retirement:

“The only just and responsible option for the U.S. Senate at this moment is to delay any vote on confirming a replacement for Justice Kennedy until after a new Congress is seated.

“This is an extraordinary time in American history, which calls for extraordinary measures.  The Senate is divided by a single vote. The need for a strong system of checks and balances has seldom been greater. 

“During this time of escalating crises, citizens must have the opportunity to decide who will advise and consent to the nominee of a deeply divisive Chief Executive.

“We call upon all citizens of good conscience to contact their U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and demand that the incoming Senate be given the opportunity to vote on confirmation of the next Supreme Court justice.” 

Source: Mercury

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Governor Cuomo Signs Executive Order to Protect Union Members from Harassment and Intimidation


Earlier today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed an Executive Order to protect union members from harassment and intimidation, representing the first state action taken in response to the Supreme Court's Janus decision. The Executive Order prohibits State entities from disclosing personal contact information for state employees amid reports of individuals and organizations harassing union members or prospective union members. The Governor also announced that he will be advancing legislation to prohibit the disclosure of personal information for all public sector employees, including state and municipal employees. 

More information is available here

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

With 'Muslim Ban' Ruling, Trump’s White Supremacy Has Moved From the Campaign Trail to the Supreme Court



Welcome to the White Supremacy Court. On Monday, the court’s conservative majority produced a 5-4 ruling in favor of racially gerrymandered congressional maps in Texas. On Tuesday, in another 5-4 verdict, the right-wing quintet took an even bigger step toward institutionalizing discrimination and bigotry by ruling in favor President Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban.”

“SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN,” tweeted the president on Tuesday morning. “Wow.”

Wow, indeed.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said that Trump’s executive order had “a legitimate grounding in national security concerns,” rather than religious discrimination. Yet in December 2015, at a rally in South Carolina, Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

In March 2016, in an interview with CNN, Trump claimed, “Islam hates us” and suggested the United States was “having problems with Muslims coming into the country.” In January 2017, in an appearance on Fox News, his campaign adviser Rudy Giuliani admitted that when Trump “first announced it, he said, ‘Muslim ban.’ He called me up. He said, ‘Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.’” In November 2017, Trump retweeted three anti-Muslim propaganda videos from the far-right group, Britain First.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Intercept_

Justice Anthony Kennedy Retiring From the Supreme Court


Effective July 31, President Trump will be able to replace the high court’s pivotal moderate.

By Andrew Kirell

President Trump will get his second Supreme Court pick, starting this summer.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Wednesday announced that he will retire, effective July 31, after serving three decades on the highest court.

“It has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve our nation in the federal judiciary for 43 years, 30 of those years on the Supreme Court,” Kennedy said in a statement. According to the court’s press release, the justice “added that while his family was willing for him to continue to serve, his decision to step aside was based on his deep desire to spend more time with them.”

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Daily Beast

Statement from the White House 

Today, we thank Justice Anthony M. Kennedy for his thirty years of distinguished service on the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1987, President Reagan nominated him to the Court, and he was swiftly confirmed without opposition. A Californian—like the President who appointed him—Justice Kennedy is a true man of letters. During his tenure on the Court, he authored landmark opinions in every significant area of constitutional law, most notably on equal protection under the law, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and religion. 

Justice Kennedy has been a tireless voice for individual rights and the Founders’ enduring vision of limited government. His words have left an indelible mark not only on this generation, but on the fabric of American history. 

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

New York Warning: High Temperatures Combined with Increased Humidity Could Be Dangerous This Weekend

 
Governor Andrew Cuomo today cautioned all New Yorkers to prepare for an extended period of dangerous heat and humidity, which is expected to begin this weekend and last through Monday, July 2. To avoid heat-related illnesses, the Governor is encouraging individuals to limit strenuous outdoor physical activity during this time period, especially for people who are more susceptible, including young children, the elderly, those who exercise outdoors, those involved in vigorous outdoor work, and those who have respiratory diseases such as asthma. At-risk populations should take necessary steps to stay cool as temperatures rise. 

"With a stretch of extreme heat and humidity ahead of us, I urge residents and visitors to take the necessary precautions to keep themselves and their families safe," Governor Cuomo said. "I encourage all New Yorkers to take advantage of state cooling stations, pools and waterbodies across the Empire State and to be mindful of air quality and other health risk factors to ensure a safe, enjoyable holiday weekend." 

Click here for the full announcement.

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo 

Rep. Maxine Waters: GOP Should Start with President Trump on Civility

 
Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) took time in her opening statement at a House Financial Services Committee oversight hearing with HUD Secretary Ben Carson to respond to calls for civility following her recent calls on supporters to confront Trump administration officials in public. She admonished Financial Services Chair Representative Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) for his earlier call for civility, saying if he and Republicans wanted to encourage civility, they should start with President Trump. 

Click here for video. 

Source: C-SPAN

Terry Crews Testifies on Survivors' Bill of Rights


This report was broadcast on June 26. 

Actor, activist, and former NFL player Terry Crews was among the witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the implementation of the sexual assault Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016. Mr. Crews told lawmakers his story of being a sexual assault victim. Mr. Crews appeared before the President Obama signed the bill into law in October 2016. Others testifying included a rape victim who helped author the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016 and the principal deputy director of the National Institute of Justice. 

Click here for video.

Rapper Meek Mill's Petition for Retrial After 2008 Conviction Denied by Judge


by Farnoush Amiri 

A Philadelphia judge has denied rapper Meek Mill a new trial stemming from the decade-old gun and drug charges against him — despite new information that shows credibility issues with the arresting officer.

Common Pleas Court Judge Genece Brinley said in a 47-page opinion released Monday that Mill's attorneys "failed to meet his burden of proof" to have his conviction overturned, and questioned the thoroughness of Philadelphia prosecutors reviewing allegations of corruption against the officer.

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News 

NY City’s Rent Board Approves Increases of 1.5% and 2.5%

 

New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board voted on Tuesday night to allow landlords of rent-stabilized apartments to charge increases of up to 1.5 percent for one-year leases and 2.5 percent for two-year leases.

The increases were seen as modest given the history of the nine-member board. Still, the permitted increases were the steepest since 2013 and were met by a barrage of loud jeers from the crowd at a public hearing inside the Great Hall at the Cooper Union.

The increases will be in effect for any of the city’s roughly one million rent-stabilized tenants who renew leases after Oct. 1.

After the meeting, Leah Goodridge, a board member who had proposed a freeze for one-year leases, said data indicated that landlords would still have been able to profit had one been implemented. An official with a building owners’ group did not immediately return a phone call requesting comment.

Lena Melendez, a tenant of a rent-stabilized apartment in Washington Heights, said that these days, when many stabilized apartments rent for more than $2,000 a month, even low-percentage increases can be a hardship.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The New York Times