Friday, December 7, 2018

Jesse Owens: The Man Who Should've Been Named the Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century


A Song for the Soul: 'Lean On Me', by Bill Withers


This video was published on YouTube on November 14, 2009. 

Source: RadioScurg

Dr. Maya Angelou: "Still I Rise"


This video was published on YouTube on April 5, 2007. 

Source: mohitbahi

NFL Players Surprise High School Football Teams


This video was published on YouTube on November 14.

Abbott and Costello: 'At the Restaurant' Skit


This video was published on YouTube on April 20, 2014. 

Source: jerry sung

The Most Awkward Political Debate Moments


This video was published on YouTube on August 5, 2015.

NYPD Finds Engagement Ring for Couple Who Lost It In Sewer Grate


This report was published on YouTube on December 3.

Carol Burnett Show Outtakes: Tim Conway's Elephant Story


This video was published on YouTube on May 15, 2007. 

The Carol Burnett Show (Official): Tim Conway destroys his castmates during a "Mama's Family" sketch on the "Carol Burnett Show" by refusing to let the scene continue until he can finish a story about a circus elephant. Unedited!

Do You Remember..."The Batusi"?


This video was published on YouTube on February 10, 2015. 

Source: RetromanIE

Watch a Prodigy Create -- from Four Notes in a Hat


This report was published on YouTube on November 3, 2017. 

60 Minutes pulls four musical notes out of hat, and young composer Alma Deutscher takes off, improvising a piano sonata in under a minute

11-Year-Old Artist Becomes a Sensation in Lagos


This report was published on YouTube on June 27, 2018.

CGTN Africa: In Nigeria, an 11-year-old artist is creating waves with his unique creations. From a makeshift studio in a poor neighbourhood in Lagos, Waris Kareem produces incredibly life-like works of art. CGTN's Deji Badmus went to check them out.

Teacher vs Student Dance Battle


This video was published on YouTube on January 27, 2017. 

Source: Kayla Grado

Military Homecoming Surprises (2018)


This video was published on YouTube on December 1.

Military Dog is Reunited with Mountain Home Handler


This report was published on December 5. 

Bakk, a retired military working dog, was reunited in Boise with his former handler, Dustin Cain, who works at Mountain Home Air Force Base.

Adorable Kids Helping Homeless People - Cute Kids Videos (2018)


This video was published on YouTube on November 14.

Made in America: Holiday Cookies


This report was published on YouTube on December 6.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Black Power, Black Voices: Barack Obama's Powerful Tribute to a Defining Civil Rights Moment


This video was published on YouTube on February 17, 2017. 

Smithsonian Channel: In 2015, on the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, the nation's first African American president paid tribute to a defining event in civil rights history.

Source: Smithsonian Channel

Trailblazers in Black History: Dr. Manning Marable


William Manning Marable was an influential social commentator, writer, and professor of political science, public affairs, history, and African American studies.   He was born on May 13, 1950 in Dayton, Ohio to James and June Morehead Marable. Previously married twice, he married anthropologist Leith Mullings in 1996, and the couple remained married until his death. He had three children; Malaika Marable Serrano, Sojourner Marable Grimmett, and Joshua Manning Marable.
 

Marable graduated from Jefferson Township High School in 1968. As a high school senior Marable covered the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for Dayton, Ohio’s black newspaper, the Tattler. By that point he had developed a strong commitment to racial justice and its advocates.  Marable earned his A.B. degree from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 1971 followed by a Master’s degree in history from the University of Wisconsin in 1972. He earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Maryland in 1976.

Click here for additional information. 

Knowledge for LIFE (Know4LIFE): In this video, Prof. Manning Marable speaks prophetically about the state of race relations in America. I tape this lecture around the mid '90, but the words are relevant today as they were when he spoke them.

This video was published on YouTube on November 30, 2008. 

Source: BlackPast.org

Saving Our Youth: 'A Second Chance' (Anti-Gang Short FiIm)


This video was published on YouTube on August 27, 2018, and contains strong language and scenes of violence.

Manny Jimenez Sr: Based on a true story. After being released from juvenile detention, a grieving teenager fights his demons while facing his reality. A new life is in his grasp, but living in a world where violence triumphs over innocence, will he live another week to reach it?

Source: Manny Jimenez Sr

Why Family Matters in 'If Beale Street Could Talk'


CBS News: Regina King, Colman Domingo say that "If Beale Street Could Talks" highlights the importance of family unity in the face of systemic injustice when a character is wrongfully incarcerated. The actors spoke to CBSNews.com entertainment reporter Andrea Park.

Facebook Gave Some Companies Preferential Treatment with User Data


Bloomberg Weighs 2020 Bid During Iowa Visit


This report was published on December 5. 

Eye on Africa: US Back in Somalia After 28-Year Absence


Yemen Peace Talks Set to Get Underway in Sweden


Brexit Deal: DUP Slams Theresa May Over Breaking Irish Border Promises


Canada Arrests CFO of Chinese Telecoms Giant Huawei



Italy Pressures Egypt Over Giulio Regeni Torture, Murder


Can Tangier Island Be First Climate Change Casualty in the US?


Mexico Caravan: Thousands Hopeful of Reaching US


US Senators Introduce Resolution Blaming MBS for Khashoggi Murder


France Abandons Petrol Tax Rises After Deadly Protests


This report was published on YouTube on December 5.

OPEC to Cut Production to Boost World Price


'Beyond Extreme Energy' Issues National Call to Action on Bernard McNamee Vote



The following statement was submitted by Ted Glick, a longtime activist and member of Beyond Extreme Energy

It’s not over ‘til it’s over. Fossil fuel extremist Bernard McNamee—check out this video!—has not yet been approved by the full Senate. This morning, before a scheduled 12 noon full Senate vote, it’s time to let three Senators—Susan Collins, Jeff Flake and Joe Manchin—know that the people and the planet need them to do the right thing.

Yesterday every single Democratic Senator, even Joe Manchin, voted against a motion to close debate on McNamee’s nomination to FERC. This came after Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer gave a strong speech against him, reflecting the rising tide of outrage that someone with McNamee’s regressive, fossil-fuels-forever views could become a leader, maybe a new chairperson, of the agency in charge of the nation’s electrical grid and permitting natural gas infrastructure. 49 Senators said no to McNamee.

Today, at 12 noon, the actual vote, up or down on McNamee, will take place. Please flood the offices of three senators with calls and emails before then:

-Senator Susan Collins: 202-224-2523, https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact


-Senator Joe Manchin: 202-224-3954, https://www.manchin.senate.gov/contact-joe/email-joe

For Susan Collins, the message is this: “You can’t say, ‘The federal government cannot afford the billions of dollars in additional funding that is going to be needed if we do not take into account and start acting on the serious consequences of climate change,’ and then support an outspoken climate denier and fossil fuel extremist. Vote no on McNamee!.”

For Jeff Flake, the message is this: “You can’t support allowing all energy sources to compete on an even playing field, and you can’t believe that picking winner and losers is not the federal government’s job, and then support anti-renewables McNamee. Vote no on McNamee!”

And for Joe Manchin, the message is this: “Thank you for voting yesterday against cloture on debate over Bernard McNamee. Today, you need to be consistent and, since Republicans shut down debate, vote no on McNamee. Do the right thing again today!”

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

House Democrats Plan to Send Trump Aides' Transcripts to Mueller

Click here for details. 

Source: Reuters

He is West Virginia’s Speaker of the House — and a Lawyer for Natural Gas Companies

 
State ethics rules seldom prevent lawmakers from proposing or voting on legislation that affects industries they work for.

by Ken Ward Jr. and Kate Mishkin, The Charleston Gazette-Mail

This article was produced in partnership with the Charleston Gazette-Mail, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.

Toward the end of this year’s legislative session, a little-noticed bill was moving through the West Virginia House of Delegates to limit legal challenges that had slowed new natural gas-fired power plants in the state.

Delegate Roger Hanshaw, a Republican lawyer from Clay County who was serving as vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee, took to the floor to explain the legislation.

“This bill is a little inside baseball to practitioners of environmental law in West Virginia,” explained Hanshaw, a supporter of the bill.

It wasn’t the first time that Hanshaw engaged in some pretty effective legislative inside baseball on energy bills.

Last year, Hanshaw engineered passage of a bill that gave natural gas companies a broad exemption from chemical tank safety standards that West Virginia put in place after a 2014 spill that contaminated drinking water for 300,000 people.

Hanshaw was elected speaker in late August, succeeding Tim Armstead, who is now a justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court. Hanshaw is expected to be re-elected speaker in January. In the position, Hanshaw wields significant control over which bills are called up for votes and which are sent to committees to effectively die.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: ProPublica

Subpoenas Issued in Emoluments Lawsuit Against Trump


Governor Cuomo Delivers Remarks at IBEW Local 3 Rally

Click on the images to increase their size. 

Earlier today, Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered remarks at the IBEW Local 3 rally in support of the labor union workers who have been on strike against Charter Spectrum since March 2017.

Click here for video. 


Photo sources: IBEW Local 3 Member, NYGovCuomo, Flickr

Cyber Thieves Target Tax Professionals and Businesses

 New York State Tax Department Shares Security
Tips During National Tax Security Awareness Week

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today reminded corporations, businesses, and tax professionals to be wary of various tax scams.

Massive data breaches at corporations and credit-reporting agencies have already left millions vulnerable to identity theft. Con artists also carry out schemes to steal sensitive employee information from smaller organizations.

In recent years, cyber-criminals posing as company executives and using social-engineering tactics have convinced payroll and HR professionals by email and phone to provide lists of employees and their personal information. Scammers have pilfered confidential data in a variety of industries this way, including school districts and nonprofits.
 
Identity thieves have also targeted tax professionals by posing as return processors, tax software representatives, and as clients to gain access to records containing sensitive personal and tax information.

In one scenario, a scam artist poses as a client and sends an initial email request for tax-preparation assistance. This is followed by a second email with a link or an attached PDF that contains a link. If the preparer falls for the scam and clicks the link, malware is installed on the preparer’s computer allowing the cyber thief to steal the preparer’s password and access confidential client data.

“Tax professionals and others entrusted with confidential tax and sensitive personal information must be vigilant to protect their clients’ and employees’ personal information from sophisticated scam artists,” said Acting Commissioner Nonie Manion. “This information should be provided to trusted sources only, such as the IRS and the New York State Tax Department. Neither agency will ever make threats over the phone or request personal or financial information by email."

President George H.W. Bush's Memorial at the National Cathedral


Tuesday, December 4, 2018

SPLC: Alabama Marks Its First Rosa Parks Day. It's Not Enough


The following statement was submitted by the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

This past Saturday, the state of Alabama marked its first Rosa Parks Day.

It was a significant step toward recognizing the state's prominent civil rights activists.

Sixty-three years ago – on Dec. 1, 1955 – Parks was arrested and jailed for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

During a ceremony at Alabama State University, historian Rolundus Rice called it the “most faithful and fortuitous arrest of the 20th century.”

We all know what happened after Parks was arrested: Dr. King led a yearlong bus boycott that ignited the civil rights movement. And a federal lawsuit led the U.S. Supreme Court to outlaw Alabama’s segregated buses.

When she died in 2005, Parks became the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Earlier this year, the Alabama Legislature voted 102-0 to proclaim Dec. 1 as Rosa Parks Day, making it the fifth state to honor her.

It’s long overdue.

Still, Rosa Parks Day is not an official state holiday in Alabama – unlike Robert E. Lee Day, Confederate Memorial Day and Jefferson Davis’ Birthday.

Each of those days are paid holidays for public employees.

Alabama is not alone in continuing to pay homage to the Confederacy with state holidays. In our most recent Whose Heritage? report, we found that five states observe nine holidays commemorating the Confederacy.

In addition, there remain more than 1,700 monuments and other Confederate symbols in public spaces across the South and the nation. They were installed over many decades to glorify the Confederacy and white supremacy – and, for the most part, to promote a false narrative about the Civil War.

The Civil War ended 153 years ago. And the Confederacy, as former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has said, was on the “wrong side of humanity.”

We believe it’s long past time for the South to bury the myth of the Lost Cause and to celebrate “the South’s real heroes,” as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called civil rights activists like Rosa Parks.

Trump, Nation's Leaders Gather to Honor George H.W. Bush


Man Mistaken for Mall Gunman Was Shot from Behind, Pathologist Finds


This report was published on YouTube on December 3. 

CBS News: Emantic "EJ" Bradford Jr., who was fatally shot by an officer at an Alabama mall Thanksgiving night after he was mistaken for a gunman, was shot three times from behind, according to a review conducted by a forensic pathologist at the request of the slain man's family. Attorney Ben Crump said at a press conference Monday that the findings show the officer should be charged with a crime.

NY State Tax Department: Don’t Fall for These Common Scams

 
To help taxpayers avoid being scammed, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today highlighted some common tactics used by identity thieves and cybercriminals.

The strategies to steal sensitive personal data range from the simple to the complex, as described in the examples below.

Threatening calls: Scam artists who use this tactic try to bully or trick victims into disclosing private information, or convince them to wire money to pay a tax debt or fine. If a caller, perhaps posing as a New York State Tax Department or IRS agent, threatens an arrest or fines, it’s a scam. Neither agency threatens taxpayers, and they notify taxpayers by letter first before making any calls or sending any emails.

Unusual emails: Phishing emails often contain links that can activate malware or lead to phony websites that request personal information. Misspellings or unfamiliar logos in the email or subject line are obvious clues that it’s a scam attempt, but some of the bogus emails and websites are convincing. Hovering over the links may reveal an unusual webpage address (URL) that confirms the sender’s true intent. To be safe, simply delete these emails and any that are unsolicited, and never click the links within them.

Remember, the Tax Department never requests personal or financial information by email.

Offers to collect tax payment in person: If a caller claiming to be from the Tax Department or IRS offers to meet you at a specified location to collect a payment, it’s a scam. This is never an option with the IRS or Tax Department. End the call immediately.

Request for a specific type of payment: If you’re being told to pay through a prepaid debit card or an iTunes gift card, this is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The Tax Department and IRS provide various payment options, but the use of gift cards isn’t one of them.

Turkey May Push for UN Investigation Into Khashoggi Murder


Tijuana: Hope is Fading for Central American Asylum Seekers


US Law Firm Says Myanmar Committed Genocide Against Rohingya


Theresa May’s Brexit Deal Faces Strong DUP Opposition


This report was published on YouTube on December 3.

French Paramedics, Students Join 'Yellow Vest' Protests


This report was published on YouTube on December 3.

Facebook Lets Users Post About Killing Immigrants and Minorities


A Daily Beast Exclusive
 
The company touts its new tech for catching hate speech. But neither the filter nor Facebook’s human monitors caught a hundred posts calling for people to be shot.

By Justin Glawe

Facebook users freely post about killing immigrants, minorities, and public figures in spite of the company’s terms of service that clearly prohibit threats of violence and hate speech.

The company just two weeks ago touted new technology it says detects 52 percent of hate speech before anyone reports it. (Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed the technology caught 90 percent of pro-ISIS and al Qaeda content.) Yet that technology didn’t catch more than 100 instances in the last six months of Facebook users advocating to shoot or kill others, according to a Daily Beast review.

Nearly three-quarters of the posts examined by The Daily Beast made reference to migrant caravans that have been demonized by right-wing media and President Donald Trump. 

Click here for the full article.

Ukrainian-American Group Issues Open Letters to Congressional Leaders and Secretary Pompeo

 
The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the largest representation of Americans of Ukrainian descent, has sent urgent letters of appeal to the co-Chairs of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, the Senate Ukraine Caucus, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, requesting they “hold congressional hearings about Russia’s blatant use of force against Ukraine.” 

Explaining that while the Ukrainian-American community is grateful for the many “recent statements and stalwart support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence,” from leaders in Congress, UCCA’s letter underscores that Ukraine stands at “a watershed moment in its history.” In explaining the urgency of the letter, UCCA President, Andriy Futey, highlighted the plight of the 24 Ukrainian sailors who are currently being held in Russian captivity, a move that violates International Maritime Conventions. “We must take every available measure to secure their immediate release,” stated Mr. Futey.
 
At the same time, UCCA forwarded an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, as he departed to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the semi-annual meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. Echoing UCCA’s previous statements condemning Russia’s premeditated and deliberate act of aggression against Ukraine on November 25, 2018, the letter to Secretary Pompeo requests that he propose a collective call by NATO member states for the immediate return to Ukraine of the captured Ukrainian warships and military personnel.  

The letter goes on to reference the stalled NATO Black Sea Action Plan in the planning since the 2016 NATO Warsaw Summit, which proposed to “substantially increase in NATO’s presence and maritime activity in the Black Sea. Following on Senator John Barasso’s call to action on Meet the Press, UCCA’s letter also asks the Summit leaders to consider “the immediate deployment of naval vessels from NATO member states to Ukrainian and NATO ally ports in the Black Sea.”
 
As the bastion of democracy in the free world, the United States bears a moral obligation to take the lead in promoting international norms, defending basic human rights and freedoms, and charting a course of geopolitical stability. The Ukrainian-American community believes that the national security interests of the United States lie in the fulfillment of that obligation.
  
Click here to review the letter submitted to Congressional leaders. 

Click here to review the letter submitted to Secretary Pompeo

Source: UCCA

JCPA: Light One Candle for the Rohingya People


The following statement was submitted by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). 

On the 6th night of Chanukah—Erev Shabbat, December 7th—we invite you to join JCPA, AJWS, and the Jewish Rohingya Justice Network and concerned Jews across the U.S. to unite in solidarity against the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people of Burma.

Chanukah calls us to stand up against religious persecution. As Jews and global citizens, we are all too familiar with the horrors of violence against religious and ethnic minorities—and we cannot stand idly by as this senseless brutality in Burma stretches into its second year. The crisis has forced more than 700,000 Rohingya people to flee to refugee camps in Bangladesh, leaving everything behind.
 
Join us by dedicating the 6th candle on the 6th night of Chanukah to the Rohingya people. Together, Jews will illuminate our support for the Rohingya people and share their stories for our communities to hear.
 
We have prepared a short reading that will make this dedication even more powerful. We encourage rabbis, educators and all people lighting menorahs nationwide to shine a light as we work to bring an end to this crisis. 

Click here to download the reading. 

Let’s raise a united Jewish voice in support of the Rohingya people. 

The Jewish Rohingya Justice Network is a consortium of Jewish NGOs advocating for the rights of the Rohingya. Members include: American Jewish Committee, American Jewish World Service, Anti-Defamation League, HIAS, JACOB, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jewish World Watch, Rabbinical Assembly, Reconstructing Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, T’ruah and The Union for Reform Judaism. Allies: Foundation for Ethic Understanding, Hebrew College, The Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee, The New York Board of Rabbis, The Shalom Center and Uri L’Tzedek.

Coalition Calls for Increased Funding for Lead Service Line Replacements

 
Albany – Today, a coalition of labor, local government, and environmental organizations sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo calling on him to increase funding for the Lead Service Line Replacement Program (LSLRP) to $100 million. The program helps municipalities replace aging water pipes that can leach toxic levels of lead into drinking water and is funded through the Clean Water Infrastructure Act. Since 2017, the program has allocated $20 million to 25 municipalities across the state.

Lead service lines, which connect the water mains beneath city streets to the internal plumbing in residential buildings, are considered the greatest contributor to lead in drinking water. Through the grants provided by the Lead Service Line Replacement Program, the entire lead service line is dug out of the ground and a safer pipe material is used as a replacement. New York has one of the oldest housing stocks in the nation, and it is known that homes built before 1986 have a higher chance of having lead service lines.

“While the initial investment in the LSLRP has been a positive first step, with an estimated 360,000 lead service lines across New York in need of replacement, the program must be scaled up to meet the needs of New York municipalities. Given that the total cost of replacing New York’s known lead services lines reaches at least $1 billion, a $100 million investment would substantially reduce the number of lead service lines in our state.”

Rob Hayes, clean water associate for Environmental Advocates of New York said, “There is no safe level of lead in drinking water… any amount of exposure is a threat to human health. Municipalities are doing all they can to keep lead out of their water, but as long as there are lead pipes beneath our feet, contamination is a constant threat. The safest solution is to increase funding so communities can proactively eliminate these dangerous pipes rather than reacting once the system fails.”  

Click here for the full announcement.

Source: EANY 

Monday, December 3, 2018

Homeland Security Will Let Computers Predict Who Might Be a Terrorist on Your Plane — Just Don’t Ask How It Works

 
By Sam Biddle

You’re rarely allowed to know exactly what’s keeping you safe. When you fly, you’re subject to secret rules, secret watchlists, hidden cameras, and other trappings of a plump, thriving surveillance culture. The Department of Homeland Security is now complicating the picture further by paying a private Virginia firm to build a software algorithm with the power to flag you as someone who might try to blow up the plane.

The new DHS program will give foreign airports around the world free software that teaches itself who the bad guys are, continuing society’s relentless swapping of human judgment for machine learning. DataRobot, a northern Virginia-based automated machine learning firm, won a contract from the department to develop “predictive models to enhance identification of high risk passengers” in software that should “make real-time prediction[s] with a reasonable response time” of less than one second, according to a technical overview that was written for potential contractors and reviewed by The Intercept. The contract assumes the software will produce false positives and requires that the terrorist-predicting algorithm’s accuracy should increase when confronted with such mistakes. DataRobot is currently testing the software, according to a DHS news release.

The contract also stipulates that the software’s predictions must be able to function “solely” using data gleaned from ticket records and demographics — criteria like origin airport, name, birthday, gender, and citizenship. The software can also draw from slightly more complex inputs, like the name of the associated travel agent, seat number, credit card information, and broader travel itinerary. The overview document describes a situation in which the software could “predict if a passenger or a group of passengers is intended to join the terrorist groups overseas, by looking at age, domestic address, destination and/or transit airports, route information (one-way or round trip), duration of the stay, and luggage information, etc., and comparing with known instances.”

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Intercept_ 

VA Shadow Rulers Had Sway Over Contracting and Budgeting

 
New disclosures and investigations are straining the three Trump associates’ relationship with the new VA secretary. 

by Isaac Arnsdorf

Newly released emails about the three Trump associates who secretly steered the Department of Veterans Affairs show how deeply the trio was involved in some of the agency’s most consequential matters, most notably a multibillion-dollar effort to overhaul electronic health records for millions of veterans.

Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter, West Palm Beach physician Bruce Moskowitz and lawyer Marc Sherman — part of the president’s circle at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida — reviewed a confidential draft of a $10 billion government contract for the electronic-records project, even though they lack any relevant expertise.

In preparing the contract, the agency consulted more than 40 outside experts, such as hospital executives, according to the records, which were released under the Freedom of Information Act. The Mar-a-Lago trio were listed among those experts. Perlmutter, a comic book tycoon, appears on the list between representatives from the University of Washington Medical Center, Intermountain Healthcare and Johns Hopkins University.

But none of the three men has served in the U.S. military or elsewhere in government, and none of them has expertise in health information technology or federal contracting.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: ProPublica

$383 Million Provided for Technology Upgrades in NYC Schools

 
Click here for the full announcement.

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

NY Farmers Receive Extension of Real Property Tax Exemption on Farm Buildings


Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced the extension of the state's Real Property Tax Law exemption on farm buildings, which will provide continued tax relief for New York farmers and growers. The Real Property Tax Law exempts agricultural producers from paying real property tax on buildings that are essential to the production of agricultural or horticultural products, such as temporary greenhouses, dairy barns and exercise arenas for horse-boarding operations.

"New York's agricultural industry is a major sector of our economy, and it's critical that we continue to support local farmers and growers," Governor Cuomo said. "This tax exemption will help New York's hard-working agricultural producers invest in their farms and grow their businesses, and as a result increase competitiveness and productivity for years to come."

The Real Property Tax Law exemption was extended for the next 10 years and applies to newly constructed and re-constructed agricultural buildings through January 1, 2029. Since it was last renewed in 2008, the exemption for farm structures is estimated to have saved New York farmers more than $112.8 million. The exemption has helped support the growth of New York's agricultural industry by allowing farmers and growers to use the money saved to invest in their operations, purchase new equipment and modernize facilities, which increases the farms' competitiveness and profitability.

Click here for the full announcement. 

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Bernie Sanders Eyes ‘Bigger’ 2020 Presidential Run Despite Some Warning Signs


BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — An insurgent underdog no more, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is laying the groundwork to launch a bigger presidential campaign than his first, as advisers predict he would open the 2020 Democratic presidential primary season as a political powerhouse.

A final decision has not been made, but those closest to the 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist suggest that neither age nor interest from a glut of progressive presidential prospects would dissuade him from undertaking a second shot at the presidency. And as Sanders’ brain trust gathered for a retreat in Vermont over the weekend, some spoke openly about a 2020 White House bid as if it was almost a foregone conclusion.

“This time, he starts off as a front-runner, or one of the front-runners,” Sanders’ 2016 campaign manager John Weaver told The Associated Press, highlighting the senator’s proven ability to generate massive fundraising through small-dollar donations and his ready-made network of staff and volunteers.

Weaver added: “It’ll be a much bigger campaign if he runs again, in terms of the size of the operation.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Huffington Post

Politico's Gabby Orr and the Washington Post's Erica Werner Preview the Week Ahead in Washington

 
Click here for video. 

Source: C-SPAN

Remembering George H.W. Bush’s Inaction on AIDS at Home While Detaining HIV+ Haitians at Guantánamo


After Losing Most of Its Control in Iraq, ISIS is Starting to Reemerge


This report was published on YouTube on December 2.

Top US Navy Admiral Found Dead at Middle East Home


Colin Powell on George H.W. Bush: 'He Was Not Just My Boss, He Was My Friend'



Nigeria: Striking Teachers, Rigid Government and Students’ Misery