This report was published on YouTube on April 30.
Friday, May 1, 2020
Volunteers Across the Country Are Cooking Up Meals and Delivering Groceries to Families in Need
This report was published on YouTube on April 30.
Doctors Hit the Streets to Provide Free COVID-19 Testing in Philadelphia
This report was published on YouTube on April 29.
3-Year-Old Who Loves Sanitation Workers Gets Garbage Truck Parade for Birthday
This report was published on YouTube on April 30.
Couple Creates Free Food Pantry on Front Lawn for Neighbors in Need
This report was published on YouTube on April 30.
Holocaust Survivor Reunites with Family After COVID-19 Battle
CBS News: 94-year-old Jack Holzberg survived the Holocaust and COVID-19. When he was finally able to reunite with his family after beating the coronavirus, the health care workers who took care of him rolled out a red carpet.
Super Bowl Champ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Joins Front Lines of Coronavirus Battle
This report was published on YouTube on April 29.
9/11 Hero Who Had COVID-19 Leaves Hospital, Reunites with Wife
This report was published on YouTube on April 29.
NYC Comptroller Launches Campaign to Help Residents Collect Lost Wages
This report was published on YouTube on April 29.
The NYPL Presents....'Missing Sounds of New York'
The New York Public Library: The New York Public Library is excited to announce the release of our new album, Missing Sounds of New York,
and we want you to be among the first to listen. A collection of audio
landscapes that surround you with the familiar sounds of our normally
bustling city, this album is our love letter to New York City and the
New Yorkers who call it home.
Whether you're an essential worker on the front lines or a resident doing your part by staying home, we hope Missing Sounds of New York—and the array of other programs and services highlighted here—brings you some comfort during this difficult time.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Michigan Prison's 'Time Bomb' - Infection Rate as High as 87%
The Huffington Post: A new lawsuit accuses the state Department of Corrections of allowing the rampant spread of the coronavirus.
Click here for the report.
New York 'Grannie' Reports on Dire Conditions at US-Mexico Border
The following statement was submitted by Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden.
In the past few months, as families and individuals who are seeking asylum in the United States remain trapped in uncertainty across the border, in Mexico, the result of the Trump administration’s “remain in Mexico” policy (ironically known, officially, as Migrant Protection Protocols or M.P.P.), needs have risen exponentially for food and supplies, legal assistance, schooling for children, and medical care to support the growing population of those awaiting outcomes of their asylum requests.
Grannies from across the country have responded, traveling to the border to volunteer with the population of asylum seekers who are encamped there, waiting for their cases to be adjudicated.
Now, unfortunately, with the advent of the coronavirus and COVID-19, the health of those seeking asylum, and those dedicated to assisting them, has become of paramount concern, and volunteer organizations have been forced to either halt services for the time being, or to severely curtail them.
Add to that reports that the Mexican government plans to relocate the 2,000 inhabitants of the tent camp to a stadium four miles away and the disturbing news that Trump has, by executive order, suspended the issuance of green cards for 60 days, it is uncertain how volunteers will be able to continue supporting the community.
Below is a personal account and reflections from a New York-based Grannies Respond volunteer who recently traveled to the border to help. We can all find inspiration in her account, as we await an uncertain future.
Grannies from across the country have responded, traveling to the border to volunteer with the population of asylum seekers who are encamped there, waiting for their cases to be adjudicated.
Now, unfortunately, with the advent of the coronavirus and COVID-19, the health of those seeking asylum, and those dedicated to assisting them, has become of paramount concern, and volunteer organizations have been forced to either halt services for the time being, or to severely curtail them.
Add to that reports that the Mexican government plans to relocate the 2,000 inhabitants of the tent camp to a stadium four miles away and the disturbing news that Trump has, by executive order, suspended the issuance of green cards for 60 days, it is uncertain how volunteers will be able to continue supporting the community.
Below is a personal account and reflections from a New York-based Grannies Respond volunteer who recently traveled to the border to help. We can all find inspiration in her account, as we await an uncertain future.
Original Grannie Valerie Carlisle volunteers in Matamoros, Mexico.
Matamoras: Families Are Stuck There Due to the
United States’ Current 'Remain in Mexico' Policy
United States’ Current 'Remain in Mexico' Policy
By Valerie Carlisle
Matamoras. Four quarters in the turnstile and you can walk the bridge to Mexico. Staring through the chain link fence, the Rio Grande doesn’t look so grand at all. It looks like an insignificant river, greenish brown, sluggish and rather narrow. But for the asylum seekers marooned in Matamoros’ tent camps, it’s as wide as the Pacific Ocean, and as difficult and as dangerous to cross. The families are stuck there due to the United States’ current “Remain in Mexico” policy, AKA Migrant Protection Policy, (MPP), a misnomer if there ever was one.
When I announced that I was going to the first day of an ongoing action, “Witness at the Border,” others from Poughkeepsie’s Reunite Migrant Families jumped on board as well. In the end there were five of us who went to witness and volunteer in Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico. It was quite a trip. The word, transformative, is about as close as I can call it.
Dropping those four quarters in the turnstile, we walked across a man-made border to a land of tents, of families, of desperation, and of hope. At our first furtive glances, one almost felt like one was at Yogi Bear’s Happy Campgrounds until the crowded tent-upon-tent-upon-tent, tattered tarps and black plastic, concrete and dirt, clothes hanging helter-skelter from lines and fences, and the friendly but very tired faces revealed the desperate situation. Given the same government security threat as visiting Syria, we oddly felt rather safe as the sun shone, but knew we would not want to be here after sunset, when stories of kidnappings, beatings and rape were real.
Over our limited days, we experienced the happy chaos of “La Escuelita de La Banqueta”, a sidewalk school run by volunteers who trucked books and snacks by wagon across the bridge. We shared storytelling, puppets and more with the children asylum seekers. They were just like children everywhere and excited and happy to participate.
Our friends had been generous with our GoFundMe Border fundraiser and we were able to donate supplies and money to the incredible grassroots organizations there: Team Brownsville, Angry Tias and Abuelas, the Sidewalk School and two shelters, the Humanitarian Respite Center and La Posada Providencia. The tents, the dinners, every daily need are all supplied by volunteers and donations with little to no help by either the U.S. or Mexican government.
Most importantly, we witnessed, which is, as Josh Rubin says, “The subversive act of seeing.” We rallied at the foot of the bridge under the unfortunate sign that reads “Welcome to the United States of America,” we sat in the phony asylum tent courts where out of about 11,000 cases, 11 were granted asylum, and we witnessed Matamoros where desperate people hold onto a whisper of hope in desperate conditions.
Not exactly a welcoming scenario, but I can only urge others to go also. Go Witness at the Border. Grannies Respond can help you plan. For information, visit Grannies Respond. Go see, volunteer with meal preparation, engage the children, and support the efforts of the grassroots organizations. It’s not that hard to do, you can do it safely, and I can guarantee that you will not regret your efforts.
You will be transformed.
When I announced that I was going to the first day of an ongoing action, “Witness at the Border,” others from Poughkeepsie’s Reunite Migrant Families jumped on board as well. In the end there were five of us who went to witness and volunteer in Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico. It was quite a trip. The word, transformative, is about as close as I can call it.
Dropping those four quarters in the turnstile, we walked across a man-made border to a land of tents, of families, of desperation, and of hope. At our first furtive glances, one almost felt like one was at Yogi Bear’s Happy Campgrounds until the crowded tent-upon-tent-upon-tent, tattered tarps and black plastic, concrete and dirt, clothes hanging helter-skelter from lines and fences, and the friendly but very tired faces revealed the desperate situation. Given the same government security threat as visiting Syria, we oddly felt rather safe as the sun shone, but knew we would not want to be here after sunset, when stories of kidnappings, beatings and rape were real.
Over our limited days, we experienced the happy chaos of “La Escuelita de La Banqueta”, a sidewalk school run by volunteers who trucked books and snacks by wagon across the bridge. We shared storytelling, puppets and more with the children asylum seekers. They were just like children everywhere and excited and happy to participate.
Our friends had been generous with our GoFundMe Border fundraiser and we were able to donate supplies and money to the incredible grassroots organizations there: Team Brownsville, Angry Tias and Abuelas, the Sidewalk School and two shelters, the Humanitarian Respite Center and La Posada Providencia. The tents, the dinners, every daily need are all supplied by volunteers and donations with little to no help by either the U.S. or Mexican government.
Most importantly, we witnessed, which is, as Josh Rubin says, “The subversive act of seeing.” We rallied at the foot of the bridge under the unfortunate sign that reads “Welcome to the United States of America,” we sat in the phony asylum tent courts where out of about 11,000 cases, 11 were granted asylum, and we witnessed Matamoros where desperate people hold onto a whisper of hope in desperate conditions.
Not exactly a welcoming scenario, but I can only urge others to go also. Go Witness at the Border. Grannies Respond can help you plan. For information, visit Grannies Respond. Go see, volunteer with meal preparation, engage the children, and support the efforts of the grassroots organizations. It’s not that hard to do, you can do it safely, and I can guarantee that you will not regret your efforts.
You will be transformed.
Mayor Breaks Up Crowd at Rabbi’s Funeral: Latest Updates
The New York Times: Mayor Bill de Blasio called the gathering in Brooklyn “unacceptable,” but some leaders accused him of a double standard.
Click here for the report.
Cuomo Faults Others Over Virus
The New York Times: The governor accused various world and federal health groups, as well as the news media, of not sufficiently warning the world of the coronavirus outbreak.
Click here for the report.
Ex-Union Boss Norman Seabrook Seeks New Trial
Cites FBI Investigation of Notorious de Blasio Donor Jona Rechnitz
Click here for the full article.
Source: The New York Daily News
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
COVID-19 in Canada: Justin Trudeau Takes Questions in 'Virtual' House of Commons
Global News: In a first for Canadian Parliamentary democracy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took questions from Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer via video link, moderated by the Speaker of the House as would be the case during Question Period in the House of Commons.
Scheer questioned Trudeau on several issues directly related to the novel coronavirus outbreak, including the delivery of vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to frontline healthcare workers.
About 90 per cent of the country's 338 MPs have dialled in to Canada's first-ever virtual House of Commons session.
On Tuesday morning, the federal health agency reported 49,014 confirmed cases of the coronavirus across the country, and 2,766 deaths linked to the virus so far.
Thunderbirds and Blue Angels New York City Flyover
NBC New York: The Air Force and Navy demonstration squadrons are flying over New York and New Jersey to honor COVID-19 first responders.
Top E.R. Doctor Who Treated Virus Patients Dies by Suicide
Dr. Lorna M. Breen
The New York Times: “She tried to do her job, and it killed her,” said the father of Dr.
Lorna M. Breen, who worked at a Manhattan hospital hit hard by the
coronavirus outbreak.
Click here for the report.
They’re Still Working at the Airports, and They’re Scared
The New York Times: At least 17 workers at New York’s airports have died from the coronavirus, and dozens more have been infected.
Click here for the report.
Monday, April 27, 2020
New Evidence Supporting Credibility of Tara Reade’s Allegation Against Joe Biden Emerges
By Ryan Grim
A new piece of evidence has emerged
buttressing the credibility of Tara Reade’s claim that she told her
mother about allegations of sexual harassment and assault related to her
former boss, then-Sen. Joe Biden. Biden, through a spokesperson, has
denied the allegations. Reade has claimed to various media outlets,
including The Intercept, that she told her mother, a close friend, and
her brother about both the harassment and, to varying degrees of detail,
the assault at the time. Her brother, Collin Moulton, and her friend,
who has asked to remain anonymous, both confirmed that they heard about
the allegations from Reade at the time. Reade’s mother died in 2016, but
both her brother and friend also confirmed Reade had told her mother,
and that her mother, a longtime feminist and activist, urged her to go
to the police.
In interviews with The Intercept, Reade also mentioned that her
mother had made a phone call to “Larry King Live” on CNN, during which
she made reference to her daughter’s experience on Capitol Hill. Reade
told The Intercept that her mother called in asking for advice after
Reade, then in her 20s, left Biden’s office. “I remember it being an
anonymous call and her saying my daughter was sexually harassed and
retaliated against and fired, where can she go for help? I was
mortified,” Reade told me.
Reade couldn’t remember the date or the year of the phone call, and
King didn’t include the names of callers on his show. I was unable to
find the call, but mentioned it in an interview with Katie Halper,
the podcast host who first aired Reade’s allegation. After the podcast
aired, a listener managed to find the call and sent it to The Intercept.
Click here for the full report.
Source: The Intercept_
White House Press Secretary Lashes Out at Media Over Light and Disinfectant Questions
The Hill: During a press gaggle, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters asking about President Trump's light and disinfectant comments to find a new story.
Coronavirus and the Future of Health Policy
C-SPAN: Marilyn Werber Serafini talked about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on current and future health care policy.
Coronavirus and the Agriculture Industry
C-SPAN: Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, discusses the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in his home state and the agriculture industry as a whole.
Is Race a Pre-Existing Condition?
By The Underground Railroad Education Center
“When white folks catch a cold, black folks get pneumonia”: an old saying to describe the often unequitable effect of an economic downturn on the Black community. Does it actually bear some truth in the field of public health as well? It appears so. The effects of the novel Coronavirus have been devastating across all spectrums of race, income, gender, and age, but as the weeks wear on, data begins to tell an age-old story of inequality: African Americans are falling ill and dying at much higher rates than any other group in our country, which begs the question: why?
A closer examination of the history of epidemiology in our country tells us this isn’t the first time Black Americans are sicker and more prone to die from infectious disease during epidemics. Before our country was even a nation, inhumanity brought disease to our shores. In the 16th century, European colonization and the African slave trade imported smallpox into the Caribbean and Central and South America. In the 17th century, European colonization imported the disease into North America, decimating indigenous communities.
Click here for the full article.
Source: Daily Kos
In Memoriam: Richard Hake
The following statement was submitted by Goli Sheikholeslami, President and CEO of
New York Public Radio.
Dear Friends,
I write with great sadness to share that Richard Hake, the beloved host of WNYC’s Morning Edition, passed away suddenly on Friday. This is a tremendous loss for the entire New York Public Radio community, and the city of New York.
I write with great sadness to share that Richard Hake, the beloved host of WNYC’s Morning Edition, passed away suddenly on Friday. This is a tremendous loss for the entire New York Public Radio community, and the city of New York.
You may have already heard this difficult news on our air, but I wanted to be in touch with you directly to share.
Richard worked at WNYC for almost three decades, and he truly loved serving our audiences. The note below was posted on our website yesterday, and we are collecting your reflections online—on WNYC.org, Gothamist.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
For all of us at New York Public Radio and in WNYC’s listening community, Richard was one of the first voices we heard every morning. As the host of Morning Edition, he brought us the news, welcomed the new day, and helped us get ready for whatever lay ahead. It was the position he always wanted, and he worked very hard to get there. He loved to say he “woke up New York,” and he brought the same warmth and generosity to listeners that he shared with his colleagues everyday.
Richard worked at WNYC for nearly 30 years as a host, reporter, and producer. He was an extraordinary broadcaster and journalist who had a passion for excellence, and who took great pride in serving our audience. We will remember him very warmly.
We know this incredibly difficult news is made only more challenging by our inability to be together in person. The newsroom is planning a tribute to celebrate Richard’s incredible legacy.
The entire senior leadership team is here for you.
Thank you, as always, for your friendship and support.
From The G-Man and The G-Man Interviews salute the legacy of Richard Hake and his contribution to journalism and New York City. May he forever rest in peace.
As N.Y. Deaths Fall, Region’s Reopening Plan Takes Shape: Live Updates
The New York Times: The governors of New York and New Jersey have begun to provide more details on what reopenings will look like in their states.
Click here for the report.
Happening in Harlem: The State of Indie Film in the Wake of COVID-19
Click on the flier to increase its size.
Click here on the scheduled date to take part in the event.
Source: ImageNation