Trump Officials on Comey Memo: ‘Don’t See How Trump Isn’t Completely F*cked’

By Lachlan Markav, Asawin Suebsaeng and Jana Winter. 

If you come at James Comey, you best not miss.

The former FBI director—who President Donald Trump fired and then later threatened on Twitter last week—reportedly kept notes of their conversations, and some of those details are now making their way into public view. According to one of those memos, first reported by The New York Times on Tuesday, the president urged Comey to drop the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s former national security adviser.

The White House, through an anonymous press statement, flatly denied the Times’ reporting, which has since been confirmed by several other media organizations. (The Daily Beast could not immediately do so independently.) But the reported details already have some—including attorneys, members of Congress, and law enforcement officials—suggesting criminal wrongdoing.

“The obstruction of justice articles of impeachment counts are stacking up, it seems,” an active duty FBI agent told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. Firing Comey, the agent added, was a “big gamble. You’ve got to kill him, metaphorically. You can’t just wound him.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Daily Beast 

Guterres Says Success of UN Depends on Strong and United Europe

Source: euronews (in English)

Greeks Walk Out in General Strike Over New Austerity Measures

Source: euronews (in English)

 

Journalists in Mexico Protest After Javier Valdez Murder

Source: euronews (in English)

Deadly Dengue Epidemic Declared in Region of Peru

Source: euronews (in English

Facebook Fined By France's Data Protection Agency

Source: euronews (in English)

Why So Many Young Iranians Are Voting in Friday's Presidential Election

Source: euronews (in English)

Ukraine Blocks Russia's Answer to Facebook and Google

Source: euronews (in English

Vigilante Website Seeks to Expose Child Predators

By Ken Buffa

A private citizen is trying to protect children online, and he’s taking unusual steps to do it.

NBC Connecticut spoke to the founder of a controversial vigilante site that helped tip off authorities about racy conversations a West Hartford man allegedly had with what he thought was a teenage girl.

Click here for video. 

Source: NBC 4 New York 

Cuomo Releases Plan to Cut Methane Emissions

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced the Methane Reduction Plan, a suite of 25 actions to reduce methane emissions from the landfill, oil and gas, and agricultural sectors across the state. The plan will be implemented by the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation, Agriculture and Markets, Public Service, and the Energy Research and Development Authority, in conjunction with the Soil and Water Conservation Committee. The Governor is directing the state’s implementation of these actions by 2020 as part of New York State’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050, from 1990 levels.

"With this action, New York will continue to shrink our carbon footprint by reducing emissions that contribute to climate change," Governor Cuomo said. "This administration has made remarkable progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and with this plan, we take a major step in securing a cleaner, greener New York for all."

Methane is second only to carbon dioxide in its contribution to climate change. Representing almost 10 percent of the state’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, methane reduction is a key piece of New York’s policies to address the risks from climate change. The plan will lower methane emissions, establish more robust monitoring methods so that methane sources can be fully documented, increase support and knowledge sharing among agencies and partners, and seek stakeholder involvement to enhance current regulatory and funding programs.

In recent weeks, the federal government has taken steps to abandon three major efforts to address methane pollution. On March 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency dropped its development of a regulatory approach to reduce methane emissions from existing oil and gas infrastructure. EPA has also indicated that the agency is reconsidering its 2016 standards limiting emissions from new oil and gas development. In addition, In addition, the federal government is seeking to repeal or weaken Department of Interior rules to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas projects on federal lands.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s leadership on climate, New York State effectively leads the nation—and sets an example for world—when it comes to taking real action to address the threat of climate change. The Methane Reduction Plan will both reduce the emissions changing our climate and create new opportunities for food donations and organics recycling."

The plan will address many sources of methane emissions including:

Pursue methane reductions at both active and inactive landfills;

Limit methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas infrastructure;

Support energy production or capture and combustion of methane gas at farms and landfills;

Develop methane reduction criteria in state-funded programs for agriculture;

Deploy methane detection systems to enhance detection of leaks in residential areas; and

Utilize incentive programs for addressing methane leakage in utility and customer-owned pipelines that prioritize safety and climate change mitigation.

 
John B. Rhodes, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, "This is the latest step under Governor Cuomo’s leadership to ensure our environment is cleaner and healthier for all New Yorkers. The actions outlined in the Methane Reduction Plan to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions will help the State meet its nation-leading energy goals and provide cleaner air for generations to come."

To learn more, visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/99223.html.

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

NYPD Oversight Board Taps Top Prosecutor to Lead Agency

By Aidan Gardiner

NEW YORK CITY — The city's Civilian Complaint Review Board, which oversees the NYPD, tapped its top prosecutor to lead it, officials announced Monday.

Jonathan Darche, who began his public service career as a staffer for Sen. Chuck Schumer, was officially appointed as executive director about six months after he was tapped to be acting director when his predecessor resigned to go teach at Harvard.

"I am deeply humbled to accept this position. In my time at the agency, I've learned just how vital a role it plays in the lives of all New Yorkers, civilians and members of service alike," Darche said.

"All of us—the CCRB's staff, community members and police officers—have a part to play in improvising the climate around policing in our neighborhoods, strengthening accountability and restoring trust," he added.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: dnainfo.com (via The Empire Report)

New York: The ‘Worst State for Doctors’ Has a Dangerous Pre-existing Condition

by Thomas Stebbins

Another year, and another report naming New York the “Worst State for Doctors.” Time and time again, our state ranks dead last as a place for physicians to practice.

The primary reason for the Empire State’s strained relationship with the medical profession is the staggering cost of medical liability insurance. New York has the highest per capita medical liability payouts in the country. These payouts are 35 times higher, per capita, than they are in the lowest state. Nearly 20 percent of all the medical liability payouts in the U.S. are paid in New York, more than all of the medical liability payouts for the entire Midwest.

These costs drive doctors out of our state and weaken New Yorkers’ access to care. Since 2003, 16 hospitals in New York City have closed. To keep their doors open, some of the state’s remaining hospitals have opted to “go naked,” and not carry any medical liability insurance at all.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Gotham Gazette

New York State Assembly Expected to Pass Bill to Bring Single-Payer Health Care to Empire State

by Anthony Smith

On Tuesday, the New York State Assembly is scheduled to vote on Assembly Bill A4738 — the so-called New York Health Plan — a bill that, if signed into law, would make the Empire State the first in the nation to give its residents single-payer health care. 

Just as it did in 2015 and 2016, the measure is expected to easily pass the assembly by an overwhelming majority. And just as it did for the past two years, the bill has a difficult road ahead of it in the New York State Senate.

But this year, the bill has already won a crucial victory: For the first time ever, the move to bring single-payer to the state of New York has been cosponsored by every single member of the Independent Democratic Caucus, a controversial gang of Democrats in the New York State Senate that does not caucus with their party. This faction, along with a lone Democrat that caucuses with New York's GOP, has helped Republicans in New York's State Senate to thwart Democratic lawmakers' efforts in the past, despite the party's hair-thin majority in the state senate.

Click here for the full article.

Source: Mic.com (via The Empire Report) 

African-American Family’s Home Burned In Suspected Hate Crime

Congress Rattled by Reports Trump Tried to End Flynn Probe

 

by Leigh Ann Caldwell

Democrats pounced Tuesday night after a bombshell report that President Donald Trump asked FBI Director James Comey to halt his probe of Mike Flynn, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying the country "is being tested in unprecedented ways," while a number of key Republicans expressed growing concern.

"In a week full of revelation after revelation — on a day when we thought things couldn't get any worse, they have," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "I say to all of my colleagues in the Senate: History is watching." 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News  

Republicans Growing Increasingly Critical of Trump

National Security Adviser Defends President's Disclosure of Classified Information to Russians (Full Video)

 National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke to reporters about the recent report by the Washington Post claiming President Trump revelaed classified information to Russians officials during arecent White House meeting. He said the information shared was “wholly appropriate” and did not result in any compromise in national security and that President Trump was not briefed on the specific source of the intelligence. Mr. McMaster also gave an itinerary of the president’s first foreign trip to the Middel East and Europe. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

Senate Democratic Leader Calls for Release of Oval Office Meeting Transcript

Senator Chuck Schumer calls for the release ofan Oval Office meeting transcript after it was learned that the president divulged "highly classified" information about an ISIS plot to senior Russian officials during a meeting last week.

Source: C-SPAN

Nancy Pelosi Questions President's Fitness for Office

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi calls into question President Trump's fitness for office after it was revealed by the Washington Post that he divulged highly classified information about an ISIS plot to senior Russian officials in an Oval Office meetting last week. She also calls the president's actions "totally outrageous." 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

Chronic Illnesses and Health Care

Health care advocates along with Senators Brian Schatz and Roger Wicker, who are sponsoring new legislation to improve health care for people with chronic illnesses, testify on bill’s specifics and ensure accountability in the system.

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

Policing in Minority Communities

CBS News’s Jeff Pegues discusses his book focusing on the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color.

Source: C-SPAN

Sessions Pushes a Racist Agenda

A USA TODAY Op-Ed

By Piper Kerman

Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ directive to federal prosecutors last week to pursue the most severe penalties possible when charging a person with a crime was unsurprising coming from someone with his background and yet still stunning in its misdirection.

During his confirmation hearings, Sessions took great pains to deny allegations of racism. Yet this action, more than any other, raises questions about his sincerity.

Sessions says he wants to make America safer. Evidence shows that harsh punishment is the exact wrong way to go. In 2014, the National Research Council published an expansive report on The Growth of Incarceration in the United States that examined the dramatic rise of the prison population and its effects on our country. It concludes that “the evidence base demonstrates that lengthy prison sentences are ineffective as a crime control measure," and that we have long passed any point at which increasing incarceration made us safer or better.

The memo from Sessions puts the federal criminal system at odds with what many states and municipalities have recognized and worked to change; broad reliance on harsh punishment is profoundly counterproductive if what we want is public safety.

Click here for the full article. 

A Song for the Soul: 'Heritage of a Black Man' by Sam Dees

Lashon Amado: My Path Out of Poverty

 

This video was published on YouTube on July 14, 2015.

How can young people who grow up in neighborhoods with more liquor stores than grocery stores, more drug dealers than college students, and more funerals than weddings, break out of the cycle of poverty and achieve their full potential? Lashon Amado, one of our country's most inspirational young leaders, shares his moving, personal story of how YouthBuild USA helped him create a path out of poverty and live the American dream. 

Source: TEDx Talks

Obama's Advice to Teen Who Lost Brother to Gun Violence

Tre Bosley, a native of Chicago whose brother was a victim of gun violence, asked President Obama for his advice to kids growing up in areas surrounded by poverty and gun violence. The video was published on YouTube on January 7, 2016. 

Source: CNN

Frederick Douglass: 'What the Black Man Wants'

Trailblazers in Black History: Bernie Mac

This video was uploaded to YouTube on November 22, 2010.

Bill Cosby: Racism 'May Very Well' Have Played a Part in Sex Assault Allegations

White House Denies Trump Revealed Classified Information to Russian Officials

The White House is in crisis mode and issuing a carefully worded denial in the wake of accusations that President Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian officials in the Oval Office. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are demanding answers.  

Click here for video.

NBC national correspondent Peter Alexander reports for TODAY.

Trump Showed ‘Deficit of Discipline’ if He Revealed Info to Russians, Expert Says

 

NBC News senior national security contributor Juan Zarate says that while President Trump may have been trying to create trust with the Russians if he revealed highly classified information to them, the Russians aren’t trustworthy and could use the information against the U.S. NBC News political analyst Nicolle Wallace says that if Republicans in Congress decide Trump can’t be trusted with national security, “I don’t know how they proceed.” 

Click here for video.

Source: TODAY 

Disney Hit By Hackers Holding ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ for Ransom

New details are emerging about the massive ransomware attack wreaking havoc on computers all around the world. Meantime, Disney appears to be the latest major corporation to be targeted by hackers, who are threatening to leak the upcoming “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. 

Click here for video. 

NBC’s Tom Costello reports for TODAY.

How to Protect Yourself After Global Ransomware Attack

Following the massive cyber attack that targeted Windows XP users, NBC Nightly News’ Tom Costello explores how hackers break into systems and what you can do to protect yourself.

Britain's Labour Party Promises a Vote on Brexit Deal if it Wins Election

Source: euronews (in English)

New US Ambassador to Israel Sworn in Amid Diplomatic Row

Source: euronews (in English)

Henderson Island: Pacific Graveyard for Plastic Pollution

Source: euronews (in English)

Political Crisis in Venezuela Claims Two More Lives

Source: euronews (in English)

Award-Winning Journalist Javier Valdez Murdered in Mexico

Source: euronews (in English)

Palestinians Mark 69th Nakba Anniversary

Source: euronews (in English)

Action Taken to Protect New Yorkers from Discriminatory Auto Insurance Rates

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced a proposed regulation to protect New Yorkers from excessive and unfairly discriminatory auto insurance rates. Following an extensive investigation, the Department of Financial Services regulation prohibits insurers from using an individual’s occupational status or educational level as factors in setting rates, unless the insurer demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Superintendent of Financial Services that the use of these factors does not result in rates that are unfairly discriminatory.

"This new protection cracks down on this unfair practice that soaks drivers for not having a college degree or a high-paying job," Governor Cuomo said. "These metrics are discriminatory, have no relationship to how good a driver you are and should not be used as an excuse to overcharge New Yorkers."

The use of education and occupation in determining insurance rates can penalize drivers without college degrees or who work in low-wage jobs or industries.  The result is that drivers with higher education and income pay less for auto insurance with no evidence that they are better drivers. DFS’s multi-year investigation revealed that education and occupation were used without a clear demonstration of the required relationship between these factors and driving ability.

Financial Services Superintendent Maria T. Vullo said, “Under this proposed regulation, auto insurers cannot use educational and occupational status in their insurance underwriting, unless they can clearly demonstrate a plausible relationship to the risk of loss. Requiring insurers to openly justify the use of education and occupation data in setting rates will ensure that New Yorkers are not being charged higher rates due to factors outside their control as drivers.”

The DFS investigation revealed that some, but not all, insurers in New York use an individual’s education level and/or educational status in establishing initial tier placement.  As a result, classes of insureds have been placed in less favorably rated tiers, which may lead to higher premiums, without sufficient actuarial support that an individual’s education level and/or occupational status related to his or her driving ability or habits in such a way that the insurer would have a different risk of loss.

The proposed regulation prohibits an insurer from using drivers’ occupational status or education level as a factor in initial tier placement, unless the insurer demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Superintendent of Financial Services, that its use of occupational status or educational level attained in initial tier placement or tier movement does not result in a rate that violates Insurance Law provisions ensuring the public welfare by regulating insurance rates so they are not excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.

The proposed regulation, which is subject to a 45-day notice and public comment period following the May 17, 2017 publication in the New York State register, provides 180 days for insurers that had been using education level and occupational status in initial tier placement and tier movement to amend their multi-tier rating programs and tier movement.

A copy of the proposed regulation can be found here.

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

It’s About Time for Senator Jeff Klein and Mike Gianaris to Have a Serious Conversation

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York

You should know that it is sad to see the way in which the Leaders of the New York State Senate Democratic Conferences are allowing their Conferences to be the laughing stock of Albany.

It’s time for Senator Jeff Klein and Senator Mike Gianaris to sit down and have a serious conversation before they destroy the Regular and Independent Democratic Conferences, taking everybody down with them.

I, for one, learned my lesson in 2009 when I was a part of the Four Amigos: former Senators Pedro Espada, Carl Kruger, Hiram Monserrate, and myself. Our search for power and equality almost destroyed the Senate Democratic Conference.

Now, in 2017, we are starting to see how both Democratic Conferences have become the target of the press and the topic of the day.

It is sad to see how workaholics and dedicated public servants, like Senator Diane Savino and others, are being thrown under the bus just because other people ambition for power.

I have to say that Senator Diane Savino never misses a Committee meeting, and is present at every event she can possibly attend. She works hard and is dedicated to her duties and like others, deserves not only the stipend she receives, but more.

I am afraid that the power struggle and the personal dislike that Senator Jeff Klein and Senator Mike Gianaris feel toward each other could be the destruction of both Senate Democratic Conferences, taking other Members with them, even including some from the Republican Conference.

Ladies and gentlemen, the press is loving this. Since 2009, the press has been saying that Albany is full of corruption and that we are all corrupt. I am afraid that with these personal animosities, calling for investigations, and trying to destroy the reputations of others, we are going down the wrong path to achieve unity within the Democratic Conference and control of the Senate.

 

I would like to offer my 2 cents, and give my humble opinion to these two good Democratcs and distinguished Senators Gianaris and Klein who have always shown their commitment, love and dedication to their community and party.

They should sit down and put aside any personal animosities they may have for each other, and have a serious conversation about the future of the Senate Democratic Conferences. Otherwise we will go back to 2009, and I know what I'm talking about.

I am Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.