Source: FRANCE 24 English
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Macron, Trudeau Back 'Strong Multilateralism' Ahead of Contentious G7 Summit
Source: FRANCE 24 English
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Constitutional Experts Testify at War Powers Hearing
A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
subcommittee held a hearing on war powers granted by the Constitution
and whether or not a new Authorization for Use of Military Force is
needed for current U.S. military engagements. Attorneys and legal
experts from across the political spectrum, including Fox News Channel
analyst and former judge Andrew Napolitano, testified about Article I,
Section 8 of the Constitution which grants Congress the power to declare
war, and put forward several examples from history, including 2001's
Authorization for Use of Military Force, in which Congress gradually
forfeited its war powers to the Executive Branch.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
The 'I Am Woman' Series: Taraji P. Henson
Ms. Henson talks about how her dad encouraged her to be an
actress, what it was like to sing about pimps and whores at the Oscars,
and how she landed the role of "Cookie" in Empire in her Screen Test
interview with Editor at Large Lynn Hirschberg.
This video was published on YouTube on June 23, 2015.
Source: W magazine
Trailblazers in Black History: Countee Cullen
This video was published on YouTube on August 15, 2013.
Source: TheHpubtube
Remembering D-Day on the 74th Anniversary
At dawn 74 years ago today, American and allied troops landed on the
beaches of Normandy for D-Day, a turning point in World War II.
Source: CBS News
Friends, Family of Robert F. Kennedy Mark 50th Anniversary of His Death
Memorial event in Arlington National Cemetery honors the memory of the former senator and brother to President John F. Kennedy.
Source: ABC News
Source: ABC News
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
They Say Legal Guardians Ripped Them Off—and the State AG Let Them Down
It is a New Yorker’s nightmare: losing all that a family has worked
for, even down to the place they call home. But what if it was all taken
in the name of protection?
Ann Masotti, a born-and-raised Bronxite, says that she and her 31
year-old daughter have been “exiled” to Texas in the wake of a
protracted legal battle over the estate of her late ex-husband, Vito.
Ann and Vito adopted Andrea, nicknamed Andi, from Hungary when she was
six years old. Andi is autistic, and during the year after Vito’s death
in 2006 she experienced mental health troubles and became suicidal. She
was hospitalized multiple times and could not seem to stabilize.
Ann found a residential facility about 50 miles north of the city
that she believed could help, and sought to place Andi there. However,
this placement would have cost more than Ann says she could reasonably
afford. Ann asked the Westchester County Surrogate’s Court to allow her
to withdraw funds from Vito’s estate to pay for Andi’s treatment. Vito
had always intended for his estate to go to his daughter, says Ann, and
after he was diagnosed with cancer he set up a will and trust with his
long-time tax attorney specifying that intent.
Click here for the full article.
Source: CityLimits.org
Note: "The G-Man Interviews", the sister site to "From The G-Man", covered this issue in a 2017 episode entitled "Fraudulent Guardianships & Probate Courts".
Senator James Sanders, Jr: Recent Supreme Court Ruling Opposing Gays Sends Wrong Message to Business Owners
NEW YORK – Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens, NY) said the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling siding with a Colorado baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple raises concern among marginalized people, who could find themselves denied services because of one’s religious beliefs.
“Shop owners in the 1960s used faith as a way to discriminate against Black and Italian shoppers,” said Senator Sanders. “Business owners today should not think that the recent Supreme Court ruling is an excuse to use religion to deny any person, rightfully entitled to services, regardless of one’s race, skin color, ethnic origin, or even their religious affiliation.”
In a narrow decision, Justices Monday made their ruling leaving open the larger question, whether a business can discriminate against gay men and lesbians based on rights protected by the First Amendment.
Senator viewed the ruling as a potential threat to civil rights for all people.
“We must not let the steps our nation has made forward in equality, stumble us backwards because of one’s ignorance,” said Sanders.
The case, Masterpice Cakeshop vs. the Colorado Civil Rights Commission follows a 2012 incident when two men, married in Massachusetts, were looking for a wedding cake for a Colorado reception. Shop owner Jack Phillips refused David Mullins and Charlie Craig stating that he would not use his talents to convey a message of support for same-sex marriage. The Commission said Phillips violated a state law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Senator Sanders encourages people of all faiths and backgrounds to speak out against hatred, and not be dismayed by the Supreme Court ruling.
Source: The Office of State Senator James Sanders, Jr.
“Shop owners in the 1960s used faith as a way to discriminate against Black and Italian shoppers,” said Senator Sanders. “Business owners today should not think that the recent Supreme Court ruling is an excuse to use religion to deny any person, rightfully entitled to services, regardless of one’s race, skin color, ethnic origin, or even their religious affiliation.”
In a narrow decision, Justices Monday made their ruling leaving open the larger question, whether a business can discriminate against gay men and lesbians based on rights protected by the First Amendment.
Senator viewed the ruling as a potential threat to civil rights for all people.
“We must not let the steps our nation has made forward in equality, stumble us backwards because of one’s ignorance,” said Sanders.
The case, Masterpice Cakeshop vs. the Colorado Civil Rights Commission follows a 2012 incident when two men, married in Massachusetts, were looking for a wedding cake for a Colorado reception. Shop owner Jack Phillips refused David Mullins and Charlie Craig stating that he would not use his talents to convey a message of support for same-sex marriage. The Commission said Phillips violated a state law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Senator Sanders encourages people of all faiths and backgrounds to speak out against hatred, and not be dismayed by the Supreme Court ruling.
Source: The Office of State Senator James Sanders, Jr.
Cuomo Advances Legislation to Keep Guns Away from Those Who Pose a Danger
Earlier today, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an extreme risk protection order law that would prevent individuals determined by a court to be likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to themselves or others from purchasing, possessing, or attempting to purchase or possess any type of firearm, including hand guns, rifles, or shotguns.
Building on New York's already strongest in the nation gun laws, this legislation, which builds on prior legislative efforts, would make New York the first state in the nation to empower its teachers and school administrators to prevent school shootings by pursuing court intervention. More information is available here.
Source: NYGovCuomo
New York Moves to Join Lawsuit Against Federal Government
Governor Cuomo and New York Attorney General Underwood filed a motion to join a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for failing to fulfill its obligations.
Click here for the announcement.
Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Sobchak Talks to Sentsov by Video Linkup, Says He Refuses to End Hunger Strike
THE TRIAL: THE STATE OF RUSSIA VS OLEG SENTSOV
This report was originally published on May 31.
Politician Ksenia Sobchak said she talked to Oleh Sentsov, a
Ukrainian filmmaker imprisoned in Russia, via a video linkup and that he
refuses to end his hunger strike.
“I have just talked with Oleh Sentsov by video phone. I tried to
convince him to stop his hunger strike, but he is full of resolve and
asking me not to try to convince him to change his decision,” Sobchak
wrote on Twitter.
On May 16, Sentsov went on hunger strike, demanding that all Ukrainian citizens in custody in Russia be released.
Click here for the full article.
Sources: Arthouse Traiffic and Kyiv Post
Charlottesville Hate Marcher Elected by Republican Party
A Daily Beast Exclusive
James Allsup went from a ‘pro-white’ group to a post in the Washington state GOP, and no one in the party seems to have tried to stop him.
By Kelly Weill
An affiliate of a “pro-white” group who marched in Charlottesville
last year was elected to a Republican Party post in Washington state
last week, part of his campaign to take over the GOP for the alt-right.
James Allsup, 22, attended the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville,
Virginia, where white supremacists chanted anti-Semitic slogans and one
allegedly drove a car into a crowd, killing a protester and injuring
more. Allsup was filmed marching with Identity Evropa, an anti-immigrant
alt-right group. Fallout over the rally led to Allsup stepping down as
president of the Washington State University College Republicans, a
group he once boasted of taking over. Now he claims he’s on the way to
taking over the local GOP.
Immediately after his election Allsup said he was attending a Spokane GOP dinner headlined by former Rep. Jason Chaffetz
(who did not return The Daily Beast’s request for comment), and claimed
he or an associate were scheduled for a private meeting with an unnamed
congressperson.
On June 2, Allsup posted a picture of a
certificate on Facebook. “As of today I am officially an elected
official in the state of Washington and Republican party,” he wrote.
“Cool!”
Click here for the full article.
Ukraine Learning from Group Helping the Families of US War-Bereaved
(Click on photos to increase their size.)
By Askold Krushelnycky
One Ukrainian came to America’s capital over the Memorial Day weekend in May to learn about how Ukraine can do a better job honoring soldiers killed in combat and helping their survivors.
Helping survivors is where a U.S. group called TAPS — Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors — comes in. And its members are willing to share their experience with Ukraine, now suffering from Russia’s war since 2014, a conflict that has killed 10,500 Ukrainians and dismembered the nation.
Ukrainian Oleksii Lipiridi, an adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry for Social Policy, spent four days at this year’s TAPS seminar, which has been held annually for 24 years in Arlington, Virginia, just over the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
TAPS founder and president, Bonnie Carroll, is an air force reserve major whose husband, a U.S. Army general, was killed in 1992.
She told the Kyiv Post that she discovered the U.S. government has a good system for helping bereaved families in the immediate aftermath of their loss so that funerals go smoothly and people are made aware of financial and other benefits. However, beset by grief herself, she was surprised that there was no structured help from the government to help people cope with the emotional trauma of losing a spouse, child or sibling.
So if nobody was providing that service, Carroll decided she would do so and the TAPS organization was born in 1994.
Bonnie Carroll and Oleksii Lipiridi
It has since grown to embrace 75,000 members and inspired sister groups in 23 other countries; Ukraine is set to become the 24th.
One of Carroll’s core ideas is that only people who have had loved ones serving in the military taken from them can really understand what others like them are going through.
TAPS personnel who work with bereaved people have all lost someone in the military. The 120 volunteers comprising TAPS’ Survivor Care Team reach out to bereaved military family members, whose names and contact details are provided by the U.S. Department of Defense almost as soon as a fatal military casualty occurs.
Some already have experience as doctors, therapists, teachers and religious pastors and have acquired skills in working sensitively with people who are experiencing trauma and loss. TAPS also has short training courses to help people learn how to better console grief-stricken families.
The care team members then match up bereaved families with others in the local area. For example, a young bereaved woman with two children would be introduced to another woman with two children of a similar age. Carroll said that most introduced that way have remained long-term friends and continue to help one another in various practical as well as emotional ways.
Over the May 28 Memorial Day weekend, more than 2000 TAPS “survivors” from across the U.S. attended seminars about grief, the aftermath of loss and rebuilding their lives. There were also courses for those who wanted to become care team volunteers. Many high-ranking military officers and senior politicians visited the seminar to thank TAPS for its work. In 2015 President Barrack Obama presented Carroll with the the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in recognition of TAPS' work.
Hundreds of children attended and TAPS held a “Good Grief Camp” for them with games and crafts activities. Many helping out had lost a military parent when they themselves were kids.
Carroll said that TAPS is a nongovernmental organization funded by private donations and, while independent of the government, it works closely with the Department of Defense and other agencies involved with veterans’ affairs.
The US State Department put her in touch with Ukraine in 2014, the start of Russia’s war with the invasion of the Crimean peninsula and the eastern Donbas. But it wasn’t until March this year she first traveled to Kyiv talk with bereaved family members and government officials involved in veterans’ issues.
That was when Carroll and Lipiridi met.
Carroll said that, after some initial skeptical reactions, both the families of fallen service people and officials became enthusiastic about creating a Ukrainian version of TAPS.
Lipiridi witnessed war in Ukraine in 2014 as one of the volunteers delivering supplies to the ill-equipped fighters at the front lines, many of whom initially lacked basics such as uniforms, boots, food and medicines.
In 2015, he joined Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, organizing supplies to the front lines, which kept him visiting the trenches for the next two years and developing close connections with the fighters and learning about their families’ needs.
Lipiridi said in 2015 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko issued instructions that each of Ukraine’s oblasts should set up centers to help veterans and their families with their needs.
Lipiridi helped organize these and envisages they will work closely with a TAPS-type organization. But he insists the new network must be a nongovernmental organization, to specifically address the needs of relatives of Ukraine’s 4,000 dead soldiers, including the many who have committed suicide.
“Ukrainian community organizations," he said, "have not yet developed to the same extent as in America. We have groups trying to look after 10, 20, 50, perhaps 100 veterans’ families. But not like TAPS with 75,000 members.”
He said over the four days he spent at the TAPS conference he was impressed by the easy-going manner in which both adults and children struck up conversations with other members they had never met before.
“I saw the relationships between the people at the conference and the continuity as those who lost loved ones as kids use their experience to comfort children who lost parents recently. I recognized that TAPS works like a family – it behaves as a real family. And I want Ukraine to have such a family. Ukrainian people are generous and good. We have the wherewithal to create the sort of system that Bonnie started 24 years ago. The main question is how to work in practice. It’s necessary to publicize this among the bereaved families and to enlist their support to help one another – because only together can we move forward in order to educate our children, foster patriotism, develop respect for veterans and the families of those who have died.”
Along with thousands of others, Lipiridi visited Arlington Cemetery, close to the seminar venue, on the U.S. visit. People attended ceremonies or just wandered among the trim, white markers over the graves of some 420,000 veterans. The first dated from America’s own 1861-65 Civil War. Other conflicts included World Wars I and II, the Korean and Vietnam wars and the continuing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lipiridi said Arlington Cemetery symbolizes a tradition of respect for veterans and their families, developed and ingrained over many years. He said that a Ukrainian equivalent tradition might be a long way off, he hopes that he and Carroll can swiftly set up a TAPS-type organization in Ukraine. The two are planning to bring TAPS staff to Ukraine to collaborate with locals within the next months.
“There is an understanding on the part of Bonnie and our side that TAPS will be an essential part of how Ukraine addresses the needs of our own bereaved military families. And we are working to bring that about as soon as possible,” he said.
He said that whereas a Ukrainian equivalent of such an imposing resting place for the country’s military heroes might be a long way away, he and Carroll hope to swiftly get a TAPS-type organization working in Ukraine. The two are planning to bring TAPS staff over to Ukraine collaborate with locals within the next months.
“The there is an understanding on the part of Bonnie (Carroll) and our side that TAPS will be an essential part of how Ukraine addresses the needs of our own bereaved military families. And we are working to bring that about as soon as possible,” he said.
Askold Krushelnycky became the Kyiv Post’s Washington, D.C.
correspondent in May 2018. He has been a journalist for 40 years, mainly
with British newspapers starting in 1978. During the 1990s, he reported
in Europe on the fall of communism, political transformations and
conflicts, including the Balkans. From 1997 to 2011, he was based in
Moscow, but also served as chief editor of the Kyiv Post in 1998. He
then went to Prague. He was assistant foreign editor at The Sunday Times
of London and became that newspaper’s South Asia correspondent, based
in New Delhi, to cover India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. He
worked frequently in the Middle East. In 2006, his book “An Orange
Revolution – A Personal Journey Through Ukrainian History,” was
published by Random House/Harvill Secker. He was born in London. His
parents were World War II refugees from Ukraine. He received a
bachelor’s degree in industrial chemistry. In 2011, he and his wife
moved to Washington, D.C. He became a U.S. citizen in 2016.
Battle for House of Representatives a Toss-Up as Democrats Seek to Regain Majority
This report was published on YouTube on June 4.
Source: CBS News
Cutting-Edge Immunotherapy Treatment Removes All Traces of Cancer in Woman
This report was published on YouTube on June 4.
Source: CBS News
Russia 'Not Trying to Split EU', Says Putin
This report was published on YouTube on June 4.
Source: euronews.
World Environment Day: The Devastating Consequences of Illegal Electronic Waste Exports
Source: FRANCE 24 English
Eye on Africa: UN Warns South Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Severely Deteriorating
This report was published on YouTube on June 4.
Source: FRANCE 24 English
Monday, June 4, 2018
NYPD Conducting Warrant Searches During Medical Distress Calls
Civil Rights Attorney Urges Department
Officials to Reconsider Its Directive
Officials to Reconsider Its Directive
Exclusive
By Gary Glennell Toms
In 2016, the New York City Council passed legislation indicating that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) had to publish its Public Patrol Guide online to ensure transparency. According to a New York Daily News report, “The guide — which contains a slew of rules and procedures for cops to follow on everything from conducting a stop and frisk to handcuffing students at school or responding to a bicycle crash — will also have to be publicly updated within 24 hours whenever the department makes a change.”
Subsequently, in 2018, the publication reported that all NYPD officers would receive iPhones in effort to implement a hi-tech approach to fighting crime. New York City residents and legislators at the state and local level applauded these decisions, but From The G-Man has obtained an NYPD Interim Order/Revision that may pose serious concerns and questions about the department’s use of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus going forward.
On May 17, as per the order, officers throughout the five boroughs were instructed to use the department-issued phones to conduct warrant searches when responding to medical distress incidents, which are classified as “Aided” calls. People experiencing asthma and heart attacks, diabetic shock and other ailments are subject to the searches, even if no crimes or violations have been committed.
The 2018 New York City Police Department Public Patrol Guide procedure, listed on pages 181 through 183, is outlined in a revision to Patrol Guide (P.G.) 216-02, “Preparation of Aided Report”. The revision states, “In order to ensure the safety of all uniformed members of the service, when AIDED REPORTS are entered in the Finest Online Records Management System (FORMS), a search will automatically be conducted on Department mobile devices to alert members that an aided has a felony warrant or an INVESTIGATION CARD (PD373-163) labeled, ‘Perpetrator – Probable Cause to Arrest’.” Officers were also instructed to comply with the procedures listed under P.G. 208-3, Arrests – General Processing.
Revision to Patrol Guide (P.G.)
216-02, “Preparation of Aided Report”
(Click on the document to increase its size.)
(Click on the document to increase its size.)
From The G-Man presented the three-page section of P.G. 216-02 and the Interim Order to Andrew G. Celli, Jr., a New York City-based civil rights attorney and a founding partner with Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP, who provided the following assessment.
“The New York City Police Department’s decision to provide Investigation Card information to officers responding to calls for medical attention – information that could result in the police making an arrest without a warrant – is very concerning. Police officers not only enforce the law; they also assist people in times of emergency. Any policy that might discourage people from calling 911 in an emergency for fear that it will result in a warrantless arrest must be carefully considered. Moreover, the use of ‘I-Cards’ as a basis to arrest people is deeply problematic from a constitutional and civil liberties perspective in all events. I would urge the Department to reconsider the Interim Order in light of these constitutional concerns.”
On May 31, Jessica Tisch, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology, was contacted by email and asked to provide responses to the following questions.
NYPD officers started receiving iPhones four months ago. Were the phones paid for through the NYPD budget or some other entity?
According to an Interim Order/Revision of the New York City Police Department's 2018 Public Patrol Guide, Section 216-02 ("Preparation of Aided Report"), "a search will automatically be conducted on Department mobile devices to alert members that an aided has a felony warrant or an INVESTIGATION CARD (PD373-163) labeled, "Pepetrator - Probable Cause to Arrest". Why are NYPD officers conducting warrant searches on people in medical distress or when no crimes or violations have been committed?
Did Apple, Inc. create the software programs for the NYPD phones, including the one that enables the department to conduct warrant searches?
Tisch has not responded.
Apple, Inc. was also contacted via email. The aforementioned questions were posed to the multi-billion dollar company, but the following query was also submitted.
NYPD officers have been instructed to conduct warrant searches (via department-issued iPhones) on people in medical distress ("aideds"), even when no crimes or violations have been committed. Is Apple, Inc. aware of this? If not, what is the company's response?
The company has not responded.
If statements are submitted, From The G-Man will publish them in a follow-up report.
Supreme Court Sides With Colorado Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple
By Adam Liptak
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court sided
with a Colorado baker on Monday in a closely watched case pitting gay
rights against claims of religious freedom.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, writing for the majority in the 7-2 decision,
relied on narrow grounds, saying a state commission had violated the
Constitution’s protection of religious freedom in ruling against the
baker, Jack Phillips, who had refused to create a custom wedding cake
for a gay couple.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The New York Times
Statement from Governor Andrew Cuomo
"This Supreme Court ruling does nothing to lessen New York State's commitment to protecting the rights of the LGBTQ community. Discrimination of any kind is a poison, and in New York, we have zero tolerance for bigotry. It is illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity - period. New York has led the way championing the rights of the LGBTQ community, including becoming the first large state to pass marriage equality and adopting regulations banning harassment against transgender people. While it is particularly disheartening that this ruling came down during Pride month, we will never stop fighting to protect and strengthen the rights of all New Yorkers."
Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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