Shake-Up at Democratic National Committee, Longtime Officials Ousted

 

by Alex Seitz-Wald 

WASHINGTON — A shake-up is underway at the Democratic National Committee as several key longtime officials have lost their posts, exposing a still-raw rift in the party and igniting anger among those in its progressive wing who see retaliation for their opposition to DNC Chairman Tom Perez.

The ousters come ahead of the DNC's first meeting, in Las Vegas, Nevada, since Perez took over as chairman with a pledge this year to unite a party that had become badly divided during the brutal Bernie Sanders-Hillary Clinton 2016 primary race.

Complaints began immediately after party officials saw a list of Perez's appointments to DNC committees and his roster of 75 "at-large" members, who are chosen by the chair.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News 

Frmr. CIA Director John Brennan: Trump's Tweets Have Led to Escalation of Tensions with North Korea

AG Sessions Says He Hasn't Met with Robert Mueller

This video was published on YouTube on October 18. 

Source: CBS News

Secretary of State Speaks with Journalist About Trump's Tweets

This video was published on YouTube on October 18. 

Source: CBS News

Health Department Warns Santa Rosa Residents to Stay Indoors, Avoid Toxic Smoke from Wildfires

This video was published on YouTube on October 18. 

Source: CBS News

In Memoriam: Michele Marsh

Emmy Award-Winning TV News Anchor Dies at 63

By Graham Rayman 

Michele Marsh, a longtime fixture in local TV news and something of a pioneer for women anchors, died Tuesday, her family said. She was 63.

The Emmy Award-winning Marsh died after a seven-year battle with breast cancer at her home in South Kent, Conn., her son John Paschall, 25, said.

Paschall said about two weeks ago, Marsh’s health began deteriorating. Doctors found that cancer had spread to her brain and the family brought her home.

“She fought an incredible fight, and she beat all the odds against her,” Paschal said. “The doctors thought she wouldn't see me graduate and wouldn’t see me get married, and she did both of those things.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The New York Daily News (via The Empire Report)

From The G-Man salutes Ms. Marsh's legacy and life with the the following video. May she forever rest in peace.

Source: WCBS-TV New York

Rev. Al Sharpton and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson Discuss Trump's Remarks to Widow of Fallen Soldier

In the wake of President Trump’s insensitive comments earlier this week to the widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson, one of four Green Berets killed while on duty in Niger, National Action Network Founder and President Rev. Al Sharpton spoke with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-FL) of the 24th District of Miami, Florida on “Keepin’ it Real with Al Sharpton”. 

During the October 17 interview, Congresswoman Wilson revealed President Trump’s condolence telephone call to the press and was subsequently the target of public ridicule by the President.  

Rep. Wilson described that President Trump told the widow that her husband “knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurt.” President Trump responded by saying Rep Wilson lied and that he has proof Wilson fabricated her claim, but neither he nor the White House has provided any evidence to the contrary.

To listen to the full interview with Rev. Sharpton, click here. 

Source: Mercury

Trump’s Travel Ban Suffers Another Defeat as Judges Say Threat of Discrimination “Still Intact”

Source: Democracy Now!

Asking People In North Korea What They Think About War

This video was published on YouTube on August 15, 2017.

Source: Vice News

Xi Jinping, China's President, is the World's Most Powerful Man

 

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

Is Xi Jinping the worlds most powerful man? The world's balance of power is shifting. For the past five years president Xi Jinping, China's leader, has ruled with an iron fist and has been pursing a new model of great power relations. 

Source: The Economist

Malta Journalist Killed: Nothing Has Changed Since the Panama Papers

Source: FRANCE 24 English

Catalonia Referendum: Spain Calls Extraordinary Cabinet Meeting After Catalan Leader’s Threat

Source: FRANCE 24 English

China's Third Quarter GDP Growth Meets Expectations

Source: FRANCE 24 English

Japan Snap Election: Who Are the Main Candidates?

Source: FRANCE 24 English

Civil Rights Leader Al Sharpton Says Trump ‘Plays’, ‘Channels’ Racism

Source: FRANCE 24 English

Trump Campaign Staffers Pushed Russian Propaganda Days Before the Election

Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump Jr. pushed messages from an account operated from Russia’s “troll farm”—including allegations of voter fraud a week before Election Day.

By Betsy Woodruff, Ben Collins, Kevin Poulsen and Spencer Ackerman

Some of the Trump campaign’s most prominent names and supporters, including Trump’s campaign manager, digital director and son, pushed tweets from professional trolls paid by the Russian government in the heat of the 2016 election campaign.

The Twitter account @Ten_GOP, which called itself the “Unofficial Twitter account of Tennessee Republicans,” was operated from the Kremlin-backed “Russian troll farm,” or Internet Research Agency, a source familiar with the account confirmed with The Daily Beast.

The account’s origins in the Internet Research Agency were originally reported by the independent Russian news outlet RBC. @Ten_GOP was created on November 19, 2015, and accumulated over 100 thousand followers before Twitter shut it down. The Daily Beast independently confirmed the reasons for @Ten_GOP's account termination.

The discovery of the now-unavailable tweets presents the first evidence that several members of the Trump campaign pushed covert Russian propaganda on social media in the run-up to the 2016 election.

A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment, “for privacy and security reasons."

Two days before election day, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway tweeted a post by @Ten_GOP regarding Hillary Clinton’s email.

“Mother of jailed sailor: 'Hold Hillary to same standards as my son on Classified info' #hillarysemail #WeinerGate” the tweet reads.

Click here for the full article.. 

Source: The Daily Beast 

The Power of the Pen: Bills Signed Into Law

On Wednesday October 18, 2017, the President signed into law:

S. 178, the “Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act,” which establishes certain requirements for the Department of Justice with respect to investigating and prosecuting elder abuse crimes; and amends Federal criminal law to expand telemarketing fraud to include “email marketing” fraud;

S. 652, the "Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2017," which reauthorizes and modifies two Department of Health and Human Services programs for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment regarding deaf and hard-of-hearing newborns, infants, and young children; and

H.R. 1117, which requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit a report to the Congress on plans to improve the administration of disaster assistance during the response to an emergency or disaster.  

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

Biden Calls Trump's Conduct 'Absolutely Bizarre'

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

Source: CBS News

Trump Rejects Health Insurer ‘Bail Out’ — After Praising It

 

by Benjy Sarlin

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump disavowed a bipartisan health care agreement on Wednesday, delivering it a likely fatal blow only a day after he praised its approach and said he had personally encouraged its negotiation.

Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., had spent weeks working on the bill, which was designed to stabilize insurance markets under Obamacare by guaranteeing cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments that Trump had recently cut off. In exchange for Republican cooperation, Democrats would agree to modest measures loosening Obamacare regulations and allowing insurers to sell less comprehensive plans to more customers.

In a tweet Wednesday, Trump thanked Alexander and Murray for their efforts, but said he "can never support bailing out [insurance companies]." 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News  

Goodell Hails ‘Unprecedented’ Talks as NFL Players, Owners Meet

 

by Phil McCausland

Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday that the National Football League is having "unprecedented conversations" after owners and players met amid ongoing protests during the national anthem.

"We just had two days of conversation with our owners. Our clubs all see this the same way. We all want our players to stand," Goodell said at a news conference, adding that he understood why some people were upset that some players weren't standing for the anthem. 

But he said the league wouldn't force players to stand during the national anthem — instead, he said, the league and the owners continue to listen to the athletes and discuss the issues they are concerned about. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News 

Trump’s Mine-Safety Nominee Ran Coal Firm Cited for Illegal Employment Practices

Records show the coal mining company formerly run by David Zatezalo retaliated against a foreman who complained of harassment and unsafe conditions.

by Robert Faturechi

The coal mining company run by President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the nation’s top mining regulator has already come under criticism for weaknesses in its safety record. It turns out the company was also found by the government to have illegally retaliated against a foreman who complained about sexual and ethnic harassment from supervisors, unsafe conditions and drug use at one of its mines.

The little-noticed case involved a foreman at a mine operated by Rhino Energy WV. At the time, the president of the mine’s parent company, Rhino Resource Partners, was David Zatezalo, who is now Trump’s nominee to run the Mine Safety and Health Administration. A Senate committee is scheduled to vote on his nomination Wednesday.

In the West Virginia case, Michael Jagodzinski, a foreman at the mine located near the town of Bolt, complained in 2011 that he was the target of ethnic and gay slurs. The company illegally retaliated against him, falsely accusing him of sexual harassment, and then fired him, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found. As a result, Rhino Energy WV entered into a five-year consent decree last year, agreeing to pay $62,500 to Jagodzinski and implement reforms, including a policy against harassment and training for all managers and employees on prohibitions against discrimination and retaliation. The company also agreed to report how it handles any internal complaints of discrimination to federal regulators, and post notices about the settlement at all mine sites.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: ProPublica

Conflict Mounts Inside Voting Fraud Commission in the Wake of Child Porn Arrest

 

Two commissioners say they were in the dark not only about the arrest of a researcher for the commission — but also about the fact that he was working there in the first place. 

By Jessica Huseman

The arrest, on child pornography charges, of a researcher for the controversial Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity is intensifying conflict inside the group, with two Democratic members asserting again that a small band of conservatives holds disproportionate power. The researcher, Ronald Williams II, who was arrested late last week, previously worked as an intern at the Department of Justice on a case with J. Christian Adams, who is now a Republican member of the commission.

Democratic commissioner Matt Dunlap contends Williams’ involvement with the commission is the latest in a series of discoveries suggesting a few conservative members wield outsize clout; Dunlap claims that Democratic members have been largely excluded from planning. Today he wrote a letter to the commission demanding information.

“I am seeking information because I lack it,” stated the letter, a copy of which was given to ProPublica. “I am in a position where I feel compelled to inquire after the work of the Commission upon which I am sworn to serve, and am yet completely uninformed as to its activities.” The letter demanded copies of “any and all communication between members of the commission” beginning in May.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: ProPublica

214 Additional New York State Master Teachers Selected

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced the selection of 214 educators from across the state to join the New York State Master Teacher Program. These educators will join the network of Master Teachers created in 2013, bringing the total number of Master Teachers across New York State to 908. The incoming group of Master Teachers includes 26 teachers with certification in two STEM content disciplines and 14 teachers certified in Technology Education offering various courses in Computer Science and Technology.

"I congratulate all 214 educators who have joined the program during this latest round, and look forward to their success as they continue to shape and inspire the next generation of Empire State leaders," Governor Cuomo said. "The Master Teacher Program has already recognized and supported the growth of more than 900 teachers across the state, and with the opening of the next round of applications, we look forward to honoring these outstanding STEM teachers."

"The New York State Master Teacher Program continues to show New York's commitment to developing a strong relationship with educators who are dedicated to their craft, act as leaders for colleagues and other industry professionals, and incite passion for STEM learning for their students," said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. "I am excited about the opportunity for the Master Teachers and the partnerships we will create with education faculty at SUNY campuses across New York State."

The 214 Master Teachers are dedicated professionals who teach science, technology, engineering, and math courses including advanced placement, honors, Regents and International Baccalaureate levels. The selected Master Teachers have been in the teaching profession an average of 13 years. Over 65 percent have been in the classroom for ten or more years, and 10 percent have been teaching for more than 20 years. They represent 140 school districts and teach at the middle and high school levels. Many Master Teachers developed interdisciplinary STEM courses in their districts and use resources in their local communities to encourage more students to pursue STEM studies and careers.

All Master Teachers are active beyond their classrooms, serving as curriculum department leaders or on district committees. They are also sponsors of STEM clubs, Science Olympiad competitions and robotics teams, and school community service organizations as well as coaches, school gardeners, and PTA members. The Master Teachers hold leadership roles in New York State STEM professional associations, and many have received awards and public recognition for their teaching from their peers and communities.

The Master Teacher Program is hosted at a SUNY campus to leverage the expertise of the University's faculty and existing educator preparation programs. The number of teachers from each regional cohort and the respective partner SUNY campus are:

    Capital Region: 131 (University at Albany)
    Central New York: 95 (SUNY Cortland)
    Finger Lakes: 108 (SUNY Geneseo)
    Long Island: 103 (Stony Brook University)
    Mid-Hudson Valley: 80 (SUNY New Paltz)
    Mohawk Valley: 77 (SUNY Oneonta)
    North Country: 65 (SUNY Plattsburgh)
    Southern Tier: 117 (Binghamton University)
    Western New York: 101 (SUNY Buffalo State)
    New York City: 31 (in partnership with Math for America)

A list of the 214 teachers and their school districts from this latest round is available here, and a full list of all Master Teachers is available here.

Governor Cuomo also announced the opening of the next round of applications for Master Teachers in all regions, which expands to include a cohort dedicated to computer science teachers. This round of applications welcomes outstanding K-12 STEM teachers to apply here. Eligible Computer Science teachers - in all grades - are especially encouraged to apply.

Throughout their four-year participation in the Program, Master Teachers receive: a $15,000 stipend annually; engage in peer mentoring and intensive content-oriented professional development opportunities throughout the academic year; work closely with pre-service and early career teachers to foster a supportive environment for the next generation of STEM teachers; and attend required regional cohort meetings, participate in and lead several professional development sessions each year.

The deadline for applications is February 24, 2018. Additional information about the application requirements and process is available here.

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Rosa Clemente on Puerto Ricans Drinking Toxic Water & San Juan Mayor’s Message to the Diaspora

Source: Democracy Now!

Trailblazers in Black History: Mychael Knight

(April 11, 1978 – October 17, 2017)

This video was published on YouTube on December 6, 2012.  

From The G-Man salutes Mr. Knight for his contribution to the fashion industry and America. May he forever rest in peace.

Source: SMNvideoarchives

Philando Castile Fund Pays Off Student Lunch Debts in Minnesota

 

by Foluke Tuakli

A memorial fund set up in honor of Philando Castile has raised enough money to pay off lunch debts at schools across St. Paul, Minnesota for one year.

 

Philando Feeds the Children, an online crowdfunding venture started by Metropolitan State University psychology professor Pam Fergus, had raised more than $75,000 on Tuesday afternoon — $70,000 more than the original goal of $5,000. Because of the momentum of the campaign, organizers have increased their goal to $100,000 in order to maximize their lunch debt relief efforts for students across Minnesota.

"This fund really speaks to exactly who Philando Castile was as a passionate school nutrition leader," Stacy Koppen, director of the district's nutrition services told NBC News. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News 

Hate Crime Charged in Fatal Stabbing of Black Maryland Student

Richard Collins III 

by Phil Helsel

A grand jury in Maryland returned a hate crime indictment against a white University of Maryland student charged with fatally stabbing a black student at another college in May, the prosecutor said.

Sean Urbanski, 22, had already been charged with murder and faced a potential sentence of life in prison in the fatal stabbing of Richard Collins III, a student at Bowie State University who had been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. Collins was visiting friends at the University of Maryland's campus in College Park when he was killed.

Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks said Tuesday that the grand jury returned an indictment on an additional charge of hate crime resulting in death after digital evidence was found on Urbanski's phone and in other places. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News

Exiled Putin Rival Ties Kushner Meeting to Kremlin Bankers

Florida’s State of Emergency Reflects Post-Charlottesville Fears

 

by Jon Schuppe

How does one man prompt a state of emergency in Florida? The answer, in a word, is Charlottesville.

With white nationalist Richard Spencer taking his provocative message to public universities and with protesters vowing to confront him, authorities are struggling to avoid a repeat of the fatal violence that erupted in August at the University of Virginia.

Some schools have refused to host him, citing security concerns, a move that risks violating the First Amendment. Those that don't turn him away have to figure out how to make sure no one gets hurt, or killed. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News  

Getting Power Without a Power Grid

Source: CBS News

Trump Warns McCain: 'I Fight Back'

Stock Market Hits 23K Milestone

NYSOMH Commissioner Named Recipient of MHANYS CEO Award

Dr. Ann Sullivan, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), has been named recipient of the 2017 CEO Award by the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS). The CEO Award is given annually by the Association to individuals whose leadership and dedication helps to transform the lives of individuals with mental illness and their loved ones.

“Over her tenure as Commissioner, Dr. Sullivan has proven to be a good friend to MHANYS and our members in 52 counties throughout New York State,” said Glenn Liebman, MHANYS CEO. “Her steadfast leadership, compassion and intelligence has helped in continuing to make New York State a national leader in community based mental health services, mental health innovations and the integration of mental health and healthcare. MHANYS is honored to present the annual CEO Award to New York State’s Mental Health Commissioner, Dr. Ann Sullivan.”

Commissioner Sullivan will receive the award during the Association’s Awards Dinner on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. The dinner is part of Association’s Annual Conference, to be held October 18 and 19 at the Albany Marriott. This year’s conference is titled “Thriving in Turbulent Times,” and features speakers and workshops to address the need to provide quality mental health services in a changing environment.

Dr. Sullivan is an active advocate for her patients and her profession. She has enjoyed an extensive career in public psychiatry and has lectured and published on best practices in community care.

She was confirmed by the New York State Senate as Commissioner on June 20, 2014. As Commissioner, she has guided the transformation of the state hospital system with an emphasis on recovery and expansion of community-based treatment, reinvesting more than $76.5 million in community services as of July 2017. Working closely with mental health providers and health plans, she is responsible for the movement of the health benefit for individuals living with serious mental illness into managed care. Under her leadership, OMH has been working to expand services to reach patients earlier – addressing the first episode of psychosis, and developed a comprehensive and multi-faceted statewide suicide prevention plan that is the first of its kind in the nation.

Prior to being appointed Commissioner, she has served in management positions within the Queens Health Network of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.

Dr. Sullivan is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a member of the American College of Psychiatrists.

Source: New York State Office of Mental Health

Democracy Now!: Top U.S. & World Headlines

Mayor de Blasio Makes an Announcement on Protecting Tenants

This video was published on YouTube on October 17.

Source: NYC Mayor's Office

Why Sexually Transmitted Disease is Off the Charts in Onondaga County

By James T. Mulder

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Onondaga County has the dubious distinction of having some of the state's highest rates of sexually transmitted disease.

Here's how Onondaga ranks among the state's 62 counties for rates of infection per 100,000 population for the three most common reportable STDS:

Gonorrhea: No 1 in 2014, No. 3 in 2015

Chlamydia: No. 3 in 2015

Syphilis: No. 4 in 2014, No. 11 in 2015.

STD rates for 2015 are the most recent available for Onondaga County.

"It's not something we are proud of," says Dr. Indu Gupta, the county's health commissioner.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: syracuse.com (via The Empire Report) 

After Five Days of Searching for Police Diver, 'We Brought Our Brother Home'

By Aaron Besecker,  Lou Michel,  Maki Becker,  and Joseph Popiolkowski

They vowed to bring their brother home.

And, after five long days of searching the relentless Niagara River, the body of missing Buffalo Police diver Craig E. Lehner was finally found. Police made an official announcement just after 3 p.m. Tuesday.

A procession began an hour later to bring his body from the foot of Porter Avenue to Erie County Medical Center. Police, firefighters and citizens lined the 7-mile route along the Niagara Thruway, Scajaquada Expressway and Kensington Expressway to pay their respects. Buffalo firefighters at the traffic circle on Porter Avenue saluted as the procession passed.

As the solemn cortege wound its way through Buffalo, police gave a briefing on the recovery efforts.

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Buffalo News (via The Empire Report)  

Inside a Secretive Group Where Women Are Branded

 

By Barry Meier

ALBANY — Last March, five women gathered in a home near here to enter a secret sisterhood they were told was created to empower women.

To gain admission, they were required to give their recruiter — or “master,” as she was called — naked photographs or other compromising material and were warned that such “collateral” might be publicly released if the group’s existence were disclosed.

The women, in their 30s and 40s, belonged to a self-help organization called Nxivm, which is based in Albany and has chapters across the country, Canada and Mexico.

Sarah Edmondson, one of the participants, said she had been told she would get a small tattoo as part of the initiation. But she was not prepared for what came next.

Each woman was told to undress and lie on a massage table, while three others restrained her legs and shoulders. According to one of them, their “master,” a top Nxivm official named Lauren Salzman, instructed them to say: “Master, please brand me, it would be an honor.”

Click here for the full article. 

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

REEL SISTERS to Host Preview of New Lorraine Hansberry Documentary

On Oct. 21 at 7:37 p.m., Reel Sisters will host A Conversation on Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart, a film directed by Tracy Heather Strain. 

Sighted Eyes is an intimate documentary on playwright Lorraine Hansberry's life as artist, activist and visionary. Marcia Pendelton (Walk Tall Girl Productions) will moderate a discussion with the director. The presentation will include clips from Sighted Eyes. 

The Black Documentary Collective, ImageNation Cinema Foundation and Walk Tall Girl Productions are community partners for the Reel Sisters 20th Anniversary Film Festival.

Click here for additional information. 

Click here to view the trailer. 

Source: ImageNation

EU Commission 'Horrified' by Killing of Maltese Journalist

Source: euronews.