Politico Defense Reporter Greg Hellman spoke by phone about a call by some legislators for a new
war authorization for future Trump administration military action.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
New York, Virginia Investigating Veterans Charity
by Sarah Kleiner, Center for Public Integrity
The full version of this story was originally published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
The New York Attorney General's office has joined Virginia officials in investigating a veterans organization that spends nearly all of the money it raises on telemarketing consultants and its own leader's salary.
The
nonprofit Center for American Homeless Veterans must give New York
officials documents "relevant and material to an investigation and
inquiry, undertaken in the public interest, of CAHV's solicitation of
charitable contributions," according to documents obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.
Click here for the article.
Source: NBC News
Israel Warns Iran on Military Buildup in Syria, Won't Send Jets to U.S. Drill
by Paul Goldman and F. Brinley Bruton
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel has reportedly canceled plans to send
warplanes to a joint military exercise with the U.S. amid concern about
the buildup of Iranian forces across the border in Syria.
The
decision not to send F-15 jets to the drill in Alaska was widely
reported by the Israeli media to linked to worries over a possible
Iranian attack, potentially involving an armed drone. A spokesman for
the Israel Defense Forces confirmed to NBC News that “aircraft
participation in the exercise was adjusted.”
Late on Tuesday,
Education Minister Naftali Bennett became the latest in a string of
senior Israeli officials to promise the country would respond to threats
from Iran and elsewhere.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Hassan Rouhani: 'The US, Britain and France Invaded Syria Without the Permission of the U.N.'
Source: FRANCE 24 English
Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at the National Action Network 2018 Convention
Source: NYC Mayor's Office
'Playing' in NY: Anya Pearson's 'Made to Dance in Burning Buildings'
A Special One-Night Performance on April 24
"Ava", a young Black woman, is raped by her boyfriend's friends while he watches. She develops PTSD as a result and, metaphorically, fractures into five
different women who each represent a different facet of her personality: Romance, Despair, Madness, Perseverance, and Missing You. Poetically,
these women narrate her journey through PTSD while she, her first love,
and her abusers explore the trauma, as well as the events leading
up to it, through the art of dance.
Pearson is the inaugural winner of the $10,000 Voice is a Muscle Grant from the Corporeal Voices Foundation, which is run by best-selling author Lidia Yuknavitch. The grant recognizes a writer of color from Oregon who demonstrates exemplary merit and a passion for social justice.
The play's world premiere will be held at Shaking the Tree Theatre in Portland, Oregon in 2019.
Click here for information on the April 24 performance at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater.
Source: Michael Green, Shades of Truth Theatre
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
In Memoriam: Barbara Bush
Source: NBC News
Statement from President Trump
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump join the Nation in celebrating the life of Barbara Bush. As a wife, mother, grandmother, military spouse, and former First Lady, Mrs. Bush was an advocate of the American family. Amongst her greatest achievements was recognizing the importance of literacy as a fundamental family value that requires nurturing and protection. She will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well. The President and First Lady’s thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mrs. Bush.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
Statement from First Lady Melania Trump
Our hearts are with the Bush family as we celebrate the life and mourn the loss of Barbara Bush. Throughout her life, she put family and country above all else. Her dedicated service to the American people was matched only by her compassion and love of family. She was a woman of strength and we will always remember her for her most important roles of wife, mother, and First Lady of the United States. My heartfelt condolences and prayers are with the Bush family as we honor her legacy.
Source: The White House, Office of the First Lady
NYS Workers' Compensation Board Proposing Dramatic Improvements in Medical Care for Injured Workers
The
New York State Workers’ Compensation Board announced today a proposed
increase in medical reimbursement to providers who treat workers’
compensation claimants and also the adoption of a universal claim form
to drastically reduce paperwork in workers’ compensation claims. Coupled
with other new Board initiatives such as an online medical portal and a
push to broadly expand the types of providers authorized to treat
injured workers, these enhancements will encourage more health providers
to treat workers’ compensation claimants.
“Access
to quality medical care for injured workers is of utmost importance for
a healthy workers’ compensation system,” Workers’ Compensation Board
Chair Clarissa M. Rodriguez
said. “When an injured worker has ready access to medical treatment,
the worker heals and is restored to function more quickly and
completely. Timely, high quality medical care benefits workers and their
employers as well.”
The proposals come in direct response to
claimants’ challenges in finding treating providers, and concerns from
health care providers around low fees and administrative complexity that
keep some from participating. By addressing these concerns and bringing
more providers into the workers’ compensation system, injured workers
can more readily access the care they need.
Increased medical reimbursement:
The New York State workers’ compensation fee schedule has not changed
substantially since 1996. The Board will be advancing a regulatory
proposal in June to raise provider fees for services provided on or
after October 1, 2018.
The proposal will include an overall statewide fee increase for all
provider types, with additional increases for certain specialty provider
groups that have an extreme shortage of authorized providers. These new
fees will ensure providers in New York are receiving fair and
reasonable reimbursement for prompt, quality treatment to our injured
workers.
Accepting the universal form:
Providers have indicated that the unique paperwork requirements in the
workers’ compensation system result in significant additional
administrative burden. Therefore, the Board will be consolidating and
eliminating forms, including converting to the use of the CMS-1500 form,
the universal claim form used by medical providers to bill health
insurers, and replacing the current Board treatment forms (C-4 and
C-4.2, and equivalent OT/PT and PS forms) with the CMS-1500. This form
is already used by medical providers and insurance carriers to process
claims, so the Board anticipates an easy transition toward a January 1, 2019, implementation. This will save providers administrative time, effort and expense when treating workers’ compensation patients.
Other enhancements: The
Board is also committed to making other improvements to increase
provider participation and injured workers’ access to quality medical
care. This includes development of a medical portal, part of the 2013
Business Process Re-engineering initiative, which will allow providers
to quickly and easily identify whether their course of treatment is
consistent with the Board’s medical treatment guidelines and, if not,
advise them that a variance is needed. The Medical Portal is an
important step toward a paperless, easy-to-use system.
Additionally, the Board continues
exploring ways to broadly expand the universe of providers who can be
authorized to treat injured workers. Currently, only physicians,
chiropractors, podiatrists, and psychologists can be authorized.
Governor Cuomo supports a comprehensive legislative solution that would
permit most medical providers who are licensed in New York State to
become authorized to treat within the workers’ compensation system,
opening participation to medical providers such as nurse practitioners,
physicians assistants, licensed clinical social workers, and other
providers.
Source: The
New York State Workers’ Compensation Board
President Trump Gives Remarks on Tax Cuts for American Workers
This video was published on YouTube on April 12.
Source: The White House
Governor Cuomo Signs Bill Protecting
New Yorkers from Federal Tax Increases
Earlier today, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation enacted into the FY 2019 Budget that protects New Yorkers from tax increases brought about by the federal tax reforms. The legislation, signed on Tax Day, provides new options for tax deductible charitable donations, creates a new Employer Compensation Expense Program so that employers can help their employees maximize deductibility, and de-couples the state tax code from the federal tax code, where necessary, to avoid state tax increases brought solely by increases in federal taxes. These changes will help preserve New York's economic competitiveness and protect state and local tax deductibility. Find more information here.
Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
New York City Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz to Celebrate 75th Birthday
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz
District 18 Bronx County, New York
You should know that this Saturday, April 21, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in the Christian Community Neighborhood Church located at 1437 Longfellow Avenue (between Freeman & Jennings Avenues) in Bronx
County, I will be celebrating my 75th birthday.
Reaching 75 years
of age and feeling in the state of health that I am, and having enough
energy to continue my struggles on behalf of our community and our
people, I am grateful to God for all those blessings.
There are many
community programs, jobs, housing, and leaders that I have been able to
develop, educate and raise here in Bronx County.
I thank, my wife Leslie, my church and its officers, friends, and community leaders who will come together on Saturday with the purpose of making me feel happy, loved and not too old. (Laughing)
I am Councilman Rev. Rubén DÃaz and this is what you should know.
$4.5 Million in Funding Available for Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants
Approximately $4.5 million in Community Impact Grant funding is available to support communities across New York that are disproportionately impacted by pollution and toxins. Community Impact Grants provide community-based organizations with funding for projects that address various environmental and public health concerns, with a particular focus on low-income and minority communities historically burdened by environmental problems.
"All New Yorkers deserve to live in a safe, healthy environment and these grants help to ensure that families and communities across the state, regardless of socioeconomic status, are given the support they need to implement green projects," Governor Cuomo said. "New York will continue to lead the nation in environmental initiatives that protect New Yorkers and the planet, creating a cleaner and greener future for all."
Community Impact Grants, a critical component of Governor Cuomo's aggressive Environmental Justice agenda, are funded through the state's Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Department of Environmental Conservation's Office of Environmental Justice. Funded projects include targeted research, community gardens, tree plantings, education and curriculum development, urban farming training, habitat restoration, as well as water and air quality monitoring. Since 2006, more than $5 million has been distributed for 145 Environmental Justice projects statewide.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "At Governor Cuomo's direction, DEC professionals and community leaders across the state are working hand-in-hand to identify environmental vulnerabilities in New York's underserved and economically disadvantaged communities. Together, we are developing smart and sustainable solutions that best serve and protect individual communities based on participation and input we receive from concerned residents. Policies, regulations, enforcement efforts, and laws are being shaped with the help of those most closely impacted and grants are being targeted to support initiatives and communities most in need.
Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Steve Englebright said, "Environmental justice communities have been historically disproportionately impacted by the negative effects of pollution and climate change. These grants empower underserved communities and help them tackle projects that best fit their needs. By coupling these grants with smart policy, we can help to mitigate the harmful effects of environmental degradation."
Funding will be distributed to communities around the state, and for the first time in the program's history, interested organizations can request up to $100,000 for proposed projects. Not-for-profit community-based organizations are eligible to apply for Community Impact Grants to work on projects that address environmental and public health concerns of residents in impacted neighborhoods. Projects must address a community's exposure to multiple harms and risks and include a research component that will be used to expand the knowledge of the affected community.
Organizations must have their have their primary office located in the affected community, serve the residents of an area equal to or smaller than a town or city outside of New York City, or an area equal to or smaller than one of the five boroughs within New York City, and must address environmental or public health issues of the residents of the affected community. Further eligibility information is available online at the Grant Opportunity Portal.
Questions regarding this grant opportunity will be accepted until July 2, 2018. All questions and answers will be uploaded in the Grants Gateway on a rolling basis. Applicants are required to register and prequalify in the Grants Gateway before applying. This web-based grant management tool is used to improve the way grants are administered by the state. Once registered and prequalified, organizations can apply for the grant in the Grants Gateway. Instructions and application are available online at the Grants Gateway website.
The deadline to submit an application for the Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant is 3 p.m. on July 9, 2018. For a complete list of guidelines and more information, contact the Department of Environmental Conservation's Office of Environmental Justice at 518-402-2600, justice@dec.ny.gov or online at DEC's Environmental Justice web page.
Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
"All New Yorkers deserve to live in a safe, healthy environment and these grants help to ensure that families and communities across the state, regardless of socioeconomic status, are given the support they need to implement green projects," Governor Cuomo said. "New York will continue to lead the nation in environmental initiatives that protect New Yorkers and the planet, creating a cleaner and greener future for all."
Community Impact Grants, a critical component of Governor Cuomo's aggressive Environmental Justice agenda, are funded through the state's Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Department of Environmental Conservation's Office of Environmental Justice. Funded projects include targeted research, community gardens, tree plantings, education and curriculum development, urban farming training, habitat restoration, as well as water and air quality monitoring. Since 2006, more than $5 million has been distributed for 145 Environmental Justice projects statewide.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "At Governor Cuomo's direction, DEC professionals and community leaders across the state are working hand-in-hand to identify environmental vulnerabilities in New York's underserved and economically disadvantaged communities. Together, we are developing smart and sustainable solutions that best serve and protect individual communities based on participation and input we receive from concerned residents. Policies, regulations, enforcement efforts, and laws are being shaped with the help of those most closely impacted and grants are being targeted to support initiatives and communities most in need.
Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Steve Englebright said, "Environmental justice communities have been historically disproportionately impacted by the negative effects of pollution and climate change. These grants empower underserved communities and help them tackle projects that best fit their needs. By coupling these grants with smart policy, we can help to mitigate the harmful effects of environmental degradation."
Funding will be distributed to communities around the state, and for the first time in the program's history, interested organizations can request up to $100,000 for proposed projects. Not-for-profit community-based organizations are eligible to apply for Community Impact Grants to work on projects that address environmental and public health concerns of residents in impacted neighborhoods. Projects must address a community's exposure to multiple harms and risks and include a research component that will be used to expand the knowledge of the affected community.
Organizations must have their have their primary office located in the affected community, serve the residents of an area equal to or smaller than a town or city outside of New York City, or an area equal to or smaller than one of the five boroughs within New York City, and must address environmental or public health issues of the residents of the affected community. Further eligibility information is available online at the Grant Opportunity Portal.
Questions regarding this grant opportunity will be accepted until July 2, 2018. All questions and answers will be uploaded in the Grants Gateway on a rolling basis. Applicants are required to register and prequalify in the Grants Gateway before applying. This web-based grant management tool is used to improve the way grants are administered by the state. Once registered and prequalified, organizations can apply for the grant in the Grants Gateway. Instructions and application are available online at the Grants Gateway website.
The deadline to submit an application for the Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant is 3 p.m. on July 9, 2018. For a complete list of guidelines and more information, contact the Department of Environmental Conservation's Office of Environmental Justice at 518-402-2600, justice@dec.ny.gov or online at DEC's Environmental Justice web page.
Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Middle East Envoy Declines to Say If U.S. Support for Saudi Campaign In Yemen Is Conditional
Senator Todd Young asks Acting Assistant Secretary David Satterfield
four times if U.S. support for the Saudi campaign in Yemen is
conditional upon them not bombing the port of Hodeidah. The Middle East
envoy declines to answer the question, calling it hypothetical and
saying that the U.S. would have to review the circumstances of such an
action.
Source: C-SPAN
California Governor Jerry Brown at the National Press Club
California Governor Jerry Brown (D) answered reporters' questions at the
National Press Club on a range of issues, including immigration and
border security, climate policy, and the Trump administration. Gov.
Brown responded to a tweet from the president accusing him of “not
looking for safety and security” along the border.
Sacramento Police Release Hours of Video in Stephon Clark Shooting
By Associate Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento
police released 54 new video and audio clips Monday that add new details
about the department's response following the fatal shooting of Stephon
Clark, an unarmed black man.
The shooting of Clark,
22, on March 18 sparked an outcry in Sacramento, California's capital,
and became the latest flashpoint in a national conversation about police
shootings of young black men.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
NY Times, New Yorker Win Pulitzer for Weinstein Reporting That Sparked #MeToo
Source: FRANCE 24 English
Violence in Kasai: Special Report on Children of the Kamwina Nsapu Militia
Source: FRANCE 24 English
The NYPD's Secret Files: A BuzzFeed News Investigation
This report was originally published on April 16.
By Kendall Taggart and Mike Hayes
Today BuzzFeed News is making public one of the New York Police Department’s most fiercely guarded secrets: a database of disciplinary findings for about 1,800 NYPD employees who faced departmental misconduct charges between 2011 and 2015.
This
information has been closely guarded for years, and completely
off-limits since 2016, when the NYPD removed them from public view,
citing a controversial
state law that shields police officers’ misconduct. As a result, New
Yorkers who are charged with a crime have no simple way to find out if
the officer who arrested them has a misconduct record that might affect
their credibility with a jury. Officers who have faced disciplinary
charges have limited information about how their punishment compares
with those of other officers in similar situations. And taxpayers as a
whole have no way to assess how their police department is policing its
own.
Many other large departments, in states such as Illinois and
Florida, routinely make this information available. “The public has a
right to know what our public officials are doing, and this is
especially true with our police officers, who have the power to shoot to
kill, use force, and deprive people of their liberty through stop or
arrest,” said Samuel Walker, a national policing expert.
Click here for the full article.
Charles McDew, 79, Tactician for Student Civil Rights Group, Dies
By Sam Roberts
Charles McDew, whose three arrests in two days as a college student for violating South Carolina’s forbidding racial codes transformed him into a civil rights pioneer, died on April 3 in West Newton, Mass. He was 79.
The cause was a heart attack he had while visiting his longtime partner, Beryl Gilfix, for the Passover holiday, his daughter, Eva Goodman, said. Mr. McDew, who had converted to Judaism, lived in St. Paul.
In 1960, just months after those three arrests, Mr. McDew, as a college freshman from Ohio, became a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a civil rights group dedicated to direct action but nonviolent tactics in fighting for racial justice.
From later that fall until 1963, he was the organization’s second chairman, serving between Marion Barry, who went on to become the mayor of Washington, D.C., and John Lewis, who was later elected to Congress from Georgia.
In the early 1960s, a growing number of audacious adolescents and young adults gravitated to SNCC (or Snick, as it was popularly called) because they were disenchanted with traditional rights groups.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The New York Times
The cause was a heart attack he had while visiting his longtime partner, Beryl Gilfix, for the Passover holiday, his daughter, Eva Goodman, said. Mr. McDew, who had converted to Judaism, lived in St. Paul.
In 1960, just months after those three arrests, Mr. McDew, as a college freshman from Ohio, became a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a civil rights group dedicated to direct action but nonviolent tactics in fighting for racial justice.
From later that fall until 1963, he was the organization’s second chairman, serving between Marion Barry, who went on to become the mayor of Washington, D.C., and John Lewis, who was later elected to Congress from Georgia.
In the early 1960s, a growing number of audacious adolescents and young adults gravitated to SNCC (or Snick, as it was popularly called) because they were disenchanted with traditional rights groups.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The New York Times
Black Female Leaders to Convene at NAN's Annual Women's Lunch
On April 19, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., the National Action Network will host the Women’s Empowerment and Networking luncheon, co-chaired by
Michelle Ebanks, President of Essence Communications, Inc. and Tanya Lombard,
Head of Multicultural Engagement and Strategic Alliances for AT&T.
The event, which will be held at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, is designed to empower women who effect positive civic change in their
communities. The luncheon will
be hosted by Angela T. Rye, Principal and CEO, Impact Strategies and Political Commentator, CNN.
This year’s honorees
span the technology, media, and political sectors, but are rooted in and
centered around activism. The honorees will discuss how their
commitment to justice and equity is displayed in both
their professional and personal endeavors.
Honorees include: BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Founder and Executive Director,
Beverly Bonds, Google’s Global Head of Women & African American Outreach, Valeisha-Butterfield Jones, CBS correspondent, Michelle Miller, AT&T’s Director of Federal Public Affairs, Yvette Pugh, CNN correspondent, Symone Sanders,
host of BEVELATIONS, SiriusXM and Page Six TV Contributor, Bevy Smith, and Revolt’s SVP, Affiliate & Consumer Marketing, Angela Turner.
Source: Mercury
New York Statue of Doctor Who Experimented on Black Women Will Be Removed
By Ameena Walker
Following recommendations from the committee appointed to conduct a 90-day review of the city’s monuments and markers that could be deemed “symbols of hate,” Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered the removal of a statue of Doctor J. Marion Sims, credited by many as the father of modern gynecology.
Click here for summary.
Source: ny.curbed.com (via Empire Report New York)
Transgender Inmates in New York City to Be Housed According to Gender Identity
By Alison Fox
Transgender inmates will now be housed with the gender they identify
with in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday.
The new policy, based on findings from the NYC
Commission on Human Rights, will ensure that the city’s Department of
Correction provides housing to inmates consistent with their gender
identity. Inmates would also be able to be placed into the Transgender
Housing Unit.
Click here for the full article.
Source: amNEWYORK (via Empire Report New York)
New Viruses, Superbugs Found in Study of New York House Mice
By Susan Scutti
House
mice don't carry door keys, but they can freely enter any residence in
New York City, from low-rent studios to penthouse suites.
A
yearlong assessment of the city's residential mouse population found
that what many of these rodents do carry are previously unseen viruses
as well as bacteria capable of causing life-threatening human illness.
Some of the bacteria were even antibiotic-resistant.
Click here for the full article.
Source: CNN (via Empire Report New York)
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