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NEW YORK (AP) — A group of inter-generational stars from film, TV, sports and music — including Bruce Springsteen, Hugh Jackman, Elton John, Jon Bon Jovi, Jonas Brothers and Billie Eilish — have signed up for a social media campaign to show support for Ukraine.
The Global Citizen-organized social media rally Friday urges governments, institutions, corporations and individuals to help fund humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and other regions of the world. Celebrities are being asked to use their social media accounts to publicize the effort, using the hashtag #StandUpForUkraine.
Springsteen posted a video on social media Friday to show his support: “Refugees in Ukraine and around the world need our help now,” he said. “Everyone deserves safe and humane living conditions.” Barbra Streisand tweeted a link to Global Citizen and wrote: “I supported and hope you will too.”
The list of participants also includes The Weeknd, Alanis Morissette, Alejandro Sanz, Angélique Kidjo, Annie Lennox, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, Chris Isaak, Chris Rock, Demi Lovato, FINNEAS, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Green Day, Carole King, Jon Batiste, Juanes, Kacey Musgraves, Katy Perry, Leon Bridges, Luke Combs, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Pearl Jam, Pharrell Williams, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shaquille O’Neal, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Weezer, 5 Seconds of Summer, Dave Matthews, Radiohead, Miley Cyrus, Tame Impala, U2 and Usher.
Celine Dion took to Instagram to upload a video of support with a caption in English and French that said: “I’m calling in world leaders to help all those who are forced to leave their homes.” Ellen DeGeneres in her own video urged world leaders to “do the right thing and contribute the billions they need.”
The campaign has also been joined by players for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies, the band Metallica, Billy Porter, Julian Lennon, Adam Lambert, Luis Fonsi, Måneskin, Padma Lakshmi, Weezer and Rita Ora.
Lenny Kravitz posted a photo of himself on Twitter holding a sign that read, in part, “Let love rule, not war.” Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, posted a video of support and a plea: “We’re asking everyone who sees this to amplify this call.”
The campaign takes place a day before a pledging conference Saturday co-hosted by European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/celebrities-go-online-to-voice-support-for-ukraine/ | 2022-04-09T14:05:20 | en | 0.894813 |
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Dancing With the Stars” will waltz away from its longtime ABC home and over to streaming service Disney+, the network’s corporate sibling.
The competition series, which debuted on the broadcast network in 2005, will be on Disney+ starting this fall in the U.S. and Canada, the company announced Friday.
It will be the first live series on Disney+, said Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. The program received a two-season order from Disney+.
“The show’s broad appeal, as well as the overwhelming popularity of its Disney-themed competition nights, make Disney+ the perfect home for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ while continuing to expand our demographic reach,” Daniel said in a statement.
The platform switch comes as ABC looks ahead to NFL games next season that will air on Monday night, the time period that’s belonged to “Dancing With the Stars.”
The dance contest also fits in with the family oriented programming that Disney+ has focused on as part of the competitive and crowded streaming marketplace. | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/dancing-with-the-stars-moves-from-abc-to-sibling-disney/ | 2022-04-09T14:05:27 | en | 0.965436 |
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — If David Letterman put together a Top Ten list of hospitals, Rhode Island Hospital would probably be No. 1.
The longtime host of “The Late Show with David Letterman,” who stepped down in 2015, thanked the staff of the hospital’s emergency department in a video Thursday in which he disclosed that he was visiting Providence with his son last August when he fell on the sidewalk, struck his head, and fell unconscious.
“The ambulance comes and picks me up. They take me and my son in the ambulance to the emergency room and they stitch me up, they X-rayed my head, they gave me a CT scan, they scrubbed me up,” Letterman, 74, says in the roughly one-minute long video posted to YouTube by Lifespan, the hospital’s parent company.
Someone brushed his teeth and he got some fresh clothes, he said.
He says the experience was scary at the time, but the staff put him at ease.
“So I can’t thank you enough for making time for me,” he concluded. “So I have nothing but lovely things to say and think about with regard to the Rhode Island Hospital and the emergency department.” | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/david-letterman-thanks-hospital-for-the-way-it-treated-him/ | 2022-04-09T14:05:34 | en | 0.981986 |
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NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Kevin Spacey asked a judge Friday to throw out actor Anthony Rapp’s sex abuse lawsuit, saying through his lawyers that allegations that he abused the then-teenage Rapp at a 1980s party are false.
The lawyers wrote in papers filed in Manhattan federal court that the alleged events Rapp described never occurred. Rapp has appeared in “Rent” on Broadway and in “Star Trek: Discovery” on television.
He alleged in his lawsuit that he went to a party in 1986 at Spacey’s Manhattan home, where a 26-year-old Spacey, without Rapp’s consent, “engaged in a sexual advance” by grabbing Rapp’s buttocks and lifting him onto a bed and laying on his body. Rapp claimed he “was forced to extricate himself” before leaving the party.
Spacey’s lawyers argued the alleged encounter cannot qualify as sexual abuse under New York’s laws because the only alleged contact with an “intimate” part of the body by Spacey was when his hand grazed the 14-year-old Rapp’s buttocks when the older actor picked him up. The lawyers said Rapp “wriggled out” with no resistance during an encounter of less than 30 seconds.
There was no other evidence that would suggest any fleeting contact between Spacey’s hand and Rapp’s buttocks was for the purpose of sexual gratification or to degrade or abuse Rapp, the lawyers wrote.
The lack of evidence means Rapp’s claims for assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress must fail, the lawyers said.
They said Spacey “flatly denies” that any of what Rapp described took place.
Lawyers for Rapp did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
When Rapp first spoke publicly of his claim in 2017, others went public too and Spacey’s then-celebrated career abruptly halted. At the time, Spacey issued a statementsaying he didn’t remember the encounter but apologized.
Spacey won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in “American Beauty,” a 1999 film in which he played a frustrated suburban father who lusts after his daughter’s best friend.
In recent filings, Rapp’s lawyers have asked to transfer the case to state court, saying Spacey cannot prove he has been living in Maryland and qualifies for the diversity of citizenship necessary to remain in federal court.
In fact, they argue, he has been mostly living in London since 2003.
They said he only lived in Maryland when he was acting in his Emmy-winning role in “House of Cards” from 2014 through 2017. He was fired from the show days after Rapp went public and former show workers claimed that Spacey made the production a “toxic” workplace and one ex-employee alleged the actor sexually assaulted him.
In November, an arbitrator said Spaceyand his production companies must pay the studio behind the Netflix political thriller $31 million because of losses they incurred after his firing.
Spacey appealed the decision to a panel of three more private arbitrators, who found for the plaintiffs, making the decision final, and public.
A criminal case brought against him, an indecent assault and battery charge stemming from the alleged groping of an 18-year-old man at a Nantucket resort, was dismissed by Massachusetts prosecutors in 2019. | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/kevin-spacey-asks-judge-to-axe-anthony-rapps-sex-abuse-suit/ | 2022-04-09T14:05:41 | en | 0.984712 |
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The group Red Hot Chili Peppers has been added to the lineup of the 2022 New Orleans Jazz Fest, organizers announced Friday.
The rock band’s appearance is set for Sunday, May 1, and will be its first at the event since 2016.
The group has sold 80 million albums, collected six Grammy Awards and been inducted into the Rock and roll Hall of Fame. Their 12th studio album, “Unlimited Love,” was released April 1.
Last month, the festival announced plans to find a replacement for the Foo Fighters, which canceled all upcoming concert dates after the death of the band’s drummer, Taylor Hawkins. Their scheduled time slot has now been filled by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The 2022 festival will run April 29-May 1 and May 5-8 at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.
The Who, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, Luke Combs, Willie Nelson, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Charlie Wilson and Erykah Badu are among the headliners for this year’s festival.
Started in 1970, Jazz Fest annually celebrates the unique culture and heritage of New Orleans and Louisiana, alongside performances by nationally and internationally renowned guest artists.It is returning after a two-year hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/red-hot-chili-peppers-added-to-new-orleans-jazz-fest-lineup/ | 2022-04-09T14:05:48 | en | 0.944676 |
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The Weeknd is the top finalist at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards for a second year in a row, up for 17 awards, followed by Doja Cat, who is up for 14 awards.
Finalists were announced Friday across 62 categories for the awards that measure chart success, streaming, airplay and social engagement. The show will air on NBC and Peacock on May 15 from Las Vegas.
The Weeknd picked up nods in top artist, top 100 artist and top streaming songs artist and his duet with Ariana Grande on “Save Your Tears (Remix)” is up for six awards. Also nominated for top artist are Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and Drake, who is the show’s most decorated winner of all time with 29 total awards.
Doja Cat, who recently won her first Grammy Award for her collaboration “Kiss Me More” with SZA, is up for top 100 song, top collaboration and top viral song.
First-time finalist Rodrigo continues her streak of a being an awards show favorite as a finalist in 13 categories, including top new artist, top female artist and top radio songs artist.
Justin Bieber also is up for 13 awards, including top male artist, top Hot 100 artist and top streaming song for his song “STAY” with The Kid LAROI.
Ye, who changed his name from Kanye West, is a finalist for 13 awards and a strong favorite in the Christian/gospel categories. He has four out of the five songs in both top gospel song and top Christian song categories, and his album “Donda” is also up for top rap album, top gospel album and top Christian album.
Swift has a chance to surpass Drake for most wins in the show’s history. The pop star is second behind him with 25 previous wins and is up for seven awards this year. But Drake is also up for 11 awards, including top Billboard 200 Album, top rap artist and top streaming songs artist.
This year, five new categories were added, four of which are based on Billboard’s global charts, and one measuring viral songs. The 2022 awards are based on the chart period of April 10, 2021, through March 26, 2022. | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/the-weeknd-doja-cat-lead-artists-at-billboard-music-awards/ | 2022-04-09T14:05:55 | en | 0.968667 |
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CHICAGO (WGN) — In 2017, Frank Spiro and John Onieal had just arrived in Chicago.
They were part of the first class at the Second City Film School, the only school in the world devoted exclusively to the study and production of comedy, becoming random roommates in an apartment.
“Frank and I both moved to Chicago, which we consider the mecca of comedy,” Onieal said. “It was an exciting opportunity for us to study comedy and also learn how to put comedy on screen, how to write for that, how to direct for that how to produce for that.”
As roommates and classmates, they began to collaborate on scripts.
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“John and Frank like to be in-person, in the same room, riff off of each other. It’s like improv,” said Mariano DiMarco, a screenwriting instructor at the Second City Film School. “It’s just like improv. You riff off each other. You listen and you respond.”
It was in the DiMarco film-writing class that Onieal developed an idea for a TV series called “Bridesman.”
He co-wrote the script with Sprio, and now “Bridesman” has been produced as the first original scripted series from Grindr, the popular queer social-networking app. It seems like an odd pairing: a hook-up app with a comedy series, but it’s being touted as a new way to engage the app’s 27 million users.
“First and foremost, it’s no secret that scripted original content is one of the world’s greatest aphrodisiacs,” Spiro said. “So I think it only a natural fit to partner with Grindr.”
“Bridesman” is the story of a single gay man who returns to his hometown to be in his childhood friend’s wedding party — the lone “bridesman” among the bridesmaids. Onieal describes the main character, played by Jimmy Fowlie, as “gay and awful.” Fowlie’s character spends the six episodes trying to undermine the whole affair.
“He loves his best friend so much that he thinks he needs to save her from this boring life of marriage and monogamy so he goes to save her from that, and the reality is he learns a lot about how relationships are recognized and how they can be different and appreciated, and friendship is one of those relationships,” Onieal said.
The series consists of six roughly 10-minute episodes, each one fast-paced and packed with jokes.
“I think our approach to writing comedy is really about taking advantage of opportunities, because that’s what screenwriting is. It’s you giving yourself opportunities to take advantage of. Every line of dialogue, every action is an opportunity,” Spiro said.
The show launched on Grindr and YouTube this week, and so far the series has logged more than 1 million views.
“I think the way that it’s delivered is just meeting people where they are, meeting people where their eyeballs are, which is Grindr,” Onieal said. “People are spending more time on their phones. They’re taking in content on their phones and this is just a great opportunity for everybody to get to see our voice, our story, our jokes, right where their eyes are.” | https://www.krqe.com/entertainment-news/meet-the-comedy-writers-behind-grindrs-first-scripted-tv-series/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:00 | en | 0.971746 |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The motion picture academy on Friday banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years following his slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
The move comes after a meeting of the academy’s Board of Governors to discuss a response to Smith’s actions.
“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” the academy said in a statement.
“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” Smith said in response. He pre-emptively resigned from the academy lastweek during the run-up to the meeting, calling his actions “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”
Smith will keep the Oscar he won after the slap, and he will remain eligible to be nominated for and to win more of them in the 10-year period, though he can’t show up to accept them.
The academy also apologized for its handling of the situation and allowing Smith to stay and accept his best actor award for “King Richard.”
“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry,” the academy said. “This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.”
In a statement in the days following the Oscars, the academy said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony but refused.
But it’s not clear how the message was delivered to Smith or what form it took, and several media outlets reported that he was never formally told to leave the Dolby Theatre. The Los Angeles Times reported in a story Thursday that Oscars producer Will Packer told Smith: “Officially, we don’t want you to leave. We want you to stay.”
The ban means Smith will not be presenting one of the major awards at next year’s Oscars, as is tradition for the best actor winner.
The academy in its Friday statement also expressed “deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances.”
The academy has not revoked Oscars from expelled members Harvey Weinstein or Roman Polanski.
With his resignation last week, Smith lost the ability to vote for nominees and winners. Smith has been nominated for four Oscars, winning once.
At the March 27 Academy Awards, Rock came out to present the best documentary award and made jokes about several attendees, including Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,” Rock said.
Pinkett Smith, who has spoken publicly about her hair loss condition, alopecia, had a closely shaved head similar to that of Demi Moore in the 1997 movie.
Smith strode from his front-row seat on to the stage and smacked Rock, stunning the comedian, the theater crowd and viewers at home.
Many thought it was a planned gag set up by the show or the men themselves, but the seriousness of the situation set in after Smith returned to his seat and angrily twice shouted at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your (expletive) mouth.”
Rock said he had no interest in pursuing charges when asked by police backstage.
Smith took the stage again less than hour later to accept his Oscar, tearfully apologizing to the academy but notably omitting any mention of Rock. He compared himself to Richard Williams, the man he played in “King Richard,” “a fierce defender of his family.”
Later that night, Smith danced with his trophy and his family and rapped along with his own songs in celebration of his win at the Vanity Fair post-Oscars party.
Rock has only briefly addressed the attack publicly, saying at one comedy concert in Boston this week that he was still “kind of processing what happened.”
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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/will-smith-gets-10-year-oscars-ban-over-chris-rock-slap/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:02 | en | 0.981637 |
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(NEXSTAR) – Americans over 50 and those with underlying health conditions are now eligible for a second booster shot against COVID-19 – the fourth in the vaccine series for many. Populations eligible for the second booster are able to get it as soon as four months after their last shot – but is there any reason to hold off on the extra dose?
Evidence we’ve gathered so far indicates the protection you get from a COVID-19 vaccine wanes somewhat over time. It takes two weeks for your immune system to fully react to a dose, but timing your dose perfectly right is tricky.
“If we could predict exactly when the surge is going to hit us, then absolutely you’d want to time that to get your vaccination two weeks before those cases,” said Dr. Brian Garibaldi, director of Johns Hopkins’ biocontainment unit. “But I think it’s unclear when that might be, and there’s reason to believe that may be happening soon.”
Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, agreed on Twitter. He said trying to time your second booster for right before the surge “reminds me of trying to time the stock market,” which he quipped “rarely works.”
“I’d get the shot,” Wachter tweeted.
As we see other countries experiencing spikes driven by the BA.2 variant of omicron, epidemiologists expect the U.S. will see more COVID-19 cases soon.
“It’s very likely we are going to see an increase in cases sometime in the next few weeks to a month here in the U.S.,” said Garibaldi. Though he said he doesn’t expect the surge to be nearly as big as the winter spike in COVID-19 cases caused by the BA.1 variant of omicron.
It’s not clear yet how much additional protection a fourth shot offers. An early study out of Israel indicates a fourth shot greatly reduced the risk of dying from COVID-19 for older people, but the study hasn’t been peer-reviewed and there hasn’t been enough time yet to collect additional evidence in the U.S.
However, the risks associated with additional booster shots are very small.
“These shots are safe and provide substantial benefit,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in its most recent announcement of booster eligibility. “During the recent Omicron surge, those who were boosted were 21-times less likely to die from COVID-19 compared to those who were unvaccinated, and 7-times less likely to be hospitalized.”
While everyone over the age of 12 is eligible for a booster shot, only 30% have received one, according to CDC data. Garibaldi urges people eligible for their fourth shot to do so, but even more importantly, he urges people to get their third shot if they haven’t yet.
“Now’s the time to do it to really give you the best chance of having protection from severe disease or death if there is another surge or another variant that comes along,” he said. | https://www.krqe.com/health/coronavirus/many-americans-can-now-get-a-4th-covid-shot-but-should-they-wait/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:06 | en | 0.970396 |
In the latest battle of the coronavirus mutants, an extra-contagious version of omicron has taken over the world.
The coronavirus version known as BA.2 is now dominant in at least 68 countries, including the United States.
The World Health Organization says it makes up about 94% of sequenced omicron cases submitted to an international coronavirus database in the most recent week. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it was responsible for 72% of new U.S. infections last week.
Dr. Wesley Long, a pathologist at Houston Methodist in Texas, said he’s seen BA.2 quickly become dominant in his medical system. At the end of last week, the variant was responsible for more than three-quarters of cases in Houston Methodist hospitals. Less than two weeks earlier, 1% to 3% of cases were caused by BA.2.
“It’s not terribly surprising because it is more contagious” than the original omicron, Long said.
As the variant advances, scientists are learning more about it. But they still don’t know exactly how it will affect the trajectory of the pandemic.
WHAT’S KNOWN
BA.2 has lots of mutations. It’s been dubbed “stealth omicron” because it lacks a genetic quirk of the original omicron that allowed health officials to rapidly differentiate it from the delta variant using a certain PCR test.
One reason BA.2 has gained ground, scientists say, is that it’s about 30% more contagious than the original omicron. In rare cases, research shows it can sicken people even if they’ve already had an omicron infection — although it doesn’t seem to cause more severe disease.
Vaccines appear equally effective against both types of omicron. For both, vaccination plus a booster offers strong protection against severe illness and death.
HAS THE VARIANT PUSHED UP CASES?
Coronavirus cases rose in parts of Europe and Asia when BA.2 became dominant, and some scientists are concerned that the variant could also push up cases across the U.S.
Besides being more contagious, it’s spreading at a time when governments are relaxing restrictions designed to control COVID-19. Also, people are taking off their masks and getting back to activities such as traveling, eating indoors at restaurants and attending crowded events.
At this point, overall coronavirus cases in the U.S. are still on the decline. But there have been upticks in some places, including New York, Arizona and Illinois. Health officials have also noted that case counts are getting more unreliable because of the wide availability of home tests and the fact some people are no longer getting tested.
“We’re entering a phase where increasing cases or waves may be very regional and it may depend a lot on vaccination levels in the community — and not just vaccination levels but timing of the vaccinations,” Long said. “How long ago were they? Did people get boosters? Because we know the immunity to the vaccine wanes a little bit over time.”
Long said he feels “very certain” that cases will eventually go back up in the U.S., whether that’s because of BA.2 or some future variant. “If it’s BA.2,” he said, “it may be more of a wave or a speed bump than a surge.”
For now, COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are still trending down nationally.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER VARIANTS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT?
As the coronavirus continues to evolve, the WHO is tracking other mutants, including hybrids known as “recombinants.”
These include combinations of delta and omicron and hybrids of BA.2 and the original omicron, also known as BA.1.
One recombinant that health authorities are tracking closely is a BA.1-BA.2 hybrid called XE, which was first detected in the United Kingdom in January. About 600 cases have been reported, and scientists believe it may be about 10% more contagious than BA.2.
WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO?
The advice from experts remains the same: Take precautions to avoid getting COVID-19.
“The virus is still out there circulating,” Long said. “Vaccination is still your best defense.”
Get the shots if you haven’t already, he said, and get the second booster if you’re eligible because you are 50 or older or have a compromised immune system.
“If cases start going up in your community, think about assessing your risk level,” Long said. “If you stopped masking and stopped worrying about distancing and things … that’s the time to reinstitute those protective measures.”
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://cw33.com/health/ap-health/explainer-ba-2-variant-takes-over-whats-known-about-it/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:09 | en | 0.957106 |
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nine people were taken to the hospital Friday night after a T-bone crash between two vehicles pushed one of the cars into a food truck and a group of pedestrians in Austin, Texas. Austin-Travis County EMS said first responders started getting multiple calls about the crash around 8:18 p.m., and by 8:24 p.m., its first ambulance arrived on scene.
A woman who spoke with Nexstar’s KXAN said she was picking up food nearby when she heard the crash.
“We heard a car speeding up, revving up, and then all of a sudden a huge pop, and we came out here as fast as we [could] to find this huge truck hit a tiny little car and made the biggest noise,” Taylor Sezanne recalled.
The force of the impact sent the car toward the crowd, emergency responders said. Photos from the scene show the damaged sedan had come to a stop against a Thai-style ice cream truck.
One of the two vehicles suspected to be involved in a T-bone crash on Barton Springs Road in Austin that sent nine people to the hospital. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) One of the two vehicles suspected to be involved in a T-bone crash on Barton Springs Road in Austin that sent nine people to the hospital. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb)
Eleven adults were injured, but EMS workers said only nine were taken to the hospital — one of them being the driver of one of the vehicles. Victims were sent to two local hospitals, including two with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries and two others with potentially serious injuries, according to EMS officials.
Two of the patients were declared “trauma alerts,” which Austin-Travis County EMS explained is a classification system used in conjunction with hospitals. It gives hospitals an advance notice that incoming patients may be in need of serious trauma services or an operating room, the agency said.
Two of the injured people declined treatment or transport at the scene, EMS said.
“They may have been a little bit scraped up, but certainly not anything to need any kind of treatment or assessment or transport; they were able to walk away,” said ATCEMS Public Information Officer Capt. Christa Stedman.
In total, nine ambulances, two district commanders and administrative assets responded to the area.
The Austin Police Department is currently investigating, but said it’s too early to determine if any charges would be pending.
“I think that you should never be speeding, especially in the middle of Austin when there’s people walking around,” said Sezanne. “And be extra careful driving, because anything can happen, and it happens within 10 seconds.” | https://www.krqe.com/news/national/9-taken-to-hospital-after-car-crashes-into-food-truck-crowd-of-people-in-austin/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:12 | en | 0.9737 |
The U.S. is getting a first glimpse of what it’s like to experience COVID-19 outbreaks during this new phase of living with the virus, and the roster of the newly infected is studded with stars.
Cabinet members, House SpeakerNancy Pelosi, Broadway actors and the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut have all tested positive. Outbreaks at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University are bringing back mask requirements to those campuses as officials seek out quarantine space.
The known infections likely reveal only the tip of the iceberg — with actors and politicians regularly tested at work. Official case figures are certain to be vast undercounts of how widely the virus is circulating because of home testing and mildly sick not bothering to test at all.
Across the nation, mask-wearing is at its lowest level since April 2020, said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. For every 100 infections, only seven are recorded in official tallies, according to his modeling group’s latest estimate. That means a place like New York City that’s averaging 1,600 cases a day has a dramatically higher true number of infections.
Mokdad expects the high level of U.S. immunity built up from previous infections and vaccinations will protect the nation from a large surge.
“We’re going to have some infections here and there, but it’s not going to shut down the country,” Mokdad said. “Life has to go on. We have to be vaccinated and boosted. We need to protect the vulnerable, but we have to get used to it.”
On Broadway, several performances of the comedy “Plaza Suite” were canceled after Matthew Broderick tested positive, followed by his wife and co-star, Sarah Jessica Parker. Daniel Craig, too, has been sidelined from his revival of “Macbeth.”
Large indoor gatherings with masks optional have led to infections, with a high-profile party in Washington, D.C., now seen as a possible super-spreader event. Other infection clusters outside of groups that are regularly tested might go undetected, said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington.
“It’s harder now than it was before to know what’s happening. The future is a little fuzzier because we don’t have as much information at our fingertips,” Michaud said. “If you’re not an actor in a Broadway play or a politician you might fall through the testing cracks.”
The public health response will vary from community to community based on what’s happening locally, Michaud said.
“We’re fighting smaller fires instead of a raging blaze across the country and those smaller fires can be disruptive,” Michaud said. “It leaves everyone to choose their own adventure when it comes to pandemic response and individual behaviors.”
In Washington D.C., the outbreak has been particularly high profile — striking multiple Cabinet secretaries and Congress members along with Mayor Muriel Bowser and the president of Georgetown University.
At least a dozen of those infections can be traced to the Gridiron Club dinner, an annual fixture of the D.C. social calendar that took place Saturday for the first time in three years. The dinner is an example of a return to near-total normality that’s taking place around the country, leading to a spike in positive tests, but not necessarily a corresponding spike in serious illnesses or hospitalizations.
Washington, D.C., like much of the rest of the country, has greatly relaxed its COVID-19 stance in recent weeks. Bowser has allowed vaccination and indoor masking mandates to expire, and the city health department stopped reporting daily virus numbers in early March. Attendees at the Gridiron Club dinner, which Bowser did not attend, had to provide proof of vaccination, but otherwise no masking or social distancing protocols were observed.
And other staples of the D.C. social calendar are also back to normal. The city’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival has been going for weeks — with dozens of associated events, including a parade scheduled for Saturday.
Amid that general return to pre-pandemic behavior, there are a few cautionary steps backward. Georgetown University announced it would reintroduce its indoor mask mandate amid rising infection numbers that include university President John DeGioia
Georgetown’s Chief Public Health Officer Ranit Mishori, in announcing the new restrictions, described the infection spike as “significant” — particularly among undergraduates. “Thankfully, with the vast majority of our community up to date on vaccination, we are not seeing cases involving severe illness,” Mishori wrote.
D.C. health chief Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, in comments to reporters this week, has pointed to the ongoing low level of hospitalizations as proof that the vaccinations have successfully limited the severity of the illness.
Virus metrics in Washington have crept up in the past month according to the city health department. The weekly case rate per 100,000 residents climbed from 51 at the beginning of March to 110 at the end of March. But that’s still far below the weekly case rate of 865 per 100,000 residents reported in the second week of January during the omicron variant surge.
Nesbitt said there were no immediate plans to reinstitute any of the lapsed virus protocols, but that always remained an option in the future.
“We need to remember that living with the virus does not mean forgetting about the virus. It’s still out there, it’s still causing people to get sick and some people to die,” Michaud said. “If we’re not prepared, we could be in a bad situation quickly again.”
___
AP writer Ashraf Khalil in Washington, D.C., contributed.
___
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WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — In the nation’s capital, two men are accused of duping members of the agency in charge of protecting the president, his family and the political elite.
Federal prosecutors say the men behind the plan, Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 36, gave Secret Service agents tens of thousands of dollars in lavish gifts, including rent-free apartments.
According to investigators, Taherzadeh and Ali pretended to work for the Department of Homeland Security on a task force looking into violence linked to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. That’s how they got a shoe-in with actual law enforcement officers, including a Secret Service agent who worked on the first lady’s security detail.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that at least four agents and officers were at the receiving end of Taherzadeh and Ali’s gifts, including drones, surveillance equipment, cellphones and rent-free apartments, including a penthouse worth more than $40,000 per year. Those agents are now on administrative leave.
The duo’s ploy unraveled Wednesday night during a raid at their luxury apartment in Washington, in the very same building where some of the Secret Service employees they are accused of making friends with lived. This comes after a postal inspector picked up on their odd behavior and reported it to the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
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Taherzadeh and Ali are accused of running their scheme for at least two years to ingratiate themselves in the defense and law enforcement community, and a bombshell disclosure in federal court Thursday revealed that one of the men has ties to Pakistani intelligence. Court proceedings also disclosed that Ali has visas from both Pakistan and Iran.
It’s unclear what Taherzadeh and Ali were trying to accomplish, but the question remains: How could this happen?
Dan Emmett, a retired Secret Service agent and the author of “Within Arms Length, A Secret Service Agent’s Definitive Inside Account of Protecting the President,” told “NewsNation Prime” on Thursday that right now, there are a lot more questions than answers in the bizarre case.
“There are some things that have come to light that troubled me a great deal,” Emmett said. “The CIA side of me says that this is an ongoing intelligence operation, one that is not just beginning, but one that has been in progress for quite some time. The other part that really bothers me is that the Secret Service is involved in this.”
As a former agent, Emmett says he hopes the four Secret Service members in question have not done anything in return for Taherzadeh and Ali’s luxurious gifts.
“It looks to me as a former agency, counter intel type, what you have is a couple of people who are masquerading as federal agents who have befriended four people at the Secret Service who have access to the White House and protect (leaders including) Joe Biden and the entire (Biden) family probably, and that they are giving them gifts, they are being friends with them and in return for what? And so my big question is, what has the Secret Service done in return for these gifts, if anything? Nothing at this point, I hope, but that would have been coming down the road at some point. You don’t get something for nothing,” Emmett said.
While appearing Thursday on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live,” Charles Marino, former acting special agent in charge with the U.S. Secret Service, called the situation “startling” and also questioned the gifts.
“It’s startling. There’s no other words here. These objects, items, whatever you want to call them, should never have been accepted by agents of the Secret Service. And in addition to the Secret Service, we have other agencies within DHS, like the U.S. Customs Enforcement service there that does naturalization of citizens. There’s an individual that was caught up from there, as well as individuals from the Department of Defense. So this apartment complex, if you will, was a target-rich environment for the subjects,” Marino said.
Who are Taherzadeh and Ali? Emmett says that’s for the FBI to find out, but he expects clues to come from following the money.
“These people were spending enormous amounts of money on apartments, on gizmos and gadgets, they were giving to the Secret Service. That money was coming from somewhere, and so there’s an old saying, follow the money. And if you do that, I think what’s probably going to be revealed, you’re going to find that the money is going to a foreign Intel service who was employing these two individuals. And that unfortunately looks like to me what’s going on,” Emmett said.
Marino added: “Is it part of a larger foreign intelligence gathering operation? Or is it just two guys that wanted to become members of the law enforcement community and couldn’t, so fake their way through it? But either way, this was a big threat to our national security, no doubt.”
Marino said the amount of money spent and the weapons obtained in an area like D.C. make him believe a foreign government was involved in the scheme.
“I mean, this fits the MO of a foreign government in terms of intelligence collection on an adversary. I mean, these apartments alone are running close to $50,000 per year per apartment, and then you add in all the other enticements there that you named earlier. So this adds up, and then also the weapons, how are these weapons able to be accessed and obtained so easily by these individuals, especially in a location like D.C.?
“I mean, even Virginia and Maryland, we’re talking about waiting periods here for these weapons. So how were they able to circumvent (those rules)? Because it appears they did, in fact, circumvent these timeframes in terms of awaiting weapons. How are they able to get around that to produce these weapons as evidence to these real agents, that they too are part of the Department of Homeland Security? So there’s a lot more questions here. You and I, Dan, both know that the information in the affidavit is the bare minimum to support the charges here,” Marino told Abrams.
With security at the top of mind, Emmett also spoke out about the chances of a postal inspector reporting the duo instead of Secret Service themselves.
“The Secret Service people involved in this, quite frankly, are not paying attention. They’re asleep at the switch. Any rookie agent right out of the academy should know that there’s no such thing as a special police officer from the Department of Homeland Security. Now, why a postal inspector knows that and Secret Service agents don’t know, that is a mystery to me,” Emmett commented, later adding: “What really bothers me is you’ve got these guys with guns, ammunition, tactical gear, all the things in place that look to me to be preparing for an assassination attempt or an abduction.”
What could be happening behind closed doors? Will the four Secret Service agents face any sort of punishment?
“What’s probably been happening all day and maybe even right now, as you and I are speaking, is that the FBI, they are wringing out these four Secret Service types to find out what, if anything, they gave to these two individuals, and what the story was behind the entire thing,” Emmett said on NewsNation Prime. “So, there’s going to be a lot of interviewing going on, a lot of questioning going on. And it’s not going to be a comfortable time for these Secret Service types.”
Marino believes there’s one thing we can be sure of: “That the FBI has a parallel intelligence investigation going on about this. Because what was the ulterior motive of these two individuals and who were they associated with?”
The investigation into Taherzadeh and Ali is ongoing. | https://www.krqe.com/news/national/duo-accused-of-duping-secret-service-what-were-they-after/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:18 | en | 0.971722 |
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a Republican-priority measure on Friday that would ban abortions in Kentucky after 15 weeks of pregnancy and regulate the dispensing of abortion pills.
The governor raised doubts about the constitutionality of the bill and criticized it for not including exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.
State lawmakers will have a chance to override the veto when they reconvene next week for the final two days of this year’s 60-day legislative session. The abortion measure won overwhelming support in the GOP-dominated legislature. A state Republican Party spokesman called the veto the latest example of the governor’s “ideological war” on conservative values.
The proposal reflects the latest attempt by Kentucky lawmakers to put more restrictions and conditions on abortion since the GOP took complete control of the legislature after the 2016 election.
The proposed 15-week ban is modeled after a Mississippi law under review by the U.S. Supreme Courtin a case that could dramatically limit abortion rights. By taking the preemptive action, the bill’s supporters say that Kentucky’s stricter ban would be in place if the Mississippi law is upheld.
Kentucky law currently bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Beshear on Friday condemned the bill for failing to exclude pregnancies caused by rape or incest.
“Rape and incest are violent crimes,” the governor said in his veto message. “Victims of these crimes should have options, not be further scarred through a process that exposes them to more harm from their rapists or that treats them like offenders themselves.”
The governor said the bill would make it harder for girls under 18 to end a pregnancy without notifying both parents. As an example, he said that a girl impregnated by her father would have to notify him of her intent to get an abortion.
Beshear, a former state attorney general, also said the bill is “likely unconstitutional,” noting that similar laws elsewhere were struck down by the Supreme Court. He pointed to provisions in the Kentucky bill requiring doctors performing nonsurgical procedures to maintain hospital admitting privileges in “geographical proximity” to where the procedures are performed.
“The Supreme Court has ruled such requirements unconstitutional as it makes it impossible for women, including a child who is a victim of rape or incest, to obtain a procedure in certain areas of the state,” the governor said.
Opponents of the Kentucky bill say its restrictions are so onerous that no abortion clinic could comply.
The state Republican Party sharply criticized Beshear for the veto. It will likely surface as an issue again next year when the governor runs for a second term in Republican-trending Kentucky.
On Friday, state GOP spokesperson Sean Southard said the governor’s veto was “the latest action in his ideological war on the conservative values held by Kentuckians.”
Abortion rights supporters defended the governor’s action. Jackie McGranahan, policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said the bill aims to “shame and ostracize patients” and “push a safe and effective method of abortion care out of reach.”
Another key part of the bill would set regulations for the dispensing of abortion pills. It would require women to be examined in person by a doctor before receiving the medication.
That part of the bill is part of a nationwide push by anti-abortion groups to limit the ability of physicians to prescribe abortion pills by telemedicine, and comes in response to the increased use of pills rather than surgery to terminate early pregnancies.
About half of all abortions performed in Kentucky are the result of medication procedures. | https://cw33.com/health/ap-health/kentucky-governor-vetoes-proposed-15-week-abortion-ban/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:23 | en | 0.961051 |
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed a measure Friday that would expand access to abortion in the state by ending a restriction that only physicians can provide them and requiring most insurance plans to cover abortion care without cost.
The Republican governor, who isn’t ruling out a run for the White House in 2024 after his second term ends early next year, wrote that the bill “endangers the health and lives of women by allowing non-physicians to perform abortions.”
“The bill risks lowering the high standard of reproductive health care services received by women in Maryland,” wrote Hogan, who has previously said he personally opposes abortion though he considers it settled law in the state. “These procedures are complex and can, and often do, result in significant medical complications that require the attention of a licensed physician.”
Democrats, who control the General Assembly, passed the legislationwith enough votes to override the veto before the scheduled adjournment of the legislative session Monday at midnight.
Supporters say Maryland does not have enough abortion providers for the needs of the state. They have pointed out that many counties do not have a single provider. The bill would remove a legal restriction preventing nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants from providing abortions. It would create an abortion care training program and requires $3.5 million in state funding annually.
Separately, the governor decided he would neither veto nor sign a measure that sets accelerated greenhouse gas reduction goals for Marylandand takes a wide variety of steps to meet them. The measure will become law without Hogan’s signature. The governor also said a bill that will require the state retirement and pension system to consider certain climate risks when managing assets of the system will go into law without his signature.
“These two bills are an example of poor legislative practice and misguided resources resulting in partisan politics; however I will allow them to pass into law in hopes they will generate future deliberation and discussion on this critically important issue,” Hogan wrote.
The measure aimed at slowing climate change would speed up Maryland’s current goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 40% of 2006 levels to 60% by 2031. It also sets a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045 in the state. That means at least as much carbon would be removed from the atmosphere as what’s being emitted.
The bill includes a variety of provisions to cut emissions. For example, it would increase the state’s electric vehicle fleet and reduce emissions from large buildings.
The measure seeking to expand abortion access comes at a time when the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that banned states from outlawing abortion.
If they do, at least 26 states are likely to either ban abortion outright or severely limit access, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights.
That would force many women to travel to other states to get abortions, prompting Democratic-led legislatures like Maryland’s to pass new laws to prepare for them. | https://cw33.com/health/ap-health/maryland-gov-hogan-vetoes-bill-to-expand-abortion-access/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:30 | en | 0.965394 |
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Saturday that the state government has nothing to do with an ongoing campaign which seeks a ban on the Wakf Board. Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik has, in a fresh campaign on various platforms, demanded a ban on the Wakf Board and the laws that govern it.
Reacting to the demand, Bommai said, “People practice their respective traditions. The government is run in accordance with the laws. The government has nothing to do with these campaigns. All are equal in the government’s view. Maintaining law and order in the state is our objective.” The chief minister made the statement in Bidar on Saturday.
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The state has, of late, witnessed several campaigns along religious lines, including a boycott on halal meat and a ban on Muslim shopkeepers at local temple fairs.
Reacting to AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala’s tweet on the Bitcoin issue, Bommai said, “I have replied to the issue in the Legislative Assembly itself. If he has any information on the issue, let him submit it instead of tweeting. It is meaningless.”
The Congress leader had on Friday posed a series of questions to Bommai and Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra on Twitter in connection with a post by Congress MLA Priyank Kharge which suggested that the US-based Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was in New Delhi to investigate the Bitcoin scam which came to light in Karnataka.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/govt-has-nothing-campaign-against-wakf-board-karnataka-cm-bommai-7861536/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:34 | en | 0.967064 |
MADRID (AP) — Spain is awaiting the publication in coming days of a new law banning the intimidation or harassment of women entering abortion clinics.
The law comes into force when it is published in the Government Gazette, possibly next week, after the Spanish Senate on Wednesday endorsed a law passed earlier by parliament.
The Senate gave its blessing by 154 to 105 votes for changes to the penal code in Spain, where abortions are available for free in the public health service through the 14th week of pregnancy.
The legal changes mean that anyone harassing a woman going into an abortion clinic will be committing a crime that can be punished with up to one year in prison.
Spain’s government, led by the center-left Socialist government, proposed the law last year and lawmakers approved it in September.
In the Senate, as in parliament, the changes were opposed by right-of-center political groupings.
They argued that the alterations flew in the face of the constitutional right to free speech and the right to assemble.
Anti-abortion groups said their gatherings outside abortion clinics were organized to pray and offer help to the women.
The national Association of Accredited Clinics for Pregnancy Termination says that more than 100 cases of harassment are reported outside clinics each year. | https://cw33.com/health/ap-health/spain-bans-harassment-of-women-entering-abortion-clinics/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:37 | en | 0.967048 |
A day after the death of a 21-year-old student in Canada’s Toronto, his family in Ghaziabad continues to look for answers. Kartik Vasudev, a resident of Ghaziabad, was shot dead outside a subway station in Toronto on Thursday evening. Speaking to The Indian Express, his family said they were unaware about the motive of the crime and were desperately seeking the government’s help for clarity and justice.
“We are as clueless about Kartik’s death as we were on the first day. I have received no phone call from the Embassy or Canadian authorities. He was the only one killed and there seems to be silence around it. I feel everyone wants to let the issue die down but I will knock every possible door for justice,” said his father Jitesh Vasudev.
Kartik was pursuing global management from Seneca University and was in his first year. Shortly after joining college, he found a job at a restaurant in the Downtown area.
He was on his way to work when he was shot dead on Thursday. On a regular day, he would take the same metro route and stop two stations ahead. On Thursday, he got off at Sherbourne Station since his manager had asked for a package to be picked from near the stop. It is estimated that he was shot multiple times near the station.
The family has been told by local Canadian journalists that Kartik was shot eight times. As per officials, the perpetrator is yet to be arrested.
In a statement, the Toronto Police said: “A man had been shot at the Glen Road entrance of Sherbourne Subway Station. The man received medical attention by an off-duty paramedic. The man had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.”
The family also said they suspect it was a hate crime and not a robbery gone wrong. “His bag was left behind and it seems so far that it was not a robbery. It is possible it was a hate crime. All we want is someone to answer our questions. No one is telling us why a young boy was shot dead,” said Jitesh.
Kartik’s family recalled that he loved food and it was one of the reasons he took on a part-time job at the restaurant. His parents insisted he take time to settle in at the university and the city, but Kartik wanted to work right away. He kept to himself on most occasions, his family said.
The family had been told that the body will take nearly six days to reach India, but Jitesh said their visas need to be expedited so they can reach Canada at the earliest. “There is no government intervention. They should facilitate our travel to Canada so I can demand justice there. I want to visit that spot personally and see that the guilty person is punished. We always felt that countries like these are very safe but that is not the case,” he said.
The Indian Consulate in Toronto said it is providing all possible assistance. “We are shocked and distressed at the unfortunate killing of Indian student Kartik Vasudev in a shooting incident in Toronto yesterday. We are in touch with the family and will provide all possible assistance in early repatriation of mortal remains,” it said in a tweet.
Back in Canada, Kartik’s friends and batchmates from the university organised a prayer ceremony in his memory.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/hate-crime-justice-indian-student-kartik-vasudev-death-canada-7861693/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:41 | en | 0.99212 |
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Ninth grader Harleigh Walker, 15, spends her time after school like many girls her age: doing homework, listening to Taylor Swift, collecting records and hanging out with friends.
But this year, her spring break also included trying to persuade members of the state House and Senate to reject legislation banning gender-affirming medications for transgender kids like her under 19.
She was unsuccessful. On Thursday, Alabama lawmakers passed the measure, andGov. Kay Ivey signed it into law on Friday, meaning Harleigh’s doctor would face prison time if she continued to prescribe her testosterone-blocking drugs.
“Honestly, I’m a little scared now,” Harleigh said Thursday after learning the bill had passed. “But we’re still going to fight, no matter what.”
She said she is holding out hope the bill will be blocked by a court.
Alabama is among multiple states with Republican-controlled legislatures that have advanced bills not only to block medical treatment but to ban transgender children from using school restrooms or playing on sports teams that don’t correspond with their sex at birth. The Alabama medication bill is one of the most far-reaching: It would put doctors in prison for up to 10 years for prescribing puberty blockers or hormonal treatment to trans kids under 19.
“I believe very strongly that if the Good Lord made you a boy, you are a boy, and if he made you a girl, you are a girl,” said Ivey, who faces a May primary with conservative opponents trying to outflank her on her right. “We should especially protect our children from these radical, life-altering drugs and surgeries when they are at such a vulnerable stage in life. Instead, let us all focus on helping them to properly develop into the adults God intended them to be.”
Ivey also signed a separate measure that requires students to use bathrooms that align with their original birth certificate and prohibits instruction of gender and sexual identity in kindergarten through fifth grades.
Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel for the Human Rights Campaign, a national advocacy group for the LGBTQ community, called the new laws “breathtakingly cruel and cowardly” and “the single most anti-transgender legislative package in history.” Groups on Friday vowed to quickly file a lawsuit challenging the measures in court.
Oakley and other opponents say transgender health is being used as a deliberate political wedge issue to motivate a voting base — in the same way they say bills about critical race theoryhave been employed. Critical race theory is a way of thinking about America’s history through the lens of racism. Numerous Republican-controlled legislatures have proposed bills to block its teaching in public schools.
The measures have prompted swift backlash from medical experts, Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, the U.S. Department of Justice and the families of trans youth. Last month, the Justice department sent a letter to all 50 state attorneys general, warning them that blocking transgender and nonbinary youth from receiving gender-affirming care could be an infringement of federal constitutional protections.
“My child is not a political tool. This is not a fair fight to pick on vulnerable children,” said Vanessa Finney Tate, the mother of a 13-year-old trans boy in Birmingham, Alabama, after testifying at a public legislative hearing on bill that would block students from using bathrooms corresponding to their gender.
Harleigh’s father, Jeff Walker notes that many of the same Alabama lawmakers who supported the ban on gender-affirming medical treatment recently argued, ‘It’s your body and your choice’ regarding coronavirus vaccinations. He said the family is now scrambling to find another state where it can continue Harleigh’s medical care.
“We just don’t want people meddling in our medical care,” he said.
Medical groups including The American Academy of Pediatrics have publicly opposed efforts to outlaw gender-affirming care.
“Gender-affirming care benefits the health and psychological functioning of transgender and gender-diverse youth,” the Endocrine Society said in a statement. “When an individual’s gender identity is not respected and they cannot access medical care, it can result in higher psychological problem scores and can raise the person’s risk of committing suicide or other acts of self-harm.”
The organization notes that only reversible puberty blockers are recommended for younger adolescents, while older adolescents might qualify for hormone therapy.
Harleigh received the medication — which stops her from going through male puberty — only after consulting with a team of doctors for years. She said it’s “weird” to see lawmakers with no medical experience call her medication “child abuse,” when six doctors have agreed she should have it.
Angus, a 16-year-old trans teen who requested that his last name not be used because of the bullying he has received in his north Alabama town, said he knew at puberty that the mirror reflected “a body that wasn’t my own.”
After coming out to his mother, he began slowly testing the waters: dressing as a man, changing his name. Only after years of talking to a team of doctors, was he able to recently get medications to stop his periods. The next step, which he is eager to start, would be a small dose of testosterone.
“I have been waiting for seven years to finally become a man, the man that I’ve always known I am,” Angus said.
He said bills to block such treatments are harming, not protecting trans youth.
“The government is saying, ‘Oh, parents are abusing their children by letting them transition,'” he said. “Actually, it’s more child abuse to not let them transition if they come out. What these bills really are doing is putting trans youth lives at risk because these suicide rates will spike exponentially. And a lot of families will lose their children.”
Similar bans are moving forward in other states.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the state’s child welfare agency to investigate as abuse reports of gender-confirming care for kids. And a law in Arkansas bans gender-affirming medications. That law has been blocked by a court, however.
Trans youth in many red states say they feel attacked, angry, betrayed and scared by the wave of legislation aimed at them.
“It feels like a back-stab,” Harleigh said. “I’ve lived in this state my whole life. For them to just say, ‘Well, you know what, this is an issue that’s really popular on my side of the aisle so I’m just going to raise it up and support it because it’ll help me win my election’ — It just hurts to see them do that.” | https://cw33.com/health/ap-health/trans-kids-parents-fight-wave-of-legislation-in-red-states/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:43 | en | 0.967453 |
A magistrate court in Mumbai on Saturday remanded in judicial custody as many as 110 protesting employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) who were arrested on Friday for rioting outside NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence. The court also rejected the bail pleas of all protesters.
The Gamdevi police had produced them before the court near Azad Maidan on Saturday afternoon amid heavy bandobast. Gunaratna Sadavarte, the legal counsel of the striking employees who was also detained, was remanded in police custody for two days.
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The protesters were booked on charges pertaining to criminal conspiracy, rioting and assault/criminal force to deter public servants from discharge of duty under the Indian Penal Code.
The police, in their remand application, sought the custody of the accused through their public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat. The prosecutor argued before the magistrate that several policemen were injured in the protests, and sought to determine the mastermind behind the conspiracy.
The police said they wished to ascertain if Sadavarte was among those behind the conspiracy, and pointed out that while speaking to media persons on April 7, he had said that the protesters will barge into Pawar’s residence and seek answers. They also wanted to find out if there were more anti-social elements among the protesters who provoked the violence. The accused refused to cooperate with the probe and gave wrong addresses, it was alleged.
Appearing for Sadavarte, lawyer Mahesh Vaswani denied that his client made any appeal on video or audio before mediapersons asking workers to barge into Pawar’s residence. “He has raised his voice against the state government, including the home minister, and hence action is being taken against him,” Vaswani said, adding the protesters have been fighting for their rights for five months but no leader came to help them. The advocate also sought details of the medical reports of the policemen who were allegedly injured at the hands of protesters.
Earlier, just before he was detained, Sadavarte had told The Indian Express: “I was in court when the incident took place. I am not part of a union or a politician, my relationship with the striking employees is that of a client and an advocate.”
Appearing for the protesters, advocate Sandeep Gaikwad told the court, “The protesters are mere workers. They are not criminal-minded. Please try to understand their problem.”
On Friday, the Gamdevi police registered an FIR against 132 people, mostly MSRTC employees, who tried to barge into Silver Oak, the south Mumbai residence of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The incident took place a day after the Bombay High Court directed the transport corporation to drop charges against its protesting staffers and reinstate those who were terminated if they resume work by April 22.
The violent protest sent ripples through the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray condemning the striking employees’ action and Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil calling on the police brass to understand why they failed to anticipate the violence.
Employees of the state transport body, which has over 90,000 persons on its payroll, have been on strike since November 2021 demanding that the cash-strapped transport corporation be taken over by the state government. The strike was expected to be withdrawn on Friday, but a group of around one hundred protesters gathered at Silver Oak around 3.15 pm.
The police said the protesters broke the barricades and moved towards Pawar’s residence, raising slogans. The agitators later tried to enter the premises of Silver Oak and were stopped by security personnel, they said, adding that this was when the protesters allegedly turned violent.
Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule tried to placate the protesters outside the house, saying she was ready to talk to them but she must ensure first that her parents, who were inside, were safe. Later, speaking to mediapersons, Sule said her house was attacked. “I am thankful to the Mumbai Police for their prompt reaction… What has happened is very unfortunate. This is the first time I am seeing something like this happening in Maharashtra.”
The police said that as soon as the protest turned violent, they started detaining the agitators. It took over an hour for them to bring the situation under control, officers said.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/msrtc-workers-stir-outside-pawars-house-110-protesters-sent-to-judicial-custody-7861648/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:47 | en | 0.982926 |
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nine people were taken to the hospital Friday night after a T-bone crash between two vehicles pushed one of the cars into a food truck and a group of pedestrians in Austin, Texas. Austin-Travis County EMS said first responders started getting multiple calls about the crash around 8:18 p.m., and by 8:24 p.m., its first ambulance arrived on scene.
A woman who spoke with Nexstar’s KXAN said she was picking up food nearby when she heard the crash.
“We heard a car speeding up, revving up, and then all of a sudden a huge pop, and we came out here as fast as we [could] to find this huge truck hit a tiny little car and made the biggest noise,” Taylor Sezanne recalled.
The force of the impact sent the car toward the crowd, emergency responders said. Photos from the scene show the damaged sedan had come to a stop against a Thai-style ice cream truck.
One of the two vehicles suspected to be involved in a T-bone crash on Barton Springs Road in Austin that sent nine people to the hospital. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) One of the two vehicles suspected to be involved in a T-bone crash on Barton Springs Road in Austin that sent nine people to the hospital. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb)
Eleven adults were injured, but EMS workers said only nine were taken to the hospital — one of them being the driver of one of the vehicles. Victims were sent to two local hospitals, including two with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries and two others with potentially serious injuries, according to EMS officials.
Two of the patients were declared “trauma alerts,” which Austin-Travis County EMS explained is a classification system used in conjunction with hospitals. It gives hospitals an advance notice that incoming patients may be in need of serious trauma services or an operating room, the agency said.
Two of the injured people declined treatment or transport at the scene, EMS said.
“They may have been a little bit scraped up, but certainly not anything to need any kind of treatment or assessment or transport; they were able to walk away,” said ATCEMS Public Information Officer Capt. Christa Stedman.
In total, nine ambulances, two district commanders and administrative assets responded to the area.
The Austin Police Department is currently investigating, but said it’s too early to determine if any charges would be pending.
“I think that you should never be speeding, especially in the middle of Austin when there’s people walking around,” said Sezanne. “And be extra careful driving, because anything can happen, and it happens within 10 seconds.” | https://www.news10.com/news/9-hopitalized-after-car-crashes-into-food-truck-crowd-of-people/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:48 | en | 0.9737 |
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Lawyers for the state of West Virginia concluded the first week of a trial against three major opioid makers Friday by outlining how pharmaceutical companies rebranded the highly addictive drugs decades ago to expand their prescriber base while downplaying the risks.
The bench trial began Monday in the state’s case against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., AbbVie Inc.’s Allergan and their family of companies.
State lawyers spent hours on Friday questioning Matthew Perri, a pharmaceutical marketing expert who said he had “painstakingly” reviewed thousands of pages of marketing materials from the companies.
Much of the early testimony on Friday focused on materials produced by Cephalon Inc., a company bought by Teva, to sell fentanyl-based medications Actiq and Fentora.
Perri described a “paradigm shift” from the late 1990s to early 2000s in which the companies transitioned from marketing opioids as drugs designed for terminal cancer patients to drugs designed to treat long-term pain.
Materials used by sales representatives to market the drugs downplayed or failed to mention the risks of addiction associated with opioid use, Perri testified. Instead, marketing described drugs as “safe and highly effective” at controlling pain and “improving functionality and quality of life” for patients.
“It took down the barriers that were there, and effectively lowered the bar” for the prescription of opioid medications, he said. “Opioids could be prescribed sooner in the treatment process, with less worry.”
One 2010 training manual used by sales representatives marketing the morphine drug Kadian repeatedly minimized the risk of addiction among users. Allergan owns the rights to Kadian.
“Despite the continued unscientific beliefs of some clinicians, there is no evidence that simply taking opioids for a period of time will cause substance abuse or addiction,” the document reads.
The report says “it appears likely” that most patients who abuse opioids from pain management practices had an “abuse problem” beforehand.
“This topic is so important and so much misinformation exists,” it reads.
The bench trial is expected to last up to two months.
Earlier in the week, the judge heard a video deposition from the new White House drug czar Dr. Rahul Gupta, who testified that the opioid epidemic got so bad in drug-ravaged West Virginia that the state was having trouble finding foster parents to care for children.
Gupta previously served as West Virginia’s chief health officer from 2015 until 2018 and as as executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. He was confirmed last fall by the U.S. Senate as the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
His testimony was recorded before he was named to his White House position.
West Virginia long has led the nation in the rate of drug overdose deaths. Gupta said the opioid crisis also led to increases in public health problems such as Hepatitis B and HIV cases and neonatal abstinence syndrome, a withdrawal in newborns caused by exposure to drugs in the womb.
The lawsuit filed by Attorney General Patrick Morrisey accuses the companies of creating a public nuisance and violating the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act.
Attorneys for the companies said in opening arguments Monday that their individual products in question had considerably less than 1% of the market share in West Virginia, were medically necessary prescriptions and could not have contributed to the state’s opioid problems.
In November, a California judge ruled in favor of Johnson & Johnson, Allergan, Endo International, Teva and others, saying that local governments hadn’t proven in a lawsuit that the pharmaceutical companies used deceptive marketing to increase unnecessary opioid prescriptions and create a public nuisance.
Nationwide settlements were finalized in February by Johnson & Johnson and distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson over their role in the opioid addiction crisis. That cleared the way for $26 billion to flow to nearly every state and local government in the U.S. West Virginia previously reached settlements in separate lawsuits, including $37 million with distributor McKesson in 2019, and $20 million with Cardinal Health and $16 million with AmerisourceBergen in 2017.
In Charleston, a separate bench trial wrapped up last summer in federal court in a lawsuit accusing AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson of fueling the opioid crisis in Cabell County and the city of Huntington. That judge has not indicated when he will rule. | https://cw33.com/health/ap-health/wva-trial-expert-drug-makers-downplayed-risks-in-marketing/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:50 | en | 0.965566 |
Police probing the illegal phone tapping case recorded Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s statement at the office of the party mouthpiece, Saamna, in Prabhadevi on Saturday.
Raut is one of the two politicians whose phones were allegedly tapped illegally by the Maharashtra intelligence department when Rashmi Shukla headed it. The police recorded the statement of the other alleged snooping victim, senior NCP leader Eknath Khadse, on Thursday.
An officer from the Colaba police station said that Saturday’s recording lasted nearly an hour.
Shukla was booked in the case last month on a complaint lodged by Rajiv Jain, additional commissioner of police (special branch). The IPS officer faces charges under Section 165 (public servant obtaining any valuable thing, without consideration, from a person concerned in any proceeding or business transacted by such public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 26 of the Telegraph Act.
The first information report states that Shukla had vested political interests in illegally tapping the phones of the senior Sena and NCP leaders, according to a Mumbai police officer. Shukla is now posted in Hyderabad as additional director-general of the Central Reserve Police Force.
In mid-2021, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government appointed a three-member committee headed by acting DGP Sanjay Pandey, who is now the Mumbai police commissioner, to investigate the phone-tapping allegations. The panel identified Shukla’s role in allegedly snooping on state Congress president Nana Patole, over which a case was registered against her on February 25 in Pune, where she was police commissioner between March 2016 and July 2018. Subsequently, the committee found her responsible for the alleged tapping of the phone calls of Raut and Khadse.
Rajiv Jain, the IPS officer who filed the complaint in the matter, was part of the Pandey committee.
“The inquiry committee scrutinised the data available with the state intelligence department and came to know that the phones of Raut, Patole and Khadse were tapped. We suspect phone calls of many other politicians had also been tapped, but their data was subsequently destroyed,” said an officer.
Without confirming the month in which the phone calls were allegedly tapped—Assembly elections were held in 2019—the officer said, “The committee has also identified that she tapped their phone calls for around 15 days in the last three months of 2019.”
The Mumbai crime branch’s cyber cell is also investigating a phone-tapping-related case, which was registered against unknown persons. Shukla’s statement was recorded in the case.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/sanjay-raut-statement-recorded-phone-tapping-case-7861670/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:53 | en | 0.980591 |
HYGIENE, Colo. (KDVR) — Being a firefighter requires a certain amount of mental and physical strength. But it’s a part of the job that firefighter Dylan Miraglia of Hygiene, Colorado, takes more seriously than some.
“It’s a physical job, it’s a blue-collar job,” Miraglia said. “You have to be strong, and that’s one of the aspects of the job.”
When Miraglia’s not working, you can usually find him working out in a small gym tucked behind the rural Boulder County fire station.
“I’ve been weightlifting my whole life, and there’s not a day where I’m going to take off and relax. It’s just a part of me,” he said.
Miraglia said he’s always dreamed of setting a world weightlifting record and stumbled upon a challenge while flipping through the Guinness Book of World Records.
“They had a record for who could lift the most weight by atlas stone in sixty minutes,” he said. “And I saw that and I was like, ‘OK, I could beat this, I know I could beat this.’”
Last September, Miraglia set out to accomplish the task, lifting a 193-pound atlas stone 194 times in one hour.
Miraglia had to film the attempt from multiple angles, and have a certified timer verify the process. In the end, he lifted more than 37,000 pounds over the course of the hour, crushing the previous record by roughly 8,000 pounds.
After weeks of waiting, he said the record was verified a few weeks ago.
“I was actually on shift at the station and got this email, and was like, ‘Ahh, this is awesome!'” he said.
Miraglia already has his eyes set on another record involving Turkish kettlebells. He’s also hoping to make it back-to-back years on the Lifeline Puppy Fire Rescue Dogs Calendar. | https://www.news10.com/news/colorado-firefighter-sets-guinness-world-record/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:54 | en | 0.968669 |
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (AP) — In the three months since Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three of his congregants were held at gunpoint in their Texas synagogue, new carpet has been laid in the sanctuary, the walls have been repainted, the entry retiled and new doors installed. He said it has been healing to watch.
“Each time I came back in, I got to see us moving forward,” Cytron-Walker said.
Congregation Beth Israel in the Fort Worth suburb of Colleyville will be rededicated on Friday, and members will celebrate Shabbat in their own building for the first time since the attack.
After the 10-hour standoff on Jan. 15 ended with the escape of the remaining hostages and an FBI tactical team rushing in and killing the gunman, the synagogue was left with broken doors and windows, bullet holes and shattered glass.
Anna Salton Eisen, a founder of the synagogue, said the scene reminded her of abandoned synagogues in Poland still marked with bullets from World War II that she saw while visiting that country in 1998 with her parents — both Holocaust survivors.
“I was standing in my synagogue this time and it was just empty and silent and it showed the marks of the violence that had occurred,” Eisen said.
Eisen said the return will help the healing process.
“We are not defeated and we are not going to live in fear,” she said.
Leaders of the congregation made up of about 160 families said that as they return after holding services at a Methodist church during the repairs, they’ve been struck by the outpouring of love and support they’ve received. They also want to focus on fighting antisemitism, which led the gunman to their synagogue.
“It’s my hope and my prayer that there’s greater awareness about how damaging hate can be,” said Cytron-Walker, who starts a new job in July at Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
He was preparing for a morning service on Jan. 15 at when a stranger came to the synagogue’s door. Cytron-Walker welcomed the man who said he’d spent the winter night outside, chatting with him and making him tea.
Then, as Cytron-Walker and three of his congregants prayed — and others watched online — a click from a gun could be heard. During the standoff, British national Malik Faisal Akramdemanded the release of a Pakistani woman serving a lengthy prison sentencein nearby Fort Worth after being convicted of trying to kill U.S. troops.
The hostages have said Akram cited antisemitic stereotypes, believing that Jews wield the kind of power that could get the woman released.
One hostage, 85-year-old Lawrence Schwartz was released after about six hours. At about 9 p.m., the remaining hostages made their escape as Cytron-Walker threw a chair at Akram and the hostages ran out a side door.
Cytron-Walker has credited past security training for getting them out safely, including training he received from the Secure Community Network, founded in 2004 by Jewish organizations.
The hostage-taking in Texas came just over three years after America’s deadliest antisemitic attack, when a gunman killed 11 worshippers from three congregations meeting at Pittsburg’s Tree of Life synagogue.
“We believe the training is absolutely critical,” said Michael Masters, Secure Community Network’s national director and CEO. “You very rarely rise to an occasion in a critical incident, you fall back to your level of training.”
He said that last year they trained over 17,000 people, and that number was surpassed in the first three months of this year.
Congregation Beth Israel President Michael Finfer said Thursday that it will continue to do security training and that going forward it will have “far more police security than we’ve had in the past.”
Jeff Cohen, one of the four hostages, said he’s excited about the return.
“That’s part of that processing, it’s to look at where we’re going to be,” said Cohen, the synagogue’s vice president and security director. | https://cw33.com/news/ap-top-headlines/repaired-texas-synagogue-reopens-months-after-hostage-crisis/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:57 | en | 0.974883 |
Days after the Centre shot down Aligarh Muslim University’s (AMU) petition to allow it to roll out the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for a limited number of undergraduate programmes, the varsity’s top academic body on Saturday approved the proposal of adopting the entrance test for the new academic session starting this year.
A statement issued by the university said that a meeting of the Academic Council members accepted the recommendations of the committee constituted by the Council in December last year to deliberate upon all the aspects of the issue.
The meeting was presided over by the Vice Chancellor and attended by the Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Deans of Faculties, Principal of Colleges, Chairmen/ Chairpersons of Departments, Directors of Centres and other Academic Council members.
“The Committee discussed the letter and resolved that the University will use the test score of CUET, but the University’s provisions for admissions including internal reservation, Vice Chancellor’s nomination to various categories and admissions to students of Bridge Course and Madrasas will remain unaffected. The University will hold its own counseling session and it will conduct its admission test for B. Tech, Postgraduate Courses, Class XI, Diploma Courses, Schools and all other courses not in CUET,” read the statement.
The AMU had written to the Ministry of Education (MoE) on March 28, stating that it wants to use the CUET score for admissions to only eight undergraduate courses — three vocational courses and five BA programmes. Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) had also made a similar request, saying it will use CUET scores for admissions to two vocational and six BA (Hons) courses.
In its response, the Centre made it clear to both the universities that the CUET, which will be held in the first and second weeks of July, has to be applicable on admissions to all undergraduate programmes.
The March 28 letter was AMU’s second missive to the government on CUET. The university first wrote to the Centre in February, seeking exemption from the CUET, citing its minority status being contested in the Supreme Court. In its response, the Centre had then argued that the CUET won’t have any impact on the reservation policies followed by the AMU.
The AMU statement on Saturday said, “According to the recommendations of the committee approved by the Academic Council, the University will conduct its own counselling — as it has been doing during the past years, candidates of the Madaris/ Institutions recognised by AMU as per procedure will also be eligible to take admission on the basis of CCUET score—if they fulfil laid down eligibility conditions in the Guide to Admission of AMU and students who have graduated the AMU Bridge Course (CEPECAMI) will be eligible to take admission on the basis of CUET score, if they fulfill the laid down eligibility conditions of AMU.”
The statement said that the internal quota and all nomination quotas (Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe, Backward Class, Children of University Employees, Children of Alumni, Children of Central Government Employees recently posted/transferred to Aligarh, belonging to Distant State/ Union Territory, Physically Challenged, NCC Cadet, Outstanding Sportsperson, Outstanding Debater, Children of Armed Forces who died in combat) shall remain intact.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/education/amu-to-adopt-cuet-for-admission-to-ug-programmes-after-govt-declines-exemption-request-7861643/ | 2022-04-09T14:06:59 | en | 0.954412 |
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A firefighter in Polk County, Florida, was arrested and accused of extorting a 14-year-old local girl to send him nude videos via Snapchat, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Richard Dalton Battle, 24, of Palmetto, found the 14-year-old girl on Instagram in 2019 and added her on Snapchat. The victim told Battle she was only 14, to which Battle allegedly replied, “Okay.”
When the victim asked Battle how old he was, she says he didn’t answer. After conversations between the two turned sexual, Battle reportedly threatened to tell the girl’s mother unless the victim sent nude videos, a press release from the sheriff’s office stated.
Battle reportedly told the girl he knew where she lived based on a feature built into the Snapchat messaging app called “Snapmaps,” where users can share their live location with friends and the community.
Deputies said the girl feared Battle would come to her home, so she sent him two nude videos of herself.
Deputies said Battle continued to message the girl, repeatedly asking for more videos, which she ignored until March 2022 when she decided she “couldn’t take it anymore.”
When the girl searched for Battle’s identity online, she said found a Facebook profile where he was wearing a Polk County Fire Rescue T-shirt. The girl reported the online conversations to an adult.
The girl later told detectives it was “the worst thing ever” to send the video of herself.
Deputies said Battle used the Snapchat username “battle_dalton_” during his conversations with the girl.
On Thursday, detectives interviewed Battle when he arrived to work at the Ewell Road fire station. There, he allegedly told deputies he met the victim, whom he believed to be at least 18 years-old, on the dating app Tinder.
Battle denied the threats and denied soliciting the girl to send videos, but deputies said he admitted she sent videos to him. He denied being on Snapchat at all.
Battle was charged with solicitation of a person under 16 to commit a lewd act, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and extortion.
During a Friday press conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, “The closest thing he’s going to get a fire, maybe they’ll give him a hot chilly dog at the jail.” | https://www.news10.com/news/florida-firefighter-accused-of-extorting-14-year-old-girl-for-nude-videos/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:00 | en | 0.97027 |
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ISLAMABAD (AP) — A defiant Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that he is in a fight to protect the country’s sovereignty and called his supporters to the streets to defy opponents determined to unseat him.
Khan delivered an impassioned televised address to the nation on the eve of a no-confidence vote in parliament, a day after Pakistan’s Supreme Court blocked his bid to stay in power, ruling that his move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was illegal.
Thursday’s court decision set the stage for a no-confidence vote, with opposition lawmakers saying they have the 172 votes in the 342-seat assembly needed to unseat Khan, after several of his ruling party members and a small, but key, coalition partner defected.
In his speech, Khan urged Pakistanis — particular the country’s young who have been the backbone of his support since the former cricket star turned conservative Islamist politician came to power in 2018 — to rally countrywide on Sunday night.
“All of you will have to come out on Sunday after evening prayer to protest, to peacefully protest … I again say that should never indulge in violence,” he said. ”It should be a peaceful protest.”
He vowed not to accept the results of the no-confidence vote on Saturday — an indication he was aware he will likely lose the vote.
“You have to come out to protect your own future. It is you who have to protect your democracy, your sovereignty, and your independence … this is your duty,” he said.
Pakistan’s latest political crisis erupted last Sunday, when Khan sidestepped the opposition’s initial no-confidence petition — a motion that had been weeks in the making — and instead accused his opponents of colluding with the United States to remove him.
Qasim Suri, Khan’s ally and deputy parliament speaker, dismissed the no-confidence vote on the grounds of collusion while his Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry described the opposition as being “disloyal to the state,” and accused them of colluding with a foreign power.
Khan dissolved Parliament and called early elections but the opposition went to the Supreme Court with its case.
After four days of deliberations, hearing arguments from both the opposition and Khan’s lawyers, the five-member bench unanimously ordered Parliament reinstated and the no-confidence vote to be held on Saturday.
For his part, Khan said he had wanted the Supreme Court to investigate communications between a senior U.S. diplomat, whom he did not name, and Pakistani diplomats — communications he claimed were proof of collusion.
Khan claimed America wanted him gone because of his foreign policy choices in favor of Russia and China, and a visit he made on Feb. 24 to Moscow, where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. He has also said the U.S. dislikes his strident criticism of Washington’s war on terror.
The U.S. State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s internal politics. Deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters on Friday that there was “absolutely no truth to these allegations.”
“Of course, we continue to follow these developments and support Pakistan’s constitutional process but again, these allegations are absolutely not true,” she said.
Khan’s political opposition runs the gambit of the political spectrum, from the left to the radically religious parties. The largest among the opposition parties — the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League — have been tainted by allegations of widespread corruption.
The Pakistan Muslim League leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was convicted of corruption after being named in the so-called Panama Papers — a collection of leaked secret financial documents showing how some of the world’s richest hide their money and involving a global law firm based in Panama. He was disqualified by Pakistan’s Supreme Court from holding office.
If the opposition wins the no-confidence vote, it is up to Parliament to choose a new head of government — which could be Sharif’s brother, Shahbaz Sharif. If the lawmakers are unsuccessful, early elections would be called.
“I will not accept an imposed government,” Khan said Friday.
Khan’s options are limited and should he see a big turnout in his support, he may try to keep the momentum of street protests as a way to pressure Parliament. But with his supporters being mostly the young, who make up the majority in Pakistan, he also risks an outbreak of violence.
“Khan tapped into a potent vein of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan that is unlikely to dissipate any time soon,” Elizabeth Threlkeld, Pakistan expert at the U.S.-based The Stimson Center, told The Associated Press.
Pakistan’s military, which has consistently stepped in during many past turmoil engulfing a democratically elected government, has remained quiet in the latest crisis. The army has seized power and ruled for more than half of Pakistan’s 75-year history.
___
Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report. | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/defiant-pakistani-pm-calls-for-street-rallies-in-his-support/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:04 | en | 0.976572 |
The Delhi University (DU) has asked to the College of Art to start the admission process and has informed the city government that the college will not be de-affiliated from the varsity, vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh said.
He said the issues between the 12 DU colleges funded by city government and the AAP dispensation had arisen due to procedural lapses, and they are being sorted.
The office of L-G had earlier given an in-principle approval to the merger of the College of Art (CoA) with the state-run Ambedkar University subject to its de-affiliation from DU.
However, Executive Council of the university, which is its highest decision making body, refused to de-affiliate the college.
“The proposal was by the college. DU has a system and it has not given an NOC for de-affiliation ever. The university’s Executive Council has decided to not give an NOC. We have conveyed our decision to the Delhi government,” Singh told PTI in an interview earlier this week.
“We have written to them to start the admission process. We have told them that we are not de-affiliating you. We will follow what the EC has decided. Students are suffering because of the delay,” he said.
The admissions to the fine arts college have been delayed due to the de-affiliation tussle.
Over the last few years, the Delhi government has several times locked horns with the DU administration over the funding of 12 DU colleges funded by it.
The Delhi government has in the past stalled funding of these colleges pending formation of governing bodies in these colleges, which is composed of people nominated by the government and approved by the varsity.
“See the problem is that colleges got additional posts created after getting approval from their governing bodies. But they did not take funding approval from the funding agency, which is the Delhi government in this case,” Singh said.
He said that this had been going on for several years and nobody paid heed to it but when the funding agency saw this, they objected to it.
“This is what I have understood so far. It was a procedural lapse and there was an issue of trust deficit,” he said.
So how are things being sorted now?
“We have had meetings with the Delhi government and it has agreed in principle to give one time approval for all the posts that were created.
“It is a welcome step. The posts were created because colleges started new courses,” he said.
Singh has earlier served as the vice-chancellor of the Delhi Technological University.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/education/college-of-art-to-stay-with-du-can-begin-admission-process-vice-chancellor-7861644/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:05 | en | 0.989707 |
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This week saw some of the biggest developments in the education sector of India. Commencement of the CUET process for UG programmes, change in JEE Main exam schedule, Indigo co-founder’s big donation to IIT Kanpur, and much more — here’s a recap of the biggest happenings from the education sector.
CUET registration
The National Testing Agency (NTA) finally commenced the registration process for Common University Entrance Test (CUET) 2022. This entrance exam has been made compulsory for all undergraduate programmes in all Indian central universities. The process started in late hours of Wednesday.
“In pursuance of the UGC Notification No. 2-1712022 (CPP-ID), dated: 27 March 2022, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is inviting online applications for the Common University Entrance Test CUET (UG) – 2022 for admission to the undergraduate courses in Central Universities, for the academic year 2022-23,” the official NTA notice read. Interested candidates can now visit CUET website — cuet.samarth.ac.in — before May 6 to apply for this year’s newly-introduced entrance exam.
JEE Main 2022
On the same day, the NTA announced the revised exam schedule for JEE Main 2022. Earlier, the JEE Main 2022 session-1 was scheduled to be held on April 21, 24, 25, 29, and May 1 and 4. As per the revised exam schedule, session-1 will be conducted from June 20-29. Similarly, as per the previous schedule, JEE Main 2022 session-2 was scheduled to be conducted from May 24-29, which has now been postponed to July 21-30.
According to the official statement, the agency decided to make changes to the exam schedule “based on the numerous representations received from the candidates”.
The registration process for session-1 is already over and the online application window for session-2 will be available soon on the official website at jeemain.nta.nic.in.
NEET-UG 2022
This week also saw the commencement of the registration process for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2022. Candidates can register for the undergraduate medical exam from the official website — neet.nta.nic.in. The exam is scheduled to take place on July 17, 2022.
Earlier, the age limit for General Category candidates was 25 years and it was 30 years for the reserved category candidates. However, a little while back, the National Medical Commission (NMC) scrapped the upper age limit for the NEET-UG entrance exam.
IIT-Kanpur
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur has received one of the biggest personal donations from Rakesh Gangwal, Co-Founder of IndiGo airlines and an alumnus of the institute. A donation of Rs 100 crore has been made towards IIT-K’s School of Medical Sciences and Technology.
The entirety of the Rs 100 crore will be allotted to the construction of the centre and getting resources for the School of Medical Sciences and Technology. The proposed School will be named “Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology”. Gangwal will also be joining the Advisory Board of the School.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022
The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 were released this week and five IITs, two IIMs, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University are among the 16 higher education institutes in India that collectively offer 35 programmes which globally rank among the top 100 in their respective subject categories.
Like in the previous rounds, at 19, engineering courses account for the maximum number of programmes offered in India that made it to the top 100 list. IIT Bombay leads the pack with as many as eight of its engineering programmes – Mineral and Mining, Electrical and Electronic, Mechanical, Computer Science, Chemical, Materials Science, Art and Design, Civil and Structural – finding a place in the top 100.
Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB)
The Bihar Board Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has released the schedule for intermediate (class 12) compartmental and special exams 2022. Students who have registered for the compartmental exams can now check the schedule on the official BSEB website — biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in.
As per the schedule, the compartmental and special exams will commence from April 25 (Monday) and end on May 4, 2022 (Wednesday). This year, the exams will take place in two seating — seating 1 will take place from 9:30 am to 12:45 pm and seating 2 is scheduled between 1:45 pm to 5 pm.
India Education Summit
Indian Express hosted the two-day India Education Summit 2022. On Day 1 of the IES 2022, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Wednesday said India’s potential is the 53 crore youth of the country. “If they study to become employees it won’t help, they need to study to become employers,” he said delivering his keynote.
During one of the discussions at the IES 2022, UGC Chairman informed the masses that the University Grants Commission (UGC) is working on a regulation to facilitate the entry of foreign universities into India. He added that some countries have shown interest in entering the Indian higher education space and that the higher education regulator will introduce a regulation in two months to facilitate this.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/education/jee-main-rescheduled-cuet-registration-india-education-summit-and-more-top-education-news-this-week-7861625/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:12 | en | 0.941713 |
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland on Friday summoned France’s ambassador over French President Emmanuel Macron’s reference to Poland’s prime minister as a “far-right anti-Semite” in a budding feud over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
It was not immediately clear exactly when Ambassador Frederic Billet would arrive at Poland’s Foreign Ministry. Officials in Poland blamed the harsh words on campaign fervor ahead of this weekend’s presidential election in France.
The bitter exchange between Macron and Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appears as an unwelcome crack in the European Union’s unity forged amid outrage over Russia’s aggression on Ukraine.
In an interview published online by the French Le Parisien newspaper Thursday, Macron called Morawiecki a “far-right anti-Semite who bans LGBT persons.” Macron, who is seeking a second term in Sunday’s vote, also claimed that Morawiecki has been trying to help French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
Piotr Mueller, a spokesman for Poland’s right-wing government, said it was a “lie” to suggest that Morawiecki had anything to do with anti-Semitism and blamed Macron’s remarks on the emotions of a heated election campaign.
Poles are especially sensitive to accusations of anti-Semitism because of the Holocaust that Nazi Germany largely carried out in Poland. Most of Europe’s Jews lived in Poland before World War II and millions perished in death camps or ghettos run by German Nazi forces that occupied the country during the war.
Macron didn’t specify what he was referring to, but Morawiecki angered Israel and many Jews in 2018 when he said that there were also “Jewish perpetrators” of the Holocaust. Morawiecki’s government also introduced a law that penalizes apportioning blame to Poles for Holocaust crimes committed by the Germans. Another law Morawiecki’s team introduced effectively bars restitution of private property that had been owned by Holocaust victims and was later seized by the state.
The French leader’s remarks were in response to Morawiecki’s harsh criticism of his talks with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin in a still futile effort to end the bloodshed in Ukraine. Morawiecki said Monday that no talks should be held with (war) criminals like Nazi Germany’s leader Adolf Hitler or the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin. | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/poland-france-trade-barbs-over-russias-war-on-ukraine/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:11 | en | 0.953781 |
BEIJING (AP) — A series of deaths at a hospital for elderly patients in Shanghai is underscoring the dangerous consequences of China’s stubborn pursuit of a zero-COVID approach amid an escalating outbreak in the city of 26 million people.
Multiple patients have died at the Shanghai Donghai Elderly Care hospital, relatives of patients told The Associated Press. They say their loved ones weren’t properly cared for after caretakers who came into contact with the virus were taken away to be quarantined, in adherence to the strict pandemic regulations, depleting the hospital of staff.
Family members have taken to social media to plea for help and answers and are demanding to see surveillance video from inside the facility after getting little to no information from the hospital.
The conditions and deaths at the hospital are a sharp rebuke of China’s strategy of sticking to a zero-COVID policy as it deals with the outbreak in Shanghai in which most of the infected people don’t have symptoms. With a focus on forcing positive cases and close contacts into designated collective quarantine facilities, the costs of zero-COVID may be outweighing the risk of getting sick.
On Saturday, Shanghai Vice Mayor Zong Ming said the lockdown could soon be lifted or eased in communities that report no positive cases within 14 days, after another round of citywide COVID-19 testing.
Shen Peiming, 71, was one such casualty of harsh measures. She died Sunday morning at the hospital, without any relatives by her side. A family member said they have been calling the hospital non-stop to find out the circumstances of Shen’s death, but have not gotten a clear answer. “How many times have there been lockdowns since 2020? They still don’t have experience managing this?” the family member said.
All they know is her doctor and nurses had not been there to care for Shen, who was partially paralyzed after a stroke. Her last nursing assistant had been quarantined for being a close contact of a positive case, the relative said, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution. An unfamiliar worker called to inform them of her death. Later, the hospital said it was due to a chest infection.
The hospital had a COVID-19 outbreak, the family heard from orderlies, but Shen had tested negative as of last week.
Shanghai authorities have reported no deaths from this outbreak, but questions have been raised about the reliability of the data. A city health official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said that the criteria for confirming cases and deaths are very strict and susceptible to political meddling.
It is unclear how many patients have died at the hospital, and whether any died of COVID-19. Families say they are talking with other families whose relatives have also died. An article from Chinese news outlet Caixin describing the deaths and infections was taken down shortly after it was published, apparently targeted by censors. Calls to the main office of Donghai Elderly Care went unanswered. The Shanghai government did not respond to a faxed request for comment.
Most experts agree that China’s zero-COVID approach was highly successful in keeping deaths to a minimum when there were limited drugs or vaccines. But now that shots are widely available in China, and with the advent of the omicron variant, many say the government should abandon the policy and focus medical resources on the elderly and vulnerable instead.
Instead, Shanghai has locked down its 26 million people and carried out repeated mass testing to tackle an outbreak driven by the highly contagious omicron BA.2 variant. On Saturday, the city reported more than 23,000 new local cases, of which only 1,015 had symptoms.
“If you’re asymptomatic, what’s going to hurt you?” said Ray Yip, the founding director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control office in China, who maintains close ties with Chinese health officials. “The only people who get sick are those with diabetes, obesity, chronic disease, old people. Protect those people. You can protect them.”
A low vaccination rate among the elderly, though, remains a concern. Only 62% of Shanghai residents over 60 have been vaccinated, according to the latest data available. Some experts support the strict approach, saying China needs to raise that rate before it can safely live with the virus.
The U.S. guidelines for asymptomatic cases, as in the U.K., are that individuals isolate at home for five days. In Shanghai, workers are rushing to set up massive temporary facilities in exhibition halls and elsewhere to try to house everyone who tests positive.
The citywide lockdown has disrupted daily life and the economy. Many residents, trapped in their apartment buildings, arescrambling to buy foodthrough apps and place bulk orders with neighbors. Some in quarantine have posted videos showing chaotic scenes of people rushing to get food and a lack of clean toilets. Others have posted pleas for relatives who need medicine urgently.
The U.S. said Friday that it is allowing the voluntary departure of non-essential personnel and family members from its consulate in Shanghai because of the situation.
The government has trumpeted its success in curbing COVID-19, touting it as evidence of the superiority of China’s governing system — especially compared to Western democracies, where deaths have far exceeded China’s. That narrative, experts said, is making it difficult for Beijing to switch tactics.
“They bragged too hard to their own people about how wonderful they are, and now they’ve painted themselves into a corner,” said Yip. “The only way they can control Shanghai now is to repeat what they did in Wuhan.”
The 11 million residents of Wuhan were locked down for more than two months at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Shanghai’s lockdown is an abrupt about-face from just a month ago, when some Chinese health experts publicly suggested softening pandemic control measures.
The city’s economic importance and advanced health care system left officials reluctant to impose strict measures and confident about combating any outbreaks. Further, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered that ongoing outbreaks in China be controlled at “minimum cost” in mid-March, emphasizing Beijing’s desire to protect the economy while curbing the virus.
Shanghai took targeted steps, locking down individual office buildings, shopping centers and neighborhoods for 48 hours at a time but otherwise allowing life to go on as usual.
With the soft measures, the city’s case count rose. The outbreak spilled over to at least 71 other cities, according to a notice posted by Guangxi province in southern China, and pressure grew for harsher measures.
On March 28, the city started an eight-day lockdown in two phases, which has since evolved into a citywide one with no end in sight.
“There is no time to waste,” Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said on a visit to the city last weekend, according to a government statement. “We need to move forward faster and harder to provide strong support for the elimination of cases in society.”
The actions sent nurses and doctors into quarantine, causing conditions to worsen at Donghai Elderly Care.
Chen Jielei said the outbreak at the hospital infected her unvaccinated, partially paralyzed 81-year-old mother. Because staff members also fell ill, her mother wasn’t served meals on time and her sheets were unchanged for days. After a few days, a replacement worker started taking care of her.
A college professor who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was afraid of retribution, said his family wasn’t notified for more than a day after his 82-year-old father died on March 31. His last contact was on March 28 with a nursing assistant who called to warn there were positive cases and they could no longer take care of his father.
“In those three days, what happened to my father? What kind of mistreatment did he suffer?” he asked. His father’s condition had been stable on March 28 when he spoke with the nursing assistant.
Shen had lived on and off in the hospital for three years after her stroke. Family members visited every week. But visits were banned in early March as the COVID-19 outbreak spread through Shanghai, the relative said.
They were not worried initially because the hospital had always been very responsive and they were in contact with the nursing assistants who took care of Shen. But one orderly warned on March 26 there were positive cases and many of Donghai’s staff were being quarantined.
The hospital hired temporary nursing assistants, but many did not have healthcare experience, one nursing assistant said.
The woman, who gave only her last name of Zhang, said an employment agency told her it was a cleaning job.
“They said your work is just to clean, you won’t even have to wear a protective suit. But what they said was completely different from what I had to do,” she said.
Shen needed to be assisted with eating through a tube by having her food blended into a liquid. She also had a tube in her throat that had to be disinfected each day.
“In the past, if there was an issue, they’d always call me. This time, there wasn’t even a voice message, and she died so suddenly,” the relative said. Now the hospital is asking the families to sign a form to cremate the deceased. Shen’s relative said the family will refuse until they get a clear answer.
The hospital sent an apology letter Wednesday to some of the families. The AP has viewed a copy.
“Because of the outbreak’s emergency, and many of the seniors had not been vaccinated, this caused those with severe underlying illness and weak health to die,” it said.
While Chinese government researchers have begun exploring ways to end zero COVID, the government continues to punish officials with large outbreaks on their turfs.
“The space for discussion is now eliminated,” said Yanzhong Huang, a public health expert at the Council for Foreign Relations in the U.S. “The message is loud and clear: zero-COVID, no exceptions.”
___
Wu reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Associated Press video producer Olivia Zhang in Beijing and researcher Chen Si in Shanghai contributed to this report. | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/shanghai-hospital-pays-the-price-for-chinas-covid-response/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:12 | en | 0.981409 |
Pawan Kalyan, who is basking in the success of Bheemla Nayak, has moved on to his next film, Hari Hara Veera Mallu. The shoot of the film commenced on Saturday. In a video, shared on the social media handles by the makers, Pawan Kalyan is seen practicing fight sequences. He is seen performing some martial arts moves, which has impressed his fans.
Pawan Kalyan, who enjoys the title of ‘Power Star’ among his fans, is set to amaze his well-wishes yet again. Hari Hara Veera Mallu is directed by Krish Jagarlamudi. This is his first film with Pawan Kalyan. Earlier this month, the makers shared a few photos from the sets. The pictures featured the actor rehearsing under the supervision of action director Todor Lazarov.
As soon as the makers shared the video, fans poured in comments. “This is gonna be an India pride movie. Proud to be part of TFI audience,” a comment read. “The sequences of Pawan Kalyan will take this movie to the next level. Even that jumping shot is too good. Can’t wait to watch it in theatres. It will be a big blockbuster movie,” a Pawan Kalyan fan wrote.
The film depicts the life of legendary outlaw Veera Mallu. While Pawan Kalyan stars as the lead, the film also stars Nidhhi Agerwal, Arjun Rampal and Nargis Fakhri in pivotal roles. The story is set in the 17th century against the backdrop of the Mughal Empire.
The film was initially slated to release on Sankranti 2022. However, the release got delayed. The makers are yet to announce a new release date.
Krish’s last release was Vaishnav Tej’s Konda Polam, which received a mixed response from the audience.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/pawan-kalyan-amazes-in-hari-hara-veera-mallu-bts-video-7861603/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:14 | en | 0.973584 |
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — An attack by suspected Islamic extremist rebels on a military unit in Burkina Faso Friday has killed at least 16 security forces and injured many others, the army announced.
A dozen military soldiers and four volunteer fighters who work alongside the army died when their military unit was attacked at 5 a.m. in Namissiguima town in the Center North region, said a statement by the armed forces. An additional 21 soldiers were wounded and equipment was also damaged, said the statement.
Burkina Faso is grappling with rising jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that’s killed thousands and displaced some 2 million people.
This is the latest in a series against the military. At least 40 security forces were killed in the last two weeks of March according to an internal security report for aid groups seen by The Associated Press.
The Friday attack involved a car bomb and was carefully planned, according to security analysts.
“In addition to this being a sign of how (the) security situation continues to deteriorate, it also shows the ability of jihadist groups to carry (out) sophisticated and complex attacks,” said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan-based organization focused on economics and policy.
“Jihadists control the area just north of where the incident occurred, so they had the time and information to plan this complex attack,” he said.
Civilians living in nearby towns without military support say they’re worried the violence is going to spread. “Namissiguima is the only place that has a military detachment around here,” said a resident of the nearby Kongoussi town who insisted on anonymity for his safety. “We hope the attacks don’t expand.” | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/suspected-extremist-attack-kills-16-soldiers-in-burkina-faso/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:19 | en | 0.979238 |
Laddoos are a ubiquitous Indian dessert – spherically shaped edible balls made from a variety of ingredients such as besan or gram flour, boondi, dry fruits, desiccated coconut etc and are popularly relished across the country.
Served as religious offerings as well, laddoos are commonly known as ‘naroo’ in Bengali and ‘laroo’ in Assamese. While delicious to eat as a snack or post a heavy meal, laddoos are made with calorie-rich ingredients such as ghee and sugar syrups.
As such, would you like to try a healthy, high protein recipe for motichoor laddoos? Nutritionist Arijita Singh took to Instagram to share her version of motichoor laddoos made with Amaranth seeds. Take a look at the post here:
View this post on Instagram
Amaranth seeds, commonly known as Rajgira, are a powerhouse of nutrients and protein, according to the expert. Arijita mentioned that amaranth is an “excellent source of fibre, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and a good source of calcium, zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin B6 and folate.”
She emphasised that amaranth seeds “have no taste of their own” and will easily absorb any flavour that you may add to the recipe.
Take a look at the detailed recipe and instructions for healthy motichoor laddoos.
*Roast 1 cup of amaranth seeds for 5 minutes on a low flame.
*Add 2 cups of water to the mixture after the seeds are toasted.
*Cover and cook until water is fully absorbed from the mixture.
*Next, add 2 crushed cardamom pods to the mixture and keep aside to cool down.
*Lightly fry a selection of dry fruits (according to preference) and seeds in 1 tbsp of ghee until brown.
*Add the boiled amaranth to the dry fruits, 1/3 cup jaggery powder( depends on how sweet you like) and keep aside.
*To prepare the laddoos, grease palms with ghee and make spherical balls once the mixture has cooled down.
While these amaranth motichoor laddoos don’t resemble the bright, orange colour of our usual motichoor laddoos, they are devoid of food colouring and unnecessary calories.
Will you try this recipe?
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- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/healthy-high-protein-amaranth-motichoor-laddoo-recipe-7785864/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:20 | en | 0.94406 |
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Every woman experiences menstruation differently- while some have a relatively painless period, followed by little to no cramps; others may experience profuse bleeding and pain that can severely hamper productivity.
Many colluding symptoms that accompany menstruation such as nausea, bloating and general irritability are not only physically taxing, but can be difficult to manage on your own as well.
If you’ve tried and tested various methods to keep period pain at bay but to no avail, you’ve come to the right place. Recently, Ayurvedic expert Dr Dixa Bhavsar took to Instagram to share handy tips and tricks to help relieve menstrual cramps.
“Following these 5 ayurvedic suggestions religiously can relieve your menstrual cramps once and for all”, she captioned her post. Take a look here.
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Take a look at Dr Bhavsar’s suggestions to help relieve menstrual cramps.
Follow circadian rhythm
Try to wake up before sunrise or shortly after sunrise. Proceed to consume breakfast after sunrise and your dinner before or within an hour of sunset. According to Ayurveda, maintaining the circadian rhythm in a day “helps with hormonal balance”.
Avoid caffeine
Avoid having caffeinated drinks such as tea or coffee first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Instead, have 5 soaked raisins, 4 soaked almonds, 2 soaked walnuts, and 1 soaked date or fig to keep you energised.
Practice meditation, pranayamas and yoga daily
The expert recommended meditation, pranayamas, yoga or any kind of exercise that works for you. “Staying active can increase circulation around the pelvic region and release endorphins to counteract the prostaglandins (that cause the uterine muscles to contract during menstruation)”. Pranayama like anuloma-viloma and bhramari and asanas like Vajrasana, Balasana, Bhadrasana and Shavasana are ideal during periods as they are relaxing for the body and easy to perform as well.
Sip on warm and soothing teas
Ayurvedic teas such as CCF (Cumin Coriander Fennel) tea, mint tea, ajwain tea, and fenugreek tea will help ease period cramps. You can sip on any of these, “whichever suits you well.”
Drink enough water
Drinking water is very important during menstruation as it helps with issues such as bloating and others. Drink flavoured mineral water for a new twist to your hydration needs. Make a pitcher of mint water and drink throughout the day. “Staying well-hydrated isn’t just good for cramps, it’s good for your overall health”, the expert added.
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- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/ayurvedic-tips-menstrual-cramps-pain-relief-tips-7838846/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:27 | en | 0.942567 |
LONDON (AP) — The British government on Friday defended its Ukraine refugee policy but acknowledged there had been frustrating delays after disclosing that only 12,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war have arrived in the U.K.
Government figures showed that of the total number of arrivals, only 1,200 came as part of the Homes for Ukraine program set up to match refuges with volunteer hosts. The other 10,800 came to join family members in Britain.
In comparison, neighboring Ireland, which has one tenth the U.K. population, has already taken in more than 20,000 refugees from the war in Ukraine.
About 200,000 people and groups in the U.K. have offered to accommodate Ukrainians as part of Homes for Ukraine. Some say they have never heard back, while others report slow progress navigating red tape and the checks the government is conducting on volunteer hosts.
Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon accused the government of “choosing control over compassion” and said Britons who are prepared to open up their homes have been left feeling “angry and frustrated that their gesture of support has been lost into a web of bureaucracy and chaos.”
Opposition parties and refugee groups also have criticized the Conservative government for insisting on visas for Ukrainians, which many countries in Europe and waived.
The government says visa checks are needed to ensure people are who they say there are. It said that as of Thursday, about 79,800 applications had been submitted and 40,900 visas had been granted.
“The whole process is taking far too long. Complicated visa schemes have delayed or deterred many people from seeking safety in the U.K,” said Alex Fraser, director of refugee support at the British Red Cross.
Richard Harrington, appointed the U.K.’s new refugee minister a month ago, this week conceded that the program had got off to a ”slow and bureaucratic” start.
Home Secretary Priti Patel acknowledged feeling “frustration” and said she was working to streamline the process. But she defended the visa rules.
“We want to give people the status and security of coming to our country along with the warm welcome,” Patel told the BBC. “We have to ensure that they are protected and safeguarded in the United Kingdom as well.” | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/uk-defends-ukraine-refugee-policy-amid-anger-at-slow-pace/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:26 | en | 0.977658 |
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IPL 2022, RCB vs MI Live Cricket Score Streaming Online: Royal Challengers Bangalore have won the toss and have opted to field. There have been a couple of changes for Mumbai as Unadkat comes in place of Mills. Ramandeep also replaces Sams. For Bangalore, the big news is Maxwell is in the playing 11 and replaces Rutherford. Mumbai Indians need to fire as a unit if they have to effect a turnaround as they gear up to clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL match on Saturday. Mumbai are enduring a poor beginning to the season as they have lost their first three games to remain pointless in the tournament so far. RCB, on the other hand, have registered two wins from three games.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Ramandeep Singh, Murugan Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Jasprit Bumrah, Basil Thampi
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik(w), David Willey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj
Follow IPL 2022 live score and updates of RCB vs MI from Pune below.
IPL 2022, RCB vs MI Live Cricket Score Online and Updates: Catch all the live action between Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians from Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Ramandeep Singh, Murugan Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Jasprit Bumrah, Basil Thampi.
Paltan, here's our तगडी 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐗𝐈 for #RCBvMI 💪📝
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 9, 2022
➡️ Ramandeep & Jaydev
⬅️ Sams & Mills#OneFamily #DilKholKe #MumbaiIndians #RCBvMI @Dream11 pic.twitter.com/GU6SFVcEmN
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik(w), David Willey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.
Faf has won the toss and we will be fielding first. 💪🏻
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 9, 2022
Glenn Maxwell is back into the playing XI!!🤩🙌🏻#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2022 #Mission2022 #RCB #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBvMI pic.twitter.com/OByEROPzNk
Suryakumar Yadav: The retention is just a tag, I have playing with the same responsibility for Mumbai Indians. Everything remains the same. Both MI and KKR are very different. My roles too were very different. I like blue, it is my favourite colour. Things really went well for me before the IPL as well. Just a few injury issues, but I didn't look to change anything and kept working on the same thing.
Nicknamed as “Baby ABD” for his stroke-making skills, South Africa’s Dewald Brewis is a right-handed batter and a handy leg-break bowler.
Dewald Brevis 🤝 Straight Drive! 🔥💙#OneFamily #DilKholKe #MumbaiIndians #RCBvMI MI TV pic.twitter.com/OBcehcukGj
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 9, 2022
Virat Kohli is on the verge of making another record. He is just 21 runs away from completing 800 runs against the Mumbai Indians.
It’s Match Day and there has to be a milestone on the horizon for Virat Kohli. 😎💪🏻#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2022 #Mission2022 #RCB #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBvMI pic.twitter.com/fB8j7L2m7V
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 9, 2022
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Anmolpreet Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Ramandeep Singh, SuryakumarYadav, Tilak Verma, Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Basil Thampi, Hrithik Shokeen, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Mayank Markande, Murugan Ashwin, Riley Meredith, Tymal Mills, Arshad Khan, Daniel Sams, Dewald Brevis, Fabian Allen, Kieron Pollard, Sanjay Yadav, Aryan Juyal and Ishan Kishan.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis (C), Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar and Siddharth Kaul.
Hello and Welcome to the live coverage of the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma has called on his teammates to show little “desperation and hunger” to cross the finishing line ahead of their clash in an IPL match in Pune on Saturday.
The entertainment is arriving on schedule and we want to know who you think will be a part of our XI-man crew. 🧐
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 9, 2022
Let us know in the comments, 12th Man Army! 🙌🏻#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2022 #Mission2022 #RCB #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBvMI pic.twitter.com/0kk11UaYnp | https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/ipl/ipl-2022-rcb-vs-mi-live-cricket-score-online-7861466/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:33 | en | 0.850868 |
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A rural Alaska man who threatened to assassinate both of Alaska’s U.S. senators in a series of profane messages left at their congressional offices was sentenced Friday to 32 months in prison.
Jay Allen Johnson was also fined $5,000, ordered to serve three years of supervised release after his prison sentence, and is barred by a protective order from contacting U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, their family and staff members for three years.
“Nothing excuses this conduct, threatening our elected officials, an act that attacks our very system of governance,” U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. of the District of Alaska said in a statement. “The erosion of civility in our political discourse will never justify threats or acts of violence. Johnson’s actions must be punished, and the Department of Justice will always work to ensure our elected officials can serve without fear of harm.”
Johnson, who said he was too old and ill to carry out his threats, partially blamed his behavior on a mixture of pain medications and alcohol along with the isolation during the pandemic prevalent during the five-month span of 2021 when he left 17 threatening voicemails.
Johnson, 65, of Delta Junction, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of threatening to kill a U.S. official in January. Sentencing was carried out at U.S. District Court in Fairbanks.
The government sought a sentence of 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release along with the protective order.
Johnson sought a 30-month term or supervised release.
“The defendant’s conduct is simply unacceptable in a democracy” U.S. Assistant Attorney Ryan Tansey wrote in the government’s sentencing memo filed before the sentencing hearing. “As political violence and domestic extremism grow, violent intimidation of public officials must result in serious criminal consequences.”
In one message left at Murkowski’s office, Johnson asked, “.50 caliber shell … you ever see what that does to a human head? Yeah, well….”
In another message to Murkowski, he said: “I will find out all your properties, and I will burn everything you hope to have, and I will burn everything you hope to own.”
Johnson also blamed her for the undocumented workers who have come into the country.
“Your life is worth $5,000, that’s all it’s worth,” he said on message to Murkowski’s office. “And as you let in these terrorists, and assassins, guess what, I’m going to use them. … I’m going to use them to come and assassinate your f——— a—.”
In a message left for Sullivan, Johnson said he was tired of politicians destroying the country. He claimed he would get out his .50 caliber and start a GoFundMe page for the shells. “And I’m coming with a vengeance, motherf——-,” he said.
“Sadly, political violence of all stripes has become a clear and present danger to public safety and the functioning of our democracy,” the government memo states. “The defendant’s conduct showed his rejection of that democracy and his willingness to resort to repeated violent threats when duly elected representatives take actions with which he disagrees.”
Johnson, who has had six driving under the influence convictions, is not allowed to possess firearms because he is a felon. However, law enforcement seized seven unsecured firearms at his home when executing a search warrant.
The defense said the weapons belonged to Johnson’s wife, Catherine Pousson-Johnson. In October, when pleading that her husband be released from jail while the legal case proceeded, she was asked if she was aware if her husband was making threats against the two senators.
“Who hasn’t?” she replied.
At the same hearing, she said, “My husband is an old man, and he gets very angry listening to politics on the news.”
In the defense’s sentencing memo, attorney Jason Weiner describes Johnson as being in poor health, suffering from osteoarthritis and other ailments. He has had a series of surgeries over the years, including twice on knees, back and shoulder procedures. He has been prescribed pain medications.
He has also been diagnosed with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, the latter due to a turbulent childhood. Because of his health problems, he retired from working physical labor jobs at age 55, when his drinking began, the memo says.
He takes full responsibility for his conduct and realizes that while he never intended to carry out the verbal threats, the senators did not know that, the memo says.
“Between the prescribed narcotics, pain and self-medicating, Mr. Johnson was not himself,” the memo says.
“If anything, Mr. Johnson could use supervision not continued incarceration,” the defense memo says when asking the judge to consider three years of supervised release as an option instead of further incarceration. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/alaska-man-gets-32-months-for-threatening-to-kill-senators/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:33 | en | 0.976025 |
YouTube has blocked Duma TV which broadcasts from Russia’s lower house of parliament, drawing an angry response from officials who said the world’s most popular streaming service could face restrictions in response.
On Saturday, a message on YouTube said the Duma channel had been “terminated for a violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service”.
YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc’s, has been under pressure from Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor and officials were quick to respond.
“From the look of it, YouTube has signed its own warrant. Save content, transfer (it) to Russian platforms. And hurry up,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging service.The communications watchdog said it had requested Google restore access to the Duma channel immediately.”
The American IT company adheres to a pronounced anti-Russian position in the information war unleashed by the West against our country,” Roskomnadzor said.
Google told Reuters in an emailed comment that is was committed to compliance with all applicable sanctions and trade
compliance laws.”If we find that an account violates our Terms of Service, we take appropriate action. Our teams are closely monitoring the situation for any updates and changes.”Vyacheslav Volodin, the Duma’s speaker, said YouTube’s move was further proof of rights and freedom violations by Washington.
“The USA wants to obtain a monopoly on promoting information. We cannot let it happen,” Volodin said on Telegram. Russia has already restricted access to Twitter and Meta Platforms’ flagships Facebook and Instagram since sending thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Russia had earlier tried to ban the Telegram messaging app, now widely used by officials, but lifted its ban in mid-2020. Some Russian media cast the move as a capitulation, but Roskomnadzor said it had acted as it did because the app’s Russian founder, Pavel Durov, was prepared to cooperate in combating terrorism and extremism on the platform.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/youtube-blocks-russian-parliament-channel-drawing-ire-from-officials-7861656/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:39 | en | 0.964885 |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows two days after the 2020 presidential election with strategies for overturning the result if Trump’s father lost, CNN reported Friday.
The text was sent two days before Joe Biden was declared the winner, according to CNN. It reportedly laid out strategies that then-President Donald Trump’s team pursued in the following months as they disseminated misinformation about election fraud and pressured state and federal officials to assist in that effort.
The cable news network reported that Trump Jr.’s text made “specific reference to filing lawsuits and advocating recounts to prevent certain swing states from certifying their results.” It also suggested that if those measures didn’t work, lawmakers in Congress could dismiss the electoral results and vote to keep President Trump in office.
Trump Jr.’s lawyer Alan S. Futerfas, in a statement Friday to CNN, said: “After the election, Don received numerous messages from supporters and others. Given the date, this message likely originated from someone else and was forwarded.”
CNN said the Trump Jr. text had been obtained by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. In the last week, the committee has interviewed former President Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. Their virtual testimonies are the closest lawmakers have gotten to the former president.
Separately on Friday, Ali Alexander, a conservative activist who helped found the “Stop the Steal” movement, said he had received a subpoena to provide testimony to a federal grand jury as part of the Justice Department’s wide investigation into the insurrection.
In a statement through his attorney, Alexander said the subpoena was seeking information about the “Save America Rally” that was held at the Ellipse — hosted by the pro-Trump nonprofit organization called Women for America First — which thousands had attended before a surge of Trump supporters stormed into the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“I don’t believe I have information that will be useful to them but I’m cooperating as best I can further reiterating that I’m not a target because I did nothing wrong,” he said.
Alexander voluntarily appeared for hours in December before the House panel investigating the insurrection, providing congressional investigators with a slew of documents and information about his communications with lawmakers.
In court documents, Alexander’s lawyers have said he told congressional investigators that he remembers having “a few phone conversations” with Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and had exchanged some text messages with Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., in the run-up to the Jan. 6 rallies.
“I did nothing wrong and I am not in possession of evidence that anyone else had plans to commit unlawful acts,” Alexander said. “I denounce anyone who planned to subvert my permitted event and the other permitted events of that day on Capitol grounds to stage any counterproductive activities.” | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/cnn-trump-jr-text-shows-ideas-to-overturn-2000-election/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:40 | en | 0.973202 |
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Getting a speeding ticket is not a funny affair. However, a man in Germany was left amused when he got one and a dog was apparently held responsible for breaking the traffic rule.
Yes, believe it or not, when the man received a letter from the authorities to pay a fine, the picture it showed was not a human but a pooch behind the wheel. The letter received in the post stated a fine of €50 was imposed as his car had been captured by a traffic camera going faster than the speed limit.
However, rather than showing him in the picture, it had captured his small, white dog staring at the road ahead. The driver’s nephew Don Kylian shared the hilarious snap on Twitter, leaving all in splits online.
Talking to The Dodo, Kylian said, “My first reaction was ‘That can’t be real.’ I think my uncle was just as surprised.”
As most people were curious about whether the pooch had taken the car for a spin, he explained what had happened. Certainly, it is more than plausible because previously some four-legged drivers did get into trouble with police, and had to be rescued eventually.
However, giving some insight into his uncle’s case, Kylian said while it was true that the dog was caught on camera, it was only because the pet had decided to hop on his uncle’s lap at that moment. Adding that the pet normally wears a special car belt for safety, he said, “That day, my uncle forgot to put it on him.”
And as luck would have it, the dog came to cuddle him as he was driving. “The funny part is, he was in his lap for just three seconds,” the nephew said. He did pay the fine in the end.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. | https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/bizarre/man-gets-speeding-ticket-amused-to-see-photo-of-pet-dog-driving-his-car-7861641/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:45 | en | 0.996021 |
“In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.”
With those words, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson acknowledged both the struggles and progress of Black Americans in her lifetime.
Her words, delivered from the South Lawn of the White House on Friday, one day after her historic Senate confirmation, were a tribute to generations of Black Americans who she said paved the way for her elevation to the nation’s highest court.
“I have now achieved something far beyond anything my grandparents could have possibly ever imagined,” Jackson said, noting they had gained only grade school educations before starting their family and later sending their children to racially segregated schools.
“The path was cleared for me, so that I might rise to this occasion,” she said. “And in the poetic words of Dr. Maya Angelou, I do so now.”
Quoting Angelou’s famous poem, “And Still I Rise,” Jackson added: “I am the dream and the hope of the slave.”
Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator who was a prominent surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, said Jackson’s speech was an awe-inspiring reminderof how far Black Americans have come amid their ongoing struggle.
“Expressing that realization out loud for all of the world to hear, as she is about to take her place as the first Black woman Supreme Court justice, was just magnificent,” said Turner.
“It is vitally important that we, as Black people, continue to remind this nation from whence we came,” she said. “The pain that it took to get to a ‘Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’ could not be understated.”
Jackson, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, said that she has been lucky on her path to the high court. Although her arrival breaks one of the remaining racial barriers in American democracy, many Black Americans still struggle to surmount systemic blocks.
She namechecked the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights icon, as well as Black federal judicial trailblazers such as Justice Thurgood Marshall and Judge Constance Baker Motley, thanking them for their leadership and role modeling.
“For all of the talk of this historic nomination and now confirmation, I think of them as the true path breakers,” Jackson said. “I’m just the very lucky first inheritor of the dream of liberty and justice for all.”
Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable, watched Jackson’s speech from the White House lawn as an invited guest on Friday. With the sun shining through clouds over Washington, there was a palpable joy in the crowd over what Jackson symbolizes for the country, she said.
“It just felt like the ancestors were dancing.”
“I can see myself, in now-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson,” Campbell added. “(Jackson) understands the significance of this moment for Black women, for women, for the nation. And it is a game changer.”
Others watching the speech also noted the diversity at the event and the image at the center — President Joe Biden flanked by the first Black female Supreme Court justice and the first Black and Asian American vice president.
Just before Vice President Kamala Harris introduced the president, she gushed over what Jackson’s confirmation will one day mean to her young, Black goddaughter.
“When I presided over the Senate confirmation vote yesterday, while I was sitting there, I drafted a note to my goddaughter,” Harris said. “I told her that I felt such a deep sense of pride and joy about what this moment means for our nation and for her future.”
Speaking directly to Jackson, Harris added: “And I will tell you, her braids are just a little longer than yours.”
Although the occasion will be noted in history books as a symbol of racial progress, Turner said Jackson’s elevation to the Supreme Court should be celebrated by Americans of all races and creeds.
“Not only should the entire Black community be proud, the entire country should be proud because this has certainly been a long time coming,” she said. “And from this victory, we certainly have an opportunity to continue to build and create more victories. We’re not done yet.”
___
Aaron Morrison writes about race and justice for the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. He is based in New York. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/jackson-confirmation-speech-notes-us-race-struggle-progress/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:47 | en | 0.971011 |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A milestone Supreme Court confirmation that endured a flawed process. The collapse of a bipartisan compromise for more pandemic funds. The departure of a stalwart of the dwindling band of moderate House Republicans.
Party-line fights on Capitol Hill are as old as the republic, and they routinely escalate as elections approach. Yet three events from a notable week illustrate how Congress’ near- and long-term paths point toward intensifying partisanship.
THE SENATE’S SUPREME COURT BATTLE
Democrats rejoiced Thursday when the Senate by 53-47 confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black female justice. They crowed about a bipartisan stamp of approval from the trio of Republicans who supported it: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah.
Yet by historical standards, the three opposition party votes were paltry and underscored the recent trend of Supreme Court confirmations becoming loyalty tests on party ideology. That’s a departure from a decades-long norm when senators might dislike a nominee’s judicial philosophy but defer to a president’s pick, barring a disqualifying revelation.
Murkowski said her support for Jackson was partly “rejection of the corrosive politicization” of how both parties consider Supreme Court nominations, which “is growing worse and more detached from reality by the year.”
Republicans said they would treat Jackson respectfully, and many did. Their questions and criticisms of her were pointed and partisan, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., saying “the Senate views itself as a co-partner in this process” with the president.
Yet some potential 2024 GOP presidential contenders seemed to use Jackson’s confirmation to woo hard-right support. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., misleadingly accused her of being unusually lenient on child pornography offenders. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., suggested she might have defended Nazis at the Nuremburg trials after World War II, before she was born.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said some Republicans “went overboard, as far as I’m concerned, to the extreme,” reflecting “the reality of politics on Capitol Hill.” Cotton was “fundamentally unfair, but that is his tradition,” said Durbin.
SUPREME COURT BATTLES PAST
Senate approval of high court nominees by voice vote, without bothering to hold roll calls, was standard for most of the 20th century. Conservative Antonin Scalia sailed into the Supreme Court by 98-0 in 1986, while liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg won 96-3 approval seven years later.
There were bitter fights. Democrats blocked conservative Robert Bork’s nomination in 1987 and unsuccessfully opposed Clarence Thomas’ ascension in 1991 after he was accused of sexual harassment.
Hard feelings intensified in early 2016. McConnell, then majority leader, blocked the Senate from even considering President Barack Obama’s pick of Merrick Garland to replace the deceased Scalia. McConnell cited the presidential election nearly nine months away, infuriating Democrats.
Donald Trump was elected and ultimately filled three vacancies over near-unanimous Democratic opposition.
Democrats opposed Brett Kavanaugh after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman decades earlier, which he denied. They voted solidly against Amy Coney Barrett after Trump and McConnell rushed through her nomination when a vacancy occurred just weeks before Election Day 2020, a sprint Democrats called hypocritical.
COVID SPENDING FIGHT, TRANSFORMED
Senators from both parties agreed to a $10 billion COVID-19 package Monday that President Joe Biden wants for more therapeutics, vaccines and tests. With BA.2, the new omicron variant, washing across the country, it seemed poised for congressional approval.
Hours later, bargainers led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, seemed blindsided when their compromise was derailed. Republicans wanted to add an extension of an expiring crackdown on migrants crossing the Mexican border that Trump imposed in 2020, citing the pandemic’s public health threat.
Many Republicans were skeptical that more COVID-19 money was necessary. But their demand for an immigration amendment transformed a fight over how much more to spend on a disease that’s killed 980,000 people in the U.S. into a battle over border security, tailor-made for GOP political campaigns ahead.
Immigration divides Democrats, and Republicans believe the issue can further solidify their chances of winning congressional control in November’s elections. Playing defense, Schumer postponed debate on the COVID-19 bill.
Democrats deserved some blame for being outmaneuvered. House Democrats shot down a $15 billion agreement in March, rejecting compromise budget savings to pay for it.
And in glaringly tone-deaf political timing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced April 1, just as bargainers were completing their latest compromise, that the Trump-era immigration curbs would lapse May 23.
That gave Republicans an irresistible political gift to pursue.
A MODERATE’S FAREWELL
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., announced his retirement Tuesday. He’s the fourth of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump last year to say they won’t seek reelection.
Upton attributed his departure to running in a new district, but that didn’t stop Trump from proclaiming: “UPTON QUITS! 4 down and 6 to go.” The House impeached Trump over his incitement of supporters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but the GOP-run Senate acquitted him.
Now in his 18th term, Upton’s departure subtracts another moderate from a GOP that’s shifted rightward in recent years, particularly when it comes to showing fealty to Trump.
The pro-business Upton, 68, was a driving force on one law spurring pharmaceutical development and has worked with Democrats on legislation affecting energy and the auto industry. His bipartisan work and affability placed him in the ever-smaller group of Republicans who draw Democrats’ praise.
“To him, bipartisan and compromise are not forbidden words,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich.
PARTY DIFFERENCES, THEN AND NOW
Pitched battles are now habitual over bills financing federal agencies and extending the government’s borrowing authority. When those disputes are resolved and federal shutdowns and defaults averted, lawmakers hail as triumphs what is their most rudimentary task — keeping government functioning.
Despite the divisions over COVID-19 money and Jackson, there has also been cooperation.
Congress overwhelmingly voted Thursday to ban Russian oil and downgrade trade relations with that country following its invasion of Ukraine. There’s progress on bipartisan trade and technology legislation, and a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure measure became law last year. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/jackson-covid-and-a-retirement-show-congress-partisan-path/ | 2022-04-09T14:07:53 | en | 0.953333 |
“In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.”
With those words, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson acknowledged both the struggles and progress of Black Americans in her lifetime.
Her words, delivered from the South Lawn of the White House on Friday, one day after her historic Senate confirmation, were a tribute to generations of Black Americans who she said paved the way for her elevation to the nation’s highest court.
“I have now achieved something far beyond anything my grandparents could have possibly ever imagined,” Jackson said, noting they had gained only grade-school educations before starting their family and later sending their children to racially segregated schools.
“The path was cleared for me, so that I might rise to this occasion,” she said. “And in the poetic words of Dr. Maya Angelou, I do so now.”
Quoting Angelou’s famous poem, “And Still I Rise,” Jackson added: “I am the dream and the hope of the slave.”
Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator who was a prominent surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, said Jackson’s speech was an awe-inspiring reminderof how far Black Americans have come amid their ongoing struggle.
“Expressing that realization out loud for all of the world to hear, as she is about to take her place as the first Black woman Supreme Court justice, was just magnificent,” said Turner.
“It is vitally important that we, as Black people, continue to remind this nation from whence we came,” she said. “The pain that it took to get to a ‘Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’ could not be understated.”
Jackson, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, said that she has been lucky on her path to the high court. Although her arrival breaks one of the remaining racial barriers in American democracy, many Black Americans still struggle to surmount systemic blocks.
She namechecked the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights icon, as well as Black federal judicial trailblazers such as Justice Thurgood Marshall and Judge Constance Baker Motley, thanking them for their leadership and role modeling.
“For all of the talk of this historic nomination and now confirmation, I think of them as the true path breakers,” Jackson said. “I’m just the very lucky first inheritor of the dream of liberty and justice for all.”
Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable, watched Jackson’s speech from the White House lawn as an invited guest on Friday. With the sun shining through clouds over Washington, there was a palpable joy in the crowd over what Jackson symbolizes for the country, she said.
“It just felt like the ancestors were dancing.”
“I can see myself, in now-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson,” Campbell added. “(Jackson) understands the significance of this moment for Black women, for women, for the nation. And it is a game changer.”
Others watching the speech also noted the diversity at the event and the image at the center — President Joe Biden flanked by the first Black female Supreme Court justice and the first Black and Asian American vice president.
Just before Vice President Kamala Harris introduced the president, she gushed over what Jackson’s confirmation will one day mean to her young, Black goddaughter.
“When I presided over the Senate confirmation vote yesterday, while I was sitting there, I drafted a note to my goddaughter,” Harris said. “I told her that I felt such a deep sense of pride and joy about what this moment means for our nation and for her future.”
Speaking directly to Jackson, Harris added: “And I will tell you, her braids are just a little longer than yours.”
Although the occasion will be noted in history books as a symbol of racial progress, Turner said Jackson’s elevation to the Supreme Court should be celebrated by Americans of all races and creeds.
“Not only should the entire Black community be proud, the entire country should be proud because this has certainly been a long time coming,” she said. “And from this victory, we certainly have an opportunity to continue to build and create more victories. We’re not done yet.”
___
Aaron Morrison writes about race and justice for the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. He is based in New York. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/jacksons-speech-highlights-us-race-struggles-progress/ | 2022-04-09T14:08:00 | en | 0.97103 |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A defense attorney conceded Friday that a former Virginia police officer broke the law when he entered the U.S. Capitol during last year’s riot, encouraging a federal jury to convict him of misdemeanor offenses.
But the lawyer urged jurors to acquit former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson of felony charges that he armed himself with a weapon and stormed the Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.
The jury for Robertson’s trial deliberated for more than four hours without reaching a verdict after hearing closing arguments from Justice Department prosecutors and defense attorney Mark Rollins. Jurors are scheduled to return Monday to resume their deliberations.
Robertson’s jury trial is the second among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. The first ended last month with jurors convicting a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of all five counts in his indictment.
Rollins said Robertson is “absolutely guilty” of illegally entering restricted areas of the Capitol and of engaging in disorderly conduct on Jan. 6, 2021. But the defense attorney argued that the evidence doesn’t support more serious charges that Robertson intended to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote or that he was armed with a dangerous weapon, a large wooden stick.
“There were no plans to go down there and say, ‘I’m going to stop Congress from doing this vote,'” Rollins said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower said Robertson went to Washington and joined a “violent vigilante mob” because he believed the election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump. He used the wooden stick to interfere with outnumbered police before he joined the crowd pouring into the Capitol, she said.
“The defendant did all this because he wanted to overturn the election,” Berkower said.
Robertson didn’t testify at his trial. A key witness for prosecutors in his case was Jacob Fracker, who also served on the Rocky Mount police force and viewed Robertson as a mentor and father figure.
Fracker was scheduled to be tried alongside Robertson before he pleaded guilty last month to a conspiracy charge and agreed to cooperate with federal authorities.
Fracker testified on Thursdaythat he initially believed that he was merely trespassing when he entered the Capitol building. However, he ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiring with Robertson to obstruct the joint session of Congress.
Fracker said he didn’t have a “verbal agreement” with anybody to obstruct the congressional proceedings. He said he believed everybody in the mob “pretty much had the same goal” and didn’t need for it to be “said out loud.”
“It was clear that everyone around them had that same goal,” Berkower said.
Rollins said Robertson didn’t engage in any of the violence or destruction carried out by “knuckleheads” and “clowns” who stormed the Capitol.
“Don’t judge him by what the other people are doing,” he told jurors.
Robertson and Fracker drove with a neighbor to Washington on the morning of Jan. 6. Robertson brought three gas masks for them to use, according to prosecutors.
After listening to speeches near the Washington Monument, Fracker, Robertson and the neighbor walked toward the Capitol, donned the gas masks and joined the growing mob, prosecutors said. Robertson stopped to help his neighbor, who was having trouble breathing. Fracker broke off and entered the building before Robertson, but they reunited inside the Capitol.
Defense attorney Camille Wagner said Robertson only went into the Capitol because he wanted to retrieve Fracker. Wagner also denied that Robertson wielded the stick as a weapon. She said the U.S. Army veteran was using it as a walking stick because he still has a limp from getting shot in the right thigh while working as a private contractor for the U.S. Defense Department in Afghanistan in 2011.
Robertson was charged with six counts: obstruction of Congress, interfering with officers during a civil disorder, entering a restricted area while carrying a dangerous weapon, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted area, disorderly or disruptive conduct inside the Capitol building and obstruction. The last charge stems from his alleged post-riot destruction of cellphones belonging to him and Fracker.
The town fired Robertson and Fracker after the riot. Prosecutors said Robertson paid Fracker more than $30,000 after they were arrested, but Fracker said he believes Robertson wanted to cover his lost wages and wasn’t trying to “buy” his testimony.
Jurors saw some of Robertson’s vitriolic posts on social media before and after the Capitol riot. In a Facebook post on Nov. 7, 2020, Robertson said “being disenfranchised by fraud is my hard line.”
“I’ve spent most of my adult life fighting a counter insurgency. (I’m) about to become part of one, and a very effective one,” he wrote.
Robertson has been jailed since Cooper ruled in July that he violated the terms of his pretrial release by possessing firearms.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 240 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors.
Robertson’s trial is one of four so far for Capitol riot defendants. Two others had their cases decided by bench trials before the same judge.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden convicted New Mexico elected official Couy Griffin last month of illegally entering restricted Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct. On Wednesday, McFadden acquitted another New Mexico man, Matthew Martin, of all four charges that he faced. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/jury-deliberating-in-ex-police-officers-capitol-riot-trial/ | 2022-04-09T14:08:07 | en | 0.975316 |
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The contest to replace former Republican Rep. Devin Nunes in Central California will present voters with a sharply defined choice: the candidates are a progressive Democrat who supports universal health care and a former Trump administration appointee.
Preliminary returns released Friday from a Tuesday special election showed Democrat Lourin Hubbard capturing the second spot in a June runoff for the vacant seat in the state’s farm belt. He will face Connie Conway, a former Republican leader in the state Assembly and California executive director of the Agriculture Department’s Farm Service Agency during the Trump administration. She was the top vote-getter who earlier advanced to the June matchup.
With most of the vote tallied, Hubbard had just under 20%, with his closest competitor for the second runoff spot, Republican Matt Stoll, several percentage points back.
Nunes, one of former President Donald Trump’s most ardent loyalists in Congress, resigned the 22nd District seat earlier this year to lead Trump’s social media company.
The seat in the GOP-leaning district is expected to stay in Republican hands.
Because no candidate was able to claim a majority of the vote Tuesday and win outright, only the top two finishers advance to a runoff. The runoff will coincide with the statewide June 7 primary election.
The election for the vacant seat has been largely ignored nationally as Democrats and Republicans focus on midterm elections that will determine control of Congress in 2023.
Nunes’ unexpected departure in January created an unusual situation for his former constituents: The winner of the election will serve only months in Congress, and the district will vanish next year because of redrawn boundaries. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/liberal-conservative-face-off-in-california-us-house-fight/ | 2022-04-09T14:08:14 | en | 0.971292 |
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — When Ted Budd won a surprise endorsement from former President Donald Trump last year, he was a little-known congressman running for a Senate seat in North Carolina against some of the state’s most recognizable Republicans, including a former governor.
As he enters the final stretch before the state’s May 17 primary, Budd is again hoping for a boost, banking on the power of Trump’s endorsement to put him on top of a field that includes a dozen other Republicans.
“We feel we’ve got strong momentum,” Budd told The Associated Press. “Whether it’s grassroots, trend lines in polling or fundraising, we think we’re in a very good place.”
Budd’s candidacy will serve as an early test of whether Trump’s backing is powerful enough to lift someone from relative obscurity to the GOP nomination for a critical Senate seat. A strong showing by Budd could provide clues about how Trump-backed candidates in other states, including Georgia, that vote in quick succession after North Carolina, will fare.
The race “will be a test of the Trump effect on North Carolina among North Carolina Republicans, I think not just for North Carolina but nationally,” said Mike Rusher, a political consultant who previously worked for the state GOP.
Democrats have made inroads across the South in recent years, winning a presidential election in Georgia in 2020 for the first time in 28 years and picking up two Senate seats.
North Carolina has experienced similar demographic changes, driven by an influx of new residents to the Raleigh and Charlotte areas. But for now, Democrats have struggled to make the same progress in the state’s presidential and Senate races. Barack Obama was the last Democratic presidential contender to carry North Carolina in 2008, and a Democrat hasn’t won a Senate seat since Kay Hagan the same year.
Trump will return to the state on Saturday for a rally in rural Johnston County, just southeast of Raleigh. He was a boon to North Carolina Republicans in the 2020 campaign, boosting turnout so that GOP candidates — with few exceptions — won races up and down the ballot even as Trump himself only narrowly eked out a win.
Budd is running for retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr’s seat against former Gov. Pat McCrory, who is viewed as a moderate and has kept some distance from Trump while backing his economic policies. A dozen other Republicans are also seeking the nomination, including former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, who has resisted Trump’s entreaties to drop out.
The winner is expected to take on presumptive Democratic nominee Cheri Beasley, a former state Supreme Court chief justice, in November’s general election. Like nearly all statewide races, the general election should be close, and a Democratic victory could thwart GOP hopes of retaking the Senate majority.
While McCrory entered the race as its best-known candidate, Budd and his advisers are increasingly optimistic that his position is strengthening in the race’s final weeks.
Budd credited Trump’s endorsement as “the single biggest factor to help advance and get attention on this campaign.” He has also benefited from millions of dollars in super PAC spending on his behalf, including from the Club for Growth’s political wing. The group’s ads heavily feature Trump’s endorsement, casting Budd as a reliable conservative while highlighting McCrory’s past criticism of the former president and slamming him as a “disloyal, liberal loser.”
McCrory became governor in 2013 but lost reelection after he signed a “bathroom bill” targeting transgender people that cost the state billions.
Saturday’s rally comes amid questions over whether Trump’s influence is fading amid stumbles in other states. Last month, he withdrew his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks, who was struggling to gain traction in Alabama’s Senate primary. Last year, his endorsed candidate in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, Sean Parnell, dropped out amid allegations of abuse by his ex-wife.
As aides have warned that he is setting himself up for failure by offering too many endorsements, Trump has held off picking sides in several competitive Senate contests, including in Missouri and Ohio, where early voting is underway.
Seeing Walker as a potential spoiler, Trump has tried to no avail to pressure him to leave the race — a tactic he has used successfully in other contests to bolster his favored candidates’ chances.
The top vote-getter must garner more than 30% of the vote to avoid a runoff. Otherwise, the top two finishers advance to a runoff in late July.
“Look, we appreciate President Trump and the work that he did for our country, but it doesn’t mean that he makes the right decisions and sometimes he gets bad counsel,” Walker said in an interview. “And in this particular incident, he has hitched his wagon to the wrong horse.”
McCrory, meanwhile, dismissed polling out this week suggesting he had lost his early edge, saying there’s time for a counterattack.
“This race is going to be a dead heat. It’s neck and neck right now, and it’s amazing that we’re even in that position, considering $7 to $8 million have been spent against us from a special interest group in D.C.,” McCrory said in an unnamed reference to Club for Growth Action.
Many voters have yet to make up their minds, with early in-person voting beginning April 28.
John Dismukes, 48, of Carolina Beach describes himself as “100% undecided.” “I’m looking at all three of them,” he said.
Billy Shomaker, a retired commercial pilot from Beech Mountain, said he supports Budd regardless of Trump’s endorsement. “I like President Trump. I don’t like everything he does,” said Shomaker, 68.
Trump’s preferred candidates in North Carolina haven’t always been successful. In 2020, political newcomer Madison Cawthorn comfortably won a GOP congressional primary runoff over Trump’s pick.
But Trump soon embraced Cawthorn, who won the general election at age 25 and became one of the ex-president’s strongest supporters. Now, Trump is returning the favor, featuring him as a rally speaker and endorsing him for reelection even as Cawthorn has faced backlash over recent incendiary comments.
McCrory said he’s got his own political events Saturday and wouldn’t share the stage with Budd, Cawthorn or Trump even if offered.
Trump “says I don’t represent his values,” McCrory said, referencing the former president’s words when he endorsed Budd 10 months ago. “I agree with the policies of Trump. But yeah, we maybe have different opinion on values.”
___
Colvin reported from New York. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/north-carolina-senate-race-tests-trumps-endorsement-power/ | 2022-04-09T14:08:21 | en | 0.970671 |
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Mike Gibbons, a leading Republican Senate candidate from Ohio, said at a media event last fall that middle-class Americans don’t pay “any kind of a fair share” of income taxes.
“The top 20% of earners in the United States pay 82% of federal income tax — and, if you do the math, and 45% to 50% don’t pay any income tax, you can see the middle class is not really paying any kind of a fair share, depending on how you want to define it,” Gibbons said.
The comments by Gibbons, a millionaire investment banker from Cleveland, were made in a September episode of “The Landscape” podcast by Crain’s Cleveland Business. But they could take on new resonance after Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, introduced a governing plan in February that has divided the party over its call to raise taxes on millions of Americans who don’t earn enough to pay federal income taxes.
Scott, who leads the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, has said that paying even a small tax would give poor people “skin in the game”to boost their interest and involvement in how tax dollars are spent.
Other leading Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have distanced themselves from Scott’s proposal, worried that the prospect of raising taxes on lower-income Americans could prompt election-year attacks from Democrats.
Campaign spokesperson Samantha Cotten said Friday that Gibbons has pledged not to raise taxes on individuals or businesses.
“Mike Gibbons does not support tax increases on any American — and never has,” she said in a statement. “Mike is a businessman, not a career politician and he understands economics and how to implement smart ideas and strategies that will benefit all Americans.”
Yet, ahead of the May 3 primary, Republican rivals are looking to use the comments against Gibbons. One opponent, Republican Mark Pukita, has had it posted on his YouTube page for the last three weeks with the caption “Tax Hike Mike Gibbons.”
Asked about the Scott plan during a Republican Senate debate last week, former Ohio Republican chair Jane Timken said she opposes his proposal to raise taxes on the middle class, while “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance said the GOP needs to stand for “middle-class people being able to raise a family and do it on a single income.”
In the video, Gibbons is pictured before a campaign backdrop and criticizes Democrats for advancing an “absolutely false” narrative that “the middle class is getting screwed and the wealthy, the elite, are cheating everybody” because they “need the middle class to win an election.” He says he doesn’t have a problem with a “progressive tax system structure” but notes that the wealthy already pay a lot in taxes.
Gibbons asks: “How much of the total tax bill can a very small percentage of the nation pay and still be a democracy?”
Democrats have spent the better part of a decade pushing for higher taxes on top earners and will likely do so again this year.
President Joe Biden included a “Billionaire Minimum Income Tax” in his 2023 budget proposal. In announcing the tax proposal, the Democrat asserted that “a firefighter and a teacher pay more than double” the tax rate that a billionaire pays.
According an analysis of 2019 Internal Revenue Service data, the most recent available, by the fiscally conservative Tax Foundation, the top 10% of Americans earn 47.3% of reported income and pay 70.9% of the income taxes. The bottom 50% of American wage earners report 11.5% of the income and pay 3.1% of the taxes. That leaves the middle 40% of Americans earning 41.2% of the income and paying 26.1% of the income taxes.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, argues that such figures do not reflect considerable amounts of wealth among high-income Americans that are shielded from taxation or are taxed at lower rates than wage earners. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ohio-gop-senate-hopeful-middle-class-doesnt-pay-fair-share/ | 2022-04-09T14:08:28 | en | 0.967833 |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A North Carolina man on Friday became the second member of the extremist group Proud Boys to plead guilty to conspiring with other group members to stop Congress from formally certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Charles Donohoe, 34, pleaded guilty during an appearance in federal court in Washington to charges of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting or impeding federal officers. His plea agreement includes a provision to cooperate in the ongoing Justice Department cases against other Proud Boys members.
Federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of about six to seven years, although terms of his sentence will be up to a federal judge.
The indictment against Donohoe and other members of extremist groups, such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, have been a focus of the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. Donohoe — who had been president of a local Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina — has close ties to the group’s leader, Enrique Tarrio.
More than three dozen people charged in the Capitol siege have been identified by federal authorities as Proud Boys leaders, members or associates.
Tarrio pleaded not guilty this week to charges that he remotely led a plot to stop Congress’ certification of Biden’s 2020 victory in the presidential election. Though he wasn’t at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, prosecutors say Tarrio organized encrypted chats with Proud Boys members in the weeks before the attack, had a 42-second phone call with another member of the group in the building during the insurrection and took credit for the chaos at the Capitol.
A New York man, Matthew Greene, became the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to conspiracy in December. He agreed to cooperate with authorities as part of a plea agreement.
On the morning of Jan. 6, Proud Boys members met at the Washington Monument and marched to the Capitol before President Donald Trump finished addressing thousands of supporters near the White House.
Around two hours later, just before Congress convened a joint session to certify the election results, a group of Proud Boys followed a crowd of people who breached barriers at a pedestrian entrance to the Capitol grounds, according to one of the indictments. Several Proud Boys also entered the Capitol itself after the mob smashed windows and forced open doors, the indictment says.
Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 775 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, officials said. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/proud-boys-member-pleads-guilty-to-conspiracy-in-jan-6-riot/ | 2022-04-09T14:08:35 | en | 0.959489 |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says it is unable to compile a complete and accurate accounting of gifts presented to former President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials by foreign governments during Trump’s final year in office, citing missing data from the White House.
In a report to be published in the Federal Register next week, the department says the Executive Office of the President did not submit information about gifts received by Trump and his family from foreign leaders in 2020. It also says the General Services Administration didn’t submit information about gifts given to former Vice President Mike Pence and White House staffers that year.
The State Department said it sought the missing information from National Archives and Records Administration and the General Services Administration, but was told that “potentially relevant records” are not available because of access restrictions related to retired records.
The State Department’s Office of Protocol reported the situation in footnotes to a partial list of gifts received by U.S. officials in 2020. The office publishes such lists annually in part to guard against potential conflicts of interest. A preview of the 2020 report was posted on the Federal Register website on Friday ahead of its formal publication on Monday.
The report notes that the lack of gift information could be related to internal oversights as the protocol office neglected to “submit the request for data to all reporting agencies prior to January 20, 2021,” when the Trump administration ended and the Biden administration began. However, it also noted that there had been a “lack of adequate recordkeeping pertaining to diplomatic gifts” between Jan. 20, 2017, when Trump took office, and his departure from the White House four years later.
The State Department report comes as House lawmakers have opened an investigation into reports that Trump had taken boxes of classified materialswith him to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after leaving office last year. The National Archives and Records Administration has asked the Justice Department to look into the matter.
The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, meanwhile, has identified analmost 8-hour gap in official White House recordsof Trump’s phone calls as the violence unfolded and his supporters stormed the building, according to two people familiar with the probe.
Regarding the 2020 gifts, the department said it had “made attempts to collect the required data from the current authoritative sources … but it has confirmed that potentially relevant records are not available to the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol under applicable access rules for retired records of the Executive Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President.”
“As a result, the data required to fully compile a complete listing for 2020 is unavailable,” it said.
Gift records for Trump administration officials such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Central Intelligence Agency chief Gina Haspel are included in the limited 2020 report, as are records for other senior diplomats, Pentagon and CIA officials. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/state-department-wh-gift-records-for-trump-pence-missing/ | 2022-04-09T14:08:42 | en | 0.973776 |
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is up for reelection in November, on Friday vetoed a package of bills passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature that would have made a series of changes to the battleground state’s election laws.
Republicans who fast-tracked the bills don’t have the votes to override his vetoes. The bills are part of a nationwide Republican effort to reshape elections following President Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump.
The bills were quickly passed earlier this year amid Trump’s insistence that the 2020 election was stolen from him and that there was widespread fraud, despite no evidence to back up his claims. Courts, recounts, independent audits and partisan reviews have all upheld President Joe Biden’s nearly 21,000-vote victory.
In vetoing the eight bills, Evers told lawmakers that “The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy; it should not be subject to the whim of politicians who do not like the outcome of an election.”
Evers said the vetoed bills were “passed under the guise of needing to reform our election system because elected officials in this state have enabled disinformation about our elections and elections process.”
Republican Sen. Alberta Darling defended the measures, saying “It’s clear the governor didn’t even bother to read these bills and wants to lump any election reform as a conspiracy theory.”
Republican supporters argued that the changes were intendent to address deficiencies identified in an audit by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and a review done by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. But the vetoed bills went far beyond those recommendations and would have changed how votes are cast and elections are run in Wisconsin.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who has rebuffed calls from Trump and some Republican lawmakers to decertify Biden’s win, had said the bills were about fixing problems for future elections, not relitigating the past.
Vos, who met with Trump, ordered a taxpayer-funded investigation into the election that is ongoing led by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. The investigation has been mired in lawsuits challenging the legality of subpoenas Gableman filed with mayors of the state’s largest and most Democratic cities.
The court fight is expected to go into July and perhaps longer. Gableman’s current contract runs through the end of April. Gableman, on a podcast hosted by former Trump Chief of Staff Steve Bannon, asked fans to call Vos to pressure him to change his mind about picking up Gableman’s office equipment on April 26.
Vos floated the possibility of rescinding the subpoenas he signed for Gableman, a move that would effectively end the official investigation.
The bills Evers vetoed would have:
— Prohibited anyone other than the voter, an immediate family member or a legal guardian from returning an absentee ballot. That issue is currently pending before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, with oral arguments scheduled for next week.
— Barred the spending of private money on the administration of elections. Republicans have cried foul over $8.8 million in grants Wisconsin’s largest and most Democratic cities received in 2020 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Grants were also awarded to smaller, majority Republican cities.
Republicans are trying to get around the veto by putting the ban in the state constitution. That would require approval by voters as early as next year.
— Bar election clerks from filling in any missing information on a voter’s absentee ballot envelope. Trump had argued that thousands of ballots where clerks filled in missing information on the outside envelope should be discounted, but courts rejected his argument. The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission had advised clerks for years that filling in the missing information was OK.
— Require the bipartisan elections commission to hire Republican and Democratic-aligned attorneys to work with commission members and offer what would likely be contrary legal advice. Nonpartisan attorneys currently work for the commission.
— Give the Legislature control over guidance delivered to local election clerks by the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission.
— Limit who can identify as indefinitely confined, a status that allows for absentee ballots for those who can’t get to the polls due to age, illness or disability.
— Require the state to conduct checks to ensure that registered voters are United States citizens. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/wisconsin-governor-vetoes-republican-election-bills/ | 2022-04-09T14:08:49 | en | 0.971229 |
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX launched three rich businessmen and their astronaut escort to the International Space Station on Friday for more than a week’s stay, as NASA joins Russia in hosting guests at the world’s most expensive tourist destination.
It’s SpaceX’s first private charter flight to the orbiting lab after two years of carrying astronauts there for NASA.
Arriving at the space station Saturday are an American, a Canadian and an Israeli who run investment, real estate and other companies. They’re paying $55 million apiece for the rocket ride and accommodations, all meals included.
Russia has been hosting tourists at the space station — and before that the Mir station — for decades. Just last fall, a Russian movie crew flew up, followed by a Japanese fashion tycoon and his assistant.
NASA is finally getting into the act, after years of opposing space station visitors.
“It was a hell of a ride and we’re looking forward to the next 10 days,” said former NASA astronaut and chaperone Michael Lopez-Alegria on reaching orbit.
The visitors’ tickets include access to all but the Russian portion of the space station — they’ll need permission from the three cosmonauts on board. Three Americans and a German also live up there.
Lopez-Alegria plans to avoid talking about politics and the war in Ukraine while he’s at the space station.
“I honestly think that it won’t be awkward. I mean maybe a tiny bit,” he said. He expects the “spirit of collaboration will shine through.”
The private Axiom Space company arranged the visit with NASA for its three paying customers: Larry Connor of Dayton, Ohio, who runs the Connor Group; Mark Pathy, founder and CEO of Montreal’s Mavrik Corp.; and Israel’s Eytan Stibbe, a former fighter pilot and founding partner of Vital Capital.
Before the flight, their enthusiasm was obvious. Stibbe did a little dance when he arrived at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.
SpaceX and NASA have been upfront with them about the risks of spaceflight, said Lopez-Alegria, who spent seven months at the space station 15 years ago.
“There’s no fuzz, I think, on what the dangers are or what the bad days could look like,” Lopez-Alegria told The Associated Press before the flight.
NASA’s Kathy Lueders, head of space operations, said there’s a lot to learn from this first wholly private station visit. “But man, was this launch a great start,” she told reporters.
Each visitor has a full slate of experiments to conduct during their stay, one reason they don’t like to be called space tourists.
“They’re not up there to paste their nose on the window,” said Axiom’s co-founder and president, Michael Suffredini, a former NASA space station program manager.
The three businessmen are the latest to take advantage of the opening of space to those with deep pockets. Jeff Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin is taking customers on 10-minute rides to the edge of space, while Virgin Galactic expects to start flying customers on its rocket ship later this year.
Friday‘s flight is the second private charter for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which took a billionaire and his guestson a three-day orbit ride last year. SpaceX’s fifth flight of NASA astronauts to the station is coming up in just a couple weeks.
Axiom is targeting next year for its second private flight to the space station. More customer trips will follow, with Axiom adding its own rooms to the orbiting complex beginning in 2024. After about five years, the company plans to detach its compartments to form a self-sustaining station — one of several commercial outposts intended to replace the space station once it’s retired and NASA shifts to the moon.
At an adjacent pad during Friday’s launch: NASA’s new moon rocket, which is awaiting completion of a dress rehearsal for a summertime test flight.
As a gift for their seven station hosts, the four visitors are taking up paella and other Spanish cuisine prepared by celebrity chef José Andrés. The rest of their time at the station, NASA’s freeze-dried chow will have to do.
The automated SpaceX capsule and its four passengers are due back April 19 with a splashdown off the Florida coast.
Connor is honoring Ohio’s air and space legacy, is bringing along a fabric swatch from the Wright brothers’ 1903 Kitty Hawk flyer and gold foil from the Apollo 11 command module from the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta.
Only the second Israeli in space, Stibbe will continue a thunderstorm experiment begun by the first — Ilan Ramon, who died aboard shuttle Columbia in 2003. They were in the same fighter pilot squadron.
Stibbe is carrying copies of recovered pages of Ramon’s space diary, as well as a song composed by Ramon’s musician son and a painting of pages falling from the sky by his daughter.
“To be a part of this unique crew is a proof for me that there’s no dream beyond reach,” he said.
___
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BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) — Seven inmates have been charged with killing two fellow prisoners and wounding two others during a January attack at a federal prison in Texas that led to a nationwide lockdown of the federal prison system.
The 15-count indictment filed this week includes charges of racketeering, murder and attempted murder against Juan Carolos Rivas-Moreiera; Dimas Alfaro-Granados; Raul Landaverde-Giron; Larry Navarete; Jorge Parada; Hector Ramires; and Sergio Sibrian.
The seven remain in federal custody and court documents do not list attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
The Jan. 31 attack was inside USP Beaumont in Beaumont, Texas. Prosecutors say the seven are members of the violent MS-13 gang and attacked rival gang members of the Mexican Mafia and its affiliate, the Sureños.
“Deterring prison violence remains a priority for the Department,” U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston of the Eastern District of Texas said in a statement Thursday. “Any prisoner who causes physical injury to another, inmate or corrections officer, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Each of the seven could face the death penalty if convicted on the murder charges, the indictment states.
According to the indictment, the MS-13 maintained a relationship with the Mexican Mafia and Sureños for protection in prisons.
“However, that symbiotic relationship recently began to fall apart as MS-13’s leadership in El Salvador sought to exert more control and independence of its own members while incarcerated in prisons within the United States,” the indictment stated.
The change led the seven to conspire to kill members of Mexican Mafia and the Sureños, according to the indictment.
The indictment said Sureños member and Mexican Mafia associate Guillermo Riojas and Sureños member Andrew Pineda were fatally stabbed during the attack and two Sureños members were wounded. | https://cw33.com/news/u-s-news/ap-u-s-headlines/7-charged-in-deaths-of-2-fellow-inmates-at-prison-in-texas/ | 2022-04-09T14:09:03 | en | 0.959114 |
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CHICAGO (AP) — Jurors on Friday acquitted two men and deadlocked on two others accused of plotting to abduct Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. They concluded nearly five days of deliberations after weeks of testimony in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Here’s a look at the charges:
WHO WERE THE DEFENDANTS?
Six men were initially charged but two pleaded guilty before trial.
The remaining defendants included Adam Fox, described by prosecutors as the plot’s ringleader. He and co-defendant Barry Croft Jr. were affiliated with the “Three Percenter” far-right anti-government movement. They may be tried again after the jury hit an impasse on their charges.
The other two defendants, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta — who were found not guilty of all charges — were members of the Wolverine Watchmen, a self-styled militia with similar views, according to prosecutors.
Ty Garbinpleaded guilty last year and Kaleb Franksjoined him in February. Both were government witnesses at trial.
WHAT WERE THE CHARGES?
All four were charged with kidnapping conspiracy.
According to prosecutors, the defendants plotted from June to October 2020 to abduct Whitmer from her vacation home in northern Michigan because they were infuriated by what they saw as her overly restrictive policies during the pandemic.
Fox, Croft and Harris were also charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors said they sought to construct and buy explosives, with the aim of destroying a bridge near Whitmer’s cottage to stymie police during the kidnapping. Harris was acquitted on the charge.
Croft and Harris were charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device — a firework wrapped with pennies that could serve as shrapnel. Harris was acquitted.
Harris was the only one charged with possession of a semi-automatic assault rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches long that wasn’t registered to him. He was acquitted.
WHAT WERE THE POTENTIAL SENTENCES?
The kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction charges carried maximum life sentences.
Garbin has already been sentenced to six years in prison, and Franks is expected to receive a lighter sentence than if he had lost at trial.
WHAT WAS REQUIRED FOR CONVICTIONS?
The defendants never achieved their purported goal of kidnapping Whitmer. Unbeknownst to them, the FBI had infiltrated their group and was closely monitoring them. They were arrested in October 2020.
Defense attorneys portrayed their clients as weekend warriors prone to big, wild talk, who were often stoned. To prove it was deadly serious, prosecutors entered evidence showing the defendants took specific steps, referred to as “overt acts,” toward implementing their plans.
Jury instructions explained that convictions on the kidnapping and weapons conspiracy charges required evidence that each defendant committed at least one of the long list of overt acts in the indictment.
Proof that a defendant simply knew about the conspiracy or associated with members of the conspiracy wasn’t enough.
WHAT WERE THE ALLEGED OVERT ACTS?
They included that Fox proposed the kidnapping of Whitmer on Aug. 23, 2020, during a meeting with Harris and Caserta. Another was that the men scrutinized each other’s IDs in a bid to ensure no one was an undercover agent.
Another was that Fox, Croft, Harris and Caserta held field-training exercises in September 2020, practicing tactics for fighting Whitmer’s security detail.
The indictment attributed another overt act on Oct. 7, 2020, to Caserta, alleging he instructed co-conspirators that, if they encountered police, they should give the officers one chance to leave, then kill them.
Alleged overt acts on the weapons of mass destruction charge included that Harris boasted on May 1, 2020, that he was a Marine Corps veteran who “can make things go boom if you give me what I need.”
WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF ENTRAPMENT?
The defense mounted an entrapment defense at trial, accusing the FBI of engaging in the barred investigatory practice. Jurors who find authorities tricked or cajoled targets into committing crimes they showed no predisposition to commit were supposed to return with not guilty verdicts.
Prosecutors had the burden of proving defendants weren’t entrapped. At trial, they sought to showthat not only were the men predisposed to joining the kidnap plot but that they discussed such schemes before the FBI sting began.
___
Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial | https://cw33.com/news/u-s-news/ap-u-s-headlines/explainer-charges-in-michigan-gov-whitmer-kidnap-plot-case/ | 2022-04-09T14:09:10 | en | 0.980046 |
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Six people were killed and 12 wounded in Sacramento last weekend in what police say was a shootout between rival gangs as bars closed and patrons crowded in the streets just blocks from the California state Capitol.
The explosion of gunfire captured on cellphone videos was punctuated by the screams of terrified people running for cover. More than 100 bullets were fired — many in rapid-fire bursts — during the brief battle.
Police said at least five gunmen from at least two gangs opened fire, but so far only three men have been arrested in the investigation and none has been charged with homicide. Only two of those men — brothers who were among the wounded — have been connected to the shooting, though they only face firearms charges at this time.
Some things to know about the situation:
WHO HAS BEEN ARRESTED IN SHOOTING?
Two brothers, Smiley and Dandrae Martin, are the only two people arrested so far who have been connected by police to the shooting.
A third man was arrested near the scene of the shootout with a gun that police do not think was fired during the melee.
Dandrae Martin, 26, is the only suspect identified by police as a shooter. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon but prosecutors have only charged him with a gun possession offense.
Martin, whose gunshot wound was minor, did not enter a plea during a brief hearing in Sacramento Superior Court this week on a charge of being a convict carrying a gun. His lawyer said she wouldn’t decide whether to seek bail until prosecutors determine whether to charge him with a more serious crime.
Smiley Martin, 27, was more seriously injured in the shooting and arrested in the hospital on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun.
Both brothers have felony criminal records that include convictions for violent attacks on women they encouraged to work as prostitutes, according to prosecutors and court records.
Smiley Martin was released from prison under supervision of probation officers in February after serving less than half his 10-year sentence because of voter-approved changes to state law that lessened the punishment for some felonies and provided a chance for earlier release.
A chance at freedom even sooner was rejected in May 2021 after prosecutors wrote to the Parole Board citing Martin’s lengthy rap sheet and said he “clearly has little regard for human life and the law.”
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE SHOOTING?
Police have yet to reveal what led to the shootout, but a 15-minute video posted live on Facebook earlier in the night by Smiley Martin showed him brandishing a large handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
The video posted about four hours before the shooting was believed to be shot in a parking lot in north Sacramento.
Smiley and Dandrae Martin were in the video, along with Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, one of the men who died in the shooting, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Investigators believe some of the men involved in the shooting were members of the Crips street gang, the official said. At least one of the victims had been linked by law enforcement to the Bloods gang, according to the official.
In the video, Smiley Martin repeatedly waved a handgun at the camera, saying at one point he was going to a club but didn’t have identification, the official said. He also spoke of an affiliation with the Crips street gang and Hoye-Lucchesi could be heard making veiled threats against someone else, according to the official.
At other points in the video, it appeared the handgun was tucked in Martin’s waistband, the official said.
The video also showed local police officers drive nearby and call out to the group to ask if they had seen a child nearby, the official said. The men responded they hadn’t before the officer drove off.
Sacramento police spokesman Chad Lewis said officers were aware of video that included three of the people involved in the shooting. He said the video showed people waving guns and, at some point, a police cruiser rolled up.
WHAT TYPE OF GUNS WERE FIRED?
Police have yet to reveal what type of weapons were used in the shooting, but they have said more than 100 rounds were fired, which is based on the number of shell casings recovered.
Witnesses provided more than 200 videos and photos and tips that have helped investigators, police said. The explosion of gunfire heard on videos posted online had the ring of semi-automatic or automatic weapons.
A stolen handgun found at the scene had been been converted to a weapon capable of automatic gunfire. Police were trying to determine if it was used in the shootout.
Smiley Martin faces a charge of possessing a machine gun, though police have said nothing about whether that weapon was used in the shooting.
The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said police were trying to figure out if the gun Martin was seen sporting in the video was used in the attack.
Police also seized a handgun during a search of three homes after the shooting.
WHO WERE THE VICTIMS?
They were three fathers raising their young children, a sister driving downtown to pick up her older sibling from a night out, a landscaper saving her pay for concert tickets and a woman living on the streets in search of housing.
The six people slain were remembered with memorials on the city’s downtown streets featuring photographs, candles, cards, balloons and, in one case, two empty bottles of Hennessy liquor.
The Sacramento County coroner identified them as: Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De’vazia Turner, 29.
Of the 12 people wounded, at least two remained hospitalized Friday.
Police have said Smiley Martin will be booked at the Sacramento County jail after he is released from the hospital.
___
Melley reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles, Don Thompson in Sacramento and Michael Balsamo Washington contributed to this report. | https://cw33.com/news/u-s-news/ap-u-s-headlines/explainer-sacramento-gang-shooting-killed-6-wounded-12/ | 2022-04-09T14:09:17 | en | 0.982053 |
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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked a new state law that would ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and allow the law to be enforced through lawsuits.
Idaho last month had become the first state to enact legislation modeled after the Texas statute banning abortions after about six weeks. The ruling from Idaho’s high court in a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood means the new law won’t go into effect as planned on April 22.
The state Supreme Court instructed both sides to file further briefs as it considers the case before its ultimate decision.
Republican Gov. Brad Little last month signed into law the measure that would’ve allowed people who would have been family members to sue doctors who perform abortions after cardiac activity is detected in embryos. But when he signed it, Little said he had concerns about whether the law was constitutional.
The law would allow the father, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles of a “preborn child” to each sue an abortion provider for a minimum of $20,000 in damages within four years after the abortion. Rapists can’t file a lawsuit under the law, but a rapist’s relatives could.
Planned Parenthood of Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky had called the law unconstitutional.
“We are thrilled that abortion will remain accessible in the state for now, but our fight to ensure that Idahoans can fully access their constitutionally protected rights is far from over,” Rebecca Gibron, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky, said in a statement after Friday’s court action.
The decision comes amid a nationwide fight over access to abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority signaled willingness in a Mississippi case to severely erode or even strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that made abortion legal nationwide until a baby can survive outside the womb. Numerous states with Republican majorities are poised to follow the strictest interpretation of the ruling.
If Roe is overturned, 26 states are certain or likely to quickly ban abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights.
The Idaho law was modeled after a Texas law that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to remain in place until a court challenge is decided on its merits. The Texas law allows people to enforce the law in place of state officials who normally would do so. The Texas law authorizes lawsuits against clinics, doctors and anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion that is not permitted by law.
Backers had said the law is Idaho’s best opportunity to severely restrict abortions in the state after years of trying.
When he signed the bill, Idaho’s governor noted his concerns with the legislation.
“Deputizing private citizens to levy hefty monetary fines on the exercise of a disfavored but judicially recognized constitutional right for the purpose of evading court review undermines our constitutional form of government and weakens our collective liberties,” Little wrote.
He said that he worried some states might use the same approach to limit gun rights.
The Attorney General’s office, representing the state, had said the case should start in the state’s district courts, working its way up to the high court.
Planned Parenthood’s attorneys balked.
“In the State’s apparent view, the more unconstitutional the law, the less appropriate for extraordinary relief. That gets things backwards: The state should not be able to evade this Court’s review by violating multiple provisions of the Idaho Constitution instead of just one.” | https://cw33.com/news/u-s-news/ap-u-s-headlines/idaho-supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-new-abortion-law/ | 2022-04-09T14:09:24 | en | 0.957292 |
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OXFORD, Ala. (AP) — Native Americans whose ancestors were forced out of the Southeast almost 200 years ago during a purge that cleared the way for white settlers returned Friday for a two-day festival with a name that sums up its purpose: “We have come back.”
A busload of Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizens and others in vans and cars traveled from their homes in Oklahoma and elsewhere for a celebration in the east Alabama city of Oxford, located on what once was part of Arbeka, a Muscogee community dating back 12,000 years. The people who lived there were forced to move west in 1836 during the “Trail of Tears,” a brutal journey of about 700 miles (1,125 kilometers) during which many died.
Land that once was a village inhabited by an estimated 3,000 people is now the site of a city park with sports fields and a walking trail, said RaeLynn Butler, who manages the nation’s historical and preservation department. Tribal citizens gathered there at the start of a two-day event to tell Muscogee stories, sing hymns, explain tribal history and give area residents a chance to meet their leaders.
“We’re trying to reestablish our presence in our homeland,” Butler said.
The Muscogee name for the event is “Reyicepes,” or “We have come back.” With the United States currently considering how to best interpret a history that includes the enslavement of Black people and the mistreatment of other minorities, women and Native Americans, the tribe is hoping to tell its own story, Principal Chief David Hill said.
“If you read the history books now it doesn’t really tell you why and how we were removed with the Trail of Tears,” he said. “We didn’t want to leave. We were forced to leave.”
Once among the largest groups in the Southeast, the Muscogee territory included parts of the present-day states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The tribe’s last major fighting force was defeated by U.S. troops at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend about 55 miles (88 kilometers) south of Oxford in 1814, leading to its eventual expulsion from the region.
About 23,000 Muscogee were forced out of the Southeast in all, Butler said, and as many as 4,000 died on a journey that included long stretches of walking and rides on barges and riverboats. The deaths continued once people arrived in Oklahoma because so many were seriously ill after the trip.
With about 96,000 enrolled citizens and headquarters in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, the tribe is now one of the largest in the United States. Groups of Muscogee have made trips to the Southeast to reconnect with the region in recent years, including visits to the Horseshoe Bend battlefield, now a historic site, and Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Macon, Georgia, Butler said.
The weekend festival is different, she said, because tribal leaders developed the idea on their own and the city welcomed the plan. A partnership between the two got started years ago when municipal officials began developing the park on the old village site, discovered artifacts and notified Muscogee leaders, she said.
While a group from the Muscogee Nation visited the park in 2016 after it opened, most citizens haven’t.
“This is the first time many people coming have been here,” Butler said. “We know these places but we’ve never seen them with our own eyes.”
The nation wants to do more to connect with the local community and Muscogee still living in the South, the principal chief said. The nation already is working on educational programs with area schools, Hill said, and there have been discussions about using city-owned land at the park, which includes a reconstructed mound and interpretative signs, for a cultural center.
“We look at it as, ‘If they can’t come to us, we’ll go to them,’” he said.
___
Reeves is a member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. | https://cw33.com/news/u-s-news/ap-u-s-headlines/muscogee-return-south-nearly-200-years-after-forced-removal/ | 2022-04-09T14:09:31 | en | 0.978854 |
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Under increasing pressure from lawmakers, the head of the Louisiana State Police put his second-in-command on leave Friday while he faces an internal probe into the erasing of his cellphone data amid the investigation into the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene.
Superintendent Col. Lamar Davis released a statement saying he placed Lt. Col. Doug Cain on paid administrative leave “to eliminate any questions into the integrity of the investigation.”
Cain was among three top state police officials who had their cellphones “sanitized” amid the ongoing probes into Greene’s death, which troopers initially blamed on a car crash at the end of a high-speed chase. But long-withheld body-camera video published by The Associated Press last year instead showed white troopers stunning, punching and dragging Greene as he wailed, “I’m your brother! I’m scared! I’m scared!”
Cain’s refusal to answer questions about the wiping and the fact that he was staying on the job amid the probe frustrated and angered members of a bipartisan legislative committee that has been conducting hearings into the state’s response to Greene’s death and whether there was a cover-up.
“This is an attempt to not be transparent. … If we trusted you we wouldn’t be here right now,” state Rep. Tanner Magee, the Republican chairman of the committee, told Cain in a hearing last month.
“I have nothing to hide,” Cain said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Davis added to the committee’s frustration in a hearing Thursday, telling the panel that the internal probe into Cain’s phone would take several more weeks to complete, and that investigators have yet to interview Cain because “we want to interview everybody else in that process first to make sure we get as much information as possible.”
Magee questioned why it has to be so complicated, saying it should boil down to simple questions: “What’s on the phone and why’d you do it?”
“I do believe in due process, but I do believe that he should be on administrative leave,” said Rep. Denise Marcelle, a Baton Rouge Democrat.
State police have acknowledged that the department also “sanitized” the cellphone of the former head of the agency, Col. Kevin Reeves, after he abruptly retired in 2020 amid AP’s initial reporting on Greene’s death. The agency said it did the same to the phone of another former police commander, Mike Noel, who resigned from a regulatory post last year as he was set to be questioned about the case by lawmakers. Police have said such erasures are policy.
Nearly three years after Greene’s May 10, 2019, death along a rural roadside in northeast Louisiana, no one has been criminally charged.
A federal civil rights investigation into the case has gone on for two and a half years, looking not only at the troopers but whether top brass obstructed justice to protect the officers from prosecution. One supervisor recently told the legislative committee that his bosses instructed him not to give prosecutors the body-camera footage of Greene’s arrest.
Probes have also expanded into a string of other state police beatings of mostly Black motorists. AnAP investigationlast year found Greene’s was among at least a dozen cases over the past decade in which state police troopers or their bosses ignored or concealed evidence of beatings, deflected blame and impeded efforts to root out misconduct.
Union Parish District Attorney John Belton told the legislative committee Thursday that U.S. Justice Department prosecutors have dropped their request for him to hold off on a state prosecution until the federal investigation is complete. He says he is now “moving swiftly” to empanel a special grand jury to pursue possible state charges in the Greene case.
The legislative committee was convened in February after an AP report showed Gov. John Bel Edwards was informed within hours that troopers arresting Greene had engaged in a “violent, lengthy struggle.” Yet the Democrat stayed mostly silent on the case for two years as state troopers told Greene’s family and wrote in reports that he died as the result of a car crash. He has since come to describe the actions of the troopers in Greene’s arrest as criminal and racist. | https://cw33.com/news/u-s-news/ap-u-s-headlines/police-official-on-leave-amid-probe-over-ronald-greene-death/ | 2022-04-09T14:09:38 | en | 0.972309 |
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Shuttered businesses. Sleepless nights. Canceled classes. Hundreds of thousands of people across Puerto Rico remained without power on Friday, nearly two days after a fire at a main power plant sparked an island-wide outage.
Crews have restored power to some 650,000 customers out of nearly 1.5 million, but people in several neighborhoods have complained that the electricity went out once again as the island struggles to emerge from the blackout that also left more than 160,000 clients without water.
The outage forced the government to cancel classes and shutter agencies for the second day in a row on this U.S. territory of 3.2 million people as frustration and anger bubbled over.
“This is unbearable,” said Maribel Hernández, 49, as she wiped her forehead with a small blue washcloth that she hung over her left shoulder.
Hernández, who is recovering from cancer, has been sleeping on the concrete floor in her home’s narrow outdoor patio with only a sheet because her mattress doesn’t fit there. She worries about being mugged because she lives in a working-class neighborhood with a high crime rate, but the heat inside her house is overwhelming.
“Those who have generators are doing well, but what about people like us?” she said, adding that she’s been forced to throw out all her food.
Officials with Luma, which took over transmission and distribution from Puerto Rico’s Electric Power company last year, have said they don’t know exactly when power would be fully restored but note crews have been working nonstop.
“The system is extremely fragile,” said Shay Bahramirad, an engineering vice president with Luma.
The company has said that a circuit-breaker failure could have caused the blackout after a fire erupted late Wednesday at the Costa Sur power plant in southern Puerto Rico, but that it will be weeks before they’ll know the exact cause of the interruption.
Meanwhile, the lack of power prompted at least one city to distribute food to the elderly and ice to those with health conditions including diabetes as many wonder when exactly they’ll have lights again.
“I haven’t slept,” said Fernando García, a 51-year-old construction worker who is more worried about not being able to find work in the past two days given the outage. “I don’t have a budget right now.”
García stood outside a small outdoor cafeteria selling eggs and greasy turnovers known as empanadillas, grateful that the owner allowed him to charge his phone for the day as he continued to look for work.
Luma CEO Wayne Stensby has called the outage “very unusual” and said it demonstrated the fragility of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid, which Hurricane Maria razed in 2017 as a powerful Category 4 storm. Emergency repairs were made at the time, but reconstruction efforts have yet to start on the crumbling electrical grid that has caused weekly outages in dozens of communities
Late Thursday, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency said it had approved nearly $9.5 billion to Puerto Rico’s power company in September 2020 to rebuild the grid, but that it has not yet received any transmission and distribution projects for evaluation and approval of construction funds.
In addition, the Costa Sur generation plant, one of four main ones on the island, was damaged during a series of strong earthquakes that struck southern Puerto Rico in recent years.
Kevin Acevedo, a vice president for Luma, said Friday that the company hopes to have restored power to 1 million customers by late Friday night.
Those who have power back said they are relieved but worry about the impact the outage had on shrinking budgets already hard hit by the island’s more than decade-long economic crisis.
Felicia Serrano, manager of a small grocery store in a community called Barrio Obrero in the capital of San Juan, said she lost $2,000 worth of merchandise as a result of the blackout. The store runs on a small generator that keeps the lights on but doesn’t have the power to keep large refrigerators running.
“Ýou’re working under a lot of stress when you have no lights,” she said as she grabbed large bunches of green plantains and placed them on worn shelves.
Many are now worried about the state of the electrical grid just two months before the Atlantic Hurricane season starts.
Josué Colón, executive director of Puerto Rico’s power company, said those concerns are legitimate: “It’s still a system that is not in prime condition. It’s still a system that has to be rebuilt.”
The outage comes as Puerto Rico’s electric power company tries to emerge from bankruptcy and restructure some $9 billion in public debt. The company has long struggled with corruption, mismanagement and a lack of investment into aging infrastructure. | https://cw33.com/news/u-s-news/ap-u-s-headlines/puerto-rico-struggles-to-emerge-from-outage-as-anger-builds/ | 2022-04-09T14:09:45 | en | 0.973175 |
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Eleven people were injured in a “major collision” Friday night in Austin, Texas, involving pedestrians and two vehicles, one of which hit a food truck, authorities said.
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services tweeted that two of the victims sustained potential life-threatening injuries. Seven others sustained non-life-threatening injuries requiring medical evaluation. The other two didn’t require hospitalization.
The collision occurred in a popular area near downtown Austin where there are frequently several food carts stationed.
Jennifer Dunn, an employee at a nearby restaurant, told The Associated Press that a group of 25 people had just left to get ice cream at a food truck a few feet away when patrons inside the restaurant heard a loud boom.
Dunn said several members of the group then ran back inside injured and asking for help. Dunn said she and others ran to the scene where several people, including the drivers, appeared severely hurt.
“We work in the restaurant industry, so we are used to helping,” Dunn said. “I have been doing this for a long (time), so have the servers and we just wanted to help.”
Austin is the Texas state capital and home to the flagship campus of the University of Texas.
___
Associated Press reporter Acacia Coronado contributed to this report. | https://cw33.com/news/u-s-news/ap-u-s-headlines/vehicle-collides-with-food-truck-in-austin-texas-11-hurt/ | 2022-04-09T14:09:52 | en | 0.967237 |
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