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Esmerelda Upton is charged with misdemeanor assault and terroristic threats after confronting the women outside of a Sixty Vines restaurant Wednesday evening. Police are investigating the attack as a hate crime, according to a press release shared on Thursday.
Rani Banerjee, one of the women who reported the attack, recorded the incident and posted it to her Facebook page. In the video, Upton hit multiple women and made several racist statements.
“We don’t want you here,” Upton is seen in the video telling the other women. “If things are so great in your country, then stay there.”
Banerjee wrote in her Facebook post that she has lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for 29 years. She wrote she could not comment because of the ongoing police investigation.
“Never have I felt so humiliated, threatened, and scared for my life,” she wrote.
Upton is being held under a $10,000 bond. Police said additional charges could be filed later.
Plano is almost 22% Asian according to U.S. census data. | https://www.keranews.org/news/2022-08-26/plano-police-arrest-woman-in-viral-racist-video | 2022-08-26T14:36:59Z |
Thousands are expected to gather in Austin, Texas, on Saturday to demand that Gov. Greg Abbott act to prevent further loss of life in the state. About a dozen parents and family members who lost loved ones in the Uvalde school shooting in May will address the crowd from the Texas Capitol steps.
With schools across Texas having already welcomed students back into the classroom, gun safety advocates are calling for the governor to hold a special session so state lawmakers can vote on whether to raise the minimum age for purchasing AR-15-style rifles from 18 to 21.
The youth-led gun safety advocacy group March for Our Lives is heading the rally, backed by the families of the students and teachers slain at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. They believe Abbott has done little to nothing since the gunman used a legally purchased AR-15-style rifle to kill 19 children and two teachers.
"We're here to drive home the message that we are living on borrowed time, and more kids will die if we don't take action like raising the age to purchase an AR-15 to 21," March for Our Lives spokesperson Noah Lumbantobing told NPR.
Abbot announced this month that the Texas Department of Public Safety would dispatch more than 30 law enforcement officers — at the request of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District — to Uvalde for the new school year. However, when March for Our Lives and the parents asked the governor about enacting stricter gun laws, he said it wouldn't happen, Lumbantobing said.
Ana Rodriguez, 35, is one of those parents. She will speak to the crowd on Saturday about her daughter, Maite Rodriguez, who was one of the students shot and killed on May 24.
"I want to be able to speak about her but also talk about how her life was so meaninglessly taken by this 18-year-old kid who was able to purchase these weapons of war and ammunition, and how I am demanding that the age go up in a special session," Rodriguez told NPR. "I'm not going to ask — I'm going to demand."
She says raising the minimum age for buying an AR-15-style rifle just makes sense. An 18-year-old is still a child, she said. Though 18-year-olds are considered adults in the eyes of the law, their brains aren't fully developed. She believes 21 is still too young, but it's better than 18.
"The fact that an 18-year-old mentally unstable child was able to purchase what he purchased legally and do what he did to our children is mind-boggling," Rodriguez said. "If I could have it my way, I would have [AR-15-style rifles] banned, but I don't think that'll happen. So I think 21 or 25 is the minimum they could do."
Lumbantobing said he has found that Texans support responsible gun ownership, including some restrictions. He thinks multiple mass shootings in the state have changed the minds of many gun owners who were previously against stricter gun laws.
"It's hit close to home for a lot of Texans, as it has in the past. And for Texans, these are children's lives we are talking about," Lumbantobing said. "It's hard to imagine that being your child shot in first or second period. It's moved people emotionally to want this sort of change."
The school district voted on Wednesday to fire Pete Arredondo, the police chief in charge of the response to the shooting. The families of the slain children and teachers had been calling since late May for his termination, one of many steps taken since the shooting.
This summer, the governor ordered state school safety officials to take precautionary measures to ensure student safety. Abbott laid out his directions in a letter, which mentioned steps such as safety trainings for school staff and access-point assessments of school buildings.
But Lumbantobing said hardening schools won't keep students safe, citing law enforcement officers on-site at schools previously targeted by shooters. He believes that increasing the minimum age for purchasing AR-15-style weapons will ultimately save lives and that the power to bring the proposal to the people lies with Abbott and Abbott alone.
Rodriguez bought bulletproof backpacks for her surviving children, 11 and 15, for this school year. And the school has implemented a handful of other security measures to try to keep students safe. But she's worried that attempts to make schools safer will make them seem more like prisons.
Abbott has argued that mental health is at the core of America's gun violence epidemic, not firearms themselves. Rodriguez says mental health is part of the problem but that refusing to acknowledge that guns play a part as well is ridiculous.
She hopes people will attend the rally on Saturday. More so, she hopes people will listen, including the governor, who she is demanding put the issue to a vote of the people.
"Three months ago, it was my child," Rodriguez said. "Tomorrow it could be yours."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/news/2022-08-26/uvalde-parents-and-advocates-will-rally-in-austin-to-up-the-age-for-ar-15-purchases | 2022-08-26T14:37:00Z |
The latest statistics from the U.S. Drought Monitor show about 95% of Texas is still at some level of drought. Conditions are updated every Thursday using data collected up to 7 am Central Time Tuesday and can range from abnormally dry (the less-severe category) up to extreme drought and exceptional drought.
Though Texas has been under a prolonged dry spell, state weather and climate officials said there has been some improvement across Texas following the recent storms. The percentage of the state that was in the “exceptional drought” category dipped by more than half to 12.4% from last week’s 26.5%.
“That’s a definite improvement. Mainly those [improved areas] are in the northern, northeastern parts of the state where the heaviest rain fell,” said John Nielsen-Gammon, the state climatologist and director of the Southern Regional Climate Center at Texas A&M University. “That's also an area that was mainly experiencing shorter term drought so it’s easier for one significant rainfall to make a big difference.”
The North Texas region saw double-digit rainfall earlier this week, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to include the region in a state disaster declaration he issued Tuesday for 23 counties. The area saw what’s considered a one-in-a-thousand years weather event, the Dallas Morning News reported. About 32% of Dallas County was in an “exceptional drought” last week but the rainfall wiped that out and set it back to zero.
In Travis County, where rainfall flooded some creeks and streets in Austin, about 89% of the region is in an extreme or exceptional drought. That’s down from 99% last week, according to the drought monitor.
The rainfall also provided very modest relief to parts of the Rio Grande Valley, where local officials earlier this month implemented mandatory water restrictions. That came after the Falcon Reservoir, which feeds water to communities north and south of the Rio Grande, fell below 10% capacity. Zapata and Starr counties improved only slightly on the drought index, and the reservoir is now at about 12% capacity.
In Val Verde County, the Amistad Reservoir was at about 30% full in mid-August, which was about 18% less than it was six months ago, according to state data. It’s risen to 35% but Nielsen-Gammon said the improvements aren’t enough to return the reservoirs to previous levels.
“They will probably end the month better than they started, but they still won't have improved enough to the two things back where they were in the spring even,” he said.
Other parts of the state saw no change. Despite about two inches of rainfall falling in San Antonio over the last seven days, 100% of the Bexar County area is still under drought conditions this week. Nielsen-Gammon said that the stretch of Texas from San Angelo to Abilene and other parts of the Northern Edwards Plateau have received little to no rain this month.
Deborah Bathke, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, said next week’s drought data could be slightly better for Texas because it will factor in rainfall that fell after the Tuesday cutoff for weekly data gathering.
“When rain falls it takes a while to work its way through the water cycle falls,” she said. “It either absorbs into the ground and some of it may trickle down to recharge groundwater, or some of it goes into the rivers and streams and reservoirs and things like that,” she said. “Some people would say, ‘Oh, well, we had rain, we need to completely wipe out all of the drought.’ [But] it takes a while to realize what that effect is going to be on the system.”
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
Got a tip? Email Julián Aguilar at jaguilar@kera.org.You can follow Julián on Twitter @nachoaguilar. | https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2022-08-26/record-rains-only-put-small-dent-in-texas-drought | 2022-08-26T14:37:03Z |
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Officers rescue father, son from sinking boat
BOSTON (WVCB) - A father and son were rescued from the chilly waters of Boston Harbor after their boat struck some rocks.
Their rescue was caught on camera by the Boston police harbor unit that saved them.
In the video, the two men are seen struggling to stay above water and clinging to a blue cooler.
“As we approached, we saw just a tip of a submerged vessel,” Officer Garrett Boyle said.
The unit got a call around 6:35 p.m. Wednesday of a boat sinking.
“Once we saw the boat first, I think we both knew right then, that yeah there were two people somewhere here,” Officer Stephen Merrick said.
Merrick and Boyle quickly spotted the two men.
“You could see the fear in their face, they were cold,” Merrick said. “They looked very tired and weak.”
Merrick was behind the wheel as Boyle leaned over the bow, grabbing the 76-year-old father who was wearing an orange life jacket and hoisting him out of the water.
Boyle quickly begins helping the son who is clinging to the police boat.
The men were lobster fishing when they say a tangled trap wire killed their engines, causing their boat to crash into rocks.
“It punctured the hull and they began to take on water pretty quickly inside,” Boyle said.
The officers checked out both men on board while they were heading back to shore where EMS was waiting.
Both men are reported to be doing OK.
Copyright 2022 WVCB via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/caught-camera-officers-rescue-father-son-sinking-boat/ | 2022-08-26T15:23:36Z |
Powell: Fed could keep lifting rates sharply ‘for some time’
JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered a stark message Friday: The Fed will likely impose more large interest rate hikes in coming months and is resolutely focused on taming the highest inflation in four decades.
Powell also warned more explicitly than he has in the past that the Fed’s continued tightening of credit will cause pain for many households and businesses as its higher rates further slow the economy and potentially lead to job losses.
“These are the unfortunate costs of reducing inflation,” he said in a high-profile speech at the Fed’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole. “But a failure to restore price stability would mean far greater pain.”
Investors had been hoping for a signal that the Fed might soon moderate its rate increases later this year if inflation were to show further signs of easing. But the Fed chair indicated that that time may not be near.
After hiking its key short term rate by three-quarters of a point at each of its past two meetings — part of the Fed’s fastest series of rate increases since the early 1980s — Powell said the Fed might ease up on that pace “at some point” — suggesting that any such slowing isn’t near.
Powell said the size of the Fed’s rate increase at its next meeting in late September — whether one-half or three-quarters of a percentage point — will depend on inflation and jobs data. An increase of either size, though, would exceed the Fed’s traditional quarter-point hike, a reflection of how severe inflation has become.
The Fed chair said that while lower inflation readings that have been reported for July have been “welcome,” “a single month’s improvement falls far short of what the Committee will need to see before we are confident that inflation is moving down.”
He noted that the history of high inflation in the 1970s, when the central bank sought to counter high prices with only intermittent rate hikes, shows that the Fed must stay focused.
“The historical record cautions strongly against prematurely” lowering interest rates, he said. “We must keep at it until the job is done.”
Powell’s speech is the marquee event of the the Fed’s annual economic symposium at Jackson Hole, the first time the conference of central bankers is being held in person since 2019, after it went virtual for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since March, the Fed has implemented its fastest pace of rate increases in decades to try to curbinflation, which has punished households with soaring costs for food, gas, rent and other necessities. The central bank has lifted its benchmark rate by 2 full percentage points in just four meetings, to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%.
Those hikes have led to higher costs for mortgages, car loans and other consumer and business borrowing. Home sales have been plunging since the Fed first signaled it would raise borrowing costs.
In June, the Fed’s policymakers signaled that they expected their key rate to end 2022 in a range of 3.25% to 3.5% and then to rise further next year to between 3.75% and 4%. If rates reached their projected level at the end of this year, they would be at the highest point since 2008.
Powell is betting that he can engineer a high-risk outcome: Slow the economy enough to ease inflation pressures yet not so much as to trigger a recession.
His task has been complicated by the economy’s cloudy picture: On Thursday, the government said the economy shrank at a 0.6% annual rate in the April-June period, the second straight quarter of contraction. Yet employers are still hiring rapidly, and the number of people seeking unemployment aid, a measure of layoffs, remains relatively low.
At the same time, inflation is still crushingly high, though it has shown some signs of easing, notably in the form of declining gas prices.
At its meeting in July, Fed policymakers expressed two competing concerns that highlighted their delicate task.
According to minutes from that meeting, the officials — who aren’t identified by name — have prioritized their inflation fight. Still, some officials said there was a risk that the Fed would raise borrowing costs more than necessary, risking a recession. If inflation were to fall closer to the Fed’s 2% target and the economy weakened further, those diverging views could become hard to reconcile.
At last year’s Jackson Hole symposium, Powell listed five reasons why he thought inflation would be “transitory.” Yet instead it has persisted, and many economists have noted that those remarks haven’t aged well.
Powell indirectly acknowledged that history at the outset of his remarks Friday, when he said that, “at past Jackson Hole conferences, I have discussed broad topics such as the ever-changing structure of the economy and the challenges of conducting monetary policy.”
“Today,” he said, “my remarks will be shorter, my focus narrower and my message more direct.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/powell-fed-could-keep-lifting-rates-sharply-some-time/ | 2022-08-26T15:23:43Z |
Secret Service recovers $286M in stolen pandemic loans
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Secret Service said Friday that it has recovered $286 million in fraudulently obtained pandemic loans and is returning the money to the Small Business Administration.
The Secret Service said an investigation initiated by its Orlando office found that alleged conspirators submitted Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications by using fake or stolen employment and personal information and used an online bank, Green Dot, to conceal and move their criminal proceeds.
The agency worked with Green Dot to identify roughly 15,000 accounts and seize $286 million connected to the accounts.
“This forfeiture effort and those to come are a direct and necessary response to the unprecedented size and scope of pandemic relief fraud,” said Kevin Chambers, director for COVID-19 fraud enforcement at the Justice Department.
Billions have been fraudulently claimed through various pandemic relief programs — including Paycheck Protection Program loans, unemployment insurance and others that were rolled out in the midst of the worldwide pandemic that shutdown global economies for months.
In March, the Government Accountability Office reported that while agencies were able to distribute COVID-19 relief funds quickly, “the tradeoff was that they did not have systems in place to prevent and identify payment errors and fraud” due in part to “financial management weaknesses.”
As a result, the GAO has recommended several measures for agencies to prevent pandemic program fraud in the future, including better reporting on their fraud risk management efforts.
Since 2020, the Secret Service initiated more than 3,850 pandemic related fraud investigations, seized over $1.4 billion in fraudulently obtained funds and helped to return $2.3 billion to state unemployment insurance programs.
The latest seizure included a collaboration of efforts between Secret Service, the SBA’s Inspector General, DOJ and other offices.
Hannibal “Mike” Ware, the Small Business Administration’s inspector general, said the joint investigations will continue “to ensure that taxpayer dollars obtained through fraudulent means will be returned to taxpayers and fraudsters involved face justice.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/secret-service-recovers-286m-stolen-pandemic-loans/ | 2022-08-26T15:23:49Z |
Teen shot 7 times and kicked by friend is fighting for his life, family says
CLEVELAND (WOIO/Gray News) – A teen in Ohio is fighting for his life after being gunned down while riding his bike, WOIO reports.
Curtis Jackson’s father said the 13-year-old has had five surgeries so far and has a long road to recovery.
“For this to happen to him in this kind of fashion -- it’s cold-blooded to be shot seven times then kicked,” his father said.
Curtis had just graduated middle school as valedictorian and was set to start high school next week.
Instead, he’s lying in a hospital bed.
“I whisper in his ear every night,” his dad said. “I whisper in his ear like it’s just me and you. I can’t let you out of my sight no more, it’s just me and you. Things happen. Life comes at you fast, but this one right here really hit home.”
Curtis’ father, also named Curtis Jackson, said his son was knocked off his bike and shot by a 15-year-old he considered a friend.
His son was shot four times in the chest, twice in the arm and a bullet grazed his head.
According to witnesses, the shooter allegedly kicked the 13-year-old in the head after shooting him and then ran away.
“It’s getting bad around here,” said Jackson. “It’s just the gun violence man and they’re getting younger and younger. My son is 13 years old; his birthday is Saturday.”
While it’s unclear when the teen will be released from the hospital, his father is hopeful Wednesday was his last surgery.
According to reports, the 15-year-old turned himself in to police.
Copyright 2022 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/teen-shot-7-times-kicked-by-friend-is-fighting-his-life-family-says/ | 2022-08-26T15:23:55Z |
University of Texas offers class based on Taylor Swift songs
Published: Aug. 26, 2022 at 11:14 AM EDT|Updated: 7 minutes ago
(CNN) - A professor at the University of Texas at Austin said Taylor Swift’s music uses a lot of the same techniques found in classic poetry, so she decided to base a class around it.
The professor is calling the course the Taylor Swift Songbook.
She says it’s not about celebrity or fame, but about the literary traditions that connect writing over the ages, whether the author is a pop star or a Pulitzer Prize winner.
The professor admits to being a fan but said her goal is to teach students about older material through a contemporary lens.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/university-texas-offers-class-based-taylor-swift-songs/ | 2022-08-26T15:24:01Z |
Woman accused of trying to run over boyfriend after argument about cheating, police say
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5/Gray News) – A woman in Arizona is accused of trying to run over her boyfriend with a truck, police say.
According to authorities, Jolina Morris, 38, confronted her boyfriend, who was not identified, about cheating with another woman.
Investigators say he went to a nearby bar after the argument and began drinking. Morris and another friend reportedly drove to the bar and also started drinking, AZ Family reported.
Morris told her boyfriend she threw away his truck keys when he asked to leave, but he saw she had them and tried to take the keys, police said.
Court documents stated they got into a short fight before the boyfriend took the keys and got in the truck. Morris and her friend struggled with the boyfriend some more and eventually got him out of the truck and he walked home.
According to the documents, Morris pulled into the driveway when her boyfriend approached the front door. She’s accused of hitting her boyfriend with the truck and pinning him against the house.
Investigators said she backed the truck up and yelled, “I will kill you!” while hitting her boyfriend again.
Police were able to identify Morris from a neighbor’s Ring camera that captured the whole incident.
The boyfriend was taken to the hospital with a shattered leg, cuts and other injuries.
Morris was booked on one count of attempted second-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault and one count of endangerment.
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/woman-accused-trying-run-over-boyfriend-after-argument-about-cheating-police-say/ | 2022-08-26T15:24:07Z |
WDBJ7 remembers Adam and Alison
Published: Aug. 25, 2022 at 7:32 PM EDT|Updated: 16 hours ago
ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - August 26 is always a really tough day for us here at Your Hometown Station.
It was seven years ago that we lost our dear friends, Adam Ward and Alison Parker. We love and miss them so much.
As we do each year, we honor our memories of them. We hope you’ll spend this day honoring them by also spreading kindness. ❤
With Love,
The WDBJ7 Family
Copyright 2022 WDBJ. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/25/wdbj7-remembers-adam-alison/ | 2022-08-26T15:46:55Z |
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Officers rescue father, son from sinking boat
BOSTON (WVCB) - A father and son were rescued from the chilly waters of Boston Harbor after their boat struck some rocks.
Their rescue was caught on camera by the Boston police harbor unit that saved them.
In the video, the two men are seen struggling to stay above water and clinging to a blue cooler.
“As we approached, we saw just a tip of a submerged vessel,” Officer Garrett Boyle said.
The unit got a call around 6:35 p.m. Wednesday of a boat sinking.
“Once we saw the boat first, I think we both knew right then, that yeah there were two people somewhere here,” Officer Stephen Merrick said.
Merrick and Boyle quickly spotted the two men.
“You could see the fear in their face, they were cold,” Merrick said. “They looked very tired and weak.”
Merrick was behind the wheel as Boyle leaned over the bow, grabbing the 76-year-old father who was wearing an orange life jacket and hoisting him out of the water.
Boyle quickly begins helping the son who is clinging to the police boat.
The men were lobster fishing when they say a tangled trap wire killed their engines, causing their boat to crash into rocks.
“It punctured the hull and they began to take on water pretty quickly inside,” Boyle said.
The officers checked out both men on board while they were heading back to shore where EMS was waiting.
Both men are reported to be doing OK.
Copyright 2022 WVCB via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/caught-camera-officers-rescue-father-son-sinking-boat/ | 2022-08-26T15:47:01Z |
College student struck by lightning on first day of class
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR) - Talk about a rough first day: A freshman at the University of West Florida was walking to class when she got struck by lightning.
She survived, which her doctors say is a miracle.
Emma Eggler, 18, is feeling lucky this week. “A lot of doctors told me I should buy a lottery ticket because I was lucky,” she said.
The Birmingham, Alabama, student was struck by lightning on Monday, her first day of college as a freshman.
“I did not feel anything, at all really. I just woke up on the ground,” Eggler said.
She collapsed on the sidewalk after the lightning hit her in the chest.
“My shirt was like completely open,” Eggler said. “Because of the lightning strike, it melted to me.”
The electricity traveled down the left side of her body. Her watch exploded and burned her wrist.
The electricity went down to her foot, putting a hole in her sock and one in her sneaker.
“I was able to get my backpack off me. But I could not feel my legs at all, and I was scared I was paralyzed, and I was really panicking,” Eggler said.
Senior Nelson Libbert and others ran over to Eggler and put her on a bench. They called 911.
Libbert started talking to her to calm her down. He said that he told her, “I would be freaking out over this, but you, you’re so strong, you’re a strong freshman. I know this is a tough first day, but believe it or not, but you’re going to make it through this.”
She was taken to Sacred Heart in Pensacola and then to University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham.
The doctors told her parents she was lucky the bolt didn’t stop her heart.
“We definitely feel like God performed a miracle for her. That is the only explanation for why she is still with us,” said Erin Eggler, Emma Eggler’s mother.
Emma Eggler has been released from the hospital and has regained movement in her legs. She is expected to return to classes next week.
Copyright 2022 WEAR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/college-student-struck-by-lightning-first-day-class/ | 2022-08-26T15:47:08Z |
Man killed in shootout with police in Montgomery County
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - A man was killed in a shooting with Police in Montgomery County early Friday morning, according to the Blacksburg Police Department.
Police say they responded at 2:00 a.m. to a call on Yellow Sulphur Road in Blacksburg.
At the scene, a man started shooting at the officers and deputies, leading to a shootout with police, according to the department. The department says first aid was immediately administered by the officers and deputies and Blacksburg Rescue responded. Police say the man is dead and no responding officers or deputies were injured.
The Blacksburg Police Department and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office say they are following their protocols for officer-involved shootings. Virginia State Police are conducting an investigation of this shooting.
Copyright 2022 WDBJ. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/man-killed-shootout-with-police-montgomery-county/ | 2022-08-26T15:47:15Z |
Powell: Fed could keep lifting rates sharply ‘for some time’
JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered a stark message Friday: The Fed will likely impose more large interest rate hikes in coming months and is resolutely focused on taming the highest inflation in four decades.
Powell also warned more explicitly than he has in the past that the Fed’s continued tightening of credit will cause pain for many households and businesses as its higher rates further slow the economy and potentially lead to job losses.
“These are the unfortunate costs of reducing inflation,” he said in a high-profile speech at the Fed’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole. “But a failure to restore price stability would mean far greater pain.”
Investors had been hoping for a signal that the Fed might soon moderate its rate increases later this year if inflation were to show further signs of easing. But the Fed chair indicated that that time may not be near.
After hiking its key short term rate by three-quarters of a point at each of its past two meetings — part of the Fed’s fastest series of rate increases since the early 1980s — Powell said the Fed might ease up on that pace “at some point” — suggesting that any such slowing isn’t near.
Powell said the size of the Fed’s rate increase at its next meeting in late September — whether one-half or three-quarters of a percentage point — will depend on inflation and jobs data. An increase of either size, though, would exceed the Fed’s traditional quarter-point hike, a reflection of how severe inflation has become.
The Fed chair said that while lower inflation readings that have been reported for July have been “welcome,” “a single month’s improvement falls far short of what the Committee will need to see before we are confident that inflation is moving down.”
He noted that the history of high inflation in the 1970s, when the central bank sought to counter high prices with only intermittent rate hikes, shows that the Fed must stay focused.
“The historical record cautions strongly against prematurely” lowering interest rates, he said. “We must keep at it until the job is done.”
Powell’s speech is the marquee event of the the Fed’s annual economic symposium at Jackson Hole, the first time the conference of central bankers is being held in person since 2019, after it went virtual for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since March, the Fed has implemented its fastest pace of rate increases in decades to try to curbinflation, which has punished households with soaring costs for food, gas, rent and other necessities. The central bank has lifted its benchmark rate by 2 full percentage points in just four meetings, to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%.
Those hikes have led to higher costs for mortgages, car loans and other consumer and business borrowing. Home sales have been plunging since the Fed first signaled it would raise borrowing costs.
In June, the Fed’s policymakers signaled that they expected their key rate to end 2022 in a range of 3.25% to 3.5% and then to rise further next year to between 3.75% and 4%. If rates reached their projected level at the end of this year, they would be at the highest point since 2008.
Powell is betting that he can engineer a high-risk outcome: Slow the economy enough to ease inflation pressures yet not so much as to trigger a recession.
His task has been complicated by the economy’s cloudy picture: On Thursday, the government said the economy shrank at a 0.6% annual rate in the April-June period, the second straight quarter of contraction. Yet employers are still hiring rapidly, and the number of people seeking unemployment aid, a measure of layoffs, remains relatively low.
At the same time, inflation is still crushingly high, though it has shown some signs of easing, notably in the form of declining gas prices.
At its meeting in July, Fed policymakers expressed two competing concerns that highlighted their delicate task.
According to minutes from that meeting, the officials — who aren’t identified by name — have prioritized their inflation fight. Still, some officials said there was a risk that the Fed would raise borrowing costs more than necessary, risking a recession. If inflation were to fall closer to the Fed’s 2% target and the economy weakened further, those diverging views could become hard to reconcile.
At last year’s Jackson Hole symposium, Powell listed five reasons why he thought inflation would be “transitory.” Yet instead it has persisted, and many economists have noted that those remarks haven’t aged well.
Powell indirectly acknowledged that history at the outset of his remarks Friday, when he said that, “at past Jackson Hole conferences, I have discussed broad topics such as the ever-changing structure of the economy and the challenges of conducting monetary policy.”
“Today,” he said, “my remarks will be shorter, my focus narrower and my message more direct.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/powell-fed-could-keep-lifting-rates-sharply-some-time/ | 2022-08-26T15:47:21Z |
Secret Service recovers $286M in stolen pandemic loans
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Secret Service said Friday that it has recovered $286 million in fraudulently obtained pandemic loans and is returning the money to the Small Business Administration.
The Secret Service said an investigation initiated by its Orlando office found that alleged conspirators submitted Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications by using fake or stolen employment and personal information and used an online bank, Green Dot, to conceal and move their criminal proceeds.
The agency worked with Green Dot to identify roughly 15,000 accounts and seize $286 million connected to the accounts.
“This forfeiture effort and those to come are a direct and necessary response to the unprecedented size and scope of pandemic relief fraud,” said Kevin Chambers, director for COVID-19 fraud enforcement at the Justice Department.
Billions have been fraudulently claimed through various pandemic relief programs — including Paycheck Protection Program loans, unemployment insurance and others that were rolled out in the midst of the worldwide pandemic that shutdown global economies for months.
In March, the Government Accountability Office reported that while agencies were able to distribute COVID-19 relief funds quickly, “the tradeoff was that they did not have systems in place to prevent and identify payment errors and fraud” due in part to “financial management weaknesses.”
As a result, the GAO has recommended several measures for agencies to prevent pandemic program fraud in the future, including better reporting on their fraud risk management efforts.
Since 2020, the Secret Service initiated more than 3,850 pandemic related fraud investigations, seized over $1.4 billion in fraudulently obtained funds and helped to return $2.3 billion to state unemployment insurance programs.
The latest seizure included a collaboration of efforts between Secret Service, the SBA’s Inspector General, DOJ and other offices.
Hannibal “Mike” Ware, the Small Business Administration’s inspector general, said the joint investigations will continue “to ensure that taxpayer dollars obtained through fraudulent means will be returned to taxpayers and fraudsters involved face justice.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/secret-service-recovers-286m-stolen-pandemic-loans/ | 2022-08-26T15:47:28Z |
Teen shot 7 times and kicked by friend is fighting for his life, family says
CLEVELAND (WOIO/Gray News) – A teen in Ohio is fighting for his life after being gunned down while riding his bike, WOIO reports.
Curtis Jackson’s father said the 13-year-old has had five surgeries so far and has a long road to recovery.
“For this to happen to him in this kind of fashion -- it’s cold-blooded to be shot seven times then kicked,” his father said.
Curtis had just graduated middle school as valedictorian and was set to start high school next week.
Instead, he’s lying in a hospital bed.
“I whisper in his ear every night,” his dad said. “I whisper in his ear like it’s just me and you. I can’t let you out of my sight no more, it’s just me and you. Things happen. Life comes at you fast, but this one right here really hit home.”
Curtis’ father, also named Curtis Jackson, said his son was knocked off his bike and shot by a 15-year-old he considered a friend.
His son was shot four times in the chest, twice in the arm and a bullet grazed his head.
According to witnesses, the shooter allegedly kicked the 13-year-old in the head after shooting him and then ran away.
“It’s getting bad around here,” said Jackson. “It’s just the gun violence man and they’re getting younger and younger. My son is 13 years old; his birthday is Saturday.”
While it’s unclear when the teen will be released from the hospital, his father is hopeful Wednesday was his last surgery.
According to reports, the 15-year-old turned himself in to police.
Copyright 2022 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/teen-shot-7-times-kicked-by-friend-is-fighting-his-life-family-says/ | 2022-08-26T15:47:34Z |
University of Texas offers class based on Taylor Swift songs
Published: Aug. 26, 2022 at 11:14 AM EDT|Updated: 32 minutes ago
(CNN) - A professor at the University of Texas at Austin said Taylor Swift’s music uses a lot of the same techniques found in classic poetry, so she decided to base a class around it.
The professor is calling the course the Taylor Swift Songbook.
She says it’s not about celebrity or fame, but about the literary traditions that connect writing over the ages, whether the author is a pop star or a Pulitzer Prize winner.
The professor admits to being a fan but said her goal is to teach students about older material through a contemporary lens.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/university-texas-offers-class-based-taylor-swift-songs/ | 2022-08-26T15:47:41Z |
Woman accused of trying to run over boyfriend after argument about cheating, police say
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5/Gray News) – A woman in Arizona is accused of trying to run over her boyfriend with a truck, police say.
According to authorities, Jolina Morris, 38, confronted her boyfriend, who was not identified, about cheating with another woman.
Investigators say he went to a nearby bar after the argument and began drinking. Morris and another friend reportedly drove to the bar and also started drinking, AZ Family reported.
Morris told her boyfriend she threw away his truck keys when he asked to leave, but he saw she had them and tried to take the keys, police said.
Court documents stated they got into a short fight before the boyfriend took the keys and got in the truck. Morris and her friend struggled with the boyfriend some more and eventually got him out of the truck and he walked home.
According to the documents, Morris pulled into the driveway when her boyfriend approached the front door. She’s accused of hitting her boyfriend with the truck and pinning him against the house.
Investigators said she backed the truck up and yelled, “I will kill you!” while hitting her boyfriend again.
Police were able to identify Morris from a neighbor’s Ring camera that captured the whole incident.
The boyfriend was taken to the hospital with a shattered leg, cuts and other injuries.
Morris was booked on one count of attempted second-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault and one count of endangerment.
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/woman-accused-trying-run-over-boyfriend-after-argument-about-cheating-police-say/ | 2022-08-26T15:47:48Z |
A reported $350 million investment into a new, yet-to-be-launched real estate venture founded by a controversial businessman has drawn criticism from women entrepreneurs.
The investment, which was made and publicly shared by venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, is in Flow, the new company of WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann.
Given Neumann's questionable business dealings and his abrupt exit from WeWork amid a fraught initial public offering in 2019, this new investment typifies the immense gap that exists in comparison with how much money venture-funded companies founded solely by women garner, experts say.
The investment is a prime example of how venture capital (VC) ecosystems "have always been inequitable," Rebekah Bastian, the CEO and co-founder of OwnTrail, a startup that helps people achieve their next personal and professional milestones, told NPR.
"When 16% of investment partners at VC firms are women, 3% are Black and 4% are Latinx, it's not shocking that women founders have received 1.9% of venture dollars so far in 2022," Bastian told NPR over email. "Black-founded startups in the U.S. raised less in Q2 2022 in aggregate ($324 million) than Adam Neumann received in a single check from Andreessen Horowitz."
Andreessen Horowitz did not respond to requests for comment.
Why the venture funding for Neumann received such a visceral response
To understand why Neumann, Flow and the millions of dollars raised caused a groundswell of condemnation among women, one place to start is Aug. 14, 2019.
That's the day WeWork first released its paperwork to go public and revealed to the world how Neumann had siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars for himself, restructured the company to provide himself a tax break and rented his own properties to WeWork.
A month later, The Wall Street Journal reported on Neumann's partying and "unusual exuberance and excess." One of the more puzzling aspects of Neumann's tenure was how an entity he controlled "sold the rights to the word 'We' to the company for almost $6 million—before public pressure led him to unwind the deal," the Journal reported.
Neumann stepped down as WeWork's CEO on Sept. 24, 2019, not long after the company's valuation, once estimated at $47 billion, dropped precipitously.
To see Neumann raise hundreds of millions of dollars roughly three years after his exit from WeWork is a sign of how "there will be Adam Neumanns but there won't be Abagail Neumanns," said Katica Roy, a gender economist and the CEO and founder of Pipeline, an award-winning startup that uses artificial intelligence and cloud computing to close the gender equity gap in the workplace. Roy is also the daughter of a refugee who was brought to the U.S. on Air Force One after being granted passage by President Dwight Eisenhower.
"The Flow funding illustrates perhaps the most high-profile example of 'prove it again' bias, or the fact that women have to work harder than men to substantiate their competence," Roy told NPR over email. "These biases lead to smaller and fewer checks for women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color."
Neumann and Flow also reveal a double standard that exists around second chances in business, said Amy Nelson, co-CEO of The Riveter, which has built a collective of work and event spaces for working women across the United States.
"I think the outrage is about the fact that a lot of Black and brown founders, a lot of women, don't even get the chance to fail. You can't show the world a comeback if you can't even get into the arena," Nelson told NPR.
How bias is woven into the world of venture capital
Despite a banner year that brought in a record $330 billion of venture capital funding in the U.S., only 2% of funds in 2021 went to women-founded teams, Roy said.
Part of this disparity stems from how investors question founders who are women in comparison with those who are men.
A 2018 journal article, "We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding," revealed how women receive more prevention questions from potential investors. Prevention questions focus on safety, responsibility, security and vigilance; for example, "How predictable are your future cash flows?"
Meanwhile, men receive more promotion questions from potential investors, according to the article, published in Academy of Management Journal. Promotion questions focus on hopes, achievements, advancement and ideals; for example, "What major milestones are you targeting this year?"
"These biases also reflect the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the U.S. Fully 65% of VC firms have zero women partners or GPs [general partners], and women represent only 4.9% of all VC partners in the U.S.," Nelson added. "We call ourselves the land of opportunity. However, as we see time and time again, opportunity is not equitably distributed."
These issues are among the many that explain why entrepreneurs like Jaclyn Fu did not seek out venture funding when starting their companies.
Fu and her co-founder, also a woman of color, launched a 470% successfully funded Kickstarter campaign that helped get their business, Pepper, a direct-to-consumer bra brand for small-chested women, off the ground.
The venture capital that Neumann raised is just another sign that the industry hasn't progressed, Fu told NPR.
"I was furious that time and time again, VCs invested in the same pattern that rewards toxic, growth-at-all-cost behavior and ineffective stewardship of capital," Fu said. "It's wild that safe bets for VCs look more like Neumann with fanciful 'vision' versus founders who can actually prove product-market fit and real customer opportunity."
Change is slow but coming to the venture capital industry
Andreessen Horowitz and its co-founder Marc Andreessen do not care what the world thinks when it comes to their investments, Nelson said.
"No white man has to care," Nelson added. "White men account for almost all of venture capital investors and almost all of venture-backed founders, and I'm convinced that their money flows in a circle."
That circle must be broken, said Lizelle van Vuuren, a U.S.-based South African who is co-founder of Undock and founder of Women Who Startup, a learning community for women entrepreneurs. Van Vuuren is also the chief growth officer at OwnTrail.
Van Vuuren was among the first of many women to respond to Neumann's VC raise on Twitter. When it comes to the world of venture capital, women not only have "to change the game, the rules and the playing field, we have to do it with a smile," she tweeted.
"I think more women are going to win. I think more Black and brown, Asian, immigrants and disabled founders are going to continue to win, because we're not going to shut up," van Vuuren told NPR. "Every generation has yearning for improvement. That is the beauty of human evolution. We will always, hopefully, be focused on improving the way we found things, especially younger generations. So whether Adam continues to make headlines or whatnot is irrelevant to someone right now, at her desk, trying to build a startup with four team members with about $400,000 in the bank. They're gonna be out of money in several months. And she has to figure out how to raise money. She's focused on that."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/350-million-for-wework-co-founder-shows-how-broken-and-biased-venture-capital-is | 2022-08-26T15:49:14Z |
Joey DeFrancesco, who brought the richly enveloping sound of the Hammond B-3 organ roaring back into the jazz mainstream in the early 1990s, reigning as its preeminent ace for more than 30 years, died on Thursday. He was 51.
Gloria DeFrancesco, his wife and manager, announced his death on social media, but did not provide a cause.
Few jazz artists in any era have ever dominated the musical language and popular image of an instrument the way DeFrancesco did with the organ — as early as 17, when his head-turning debut was released on Columbia Records. He exhibited supreme technical command at the keyboard, reeling off ribbons of notes with his right hand. And he took full advantage of the sonic possibilities presented by an organ console, with its drawbars, switches and pedal board; his organ could lurch abruptly from an ambient hum to a sanctified holler, or change timbres and textures in the middle of a phrase. Like his idol and closest parallel, Jimmy Smith, he revealed new vistas on the instrument.
Also like Smith, DeFrancesco was emotionally evocative with his sound, unfailingly reaching audiences with a soulful message rooted in the blues. His language encompassed not only bebop and the blues but also the modal dialects of organist Larry Young, and pianists like McCoy Tyner. His radiant brand of virtuosity attracted collaborators ranging from Miles Davis, whose band DeFrancesco joined while still a senior in high school, to Van Morrison, with whom he made two recent albums. He is prominently featured on Christian McBride's 2020 release For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver, which won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in April.
DeFrancesco made some 30 albums of his own, a few of which involve an implicit passing of the torch from sterling predecessors like Smith and Jack McDuff. Other albums featured an array of kindred spirits, old and young, including the tenor saxophone masters Illinois Jacquet, George Coleman, Houston Person and most recently Pharoah Sanders. On his latest, More Music, DeFrancesco demonstrates his own proficiency on tenor saxophone, as well as trumpet, keyboards and vocals. "He had nothing left to prove on organ," McBride, who is the host of the NPR program Jazz Night in America, tells WRTI. "I think that's why he took up trumpet and saxophone. I told him if he ever picked up bass, we'd have some words!"
Like McBride, who interviewed DeFrancesco for a 2019 episode of Jazz Night in America, he remained closely associated with his native Philadelphia even long after he'd made his home elsewhere. Partly this was due to the deep tradition of the organ combo in Philly — as Pat Martino, a guitar luminary who cut his teeth with a marquee generation of jazz organists there, implied in his 2011 autobiography, Here and Now! (with Bill Milkowski). Martino, who died last year, hailed DeFrancesco in the book as "an exceptional artist," adding: "As a player, he's just ferocious, in that tradition of Jimmy Smith and all the great Philly organists."
Born in Springfield, Pa. on April 10, 1971, Joseph DeFrancesco came to music as a birthright. His father, known as "Papa" John DeFrancesco, played organ on the Philadelphia jazz scene; his grandfather and namesake, Joseph DeFrancesco, had played saxophone and clarinet during the swing era of the 1930s, in upstate New York. His older brother, Johnny, is a blues guitarist.
Joey started out banging on a toy piano, but by age 4 he had graduated to his father's organ, which hulked in the house whenever it wasn't set up for a residency at a club. He learned not only from his father but also from prominent organists like Trudy Pitts and Shirley Scott.
At age 9, Joey's father brought him to the Settlement Music School, a community organization with a long history of mentoring young talent. The band, mostly composed of high school kids, was directed by Lovett Hines, who remembers that Joey was so little that when he sat at the piano bench, his feet wouldn't touch the ground.
"He was a terror at the organ," recalls Hines, who stayed in contact with DeFrancesco over the years. "You could maybe best him on trumpet or tenor, but once he sat down at the organ, it was all over."
DeFrancesco was only 10 when he played his first professional gig, at Gert's Cocktail Lounge on South Street, which held a jam session every Monday night. Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley and drummer "Philly" Joe Jones were regulars. By the time McBride met DeFrancesco at Settlement Music School a few years later, "Joey was already a local superstar as a middle schooler," McBride recalls. "I was 12, he was 13. We were the youngest ones in the band."
DeFrancesco attended the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, where his classmates included McBride, drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. He was the first of their peer group to get a record deal, after his performance at the first annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition impressed George Butler, a producer and A&R executive at Columbia.
He eventually worked in a range of situations beyond the typical organ combo, including a group called The Free Spirits, a fusion group with guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Dennis Chambers. But he also pulled others into his zone; even with McLaughlin, DeFrancesco found a foot-tapping groove, notably on a 1995 album titled After the Rain, with master drummer Elvin Jones.
In recent years, DeFrancesco took a focused interest on what he called "spiritual jazz," ranging from Sanders to Sun Ra, with a searching quality and a more open harmonic territory. As for his exploration on the organ, it was no different than it ever had been. "I've always been stretching the boundaries of the instrument since day one," he told Philadelphia Weekly in 2019. "I have my influences, but nobody's played the organ the way I play it."
Additional reporting by Josh Jackson of WRTI.
Copyright 2022 WRTI . To see more, visit WRTI . | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/joey-defrancesco-driving-force-on-the-hammond-organ-dies-at-51 | 2022-08-26T15:49:20Z |
Updated August 26, 2022 at 11:24 AM ET
Vaccine maker Moderna announced Friday that it's suing rival drugmakers Pfizer and BioNtech for patent infringement. The lawsuit alleges the two companies used certain key features of technology Moderna developed to make their COVID-19 vaccine. It argues that Pfizer and BioNtech's vaccine infringes patents Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016 for its messenger RNA or mRNA technology.
All three companies' COVID-19 vaccines used mRNA technology which is a new way to make vaccines. In the past, vaccines were generally made using parts of a virus, or inactivated virus, to stimulate an immune response. With mRNA technology, the vaccine uses messenger RNA created in a lab to send genetic instructions that teach our cells to make a protein or part of a protein that triggers an immune response.
In October 2020, Moderna pledged not to enforce its COVID-19 related patents while the pandemic was ongoing, according to a statement from the company. In March this year, it said it will stick to its commitment not to enforce its COVID-19 related patents in low and middle-income countries, but expects rival companies like Pfizer to respect its intellectual property.
Moderna is not seeking to remove the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine from the market, but is seeking monetary damages.
Moderna is filing the lawsuits against Pfizer and BioNTech in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts and the Regional Court of Düsseldorf in Germany.
A Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement the company has not yet fully reviewed the complaint but it is "confident in our intellectual property supporting the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and will vigorously defend against the allegations of the lawsuit."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/moderna-sues-pfizer-over-covid-19-vaccine-patents | 2022-08-26T15:49:27Z |
A federal court in Fort Worth on Thursday struck down a Texas prohibition that limited adults under 21 from carrying handguns.
Texas law bars most 18- to 20-year-olds in the state from obtaining a license to carry a handgun or carrying a handgun for self-defense outside their homes. Two plaintiffs, who fall within that age range, and the Firearms Policy Coalition Inc., filed a lawsuit against the state to challenge the statute. The suit says the Texas law prevented the plaintiffs from traveling with a handgun between Parker, Fannin and Grayson counties, where they lived, worked and went to school.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman wrote that the Second Amendment does not specify an age limit and protects adults under 21 years old.
“Based on the Second Amendment’s text, as informed by Founding-Era history and tradition, the Court concludes that the Second Amendment protects against this prohibition,” Pittman wrote in the ruling.
The order will not go into immediate effect. Pittman stayed the ruling for 30 days pending appeal.
The decision comes just three months after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in the deadliest school shooting in Texas.
The Firearms Policy Coalition filed the lawsuit in November 2021. It came months after a legislative session in which lawmakers passed a law that allows Texans to carry handguns without a license or training, despite previous promises from Republican leaders to address gun safety following the 2019 El Paso and Midland-Odessa mass shootings.
In the last 13 years, as firearms have become more accessible in the state, Texas has had eight mass shootings.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday’s ruling. | https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2022-08-26/federal-judge-says-texas-cant-ban-18-to-20-year-olds-from-carrying-handguns | 2022-08-26T16:04:57Z |
Biden calls abortion restrictions ‘beyond the pale’
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republican-led states continue to ban nearly all abortions, President Joe Biden said Friday that such restrictions were “beyond the pale.”
Biden and Democrats are trying to harness outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide, in this year’s midterm elections.
“You’re going to hear women roar on this issue, and it’s going to be consequential,” he said.
Biden made the comments at a White House meeting of state and local officials to talk about ways to expand access to abortion and to mark Women’s Equality Day.
Biden reiterated his desire for Congress to codify Roe v. Wade into law, but “we’re short a handful of votes,” he said.
Democrats would need 10 Republican votes to overcome a filibuster and get a bill through the 50-50 Senate, but only two GOP senators have publicly backed abortion rights. And even though they narrowly control the Senate, Democrats don’t have enough votes to sidestep the filibuster.
“The only way it’s going to happen if the American people make it happen in November,” Biden said.
In the meantime, Biden has been looking for ways to protect abortion access. But his options are limited.
Idaho, Tennessee and Texas are the latest Republican-led states to tighten their restrictions. They’ve been implementing so-called “trigger laws” that were put on the books to severely limit abortions if Roe was overturned, which happened in June.
Lina Hidalgo, the county judge from Harris County, Texas, called her state’s law a “slap in the face.”
“I think you speak for the majority of the American people,” Biden responded.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/biden-calls-abortion-restrictions-beyond-pale/ | 2022-08-26T16:55:01Z |
Heart transplant gives West Virginia girl second chance at life
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WHSV) - It’s hard to tell from all her energy and smiles, but earlier this month 3-year-old Charlee Hoover had a heart transplant. Her mother, Danielle said she had a healthy pregnancy up until the day she was born.
“As time went on they kept saying something is wrong something is not right. They called the pediatrician, and she had come up right away. She did her assessment, and she came in and talked to me and said we are going to have to life flight Charlee to WVU, there is something wrong with her heart,” Hoover explained.
“Her disease is called tricuspid atresia,” Dr. Thomas L’Ecuyer explained. Dr. L’Ecuyer is the medical director of the UVA Pediatric Heart Transplant Program.
“She ended up being a variant of what we call a single ventricle. Essentially, she was born with half a heart,” Dr. Alex Verhoeven with WVU Medicine Children’s. Dr. Verhoeven has worked with Charlee since the day she was born.
Usually, the treatment for this kind of defect would involve palliation.
“We are sort of rerouting the plumbing and taking things so that it goes from being two separate systems and making it into one big system,” Dr. Verhoeven explained.
“But, she developed heart failure and elevation of her pulmonary artery pressures that would not allow her to complete palliation,” Dr. L’Ecuyer added.
Charlee had spent most of her life in and out of the hospital, went through several surgeries and was in need of a heart transplant.
“I think eventually her condition would have claimed her life. It may have been in years, but her condition was not compatible with expecting her to be healthy enough to go to school and play with other kids and have a bright future,” Dr. L’Ecuyer explained.
The family was connected with cardiologists at UVA since WVU does not yet perform heart transplants.
Her mother said she was listed for the organ on July 15 and started receiving offers a week later. By August 2, she was back at the hospital for vascular scans.
“Eight days later, at 1:42 in the morning, we got the phone call from Dr. White that Charlee had an offer. It was a really good offer and we needed to get to UVA. I’m like we are already there,” she said.
Dr. L’Ecuyer says her operation took about 8 hours.
“You have to connect all the blood vessels that come off the heart and make sure they connect to the ones in her body. Make sure you don’t have an obstruction or narrowing to any of your connections that you make and then it is a matter of making sure the heart works well when you come off the heart-lung machine,” Dr. L’Ecuyer explained. “Her procedure was really quite standard and went along quite smoothly.”
”First thing we noticed was how pink her toes and fingers were that was the first thing we noticed. Charlee always had a blue tint to her. Her toes were always blue, fingers were always blue, lips were always blue, that was just a part of her heart condition,” Danielle said. “She can do whatever she wants to, she done been through three open heart surgeries. Once she sets her mind to something, she is going to do it, whatever she wants to do. I want her to do whatever makes her happy and she is full of sass and full of spunk, so I know she will make it.”
You can follow along with Charlee’s journey on Facebook at Charlee’s Heart Story.
On October 1, there will be a benefit dinner, silent auction and raffle at Pendleton County High School. The money raised will support Charlee’s medical expenses.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/heart-transplant-gives-west-virginia-girl-second-chance-life/ | 2022-08-26T16:55:07Z |
Several generations of a Staunton family come together for first family reunion since 2005
STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - “Honey, you are missing something. If you have not met my family, honey, you have missed a good one,” Jane Smith said. At 104, Jane is the oldest living member of the Smith-Bryant family.
If you start with Henry Lewis Smith and Queenie Marie Carr Bryant, the Smith-Bryant family has raised generations in Staunton and surrounding areas dating back to beyond the 1800s.
For the first time in 17 years, as many of the family members plan to meet in the city where, for many, it all began.
“Whenever there is an opportunity, through weddings and more often than not through funerals, we gather. Parts of us, not all of us, but that has been the key to our connection,” Horace Smith said.
Years ago, Horace worked his first full-time job at the same hotel where the family will reunite.
“I couldn’t eat at the restaurant, but of course, I could work there. It really gave me a very nice understanding of the privileged and the have-nots,” Horace said.
Now called Hotel 24 South, the same hotel will host members of the Smith-Bryant family coming from all over the country.
From generation to generation this family has not been shy about breaking barriers.
“Our family was the first to integrate schools in Staunton,” Germaine Bryant said.
They say education is in their DNA.
“I had to also hear things like, ‘oh, you may not be college material. You may not get into X school because my brother applied and he didn’t get there.’ I can actually look at my guidance counselor and say I don’t know why you would say such a thing, but I’m going. I will send you a card when I get there, and I will send you one when I finish there. That is exactly what I did,” Vickie explained.
“We have had some folks, we got one on this line that is a doctor, Ph.D. I’ve got several advanced degrees so does Vickie. We have gone to the limit because we know that we can, and we had a good foundation to help us get there,” Janis Smith Wilson said.
That foundation emphasizes that family is who you can count on.
“Family is everything. Stick by them protect them, no matter what,” Taron Bryant said.
Jane Smith is an aunt to some, and a great aunt to others.
“Long as I am living I’m still mama,” Jane said.
Though she cannot be there in person, she reminds her family to rely on their faith.
“You have to get it for yourself. Can’t nobody serve God for you. You have to get it for yourself. He will lead you, he will guide you all the way. That’s why I trust him,” Jane said.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/several-generations-staunton-family-come-together-first-family-reunion-since-2005/ | 2022-08-26T16:55:13Z |
USDA scattering rabies vaccines for wildlife in 13 states
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun scattering millions of packets of oral rabies vaccine from helicopters and planes over 13 states from Maine to Alabama.
The major aim is to keep raccoons from spreading their strain of the deadly virus to states where it hasn’t been found or isn’t widespread, said field trial coordinator Jordona Kirby.
The USDA is also continuing tests of a vaccine approved in Canada to immunize skunks as well as raccoons, said Kirby of Wildlife Services, which is part of the agriculture department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Rabies is spread through an infected animal’s saliva, usually through bites. However, saliva that gets into the eyes, nose or mouth can also infect someone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thirteen people in South Carolina were considered potentially exposed in March because they had bottle-fed or given medicine to a sick calf that turned out to have rabies, said Dr. Michael Neault, the state veterinarian.
Globally, the virus kills 60,000 people a year, most bitten by dogs, the World Health Organization states.
That’s about the same number that get shots to prevent rabies in the U.S. after being bitten or scratched by an infected or possibly infected animal, according to the CDC.
State and local pet vaccination laws mean the virus is mostly spread by wildlife in the U.S.
The national rabies control program started in 1997 in Texas, where coyotes were spreading the canine variant of the virus, Kirby said.
She said vaccine drops eliminated that variant in 2004. Three years later, the CDC declared the nation free of canine rabies.
That doesn’t mean unvaccinated pets are safe. Canine rabies is among more than 20 variants — seven found in terrestrial mammals and more than 13 in species of bats, said rabies control program coordinator Richard Chipman.
A bite from an animal infected with any variant can make any other mammal sick. Scratches occasionally do so, since animals lick their paws.
A three-year program in Arizona and New Mexico eliminated a bat rabies strain in foxes, Kirby said. And Texas, with help from USDA, dropped 1.1 million baits along the Mexican border in January to keep coyotes from bringing the canine variant back.
Raccoons are the main rabies reservoir in 18 states along and near the East Coast and skunks in 21 others, according to data from 2020, the latest year available.
Bats made up 31% of the nearly 4,500 animals found with rabies in 2020. But since nearly all of the 40-plus bat species found in the U.S. eat insects and the rest drink nectar or eat fruit, oral vaccines would be much trickier.
Some scientists have speculated that bats could be vaccinated during hibernation, perhaps with a fine mist or with a gel that could be transferred from bat to bat, Chipman said. Early research is testing the idea in vampire bats, which live in Mexico and Central and South America and might spread such a vaccine within a colony by grooming each other.
Rabid wildlife isn’t just a rural problem. A rabid fox on Capitol Hill was caught less than 24 hours after the first report in April. By then, about a half-dozen people had reported bites or nips to U.S. Capitol Police, but others may have gone to other agencies, a Capitol Police spokesperson said by email.
Raccoon rabies campaigns started in August in parts of northern Maine, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. The 348,000 Raboral V-RG baits in Maine and 535,000 in the three other states are being dropped from planes in rural areas and from vehicles in urban and suburban areas.
In all, about 3.75 million packets — coated with a fishmeal attractant or encased in 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) fish meal cubes — will be distributed in nine states, ending when 1.1 million are dropped in Alabama in October.
The vaccine has been found safe for more than 60 kinds of animals including domestic dogs and cats. Eating a large number of vaccine packets might give dogs an upset stomach but wouldn’t cause any permanent problem, APHIS says.
About 3.5 million doses of the experimental vaccine Onrab are being distributed in parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Tennessee — which also are getting the approved vaccine — plus four other states.
Onrab comes in blister packs with green, marshmallow-flavored coating. Wildlife Services hopes it may be approved next year in spite of lingering pandemic-related delays.
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/usda-scattering-rabies-vaccines-wildlife-13-states/ | 2022-08-26T16:55:19Z |
“We can’t currently meet the demand,” says auto industry rep. of new EV tax credits
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The Biden administration wants half of all cars on the road to be electric by 2030.
The price for an average new electric vehicle is $66,000 dollars according the Kelley Blue Book. One goal of the new Inflation Reduction Act is to make electric cars more affordable, thanks to tax credits.
The new car credit will offset up to $7,500 of a new electric vehicle’s cost.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the credit is meant to help middle income families make the jump to electric.
Buttigieg said, “if you make millions, you won’t be eligible for this tax credit. Again, i think you’re going to be just fine.”
Some vehicles are eligible for the credit now, but that might change starting January 1st, 2023. The Inflation Reduction Act will add new regulations on sourcing and assembling batteries for electric cars, which the auto industry says will be a big problem.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation is an industry group which represents most of the largest American and foreign car companies.
The group’s president, John Bozzella, wrote in an August blog post, “The $7500 credit might exist on paper, but no vehicles will qualify for this purchase incentive over the next few years.”
The group unsuccessfully urged Congress to phase-in the battery component requirements gradually.
Bozella also wrote, “While we work to unlock supplies of critical minerals and ramp up battery production at home, we can’t currently meet the demand for these materials on our own. That’s the reality.”
Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who worked on the new law’s legislative framework with Democratic leaders, defended the requirements. After the bill’s signing by President Joe Biden, Manchin said his bigger goal with the legislation was to building the American supply chain.
“I’m not I’m not a fan of the credits, okay. I’m a fan of basically building a supply chain here,” Manchin said. “We went into basically making sure that used cars, used EVs would get $4000. So that was the thing we compromised on.”
Niskanen Center climate policy expert, Kristin Eberhard, say the smaller $4,000 credit for used electric vehicles may be leaned on more until the auto industry catches up with the new car requirements.
Eberhard said, “So it could be that there’s more activity in the used EV market starting next year as people realize they can’t get the one that they want for the, you know, with the new subsidy.”
Resources:
List of qualifying electric vehicles
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/we-cant-currently-meet-demand-says-auto-industry-rep-new-ev-tax-credits/ | 2022-08-26T16:55:26Z |
Today/tomorrow Aug 26, 2022 3 hrs ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Today in Wyoming history: In 1980, Guernsey State Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places.Tomorrow in Wyoming history: In 1883, President Chester Arthur, America's 21st president, began a tour of Yellowstone National Park.(Thanks On This Day and Wyoming Historical Society) Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Tags Wyoming Chester Arthur Yellowstone National Park Tourism Park Tour President Guernsey Recommended for you Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Trending Now Laramie County DA declines to charge woman arrested in stabbing death First Wyoming case of monkeypox identified in Laramie County Police blotter 8-20-22 WDE social media hacked, shares school choice survey Hageman beats Cheney, will face Grey Bull in November Latest Special Section Cheyenne Frontier Days To view our latest Special Section click the image on the left. Latest e-Edition Wyoming Tribune Eagle To view our latest e-Edition click the image on the left. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/today-tomorrow/article_0620c558-253e-11ed-b8e2-abddbb718be6.html | 2022-08-26T17:00:49Z |
City Park Announces Transition to a Nonprofit Operator Model
NEW ORLEANS – A year and half after New Orleans City Park CEO Cara Lambright began her tenure, the 170-year-old park has announced big changes to the way it will be managed and operated.
The City Park Improvement Association announced this week that it voted to approve a long-term agreement with the newly formed nonprofit, called the City Park Conservancy, that will “follow a governance model used nationwide to streamline management, operations, programming, membership and fundraising for the betterment of City Park,” according to a press release.
The association said the creation of City Park Conservancy follows a model used successfully by Central Park in New York City, Millennial Park in Chicago and Boston Commons, among others.
“This is an exciting next step in the park’s journey and critical to improving the park and its forthcoming new master plan, which will be grounded in public input and focused on serving the greater good,” said Lambright. “We are thrilled to put the park on par with the best in the world with this streamlined structure and proven model for resourcing greenspaces, programming and the community.”
The plan is for City Park Conservancy to operate according to a cooperative endeavor agreement with the Improvement Association to operate and manage the park. Officials said the agreement ensures transparency and accountability via a publicly informed master plan, a strategic plan and an annual operating budget.
“The City Park Improvement Association and its commissioners have made huge strides over the years in creating a world-class park, and this transition has been a long-contemplated improvement to better serve park users and the community,” said David Waller, CPIA chairman. “We are delighted that the Conservancy will help us improve our care for this park and the people it serves.”
Park officials said the process of formulating the cooperative endeavor agreement involved the participation of four different law firms and an auditing firm. The governance and oversight role of the City Park Improvement Association remains the same.
State lawmakers approved the idea of contracting management and operations of the park to a nonprofit in 1989. Officials said the recent impacts of the pandemic and Hurricane Ida “highlighted the pressures on the Park’s financial resources and the need for diversified funding sources.” In addition, Lambright has experience in fundraising and the conservancy model and believed it “was time to move to this nationally recognized best practice model of park management.” In her previous role as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Memorial Park Conservancy in Houston, Lambright is credited with quadrupling the park’s annual operating budget, and raising over $200 million for capital improvements.
Officials said the upcoming master plan for City Park, expected to begin in 2023, will be “rooted in addressing community needs, deepening its historical and cultural context, improving environmental resiliency and infrastructure, and creating a dynamic and enduring sense of place for the region.”
Friends of City Park, a nonprofit organization that has supported the Park since 1979, has approved an agreement to merge with City Park Conservancy. This move will consolidate fundraising, membership and programming. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/city-park-announces-transition-to-a-nonprofit-operator-model/ | 2022-08-26T17:12:51Z |
Inflation Eases as Consumer Prices Rise 6.3% in July
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation eased last month as energy prices tumbled, raising hopes that the surging costs of everything from gasoline to food may have peaked.
According to a Commerce Department report Friday that is closely watched by the Federal Reserve, consumer prices rose 6.3% in July from a year earlier after posting an annual increase of 6.8% in June, the biggest jump since 1982. Energy prices made the difference in July: They dropped last month after surging in June.
So-called core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 4.6% last month from a year earlier after rising 4.8% in June. The drop — along with a reduction in the Labor Department’s consumer price index last month — suggests that inflationary pressures may be easing.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices actually fell 0.1% from June to July; core inflation blipped up 0.1%, the Commerce Department reported.
Inflation started rising sharply in the spring of 2021 as the economy rebounded with surprising speed from the short but devastating coronavirus recession a year earlier. Surging customer orders overwhelmed factories, ports and freight yards, leading to delays, shortages and higher prices. Inflation is a worldwide problem, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine drove up global food and energy prices.
On Friday, regulators in the U.K. said that residents will see an 80% increase in their annual household energy bills.
In the United States, the Commerce Department’s personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index is less well known than the Labor Department’s consumer price index (CPI).
But the Fed prefers the PCE index as a gauge of inflationary pressures, partly because the Commerce index attempts to measure how consumers adjust to rising prices by, for example, substituting cheaper store brands for pricier name brands.
There are evidence just in the last several months that that is happening.
CPI has been showing higher inflation than PCE; Last month, for instance, CPI was running at an 8.5% annual pace after hitting a four-decade high 9.1% in June. One reason: The Labor Department’s index gives more weight to rents, which have soared this year.
The Commerce Department also reported Friday that Americans’ after-tax personal income rose 0.3% from June to July after adjusting for inflation; it has fallen in June. Consumer spending rose 0.2% last month after accounting for higher prices.
The Fed was slow to respond to rising inflation, thinking it the temporary result of supply chain bottlenecks. But as prices continued to climb, the U.S. central bank moved aggressively, hiking its benchmark interest rate four times since March.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell was scheduled to give a speech Friday at an economic conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he was expected to shed light on the Fed’s plans for future interest rate hikes.
“Admittedly, with headline PCE inflation still at 6.3% and core PCE inflation at 4.6%, we don’t expect the Fed suddenly to announce a pivot at Jackson Hole,” Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist at Capital Economics, said in a research note. “But even better news on inflation over the coming months is likely to convince the Fed to change course next year, despite any hawkish rhetoric coming from officials now.”
Price pressures may be easing as the U.S. economy slows. Gross domestic product — broadest measure of economic output — shrank in the first half of 2020 as borrowing costs increased. The housing market has been hit especially hard. And supply chain backlogs have started to unsnarl.
Nick Zawitz, who runs Tangle Creations, a South San Francisco company that makes Fidget Toys among others, said that shipping costs have plunged and raw materials prices have dropped slightly. Meanwhile, the company’s sales are up 45% over the past year. “Things are chugging along,’’ Zawitz said.
By Paul Wiseman | https://www.bizneworleans.com/inflation-eases-as-consumer-prices-rise-6-3-in-july/ | 2022-08-26T17:12:58Z |
John R. Guenard Joins Flanagan Partners
NEW ORLEANS — Flanagan Partners has announced that John R. Guenard has joined the firm’s litigation and appellate teams.
Guenard, in the firm’s New Orleans office, has experience in a variety of fields, including commercial disputes, civil and criminal appeals, and government investigations. He is a 2009 graduate of Tulane Law School, where he graduated first in his class and served as editor in chief of the Tulane Law Review. After law school, he clerked for the Hon. Edith Brown Clement on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and practiced law in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. He is licensed to practice law in Louisiana, the District of Columbia and Illinois.
Guenard is a U.S. Army veteran, having served as both an infantry officer and judge advocate. He continues to serve as a judge advocate in the Louisiana Army National Guard, holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Flanagan Partners LLP is a business-oriented law firm located in New Orleans and Denver. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/john-r-guenard-joins-flanagan-partners/ | 2022-08-26T17:13:04Z |
Louisiana Medicaid Implementing New Payment Model for Hospitals
BATON ROUGE — From the Louisiana Department of Health:
Louisiana Medicaid has received approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement a new payment model for hospitals that is based on Medicaid use.
The new payment model increases hospital supplemental payments and prioritizes maintaining adequate funding for safety-net hospitals across Louisiana, without requiring additional state general funds. Additionally, the model creates more uniform guidelines and stability for hospital payments.
Developing a standardized funding formula for hospitals is one of the 17 initiatives included in the FY22 Business Plan.
“We are excited to begin implementing this new payment model that is sustainable and equitable for hospital providers,” said LDH Undersecretary Ruth Johnson. “This new model, called a state directed payment model, changes the way we reimburse hospitals for care provided to Medicaid patients to align with guidance issued by CMS. The new model is a critical part of our Business Plan and was a top LDH priority during the Spring 2022 Regular Legislative Session.”
“This change demanded careful, attentive work and strong partnerships,” said Johnson. “We are thankful for the support of Gov. Edwards, the advocacy of the Louisiana Hospital Association, input from our legislative partners and the painstaking work of our LDH team members that made this new model possible.”
LDH through its Medicaid program has been working closely with CMS, hospital providers, the LHA, legislators, and other stakeholders to design this new payment model.
“This was important to legislators which is why we passed House Concurrent Resolution 8 of the 2022 Legislative Session,” said State Rep. Clay Schexnayder. “We are grateful for the thoughtful and transparent process LDH used in the development of this new hospital payment model, which focuses on effectively and appropriately funding our vital network of hospitals.”
“Hospitals are critical to our comprehensive medical care, to respond to health crises, and so much more,” said State Sen. Page Cortez. “This new payment model supports hospitals to ensure that they continue to be available in our communities for access by all of our states’ residents.”
“The LHA sincerely appreciates the hard work performed by LDH and Milliman throughout this process as well as their transparency and engagement with LHA and its member hospitals,” said LHA President and CEO Paul A. Salles. “We also want to thank the Louisiana Legislature for voting to implement this directed payment model when unanimously passing HCR 8 by House Speaker Clay Shexnayder (R-Gonzales). This new program requires no additional state general funds and places Louisiana in stronger compliance with federal guidelines, while making it easier for Louisiana hospitals to continue caring for their communities.”
The increased payments will be based upon Medicaid inpatient and outpatient hospital, long-term care, free-standing rehabilitation and free-standing psychiatric hospital services across the state.
The new payment model became effective July 1. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/louisiana-medicaid-implementing-new-payment-model-for-hospitals/ | 2022-08-26T17:13:10Z |
New Orleans, Boston Musicians Collaborate to Improve Business Skills
NEW ORLEANS — From the Ella Project:
The Ella Project, the New Orleans Jazz Museum and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston have announced a new partnership to develop the music business skills and opportunities for musicians in New Orleans and Boston. Supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ella Project is expanding its multi-week Crescendo program to audiences in both cities via Zoom, bringing in presenters from both communities and building in networking and idea sharing opportunities.
Crescendo is an eight-week music business intensive designed by the Ella Project and hosted by the New Orleans Jazz Museum. The first session kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27 on the third floor of the Museum at 400 Esplanade Ave. The program is designed for the independent working musician and focuses on intellectual property, publishing and royalties, touring, releasing records, publicity, accounting, and legacy building. There is no charge for musicians to attend, and it is not required to attend all eight sessions, but registration is required via the Ella Project’s website, EllaNola.org While New Orleans artists will join in person at the Jazz Museum, sessions will be also streamed to a live audience of musicians in Boston. The Oct. 11 session will be presented live from Boston and streamed back to participants in the audience in New Orleans. The program is led by musician and music business professional Lou Hill and attorney Bri Whetstone. They will be joined by local guest speakers, as well as Jim Grace, executive director of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, and Luke Blackadar, the Council’s deputy director.
“The business side of a music practice can be complex and ever changing,” said Grace. “We appreciate the Ella Project’s work and leadership in this area and for sharing this wonderful program with our local community. We’re very excited to work with them and get to know the musicians of New Orleans!”.
A full schedule, registration information, and bios of lead presenters Lou Hill and Bri Whetstone, can be found at https://ellanola.org/crescendo2022. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/new-orleans-boston-musicians-collaborate-to-improve-business-skills/ | 2022-08-26T17:13:16Z |
Operation Restoration Announces New Life Coach Lead
NEW ORLEANS — Kristy Laschober, an advocate for recovery and prison reform since her own release in 2017, is the new life coach lead for Operation Restoration. The New Orleans-based nonprofit supports women and girls impacted by incarceration to help them recognize their full potential, restore their lives and discover new possibilities.
Laschober oversees the team of life coaches and manages a caseload of clients, helping them to navigate opportunities for second chances. She also brings skills as a federal reentry court advocate to the organization.
“I am passionate about bridging communities and cultures so that people have opportunities to recognize their ultimate potential,” said Laschober.
Collaborating with legislators, higher education coalitions and other key partners, Laschober successfully campaigned in 2020 to remove the criminal history box on college applications in Oregon. The Ban the Box initiative started in Louisiana with Operation Restoration Founder and Executive Director Syrita Steib leading the effort to end the practice of requiring persons to disclose their criminal background for purposes of college admission.
Laschober graduated summa cum laude in 2020 from Southern Oregon University with a Bachelor of Science in innovation and leadership. She founded the Freedom Exchange Project to connect with men and women impacted by the criminal legal system. She is certified in community storytelling, a certified peer support specialist and a member of the Faces of Women Speakers Bureau for Ladies of Hope Ministries. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/operation-restoration-announces-new-life-coach-lead/ | 2022-08-26T17:13:22Z |
Stuart Hall Welcomes Gelé and Burns
NEW ORLEANS — Stuart Hall School for Boys has welcomed Monica Sanusi Gelé as director of development. Gelé, who joins Stuart Hall from Ascension DePaul Foundation New Orleans, the fundraising entity for DePaul Community Health Centers, has more than 25 years of fundraising experience. Previously, she served as development director at both the Academy of the Sacred Heart and Holy Cross School. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., and is a certified fundraising executive. She will work closely with donors to provide opportunities to partner with Stuart Hall School for Boys and to invest in the mission of the school.
The board of trustees of the Stuart Hall School for Boys has named Timothy M. Burns, PhD., interim head of school for the 2022-2023 school year.
Burns has wide-ranging experience heading independent schools, including serving as the headmaster of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans from 2003 through 2014. He has served as head of three schools and served as interim head of eleven other schools. Burns holds a BA in English from John Carroll University and a MA in English literature from Georgetown University. He earned his doctorate at The Ohio State University in educational administration and early and middle childhood education.
Burns began lending his expertise to a number of schools in transition more than 30 years ago, serving as interim or transition head of independent schools in New York, Illinois, Ohio, California, Missouri, Delaware and Washington. | https://www.bizneworleans.com/stuart-hall-welcomes-gele-and-burns/ | 2022-08-26T17:13:28Z |
Classes are starting up in K-12 schools across the country before many districts have managed to fill significant teacher shortages. In Des Moines, Iowa, the state’s largest school district is offering a big incentive: Experienced teachers who put off retirement for one more year can make an extra $50,000 or more.
Grant Gerlock of Iowa Public Radio reports.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-25/iowa-offers-big-incentive-for-teachers-to-push-off-retirement | 2022-08-26T17:21:13Z |
The latest Broadway incarnation of “To Kill A Mockingbird“ is touring the country’s theaters right now, and the cast includes a familiar face from the old black and white movie.
Mary Badham was 10 years old when her performance as Scout earned her an Oscar nomination. Now, six decades later, she’s touring the country’s stages in the Broadway version.
NPR’s Neda Ulaby reports.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/a-familiar-face-from-the-1962-to-kill-a-mockingbird-movie-appears-in-the-shows-broadway-run | 2022-08-26T17:21:20Z |
The American Library Association says attempts to ban books are on the rise across the nation, almost doubling in the past year. Most books targeted are about gender, identity and race.
Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks to Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/attempts-to-ban-books-are-on-the-rise-across-the-country | 2022-08-26T17:21:26Z |
Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board, about the state’s plan to phase out new sales of gasoline-powered cars by 2035.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/california-air-resources-board-outlines-environmental-impact-of-states-ban-on-gas-powered-vehicles | 2022-08-26T17:21:33Z |
In Lagos, Nigeria's suburb of Yaba on the morning of June 1, motorcycle taxi driver Obaji Samson wasn't sure if he should go to work or not. Still clad in his pajamas, he listened to an announcement on the radio that summed up his dilemma: The government of the Nigerian state that includes Lagos was instituting a ban on motorcycle taxis — known as bike taxis or okadas — in six of the most economically vibrant districts at the heart of the bustling commercial city.
Should he drive anyway and risk getting arrested – or stay at home (and earn nothing).
It's not the first time Nigeria has cracked down on motorcycle taxis, which carry commuters who are in a hurry, weave in and out of traffic jams and head down roads that buses don't travel on. No one wears a helmet.
The reason for the bans is always the same: the government states that criminals like to team up on bikes, reach into cars and grab things like a wallet or phone from motorists stuck in traffic, then use their vehicle for a speedy getaway. The thieves also target pedestrians.
Traffic accidents are another concern. Of the 1,712 accidents recorded in Lagos the first quarter of this year, 767, or 45%, were caused by motorcycle taxis, Gbenga Omotosho, the state commissioner for information and strategy, said in a statement.
So the official solution is to ban the bikes from certain parts of the city.
The government claims that such bans are effective. Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos state police public relations officer, told NPR that "since the ban has been announced, the incidence of traffic robbery has reduced drastically."
Similar claims have been made about accident reduction.
But not everyone agrees with the government strategy. "There is some anecdotal representation that some bike taxis are used in criminal activities but they do not represent the majority of criminal operations in Lagos," says Ikemesit Effiong, the head of research at Lagos-based security consulting firm SBM Intelligence.
Two things are certain: the ban makes life difficult for commuters – and for drivers.
On June 3, the government reported that about 2,000 seized motorcycles were crushed by state officials, and 21 motorcycle drivers were arrested and charged with violating the ban. No news yet about their sentencing.
Samson says one of his colleagues was arrested in addition to having his motorcycle taken away. "If I had decided to go out that day, maybe my bike would have been seized too," he told NPR as he chewed on roasted corn by the roadside.
The only safe option is for Samson and his fellow out-of-luck motorcycle taxi drivers to work in districts not included in the banned areas. But there just aren't as many potential commuting customers in those areas where the bikes are still allowed – so few that Samson jokes that motorcycle taxi drivers outnumber them.
Samson, who used to make up to $24 per day but now, now says he brings home less than $5 after the day's work in these less trafficked districts. "It has become hard for me to feed my children," he says.
He's eaten deeply into his savings and his family of ten is starting to miss meals. The rent of the two rooms in a large bungalow his family lives in is soon due. To make rent, he has started applying for jobs to work as a delivery man or driver. The stress is taking a toll on his marriage. "Every day it is fight after fight because of money."
And things are only looking worse for the drivers. On August 18, local government announced plans to expand the ban to cover four additional districts, starting September 1.
Drivers are also up in arms about enforcement. Some allege that the police have accosted drivers for no reason.
Hamza Bashir, who migrated from the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna to Lagos last year to earn money to support his wife and elderly mother, says that on July 17, he was riding his motorcycle on a street in Bariga, a district where the bikes are still allowed until September 1, when a police officer emerged from hiding and slapped him hard across the face, causing him to fall and injure his shins.
"The first thing I did was to run away" to avoid further beating, says Bashir, who says his abandoned motorcycle was confiscated. At the police station, Bashir says he was told to pay the equivalent of about $170 "or else I would never get back my bike."
Hundeyin, the Lagos state police spokesperson, disputes claims like this. "For those who make genuine complaints, officers are usually summoned to the headquarters where they are made to face disciplinary actions. We do that regularly," he says.
As for Samson, he says his future as a motorbike taxi driver looks bleak. "It is my way to feed my family," he says. "I want the government to reconsider."
Pelumi Salako is a Nigerian writer and journalist who covers culture, inclusive economies, development, business and technology. He has written for Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Thomson Reuters Foundation, African Business Magazine, Mail & Guardian and other outlets. He is on twitter @SalakoBabaa
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/its-definitely-not-a-good-year-to-be-a-motorcycle-taxi-driver-in-nigeria | 2022-08-26T17:21:39Z |
Updated August 26, 2022 at 12:55 PM ET
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell pledged that he and his colleagues will keep raising interest rates until they're confident that inflation is under control.
In short and direct remarks Friday at an economic conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Powell acknowledged that higher borrowing costs will likely cause some short-term pain for families and businesses.
Unemployment may be higher and the economy may grow more slowly. But Powell warned the alternative — allowing high inflation to continue unchecked — would be worse.
"Without price stability, the economy does not work for anyone," he said.
After keeping interest rates near zero through much of the pandemic, the Federal Reserve has raised rates by 2.25 percentage points since March. Additional rate hikes are expected, including at the next Fed meeting in September.
"We are taking forceful and rapid steps to moderate demand so that it comes into better alignment with supply, and to keep inflation expectations anchored," Powell said. "We will keep at it until we are confident the job is done."
The prospect of sustained higher interest rates weighed on the stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 600 points by midday, following Powell's remarks.
Inflation may be easing but Powell is not yet assured
Earlier Friday, the Commerce Department offered a signal that inflation may be easing.
The department's index of personal consumption prices — which is closely watched by the Fed — fell 0.1% between June and July, largely as a result of falling gasoline prices.
Excluding food and energy costs, so-called "core" inflation was 4.6% for the 12 months ending in July — the smallest increase in nine months.
"While the lower inflation readings for July are welcome, a single month's improvement falls far short of what [Fed policymakers] will need to see before we are confident that inflation is moving down," Powell said.
The annual gathering of central bankers and other economic bigwigs in Jackson Hole dates to 1982, when then-Fed Chairman Paul Volcker was invited to speak at a conference run by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
Organizers knew Volcker was an avid fly-fisherman, so they chose a prime fishing spot at the foot of the Teton mountain range.
Powell noted in his remarks that when Volcker took control at the Fed, the U.S. had already endured more than a decade of failed, often halting efforts to control inflation.
By that time, Americans had grown so accustomed to soaring prices, it took a lengthy period of high interest rates — and a severe recession — for Volcker to turn things around.
"History shows that the employment costs of bringing down inflation are likely to increase with delay," Powell said. "Our aim is to avoid that outcome by acting with resolve now."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/jerome-powell-says-fed-is-resolved-to-fight-inflation-even-if-it-brings-economic-pain | 2022-08-26T17:21:45Z |
Updated August 26, 2022 at 1:05 PM ET
The affidavit that the FBI used in to get a warrant for searching former President Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago is now public. A redacted version of the document was released by a federal court this afternoon.
The country's main court filing system known as PACER was unable to handle the downloading demand and pushed the release until after the court-mandated deadline of noon.
Of the 38 pages in the affidavit, nearly half were covered in thick black lines masking information that demonstrated to a federal judge the need to search Trump's Florida property.
"Probable cause exists to believe that evidence, contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed" was being improperly stored in various places at Mar-a-Lago, the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, classified documents related to national defense were found among 15 boxes that the National Archives had obtained from Mar-a-Lago earlier in the year. Some of those documents were intermixed with other files, loose and unlabeled, which prompted the archives to refer the case to the Justice Department. As the department worked with Trump and his attorneys it became concerned about the nature of other records at the property, and that they were no adequately protected or stored.
Since the search was executed on Aug. 8, threats of violence toward the FBI have increased. Anticipating the potential for violence from Trump supporters, the agent in the affidavit asked for it to be sealed.
"I believe that sealing this document is necessary because the items and information to be seized are relevant to an ongoing investigation and the FBI has not yet identified all potential criminal confederates nor located all evidence related to its investigation," the unidentified agent wrote in the affidavit. "Premature disclosure of the contents of this affidavit and related documents may have a significant and negative impact on the continuing investigation and may severely jeopardize its effectiveness by allowing criminal parties an opportunity to flee, destroy evidence (stored electronically and otherwise), change patterns of behavior, and notify criminal confederates."
Media organizations went to court to demand that the public be able see the affidavit laying out the reasons and research for the unprecedented search. The Justice Department then countered that it contains information that could compromise ongoing investigations as well as the safety of federal employees.
Judge Bruce Reinhart last week ordered the department to provide him with a redacted version to consider for release. On Thursday he said the government had made its case that disclosing all of the affidavit would reveal witnesses, the investigation's strategy, its scope and grand jury information and there was reason to keep much of it under wraps for now. But he said that the government's proposed redactions were tailored narrowly enough to protect the integrity of the investigation and provided "the least onerous alternative" to keeping the entire document sealed.
The affidavit also explains the work of a "Privilege Review Team" to identify and segregate documents that may be shielded by attorney-client privilege.
This story will be updated.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/read-the-redacted-affidavit-used-to-get-the-mar-a-lago-search-warrant | 2022-08-26T17:21:52Z |
In Ukraine, a nuclear power plant that lost power twice Thursday still remains in a critically dangerous state. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue to struggle to take back land from the Russians in the country’s south.
NPR’s Frank Langfitt has been on the roads around the conflict zone and tells Here & Now‘s Scott Tong what Ukrainian forces are planning next.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-under-threat-as-new-offensive-plan-begins-in-the-south | 2022-08-26T17:21:58Z |
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Whitehead says his novel was inspired by his love of heist movies. The story centers on a furniture store owner who has a side hustle trafficking in stolen goods. Originally broadcast Sept. 15, 2021.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air
Whitehead says his novel was inspired by his love of heist movies. The story centers on a furniture store owner who has a side hustle trafficking in stolen goods. Originally broadcast Sept. 15, 2021.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-26/colson-whitehead-returns-to-his-home-turf-with-harlem-shuffle | 2022-08-26T17:38:57Z |
I've always felt there's something a bit too self-conscious about movies that are explicitly about the magic of storytelling. Really, the best way to pay tribute to storytelling is to simply tell a good story, not rattle on and on about how timeless stories are. That may explain why I felt both mildly charmed and a little worn out by the new movie Three Thousand Years of Longing.
It's adapted from a short story by the English writer A.S. Byatt, and much of it unfolds in an Istanbul hotel room where Idris Elba, taking a page from Scheherazade and her 1,001 nights, regales Tilda Swinton with one fantastical tale after another. Some of these tales are vivid and involving, but what they add up to is less than the sum of its many shimmering parts.
Even still, the movie has its undeniable pleasures. The Australian director George Miller might be best known for his thrilling Mad Max series, but he's always had a flair for fantasy, as he's shown in marvelously inventive films like Babe: Pig in the City and Happy Feet. In Three Thousand Years of Longing, which he co-wrote with his daughter, Augusta Gore, Miller unveils an outlandish premise with a sly wit that's initially hard to resist.
Tilda Swinton plays Alithea Binney, a modern-day literary scholar who specializes in the study of narratives, the way the same tropes and symbols tend to pop up in stories from different cultures and eras. While attending a conference in Istanbul, Alithea goes shopping in the bazaar and purchases a small glass bottle as a memento.
Later, while she's cleaning the bottle in her hotel room, out in a burst of smoke pops an enormous Djinn, played by Elba. After some amusing awkwardness — how would you react if confronted by a giant otherworldly intruder with hairy blue legs and pointy ears? — the two settle into a long, heady and whimsical conversation. Also, they're both wearing those plush white hotel bathrobes, in the movie's most charming visual.
The Djinn tells Alithea that he was trapped in the bottle roughly three millennia ago by King Solomon. The only way for him to be freed is to grant three wishes to any human who possesses the bottle. You'd think that Alithea would jump at the chance, but being an expert on stories, she knows that wishes have a way of backfiring. And so she refuses to play along.
Alithea has long seemed content with her solitary existence. She was married once but now has no family, and books have provided the only companionship she needs. But as she talks to the Djinn, her long-forgotten desires for love and connection begin to surface. The movie's point seems to be that these desires, or longings, lie at the heart of every great story.
The Djinn knows this firsthand: He tells Alithea about all the women he's fallen for over the centuries, starting with his first great love, the Queen of Sheba. More recently, his bottle fell into the hands of a brilliant 19th-century woman who used her wishes not to acquire power or riches, but rather to gain more knowledge about the world. Their love burned bright for a spell but ended, like the others, in tragedy. This is why the Djinn has never been able to break free; his love for the humans who command him proves his undoing.
Miller dramatizes those stories in vibrant flashbacks decorated with all manner of ornate visual effects; sometimes the results can be garish, but sometimes they're genuinely entrancing. At their best, the Djinn's stories achieve the quality of a great page-turner. But the movie becomes less effective as it raises the possibility of romance between Alithea and the Djinn. Swinton and Elba are both superb and have a sweet, touching chemistry, but they never forge the kind of bond that feels passionate enough to transcend time and space.
The movie tosses off some fascinating ideas in the closing stretch, including the way a Djinn might feel redundant in a world where technology has become its own modern-day magic. But Three Thousand Years of Longing ends on a muted, uncertain note. It left me faintly curious about what might happen next, which is not quite the same thing as wanting more.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-26/three-thousand-years-of-longing-will-leave-you-charmed-and-a-little-worn-out | 2022-08-26T17:39:03Z |
Texas will begin plugging about 800 abandoned oil and gas wells this fall, the state’s oil and gas agency said, after receiving an initial $25 million grant from a program included in President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan.
It’s a fraction of the approximately 7,400 documented abandoned oil and gas wells that need to be plugged in the state — and industry observers believe the figure to be an undercount. Several more millions of dollars are expected to be disbursed to Texas through the newly created federal program.
Abandoned oil and gas wells leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is the second-largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide. The wells, if not properly plugged, also can leak toxic water and chemicals in the surrounding areas. One orphan well, leaking extremely saline groundwater and hydrogen sulfide gas, has created a massive artificial lake in West Texas, known as Lake Boehmer.
Methane lasts in the atmosphere for less time. Cutting methane emissions is one of the most effective short-term tools to reduce the effects of climate change, scientists say.
The projected cost to plug and clean up the pollution from all 7,400 documented wells is approximately $482 million, according to the commission’s notice of intent to apply for federal funding obtained by The Texas Tribune.
But an estimate from the Department of the Interior shows that Texas likely will be eligible for less than that — about $344 million in federal funds.
The bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year by Congress dedicated $4.7 billion to create a new federal orphan oil and gas well remediation and plugging program. Both Republican U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted against the law — as did every Republican House member from Texas.
The first grant of $25 million to Texas is part of an initial award of $560 million in 24 states. There are more than 10,000 high-priority well sites ready for remediation, according to the department’s estimates based on state applications.
In a news release Friday, the commission said the federal dollars would accelerate the state’s existing program to plug and clean up the abandoned oil and gas wells. In the current fiscal year, the state exceeded its goal to plug 1,000 wells in June.
In Texas, the cost to plug and restore a well ranges from $20,000 to $40,000, according to a previous analysis of state data by researchers at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.
The state Legislature in 2011 directed the commission to accelerate well plugging efforts; the agency has a designated fund for that purpose. Texas also requires oil and gas operators with more than 100 wells to post a bond of $250,000 as assurance that they will clean up well sites after they’re shut down.
Texas will start to plug wells with the initial $25 million grant on Sept. 1, according to the commission.
“We will use our established success with workplans, staff expertise and contracting processes to use the grant funding to plug abandoned wells,” Clay Woodul, the commission’s assistant director of the oil and gas division for field operations, said in a statement. | https://www.keranews.org/environment-nature/2022-08-26/texas-will-plug-800-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-funded-by-25-million-federal-infrastructure-grant | 2022-08-26T17:39:09Z |
Beckley Fire Department to offer Community Emergency Response Training
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - The Beckley Fire Department will once again be offering its Community Emergency Response Training (CERT).
CERT is an eight-week course that prepares the public for various emergencies. The course covers topics such as disaster preparation, first-aid, search and rescue and triage. It also teaches students how to communicate with first responders and how to interact with a victim of a disaster.
Lieutenant Chris Graham with the Beckley Fire Department is the community’s CERT instructor. He says the course is extremely valuable for the public but that it also helps to take some pressure off of emergency services.
“It’s good for people to know how to take care of themselves because it kind of helps lightens the load of first responders,” Graham explained. “If people can mitigate small hazards, it keeps them from getting bigger.”
Those interested have until the first week of September to sign up for the free training, which can be done by calling 304-256-1700 or visiting the CERT Facebook page.
Classes begin on September 8 and will be held every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Beckley Fire Station 3 on North Eisenhower Drive. The course will end on October 27.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/beckley-fire-department-offer-community-emergency-response-training/ | 2022-08-26T17:39:56Z |
Biden calls abortion restrictions ‘beyond the pale’
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republican-led states continue to ban nearly all abortions, President Joe Biden said Friday that such restrictions were “beyond the pale.”
Biden and Democrats are trying to harness outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide, in this year’s midterm elections.
“You’re going to hear women roar on this issue, and it’s going to be consequential,” he said.
Biden made the comments at a White House meeting of state and local officials to talk about ways to expand access to abortion and to mark Women’s Equality Day.
Biden reiterated his desire for Congress to codify Roe v. Wade into law, but “we’re short a handful of votes,” he said.
Democrats would need 10 Republican votes to overcome a filibuster and get a bill through the 50-50 Senate, but only two GOP senators have publicly backed abortion rights. And even though they narrowly control the Senate, Democrats don’t have enough votes to sidestep the filibuster.
“The only way it’s going to happen if the American people make it happen in November,” Biden said.
In the meantime, Biden has been looking for ways to protect abortion access. But his options are limited.
Idaho, Tennessee and Texas are the latest Republican-led states to tighten their restrictions. They’ve been implementing so-called “trigger laws” that were put on the books to severely limit abortions if Roe was overturned, which happened in June.
Lina Hidalgo, the county judge from Harris County, Texas, called her state’s law a “slap in the face.”
“I think you speak for the majority of the American people,” Biden responded.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/biden-calls-abortion-restrictions-beyond-pale/ | 2022-08-26T17:39:59Z |
Monkeypox vaccine supply now sufficient, Biden officials say
(AP) - The Biden administration says it has shipped enough monkeypox vaccine to deliver the first of two doses to all of the 1.6 million people identified to be at highest risk of infection from the virus.
Now public health officials need to ensure the vaccines are given to those who need them most.
Senior Biden administration officials outlined the state of the vaccination campaign Friday to the Associated Press in advance of a public briefing by White House and health officials. The administration expects to have enough for second doses available by the end of next month, the officials said.
The Biden administration has come under criticism over the course of the months-long response to the epidemic for the slow pace of vaccine availability. Now, the administration says the challenge is to ensure all of those deemed at highest risk get vaccinated.
Public health officials have identified men who have sex with other men to be at the highest risk of contracting the virus and encouraged them to get vaccinated.
The U.S. has the most monkeypox infections of any country during the current outbreak — more than 16,000. About 98% of U.S. cases are men and about 93% were men who reported recent sexual contact with other men. No one in the U.S. has died, but deaths have been reported in other countries.
Earlier this month health officials authorized a plan to allow injection of smaller doses of the vaccine into the skin instead of into muscle, which has helped stretch supplies. With the help of that new method, which requires about one-fifth the usual dose, the administration says it has now shipped enough vaccine for at least 1.6 million doses.
The administration also has 300,000 vials ready to ship as needed — enough for 1.5 million doses. Another 150,000 vials are expected to be delivered by the manufacturer by the end of September, with more to follow in subsequent months.
According to the administration, only 14 jurisdictions of 67 have used enough vaccine to request more from the federal stockpile.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/monkeypox-vaccine-supply-now-sufficient-biden-officials-say/ | 2022-08-26T17:40:06Z |
Saturday event in Fayette County geared toward military
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - An event geared toward military families will be held in Fayette County on Saturday, August 27.
The “Welcome Home” event, which is being hosted by Southern West Virginia Joining Community Forces, a group of organizations that focuses on grassroots solutions in support of veterans, military members and their families, is open to past and present military members and their loved ones.
VA representatives will be on-site to help guests learn more about benefits and other resources, as will a National Guard member to help with military IDs. A free BBQ meal will be served, and there will also be games for children.
“Southern West Virginia Joining Community Forces looks forward to a fun day of information, camaraderie and family fun,” the group stated in a press release. “Welcome Home!”
The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Glen Jean Armory, located at 409 Wood Mountain Road. A valid military ID is required to enter.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/saturday-event-fayette-county-geared-toward-military/ | 2022-08-26T17:40:13Z |
USDA scattering rabies vaccines for wildlife in 13 states
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun scattering millions of packets of oral rabies vaccine from helicopters and planes over 13 states from Maine to Alabama.
The major aim is to keep raccoons from spreading their strain of the deadly virus to states where it hasn’t been found or isn’t widespread, said field trial coordinator Jordona Kirby.
The USDA is also continuing tests of a vaccine approved in Canada to immunize skunks as well as raccoons, said Kirby of Wildlife Services, which is part of the agriculture department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Rabies is spread through an infected animal’s saliva, usually through bites. However, saliva that gets into the eyes, nose or mouth can also infect someone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thirteen people in South Carolina were considered potentially exposed in March because they had bottle-fed or given medicine to a sick calf that turned out to have rabies, said Dr. Michael Neault, the state veterinarian.
Globally, the virus kills 60,000 people a year, most bitten by dogs, the World Health Organization states.
That’s about the same number that get shots to prevent rabies in the U.S. after being bitten or scratched by an infected or possibly infected animal, according to the CDC.
State and local pet vaccination laws mean the virus is mostly spread by wildlife in the U.S.
The national rabies control program started in 1997 in Texas, where coyotes were spreading the canine variant of the virus, Kirby said.
She said vaccine drops eliminated that variant in 2004. Three years later, the CDC declared the nation free of canine rabies.
That doesn’t mean unvaccinated pets are safe. Canine rabies is among more than 20 variants — seven found in terrestrial mammals and more than 13 in species of bats, said rabies control program coordinator Richard Chipman.
A bite from an animal infected with any variant can make any other mammal sick. Scratches occasionally do so, since animals lick their paws.
A three-year program in Arizona and New Mexico eliminated a bat rabies strain in foxes, Kirby said. And Texas, with help from USDA, dropped 1.1 million baits along the Mexican border in January to keep coyotes from bringing the canine variant back.
Raccoons are the main rabies reservoir in 18 states along and near the East Coast and skunks in 21 others, according to data from 2020, the latest year available.
Bats made up 31% of the nearly 4,500 animals found with rabies in 2020. But since nearly all of the 40-plus bat species found in the U.S. eat insects and the rest drink nectar or eat fruit, oral vaccines would be much trickier.
Some scientists have speculated that bats could be vaccinated during hibernation, perhaps with a fine mist or with a gel that could be transferred from bat to bat, Chipman said. Early research is testing the idea in vampire bats, which live in Mexico and Central and South America and might spread such a vaccine within a colony by grooming each other.
Rabid wildlife isn’t just a rural problem. A rabid fox on Capitol Hill was caught less than 24 hours after the first report in April. By then, about a half-dozen people had reported bites or nips to U.S. Capitol Police, but others may have gone to other agencies, a Capitol Police spokesperson said by email.
Raccoon rabies campaigns started in August in parts of northern Maine, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. The 348,000 Raboral V-RG baits in Maine and 535,000 in the three other states are being dropped from planes in rural areas and from vehicles in urban and suburban areas.
In all, about 3.75 million packets — coated with a fishmeal attractant or encased in 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) fish meal cubes — will be distributed in nine states, ending when 1.1 million are dropped in Alabama in October.
The vaccine has been found safe for more than 60 kinds of animals including domestic dogs and cats. Eating a large number of vaccine packets might give dogs an upset stomach but wouldn’t cause any permanent problem, APHIS says.
About 3.5 million doses of the experimental vaccine Onrab are being distributed in parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Tennessee — which also are getting the approved vaccine — plus four other states.
Onrab comes in blister packs with green, marshmallow-flavored coating. Wildlife Services hopes it may be approved next year in spite of lingering pandemic-related delays.
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/usda-scattering-rabies-vaccines-wildlife-13-states/ | 2022-08-26T17:40:19Z |
“We can’t currently meet the demand,” says auto industry rep. of new EV tax credits
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The Biden administration wants half of all cars on the road to be electric by 2030.
The price for an average new electric vehicle is $66,000 dollars according the Kelley Blue Book. One goal of the new Inflation Reduction Act is to make electric cars more affordable, thanks to tax credits.
The new car credit will offset up to $7,500 of a new electric vehicle’s cost.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the credit is meant to help middle income families make the jump to electric.
Buttigieg said, “if you make millions, you won’t be eligible for this tax credit. Again, i think you’re going to be just fine.”
Some vehicles are eligible for the credit now, but that might change starting January 1st, 2023. The Inflation Reduction Act will add new regulations on sourcing and assembling batteries for electric cars, which the auto industry says will be a big problem.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation is an industry group which represents most of the largest American and foreign car companies.
The group’s president, John Bozzella, wrote in an August blog post, “The $7500 credit might exist on paper, but no vehicles will qualify for this purchase incentive over the next few years.”
The group unsuccessfully urged Congress to phase-in the battery component requirements gradually.
Bozella also wrote, “While we work to unlock supplies of critical minerals and ramp up battery production at home, we can’t currently meet the demand for these materials on our own. That’s the reality.”
Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who worked on the new law’s legislative framework with Democratic leaders, defended the requirements. After the bill’s signing by President Joe Biden, Manchin said his bigger goal with the legislation was to building the American supply chain.
“I’m not I’m not a fan of the credits, okay. I’m a fan of basically building a supply chain here,” Manchin said. “We went into basically making sure that used cars, used EVs would get $4000. So that was the thing we compromised on.”
Niskanen Center climate policy expert, Kristin Eberhard, say the smaller $4,000 credit for used electric vehicles may be leaned on more until the auto industry catches up with the new car requirements.
Eberhard said, “So it could be that there’s more activity in the used EV market starting next year as people realize they can’t get the one that they want for the, you know, with the new subsidy.”
Resources:
List of qualifying electric vehicles
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/we-cant-currently-meet-demand-says-auto-industry-rep-new-ev-tax-credits/ | 2022-08-26T17:40:26Z |
Israeli defense minister in US to discuss Iran nuclear talks
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister said Friday it was important to maintain capabilities for “defensive and offensive purposes” as he met with a senior U.S. official to reiterate Israel’s opposition to an emerging nuclear deal with Iran.
Israel is staunchly opposed to efforts by world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement and says it will not be bound by the accord currently being discussed. Neither Israel nor the United States have ruled out military action to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, meeting with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, said Israel opposes the emerging agreement, which has not yet been finalized or released to the public.
Gantz “emphasized the importance of maintaining and advancing operational capabilities for both defensive and offensive purposes in (the) face of Iran’s nuclear program as well as its regional aggression,” a Defense Ministry statement said.
“This is regardless of the discussion surrounding the agreement,” it added.
A U.S. statement said the two officials discussed the “U.S. commitment to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and the need to counter threats from Iran and Iran-based proxies.”
Israel is widely believed to have acquired nuclear weapons decades ago but has never acknowledged having them.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes. Under the 2015 agreement with world powers, it curbed its nuclear activities and allowed expanded monitoring of its facilities in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the deal in 2018 and restored crippling sanctions on Iran, which then began ramping up its nuclear activities.
Experts say Iran has enriched enough uranium up to 60% purity — a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — to make one nuclear weapon should it decide to do so. However, Iran still would need to design a bomb and a delivery system, which would likely take months.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/israeli-defense-minister-us-discuss-iran-nuclear-talks/ | 2022-08-26T18:27:46Z |
Monkeypox vaccine supply now sufficient, Biden officials say
(AP) - The Biden administration says it has shipped enough monkeypox vaccine to deliver the first of two doses to all of the 1.6 million people identified to be at highest risk of infection from the virus.
Now public health officials need to ensure the vaccines are given to those who need them most.
Senior Biden administration officials outlined the state of the vaccination campaign Friday to the Associated Press in advance of a public briefing by White House and health officials. The administration expects to have enough for second doses available by the end of next month, the officials said.
The Biden administration has come under criticism over the course of the months-long response to the epidemic for the slow pace of vaccine availability. Now, the administration says the challenge is to ensure all of those deemed at highest risk get vaccinated.
Public health officials have identified men who have sex with other men to be at the highest risk of contracting the virus and encouraged them to get vaccinated.
The U.S. has the most monkeypox infections of any country during the current outbreak — more than 16,000. About 98% of U.S. cases are men and about 93% were men who reported recent sexual contact with other men. No one in the U.S. has died, but deaths have been reported in other countries.
Earlier this month health officials authorized a plan to allow injection of smaller doses of the vaccine into the skin instead of into muscle, which has helped stretch supplies. With the help of that new method, which requires about one-fifth the usual dose, the administration says it has now shipped enough vaccine for at least 1.6 million doses.
The administration also has 300,000 vials ready to ship as needed — enough for 1.5 million doses. Another 150,000 vials are expected to be delivered by the manufacturer by the end of September, with more to follow in subsequent months.
According to the administration, only 14 jurisdictions of 67 have used enough vaccine to request more from the federal stockpile.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/monkeypox-vaccine-supply-now-sufficient-biden-officials-say/ | 2022-08-26T18:27:52Z |
Woman denied abortion for fetus with fatal condition in Louisiana discusses next steps
BATON ROUGE, La. (CNN) - A pregnant woman in Louisiana who alleges she was denied an abortion despite the fetus being diagnosed with a fatal condition will go to another state next week “to get the medically necessary procedure,” her attorney, Ben Crump said at a Friday press conference.
At about 10 weeks, the fetus of Nancy Davis was diagnosed with acrania, a rare congenital disorder in which the skull of the fetus does not form inside of the womb, CNN has reported.
But, when Davis decided to get an abortion, the hospital allegedly chose not to perform it amid the state’s multiple abortion bans, CNN has reported.
“This is not fair to me, and it should not happen to any other woman,” Davis said speaking alongside family and lawyers.
Davis said healthcare providers seemed confused about abortion bans taking effect across the state in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal.
“Basically, they said I had to carry my baby to bury my baby,” Davis said.
“I want you to imagine what it’s been like to continue this pregnancy for another six weeks after this diagnosis,” Davis said to reporters Friday.
In a statement previously sent to CNN, a spokesperson for Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Caroline Isemann, said the hospital cannot comment on a specific patient but said navigating an unviable pregnancy is extremely complex.
“We look at each patient’s individual circumstances and how to remain in compliance with all current state laws to the best of our ability,” Isemann told CNN. “Even if a specific diagnosis falls under medically futile exceptions provided by (the Louisiana Department of Health), the laws addressing treatment methods are much more complex and seemingly contradictory.”
“Thanks to the actions of the Louisiana legislature, Ms. Davis was left without medical care to do what doctors said she needed to be done to end the pregnancy,” said Crump.
“Davis and her family are very grateful to all of those who donated to her to be able to arrange for travel,” said Crump. It’s unclear where Davis will go for the abortion.
“By the time Ms. Davis has the procedure she needs next week, she would have carried this unsustainable pregnancy for an additional month and a half,” with “risks and emotional tolls,” said Crump.
“At this stage, it is a two-day procedure,” according to the attorney.
According to Crump, “by positioning themselves between Miss Davis and her doctors, Louisiana lawmakers inflicted unspeakable pain, emotional damage and physical risk” to his client.
Crump said the state “has created an environment of confusion and fear for both women and their healthcare providers.”
“We’re calling on the governor and legislature to call a special session to clear up these vague and ambiguous laws,” Crump stated.
“Ms. Davis was among the first women to be caught in the crosshairs of confusion, due to Louisiana’s rush to restrict abortion but she will hardly be the last American,” said Crump.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/woman-denied-abortion-fetus-with-fatal-condition-louisiana-discusses-next-steps/ | 2022-08-26T18:28:06Z |
Updated August 26, 2022 at 2:09 PM ET
The affidavit that the FBI used to get a warrant for searching former President Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago is now public. A redacted version of the document was released by a federal court this afternoon.
Of the 32 pages in the affidavit from an FBI special agent with expertise in counterintelligence and espionage investigations, nearly half were covered in thick black lines masking information that had demonstrated to a federal judge the need to search Trump's Florida property. Eight pages of exhibits and supplementary information were also released, which were not redacted.
"Probable cause exists to believe that evidence, contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed" was being improperly stored in various places at Mar-a-Lago, the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, 184 classified documents, including 25 marked "Top Secret," were found among 15 boxes that the National Archives had obtained from Mar-a-Lago earlier in the year, as well as others denoted with labels indicating they contained national security information, such as "FISA." Some of those documents were intermixed with other files, loose and unlabeled, which prompted the Archives to refer the case to the Justice Department.
As the department worked with Trump and his attorneys, it became concerned about the nature of other records at the property, and that they were no adequately protected or stored. The Justice Department also grew concerned about misleading public statements from Trump and a former administration official about the materials that the Archives had recovered, the affidavit shows.
Shortly after the affidavit was released on Friday, Trump made an emotional statement on his Truth Social media account, referring to the search as "the Break-In of my home."
He also said federal law enforcement was carrying out "a total public relations subterfuge," without providing explanation, and declared "WE GAVE THEM MUCH" when he described his voluntary turning over of some of the materials improperly kept at Mar-a-Lago.
Since the search was executed on Aug. 8, threats of violence toward the FBI have increased. Anticipating the potential for violence from Trump supporters, the agent in the affidavit asked for it to be sealed.
"I believe that sealing this document is necessary because the items and information to be seized are relevant to an ongoing investigation and the FBI has not yet identified all potential criminal confederates nor located all evidence related to its investigation," the unidentified agent wrote in the affidavit. "Premature disclosure of the contents of this affidavit and related documents may have a significant and negative impact on the continuing investigation and may severely jeopardize its effectiveness by allowing criminal parties an opportunity to flee, destroy evidence (stored electronically and otherwise), change patterns of behavior, and notify criminal confederates."
The country's main court filing system, known as PACER, was unable to handle the downloading demand for the document, which pushed the release until after the court-mandated deadline of noon.
Media organizations went to court to demand that the public be able see the affidavit laying out the reasons and research for the unprecedented search. The Justice Department then countered that it contains information that could compromise ongoing investigations as well as the safety of federal employees.
Judge Bruce Reinhart last week ordered the department to provide him with a redacted version to consider for release. On Thursday he said the government had made its case that disclosing all of the affidavit would reveal witnesses, the investigation's strategy, its scope and grand jury information and there was reason to keep much of it under wraps for now. But he said that the government's proposed redactions were tailored narrowly enough to protect the integrity of the investigation and provided "the least onerous alternative" to keeping the entire document sealed.
The affidavit also explains the work of a "Privilege Review Team" to identify and segregate documents that may be shielded by attorney-client privilege. Still, Trump has asked a different judge to halt the FBI review of the Mar-a-Lago documents and appoint a neutral special master. That judge has given him a deadline, also on Friday, to resubmit his request outlining and clarifying jurisdiction and legal points made in his first request.
At the request of Trump's lawyers, the FBI attached a letter where the lawyers stated that Trump "readily and voluntarily" agreed to give the Archives documents it had requested, and made the argument that the criminal statute on classified materials does not apply to presidents or former presidents, essentially saying that Trump could not break the law. They also restate Trump's point of view that a president has absolute authority to declassify documents.
This story will be updated.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/affidavit-says-over-180-classified-docs-removed-by-national-archives-from-mar-a-lago | 2022-08-26T18:53:13Z |
Not all speech is protected by the First Amendment: We all know, you can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater. So what about lying?
With the onslaught of misinformation, widespread lies have often led to threats against individuals and businesses. Some of them are fighting back in court.
Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee talk with David Shultz, director of Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/are-defamation-lawsuits-an-effective-tool-against-the-onslaught-of-misinformation | 2022-08-26T18:53:19Z |
Here & Now‘s Scott Tong and Celeste Headlee talk about the latest political developments with Yamiche Alcindor, anchor and moderator of Washington Week on PBS, and Marc Caputo, Florida-based national political reporter for NBC News Digital.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/biden-rallies-democrats-as-republicans-brace-for-fewer-gains-in-november | 2022-08-26T18:53:26Z |
DAVE DAVIES, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross. Our guest, Colson Whitehead, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his novels "The Underground Railroad" and "The Nickel Boys." "The Underground Railroad" is about a 15-year-old enslaved girl who escapes a brutal Georgia plantation. It was adapted into a Peabody Award-winning TV series. "The Nickel Boys" is based on the story of the Dozier School for Boys in northern Florida, a reform school infamous for its mistreatment and brutal punishment of boys who were sent there and for buried bodies discovered on its grounds.
There are many sides to Colson Whitehead's writing. He also wrote a novel about a plague where everyone who's infected becomes a zombie and a memoir about playing poker. His latest book is a crime novel called "Harlem Shuffle," set in Harlem between 1959 and 1964. Its now out in paperback. The main character, Ray Carney, owns a furniture store on 125th Street in Harlem, but he has a side line trafficking in stolen goods as a fence or, as he prefers to think of it, a middleman, nothing like his father, who was more of a full-time crook with crooked friends. The novel is about Ray's dual life, class divisions within Harlem and the crimes of the elite compared to crimes on Ray's level.
Terry spoke with Colson Whitehead last year.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
TERRY GROSS, BYLINE: Colson Whitehead, welcome back to FRESH AIR. I love this novel. Thanks for writing it, and thanks for coming back to our show.
COLSON WHITEHEAD: Yeah, thanks for having me back. It's very exciting.
GROSS: I want to start by asking you to do a reading. And just to set this up a little bit - so, you know, Ray Carney is a fence, and he basically deals with pretty small-time stuff. But his cousin, who's more of a full-time crook - and this is a cousin who Ray has bailed out all of the cousin's life - the cousin Freddie comes to him and says, look. We're doing a heist of a safe at the Hotel Theresa. And you describe this as the Waldorf of Harlem, and it was a real hotel. And Ray thinks, wow, robbing that is kind of like pissing on the Statue of Liberty. And he thinks this is a - this job is just, like, too big for him. It's, like, wrong for him. So I'd like you to do a reading about Ray Carney's reaction to his cousin's proposal about fencing the stolen jewels from this heist after the heist is done.
WHITEHEAD: All righty.
(Reading) Even if he were crooked enough for his cousin's proposition, he didn't have the contacts to handle a haul from the Hotel Theresa. Three hundred rooms, who knows how many guests locking up valuables and cash in safe deposit boxes behind reception - he wouldn't know what to do with it. Neither would his man Buxbaum down on Canal - have a coronary if Carney walked in with that kind of weight.
(Reading) Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked, in practice and ambition. The odd piece of jewelry, the electronic appliances Freddie and then a few other local characters brought by the store he could justify. Nothing major, nothing that attracted undue attention to his store, the front he put out to the world. If he got a thrill out of transforming these ill-gotten goods into legit merchandise, a zap-charge in his blood like he'd plugged into a socket, he was in control of it and not the other way around, dizzying and powerful as it was.
(Reading) Everyone had secret corners and alleys that no one else saw. What mattered were your major streets and boulevards, the stuff that showed up on other people's maps of you. The thing inside him that gave a yell or tug or shout now and again was not the same thing his father had, that sickness drawing every moment into its service, the sickness Freddie administered to more and more. Carney had a bent to his personality. How could he not growing up with a father like that? You had to know your limits as a man and master them.
GROSS: Thanks for reading that. That's Colson Whitehead reading from his new novel, "Harlem Shuffle." So after writing novels with really big social themes, "The Underground Railroad" and "The Nickel Boys," why did you want to write a crime novel set in Harlem in 1959 to '64?
WHITEHEAD: Yeah, well, I usually do mix it up - you know, write a serious book or most - more sober book and then something lighter with more jokes. I originally was going to follow up "The Underground Railroad" with "Harlem Shuffle," but then after the last election - presidential election, I had to sort out my feelings about being in America. Are we heading in the right direction? Am I optimistic or pessimistic? And so the philosophical dilemma of the two boys in "The Nickel Boys" was more compelling. But that meant when I finished that book, I had all these notes for "Harlem Shuffle," and I was eager to get back to it. As for the why, about seven years ago, I was trying to think of a movie to rent that night, and I just think about how much I like heist movies and thinking how much fun, you know, the directors and writers must have putting it all together. And I asked myself, you know, why can't I do that? And the answer is, you know, no reason at all. Why not?
GROSS: Now, you set it in a period of the civil rights movement, '59 to '64. It ends a year before the Voting Rights Act. Carney is pretty oblivious to the civil rights movement, but his wife works for a Black travel agency that books people into places that are safe for Black people, which is especially important in the South. Then the agency becomes involved in booking travel for civil rights groups. And I found it really interesting that the civil rights movement is way in the background for him, whereas it's kind of forefront for her.
WHITEHEAD: Well, I think - look; like many couples, you know, some people (laughter) - someone is paying attention, and the other person isn't. You know, I didn't feel any need to make Carney more political than he probably would be. You know, he's half crook. He's preoccupied with his store and isn't as clued in as the teenagers and college kids who are marching when there are - you know, there are various protests. He - you know, he hopes that he's not going get a brick thrown through his window, and that's what he's concerned about. And his cousin Freddie, you know, who's, you know, more of a freewheeling type, likes to go to marches so he can talk to pretty girls - you know, these teenagers. So I didn't feel the need to make them more political than they would have been.
GROSS: So as you've described, the main character has a dual personality. He's part legit businessman with his furniture store. His side line is as a fence. What interested you in a character with those dual sides?
WHITEHEAD: Well, I always start with, you know, these abstract propositions or questions, like, why can't I do a heist novel? - and then have to actually make it into a story. So it's a heist. When is it? Where is it? Going to be in New York. And the first thing I thought was the - you know, the crooks might exploit some big New York event. So I tried to think of, you know, should I use the blackout of '77, and they use that for cover for a heist? The riot of the early '40s, which was - happened when a cop abused a Black person in Harlem. And then I thought, Ralph Ellison kind of owns that because "Invisible Man," so I can't really go there, which left the riot of '64, after a young Black teenager was killed by a white policeman. And so once I had '64, it all flowed from there. And I split it up into three sections - 1959, '61 and '64 - and then tried to find different pegs for what's happening in New York that could serve the story.
GROSS: So in the book, Ray's father, who is dead when the book begins - he's someone who occasionally had to break somebody's knees. He was the muscle, the guy who had to follow through on the threats. So this is how Ray grew up, with a father who was out all the time doing God knows what. And Ray becomes a fence. Did you have to do a lot of research into how fences operate or how they operated back in the '60s?
WHITEHEAD: Yeah, I mean, the research is fun 'cause it feeds the book. So I decided to have a fence for a hero because I always find it appalling when I watch a heist movie, and, you know, the criminals have stolen their $2 million in jewels, and half the gang is dead, and a cop's looking for them. And then they go to the fence, and the fence says, I'll give you 10 cents on the dollar. It's always so appalling, and I'm so mad. And I figured that would be a good person to figure out for a book.
And so there's not a lot of literature about fences, but there is actually a book called "The Fence," and it's a sociological study about these guys in the Midwest in the '60s. And one of the first things that struck me was their description of being as a wall between the straight world and the crooked world. You know, things come in stolen, slightly previously owned, and then they go out into the world, ready for their next owner, cleaned up.
And that dividedness I immediately mapped onto Carney's personality. He has this part of himself that wants to leave the life that he grew up in and have a business and go to college and have a nice family. But there is that call in his blood, which I, you know, sort of put in that reading that we started the show with. And that struggle going back and forth is paralleled by the fence's role and speaks to so much of how I think a lot of us live. You know, I think that a lot of us have, you know, different parts of us reconciled, unreconciled. And sometimes, that's the drama of our lives.
GROSS: I love the way Carney describes some of what he sells as gently used (laughter).
WHITEHEAD: He - you know, he's - he lies to himself. He's not necessarily as clued in to how crooked he is at the start of the book. And in the three different sections, you know, there's three different jobs or capers, as I call them, and he gets more comfortable with his criminal side. He rejects it. So the start of the book, you know, Freddie comes up to him and says, we're doing this heist, and Carney is like, that's ridiculous. Like, I'm not a fence. You know, I'm just a humble businessman, and I sell some lightly used merchandise. And Freddie, of course, calls him on it. And so part of that internal drama, you know, I have a lot of fun with. How much can Carney admit to himself who he actually is? And then when he does admit to it, what does he do with that knowledge?
GROSS: Carney could put what he was doing in a more kind of sociopolitical, economic context and say things like, in a world where my business degree means nothing because I'm Black, this is the work I have to do to fulfill my ambitions 'cause doors are closed to me. But he doesn't think in those larger tones. He just thinks, like, it's really hard to make a living in a furniture store selling on the installment plan because I barely have the money to pay rent. And I want my family to move to a nicer home. And so I think it's interesting since you are so socially, politically, economically aware and have written novels that show that, that in this character's mind, that doesn't really figure into it.
WHITEHEAD: Yeah, well, I think that's what I sort of find lovely about him - is that, you know, he's complicated. And as the book goes on and the years pass, he's not hurting as much for money. You know, his wife, Elizabeth, has a good job, and things are going well. But he still does dabble and then do more than dabble in the criminal world. So what drives him? And I think that perplexing situation was very tantalizing.
In my last two books, I had an enslaved girl, Cora, who runs North, and she's very much defined by slavery, the social order of the times. And the two kids in "The Nickel Boys," too, are very much defined by Jim Crow and the racist world around them. And so immediately, once I started writing Carney, I knew this was somebody who was going to win. You know, he was going to win sometimes - not all the time, but he has a different sort of engagement with the forces around him. And maybe he's not as socially conscious, and maybe I don't find him admirable all the time, but I have great affection for him. And putting him in these different positions where he's tested was quite a lot of fun.
GROSS: All right, let's take a short break here. My guest is Colson Whitehead. His new novel is called "Harlem Shuffle." We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with Colson Whitehead. He won Pulitzer Prizes for his novels "The Nickel Boys" and "The Underground Railroad," which was adapted into an Amazon TV series that's now nominated for multiple Emmys. His new book is a crime novel called "Harlem Shuffle," set in Harlem between 1959 and 1964.
I want to get back to being a fence. So could you describe in a little more detail how fencing goods works? I mean, it's kind of like laundering money but with goods.
WHITEHEAD: Sure. Well, it's different things. You can - it's jewels. It's rare coins, TVs. So in the case of Carney, when we first meet him, Freddie and other local hoods have stolen televisions, radios, and Carney has a little spot in the corner of his store where he sells used TVs. And no one really asks where they come from. When I was reading these sociological studies of fences, one thing that was made apparent very early was that they often had fronts, front stores.
And so the main guy in this one study reupholstered furniture. And so in the front of the store, he has these used armchairs that he's refurbished. And where does he get them? He goes to the swap meet. And at the swap meet, there's, like, a rare coin guy over there. And so a criminal has given the fence these jewels and coins and other things to wash, and he'll find other dealers at a swap meet. He'll sell them at his store. But you're connected in this, you know, shadowy underground of people who specialize in this or that particular thing. If you put your diamond necklace in the hands of your, you know, your jewelry connection, that person has connections to the legit broader markets, marketplace. And so something that is stolen on Tuesday, you know, could reenter the supply chain on Friday. And it's very fluid. And the idea of, like, a front, you know, the front that you have out to the world with the sort of bad business in the back is applicable, definitely, to Carney's personality.
GROSS: When you were writing this novel, did you develop an eye for stores that you thought might be fronts?
WHITEHEAD: Well, I was always, you know - I still continue to be a failure to know what stores are fronts and what is not. When I lived in Brooklyn in, I guess, what they call a changing neighborhood in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, in the '90s, I would go to, like, the store. You know, I'd buy a six-pack of beer. And the store was completely empty, this bodega, except for, like, S.O.S Brillo pads...
GROSS: (Laughter).
WHITEHEAD: ...Two Twinkies and a six pack of Corona. And I go to pay for the beer, and the guy's like - he's like, what are you doing in here? Like, don't you get it? And so then my friends would tell me, oh, that's a weed spot. Like, you know, (laughter) it's not really legit. So I'm very oblivious. But I have to get into character. And Carney, as he enters more deeply into the criminal world, starts to see things he didn't know before. And so he's riding along with this corrupt cop who's picking up his envelopes, his cash from all the people he's shaking down. And he passes the bakery that he's walked by for decades. And it's actually - has a craps game in the back. And the stationery store is a front for a numbers operation. And so as he awakens to his own criminality, he awakens to the corruption that's been invisible to him his whole life but has been omnipresent.
GROSS: One of the ways he protects himself from thinking of himself as being a criminal is that he sees the goods, but he never sees the people who were robbed or the businesses that were robbed. And if there's no victim that he knows about, it's less of a crime. It really made me think about how easy it must be to protect yourself from thinking about the victim. If you don't know who the victim is, you don't know who's been hurt and how they've been hurt.
WHITEHEAD: I think that's definitely true. I don't think I explored that enough in the book, so I'll take that (laughter). I'm going to write that down for future inquiry.
GROSS: (Laughter).
WHITEHEAD: Thank you. Thank you for that point. But also, you know, I - in each section in the book, you know, from '59 to '61 to '64 - I keep pulling back, and we start with, like, a street-level view of crime in Harlem. And then we pull back and meet some well-to-do African American bankers and insurance agents, the sort of upper class of Harlem. And they're - you know, it turns out they're pretty crooked, too. And a lot of their victims they can't put faces to because they're signing paper, calling in mortgages on people they've never seen. And then in the third section, I pull back even more, and we see more of the power structure in the city. We visit Park Avenue and Wall Street. And those guys on the 35th floor have no idea who they're harming in their machinations. And so yes, Carney is luckily - is in a position where he doesn't get to see who's the actual victim of his crimes. And then there are people who are operating on a scale so much - of such a bigger magnitude.
GROSS: You told The New York Times that you think everyone has a criminal side, even if it's just stealing a pack of gum. So of course, I have to ask, do you feel that way yourself?
WHITEHEAD: Mostly when I was stealing Wi-Fi before everyone had passwords...
GROSS: (Laughter).
WHITEHEAD: ...Like, 15 years ago. So I'm (laughter)...
GROSS: That is truly a victimless crime unless you're hacking the person you're stealing from (laughter).
WHITEHEAD: But their - you know, their...
GROSS: You're freeloading.
WHITEHEAD: ...Their streaming is slowing down 'cause I'm, you know, stealing their bandwidth. No, I'm very much a Boy Scout. So I have to use my - the powers of my imagination to figure out Carney and these other characters.
DAVIES: Colson Whitehead speaking with Terry Gross, recorded last year. Whitehead's latest novel, "Harlem Shuffle," is now out in paperback. We'll hear more of their conversation after this short break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF THELONIOUS MONK'S "IN WALKED BUD")
DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross. Let's get back to Terry's 2021 interview with Colson Whitehead. He won Pulitzer Prizes for his novels "The Nickel Boys" and "The Underground Railroad," which was adapted into an Peabody Award-winning TV series. His latest book, "Harlem Shuffle," is a crime novel set in Harlem between 1959 and 1964. It's now out in paperback. The main character, Ray Carney, is the owner of a furniture store on 125th Street, who's also trafficking in stolen goods as a fence.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
GROSS: You set the novel in Harlem. It's a Black world in Harlem and in your novel, except for the cops, who are white. Was it a relief to write about Harlem after writing about an escaped slave who runs into every imaginable problem after escaping?
WHITEHEAD: I think doing "Underground" then "Nickel Boys" back to back definitely took its toll. I mean, I think I had done all my emotional heavy lifting before I wrote "Underground Railroad." And so I knew what I was getting into. But then having another setting where innocents are being brutalized and are searching for their freedom really demoralized me. And so as I was finishing "The Nickel Boys" and bringing the boys closer to their tragic fate that I had mapped out, you know, two years before, I definitely felt very depressed and depleted. And I finished the book and then just played video games and barbecued for six weeks. And that's how I came back into myself.
So having a project that has the capacity for joking and humor - and I do see making jokes as part of my project and why I write. It's one of my, you know, avenues of exploration. So having fun with, you know, this crime genre and some of the supporting cast who are kind of colorful was a relief. And from the first page of writing the book and getting back into writing a book set in New York, I felt I was on my home turf after writing two books set in the South. And the challenge of recreating a New York before I appeared on the scene - I was born in '69 - was a nice challenge to put before me.
GROSS: Do you see a throughline between, say, "Underground Railroad" and your new novel in the sense that after slavery and once Jim Crow started, and when, you know, lynchings and other forms of attacks against Black people were so common, so many people from the South moved to the North. And that's probably one of the ways Harlem became Harlem, you know, how Harlem became Black as opposed to Jewish and Italian, which it was before that. You write Harlem was desegregated in 1940 after the neighborhood tipped over from Jews and Italians and became the domain of southern Blacks and West Indians. I love this line. Everyone who came uptown had crossed some variety of violent ocean.
WHITEHEAD: Yeah. I mean, you know, there's this churn of immigrants in Harlem, which I found very fun to explore. The - 150 years ago, Harlem is farmland. It's pastureland. And then speculators put up buildings. And then the tenements and townhouses are filled with all these refugees from Europe. And it is Italians and Irish, Jews from all over Europe, Irish. And they come to make their way in this new country. They cross the water. They enter the middle class and move away to the suburbs, to downtown, different neighborhoods in Manhattan. They're replaced by a wave of Black migration from the South, from the Caribbean. My grandmother came through Ellis Island in the 1920s from Barbados.
And so what I loved in doing the research is walking through these different neighborhoods and seeing these old brownstones and townhouses and imagining that churn, you know? I mentioned the churn of stolen goods in and out of people's hands. And there is this churn inside these humble townhouses, all those different lives and those different rivers and oceans that they've crossed to come here. And they enter the middle class, or they don't. But there's so much - in the same way there's all this secret history behind the storefronts, the bakeries and crooked stationery stores, there's this whole secret history in these townhouses.
GROSS: As we've mentioned, Ray Carney is the son of a crook, of a full-time crook. And Carney's wife is from a middle-class family. Her parents live on Strivers' Row in Harlem. Her father is a successful accountant for successful businessmen, politicians, doctors and lawyers in Harlem. Her father brags about his collection of loopholes and dodges. And he belongs to this club for the elite Black community in Harlem called the Dumas. Am I pronouncing it right, Dumas Club?
WHITEHEAD: I think if you - it's named after Alexandre Dumas. But I figure these guys say Dumas. That seems like the mid-century...
GROSS: Right (laughter). OK.
WHITEHEAD: ...Harlem way to say it. So I - mentally, I think of Dumas.
GROSS: Yeah. And so you describe it in the book as a paper bag club. Would you explain what that means?
WHITEHEAD: There were various social clubs for well-to-do Black folks in the 19th and 20th centuries. And you could only enter them if you had a, you know, upstanding job and also if you were lighter than a paper bag. And so the paper bag test meant that if you were darker skinned, you were not accepted. And you're not going to join their little club.
GROSS: So there was that much colorism in the elite Black clubs?
WHITEHEAD: Yeah. And, you know, I mean, I can't speak for all of them. But that was definitely a real force, that sort of social stratification. Where are you from, you know? Are you first-generation college or third generation? Do you come from a long line of free Black folks? Or have you just come from Alabama, you know, last year, and now you're trying to make it and try to be one of us? And so colorism and class stratification exists everywhere. And part of - you know, the second part of the book is pulling back to see these other social forces that are affecting Carney. You know, he has a bad background. He's darker skinned. And how does he navigate this hoity-toity, privileged world?
GROSS: Can you talk about how Harlem has changed from the time the novel is set, '59 to '64, to now? Because I imagine you spent a lot of time in Harlem while you were writing the novel, even though it has changed.
WHITEHEAD: Yeah. I mean, you know, location scouting and, you know, finding places for Carney to live. You know, it was a great, fun thing to do. I lived in Harlem until I was about 6 on 139th and Riverside. So my first New York is a very gritty, dirty New York. But for research, I would - you go back to newspapers, and there are books about the Hotel Theresa. And then also, you know, if you go to YouTube and put in 1960s Harlem, some amateur filmmaker from the - you know, from back then has uploaded his reel of walking down 125th Street and - in '64 or '67. And for me, I look at all the signs in the background. I'm like, oh, OK, a hamburger was 35 cents. Or what kind of hat is that? And then I research what kind of clothes they're wearing.
And so when I compare the footage of just some guy walking around with his camera to what I see now and those tiny storefronts are now big box chains. It's Chuck E. Cheese, big Nike Store, Magic Johnson Theatres. The footprint of retail is quite different. And as in a lot of different places in the country, you can see in the background those painted signs, like, on the fifth floor of a building, you know, like, you know, Sammy's Shoe Store. And so if you look up at certain tall buildings, you can see that old sort of vanished New York in the same way you can see that old vanished Chicago or Seattle. But on a street level, it's, you know, that very shiny retail we have now. And so it's very stark when I'm walking around thinking of what Carney's going to do next, and then there's a reality of 21st-century retail staring me in the face.
GROSS: Tell us about the Hotel Theresa and its place in Harlem.
WHITEHEAD: So a lot of - you know, a lot of the things in the book I had no knowledge of. And so I'd walked past that building, you know, many times in my life. But I hit upon some references to the Hotel Theresa and its importance in Harlem culture in the '40s and '50s. So it was a whites-only hotel and then had to be desegregated because the neighborhood changed. And it became the place to stay. If you were Joe Louis or Billie Holiday or Cab Calloway, you would stay there if you were in town, be seen at the cocktail bar. You'd maybe keep an apartment upstairs. When a big band came to town, you know, they'd alert the media, and there'd be this big group of paparazzi, and all the folks from the neighborhood would come to see who was stepping off the bus.
And I read that and thought, that's a good place for a heist. You know, it just seemed - (laughter) it was such a holy place that it could be a site for some of the action in the book. And you know, I had to think of these different robbers' reactions. And so Miami Joe, who plans the heist at the Hotel Theresa, he's come from the South. He's a new arrival. People look down upon him. It's not necessarily 'cause he's from the South. I mean, he has a bad personality. But he takes it personally. And so robbing the Hotel Theresa would be, you know, sticking his finger in the eye of this Harlem elite who looks down upon him.
GROSS: Let me reintroduce you here. If you're just joining us, my guest is Colson Whitehead. His new novel is called "Harlem Shuffle." We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF INCREDIBLE BONGO BAND'S "APACHE [GRANDMASTER FLASH MIX]")
GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with Colson Whitehead. His new novel, "Harlem Shuffle," is set in Harlem between 1959 and '64. It's a crime novel.
Mount Morris Park, which is now called Marcus Garvey Park, is a place where bodies are buried...
WHITEHEAD: Yes.
GROSS: ...In the novel. Like, if you've killed somebody, that's the place to hide the body. And a lot of our listeners who aren't familiar with Harlem might know Mount Morris Park, now Marcus Garvey Park, from the Questlove documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival because that festival was held in Mount Morris Park. So what do you know - I mean, was it really - is this part of, like, the park's lore? Or is it, like, really true...
WHITEHEAD: (Laughter).
GROSS: ...That bodies were buried there? What's the story?
WHITEHEAD: Yeah. Not buried but dumped - and so...
GROSS: Dumped, yes.
WHITEHEAD: Yeah, yeah. So I went to newspapers for what's happening in the city. And, you know, starting with "Underground Railroad," primary sources are really just great for me to, you know, suck up slang and culture. So whether it was William Burroughs, who has a book called "Junkie" - and it's about being a junkie and small-time hustler in Harlem, all over Manhattan in the '40s and '50s - giving me the language of the small-time white hustlers - or the wife of Bumpy Johnson helping me out. Bumpy Johnson was a big Harlem mobster. I actually wanted to put him into the novel and wrote a scene or two of him in it, and then I realized that he was actually in Alcatraz, which is unfortunate, so I had to take him out.
But his wife, you know, to correct the record from all these lies about Bumpy Johnson, described the culture at the time, the criminal culture. And so that's how I learned about how numbers rackets worked and numbers banks versus number runners and stuff like that. And she talks about how if you beat someone up but didn't necessarily want them to die, you would drive past Harlem Hospital, dump them on the foot of the emergency room doors and keep driving. And if you killed them, you would dump them in Mount Morris. And basically, it seemed like so many people were dumping bodies there that you had to, like, take a number every Saturday night to find space to dump the person you killed.
GROSS: You wrote a novel called "Zone One" about a plague. And the people infected with the plague become zombies. And after this kind of plague and zombie apocalypse, the survivors have to kind of remake the world. Did you think about that a lot when COVID started? 'Cause it's a plague (laughter). And we're not turning into zombies, but, you know, we're certainly having our share of problems.
WHITEHEAD: It is a plague. And definitely, I was thinking about it in a very sort of depressing way, just being locked down and remembering this or that passage from the book. But mostly, I was sort of angry about the things I didn't get right. You know, the characters in the book are called sweepers, and they go door to door retrieving dead bodies and taking out the last of the zombies so that they can restart civilization. So I didn't realize how much toilet paper they would find when they went to these different folks' apartments. So...
GROSS: (Laughter) The hoarders.
WHITEHEAD: So the hoarders - yeah. So that was a failure of my imagination. And then secondly, I had no idea that people would say, oh, the zombie virus is just like the flu. It doesn't really matter. Or I'm not going to get the zombie vaccine, you know? The depths of the denial and psychosis around vaccines I couldn't foresee. So if I did it over again, definitely there would be people who would resist the zombie virus - the zombie vaccine and suffer the consequences, and - which would be unfortunate.
GROSS: I hope you've managed to stay well through the pandemic.
WHITEHEAD: Yes, very - you know, the early part of lockdown was, are we safe? Is everybody psychologically safe? And then how can we sustain a consistent Wi-Fi signal for the kids? And then how can I find an hour to work and finish off "Harlem Shuffle"? So, you know, I count myself as very lucky that we made it through the way we did.
GROSS: In one of our previous interviews, you told me that you almost saw yourself as a shut-in because you were always writing and reading (laughter).
WHITEHEAD: Yes (laughter). So, yes, on social media - so writers would say lockdown's not that different than, you know, the way things were before, you know, writers proud to have been training for lockdown life for decades and decades...
GROSS: (Laughter).
WHITEHEAD: ...Which was true. But also, you know, some of my writer friends have younger kids, you know, 1-year-olds, and it was different sort of corralling them and finding the time to work. And so everyone had their own accommodation with the problem.
GROSS: You also told me that you had zombie dreams for about 30 years and - not constantly, but it was a theme of some of your dreams for 30 years. And at the time we spoke, which was a few years ago, you were having those dreams about once a year. Are you still having zombie dreams, and did COVID kind of make them more frequent or more crazy? Yeah.
WHITEHEAD: Yes, I was a big horror fan. And so I saw "Night Of The Living Dead" and "Dawn Of The Dead" very early. And depending on my psychological weather, I would have dreams where zombies catch me. They're slow. They're fast. They talk. I escape. I don't. And that really did end with writing "Zone One." They went from monthly to, like, to once a year. And they're still once a year. I mean, I have this thing where if I write about something, I definitely kind of exorcise it. And so - which is good in some ways, like zombie dreams. I wrote a piece about fried chicken last year and cooking fried chicken. It was very detailed. And then since then, I haven't been able to eat fried chicken. So the...
GROSS: That's too bad.
WHITEHEAD: ...The writing cure - sometimes good and sometimes bad. Can I tell you about this weird thing, Terry?
GROSS: Yeah.
WHITEHEAD: So, you know - so obviously, the FRESH AIR interview is revered around the world, and so whatever I say to you now becomes the template for other people's interviews for years and years. So whatever you ask me, you know, will come up. They'll steal the question but also any tangent. And so, you know, if I'm like, oh, and then in the summers, I used to ride my bike, and it was great, you know, three years from now in, like, Finland, some journalist will be like, Colson, tell me about the bike you had.
(LAUGHTER)
GROSS: Really?
WHITEHEAD: Yeah, see - they just go through the transcript, and then they'll steal your questions and then - but they'll also steal, like, you know, stuff that just comes up in conversation. So I'm like, I haven't - what bike? What are you talking about? And then they'll - you know, they'll come clean. It's the first draft of history.
GROSS: (Laughter). Colson Whitehead, it's been really great to have you back on the show. And I want to say again, I really love your new book. So thank you.
WHITEHEAD: Thanks for having me. It was great.
DAVIES: Colson Whitehead speaking with Terry Gross, recorded last year. Whitehead's latest novel, "Harlem Shuffle," is now out in paperback. After a short break, film critic Justin Chang reviews the new fantasy films "Three Thousand Years Of Longing," starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. This is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHUCHO VALDES' "OCHUN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/colson-whitehead-returns-to-his-home-turf-with-harlem-shuffle | 2022-08-26T18:53:32Z |
The Emily Dickinson Museum now includes donated props from an irreverent TV series about the 19th-century poet, intended to appeal to a more contemporary audience.
WBUR’s Andrea Shea reports.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/emily-dickinson-museum-reopens-with-more-appeal-to-contemporary-audiences | 2022-08-26T18:53:38Z |
Facebook and Twitter recently took down social media accounts attacking U.S. adversaries and spreading American interests across the world. Then, they gave the information about those accounts to researchers.
Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with Femi Oke about the results of a new report detailing a sustained pro-U.S. influence campaign on social media.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/facebook-and-twitter-remove-accounts-attacking-u-s-adversaries | 2022-08-26T18:53:45Z |
Bringing down inflation will require some economic pain according to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Friday morning at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Wyoming, Powell was bullish in his speech and did not shy away from the potentially painful impact on many Americans.
He signaled more measures to curb inflation were in the offing. NPR’s Chief Economics Correspondent Scott Horsley joins Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee for the latest.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/fed-chair-says-more-hardship-to-come-in-economic-conference-speech | 2022-08-26T18:53:51Z |
The Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust has partnered with the Richie Family from near Boulder, Wyoming to permanently conserve over 2,600 acres of land through an agricultural conservation easement. According to the Sublette Examiner, this is in addition to the conservation easement the family signed earlier this year. The property is located within greater sage-grouse core area and crucial range for elk, moose, and mule deer
Ashley Martin out of Bridger Valley recently earned top-ten rankings in five events at the National Gymnastics Association Championships. According to the Bridger Valley Pioneer, she also placed fifth overall at the National Tumbling Championship recently.
Snowy Mountain Brewery out of Saratoga is hosting a contest for can designs. According to the Saratoga Sun, the brewery is looking for new label designs for the four varieties of beer it currently cans and distributes throughout Wyoming. The contest closes on October 1.
And a new walk in hunting and fishing area has been created along the Green River. The Sweetwater #3 walk-in area will be accessible year-round for fishing or hunting within Game and Fish regulations. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/friday-august-26 | 2022-08-26T18:53:58Z |
HBO’s “House of the Dragon” debuted with a whopping 10 million viewers — breaking records for the channel. But the emerging success of this “Game of Thrones” may not be quite enough to turn the fortunes of its parent company around.
Here & Now‘s Scott Tong asks NPR TV critic Eric Deggans.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/hbos-record-breaking-house-of-the-dragon-prequel-may-have-game-of-thrones-fans-crawling-back | 2022-08-26T18:54:04Z |
We discuss the Justice Department’s release of the redacted affidavit that federal investigators used to get a search warrant for former president Donald Trump’s home in Florida.
Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks to NPR’s Ryan Lucas.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/the-justice-department-has-released-the-redacted-affidavit-of-the-mar-a-lago-search | 2022-08-26T18:54:10Z |
Now they're longtime members of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in upstate New York. But they've been a couple since playing opposite each other as the lovers Orlando and Rosalind in the Dallas Theater Center production of As You Like It in 1987 — in the old Arts District Theater. (the "metal barn" where the Winspear Opera House now stands).
The director encouraged them to find some of the "chemistry" together he felt they lacked.
In a bit of time travel, the two have been cast as the young title lovers in Romeo and Juliet at the HVSF, an open-air theater with a sweeping view of the Hudson River. The two have been a couple longer than the festival has existed — 35 vs. 34 years.
Which is saying something in the stage world of open-and-close-and-on-to-the-next-show. It's one thing to succeed in making a lifelong career on the stage — it's quite a different feat to do it together. The couple's good humor — and they're ability to banter with lines from their different roles — is apparent in David Green's "postcard" on NPR.
The unusual casting of the two as teenagers in love has generated press attention. But Gaye Taylor Upchurch, director of Romeo and Juliet, apparently did not cast them in an "age reversal" gambit — with younger actors filling in all the older roles and the lines re-written to swap the different ages. They play it straight, no winking
That way, much of the success of the show depends on how well Rhoads and Williamson convey adolescents, and the surprise, passion and sometimes heedless need of young lovers. The HVSF has certainly tried unusual casting before: In 2009, Rhoads was one of three actors playing the title role in Pericles.
Williamson started at the Theater Center in the early '80s as an MFA student. Rhoads joined during artistic director Adrian Hall's tenure in the mid-to-late '80s, when Hall formed a 10-member professional acting company (eventually expanded to 15).
The couple would perform in more than 30 productions there, while individually and together, they also worked at Theatre Three, Casa Manana and Shakespeare Dallas. They also played together in the old New Arts Theatre production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Rhoads made a memorable Frank-N-Furter, once climbing into the audience in character, wearing leather and stockings, to confront a heckler.
When the DTC acting ensemble was more or less dissolved under artistic director Richard Hamburger, the two eventually made their way to New York — where Williamson has appeared at Lincoln Center in Cyrano (with Kevin Kline) and on Broadway in Romeo and Juliet (with Orlando Bloom), while Rhoads appeared on Broadway in Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington and also directed at the HVSF.
It's at Hudson Valley where they've found a home, becoming crowd favorites. Seperately, they've returned to the Theater Center on several occasions in such shows as Henry IV. Together, they were last at the DTC in 2011 in Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate.
Together, Williamson and Rhoads have worked on 65 plays. | https://www.keranews.org/arts-culture/2022-08-26/former-dallas-theater-center-actors-profiled-on-npr-still-a-couple-35-years-later | 2022-08-26T19:07:56Z |
Football roundup: Cros-Lex, Marlette and Yale roll on opening night
Here are some notable results from Thursday's high school football games in the Blue Water Area.
Croswell-Lexington 34, Saginaw Swan Valley 7
It may be a new season. But it's the same Cros-Lex. The Pioneers dominated on both sides of the ball in a convincing road victory.
Quarterback Gavin Espinoza was 4-for-11 passing for 44 yards and one touchdown. Running back Gabriel Groppi totaled 216 yards and two scores on 23 carries. Wide receiver Jett Weeder's lone reception was on a 27-yard touchdown.
Joey Scaramuzzino led the way defensively with 14 tackles and one for loss. Espinoza added five tackles and returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown. Joey Ramsey finished with eight tackles (three for loss) and one sack.
Hazel Park 26, Imlay City 0
The Spartans lost their opener in a non-conference matchup. Quarterback Matt Evans finished 3-for-10 passing for 40 yards and one interception. He also rushed 31 yards on six carries. Tanner Land chipped in 38 rushing yards on attempts while Travis Dupont ran for 30 yards on six touches.
Defensively, Imlay City was led by Brady VanderPloeg's nine tackles (two for loss). Latham Perry added six tackles with two for loss as well.
Marlette 44, Caro 6
Four different Raiders ran for a touchdown as Marlette cruised to victory. Logan Malloy (eight carries, 30 yards) started the rout with a six-yard score just 2:32 into the game.
Quarterback Quintin Sartin (2-for-4 passing, 51 yards, one touchdown) ran for a touchdown of his own with 6:08 left in the first half. He closed the first half by returning an interception for a touchdown on defense with 57 seconds left. That gave the Raiders a 30-0 lead at the break.
Tyler Izydorek (three carries, 17 yards) and Westley Chapin (six carries, 30 yards) also found the end zone on the ground in the second half.
Richmond 14, St. Clair 0
There wasn't much offense in this one. Richmond quarterback Anthony Bonnetti got the Blue Devils on the board with a seven-yard touchdown at the 7:39 mark of the first quarter. Then he quickly closed the scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run just 3:35 later.
Bonnetti was 5-for-11 passing for 72 yards. Running back Blake Esselink ran for 70 yards on 16 attempts.
St. Clair quarterback Peyton Ellis got his first career start and finished 7-for-18 passing for 65 yards and one interception. He also ran for 35 yards on 11 attempts. His brother, Logan Ellis, rushed for 79 yards on 10 carries. Defensive tackle William Schroeder had four tackles (one for loss) for the Saints.
Yale 41, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 6
The Bulldogs scored 19 points in the first quarter to put this one away. Quarterback Connor Jakubiak finished 6-for-14 passing for 112 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for five yards and two touchdowns on four attempts.
James Bahr led the rushing attack with 97 yards on 12 carries. Khazen Morton caught three passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Yale's defense allowed just 74 yards. Josh Craig had two interceptions and returned one for a touchdown.
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper. | https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/sports/2022/08/26/football-roundup-cros-lex-marlette-yale-roll-on-opening-night/65458115007/ | 2022-08-26T19:25:41Z |
On August 26, Moderna filed patent infringement lawsuits against Pfizer and BioNTech "for infringing patents central to (its) mRNA technology platform".
Moderna on Friday filed patent infringement lawsuits against Pfizer and BioNTech "for infringing patents central to (its) mRNA technology platform," the company said in a news release Friday.
"Moderna believes that Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty infringes patents Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016 covering Moderna's foundational mRNA technology. This groundbreaking technology was critical to the development of Moderna's own mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax. Pfizer and BioNTech copied this technology, without Moderna's permission, to make Comirnaty," the news release said.
Pfizer has not been served and is "unable to comment at this time," a company spokesperson told CNN.
Moderna said in the release that it is not aiming to remove Pfizer's vaccine from the market or prevent future sales of its vaccine and also is not seeking damages of its sale in specific circumstances.
Those circumstances include the sale of the vaccines in AMC 92 countries which make up low and middle-income countries, also in instances where "The U.S. Government would be responsible for any damages" and for activities before March 8, 2022.
"Consistent with its commitment to equitable global access, in October 2020, Moderna pledged not to enforce its COVID-19 related patents while the pandemic continued. In March 2022, when the collective fight against COVID-19 entered a new phase and vaccine supply was no longer a barrier to access in many parts of the world, Moderna updated its pledge. It made clear that while it would never enforce its patents for any COVID-19 vaccine used in the 92 low- and middle-income countries in the GAVI COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC 92), Moderna expected companies such as Pfizer and BioNTech to respect its intellectual property rights and would consider a commercially reasonable license should they request one for other markets. Pfizer and BioNTech have failed to do so," the statement said.
Moderna also outlined specific instances where the company claims Pfizer's infringed on its patents, saying th company moved foward with "a vaccine that has the same exact mRNA chemical modification to its vaccine as Spikevax. Moderna scientists began developing this chemical modification that avoids provoking an undesirable immune response when mRNA is introduced into the body in 2010 and were the first to validate it in human trials in 2015."
Moderna also says "Pfizer and BioNTech copied Moderna's approach to encode for the full-length spike protein in a lipid nanoparticle formulation for a coronavirus. Moderna scientists developed this approach when they created a vaccine for the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) years before COVID-19 first emerged."
Moderna and Pfizer's mRNA Covid-19 vaccines have been the backbone of the US vaccination strategy, with Pfizer making up the majority of administered doses.
As of Friday morning, 360,175,884 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine has been administered in the US and 229,236,868 doses of Moderna has been administered. | https://www.kitv.com/news/coronavirus/moderna-files-patent-infringement-lawsuits-against-pfizer-and-biontech-over-mrna-covid-19-vaccines/article_51b24930-981f-591d-b596-b495a2f76211.html | 2022-08-26T19:26:13Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- There’s a moment of calm in Hawaii before college football action on Saturday. ‘Bows fans say they're ready.
"For people who don't know about UH, it's gonna be a good atmosphere. It's always loud. And it's gonna be the first time in a while that people get to have fun and do fun stuff at the game," a fan named Anthony told KITV4.
The UH players also say they're ready.
"So we can be there for them and turn little games into big games. Open up pass opportunities. Open up run lanes. That'll be big for us. It's been big for us, just bringing everyone together and putting the community in as well," running back Dedrick Parson said.
And as far as the fan experience is concerned, this will be the first home game since COVID-19 restrictions disrupted the last two school years. Those restrictions are no more. Food and beverages are back. Masks are optional. And -- in case you did not know -- each home game has a color coordinated them day!
"Wear your green shirt. And if you don't have your green shirt, the book store, the H zone will be selling apparel here on campus as well as the stadium," said Associate Athletics Director of external affairs Vince Baldemor.
There are other options for viewing the action, including out in town, at home, or even at the movies. It’s $15 to catch the action on the big screen in Mililani, Kailua or Koko Marina. Otherwise, there are plenty of options around town. There's the comfort of home, or it will be watching football on campus, like many haven't had a chance to experience in their lifetime.
"We've got a sold-out crowd coming to the first home game under Coach Timmy Chang. So a lot of excitement. He and the team have really done a great job building that community," Baldemor concluded.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Jeremy Lee joined KITV after over a decade & a half in broadcast news from coast to coast on the mainland. Jeremy most recently traveled the country documenting protests & civil unrest. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/uh-football-commences-countdown-to-gameday-versus-vanderbilt/article_a1230600-251c-11ed-b247-5f051a70d371.html | 2022-08-26T19:26:20Z |
The FBI told a judge that there was "probable cause to believe" that classified national security materials were improperly taken to "unauthorized" locations at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, and that a search would also likely find "evidence of obstruction," according to a redacted version of the search warrant affidavit released Friday.
The affidavit was one of the documents the Justice Department used to justify the FBI's extraordinary search of the former President's Florida home as part of an investigation into obstruction of justice and mishandling classified material that could put national security at risk.
Investigators argued that they needed to conduct the search after they found classified materials in boxes already recovered from Mar-a-Lago -- including files that could compromise "clandestine human sources" or overseas intelligence-gathering tactics if they were disclosed.
"There is probable cause to believe that additional documents that contain classified (National Defense Information) or that are Presidential records subject to record retention requirements currently remain at (Mar-a-Lago)," the FBI affidavit says. "There is also probable cause to believe that evidence of obstruction will be found at (Mar-a-Lago.)"
The Justice Department sought the warrant after the National Archives engaged in a protracted months-long effort to retrieve documents from Trump's White House that were being stored at Mar-a-Lago. After the Archives organized the return of 15 boxes of presidential materials from Mar-a-Lago in January, it referred the matter to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation.
FBI agents reviewed the 15 boxes provided to the National Archives in May, and the affidavit details the amount of classified material that was found.
In the affidavit, the Justice Department said there were "184 unique documents bearing classification markings, including 67 documents marked as CONFIDENTIAL, 92 documents marked as SECRET, and 25 documents marked as TOP SECRET."
Threats to witnesses
The Justice Department also released a redacted legal brief explaining why it proposed the redactions to the affidavit, including possible threats to witnesses.
The DOJ argued that, without the proposed redactions, "the affidavit could be used to identify many, if not all, of these witnesses." What follows is two paragraphs of redacted material.
"If witnesses' identities are exposed, they could be subjected to harms including retaliation, intimidation, or harassment, and even threats to their physical safety," the filing said. "As the Court has already noted, 'these concerns are not hypothetical in this case.'"
Reiterating language prosecutors previously used to describe why the affidavit should be kept secret, the DOJ's legal brief said its details would provide a "road map" to the investigation and that revealing "this information could thus adversely impact the government's pursuit of relevant evidence."
It appears that one example of this risk is laid out in a redacted paragraph.
"In addition, revealing this information could severely disadvantage the government as it seeks further information from witnesses," the filing said. "In short, the government has well-founded concerns that steps may be taken to frustrate or otherwise interfere with this investigation if facts in the affidavit were prematurely disclosed."
The sworn affidavit released Friday was written by an FBI special agent, whose identity was redacted to protect them from potential violence and threats. The document does reveal the agent was trained in "counterintelligence and espionage investigations" at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and has expertise investigating people who "unlawfully collect, retain, and disseminate sensitive government information."
Classified markings
The affidavit also says that there were markings on the documents with multiple classified compartmentalized controls. "Based on my training and experience, I know that documents classified at these levels typically contain" national defense information, wrote the special agent who authored the affidavit.
"Several of the documents also contained what appears to be (the former President)'s handwritten notes," the affidavit says.
The FBI search of Mar-a-Lago on August 8 occurred two months after a trip made by top department officials, where they were shown where Trump was storing some of the materials. In the time between, investigators became suspicious members of Trump's team weren't being fully truthful about the situation and that documents were being withheld in the efforts to return the records to the federal government.
FBI used separate team to search Trump's office to protect against privilege issues
The FBI used law enforcement personnel who were not part of the investigation to search Trump's office in order to protect against potential attorney-client privilege issues, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit unsealed Friday says that the FBI used a "Privilege Review Team" to search the "45 office," separate from the investigators who searched other areas of Trump's residence authorized by the warrant.
"The Privilege Review Team will search the '45 Office' and conduct a review of the seized materials from the '45 Office' to identify and segregate documents or data containing potentially attorney-client privileged information," the affidavit says.
The affidavit says that if the review team determined there were "documents are potentially attorney-client privileged or merit further consideration in that regard," the team could take steps to seek a court determination, keep the documents from the investigative team, or "disclose the document to the potential privilege holder."
Fight over releasing the affidavit
The affidavit was released after a fight in court over what level of transparency the public was owed into a search with the historic significance of one involving the home of a former president. Soon after news of the search broke, news outlets, including CNN, and other entities filed in court, seeking the release of the warrant materials.
The Justice Department was initially willing to release some of the warrant documents publicly, with Attorney General Merrick Garland telling reporters earlier this month that the Trump team's public confirmation of many aspects of the search made the move appropriate in the face of the DOJ's usual habit of keeping such materials secret.
Prosecutors balked at releasing the warrant affidavit itself, which they said would provide a "road map" to the investigation and chill the cooperation of witnesses in this and other probes. They also argued that once the necessary redactions were made, the document would be devoid of meaning.
But US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart -- who approved the warrant in early August and presided over the document release dispute -- did not buy that argument. Under his instruction, the DOJ instead proposed redactions, which he found acceptable, prompting his order for the release.
Trump calls for document's release but sits out court back-and-forth
Trump has publicly called for its release as he baselessly claimed that he was the target of a "witch hunt."
But his attorneys did not make any formal move to weigh in on the dispute before Reinhart. Only two weeks after the search did his legal team raise objections to it in court -- but in a separate legal action filed that landed before a different judge in the Southern District of Florida.
In that lawsuit, Trump is asking for a third party known as a "special master" to oversee the FBI's review of the materials it seized at Mar-a-Lago. His filing this week referenced a desire to see the affidavit in full, but he didn't request an order from the judge to do so. Other apparent legal shortcomings in the complaint prompted the judge, Trump-appointee Aileen Cannon, to order he make new submissions by Friday midnight laying out exactly what he wanted and why she had the authority to grant it.
The quick pace of the proceedings around learning more about the FBI's search has showcased the disarray in Trump's legal response to the investigation. The narrative that Trump and his allies have put forward about his handling of the documents in their PR response to the search has not matched what Trump's legal team claimed in the private negotiations with the Archives that started a year and a half ago, according to documents that have been made public from those conversations.
This story has been updated with additional details.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/fbi-search-warrant-affidavit-says-there-could-be-evidence-of-obstruction-at-mar-a-lago/article_c8917055-03d8-563a-bf86-caa4c140e16b.html | 2022-08-26T19:26:26Z |
The release of a redacted affidavit that the Justice Department used to obtain a search warrant for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home shed new light on the federal investigation into the handling of documents from his White House.
The release of a redacted affidavit that the Justice Department used to obtain a search warrant for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home shed new light on the federal investigation into the handling of documents from his White House.
The previously sealed court filing -- which was disclosed Friday in redacted form after a court fight launched by media companies, including CNN and other entities -- went into previously unknown detail about the classified information found in boxes retrieved from Trump's Florida resort in January. It also firmed up aspects of the timeline about how the investigation unfolded.
Here are takeaways from the newly released document:
FBI said there was likely "evidence of obstruction" and classified defense documents
The FBI told US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart the search would likely find "evidence of obstruction" in addition to its explanation to the court that there was "probable cause to believe" that classified national security materials were improperly taken to "unauthorized" locations at Trump's resort.
"There is probable cause to believe that additional documents that contain classified (National Defense Information) or that are Presidential records subject to record retention requirements currently remain at (Mar-a-Lago)," the FBI affidavit said. "There is also probable cause to believe that evidence of obstruction will be found at (Mar-a-Lago.)"
FBI found 184 classified documents from 15 boxes earlier this year
When the FBI reviewed in May the 15 boxes the National Archives retrieved from the Florida resort in January, it found "184 unique documents bearing classification marking," the affidavit said.
Among the materials were "67 documents marked as CONFIDENTIAL, 92 documents marked as SECRET, and 25 documents marked as TOP SECRET," according to the filing.
The agent who submitted the affidavit noted that there were markings on the documents with multiple classified compartmentalized controls, as he told the court that "[b]ased on my training and experience, I know that documents classified at these levels typically contain" national defense information.
Also, among the documents were what appeared to be handwritten notes by the former president, the affidavit said.
New details about how the DOJ got involved in the document fracas in the first place
The FBI affidavit reveals new insights into how the investigation began. It started after a criminal referral from the National Archives, which was sent to the Justice Department on February 9.
The Archives told the Justice Department that the boxes contained "newspapers, magazines, printed news articles, photos, miscellaneous print-outs, notes, presidential correspondence, personal and post-presidential records, and "a lot of classified records."
The Archives official said there was "significant concern" over the fact that "highly classified records were ... intermixed with other records" and weren't properly identified.
After receiving this information, the DOJ and FBI launched a criminal investigation into the matter, leading to the subpoena in June for classified material, and the search of Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.
Redactions keep obstruction evidence secret for now
One unredacted subhead in the affidavit cues up the probable cause the FBI had to believe that there were documents containing classified defense information and presidential records at Mar-a-Lago.
Most of the section that follows is redacted, and the unredacted subhead aligns with two of the criminal statutes the affidavit cited at the beginning.
But the third potential crime -- obstruction -- that was cited by the warrant materials does not have a corresponding unredacted subhead in the affidavit. The FBI would have had to provide the court its explanation of why it believed that there was likely evidence of that crime at Mar-a-Lago, so the absence of any unredacted details about that evidence signals that that part of department is particularly sensitive about that aspect of its investigation being made public. | https://www.kitv.com/news/national/takeaways-from-the-mar-a-lago-search-warrant-affidavit/article_2ff2f951-2fa1-5109-9649-764408e45dea.html | 2022-08-26T19:26:32Z |
Appalachian Festival’s Maker’s Market kicks off in Beckley
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - The 2022 Appalachian Festival kicked off on Friday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
WVVA is sponsoring the two-day event featuring crafts, handmade items, live music, and food. Vendors specialize in everything from handmade soaps to BBQ sauce to one-of-a-kind ornaments.
Pendleton Community Bank is another sponsor of this year’s event hoping to reach new members of the community.
“It’s good for us to get exposure in the Southern Region; the three branches that we have including the Marlington Branch. There’s also the Beckley location, the Marlington location, and the Mount Hope location,” said bank representative Christopher Mabes.
If you missed Friday’s market, there is still an opportunity to go. The Maker’s Market will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. The cost to attend is $5.
For a full schedule of events, visit: Schedule - Appalachian Festival
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/appalachian-festivals-makers-market-kicks-off-beckley/ | 2022-08-26T19:28:37Z |
Israeli defense minister in US to discuss Iran nuclear talks
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister said Friday it was important to maintain capabilities for “defensive and offensive purposes” as he met with a senior U.S. official to reiterate Israel’s opposition to an emerging nuclear deal with Iran.
Israel is staunchly opposed to efforts by world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement and says it will not be bound by the accord currently being discussed. Neither Israel nor the United States have ruled out military action to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, meeting with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, said Israel opposes the emerging agreement, which has not yet been finalized or released to the public.
Gantz “emphasized the importance of maintaining and advancing operational capabilities for both defensive and offensive purposes in (the) face of Iran’s nuclear program as well as its regional aggression,” a Defense Ministry statement said.
“This is regardless of the discussion surrounding the agreement,” it added.
A U.S. statement said the two officials discussed the “U.S. commitment to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and the need to counter threats from Iran and Iran-based proxies.”
Israel is widely believed to have acquired nuclear weapons decades ago but has never acknowledged having them.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes. Under the 2015 agreement with world powers, it curbed its nuclear activities and allowed expanded monitoring of its facilities in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the deal in 2018 and restored crippling sanctions on Iran, which then began ramping up its nuclear activities.
Experts say Iran has enriched enough uranium up to 60% purity — a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — to make one nuclear weapon should it decide to do so. However, Iran still would need to design a bomb and a delivery system, which would likely take months.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/israeli-defense-minister-us-discuss-iran-nuclear-talks/ | 2022-08-26T19:28:43Z |
Naomi Judd autopsy confirms country singer’s cause of death
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An autopsy report in the death of country singer Naomi Judd that was obtained Friday by The Associated Press confirmed what family members have already said about how she died. Judd, 76, killed herself with a gun on April 30 at her home in Tennessee.
“We have always shared openly both the joys of being family as well its sorrows, too. One part of our story is that our matriarch was dogged by an unfair foe,” a statement from the family released on Friday read. “She was treated for PTSD and bipolar disorder, to which millions of Americans can relate.”
The autopsy, which is considered a public record in Tennessee, showed several prescription drugs in Judd’s system that are used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder.
Naomi and her daughter Wynonna Judd scored 14 No. 1 songs in a career that spanned nearly three decades. Naomi Judd died the day before she and Wynonna were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The family has asked for privacy as they mourn and encouraged anyone in a similar crisis to seek help. The national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/naomi-judd-autopsy-confirms-country-singers-cause-death/ | 2022-08-26T19:28:49Z |
Tensions mount between county, city, and humane society
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - Tensions are at a breaking point over the future of a local animal shelter.
Raleigh County recently hired a company out of Colorado to study whether a new animal shelter is needed for the area and, according to Commission Pres. Dave Tolliver, the Raleigh County Humane Society refused to provide data.
While Tolliver said the county needs an alternative if the shelter is going to continue turning away animals, he said no decision has been reached on what would become of the animals that could not be adopted.
“The no kill is a misconception,” said Tolliver. “We had meetings and they do, in certain situations, euthanize animals. They want us to come right out and say if we build a shelter, we’ll be no kill. We’re not going to do that until we sit down with the city and county and ask, do we keep a dog in a cage for a year?”
He said the problems began with the shelter turning away animals brought in by Raleigh County Animal Control. While Tolliver said the county is running out of options when it comes to placing them, the shelter’s Exec. Dir. Brett Kees said they are not going to take animals over capacity. He said keeping a big dog in a small crate for a long time rises to the level of animal cruelty.
Instead of building a new shelter, Kees said would like to see new ordinances on the books to encourage better spay and neuter practices.
“I’ll help in anyway I can if they want to develop some spay and neuter laws, some ordinances, and actually enforce things. It will cost less than building a new shelter. But if they want to build a new shelter, I’m not helping. I’m not providing data. And I’m not providing access to the site.”
Kees said the humane society routinely applies for grants to help prospective pet owners cover the costs, but wishes the county would do the same.
“If we had other folks on board, like the city and county, we could solve this problem in three or four years,” he said.
Meanwhile, if the city and county do move forward with a new shelter, Tolliver said it would be located at the Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/tensions-mount-between-county-city-humane-society/ | 2022-08-26T19:28:56Z |
Woman denied abortion for fetus with fatal condition in Louisiana discusses next steps
BATON ROUGE, La. (CNN) - A pregnant woman in Louisiana who alleges she was denied an abortion despite the fetus being diagnosed with a fatal condition will go to another state next week “to get the medically necessary procedure,” her attorney, Ben Crump said at a Friday press conference.
At about 10 weeks, the fetus of Nancy Davis was diagnosed with acrania, a rare congenital disorder in which the skull of the fetus does not form inside of the womb, CNN has reported.
But, when Davis decided to get an abortion, the hospital allegedly chose not to perform it amid the state’s multiple abortion bans, CNN has reported.
“This is not fair to me, and it should not happen to any other woman,” Davis said speaking alongside family and lawyers.
Davis said healthcare providers seemed confused about abortion bans taking effect across the state in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal.
“Basically, they said I had to carry my baby to bury my baby,” Davis said.
“I want you to imagine what it’s been like to continue this pregnancy for another six weeks after this diagnosis,” Davis said to reporters Friday.
In a statement previously sent to CNN, a spokesperson for Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Caroline Isemann, said the hospital cannot comment on a specific patient but said navigating an unviable pregnancy is extremely complex.
“We look at each patient’s individual circumstances and how to remain in compliance with all current state laws to the best of our ability,” Isemann told CNN. “Even if a specific diagnosis falls under medically futile exceptions provided by (the Louisiana Department of Health), the laws addressing treatment methods are much more complex and seemingly contradictory.”
“Thanks to the actions of the Louisiana legislature, Ms. Davis was left without medical care to do what doctors said she needed to be done to end the pregnancy,” said Crump.
“Davis and her family are very grateful to all of those who donated to her to be able to arrange for travel,” said Crump. It’s unclear where Davis will go for the abortion.
“By the time Ms. Davis has the procedure she needs next week, she would have carried this unsustainable pregnancy for an additional month and a half,” with “risks and emotional tolls,” said Crump.
“At this stage, it is a two-day procedure,” according to the attorney.
According to Crump, “by positioning themselves between Miss Davis and her doctors, Louisiana lawmakers inflicted unspeakable pain, emotional damage and physical risk” to his client.
Crump said the state “has created an environment of confusion and fear for both women and their healthcare providers.”
“We’re calling on the governor and legislature to call a special session to clear up these vague and ambiguous laws,” Crump stated.
“Ms. Davis was among the first women to be caught in the crosshairs of confusion, due to Louisiana’s rush to restrict abortion but she will hardly be the last American,” said Crump.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/woman-denied-abortion-fetus-with-fatal-condition-louisiana-discusses-next-steps/ | 2022-08-26T19:29:02Z |
W.Va. Parkways Authority Executive Director says chemical spill was cleaned in timely manner
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - After more than 18 hours of closure due to a tractor-trailer wreck that resulted in a chemical spill, the West Virginia Turnpike reopened fully to traffic Thursday night. The wreck occurred just after midnight on Thursday, August 25, near Pax in Fayette County.
WVVA spoke to Jeff Miller, Executive Director of the West Virginia Parkways Authority, to get his reaction to the accident. He says that the Turnpike does have a plan in place for such events, with the focus being on determining a viable detour route for travelers. Miller also shared that his team and the other agencies involved (including the Pax Fire Department, Homeland Security response teams, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Division of Highways (DOH), Department of Transportation (DOT), various 911 centers, West Virginia State Police and more) worked well together to mitigate the issue promptly.
“All in all, given the circumstances and as inconvenient as it was and the disruption that it caused for thousands of travelers, I do feel that we responded pretty quickly and executed the plan in a pretty quick nature to get the road open as quickly as possible,” he shared.
According to Miller, Turnpike crews were out Friday morning conducting post-accident reviews. This evaluates how the agency responded and how they can improve in case of future accidents.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/26/wva-parkways-authority-executive-director-says-chemical-spill-was-cleaned-timely-manner/ | 2022-08-26T19:29:09Z |
Attempted child abduction caught on camera
CINCINNATI (WLWT) – A stranger approached a 6-year-old girl in her own front yard Wednesday and tried to take her, according to police in Ohio.
Surveillance video shows the girl screaming for her parents.
She was throwing out garbage in front of her home when a man walking down the sidewalk approached her.
“He sees her, touches her and then starts to walk away,” the girl’s mother said. “He goes back, grabs her wrist, starts to pull her and she screams, and he lets go.”
At first, the child’s parents who were just steps away inside their home didn’t know what happened.
Their daughter came inside and told her parents that a man tried to kidnap her. The girl’s dad decided to chase after the man with his car.
“He tried to dip in and out of alleys and through people’s yards to try to get away from me,” he said. “But the only thing that kept running through my mind is that I can’t let him do this to another kid.”
Surveillance video from Terry’s Automotive shows the man trying to hide in between cars at an automotive dealer.
“I went around the other side to see where he was, and I found him sitting inside an old Dodge caravan,” the girl’s dad said.
Hamilton police said they found the man identified as Deric McPherson, 33, and charged him with abduction and gross sexual imposition.
Copyright 2022 WLWT via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/attempted-child-abduction-caught-camera/ | 2022-08-26T19:59:10Z |
Naomi Judd autopsy confirms country singer’s cause of death
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An autopsy report in the death of country singer Naomi Judd that was obtained Friday by The Associated Press confirmed what family members have already said about how she died. Judd, 76, killed herself with a gun on April 30 at her home in Tennessee.
“We have always shared openly both the joys of being family as well its sorrows, too. One part of our story is that our matriarch was dogged by an unfair foe,” a statement from the family released on Friday read. “She was treated for PTSD and bipolar disorder, to which millions of Americans can relate.”
The autopsy, which is considered a public record in Tennessee, showed several prescription drugs in Judd’s system that are used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder.
Naomi and her daughter Wynonna Judd scored 14 No. 1 songs in a career that spanned nearly three decades. Naomi Judd died the day before she and Wynonna were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The family has asked for privacy as they mourn and encouraged anyone in a similar crisis to seek help. The national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/naomi-judd-autopsy-confirms-country-singers-cause-death/ | 2022-08-26T19:59:16Z |
New affordable housing complex preparing to open in Luray
LURAY, Va. (WHSV) - A new affordable housing complex will soon be open in Luray.
On Friday morning, an open house was held for Luray Meadows, a 52-unit apartment community with rent costs averaging 40% less than the average achievable market rate in the area.
The complex across from the Luray Caverns Airport comes from developer People Inc. It includes 41 two-bedroom units and 11 three-bedroom units available at varying rates targeting low-income families.
“It’s just a wonderful thing for the community. It’s a wonderful day for us. These are very nice looking buildings and something we can all be proud of,” said Luray Mayor Jerry Dofflemyer.
The complex is the first new Low Income Housing Tax Credit project built in Page County since 1996. It will help address a big need in the area.
“We have employers telling us they would like to bring people here, but they just can’t find housing. It’s a desperate need. Airbnb has taken some of our housing as I understand it has in other communities. Some people rather than renting their homes are putting them on Airbnb,” said Dofflemyer.
Dofflemyer said that Luray, like most of the Valley and the U.S., has business dealing with significant understaffing and hopes this project can help to somewhat alleviate that.
“Our employers are, like everybody else, desperate for employees and one of the factors here is there’s no place for people to live. So, hopefully this will encourage people to move here and that will increase our labor base,” he said.
Doffllemyer believes that the complex will have benefits for the entire Luray community.
“It’s a great thing for the town. Every time we get a new water and sewer customer we’re able to spread out our fixed cost and of course, we get a monthly charge from them. It’s great for our merchants, our restaurants, our service industries, it’s just win-win for everybody,” he said.
Luray has experienced some population growth since the pandemic. Dofflemyer said including Luray Meadows, there will be around 125 housing units built in the town by the end of the year.
“We saw a lot of people moving from the city to here because they can get a much better deal on their housing. People in Northern Virginia can sell their house and come to Luray and buy the same or an even larger house for a lot less money,” he said.
The rent at Luray Meadows will range from $465-$750 a month depending on the unit. People’s Inc. hopes to begin renting out the apartments within the next month.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/new-affordable-housing-complex-preparing-open-luray/ | 2022-08-26T19:59:23Z |
Remains found in Bluemont, Virginia identified Friday
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office positively identified skeletal remains Friday that were found Aug. 3.
The remains were found over an embankment in an area on Feltner Road in Bluemont, Virginia. They were identified to be that of 30-year-old Shannon Lee Fox from Winchester.
She was reported missing by a friend on March 1, 2022, after she had not been heard from since February 23, 2022.
“We were all saddened by the fact Shannon was found deceased and that her body, had basically been dumped over an embankment to hide her from being located. Our Investigators spent many days and nights searching leads, information, and areas in and around Frederick County. We basically left no stone unturned in trying to find this young lady,” Sheriff Lenny Millholland said.
The investigation of this case continues. Anyone with additional information about this case are asked to contact the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office at 540-662-6162 or 540-662-6168 and ask for Investigator Travis Adamson.
Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/remains-found-bluemont-virginia-identified-friday/ | 2022-08-26T19:59:29Z |
Scammers take money from grieving mother burying son: ‘I’m sitting here crying’
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB/Gray News) - A mother in Louisiana says she is dealing with the impossible of not only burying her son but getting swindled out of money in the process.
Ester Banks said she was targeted by a phony insurance company that took money from her that she needed to pay for her son’s funeral.
WAFB reports a person contacted the funeral home Banks was working with, claiming to be with a major life insurance company where her son had a policy. Banks said she then spoke with the mysterious caller.
“She was telling me that my son had insurance. She knew his full name. She knew everything about him. She knew all the details,” Banks said.
According to Banks, she believed the company because the representative had all her information.
“The lady went as far as telling me she just lost her son. He got shot in the head. Why would you do that? Make me feel sorry for you. I’m sitting here crying for you on the phone and myself,” Banks said.
The woman on the phone reportedly told Banks to receive a payout of more than $100,000, she would have to pay the rest of her son’s premium.
Banks said she sent the money through an app totaling $1,530, but the so-called insurance company stopped answering calls and eventually disconnected its phone number.
According to the Better Business Bureau, there are multiple platforms where companies can purchase personal information, including phone numbers, addresses and the names of family members.
The organization said if you get a call you’re unsure of, ask questions and take control of the conversation. Tell them you will check them out before you verify anything.
Banks said she has filed a police report and hopes to get some answers.
The funeral home Banks was working with said this was the first time it has heard of such a situation.
Copyright 2022 WAFB Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/26/scammers-take-money-grieving-mother-burying-son-im-sitting-here-crying/ | 2022-08-26T19:59:35Z |
A year ago, 13 Marines and more than 100 Afghans died when a bomb exploded at the Kabul Airport. Stories from the frenetic last days of the American evacuation are still coming out.
Copyright 2022 NPR
A year ago, 13 Marines and more than 100 Afghans died when a bomb exploded at the Kabul Airport. Stories from the frenetic last days of the American evacuation are still coming out.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/1-year-later-more-details-emerge-about-the-americans-killed-in-kabul-airport-bombing | 2022-08-26T20:27:52Z |
In 1979, researchers unearthed the mummified body of a 55,000-year-old Steppe bison in the Alaskan tundra. Shortly after, they sliced off a piece of its neck — to eat!
Here's a news story told in rhyme:
This is not a traditional story.
Not many names or dates, so don't worry.
It's also not incredibly timely,
But it's about an ice age Steppe bison
And a man whose thought process defies me.
Let's start with the creature, lived more than 55,000 years ago
Was brought to his knees by a lion-ancestor foe.
Down went the bison on permafrost ground,
Which kept him from being eaten or found.
Neither predator nor man disturbed the behemoth mass
As it remained encased in a protective frozen glass.
Leaping forward to 1979,
a team of explorers venture out to mine
Gold is what they are on the lookout for,
on the spot where the bison hit the floor
With a hydraulic mining hose, they melted away,
Some frozen sludge, 'til someone said, Whoa! Stop! Hey!
They reported their findings to University of Alaska Fairbanks officials
Dale Guthrie, led the excavation, limiting interstitials.
The skeleton, the skin, the muscles — all in near-impeccable condition,
Guthrie named it Blue Babe, then sliced off a piece for a culinary mission.
"You know what we can do?," he asked
Host a dinner party and with cooking the meat, I'll be tasked.
The Blue Babe neck steak served eight,
With veggies and spices, and lots of booze they ate
Years later, writing about the taste,
Guthrie said, When thawed, one could mistake
The aroma for beef, not unpleasantly earthy.
But once in the mouth, his wife, Mary Lee Guthrie,
Told podcasters from Gimlet, it was worse than beef jerky.
Still, it was a great party, she fondly remembered,
A dreamy symbolism of the meal that endured.
It was a feast; by all counts a true celebration
An "imagining of the human experience on earth!,"
She said, with elation.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/an-ice-age-bison-was-discovered-then-soon-eaten-once-the-foul-taste-was-smothered | 2022-08-26T20:27:58Z |
Severe droughts have lowered the levels of waterways around the world, leading to the discovery of several artifacts and historical sites previously hidden underwater.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Severe droughts have lowered the levels of waterways around the world, leading to the discovery of several artifacts and historical sites previously hidden underwater.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/buddhist-statues-and-roman-bridges-droughts-reveal-history-in-the-worlds-waterways | 2022-08-26T20:28:05Z |
Hospitals and doctors around the country are facing harassment and even death threats over the medical care they offer to transgender kids. In many cases, they have been the subject of posts by a Twitter account called Libs of TikTok, as well as stories in conservative media outlets casting gender-affirming care as child abuse and mutilation.
Which raises the question: where should social networks draw the line with accounts promoting narratives that spark harassment campaigns on their platforms and beyond?
Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. became the most recent target this week when Libs of TikTok posted an audio recording in which hospital staff appeared to say that gender-affirming hysterectomies had been performed on minors. The hospital said that claim was incorrect and that none of the people recorded deliver care to patients.
"The information in the recording is not accurate. We do not and have never performed gender-affirming hysterectomies for anyone under the age of 18," Children's National said in a statement to NPR. "The operator speaking provided wrong information."
The statement continued: "Since the spreading of misinformation on Twitter, we have been the target of a large volume of hostile and threatening phone calls and emails."
Childrens' hospitals in Boston, Seattle, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon, have also been targeted. Last week, Boston Children's Hospital warned it was receiving "a large volume of hostile internet activity, phone calls, and harassing emails including threats of violence toward our clinicians and staff" after false claims it performs genital surgeries on minors.
The U.S. Justice Department even weighed in, with the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts calling the attacks "disturbing."
False claims, out-of-context videos
These false narratives about pediatric gender-affirming care are rooted in fundamental "misperceptions," said Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd, a pediatrician and director of the Gender Health Program at Children's Minnesota.
"People have misperceptions that we're doing surgery on young kids. People have misperceptions that we are changing kids from boys into girls at a very young age," they said.
They said care for transgender kids is wide-ranging, from efforts to help children socially transition to puberty-blocking medications to various gender-affirming surgeries, and is undertaken with the input of pediatric psychologists, clinical social workers, hormone experts and endocrinologists, as well as families.
Some of the claims about Children's National, Boston Children's and other hospitals were pushed by the Libs of TikTok account, which regularly reposts videos and social media posts from LGBTQ people, teachers, schools and other institutions. The clips are sometimes taken out of context and framed to fuel outrage or ridicule of LGBTQ and anti-racist causes, in what the account owner has described as "exposés" of "the crazies."
For example, a short clip about gender-affirming hysterectomies from a video originally posted by Boston Children's that Libs of TikTok reposted makes no mention of patients' ages. But Libs of TikTok tweeted alongside the clip the false claim that the hospital offers the surgery "for young girls."
Libs of TikTok, run by a Brooklyn woman named Chaya Raichik, has 1.3 million followers on its biggest platform, Twitter. It's gained prominence and influence in right-wing circles over the last year as conservatives increasingly try to use anti-LGBTQ sentiment to gain support.
NPR reached out to Raichik for this story. She initially responded and agreed to an interview, but did not respond to a follow-up message. Raichik frequently condemns criticism of her online activities as efforts to "cancel and silence" her. She has said that she has also been targeted with death threats.
Platforms struggle with harassment networks
Twitter and Facebook prohibit bullying and harassment, coordinated mass attacks, and incitement to violence. Both companies ban the use of the word "groomer" as a smear against LGBTQ people under their rules against hate speech.
The platforms have taken down some of the threats against the hospitals. But it's less clear how much accountability the companies can or will put on accounts that draw attention to the targets that end up getting harassed.
Twitter has previously temporarily suspended Libs of TikTok for breaking its rules. The company declined to comment on the account. Following Boston Children's Hospital's reported threats, Libs of TikTok said it had been permanently suspended by Facebook for violating the platform's community standards. But that was quickly reversed, and the account returned to posting on Facebook, saying the social network said that was an error. Facebook declined to comment on the suspension.
Libs of TikTok appears to have evaded outright bans by coming right up to the edge of the platforms' rules but not breaking them. The account does not explicitly encourage followers to threaten anyone, and typically uses its target's own words, sometimes stripped of context, to imply wrongdoing.
But while its individual posts may stick to the letter of the platforms' rules, their cumulative effect is what worries researchers like Joan Donovan, who studies online extremism, media manipulation and disinformation at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy.
"We've reached this phase in social media where people know what to do when an account like Libs of TikTok calls out another account or a person or institution," she said. Call-outs can spark harassment campaigns known as "brigading," where commenters pile on a common target.
In the case of the children's hospitals, "the threats have moved from insulting people or targeted accounts online into more direct threats," Donovan said. "The online threat escalates very quickly into offline violence when we start to see these patterns of attack."
For social networks to deal with what Donovan calls "networked incitement," she says effectively tracking those threats means looking beyond single posts on specific platforms.
"The precipitating comments may not be that incendiary, but if that creates a pattern of attack that is recognizable, which it is with an account like Libs of TikTok, then these companies are well within their jurisdiction to warn and then ban the account."
Right-wing groups target LGBTQ events, education and healthcare
Pediatricians and children's hospitals are just the latest targets of right-wing outrage, in a new iteration of decades-old smears of gay, lesbian and transgender people as pedophiles or "groomers."
"The Libs of TikTok account has been a major actor in driving a lot of the harassment campaigns that we've seen over the past year," said Ari Drennen, LGBTQ program director at Media Matters for America, the liberal advocacy group.
In some cases, events and figures publicized by Libs of TikTok have been targeted offline by far-right extremists known for brawling.
On a single day this summer, for example, men with ties to the white nationalist group Patriot Front were arrested outside a Pride event in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, and alleged members of the far-right Proud Boys crashed a drag queen story hour at a library in San Lorenzo, Calif. Libs of TikTok had tweeted about both events, although there's no conclusive link between the posts and the extremist groups' activities.
As the Washington Post reported in April, the account's subjects and posts are regularly featured and promoted by other conservative influencers and media figures, including podcaster Joe Rogan. Raichik has appeared on Tucker Carlson's prime time Fox News show.
The escalating stigmatization of transgender medical care has doctors worried.
"This is a developmentally appropriate, team-based approach that allows kids time to figure out their identities," said Dr. Goepferd of Children's Minnesota.
Threats to hospitals ripple out, affecting not only hospital staff but also patients and families seeking all kinds of care, as well as longer-term research needed in the field. "I worry that this type of false narrative would make research institutions or funders nervous to fund more research into finding out what is the best possible care we could be providing right now," Goepferd said.
"The fact that somewhere the message has gotten through that it's okay to attack physicians, pediatricians, children's hospitals in this way is just a really disturbing societal trend," they said.
Editor's note: Facebook parent Meta pays NPR to license NPR content.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/childrens-hospitals-are-the-latest-target-of-anti-lgbtq-harassment | 2022-08-26T20:28:12Z |
The Department of Justice has released the redacted affidavit that authorities used to justify the search for documents at Mar-a-Lago.
NPR’s Ryan Lucas joins us.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/department-of-justice-releases-redacted-mar-a-lago-affidavit | 2022-08-26T20:28:18Z |
SANTA FE, N.M. — This summer, when Elaine heard the news stories about a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who'd become pregnant as a result of rape and had to travel out of state for an abortion, it was hard to look away.
"I knew it was coming," she said. "I knew that it was only a matter of time before someone like me hit the news. And that a doctor would go public on the effects of these laws."
That doctor was Caitlin Bernard, an OBGYN in Indiana. Bernard's story, about a young patient who was unable to get an abortion at home in Ohio after a ban there took effect, prompted backlash from conservative leaders. Without providing evidence, Indiana's Republican attorney general, Todd Rokita, questioned the doctor's credibility and threatened to investigate her.
A matter of time
For Elaine, that story took her back to 1969, when she was an 11-year-old growing up in Amarillo, Texas. The youngest of five children in a big Catholic family, Elaine describes herself then as a "tomboy" who loved sports and riding her bicycle.
"I walked miles and miles and miles barefoot," she said. "I was kind of precocious. I was kind of the class clown, actually."
Now 65 and living in New Mexico, Elaine has asked us to call her only by her middle name because she fears her family could face backlash for her telling the story from her childhood.
Elaine says she was in bed one night in early 1969, in the room she shared with her older sister, when their bedroom door suddenly opened in the early-morning hours. A man snuck in, climbed into her bed, and began to rape her – threatening to kill her unless she stayed quiet. It went on for what "seemed like an eternity."
Eventually, Elaine's sister woke up. That's when she says "all hell broke loose" as her sister chased the rapist out of the house. The rest of the family woke up to Elaine screaming.
"I know the police were there, but I don't remember much about them that night," Elaine says. "[My mom] called our family doctor and he met us at the hospital and he examined me."
It was the same doctor who had delivered her 11 years earlier.
In a police report dated Jan. 15, 1969, 2:58 a.m., Elaine and her family recounted those events to Amarillo police. The report, reviewed by NPR, describes the attacker as a white man between 20 and 30 years old.
He was never caught. But the trauma from that night would stay with Elaine, in her mind and her body, long afterward. One of her sisters later told her that when Elaine returned home that night, she began singing as she bathed herself.
"Knowing what I know now, I think that's a pretty good indication that I was dissociative – that I had checked out."
When the unthinkable is no longer "theoretical"
Elaine says she was in the early stages of puberty, and didn't know what to look out for after the rape. But her mother was paying attention. Several weeks later, around the time of Elaine's 12th birthday in April, her mother said they needed to go back to the doctor.
"My mom just said, 'We've got to, you know, fix some problems down there,' " Elaine says.
At the time, she didn't understand what was happening. But now, as a retired pharmacist, she recognizes that the doctor was performing a common procedure called dilation and curettage, or D&C, which can be used to terminate a pregnancy.
"What I remember about that was the pain," she says. "My anesthesia was squeezing my mother's hand."
Elaine says her mother explained in more detail what had happened a few years afterward, when she was about 16.
"I just said, 'Thank you,' " she says. "There was just no question it was the right thing to do. No question. And I'm just so grateful that I had a mother and a doctor to get me out of that."
When she reflects on it now, Elaine says she's grateful for how her "very Catholic" mother, who died in 2010, handled an impossible situation. She says she understands that some people have strong moral objections to abortion. But to them, she says: "I'm here to tell you, in this kind of a situation you would throw out your religion in half a second. It's easy to say what other people should do when it's theoretical."
Decades later, remembering
She says she couldn't fully face the trauma from her experience for many years — after she became a mother, and watched her own daughter turn 11.
"A lot of my grief was really realizing what it must have been like for my mother to go through something like that," Elaine says.
Elaine spent a few years in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. She says she's sharing her story now because she wants to make clear that these situations do happen, even if people would rather not think about them.
"I think a big part of the reason why we're seeing these draconian laws is because it's been 50 years since Roe," she said. "A few generations have grown up and enough people in today's society don't remember what it was like. ... They don't remember."
In 1969, abortion was illegal in Texas, except to save a pregnant woman's life — as it is again now. This week, several more states are implementing abortion bans in response to this summer's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which had legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. Some bans, in states including Tennessee and Ohio, include no exceptions for rape or incest. Doctors who perform illegal abortions can often face jail time.
While the rape itself was thoroughly documented by Amarillo police at the time, no such records of Elaine's abortion appear to exist. Her doctor died decades ago. And abortions were often carried out in secret, says historian Leslie Reagan, author of the book "When Abortion Was a Crime." She says people who had resources or connections could sometimes find doctors who would discreetly offer the procedure – if the doctor felt it was warranted.
"Something like this, where the patient knows the doctor, the doctor knows the patient and the family – they could be very sympathetic in this situation, which means they would do it," she says. "My guess would be he probably never wrote anything down about this – because, why would he?"
NPR spoke with two family members who say they remember hearing about the rape for years, including one who recalls discussing the abortion more recently.
Reagan says what's happening now looks very much like a repeat of the past.
"This is the result — this is going to be one of the results," Reagan says. "The other results are some people will go all the way through pregnancies and bear children and will be forced into birth."
Stopping the trauma
Elaine sometimes thinks about what would have happened without her family doctor, if she'd been forced to continue the pregnancy as a sixth-grader, still reeling from the trauma of rape.
"I probably would've been shipped off somewhere to have the baby," she says. "But for me – being 4'10", 100 pounds – it would've been a guaranteed C-section, no question. And the thought of that is just abhorrent."
Now, with three grown children out of the house and living with her husband high on a hill overlooking the mountains around Santa Fe, Elaine says she feels compelled to speak up – for girls like her who can't.
"What these children need above all is for it to be over – they need the trauma to stop," she said.
Elaine says if she could say anything to Dr. Bernard's 10-year-old patient, it would be a very simple message:
"This was not your fault. This was a bad, bad man who did this to you. And you're going to have a lot of people who love you, who are going to help you get through this. And you're going to be OK."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/for-one-rape-survivor-new-abortion-bans-bring-back-old-painful-memories | 2022-08-26T20:28:25Z |
As monkeypox continues to spread in the gay community, queer bars have become a place to get information about how to stay safe, without adding to the rising stigma.
MPR’s Camille Petersen reports.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/how-gay-bars-are-educating-people-about-monkeypox | 2022-08-26T20:28:31Z |
Here's an open secret: IPOs, Initial Public Offerings, aren't actually public. Insider investors buy all the shares the night before. Spotify tried to change that.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Here's an open secret: IPOs, Initial Public Offerings, aren't actually public. Insider investors buy all the shares the night before. Spotify tried to change that.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/how-spotify-did-an-ipo-on-its-own-terms | 2022-08-26T20:28:32Z |
Librarians in Missouri are preparing for a law that bans school personnel from providing sexually explicit material to students — an escalation in the effort to remove books from schools, some say.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Librarians in Missouri are preparing for a law that bans school personnel from providing sexually explicit material to students — an escalation in the effort to remove books from schools, some say.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/missouri-schools-are-taking-books-off-shelves-due-to-sexually-explicit-content-ban | 2022-08-26T20:28:38Z |
Updated August 26, 2022 at 3:31 PM ET
The affidavit that the FBI used to get a warrant for searching former President Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago is now public. A redacted version of the document was released by a federal court this afternoon.
Of the 32 pages in the affidavit from an FBI special agent with expertise in counterintelligence and espionage investigations, nearly half were covered in thick black lines masking information that had demonstrated to a federal judge the need to search Trump's Florida property. Eight pages of exhibits and supplementary information were also released, which were not redacted.
"Probable cause exists to believe that evidence, contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed" was being improperly stored in various places at Mar-a-Lago, the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, 184 classified documents, including 25 marked "Top Secret," were found among 15 boxes that the National Archives had obtained from Mar-a-Lago earlier in the year, as well as others denoted with labels indicating they contained national security information, such as "FISA." Some of those documents were intermixed with other files, loose and unlabeled, which prompted the Archives to refer the case to the Justice Department.
As the department worked with Trump and his attorneys, it became concerned about the nature of other records at the property, and that they were no adequately protected or stored. The Justice Department also grew concerned about misleading public statements from Trump and a former administration official about the materials that the Archives had recovered, the affidavit shows.
Shortly after the affidavit was released on Friday, Trump made an emotional statement on his Truth Social media account, referring to the search as "the Break-In of my home."
He also said federal law enforcement was carrying out "a total public relations subterfuge," without providing explanation, and declared "WE GAVE THEM MUCH" when he described his voluntary turning over of some of the materials improperly kept at Mar-a-Lago.
Since the search was executed on Aug. 8, threats of violence toward the FBI have increased. Anticipating the potential for violence from Trump supporters, the agent in the affidavit asked for it to be sealed. The agent also said publicly releasing it could lead to criminal activity.
"I believe that sealing this document is necessary because the items and information to be seized are relevant to an ongoing investigation and the FBI has not yet identified all potential criminal confederates nor located all evidence related to its investigation," the unidentified agent wrote in the affidavit. "Premature disclosure of the contents of this affidavit and related documents may have a significant and negative impact on the continuing investigation and may severely jeopardize its effectiveness by allowing criminal parties an opportunity to flee, destroy evidence (stored electronically and otherwise), change patterns of behavior, and notify criminal confederates."
The country's main court filing system, known as PACER, was unable to handle the downloading demand for the document, which pushed the release until after the court-mandated deadline of noon.
Media organizations went to court to demand that the public be able see the affidavit laying out the reasons and research for the unprecedented search. The Justice Department then countered that it contains information that could compromise ongoing investigations as well as the safety of federal employees.
Judge Bruce Reinhart last week ordered the department to provide him with a redacted version to consider for release. On Thursday he said the government had made its case that disclosing all of the affidavit would reveal witnesses, the investigation's strategy, its scope and grand jury information and there was reason to keep much of it under wraps for now. But he said that the government's proposed redactions were tailored narrowly enough to protect the integrity of the investigation and provided "the least onerous alternative" to keeping the entire document sealed.
The affidavit also explains the work of a "Privilege Review Team" to identify and segregate documents that may be shielded by attorney-client privilege. Still, Trump has asked a different judge to halt the FBI review of the Mar-a-Lago documents and appoint a neutral special master. That judge has given him a deadline, also on Friday, to resubmit his request outlining and clarifying jurisdiction and legal points made in his first request.
At the request of Trump's lawyers, the FBI attached a letter where the lawyers stated that Trump "readily and voluntarily" agreed to give the Archives documents it had requested, and made the argument that the criminal statute on classified materials does not apply to presidents or former presidents, essentially saying that Trump could not break the law. They also restate Trump's point of view that a president has absolute authority to declassify documents.
President Biden refers questions about the affidavit to the DOJ
President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election, cracked a joke on Friday when asked about Trump's assertion that as president he had the power to declassify all of the documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
"I just want you to know I've declassified everything in the world. I'm president. I can do it," Biden said sarcastically. "Come on."
While speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden also said he would not comment on the affidavit and referred questions to the Justice Department, adding, "I don't know the details. I don't even want to know."
Before the redacted affidavit was published, the court released the Justice Department's memo arguing why information should be kept under wraps. Although it, too, had large redacted sessions, the memo shed additional light on the investigation into how the former president took potentially secret documents home.
It indicated there are "a significant number of civilian witnesses," in the investigation.
"The government has well-founded concerns that steps may be taken to frustrate or otherwise interfere with this investigation if facts in the affidavit were prematurely disclosed," the Justice Department also said in the memo.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/over-180-classified-docs-removed-by-national-archives-from-mar-a-lago-affidavit-says | 2022-08-26T20:28:45Z |
The affidavit the FBI used in to get a warrant to search former president Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago is now public. A redacted version of the document was released by a federal court in Florida.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The affidavit the FBI used in to get a warrant to search former president Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago is now public. A redacted version of the document was released by a federal court in Florida.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/the-redacted-affidavit-used-to-justify-the-mar-a-lago-search-has-been-released | 2022-08-26T20:28:52Z |
NPR's Sequoia Carrillo and Carolina Rodriguez of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program examine Biden's announcement and help answer some questions about how this might actually work.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Sequoia Carrillo and Carolina Rodriguez of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program examine Biden's announcement and help answer some questions about how this might actually work.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/what-to-know-if-youre-hoping-for-student-loan-cancellation | 2022-08-26T20:28:52Z |
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann to discuss findings from the Justice Department's release of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann to discuss findings from the Justice Department's release of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-26/what-were-learning-from-the-redacted-mar-a-lago-search-affidavit | 2022-08-26T20:28:59Z |
There’s a new dinosaur in the Mountain West – or rather, a newly identified 74-million-year-old dinosaur.
It’s called Bisticeratops froeseorum, and it was an approximately 18-foot-long herbivore that looked a bit like its more famous relative triceratops (though that Hollywood star wouldn’t come along for millions of more years and farther north).
While its name is a mouthful, it's partially based on where the dino was found – the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area in New Mexico – and after the Froese family in the German electronic band Tangerine Dream – a favorite of lead researcher Sebastian Dalman.
“Paleontologists are unusual people. So you could probably say we have unusual musical taste,” said Dr. Spencer Lucas, who co-published an article about the new find and curates for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
A large portion of the animal’s skull was found near the Four Corners region of New Mexico in the 1970s, and was recently identified as both a new species and genus. That part of the country is a paleontology hotspot, where everything from new horned species to new predators have been found in recent years.
“I think a lot of paleontologists realize that we knew a lot less about the southern dinosaurs, if you will, than what we knew about the northern. So I do think there's been this shift in attention to try to beef up the fossil record of dinosaurs that lived in what's now the Southwest,” Lucas said.
Lucas added that Bisticeratops is part of a growing, diverse group of horned animals being identified that are unique to specific areas.
“We've got a lot of them already, but there's probably maybe, who knows, two, three, five, 15 times the number of horned dinosaur species that we know today,” he said.
Steven Jasinski, a professor at Harrisburg University, also worked on this discovery, and he put it this way:
“If we walked back into the late Cretaceous when these animals were around – about 74 million years ago – if you took a drive, you would end up probably passing several different types of horned dinosaurs on that drive, because there there's a lot of differences in the species and they're living close to each other,” he said.
Both Jasinski and Lucas said knowing about these diverse dinosaur species and how they lived – or died – in the ensuing mass-extinction is an important lesson to modern-day humans.
Animals were still evolving and diversifying in the lead-up to that extinction – and still relatively few survived.
The United Nations warns of current-day extinctions that are accelerating as humans develop more areas and climate change alters environments around the globe. Jasinski warns that if we can’t change the trajectory, we could lose out on the benefits that our modern-day diversity brings.
“There's a lot of things that we get from biodiversity that we haven't realized yet. There's new medicines and new techniques that are determined from the biological world all the time,” he said.
As for this Bisticeratops, it may have met its own grisly end. Paleontologists discovered bite marks on the skull from a large predator – but that could have just been from scavenging after it was already dead some 74 million years ago.
For dinosaur fans who'd like to see the newly identified species in person, Bisticeratops’ skull is currently on display at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Copyright 2022 Boise State Public Radio News. To see more, visit Boise State Public Radio News. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/science/2022-08-26/new-dinosaur-find-part-of-previously-unknown-level-of-dino-diversity-in-the-southwest | 2022-08-26T20:29:05Z |
BOOMERANG page plan for WEEKEND, Aug. 20
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2022 UW FOOTBALL PRIMER Get to know this year’s Wyoming Cowboys in our annual preview magazine, Inside
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CHANGE DAY AT TOP OF A1 TO “SATURDAY” – PRICE $3.00
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B6 (send color) – FULL-PAGE AD (MOVE FROM D6, PLS)
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- David will give a specific page plan for sports, but here’s the BW/Color situation for these pages
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D Classifieds (send color)
D1-D2 classifieds (send color)
D3-D4 COMICS/PUZZLES (send B&W)
D5-D6 – WIRE (send B&W) – MOVE FULL-PAGE AD FROM D6 TO B6 PLS
- D5 nation, D6 world, pls | https://www.wyomingnews.com/boomerang-page-plan-aug-27/article_6097482a-2572-11ed-a867-a3a1955ec21f.html | 2022-08-26T20:34:14Z |
JACKSON — An attorney representing abortion foes looking to uphold Wyoming’s ban said restricting access to abortion protects women’s health.
“The harms to women from abortion are well-documented,” said Denise Harle, the senior counsel and director of the Center for Life at the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal advocacy group.
“Everything from physical harms from hemorrhaging, sepsis infection, death to psychological harms,” Harle said. “There’s a wealth of research showing women after abortions have increased risks of suicide, PTSD, eating disorders and depression.”
However, a Jackson OB-GYN who is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the ban, said the health risks of a full-term pregnancy are greater than those associated with abortions, particularly those performed early in a pregnancy.
The state’s ban is on hold.
Ninth District Court Judge Melissa Owens decided earlier this month that it potentially “transgresses” the state Constitution, meriting a halt on its enforcement until the lawsuit challenging the ban can be decided.
Harle, alongside Cheyenne attorney Frederick Harrison, represents two individuals and an organization that want to intervene in the case: state Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody; state Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, and Right to Life of Wyoming.
Speaking from Georgia, where the Alliance is based, Harle (pronounced Har-ley) discussed the arguments against access to abortion the intervenors plan to make.
Of the resources Harle cited about how abortions harm women was a 2011 PubMed study that measured the association between abortion and indicators of adverse mental health from 1995-2009 and a Charlotte Lozier Institute report on the reality of late-term abortions.
The Charlotte Lozier Institute’s goal, according to the organization’s website, is to “promote deeper public understanding of the value of human life, motherhood, and fatherhood, and to identify policies and practices that will protect life.”
OB-GYN Dr. Giovannina Anthony, who is fighting the criminal ban in court, agreed with the Lozier Institute finding but stated that late-term abortions constitute the minority of procedures and pale in comparison with the risks associated with a full-term pregnancy.
“Almost 90% of abortions in 2020 were before 12 weeks,” Dr. Anthony said. “I agree that abortions performed after 15 weeks have more risk, as she mentions, but this is still a fraction of the risk of the exact same complications that occur with a full-term pregnancy.
“Ironically, by making abortion illegal or difficult to access, this will force women to delay, travel and drive up the second-trimester abortion rate when those women could have had a safer first-trimester abortion.”
In 2020, the risk of death with a full-term pregnancy in the U.S. was 23.8 per 100,000, Dr. Anthony said.
“The risk of dying from a full-term pregnancy is thousands of percentage points higher than dying from abortion at 18 weeks, and even higher compared to first-trimester pregnancy,” Dr. Anthony said. “If we use this logic, every pregnant woman should be informed that abortion is safer and almost 20 times less likely to kill her than a full-term pregnancy.”
Regarding the potentially unconstitutional vagueness of the current language in the law advising on what constitutes a medical emergency, Harle said the defense plans to submit “expert affidavits” from OB-GYNs to show that women are “completely safe” in emergency circumstances when using “basic, reasonable medical judgment.”
“With a medical emergency, every state law allows for treatment when the life of the mother is at risk,” Harle said. “If a doctor can save the life of a mother and that requires terminating the pregnancy, that’s permissible.”
“It’s frustrating to hear pro-abortion doctors acting like they don’t know the difference between an abortion and what’s not an abortion,” she continued. “They’re inserting chaos and causing fear in women by pretending they don’t know the difference.”
Anthony, who has spent three decades caring for pregnant women, responded to Harle’s comment in an email, saying: “That anyone would suggest that after 30 years of obstetrics and gynecology care I or any of my colleagues would ‘pretend’ to not know what an abortion is defies all logic and common sense.
“Take away my ability to provide safe and evidence-based obstetric and gynecologic care, as she is doing, and the chaos and fear that will ensue (and is ensuing) will endanger every reproductive-age woman in this country.”
When asked how the statute doesn’t mention lethal fetal abnormalities, Harle said fetal deaths that have already occurred in the womb, such as miscarriages, are not considered an abortion, but did not directly address fetal abnormalities.
“If you look at the basic definition of abortion it’s the ‘intentional, elective ending of human life in womb,’ ” Harle said. “That’s not the same as treating a miscarriage, and any OB-GYN would know the difference between performing an abortion to end a baby’s life versus a miscarriage where the baby has already died.”
“Every child deserves to be born even if they may face different circumstances,” Harle said. “Abortion has the effect of killing a child every single time and harming the mom. No one should be killed because they may be poor.”
When asked about the recent cuts to maternity care in rural Wyoming communities such as Kemmerer, Rawlins and Riverton, where clinics have been closed due to staffing difficulties and budget cuts, Harle mentioned the work that Rep. Rodriguez-Williams is doing and stressed the need for more programs that support mothers.
“I have no idea what’s going on in terms of the economy, employment issues, but I definitely know that [Rodriguez-Williams] is the executive director of a pregnancy clinic, one of more than 3,000 pregnancy centers around the nation that provide free resources, counseling, support, ultrasounds, blankets, diapers, clothes, job training to women facing unplanned pregnancies in Wyoming.”
Rodriguez-Williams sponsored House Bill 92, Wyoming’s trigger law for abortion restrictions that was set to take effect in if the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, which it did in June. Neiman was a co-sponsor.
On its website, the Serenity Pregnancy Resource Center lists itself as a Christ-centered ministry that “provides alternatives to abortion” while also offering “post abortion support.”
Neither Rep. Rodriguez-Williams nor Rep. Neiman responded to requests for comment.
“We would look forward to seeing laws passed that provide real support to women, actually empowering women,” Harle said. “Having to end her child’s life to find success is not supporting the woman.”
Harle was also asked how the Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit legal organization that aligns itself with protecting religious freedom, responds to a Jewish plaintiff who has claimed that the ban infringes on her religious freedom because she has a different moral conception of when life begins.
“This would be a misunderstanding in terms of religious freedom,” Harle said. “This particular claim has been rejected time and time again.”
Harle cited unsuccessful attempts by the Satanic Temple, recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt church, to bring lawsuits arguing their church has a “Satanic Abortion Ritual” and that exempts its members from state restrictions. If someone says that their conscience would permit them to engage in something that the state has deemed a crime, this is not an effective legal argument, Harle said.
“Pro-life laws are not based on religion,” Harle said. “They are consistent with the Constitution, what laws permit and science, since science says from the moment of conception the baby has its own DNA, heartbeat in a matter of days, and organs are formed by eight to nine weeks.”
The Alliance Defending Freedom cited the Lozier Institute for these conclusions.
A remote scheduling conference is slated for 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 27. The hearing was scheduled to give both parties time to respond to both motions — the motion to certify the lawsuit challenging the ban to the Supreme Court and the motion to approve the three anti-abortion intervenors.
According to Alexandra Ralph, judicial assistant to 9th Judicial District Judge Melissa Owens, “nothing substantive will be discussed.”
“This conference is to set other hearings and deadlines,” Ralph said in an email. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/anti-abortion-lawyer-defends-state-ban-seeks-to-join-suit/article_1005256a-2493-11ed-89ee-73218a7846bd.html | 2022-08-26T20:34:20Z |
The National Elk Refuge has received a diesel-fueled crematory in which it plans to incinerate the carcasses of elk possibly infected with chronic wasting disease.
Officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reserve in Jackson have applied for a permit from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to operate the “mobile crematory for ungulates.”
The state agency regulates emissions from engines like the one to be used in the crematory and is scrutinizing the application.
The crematory recently arrived at the 24,700-acre reserve on a semi-trailer. It will be installed at a maintenance facility at the north end of the refuge, a site generally off-limits to the public.
The DEQ permit would allow emissions from the crematory chimney, none of which are expected to include the CWD infecting agent — malformed proteins called prions. Incineration is one of the few known methods of eliminating the prions, which can otherwise linger in the environment, including in plants and soil, for years.
CWD is a nervous system disorder similar to mad cow disease that withers animals before their inevitable death. Infected animals shed the misshapen proteins through bodily fluids, feces and decomposing tissue.
Infected elk usually don’t show symptoms during the first year of infection and can spread prions during that time. They usually die within two years of infection, according to refuge documents.
Any infection would threaten the refuge and the 11,000 or so elk in the Jackson Elk Herd, part of which inhabits the reserve in winter.
“Based on the contract standards, it’s not possible for those prions to go airborne,” Eric Cole, senior wildlife biologist at the refuge, said. No smoke will be visible from the incinerator chimney, according to the refuge’s application to the DEQ.
The crematory will reduce a carcass weight by 95% and ashes “will be sterile and biologically inert,” the DEQ application states.
“Carcass incineration is part of the approved CWD response strategy,” signed in April 2021, Cole said. “Any elk exhibiting CWD symptoms will be euthanized, sampled and the carcass will be incinerated.”
A hunter in Grand Teton National Park’s elk reduction program in 2020 killed a cow elk just north of the refuge that tested positive for CWD. With that, the Jackson Elk Herd was officially deemed infected.
Although CWD has not been detected within the refuge itself, wildlife managers are fearful it will arrive there and spread among animals concentrated on supplemental feed doled out in the winter.
“Somewhat surprisingly,” there have been no discoveries of CWD-infected elk in the Jackson herd since the one found in 2020, Cole said.
“Most likely CWD is only at trace levels within the bounds of the Jackson Elk Herd,” he said.
That’s based on a robust sampling of elk that die on the refuge during winter, elk killed by hunters on the refuge, elk that are killed or die in Grand Teton National Park and hunter-killed elk sampled by Wyoming Game and Fish Department in other parts of the herd’s habitat. About 7,000 elk spend time on the refuge during the winter while the rest of the 11,000-strong herd winters on a couple of Wyoming Game and Fish feedgrounds in the Gros Ventre River drainage or on other lands, mostly north of Jackson.
Each year the agencies — Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and Game and Fish Department — collect between 300-400 lymph node samples from dead elk to analyze. That collection allows biologists to surmise, with 95% confidence, that the infection rate in the herd hovers at or below 1%, Cole said.
Under the CWD strategy, refuge workers will kill elk that look to be infected and dying of CWD. Symptoms include lethargy, excessive salivation, a drooped head and other similar signs of a deteriorating central nervous system.
There’s no practical way to test a living elk for CWD.
“Based on past experience, any elk that is exhibiting CWD symptoms is unlikely to survive for long,” Cole wrote in an email. “Euthanizing animals exhibiting CWD symptoms is an important way to reduce disease transmission to other animals and help ensure the health of the Jackson Elk Herd.”
“This [euthanasia and incineration] is likely one of the most effective ways we can do that,” he said of maintaining herd health. “This is the strategy we’re committed to.”
Refuge workers will incinerate all suspect carcasses, he said, without waiting for the results of CWD tests, which can take weeks to receive.
Elk that die for reasons other than suspected CWD — those that are killed by predators, for example — will be left for a period for scavengers to exploit. “After they are scavenged, the remaining bones will be collected and incinerated,” Cole said.
Annual elk antler collection by Boy Scouts would not be affected unless science emerges that shows antlers can transmit the disease, Elk Refuge Manager Frank Durbian said.
The plan calls for incinerating only elk carcasses from the refuge. Even though it is called a mobile crematory, it will be used in one location only, under current plans. Once the crematory is operating, suspect carcasses will be moved directly to the incinerator using a front-end loader or other dedicated machine.
Carcasses will be loaded through a door at the top of the incineration chamber. They will burn at between 1,600-1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
The crematory and trailer weigh about 33 tons. The assembly cost $486,526, not including the air permit and consultant support, refuge officials said.
The crematory could be used up to 500 hours a year and can incinerate up to 1,000 pounds of carcass an hour, according to its specifications. An average mature elk weighs between 700 and 1,100 pounds, according to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, suggesting that the crematory could incinerate up to about 550 elk a year.
There is no firm evidence that CWD prions can infect people. But experiments show the cousin of the human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can move from ungulates to primates — specifically macaque monkeys — even through the ingestion of muscle meat.The Centers for Disease Control and other agencies recommend not consuming meat from an animal infected with CWD. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/elk-refuge-gets-crematory-for-cwd-infected-animals/article_876e142e-2563-11ed-bd0b-bb2e2e5c7026.html | 2022-08-26T20:34:26Z |
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