What goes through my my mind when I read the news with my morning coffee. …Or for the Simon's Rockers in the group, this is my response journal.
“Every year, as the fire’s rage & California burns, it is the same thing-and then he comes to the Federal Government for $$$ help,” Trump said. “No more. Get your act together Governor. You don’t see close to the level of burn in other states.”
Newsom responded on Twitter that, since Trump does not believe in climate change, he is “excused from this conversation.”
California wildfires: Trump threatens to cut funding to fight fires
hmmmm
Oklahoma voters approved a state question in 2016 that changed simple drug possession and low-level property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. Stitt signed a bill this year that retroactively adjusted those sentences, approving a fast-track commutation docket for those who met the criteria.
…The state is also making sure that the released inmates receive a state-issued driver’s license or state-issued identification card — items that are key as those inmates begin to reenter society, apply for jobs and seek housing.
Hundreds of Oklahoma inmates being released Monday in largest commutation in U.S. history
hmmm
After an emotional fight that laid bare the chasm between California’s communities of color and police, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed Assembly Bill 392, creating what some have described as one of the toughest standards in the nation for when law enforcement officers can kill.
…Language requiring deescalation and a definition of what “necessary” force means were removed, along with passages about potential “criminal negligence” of officers involved in lethal incidents.
…Though the final bill doesn’t go as far as some wanted, supporters say it’s a first step in changing the culture of policing in California.
“The bill is watered down, everybody knows that,” said Stevante Clark, brother of Stephon Clark, who was shot by Sacramento police in March 2018. “But at least we are getting something done. At least we are having the conversation now.”
…[Newsom] acknowledged the bill’s intent to change police culture would be determined by how it’s implemented.
…The new language will require that law enforcement use deadly force only when “necessary,” instead of the current wording of when it is “reasonable.” In large urban law enforcement departments that already train for deescalation and crisis intervention, day-to-day policing will probably not noticeably change.
The law also prohibits police from firing on fleeing felons who don’t pose an immediate danger.
…Nationwide, a recent study found that about 1 in 1,000 black men and boys can expect to die at the hands of law enforcement, and that people of color regardless of gender are killed by police at higher rates than their white counterparts.
…Racial bias in policing is not directly addressed by AB 392, but implicit-bias training will probably be a part of new training standards.
Supporters argue that more emphasis on nonlethal practices will reduce lethal use-of-force incidents overall.
Newsom signs ‘Stephon Clark Law’ AB 392, covering police use of force – Los Angeles Times
hmmm
“The campaign has made a strategic decision to realign resources to go all-in on Iowa, resulting in office closures and staff realignments and reductions in New Hampshire,” said spokesman Nate Evans.
…The campaign’s field organizers working in the state were all laid off Thursday, per a campaign source. The remaining skeletal staff will work out of Manchester.
The office there appeared closed and empty during two visits in the morning, but a light was on later in the day. A man walked out in the early afternoon and said the campaign was going well. There were still dozens of bright yellow lawn signs, a big drawing of the phonetic pronunciation of “Kamala” and information about how to receive text messages from the campaign.
New Hampshire has never been seen as a priority for Harris, though until this week she had insisted that she intended to compete vigorously here.
…The top-tier Democratic candidates have dozens of staffers on the ground here, some over 60, with offices in each of the ten counties throughout the state.
Kamala Harris shutters offices throughout New Hampshire – POLITICO
hmmm
Dang…. Not even gonna file in person? Guess she’s all in on not getting a single vote in NH.
Shaheen was selected for her leadership in championing policies that provide tax relief for all brewers and beer importers and encouraged free trade.
…New Hampshire is home to 116 breweries, and the beer industry helps create 13,000 jobs in the state.
Shaheen cosponsored the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (S. 362) to provide permanent excise tax relief to America’s brewers and beer importers, ensuring they have the resources to reinvest in their businesses, hire new employees and continue to innovate and create America’s favorite beers. She also cosponsored the Aluminum Pricing Examination (APEX) Act (S. 1953) to allow more oversight and investigation into the aluminum market, providing transparency and stability brewers need to can their beer for consumers.
hmmm
At a probation hearing related to the utility’s deadly 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Judge William Alsup said the embattled utility hasn’t done enough to prevent wildfires through tree trimming and other maintenance work — even while its shareholders made millions.
“PG&E pumped out $4.5 billion in dividends and let the tree budget wither,” Alsup said.
But the judge declined to impose more sweeping changes that he’d earlier floated, including requiring PG&E to inspect its entire electrical grid.
…State fire investigators also blamed PG&E for 18 of the more than 170 wildfires that swept Northern California in October 2017. And the utility has acknowledged that its equipment likely started the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, which destroyed nearly 14,000 homes in the town of Paradise and killed 85 people.
…On Tuesday, the judge also directed a federal monitor to conduct random inspections of the tree-trimming program.
Judge: PG&E Paid Out Stock Dividends Instead of Trimming Trees | The California Report | KQED News
hmmmm
A Phoenix police officer who drew his gun on a black family and yelled profanities at them over a Family Dollar doll will be let go from the department, Police Chief Jeri Williams announced on Tuesday.
…Meyers approached their parked car without warning, began banging on their car window with a gun, and threatened to shoot the couple.
A resident at the apartment complex recorded a video of the interaction, which includes footage of Meyers telling Ames, “you’re going to get fucking shot” when he didn’t immediately open his car door. He then said, “I’m going to put a cap in your ass.” At one point, officers tried to strip one of Harper’s daughters from her and demanded Harper put her baby on the hot pavement; she refused.
…The decision comes four months after cell phone video of the family’s violent arrest went viral and sparked a $10 million lawsuit against the city. The slew of charges includes battery, unlawful imprisonment, and violation of the family’s civil rights.
…A disciplinary review board initially recommended Officer Christopher Meyer be suspended for six weeks. But Williams said the suggested punishment was “not sufficient to reverse the adverse effects of his actions on our department and our community.”
“Our officers are dispatched 1,800 times each day when our community needs us and 99% of the time we get it right,” Williams added, according to Arizona Central. “But when we don’t, it does come at a cost. Nearly 4,000 other members of the Phoenix Police Department must bear the burden of that failed contact with our community members.”
…Swick was exposed by the Plainview Project, a site dedicated to calling out police officers’ racist and discriminatory social media postings. Swick had posted bigoted comments targeting black people and Muslims, including a meme suggesting speeding drivers drive their cars into Ferguson protestors.
“No chief ever wants to discuss discipline like this in a public format,” Williams said. “I expect my officers to be respectful, to be professional, to be courteous, and that is not what happened in (these) cases.”
Phoenix Police Fire Officer Who Pulled Gun on Family Over a Stolen Doll
Police department discipline is a bad joke. Slaps on the wrists have no power to change bad behavior.
Bad PR has no power to move the needle. Money talks. The only thing police departments respond to is huge bills from lawsuits.
With all respect to the Chief and the good decisions he made here ALL POLICE DISCIPLINE INCIDENTS NEED TO BE COMPLETELY PUBLIC. The public pays their salaries, the police work for the public, and the public will have to foot the bill when the department is sued into oblivion for bad behavior by its officers. Any secrecy by police departments is not a HR issue, it is a public safety issue and it cannot continue. Only sunlight will bleach the disgusting decay that operating under cover of darkness allows to fester.
Trump booed at World Series game and leaves early amid chants of ‘lock him up’ | The Independent
Apparently the Cheeto forgot that people in DC loathe his orange ass. Dipshit.
The state’s 1890 Constitution …requires candidates for statewide office to win not just a majority of the vote but also a majority of the 122 districts in the state House. If a candidate wins a majority of the statewide vote but not a majority of the districts, the members of the Republican-controlled state House choose who wins the election. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the Mississippi House of Representatives picks a winner from the two candidates who received the most votes.
…That’s unless a federal judge strikes down the constitutional provision. A federal judge in Jackson is set to hear oral arguments in McLemore v. Hosemann on Friday.
Mississippi Is About To Have An Election Under Jim Crow | HuffPost
hmmm
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several laws Wednesday aimed at increasing housing density by limiting cities’ ability to block new construction and making it easier to build so-called granny flats, part of a larger push to boost supply as California grapples with a severe housing shortage.
The farthest reaching new law will limit “downzoning,” or reducing the number of units that can be built in a particular space, such as only allowing a single-family home on a lot previously zoned for an apartment building.
…One new law will limit cities’ ability to prevent homeowners from building second and third units less than 16 feet tall provided there is enough space to build them at least 4 feet from property lines. Another will limit fees cities and counties charge people who want to build additional units.
Newsom signs California housing laws on granny flats, zoning | The Sacramento Bee
hmmm
Tyson, 63, owes court-ordered fines and fees for three felony convictions, one for robbery, two for theft, all decades old. Under a Florida law that went into effect July 1, he must pay those penalties before casting a ballot or risk being prosecuted for voter fraud.
Tyson searched court records, first on his own, then with the help of a nonprofit legal advocacy group. They say that because Florida has no comprehensive system for tracking such fines, the documents don’t make clear what he owes. The records, viewed by Reuters, show potential sums ranging from $846 to a couple thousand dollars related to crimes he committed in the late 1970s and 1990s. Tyson says he won’t risk voting until Florida authorities can tell him for sure.
Restoring felon voting rights a ‘mess’ in battleground Florida – Reuters
sigh…
…The Pono tourism movement. “Pono” is a Hawaiian word having a multi-faceted meaning, but, concisely, it connotes an ethos of respect, uprightness, prosperity and well-being.
“Many travelers visiting the Hawaiian Islands don’t necessarily understand why we stay on the trail when we hike, why we care about protecting our reefs, and many of the dangers they need to be mindful of,” said Jay Talwar, HVCB’s chief marketing officer. “Rather than scold them, we felt that, if our residents shared the ‘whys’ behind appropriate behavior, then most visitors would follow along; in other words, if we don’t show them the trail, how can we expect them to stay on it? That’s what our new Kuleana Campaign aims to do.”
Hawaiian Tourism Authorities Launch New Visitor Education Campaign | TravelPulse
nice!
Harris’ national press secretary, gave the story—and several similar takes throughout the day—a retweet.
“This now has 5 million views,” Lily Adams, Harris’ communications director, wrote on Twitter, linking to a C-SPAN video that showed the full exchange between Harris and Barr.
But far outside Washington, on the presidential campaign trail, Harris is receiving less attention.
…While strategists and activists agree it’s hardly too late for the California senator to pull off a surprise victory, warning signs are popping up for her campaign in Iowa and beyond.
“In June she said we were going to be seeing her a lot,” Drahozal said. “We have not heard back from her directly.”
…“If the strategy is New Hampshire is not important to their campaign, that’s an OK strategy, but don’t get mad when people point it out,” one Democrat who has long worked in the state said.
…“For Kamala, what happened in these states is that she didn’t stake out a lane and stay focused in that lane,” one Democratic strategist in the state unaffiliated with any campaign, said. “I think she underestimated the strength in the black community of Joe Biden, and she underestimated the strength of the progressive community” for Warren.
Kamala Harris Touts Tough Image as Her 2020 Presidential Campaign Slips in Key Early States
The world inside the DC bubble is often not reflected in the real world. You cannot campaign in South Carolina or New Hampshire the same way you do in California. Both of these points seem to have eluded the Senator’s organization. If she still wants to be President of the United States -as opposed to, say, President of California- she would do well to heed them.
A New Hampshire mother is calling for the removal of a teacher who she said grabbed her daughter and chopped a chunk of hair when she wouldn’t stop playing with it.
sigh…
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