Rachel Maddow: Trump May Have Cooked Up ‘Taped Women’ From ‘Sicario’ | HuffPost
sigh….
Category: Domestic Affairs,
Canada Is Sending A Generation Of Indigenous Children To Jail
Nearly 50 per cent of youth in Canadian jails are Indigenous.
…98 per cent (no, that is not a typo) of girls in Saskatchewan jails are Indigenous. In Manitoba, approximately 80 per cent of both girls and boys in custody are Indigenous.
…Forty-three per cent of all adult women in Canadian jails are Indigenous, yet Indigenous people make up only 5 per cent of Canada’s overall population.
Canada Is Sending A Generation Of Indigenous Children To Jail | HuffPost Canada
Whoa!
Mitch McConnell: Democrats’ Voting Rights Bill Just A ‘Political Power Grab’
The act contains a package of reforms geared toward making voting more accessible to all Americans.
…The bill would force [Trump,] as well as future presidential candidates, to release their tax returns and would require super PACs to make their private donors public as a way of incentivizing smaller donations.
The bill also aims to make Election Day a paid holiday for federal workers ― a proposal that might encourage private businesses to do likewise, thus allowing more voters to get to the polls.
…Nonwhite voters typically have lower turnout than white voters and also tend to vote more for Democrats. Minorities make up at least 35 percent of the federal workforce, according to FEDweek. Data released last year from the Public Religion Research Institute and The Atlantic also found that black and Hispanic respondents were twice as likely as white respondents to face difficulty getting time off from work to vote.
Mitch McConnell: Democrats’ Voting Rights Bill Just A ‘Political Power Grab’ | HuffPost
Now Mitchy, you know the real power grab is not making it easier to vote for groups your party is less popular with.
Donald Trump Admits He Didn’t Read Intelligence Report, Then Criticizes Reporting on It
Trump admitted he had not read an intelligence report when speaking to the press on Thursday. But that did not stop him criticizing how the press had reported on it.
…The intelligence report in question—the Worldwide Threat Assessment released by Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats this week—seemingly contradicted many of Trump’s claims about North Korea, Russia and the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).
Donald Trump Admits He Didn’t Read Intelligence Report, Then Criticizes Reporting on It
hmmmm
Non-public materials from special counsel case used in pro-Russian Tweets to discredit Russia probe
The situation stems from terabytes of data in the criminal case against Russian company Concord Management and Consulting, which is accused of funding a social media effort aimed at swaying American voters in 2016. The Justice Department has been turning over evidence to Concord’s US-based legal team, who can review it with a limited number of people as they fight the case.
Prosecutors now allege that some of the information turned over to Concord before trial got out in October — after a now-suspended Twitter user touted that it had a “Mueller database” and a computer with a Russian IP address published thousands of documents online.
More than a thousand of those documents were part of the case’s evidence collection, and were listed online under labels and folders known only to those involved in the case, the prosecutors said.
????!
Virginia abortion bill: Governor Ralph Northam under fire for comments on late-term abortion bill proposed by Kathy Tran allowing third-trimester abortions
“Republicans in Virginia and across the country are trying to play politics with women’s health, and that is exactly why these decisions belong between a woman and her physician, not legislators, most of whom are men,” the statement reads. “No woman seeks a third trimester abortion except in the case of tragic or difficult circumstances, such as a nonviable pregnancy or in the event of severe fetal abnormalities, and the governor’s comments were limited to the actions physicians would take in the event that a woman in those circumstances went into labor.”
Yheskel added: “Attempts to extrapolate these comments otherwise is in bad faith and underscores exactly why the governor believes physicians and women, not legislators, should make these difficult and deeply personal medical decisions.”
hmmmm
McConnell blasts House bill that makes Election Day a federal holiday
McConnell, on Wednesday, criticized the bill as the “Democratic political protection act” and that it would create a “Washington-based taxpayer-subsidized clearinghouse for political campaign funding.”
The package, which is considered a signature issue for House Democrats, includes legislation that makes Election Day a holiday for federal employees. It also encourages private business to give employees the day off.
McConnell blasts House bill that makes Election Day a federal holiday | TheHill
Weh, weh, weh all the way home.
What are you afraid of, Mitch, more Federal Workers voting?
Maybe instead of crying foul and pretending that encouraging citizens to do their civic duty is somehow partisan politics, your party could stop asking them to work for free? Maybe they wouldn’t vote against you in such huge numbers if you stopped doing that?
Asshat.
A controversial bill aimed to block protests like Standing Rock is back in the Wyoming Legislature | Local News | trib.com
After a veto by then-Gov. Matt Mead at the close of the 2018 budget session, legislation that would create criminal charges for impeding fossil fuel facilities and pipelines during protests is back in the Wyoming Legislature.
Similar in scope to bills introduced in statehouses across the country following the Dakota Access pipeline protests, Rep. Lloyd Larsen’s Crimes Against Critical Infrastructure bill was written with numerous fixes to address questions raised last year.
However, critics told lawmakers at a packed committee hearing Monday that the bill would still restrict people’s lawful right to protest.
hmmmm
Facebook, Google Draw Scrutiny Over Apps That Collected Data From Teens
In the latest revelation to raise privacy concerns about Silicon Valley’s tech titans, reports have surfaced that Facebook and Google offered adults and teens gift cards for installing apps that would let the companies collect data on their smartphones.
TechCrunch reported Tuesday that, since 2016, Facebook has been paying users — some as young as 13 years old — up to $20 a month to install an app called Facebook Research. The app could give Facebook access to private messages, photos, videos, emails, web searches and browsing activity, the tech news site reported.
…Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote on Twitter: “Wait a minute. Facebook PAID teenagers to install a surveillance device on their phones without telling them it gave Facebook power to spy on them? Some kids as young as 13. Are you serious? “
…This is not the first time Facebook has been accused of going to extreme lengths to get user data. In 2013, it bought a company called Onavo and allegedly used the Onavo app to get more information about WhatsApp, a competing messaging platform that Facebook ultimately bought for $19 billion.
Facebook, Google Draw Scrutiny Over Apps That Collected Data From Teens : NPR
hmmm
Border Patrol asked agents for evidence to back up Trump’s “taped-up women” claims
But two weeks after Trump had started talking about tape-gagged women — when a January 17 Washington Post article had questioned the claim — a top Border Patrol official had to email agents to ask if they had “any information” that the claim was actually true.
…It’s not clear where Trump is getting his information — but it doesn’t appear to be through official intelligence.
…Requests for information to the field usually aren’t made to get information backing up particular claims — much less claims being made by the president, and much less claims the president had been making for, at that point, two weeks. The implication of the email is that — after CBP had already been asked for evidence by the Post and declined comment— high-level border officials didn’t have any evidence they could point to to prove that Trump was telling the truth.
…Border experts have told the Post and other reporters that they’ve never heard of anything like what Trump is talking about.
Border Patrol asked agents for evidence to back up Trump’s “taped-up women” claims – Vox
hmmmm
Trump ordered 15,000 new border and immigration officers — but got thousands of vacancies instead
Two years after President Trump signed orders to hire 15,000 new border agents and immigration officers, the administration has spent tens of millions of dollars in the effort — but has thousands more vacancies than when it began.
…Today, Customs and Border Protection — the Border Patrol’s parent agency — has more than 3,000 job vacancies, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. That’s about 2,000 more than when Trump signed the orders, according to a Government Accountability Office report on CBP’s hiring challenges.
…In December, the Homeland Security inspector general’s office said Accenture and CBP were “nowhere near” filling the president’s hiring order.
It warned that if problems in the “hastily approved” contract are not addressed, CBP risks “wasting millions of taxpayer dollars.”
…ICE requested $830 million to hire about 3,000 new officers and build capacity to ultimately bring on 10,000.
…Instead, Congress last year gave ICE $15.7 million for 65 new agents plus 70 attorneys and support staff.
Over the past two years, ICE has brought on 1,325 investigators and deportation officers, according to the agency. The agency typically loses nearly 800 law enforcement officers each year, so it has not kept pace and remains far behind the president’s order.
…Given historically low illegal immigration on the southern border, even the Homeland Security inspector general has questioned the need for the surge.
…Officials could not “provide complete data to support the operational need or deployment strategies for the additional 15,000 additional agents and officers they were directed to hire,” the inspector general’s office wrote.
hmmmm
Duke official steps down after telling students to speak English
The director of graduate studies for a Duke University School of Medicine department stepped down Saturday after screenshots of an email reported to be from her circulated on social media, suggesting students refrain from speaking Chinese to “improve their English.”
…Two faculty members approached Neely to express disappointment that first-year students were speaking Chinese in student study and lounge areas.
…”I encourage you to commit to using English 100 percent of the time” on campus or in professional settings, the email states.
…”They were disappointed that these students were not taking the opportunity to improve their English and were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand,” the email reads.
…”To be clear,” [Medical school dean Mary E. Klotman] wrote, “there is absolutely no restriction or limitation on the language you use to converse and communicate with each other. Your career opportunities and recommendations will not in any way be influenced by the language you use outside the classroom.”
Duke official steps down after telling students to speak English
And what of the two faculty members???
Michael Cohen postpones plan to testify before Congress
Davis cited “ongoing threats” to Cohen’s family from Trump and the president’s current personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, in the decision to delay his appearance before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, where he was expected to talk at length about the president.
…Davis, in his statement Wednesday, said, “Due to ongoing threats against his family from President Trump and Mr. Giuliani, as recently as this weekend, as well as Mr. Cohen’s continued cooperation with ongoing investigations, by advice of counsel, Mr. Cohen’s appearance will be postponed to a later date.
…Trump later told reporters, when asked about Cohen: “I would say he’s been threatened by the truth.”
…Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Cohen’s concern for safety was “legitimate” given the “attacks” by Trump and Giuliani.
But they also said they expected Cohen to appear before their committee at some point.
Michael Cohen postpones plan to testify before Congress
hmmmm
Jayme Closs, 13, to receive $25,000 in reward money for rescuing herself
“On behalf of the Barron County Sheriff’s Department and all the law enforcement agencies that assisted in this case, we would like to thank Jennie-O for their support and assistance during this case,” Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in a statement. “We also agree that Jayme is the hero in this case and happy they have chosen her to receive the company’s reward contribution.”
Jayme Closs, 13, to receive $25,000 in reward money for rescuing herself – ABC News
hmmm
Smitherman: Administrators have been working on strategies for several students
Smitherman on Wednesday apologized for misusing her insurance to pay for the 15-year-old’s medical care, and the Elwood Community School Corp. board of trustees pledged its continued support for her.
…The matter already has been resolved through an Agreement for Withheld Prosecution, also signed on Wednesday with the Madison County Prosecutor’s Office, dismissing the charges as long as Smitherman is not arrested in the coming 12 months.
Smitherman and her husband, Steve, started helping out the teen and his guardian, Charles Gerard, 97, a great-uncle, according to the probable cause affidavit. That assistance included buying clothing for the boy and cleaning the home in the 400 block of South 33rd Street.
The guardian was not home at the time she picked up the student Jan. 9, so she did not ask for consent, Smitherman said.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Smitherman told investigators she had avoided reporting the boy’s living conditions to the Indiana Department of Child of Child Services because she did not want him placed in foster care.
hmmm
Nancy Pelosi: Trump’s State Of The Union Date Remains Uncertain
Though Trump has signed a bill to get the government up and running, Pelosi wants to see the actual reopening occur before putting Trump’s speech on the calendar.
…“What I’d said to the president is when the government is open, we will discuss a mutually agreeable date, and I’ll look forward to doing that and welcoming the president to the House of Representatives for the State of the Union when we agree on that mutually agreeable date,” Pelosi said.
Nancy Pelosi: Trump’s State Of The Union Date Remains Uncertain | HuffPost
Speaker Pelosi did not come to play.
Democrats Denied Use of Voter Data In Court
Democrats challenging a voter registration law in New Hampshire won’t be able to use the state’s voter database to argue the law unfairly burdens those who are more likely to support their party, the state Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
The court ruled on a dispute that arose as part of lawsuit brought by the New Hampshire Democratic Party and the League of Women Voters over a 2017 law requiring additional documentation from voters who register within 30 days of an election.
Supporters argue it will increase trust in elections by requiring people to prove they live where they vote, but opponents argue it is confusing, unnecessary and intimidating.
Valley News – Democrats Denied N.H. Voter Data
hmmm
Homeboy Industries & Father Greg
By 1988, having buried an ever growing number of young people killed in gang violence, Father Boyle and parish and community members sought to address the escalating problems and unmet needs of gang-involved youth by developing positive opportunities for them, including establishing an alternative school and day care program, and seeking out legitimate employment. They called this initial effort Jobs for a Future. “Gang violence is about a lethal absence of hope,” Father Boyle has said. “Nobody has ever met a hopeful kid who joined a gang.”
In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Jobs for a Future and Proyecto Pastoral, a community-organizing project begun at Dolores Mission, launched their first social enterprise business in an abandoned bakery that Hollywood producer Ray Stark helped them purchase. They called it Homeboy Bakery.
….Today, Homeboy Industries employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to 15,000 men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.
…Each year over 10,000 former gang members from across Los Angeles come through Homeboy Industries’ doors in an effort to make a positive change. They are welcomed into a community of mutual kinship, love, and a wide variety of services ranging from tattoo removal to anger management and parenting classes. Full-time employment is offered for more than 200 men and women at a time through an 18-month program.
…We offered a simple question, “What if we were to invest in this population rather than just endlessly incarcerate?” that has redirected our attention away from suppression and onto treatment and education. Homeboy played an integral role in replacing the “tough on crime” mantra that predominated in the 1980s and 1990s with a “smart on crime” model that many police and sheriff’s departments have adopted.
What this place discovered was that it was a lethal absence of hope that leads kids into gangs, and the fact that there was no way out of the cycle of gang violence compounded people’s despair. So Homeboy offered this model, in the fullest sense, of community trumping gang.
… We have learned in that time that jobs are probably about 80% of what these folks need to redirect their lives. The other 20% is a mixture of therapeutic and support services. So, in addition to paying men and women to receive job training, we also require that they spend part of their working day here working on themselves. We offer education, therapy, tattoo removal, substance abuse treatment, legal assistance, and job placement services. We also offer six different social enterprise businesses where trainees can receive real job training that they can use immediately upon graduation from Homeboy. And we provide all of this in a trauma-informed, therapeutic community setting that also allows them to work on attachment repair and building healthy relationships with co-workers who may formerly have been members of rival gangs.
…In 1994, the ceiling leaked, the oven broke, and the bakery closed. Father Greg found new partners; a worker from the Southern California Gas Company repaired the oven free of charge and USC Medical Center stepped up and said they would buy whatever the bakery could turn out. The business of job training and re-entry grew. Total disaster struck in 1999 when the bakery burned down, but despite these obstacles, Homeboy continued to grow and expand. More social enterprise businesses and new, free social programs were added and by 2001, Homeboy Industries was an independent non-profit. …Today, Homeboy is located in gang-neutral downtown Los Angeles.
…Thousands of young people have since walked through the doors of Homeboy Industries looking for a second chance, and finding community, sanctuary, and family.
…Social enterprises are businesses that apply commercial strategies to improve the well-being of individuals rather than creating enterprises for profit. Homeboy is an organization with many true social enterprises where trainees are paid to learn job skills and take advantage of comprehensive services. By offering former gang members a place to work, Homeboy provides a place for them to learn soft skills, like administration and customer service, and also vocational skills from solar panel installation to pastry baking or catering. These jobs in Homeboy’s social enterprises, often the first “legit” employment our clients have ever held, give our clients confidence and self-esteem while enabling them to provide for their families.
The jobs our clients have through our social enterprises offer them alternatives to re-incarceration or a return to their former gang lives.
Homeboy’s Social Enterprises include:
Homeboy Bakery (storefront, wholesale, and online at homeboyfoods.com.)
Homeboy Silkscreen & Embroidery
Homegirl Café
Homegirl Catering
Homeboy Merchandise
Farmers Markets
Homeboy Diner at Los Angeles City Hall
Grocery – Salsa
Homeboy Café and Bakery in LAX Terminal 4
What services are offered at Homeboy?
Case Management
Tattoo Removal
Employment Services
Mental Health Services – individual therapy, substance abuse counseling, and group classes
Legal Services
Education – including academic, life skills, wellness and enrichment classes,and a partnership with LearningWorks Charter High School.
Solar Panel Training and Certification
…Homeboy Recycling is the newest venture at Homeboy. We have partnered with Isidore Recycling who’s mission has been and still is to make recycling electronics easy, secure and accessible, while creating employment opportunities for people who have successfully exited California’s correctional system.
…All of Homeboy’s services, offered free of charge, are designed to equip our clients to successfully turn their lives around. Participants in the 18-month program are offered case management and comprehensive wrap-around services while at Homeboy. All of our services (with the exception of case management and individual therapy) are free and open to community clients as well.
…Homeboy Industries offers employment services to community clients. We provide assistance with developing job leads and building an individual’s marketing package to include resumes, references, and cover letters. Employment services assists with some transportation needs, offers free professional clothing, identification, certifications, work history documents, and other support services for individuals seeking employment.
Homeboy Industries – Father Greg |
(Yes, this is a break from the new cycle. Because we at the Peanut Gallery needed it!)
What a mensch this Father Greg, guy!
Comments From The Peanut Gallery 