Category: Media and Culture,

Alton Sterling shooting: Baton Rouge officer is fired for excessive force

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Gulf Coast Region,, Race,Leave a comment

One of the two white officers who wrestled Alton Sterling to the ground and killed him outside a Louisiana convenience store was fired after an excessive force investigation. The second officer will be suspended for three days.

…Salamoni, the only officer to open fire, was terminated.

…After the announcement Friday, the department released graphic body camera footage showing Salamoni calling Sterling a variety of profanity-laced names while the injured man lay bleeding to death on the concrete.

Alton Sterling shooting: Baton Rouge officer is fired for excessive force

Not enough. A three day suspension is an embarrassment to the city of Baton Rouge and advertisement of a city and its police department’s willingness to shield murderers in their midst.

It’s nice that the fired the shooter but if he isn’t in jail for this violent crime all it amounts to is a slap on the wrist and a tacit nod of permission to officers to act above the law and commit violent crime with clearly racist undertones without fear of consequences.

No police officer who takes the law into their own hand is qualified to uphold the law. Period.

Pruitt’s EPA security broke down door to lobbyist condo

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s protective detail broke down the door at the Capitol Hill condo where he was living, believing he was unconscious and unresponsive and needed rescue, in a bizarre incident last year.

…A Capitol Police officer called 911 at the behest of Pruitt’s security detail, which had tried unsuccessfully to reach him by phone, and by banging on the building’s front door, according to police recordings obtained by ABC News.

“They say he’s unconscious at this time,” the 911 operator is told, according to the recordings.

…The protective detail then broke down the building’s glass-paneled front door and ascended two flights …where two sources tell ABC News he was found groggy, rising from a nap. It is unclear what led to the panic that caused the response. Pruitt declined medical attention, and a police report was never filed.

…The EPA has since reimbursed Pruitt’s former landlord, Vicki Hart, for the cost of the door.

…The EPA allowed Bloomberg News to review copies of canceled checks that Pruitt paid to the condo owner. The news outlet reported that the checks show varying amounts paid on sporadic dates — not a traditional monthly “rent payment” of the same amount each month, according to Bloomberg. In all, Pruitt paid $6,100 over six months to the limited liability corporation for the Capitol Hill condo.

…“It’s not just if he is paying market rent,” Morgan said. “A short-term lease is expensive. Is he given the ability to end it any day? Is this an arrangement any other person could get on the open market? My assumption would be this situation does not involve the hallmarks of a specific fair market transaction.”

…“Since Administrator Pruitt is already involved in allegations of accepting gifts of travel, the question arises whether a sense of entitlement may have led him to violate the gift rules on this rental arrangement as well,” Holman wrote.

The head of the nonprofit watchdog group the Environmental Integrity Project and former EPA Director of Civil Enforcement Eric Shaffer called on the EPA’s inspector general and Congress to look into the issue.

“Does this explain why Pruitt flew to Morocco to pitch natural gas exports, which isn’t really an EPA concern?” Schaeffer wrote in a statement.

EXCLUSIVE: Pruitt’s EPA security broke down door to lobbyist condo – ABC News

hmmmmm

EPA chief lived in condo tied to lobbyist ‘power couple’

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Infrastructure and Transportation,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

For much of his first year in Washington, President Trump’s EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt occupied prime real estate in a townhouse near the U.S. Capitol that is co-owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist [J. Steven Hart,] property records from 2017 show.

…Hart confirmed to ABC News in a brief interview that Pruitt had lived in the flat, which is owned by a limited liability company that links to an address listed to Hart and his wife Vicki Hart, a lobbyist with expertise in the healthcare arena. Steven Hart said Vicki Hart co-owns the condo. He said his wife was not the majority owner, but would not identify her partners.

…[Vicki Hart’s] website says she previously worked as a senior health policy advisor for two Senate Majority Leaders before establishing her firm in 2002.

Steven Hart served in the Reagan Justice Department and became, according to his website, is one of the nation’s top fundraisers, donating more than $110,000 to Republican political candidates and committees last election cycle, records show.

…Mr. Hart is the chairman and CEO of Williams and Jensen, a firm that reported more than $16 million in federal lobbying income in 2017, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Among his many clients are the NRA, for whom he serves as outside legal counsel.

…Another lobbying client of Hart’s, the railroad Norfolk Southern, spent $160,000 last year on lobbying Congress on “issues affecting coal usage, oil production, and transportation, including EPA regulation.”

…The revelations about Pruitt’s living situation come as more questions are being raised by members of Congress about his travel habits.

EXCLUSIVE: More Cabinet trouble for Trump? EPA chief lived in condo tied to lobbyist ‘power couple’ – ABC

hmmm

Florida school shooting survivor David Hogg urges others to ‘use white privilege’ to ensure gun violence in ‘black community’ is heard

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Race,Leave a comment

Student survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have said they have to use their “white privilege” to make sure that the stories of other students across the country who experience gun violence are also heard.

…“There is a lot of racial disparity in the way that this is covered,” Mr Hogg said of last month’s shooting. “If this happened in a place of lower socioeconomic status, or a….black community, no matter how well those people spoke, I don’t think the media would cover it the same.”

“And I think it’s important that we point that out as Americans and realise that. Because, we have to use our white privilege now to make sure that all of the voices that….all of the people that have died as a result of this and haven’t been covered the same can be heard,” he continued. “It’s sad, but true.”

…In doing so, the students highlighted the high rates of gun violence in the city, which rarely get national media attention. There were 4,000 shooting victims in the city in 2016, contributing to a spike in homicides that year.

Sam Zeif, one of the students who visited Chicago, called it “heartbreaking to know they’ve been feeling this pain and fear for nearly their whole lives”.

Florida school shooting survivor David Hogg urges others to ‘use white privilege’ to ensure gun violence in ‘black community’ is heard

Well, good on you for choosing to operate in and react to the real world, kiddo.

California sues over Census citizenship question – CNNPolitics

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Race,Leave a comment

Progressives, states and civil rights advocates are preparing a flurry of legal challenges to the Trump administration’s decision to add a question about citizenship to the next census, saying the move will penalize immigrants and threaten civil rights.

The late Monday move from the Commerce Department, which it said came in response a request by the Justice Department, would restore a question about citizenship that has not appeared on the census since the 1950s.

…The state of California immediately challenged the plan in federal court.

…”The citizenship question is the latest attempt by President Trump to stoke the fires of anti-immigrant hostility,” Padilla said in a statement. “Now, in one fell swoop, the US Commerce Department has ignored its own protocols and years of preparation in a concerted effort to suppress a fair and accurate census count from our diverse communities. The administration’s claim that it is simply seeking to protect voting rights is not only laughable, but contemptible.”

New York announced it would also lead a separate multi-state lawsuit to challenge the move on Tuesday.

California sues over Census citizenship question – CNNPolitics

sigh…

Tumblr’s Ban Of Russian Accounts Adds Detail To Targeting Of Black Americans

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Race,Leave a comment

Tumblr has listed a number of accounts linked to Russian social media agitation giving the newest look at a sophisticated effort to sow discord among Americans — including black users.

…That included using fake online accounts to organize real-world political events and posing as black Americans to address real black Americans discussing race, law enforcement and the 2016 political campaign.

…Russian influencemongers bought a relatively small number of paid ads on Facebook and Instagram, which Facebook owns, but once they had been shared and users began seeing more free content, about 150 million people saw some Russian material, the social media giant said.

Black users and Black Lives Matter were a target on Facebook as well, according to Mueller’s indictment. The best-known account, “Blacktivist,” and others sought to divide black users from within. In another example from Mueller’s indictment, Internet Research Agency influencemongers used the Instagram account “Woke Blacks” to encourage followers not to vote for any candidate in 2016.

“[A] particular hype and hatred for Trump is misleading the people and forcing Blacks to vote Killary. We cannot resort to the lesser of two devils. Then we’d surely be better off without voting AT ALL,” a post from the account said.

…”They want to drive a wedge between us so that we spend our time fighting with each other instead of building towards the future,” Tumblr’s post said. “We’ll be watching for signs of future activity, but the best defense is knowing how they operate and how to judge the content you see.”

Tumblr’s Ban Of Russian Accounts Adds Detail To Targeting Of Black Americans : NPR

hmmmm

GOP Cuban-American lawmaker defends Emma González from racist reactionary troll, Steve King

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Local Interest,, Media and Culture,, Race,Leave a comment

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) on Tuesday came to the defense of Parkland student Emma González after Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) shared a photo criticizing her.

…”Many #Miami homes also have Cuban flags, @SteveKingIA,” said Ros-Lehtinen, a fiery critic of Castro.

“That doesn’t equal support 4 Castro. Folks should learn about our community before criticizing a high school student.”

GOP Cuban-American lawmaker defends Emma González from Steve King | TheHill

hmmmm

New Indiana law requires doctors make women confess abortion history or go to jail

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,, Local Interest,Leave a comment

This truly is straight out of the Handmaid’s Tale. Indiana has a new law which requires doctors and hospitals to interrogate women about whether they’ve had an abortion when they are seeking “treatment for a physical or psychological condition that is in any way connected to a past abortion.” Any provider who fails to submit an “abortion complications” report to the State Department of Health “risks being charged with a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, for each instance of noncompliance.”

New Indiana law requires doctors make women confess abortion history or go to jail

My god….

Afghan war vet deported to Mexico and left ‘homeless and penniless,’ his Chicago family says

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Military,, Race,Leave a comment

Ending a 16-month quest to stay in a country where he was raised and that he fought to defend, Miguel Perez Jr., a veteran who held a green card, has been deported to Mexico, where he has not lived since childhood.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Sunday that Perez boarded an ICE Air Operations flight at Gary International Airport and was flown to Brownsville, Texas. There, ICE officers escorted Perez across the U.S.-Mexico border and turned him over to Mexican authorities.

Perez was deported without the customary warning and opportunity to say goodbye to his family. He had no money or clothes and was left in a border town on the U.S. travel warning list, advocates said. His family will fly to Mexico on Monday to help him gather resources and ensure his safety.

Afghan war vet deported to Mexico and left ‘homeless and penniless,’ his Chicago family says

What a fucking horrible thing to do to a veteran! Especially one whose troubles wouldn’t have started if the military was responsible enough to provide the post combat support he needed in the first place….

Judge rejects Trump request to toss lawsuit accusing him of violating Constitution

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, UncategorizedLeave a comment

A federal judge denied on Wednesday a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of receiving improper payments from states and foreign governments — or emoluments — through his Washington hotel in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

According to court documents, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte ruled that the plaintiffs, the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia, had legal standing to challenge Trump’s involvement with his eponymous company, but narrowed the scope of the suit to the Trump Organization’s business in the District of Columbia.

…The Constitution bars public officeholders from accepting payments or titles from foreign governments without approval from Congress, a clause designed to prevent officials from being corrupted.

If it withstands likely appeals, the suit could allow prosecutors — two Democratic attorneys general, Maryland’s Brian Frosh and D.C.’s Karl Racine — to seek documents from the Trump Organization on how much money is sent there by states and foreign governments, something that is not publicly known.

…If this suit progresses, it is sure to bring some history into the courtroom, since the plaintiffs are pointing to 230-year-old decision as part of their legal argument. According to the opinion released Wednesday, Maryland argued that the anti-corruption Emoluments Clauses in the Constitution were key “to its decision to enter the Union and that it retains the power to enforce those provisions today.”

Judge rejects Trump request to toss lawsuit accusing him of violating Constitution

hmmm

Ecuador blocks Julian Assange internet access, bars visitors

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Privacy,, The Americas,Leave a comment

Julian Assange is now completely isolated from the world after the Ecuadorean embassy cut off his internet access and banned him from receiving visitors.

Ecuador announced over night that it had cut off the WikiLeaks founder’s internet connection at its London embassy after his recent activity on social media decrying the arrest of a Catalan separatist politician and calling a British MP a “snake.”

In a statement, officials said Mr Assange’s recent posts “put at risk” the good relations Ecuador maintains with nations throughout Europe and had decided as of Tuesday to suspend his internet access “in order to prevent any potential harm.”

Ecuador blocks Julian Assange internet access, bars visitors

Paul McCartney honors John Lennon at March for Our Lives

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

The former Beatle told CNN Saturday that he is participating in the New York March for Our Lives rally to honor his late, former bandmate.

“One of my best friends was killed in gun violence right around here,” McCartney told the news station. “So it’s important to me.”

Lennon was shot to death while walking home near Central Park on Dec. 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman. Chapman, who pled guilty to second-degree murder, was sentenced to 20-years-to-life. Lennon was 40.

Paul McCartney honors John Lennon at March for Our Lives

awwww…
Way to go,  Sir Paul!

68 Iowa faith leaders: We support woman’s right to an abortion

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Religion,Leave a comment

The constitutional right of women to make their own healthcare decisions is being attacked in the Iowa Legislature. With arguments based only in religious beliefs, it will create harm to Iowa women and a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions. It is creating a clear path for the government to intrude in the most personal rights and decisions of Iowa women. This is unconstitutional and it is wrong.

…We know that women do not want to be in the place to need an abortion. Life is not perfect and there are personal, often difficult, reasons that lead women to make a decision to end a pregnancy. The reasons are as varied as the women themselves. Unless we are invited into that conversation with a woman, it is not our business and it is not the business of the government.

…Every person has the right to their own personal and religious beliefs and to live their life how they determine is best for them. The government does not have the right to infringe on the freedoms or privacy of Iowa women based on those religious beliefs.

Every woman deserves to consult her values, faith, and doctor when making a decision about her body and her pregnancy. Any law that strips a woman of her faith and tries instead to legislate her values for her is immoral.

We stand with the women of Iowa and their constitutional right to make their own healthcare decisions. We ask the Iowa Legislature to do the same.

68 Iowa faith leaders: We support woman’s right to an abortion

nice!

Jared Kushner’s Younger Brother Had Vowed To #MarchForOurLives. And He Did. | HuffPost

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Josh Kushner, the younger brother of …Jared Kushner, joined the “March For Our Lives” protest march in Washington on Saturday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgrtJxUHiNl/?utm_source=ig_embed

Josh Kushner made headlines earlier this month for donating $50,000 to March For Our Lives. 

…Kushner has described himself as a “lifelong Democrat.” In 2016, he said through a spokesman that he would not be voting for Trump.

At the Women’s March in Washington the day after Trump was inaugurated last year, Kushner was photographed in a crowd of demonstrators.

Jared Kushner’s Younger Brother Had Vowed To #MarchForOurLives. And He Did. | HuffPost

hmmmm

The Banking Bill Could Hurt Black Homeowners

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Race,Leave a comment

Today—50 years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, 40 years after the passage of the Community Reinvestment Act, and a decade after the subprime-loan crisis—that black family would be 5.6 times more likely to be denied a conventional mortgage than that white family, a damning report released last month by the Center for Investigative Reporting found.

…Redlining and other forms of discriminatory lending practices remain a defining feature of the American housing market, and they have profound consequences in terms of wealth-building, equality, and equity.

…The legislation in process includes a number of technical changes that stand to put borrowers of color, mobile-home owners, and rural residents at risk. Chief among these is a change letting banks that make fewer than 500 mortgage loans a year report less data to the government on who they lend to and at what rates—data meant to help show whether financial institutions are discriminating against families of color.

…The Trump administration, for instance, has hollowed out the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development is removing its mandates for inclusion and consumer protection from its mission statement.

The Banking Bill Could Hurt Black Homeowners – The Atlantic

Sigh…

A Star Is Born: MLK’s Granddaughter At The March For Our Lives

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Evoking her grandfather’s clerical technique of call and response, she said:

“Please repeat these words after me: Spread the word!”

The crowd repeated. Then she rhymed:

“Have you heard?”

The crowd repeated. Then she said:

“All across the nation!”

The crowd repeated. Then she said:

“We! Are going to be! A great generation!”

At each exclamation point, the crowd exclaimed back. Then Ms. King said:

I’d like you to say it like you really, really mean it!”

And then she repeated the entire sequence twice more, each iteration rousing the crowd higher and higher.

When it was all done, Ms. King said,

Now give yourself a hand!”

Let’s give her a hand. A star is born.

A Star Is Born: MLK’s Granddaughter At The March For Our Lives

warm fuzzies